44. Hope Among Hopelessness

H arlow carried the body into the lab, following behind Foxx and one tired ass looking Doc.

"Lay him out—" The man yawned. "Here." The vampire waved towards the metal exam table.

Harlow laid the wolf down.

Doc leaned over, eyeing the body. "I did what I shouldn't have because I knew how dire the situation was… Apparently, my work is not done."

Foxx grimaced, his expression shifting rapidly before he finally sighed and said, "You should sleep first."

Doc eyed Foxx with a snort. "Pained you to say that, didn't it?"

"Yes!" his brat huffed. "I'm not disregarding the importance of this for werewolves, or suggesting it just because it's not my kind… The fact is, you are exhausted. You almost died because of it."

Doc straightened up. "I know my limits. And there are methods that will force my body to remain awake as long as I need it to. This is not even near the worst I've gotten. And at least this time…I know if I slip up, I won't find myself dying on the ground."

"Suit yourself, you stubborn ass bastard."

Doc sniffed. "That's Scottish bastard to you."

Foxx stuck out his tongue.

The other vampire smirked, but his expression dropped as his gaze flicked back to the body. "What I need is…people I can trust…and werewolf blood… A lot of it…and preferably a live test subject."

Harlow choked. "Not asking for much, are you, Doc?"

Doc cursed. "I need more people. While I may not have the raw materials that I need yet, the fact is, I can't both research and create a counteragent for whatever the hell they are poisoning werewolves with on top of making the one for vampires. I'm only one person. And I wasn't lying when I said we only had enough vampire counteragent for three more doses. Yet, my focus must be on finding out what they gave this poor young man. Which, by the way, I was being serious about the test subject and the blood. I was able to use my own blood for the vampire poison, and use myself for testing…but I can't with this."

Foxx looked at him.

He grimaced. "Well, I know where we could get blood…and possibly a test subject. Maybe Tony knows where we can find people we can trust."

"Three… If you can give me three people, who are not inept fools, maybe we can get a head start on this thing."

"Making the counteragent is one thing…" Foxx said slowly. "It won't matter if we can't get it into the hands of hunters."

"Not all can be trusted," Harlow pointed out.

"I know…but if the Directors of the Guild know, and have it…then maybe by the time there is an outbreak…it won't be too late for them to prevent us from using it."

Harlow nodded. "Fine, you call Tony, I'll call Santiago. Keep it vague."

With Harlow following behind, Foxx approached Tony and Santiago, who were standing slightly off the hiking trail in Hollow Moor Memorial Park. A park only about five miles from Doc's.

Foxx had to admit…his meeting place of choice was feeling kind of sketchy now that they were all actually there. But like…well…it had made sense at the time when he chose it.

Tony looked as he normally did—uncomfortable. And Santiago appeared much as he had earlier…somber as hell. Santiago hadn't come alone. Foxx could smell and hear another wolf in the distance. He was pretty sure it was the redhead.

"Is there a reason we are meeting in a sketchy ass park like a bunch of drug dealers?" Tony drawled with a brow raised as they reached them.

He sent a glare Harlow's way when the man chuckled. Huffing, he snapped, "Well…I just wanted to make sure we don't accidentally lead anyone back to Doc, okay?!"

"And we couldn't just go to your apartment?"

"Do you think we are being watched, or that you two are being watched?" Santiago asked slowly.

"Possibly both?" Foxx frowned. "Also, I feel that if we are being watched, the fact that you, Tony, have repeatedly come to our apartment over the last month or so…will likely start to raise red flags if it keeps up."

Tony nodded. "Okay… Yeah, sure… Why are we here?"

"First…" Foxx sent Santiago a hesitant smile. "Do you mind if we tell him? He knows about the other as well…"

The werewolf waved him on.

Foxx quickly explained about Santiago's nephew, and then continued on to what happened at Doc's.

"Sounds like something he'd do, the idiot." Tony rolled his eyes.

"This vampire…has created a cure already?" Santiago asked with a gasp. "It has been what…a few weeks?!"

"Yeah, I'm not too sure how he worked so fast, but I suppose it involved not sleeping," Harlow mused.

"You never looked Doc up, did you?" Foxx snorted.

Harlow's brow rose. "Why would I?"

He sighed. "If you had done an image search, you would have found him in a picture next to Martinus Willem Beijerinck."

"Who?"

"A man who is considered the father of virology," Santiago rasped.

"Doc also helped in the creation of several vaccines that are still used today…but under various different names. He mostly tries to wipe himself from history. Well, before it was just to avoid detection," Tony informed them.

"I see…" Harlow said slowly. "What's…an image search?"

"Oh…I'm dating an old man." Foxx groaned.

Tony snorted.

"All of this is…good to know," Santiago started hesitantly. "But why specifically am I here?"

"Ah, right… First, Tony, we need you to find people that Doc can trust. He can't research the werewolf poison and create the counteragent for vampires at the same time. As for you, Santiago… To recreate and develop a cure, Doc needs a steady supply of werewolf blood, and…" He winced. "A test subject. To be clear, for the vampire one, he was using himself as the test subject, so… It's not as bad as it sounds."

It was still pretty bad. He was asking for a fucking werewolf guinea pig.

"Blood is no problem. As for the test subject, I will offer myself. I can also help with at least one trustworthy person. Our pack doctor, while he has limited equipment, he is knowledgeable. And he can do whatever your doctor needs him to do, with proper instruction."

"I'll—" Tony started to say something, but cut off at the sound of a phone ringing. The human reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, answering the call. "What is it, Liam? I've only been gone for like thirty minutes, surely things haven't gone to shit yet."

Liam…Barlowe… Yes, that was his last name. If Foxx was remembering right, the human was both a handler and…technically, the Deputy Director of the Houndside Hazard Hunters Guild. Only the man never did anything for the second job, unless Tony was out of the office…or so Foxx had been told. His interactions with the man had been so limited, he honestly didn't really know.

"Tony…" Liam said grimly.

"What happened…?"

"What we were hoping wouldn't happen soon has happened. The Vinley Pack is terrorizing Palace City in Oregon. Like the vampires, it appears as if they have gone insane."

"The whole pack? All sixty-seven of them?" Santiago gasped, his eyes wide in horror.

"Who…?" Liam asked.

"Just answer the question," Tony sighed.

"Yes. The whole pack. Children…included."

Foxx cursed. Santiago's face, on the other hand, crumbled.

Tony took a deep breath, looking as if he needed to compose himself. "Are we sending hunters?" the human asked, his voice raspy with emotion.

Then again…Harlow had told him that the man had a soft spot for children.

"No, Day Lancaster has already dispatched hunters to the city. They are…currently taking care of the…" the man hesitated. "The infected, I suppose. Like the vampires, these individuals seem off."

"Anything else?" Tony asked.

"No…"

The human grunted. "I'll…be out for hours longer than I assumed. Keep me updated if there is anything more."

"Will do."

Tony slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"All…of them will die…" Santiago murmured softly, his voice sounding hopeless. "If not by the hunter's hands…then hours later, just like my nephew."

"I'm sorry. I really am, Santiago," Tony said slowly.

The werewolf stared into the human eyes, seeming to scan the man's face, as if looking for some falsehood…but after a moment, the wolf nodded. "Let's…let's do this. I will go to this…Doc's place. We can't save this pack…but maybe this will give us the chance to save the next."

Harlow cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of paper, one that Foxx knew had Doc's address on it. "This is where you will find Doc. I'd suggest grabbing your wolf doctor before you go, as it's best this isn't discussed over the phone."

Santiago took the paper and looked at Tony. "When the time comes, if you need help giving out the shots, no matter if it's to save vampires or werewolves, my pack is ready to help."

"Considering we don't know who we can trust, we will likely need all the help we can get. Thank you." Tony held out his hand.

The wolf shook it, before nodding and leaving.

"Are they sure they don't need us?" Harlow asked.

"Liam would have said if they did." Tony growled. "That bastard, Maverick."

"Do you need us for anything?" Foxx pressed.

"No, but…" Tony reached into the bag he had with him and pulled out two phones. "Sephira finished with these. Secure lines, with no chance of anyone overhearing anything."

"Finally! I feared we were going to have to start talking by fucking pigeon." Foxx grabbed them both with a happy hum.

Harlow groaned. "How did I go from not wanting one smartphone to having two?"

"Just lucky, I guess." He giggled.

"More like unlucky." Tony snorted. "Use those when you need to. Still use your regular phone when you can…it will be less suspicious that way if someone is listening in. If you two need me, I'll be at Sephira's."

Oh, Sephira's! "Why?"

"Maybe he's going there to bake?" Harlow suggested with a smirk.

Tony made a choking noise. "Why the fuck would I be going there to bake?"

Why wouldn't one go to Sephira's house to bake?! "You should be going there to bake. It's fun!" Foxx huffed.

"I'm not going there to bake," Tony growled.

"Okay, but why are you going there?" The dhampir's smirk widened, the man speaking right as Tony looked to be about to explain.

"If you'd shut up, I'd tell you!"

"And?" Foxx giggled.

"You two are a pain!" the human hissed. "I'm going there because I need to talk to all the Guild Directors."

Harlow tilted his head. "Don't you have a secure phone?"

"Can they be trusted?" Foxx asked over him.

Even though it had been an idea he'd had…Tony would know better than him if they could be trusted or not.

"Yes, they can be trusted, and yes, I do have a secure phone. But so do the other Guild Directors. And with there being so many, with spells no doubt overlapping and running into each other, it's best I just go over to make sure nothing accidentally cancels something out. The last thing we need is for Maverick to hear what I'm about to tell them."

Foxx grimaced. "So, you are going to tell them everything?"

"I trust these people with my life, Foxx. None of them hate paranormals. They wouldn't be Guild Directors if they did."

"If…you say so."

"I do. Now, you two…go home. You've done enough for now. Also, weren't you two just attacked by the council? Yet, here you are, out here running around. Go home!"

It didn't feel like they'd done anything at all. It felt like a hell of a lot of nothing in the face of a whole pack of werewolves being murdered.

"I mean, to be fair, I did most of the attacking," Harlow drawled.

Foxx smiled. "I just got kidnapped, and then blackmailed the council into doing what I wanted… I did have a rather annoying conversation with some police officers though. Two of whom now think I'm a helpless youngin."

"What…" Tony shook his head. "You know what, I don't want to know."

Foxx giggled. "Oh, but you do want to know this. I blackmailed the council into changing their laws. Dhampirs will soon not be illegal. And before you ask if they will actually go through with it, if they don't…" He shrugged. "Either way, the council won't be a problem, because Daydric will wipe them out for going back on their word."

The human stared in shock for a moment. "I… Okay… That's good… How about you two…just… Just go do something that won't cause problems."

"Foxx doesn't know how to do something without causing problems."

"That's not true. I can…but I just choose not to."

Harlow chuckled.

"I'm leaving," Tony growled, walking away without another word.

Harlow looked at Foxx. "Will Daydric actually wipe them out?"

Foxx shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I technically used the threat of you and him to get it done, so… Them not doing it would be disregarding him, but… Eh, I just thought I'd throw it out into the universe for fun."

"Of course."

The truth was, he wasn't sure what Daydric would do if they went back on their word. He made it clear that he'd used him as a threat, so… Well, the vampire wasn't one to back down, even from a promise that someone else made for him… As long as he liked that someone, that is. It's not like the man would be carrying out promises for random ass strangers.

"Food?" Harlow grunted.

"I'd love some."

What he'd actually love would be to go to sleep and wake up to find that this whole Maverick thing was just a bad nightmare. But he knew he didn't have that much luck.