Chapter 10
Master Plan/Soldier I Will Be
Grayson stood with her back pressed to the wall outside of the locker room. She peeked in when several boys left and quickly scampered in when it was just Isaac, Scott and few boys left. She stopped next to Isaac. "Your mom left in the ambulance with Jackson." Scott's eyes grew wide.
"What? Why?" Grayson shrugged. "I think to watch out for Jackson? In case anything happened." Scott scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. "O-okay, alright." Grayson nodded and leaned back against the lockers. Isaac linked their hands together for duel comfort.
The sheriff came around the corner and made a beeline for the three of them. Isaac stood up straight and nodded at him. The sheriff pulled out a pad of paper and a pen and shook his head, barely keeping himself together. "I've got to meet with the medical examiner and try and figure out what happened with Jackson." Scott nodded and licked his lips.
"I've got an APB out on Stiles. His jeep is still in the parking lot." The sheriff looked up and nodded, trying to convince himself that everything was okay. "Which means that…" He trailed off and shook his head.
Grayson grimaced when she saw the tears in his eyes. "Ah, hell I don't know what that means." He shook his head and looked away. "Look, if he answers his phone, if he answers his e-mails, if any of you see him," Isaac nodded. "We'll call you." Scott forced a smile. "Look, he's probably just freaked out from all the attention or something. We'll find him." The sheriff nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'll see you, okay?" Scott nodded and they watched as the sheriff walk away.
Isaac leaned back and gently kissed Grayson's temple when the coach came up. "McCall." The turned to him. "We need you on the team, okay? You know I can't put you on the field next year if you don't get your grades up." Isaac and Grayson turned blue eyes to Scott. Isaac pulled the corner of his bottom lip between his teeth. "Yeah, I know coach."
Finstock nodded and clasped his hands together. "I mean, I know I yell a lot but it's not like I hate you guys. Well, I mean, I kind of hater Greenberg but that's different. It's Greenberg." Isaac smirked. "I'm just saying… I need you on the team. Get your grades back up." Scott nodded. "I will." Finstock, pressed his lips into a thin smile before walking away.
Isaac sighed and turned to Scott. "Is that everyone?" Grayson stepped away from the boys and took a quick glance around the room. "Yeah." Isaac nodded. "I think so." Scott pulled open Stiles' locker and handed Isaac a shoe and took a shirt for himself. Isaac eyed the fallen metal door and cocked an eyebrow at Scott. "You're going to find him by scent?" Grayson asked skeptically, sitting herself on the bench behind Isaac.
Scott nodded. "Yeah we both are." Isaac turned the shoe over in his hands. "How come you get a shirt and I get a shoe?" Scott wasn't listening and he turned his body to the door. Grayson looked up and stood when she saw Derek. She took careful steps behind Isaac and half hid her body.
Isaac faced his alpha and tucked his hands behind his back. Grayson took a hold of them and stroked the skin of his knuckles with her thumbs to comfort, not Isaac but her. "We need to talk." Isaac cocked his head to the side. A man Grayson had never seen before stepped up behind Derek and, with a snarky smile gracing his face, he addressed Scott. "All of us." Scott gaped. Clearly he knew who this was. "Holy shit."
"What the hell is this?" Scott took one step forward. Derek took a deep breath. By the look on his face Grayson could tell he was irritated. "You know I thought the same thing when I saw you talking to Gerard at the sheriff's station." Scott scoffed and shook his head. Grayson pressed her chest to Isaac's back as they watched the exchange. She rested her chin on his shoulder blade and kept her gaze on Derek. "Okay, hold on. He threatened to kill my mom. And I had to get close to him. What else was I supposed to do?"
The man behind Derek shrugged and nodded. "I'm going to go with Scott on this one. Have you seen his mom?" He asked Isaac and Grayson. Isaac's eyebrows rose in disbelief and Grayson scoffed quietly. "She's gorgeous." Derek turned to look at him and Scott glared. "Shut up."
Isaac leaned down to Scott's level but didn't take his eyes off of the man behind Derek. "Who is he?" Grayson moved her arms to wrap around Isaac's waist, resting them above his belt buckle. "That's Peter. Derek's uncle. A little while back he tried to kill us all and then we set him on fire and Derek slashed his throat."
Pere held up a hand and smiled. "Hi." Isaac swallowed audibly and Grayson tightened her hold on him. "'S good know." Grayson laughed darkly against his back. Isaac brought his hands down to hers and rubbed her arms. "How is he alive?" Scott asked. Derek shrugged. "Well, the short version is he knows how to stop Jackson. Maybe how to save him." Grayson huffed and peeked around Isaac's arm. Isaac nodded. "Well, that's very helpful." Grayson cut in. "Except Jackson's dead."
Derek and Peter turned their eyes to her. "What?" She shrugged. "Yeah, Jackson's dead it just happened on the field." Peter rolled his eyes and sighed. "Okay, why is no one taking this as good news?" Isaac asked. Peter shook his head and looked up at Isaac. "Because if Jackson's dead, it didn't just happen. Gerard wanted it to happen." Isaac pursed his lips and leaned back slightly, tightening his hold on Grayson.
"But why?" Derek turned to his uncle. Peter smirked and stepped forward. "Well, that's exactly what we need to figure out. And something tells me the window of opportunity is closing." He looked down at Grayson. "Quickly."
The group of five swiftly left school property and made their way to Derek's old house. Grayson clutched Isaac's hand in both of hers as they entered through the front door. Scott sighed. "They found Stiles." Grayson felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she felt Isaac squeeze her hand. "I told you, I looked everywhere." Grayson looked at Peter as he bent over on the steps and touched each and every one individually before stopping on the fifth step up. "You didn't look here."
He pulled the front of the stair away and revealed a dark cubby with a dusty wooden box hidden inside. Peter pulled it out and blew the dust off the top. "What is that? A book?" Peter shot his nephew an incredulous look. "No. It's a laptop. What century are you living in?" Derek huffed and rolled his eyes. "A few days after I got out of the coma I transferred everything that we had. Fortunately, the Argents aren't the only ones that keep records."
Peter pushed himself off the steps and into the other room, Derek followed quickly behind but Isaac and Grayson turned when Scott's phone started to ring. "Hey, mom I can't talk right now." Scott drew his eyebrows together and glanced at Isaac. "What's wrong?" He looked over at Derek before hanging up. "We have to get to the hospital." Isaac nodded. Scott stopped in the threshold of the other room. "Derek, something's going on at the hospital. We're going to go check it out."
Derek nodded. "Call me if anything is going on." Scott nodded and the three teenagers raced from the house.
Scott's mom let them in the backdoor when they got there and they stepped into the morgue. It was cold and Grayson breathed through her mouth at the smell of formaldehyde that was heavy in the air. Melissa led them to table where an unzipped Jackson lay. Grayson stopped next to Isaac and gaped. "What's happening to him?" She looked up at Melissa who shook her head, dumbfounded.
"I thought that you were going to tell me." Isaac leaned down and placed his hands flat on the table, framing Jackson's head. Melissa turned to her son. "Is it bad?" Isaac shook his head. "Doesn't look good." Jackson's head shook violently and all four stepped back from the table.
Isaac pushed Grayson slightly behind him and she gripped his arm tightly in her hands. "Uh, mom, could you zip it up please?" Grayson watched as Melissa scoffed and stepped carefully towards the body. She reached for the zipper and slowly slid it up Jackson's body. It stuck just underneath his chin.
Jackson's mouth opened and he moved towards Melissa. She gasped and stepped back. Grayson felt Isaac tense beside her and she gripped him tighter. "Zip, zip. Zip, mom, zip." Melissa quickly pulled the zipper the rest of the way up and stepped back next to her son.
Grayson sighed and rested her forehead against Isaac's bicep. "Oh, my God." She laughed darkly and shook her head. "This is not happening." Isaac brought his hand up to hers and wrapped their fingers together. Scott swiftly snatched his phone from his pocket and dialed Derek's number. "Something really weird is happening right now."
Grayson looked over at him. "Jackson's moving. Yeah. And he's got this…" Scott struggled to find words. "Transparent casing from his claws." Scott nodded in thanks. "Some transparent casing from the venom from his claws. Yeah."
Scott waited with bated breath and jumped slightly when he heard a feral screech from the other line. "What was that? Derek?" Scott sighed. "Okay. We'll be there." Scott hung up and looked around the room. "We're taking the body and meeting them at the old warehouse district." Isaac nodded and gently pried himself away from Grayson. Scott looked up at her. "Gray, be look out. Tell us when to go." She nodded shakily and ran to the door, peeking out.
She heard them come up behind her and she placed a hand on Isaac's back to stop them. "Wait, wait." They held their breath as a security guard passed the door. When it was clear, she pulled the door open and let them through. She turned to Melissa and smiled stiffly before following them.
They made their way to the back door and around the wall. Grayson stopped suddenly and Scott ran into her back. "Wait." She watched as a group of people entered the hospital. "Okay, go, go, go." Grayson let them pass and followed behind Isaac. They were half way across the parking lot when Scott lost his grip and dropped Jackson's upper half.
He gasped and Isaac gaped down at him. Scott looked up, panic clear in his face. Grayson stared, her jaw open wide and her eyes terrified. Scott quickly reached down and picked up the body again. He looked around to see if anyone saw.
Grayson suddenly wrapped her hand around Isaac's arm, pulling him back. He looked down at her before he turned when a black SUV pulled up behind Scott. Scott turned and shielded his eyes from the bright headlights. Grayson stepped slightly around Isaac to see who it was and froze when Chris Argent stepped down from the driver's side.
"You're alone." Scott observed. Isaac widened his stance to shield more of Grayson. Chris looked down. "More than you know." Scott shook his head. "What do you want?" Argent took a step forward, eyeing the bag resting between the boys. "We don't have much in common, Scott. But at the moment we have a common enemy." Scott nodded and gestured towards the bag. "That's why I'm trying to get him out of here." Chris shook his head. "I didn't mean Jackson." Isaac drew his eyebrows together and stood up taller. "Gerard has twisted his way into Allison's head the same way he did with Kate. And I'm losing her and I know you're losing her too."
Scott glanced once back at Isaac and Grayson before turning back to Chris. "You're right. So can you trust me to fix this?" Chris looked away in contemplation before slowly nodding. Scott eyed the hunter. "So can you let us go?" Chris shook his head and Grayson sagged against Isaac. "No. My car's faster." Grayson's head shot up from Isaac's arm and they exchanged looks of disbelief.
Scott quickly turned back to the body and nodded to Isaac. They grabbed ahold and Chris opened the back door. Scott moved in and easily pulled the body forwards, resting it flat on the seat with Isaac at its feet and Grayson in the front seat. Chris looked back at them and nodded before speeding out of the parking lot and down the street.
It didn't take them long to reach the warehouse and they all stepped out of the car. Isaac glanced back at the body. "Hey, I think he stopped moving." Chris looked at Isaac before turning towards Scott. "Where's Derek?" Scott shook his head before turning to look down the street.
On all fours, Derek raced down the street before jumping over a cement blockade and spinning in the air, landing gracefully on his feet. Grayson rolled her eyes and arched an eyebrow. "I'm here for Jackson." Chris shook his head. "Not you." Derek nodded stiffly. "Somehow I don't find that very comforting." He looked at Scott and nodded at Isaac. "Get him inside." The boys nodded before they piled back into the car and Chris drove into the warehouse.
Isaac and Scott easily hefted the body from the car and lowered it to eh ground where Derek unzipped the bag to Jackson's waist. "Where are they?" Grayson looked over at Scott. "Who?" Derek asked. Scott shook his head. "Peter and Lydia?" Derek sighed and went back to the body. Isaac glanced down at Grayson and sighed.
"You said you knew how to save him." Scott said as Derek stood over Jackson's body. "We're past that." Scott gaped. "What about…" Derek sharply cut him off. "Think about it Scott. Gerard controls him know. He's turned Jackson into his own personal guard dog." Chris shook his head. "And he set all of this in motion so that Jackson could even bigger and more powerful." Grayson brought her hand down to Isaac's and twined their fingers together.
"No." All eyes turned to Chris and Derek straightened. "No, he wouldn't do that. If Jackson's a dog, he's turning rabid. And my father wouldn't let a rabid dog live." Grayson looked back at Jackson. "Of course not." A voice echoed throughout the warehouse. Isaac snapped his gaze up to look at Gerard. "Anything that dangerous, that out of control, is better off dead."
Derek looked back down at Jackson and threw his arm up. Grayson pressed her face into Isaac's arm and clenched her eyes shut. She looked up when she heard Derek gasp. She gasped and her chest started to heave. Jackson had all five claws of his right hand imbedded deep into Derek's chest, lifting him into the air. As Jackson stood, Derek lifted higher and finally Jackson tossed him away like a rag doll and he flew through the air and vanished behind a plastic sheet.
Gerard turned bright eyes to Scott and Isaac stepped in front of Grayson, shielding her. She wrapped her arms around his chest and hooked them over his shoulders, her eyes peeking over his shoulder. "Well, done Scott." Gerard stepped farther into the warehouse. "Like the concerned friend you are you brought Jackson to Derek to save him. You just didn't realize you were also bringing Derek to me."
A low whistling sound could be heard in the air and Grayson cried out. Isaac gasped and Grayson looked, wide eyed in horror, as an arrow identical to the arrow protruding from his left shoulder. The arrow in his right shoulder first sliced through her hand. His eyes were wide and he slowly began to fall back. Grayson held him to her and eased his fall, holding his torso in her lap.
Isaac gasped and began to fall back, taking Grayson with him. Blood ran in rivets down his skin and soaked his sweatshirt. She landed painfully on her backside and held him to her. He arched back in pain and she winced when it pulled painfully on her hand.
Grayson looked up and saw Allison disappear behind the wall. "Allison." She gasped. Scott was there suddenly, lifting Isaac and dragging them both through the sheet into the other room. Scott deposited them on the ground and Grayson clutched Isaac to her. "This'll hurt." Scott gripped the ends of each arrow and yanked.
Grayson and Isaac cried out and he arched back against Grayson but she could already see the wounds healing. Grayson clenched her hand into a fist and pressed her hand to her chest. Isaac turned in her grasp and brushed her hair back from her face. He spotted a pile of wooden shelves and quickly kissed her. "Hide and don't come out until I tell you." She nodded and pressed her lips to his again before following his orders.
She crouched behind the shelves and watched as Chris Argent was thrown across the room by Jackson in his kanima form. Then Derek leapt through the air and crouched, his eyes red and his fangs dripping. She flinched when he roared and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scott and Isaac change. The kanima attacked Derek first, swinging at him.
Derek easily held off the attack but the kanima slid its claws into his thigh and pushed him back. Scott came at Jackson from behind, sinking his claws into his chest before the kanima threw him off. Isaac was ready though and wrapped his hands around its neck as Derek came from behind. The kanima lifted its arms up and broke Isaac's hold, wrapping his hand around Isaac's neck.
Isaac growled at Jackson before he was thrown through the air and landed heavily against the stack of shelves hiding Grayson. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. Derek leapt down from his position above the kanima and brought both fists heavily down on its back. The kanima turned and swiped at Derek but he leapt back. He made to punch the kanima in the side but Jackson was too fast and he easily held Derek's fist in his hand. He grabbed Derek's neck and tossed him behind him but Derek ran up the side of a heavy metal plate and landed behind the kanima.
Derek tried to hit the kanima again but his wrist was painfully grabbed and he was thrown to the side. Scott landed a heavy kick to the kanima's back and it turned, striking out at Scott. Before Scott made contact, the kanima pressed its foot to his chest and launched him across the room. Derek was there then but the kanima swiped across his abdomen and Derek doubled over.
Grayson saw Isaac stand but Allison met him where he was. Grayson launched herself out from behind the crates but couldn't stop her before she stuck twin blades deep under Isaac's ribs and pulled them out quickly before slicing them across his abdomen. "Allison, stop!" The brunette ignored her friend as Isaac swiped at her but Allison ducked and sliced across his abdomen again. Isaac doubled over and Grayson sobbed audibly when Allison sunk her blades deep into his back where his kidneys were. Grayson cried out when Isaac fell to his knees and dropped his hands to the ground, catching himself.
Allison looked up and met Derek's eyes before stepping over Isaac and stalking towards him. Grayson sobbed and dropped down beside Isaac, pulling his head into her lap. Isaac laughed wetly and touched the back of her hand with bloody fingers. "I'll be fine. I'll heal." Grayson sobbed and brushed his hair back from his forehead, shaking her head. "Doesn't matter I'm still afraid." He nodded and slowly sat up.
She looked up when Allison gasped. The kanima had its hand wrapped around her throat. "Not yet, sweetheart." All eyes turned to Gerard as he entered the room. With the help of Grayson, Isaac made it to his knees and sat back on his heels. Grayson had her arm wrapped around his back and her hand holding his as he leaned against her.
"What are you doing?" Allison asked. Scott glared at Gerard. "He's doing what he came here to do." Gerard tilted his head to the side and nodded at Scott. "Then you know." Allison drew her eyebrows together. "What is he talking about?"
Gerard looked at Allison before turning back to Scott. "It was that night outside the hospital when I threatened your mother, wasn't it? I knew I saw something in your eyes. You could smell it couldn't you?" Isaac looked over at Gerard. "He's dying." Gerard turned his eyes to the kneeling couple. "I am. I have been for a while now. Unfortunately, science doesn't have a cure for cancer yet."
Isaac sagged against Grayson and she sat back, wrapping her arms around his chest. "But the supernatural does." Grayson gaped at Gerard. "You monster." Gerard turned his eyes to Chris. "Not yet." The kanima tightened its hold on Allison. "What are you doing?" He snapped his head to her. "You'd kill her too?" Chris asked, broken. Gerard glared at his son. "When it comes to survival, I'd kill my own son." Chris shook his head and pressed his lips together in a thin line.
Grayson turned away from the scene and pressed her cheek to Isaac's temple, brushing his hair away from his forehead. Isaac swallowed thickly and wrapped his hands around her forearm. Grayson clutched tightly at his blood soaked shirt and winced when she felt the sticky red liquid squish out between her fingers.
Grayson looked up sharply when she heard Derek groan. Isaac tightened his hold on her as they watched Scott pull Derek's head back and Gerard slowly lower his arm in between Derek's jaw. Grayson gasped and pressed herself closer to Isaac when Gerard pulled back, a fresh alpha bite adorning his arm. He began to laugh and Grayson trembled against Isaac, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent.
Isaac suddenly sat up taking Grayson with him. She looked over at Gerard and gasped. Black slime was oozing form his wound. He smiled triumphantly around the room and Grayson just stared. "What the hell?" She whispered. "What?" Gerard brought his arm down and gaped at the black slime. He turned accusing eyes to Scott. "What is this? What did you do?"
Scott looked down at Derek. "Everyone said Gerard always had a plan. I had a plan too." Gerard reached into his pocket and pulled out his medicine box. He dumped the pills into his hand and crushed them in his fist. A small cloud of gray dust burst into the air and Gerard growled. "Mountain Ash!" Grayson whimpered quietly and pressed her hands to her mouth when the black slime began to ooze from Gerard's eyes and ears and nose.
He fell to his knees and looked over at Allison. She was crying quietly in disbelief. He glanced at Isaac and Grayson. Grayson had a look of shock clear across her eyes and Isaac looked almost pained. Gerard opened his mouth and a stream of black spewed forth from his lips like a geyser. Grayson gasped and hid her face in Isaac's shoulder.
Gerard collapsed back against the floor and Derek stared, stunned, up at Scott. "Why didn't you tell me?" Scott looked down at him. "Because you might be an alpha but you're not mine." Derek looked away. Scott looked up when he heard movement from Gerard. The old man was slowly dragging himself away but he hadn't made it far. He looked up, hatred in his eyes, and screamed. "Kill them! Kill them all!" He passed out face down on the cement floor.
The kanima slowly released Allison and she elbowed it in the nose. It pushed her back and dashed towards Derek but was stopped when Stiles' jeep crashed through the wall and rammed into it. Stiles sat in the front seat with his eyes clenched shut and Lydia sat stunned beside him.
Grayson laughed once and glanced at Isaac. "Did I get him?" Scott laughed. Lydia screamed when the kanima jumped up onto the hood of Stiles' car. Stiles screamed and followed Lydia out the passenger door. She stopped in front of the kanima and held up the gold key. "Jackson! Jackson!" Stiles made a move towards her but Scott held him back. Jackson stopped and blinked at the key.
Grayson helped Isaac stand as they was, astonished as Jackson slowly began to change back. He took the key in a clawed hand and dropped his arm to his side. Derek slowly stood and watched with bated breath as Jackson shakily backed up. He stopped at the front of Stiles' car and slowly spread his arms. Derek leapt into action and dig his claws into Jackson's side beneath his ribs. Peter was close behind at his back.
They slowly lifted Jackson into the air as he gasped for breath. They released him and Jackson dropped to shaking legs. Lydia gasped and went to him, keeping him as he coughed. Isaac and Grayson slowly backed up and Derek clapped a hand to Isaac's shoulder. Grayson watched the heartbreaking scene with tears in her eyes.
She gripped Isaac's hand for all she was worth and licked her lips when she tasted the salty tears. "Where's Gerard?" She turned at the sound of Allison's voice. Chris shook his head. "He can't be far." Allison glanced at Grayson and a bloody Isaac before turning to Lydia who slowly stood and turned to the group.
Derek tugged gently on Isaac's shoulder and the three turned, ready to leave when Derek turned back around. Isaac looked at his alpha and then towards the prone body of Jackson. He pulled Grayson close to his chest when he saw Jackson slowly sit up and drag his claws against the cement. He stood and threw his head back, roaring to the sky in his werewolf form.
Grayson couldn't help but release a small smile when Lydia threw herself at him and the two embraced. Derek looked on, shocked when Jackson opened his eyes, almost triumphant. Grayson rested her forehead against Isaac's chest and laughed, trailing her hands down his sides and stopping at his hips. "Take me home." She whispered. He nodded and, after getting the approval of his alpha, he gently took her hand and walked her out of the warehouse.
Grayson ran her hand across Isaac's chest before curling it beneath her chin. Isaac tightened his arm around her and brought his right hand up to the hand beneath her chin, stroking his thumb across her knuckles.
"What happens now?" She whispered. Isaac took a deep breath in the dark room and shook his head. "Now? We enjoy our summer." She smiled and nuzzled his chest before kissing the space where his heart was. "Just enjoy our summer?" He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to think about the other stuff right now." She nodded and hiked her leg around his waist. "I love you, Isaac Lahey." He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Grayson Becker."