Two hours had passed since the Dairfax Laboratory became a funeral pyre.
The interior of the Utility Van was silent, save for the low hum of the engine and the rhythmic thrum of tires against the interstate. Sheryl sat behind the wheel, her hands steady on the 10-and-2 position, her gaze fixed on the dark road ahead. Derek sat in the passenger seat, his body aching as his healing factor finished knitting the last of his wounds. In the back, Olivia and Dr. Marsh sat in the shadows, finally allowing their heart rates to settle.
Derek turned his head slightly, observing his mother's profile in the dim glow of the dashboard lights. "Mom... are you sure you're okay? What else did those bastards do to you?"
Sheryl didn't take her eyes off the road. "I'm fine, Derek. Better than I've been in weeks." Her voice was low, carrying a hint of the gravelly edge that usually preceded a shift. "They kept me sedated. Drugged me around the clock to keep the beast locked in. They wanted my DNA to mass-produce monsters, but they didn't just want the power. They wanted the soul."
She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "They were going to wipe me clean. Rebuild me as a cold-blooded weapon under their thumb. They tried. They failed."
"Everyone associated with that company deserved what they got," Sheryl muttered, her golden eyes reflecting the passing highway lights. "I made sure of that."
"I wasn't going to let them take you," Derek said, his voice firm. "Not now. Not ever."
A faint, knowing smile touched Sheryl's lips. "I know you weren't. I always knew you were coming, son. I just had to be patient and wait for the right moment to tear them apart from the inside."
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A sharp ping echoed through the van. Derek pulled his phone from his tactical pocket. A news headline flashed across the screen in bold, red letters:
CONTROVERSIAL DEFENSE CONTRACTOR DAIRFAX ATTACKED: NO SURVIVORS. LOCAL OFFICIALS SUSPECT COORDINATED TERRORIST STRIKE.
"They're calling it a terrorist attack," Derek said, reading the report aloud.
"Oh, really?" Sheryl's laugh was dark and humorless. "The irony. Dairfax were the terrorists. If the world only knew the horrors they were brewing in those basements... but the world isn't ready for the truth."
She reached out her hand without looking. "Give me your phone."
Derek handed it over. Sheryl dialed a familiar number. It was Karen—her close cousin and the one person who knew the weight of the life they lived. Their planned trip to Cabo had been the casualty of the Dairfax kidnapping, and Sheryl wasn't about to let a black-ops company ruin her family time.
The phone rang only once before a frantic voice picked up. "Hello? Derek? Any updates?"
"This isn't Derek. It's Sheryl."
"Sherry!" Karen's scream was loud enough for everyone in the van to hear. "Oh my God, I was so worried! I've been staring at the news... I'm so glad they found you. I'm so glad you're safe."
"I'm more than safe, Karen," Sheryl said, her voice softening for the first time all night. "Listen. We're meeting up tomorrow. We're rescheduling Cabo. We aren't letting these people hinder our lives for one more second."
"I'll be there," Karen promised, her voice thick with relief. "I can't wait to see you."
Sheryl handed the phone back to Derek as the call ended. The mission was over, but the logistics remained. "Derek, Dr. Marsh will spend the night at your place. In the morning, you'll drive him up to Baton Rouge to get him home."
Olivia left that night because her vehicle was parked at Derek's home.
The van continued south, a lone shadow moving through the night. The following day, Derek and Sheryl returned to their daily routines—the gym, the house, the quiet moments of a normal life. But the peace was a thin veil. Deep down, in the marrow of their bones, they knew that while Dairfax was dead, the world was full of shadows.
A brand new threat could arise at any moment, and when it did, the Lion and the Death Claw would be waiting.
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