Page 38 of Monster

Chapter Seven

Back to Work…

Deacon strolled through the halls of the facility.Workmen still lingered here and there—finishing wiring, painting, and installing small items like doorknobs and locks. They’d done a fine job building the facility… it turned out better than expected.

Finally, he stopped at the door to what would be the offices he shared with Bull and Malachi. He walked in and saw their new assistant preparing his desk.

“Good morning, Garrit.”

“Morning, sir,” the man said before standing at attention, saluting, and smiling.“It’s so very good to see you well.”

“At ease,” Deacon murmured.“We’re no longer in the military.You don’t have to salute.”

Garrit lowered his hand.“Habit.”

“So I keep hearing,” Deacon said, chuckling. “Is everyone in the conference room?”

“Yes, sir.Including the alpha.”

Deacon frowned.“Declan’s here?”

“He is,” Garrit frowned.“Was it alright that I allowed him in?”

“Of course. The alpha is funding this mission of ours—he’s always welcome,” Deacon said.“I just wasn’t expecting him.”

Deacon entered the conference room moments later to see he had a full table.Applause broke out among them, and he put up a hand to stop them.“Thank you, but not necessary.”

“We’re all very glad to see you back and in one piece,” Declan said from the end of the table. The alpha rose and closed the gap, offering a shake of the hand.“You and Bull are the heart and soul of this operation.I can’t imagine it without either one of you.”

Deacon graciously took Declan’s hand. “I’m glad you see it that way, but I assure you—our team is strong and could go on without me.”

“I hope we never have to test that theory,” Declan said before returning to his seat.

By the time Deacon had reached the head of the table, Garrit was pulling out his seat.Once he sat, a fresh cup of coffee sat at his left. “You spoil me.”

Garrit shook his head and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

He gazed around the table. Malachi and Bull sat on either side of him. The hackers were there, all three.The three saved beasts—Jericho, Cal, and Cyprian—were there. Samuel and Cutler were tucked at the sides of their mates. “I’m glad to see we’ve got a full house.We all need to get on the same page and catch me up with anything I missed.”

“The big question is where do we go from here?” Malachi said.“We hit Zed… and we’ve recovered from that attack.It’s time to plan the next move.”

“We’ve mined a ton of new targets from Zed’s computers,” Kye offered, pulling out a stack of papers from a file.“I know you were coming to the end of the list you had… we have the full list here.”

“Now that we have the facilities nearly complete, it’s time to make a bigger move on Zed,” Bull said.“If we go in and free those locked in their labs, and leave a swath of destruction—they’d be down for the count. At least for a while. Those targets would be safe until Zed got back on its feet.”

“We’re not ready for that yet,” Deacon said.“We need to grow our army first. The soft targets are the best way to do that.”

“How big does this army of yours need to be?” Declan asked. “Residents in the valley are getting nervous.”

“After the attack Lore made on your town, you’d think they’d understand,” Bull said.

“The wall held,” Malachi uttered.“They feel safe, they feel that their bear gods protected them. Some might not think we need to fight this battle… as long as they remain inside the walls of the dome, they’re safe inside Bear Mountain.”

“And the shifters outside the walls? We leave them to fend for themselves?” Bull asked Declan. “I thought you were on our side?”

“I am,” the alpha said.“But the den needs to see results. I need to be able to show them why we’re fighting this war. The handful of creatures you’ve saved thus far… it only adds to their worry.Some still fear Jericho, Cal, and Cyprian. We need to show them there’s nothing to fear.”

“Why not have a town hall meeting?” Malachi asked.“Bring Cal and Cyprian, let your den meet them. It might allay some of their fears.”

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