Page 60 of Furry Equations
“I maintain full access to my lab. No restricted hours or limited equipment use.”
“Agreed, but with proper security measures.”
“I continue developing the counteragent. We need multiple batches ready before moving against Tomlinson.”
“With adequate safety protocols and backup.”
“And you stop looking at me like I might disappear if you blink.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
Marcus caught her hand, pressing it over his heart. “Can’t promise that one, sweetheart. Keeping you safe isn’t just a duty anymore.”
Something softened in her expression. “I know. But you can’t protect me from everything.”
“Watch me try.”
A knock at the lab door interrupted whatever reply she planned to make. Jax entered, his usual easy grin in place despite the late hour.
“Sorry to interrupt the love fest, but we’ve got intel. Emily’s decoded some of Liam’s flash drive - looks like Tomlinson’s network is bigger than we thought.”
Marcus straightened, though he kept one hand on Natalie’s shoulder. “How much bigger?”
“Try international.” Jax’s expression turned grim. “He’s got facilities in Canada, Mexico, even Europe. And get this - some of them are legitimate medical research centers. Perfect cover for testing enhanced subjects.”
“Son of a bitch.” The curse slipped out before Marcus could stop it. “He’s been planning this for years. But he wants your data? Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he hasn’t succeeded. Which means we need to move fast.” Natalie was already pulling up data streams on her monitors. “If he’s got that kind of infrastructure ready...”
“He’s confident he’ll get the formula soon,” Marcus finished. His grip tightened involuntarily on her shoulder. “What’s our timeline?”
“Emily’s running analytics now, but based on facility readiness and supply chain patterns...” Jax consulted his tablet. “Two weeks, max, before he makes a major play.”
“Then we have two weeks to prepare.” Marcus’s mind raced with tactical possibilities. “How many doses of the counteragent can you synthesize by then?”
“Depends on batch size and purification requirements.” Natalie’s fingers flew across keyboards as she ran calculations. “Maybe fifty doses per day, assuming no complications. Though we should factor in failure rates and-“
“We need more than that.” They all turned to find Emily in the doorway, tablet in hand. “According to the files, we’ll need all we can get - Tomlinson’s got at least three hundred ‘enhanced’ soldiers ready for initial deployment.”
“What do you mean byenhanced?” Natalie asked.
“Look here.” Emily passed her table to Natalie. “There’s not a lot of detail, but the results are mentioned.”
He watched as his mate’s face blanched. “What?” he asked.
“Tomlinson has created a formula that enhances shifter ability exponentially,” she said, falling into a chair. “So why does he want my work? What does he want from me?”
Marcus felt his wolf stir fully awake, rage building at the threat to his mate and pack. “Jax, coordinate with security teams. I want around-the-clock protection on this lab and Natalie’s backup servers. Emily, work with R&D to streamline production. We need as many doses as possible.”
“And what about me?” Natalie’s tone held a dangerous edge. “Since you’re giving everyone else orders.”
He turned to find her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in challenge. Despite the situation, his lips twitched. “Would you actually follow any orders I gave?”
“Depends. Are they reasonable orders backed by scientific logic, or overprotective alpha nonsense?”
“Is keeping you alive overprotective?”
“That depends entirely on your methods.” She poked his chest. “I’m not some damsel to be locked away in a tower.”