Nanowars: Rebirth - 3. Chapter 3: End of Exile

Chapter Three: End of Exile

Three years before the birth of Avery Winters

Seeing her boss exit the elevator, Samantha jumped up from her desk in an attempt to intercept him before he could reach his office. “Mr. Winters…”

“Yes Samantha?” Harry Winters was startled by the panic on her face.

“Are you sure you’re feeling well sir… maybe you should call in sick today?” She said darting her eyes to his office door.

“What’s going on Samantha? I’ve got a busy schedule today.”

“Please listen. I tried to call you on your cell phone to warn you but you had it turned off.”

“Warn me about what?”

“Travis Walker is in your office.”

“That’s impossible. Harry said, his face going pale. Why haven’t you called the police?”

“We did… two hours ago. They refuse to come.”

“Then call the FBI or the Defense Department. He can’t be in this country.”

“We called the Pentagon, Harry. It seems he was able to convince them to let him back in the US for a short visit.” Mr. Orson Delaware, the head of the military think tank Harry worked for said a stern expression on his face as he walked up to them. “Dr. Winters when you came to work for us you said you past connection to Walker Industries had been severed.”

“They were. The government promised to ensure my safety.”

“Then why is Dr. Walker sitting in your office.”

“The man is a cold blooded killer. I’ve told you that before.”

“The man is the leading private seller of WMD’s. He’s an arms dealer… nothing more.” Mr. Delaware insisted. “We, however, are a respected business that can ill afford to be connected with that mercenary.”

“They guaranteed my safety. God damn it… they promised.” Harry ran both his hands through his hair.

“Well it seems everyone has their price. Just get him out of here.” His boss dared to wag his finger at him.

“You can’t expect me to get rid of him!”

“If you want to keep your job you will.” Harry’s boss headed back to his own office.

He clenched his jaw as he glared at Mr. Delaware’s retreating back.

“I quit!” He jabbed at the elevator button a half dozen times with his thumb.

“You can’t quit.” Samantha pleaded. She was near in tears

“I can.”

“But what are you going to tell my sister. The wedding is next month.”

“Damn it, he can’t be here because of that.” The very thought was a punch in the gut.

When the elevator doors parted, two large men in black suits stepping out. “Hello Dr. Winters,” one of them said, removing his black sunglasses.

“Logan…” Harry said, the name catching in his throat.

“Hello sir…” Logan Smith replied, a sly smile on his face. His eyes were solid black. “You’re not thinking of skipping town?”

“Why… why would I do that?” Harry stuttered.

“Come along Dr. Winters.” said the other man, Lance Reed, his eyes just as dark. “We shouldn’t keep Dr. Walker waiting.”

“I have nothing to say to him.” He swatted a hand from his cheek.

“But he has plenty to say to you.” Logan replied. He grabbed Harry’s wrist before he could stop him a second time.

“I know better than to listen to him.” Harry said even as Logan’s gentle touch drew away some of his resistance.

“No tricks this time… Travis promises. He just wants to talk,” Logan insisted. He leaned closer and rested his chin the side of Harry’s scalp.

“About what?” He felt Logan’s arms wrap around his waist and draw him into his muscular frame

“Well I think he should be the one to tell you.” The two were almost slow dancing.

“You will tell me what this is about or I’m leaving.”

“You think you can make it past us?” Lance asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

“That’s enough you two,” A stern voice spoke from behind.

“But sir…” Lance protested.

“No reason to keep him here. He knows there’s nowhere he can hide from me. I’ll see you later tonight, right Harry?” It was the voice from Harry’s nightmares. A tall man dressed in sharp black suit stood just outside his office. His dark curly hair was cut short. If his eyes were anything like the others he kept it hidden with a pair of mirrored specs.

It didn’t matter to Harry, he already knew what would be seen beneath them. “Get out of my way.” Both Lance and Logan grabbed him before he could take one step

Travis laughed in a rich baritone. “Let him go.”

Once back down in the building’s main lobby Harry removed his cell phone from his belt and put it on autodial. “Dr. Greens office, how may I help you?”

“Hello Emily.”

“Harry… this is a nice surprise. You usually don’t call me at work.”

“Emily… I’ll be coming by the office. Please tell Dr. Green to meet me there.”

“Harry, you sound scared. What’s wrong?”

“My former employer was at work waiting for me?”

“That madman? I thought half the world is trying to hunt him down.”

“He bought his way back into the States somehow. I need to see Dr. Green.”

“I’ll tell him your coming but are we going to be okay?”

“Once you tell Dr. Green I’m coming I think you should take a few days off. Go visit your family in Ohio.”

“But they’re coming down here next week for the wedding.”

“Emily I need you to be safe. I’ve told you how dangerous Travis is.”

“Are you sure?”

“Emily… as far as I can guess he might be here because of the wedding.”

“Good god… what have you gotten me into?”

“I’m sorry Emily. The government promised to protect me. I wouldn’t have gotten involved with you if I believed for a second we wouldn’t be safe.”

“When will I see you again?”

“I don’t know. It depends on what Travis wants. If I disappear all I can ask is that you try to forgive me. Don’t… don’t try to find me. Don’t give Travis an excuse to hurt you.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“And I’m terrified but don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. Emily… please say you’ll forgive me?”

“I’m never going to see you again… am I?”

“I won’t let you be hurt more than you already have. I…”

“Don’t you dare say you regret falling in love with me you bastard! The last three years have been wonderful. I was confused and a little hurt that it took you so long to ask me to marry you. Now I know why. Just tell me, why does your former boss care that you were going to marry me?”

“He has always felt… possessive of me.”

“You’re gay?”

“No… and I’ve never slept with him. It goes… it goes a lot deeper than that. I’ve known Travis my entire life. I’m the last… well, the last person who remembers how he used to be, before he became ambitious.”

“There are things you’re not telling me. But that’s always been true.”

“In this case I have to say ignorance is bliss Emily. I don’t want to know the things I do so I’m not going to burden you with them. Emily, I’m at my car now. I need to go. Please don’t be there when I get to Dr. Green’s office.”

“I’ll go. I’ll go right now. I won’t even stop by the house.”

“If I go missing… everything will be yours. All you have to do is call my lawyer.”

“I don’t want your money. I want you.”

“Use the money to start a new life. Look, I have a half brother in Alaska. He’ll take care of you.” Harry said, stepping into his car. “I have to go.”

“Please don’t,” Emily begged as Harry closed his cell phone and dropped it outside the car before slamming the door close. It took several deep breaths before he had the will to turn the ignition and drive away, praying Emily would keep her word and be gone when he arrived at the doctor’s office.

            **********************************************

Sitting in the waiting room, Dr. Tobias Green’s legs bounced as he waited nervously for Harry to show up. As soon as he learned Harry was on his way he canceled all his remaining appointments and sent his staff home. When he heard the door knob to his office rattle he jumped with a start. He quickly peaked between the blinds of one of the windows on the side of the door before unlocking it, letting Harry slip in before quickly shutting and locking it again.

“Are you sure Harry? Are you damned sure about this?” Tobias demanded. Harry’s pacing was making him dizzy.

“What choice do I have? He’s here. I’ve been sold out.”

“Well, since you pretty much broke Emily’s heart, maybe he won’t force you to go back.”

“I doubt it.” Harry tossed his coat onto an empty chair.

“You should have never gotten her involved.”

“I know it was stupid. How else could I explain coming to your office every three days though? You told me yourself she was getting suspicious.”

“Did you ever really love her?”

“I wouldn’t have dared asked her to marry me if I didn’t.” Harry’s expression dared Tobias to say otherwise.

“So you’re here for a treatment I guess,” Dr. Green sighed leading Harry into an exam room.

“He let me go but not for long. He’s going to want to meet me tonight. I don’t want to take any risk of a relapse.” Harry said, rolling up his right sleeve.

“I owe you a debt I can never begin to repay. You freed me from that nightmare.”

“You were in the same boat.”

“Still you helped me regardless of the risks, risks you didn’t have to take.”

“You know why I had to bring you with me.” Harry replied as he sat on the exam bed.

“Yes… you needed your treatments and I needed a way out before I ended up like you.” Tobias said as he connected an IV to Harry’s arm.

“What did the last test results show?” Harry asked as he lay back down on the table.

“You are still in remission. Gradually increasing the dose seems to have worked.”

“But for how long?”

“Five, maybe six months before it starts killing you.”

“Well, it seems we will never reach that crossroad.”

“You could have always told the Defense Department the truth. They could have funded research into a more effective treatment. At the very least they would have been less likely to let Travis get his hands on you again.”

“If I had told them, they would have turned me into a lab rat.”

“But you already were a lab rat… we all were.” Tobias said as he drew blood from Harry’s left arm. “You were Travis’s favorite rat. I should have never gone to work for him.”

“Why bring that up? You didn’t know what he was up to.”

“And you thought he was still the same person he had always been… an old childhood friend offering you the job of a lifetime.”

“You know the old saying ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’. Another would be… ‘don’t count your chickens before they hatch’.” Tobias laughed as he put Harry’s blood through a centrifuge.

“I’m still surprised your staff never questioned why you have all this equipment.” Harry said as Tobias siphoned off some of Harry’s blood plasma, putting it into a syringe before injecting it into a gas spectrometer.

“They don’t ask and I don’t tell.” Tobias winked before turning his eyes to a computer monitor.

“Well?” Harry asked.

“Your testosterone levels are elevated and your alpha proteins are a little higher than last time but there is no trace of any omega enzymes. You’re still in remission.”

“Good,” Harry said, sighing with relief.

“Wait a minute… I do see one problem though.” Tobias said, going over to the exam table.

“What?” Harry said sitting straight up.

“This,” Tobias said, taking off his rectangular glasses before kissing Harry on the lips.”

“Tobias, I just told Emily I’m not gay.”

“I know you’re not… not with her chatting with all the nurses about what you two do in the bedroom.” Tobias laughed. “Now that you’ve called things off with her…”

“Tobias, you don’t want to get more entangled with me than you already are.”

“You remember how you got me into this mess?”

“I…” Harry remembered all too well. He had seduced him… stolen his heart and then, in a desperate bid for freedom, risk it all.

Tobias lay down and snuggled up to him. “Swear you will never leave me behind. He is also the jealous sort. He’s either going to drag me back or put a bullet in my head. I don’t have to tell you which option I would prefer. So when you go meet with Travis tonight, I’m going with you. That way he won’t kill me.”

“He’ll make you a lab rat again.”

“But I will have you to protect me.” Tobias insisted wrapping his arms around the back of Harry’s neck. “Come on… I’ve been hitting on you for the past four years.”

“I know how things were back at the complex.”

“Yes, Travis scared you so much you went straight.”

“Bad memories.”

“But you were always able to take care of yourself… frustrating the hell out of Dr. Walker. Did you ever wonder why everyone sucked up to you? They wanted your protection. Your friends were always the ones who were spared the more extreme experiments.”

“I understand Tobias. I will make it clear to Travis that you’re important to me.”

“Then we should practice.” Tobias insisted, taking off his white coat, an eager grin on his face.

“Tobias…” Harry sighed.

“Come on… I’ve been going to the gym three times a week just to look good for you.”

“Tobias… you’ve been planning this for some time, haven’t you?”

“Wanting is more like it. I listened to the gossip at Travis Industries as much as everyone else.”

“Almost all of it were lies.”

“At least I never deluded myself into believing Travis wouldn’t get you back. Please Harry, I’m a geek and Travis is the biggest bully on the planet. You have always been a jock… the team quarterback, Mr. Popular. I need you to protect me.”

“I said I would. We don’t have to have sex for that.”

“It would make me feel a lot better.” Tobias said, playing with his tie.

“Come here,” Harry said hugging Tobias tightly. “I know you’re scared… so am I but we’ll get through this.”

“I don’t want to go back and find myself a nerd again.”

“We’ll think of something.” Harry promised as Tobias began crying against his shoulder.