"How do you-" Stiles stopped himself. "No, you know, I'll ask how later, right now, I need to get help." He started dialing his cellphone, but before he could hit send, it rang in his hand.
"Hello? Oh thank God- What! When? The bastards took Derek, too. Is she okay? Danny? Why was... yeah okay. Look I'm going to the school, have Isaac get Lydia there, I'm sending you a list, get to Deaton's and fill it. Then meet us in the chem lab." Stiles hung up, and turned to his dad. "I know you know something, and I would love to have time to explain this, but I can't. I need your keys. I have to get to the school. The same people who just took Derek took Danny and Jackson too, and they're going to..." He couldn't even vocalize it, he just gritted his teeth and reached for his Dad's keys.
"If you think I'm letting you go off by yourself after killer Werewolves, you're nuts. Get in the damned car, I'm driving." He ordered, before dropping a duffel bag into the back and climbing into the driver's seat.
Stiles stared after him, stunned for a moment before snatching the box and another bag out of the rear of the Jeep and climbing into the passenger seat of his dad's car. He quickly began dialing again. "Peter, the Alphas grabbed Derek, Jackson, and for some reason Danny. Get the stuff ready to track their phones and meet me at the school. Derek had his for sure, even if they aren't cocky enough to leave him with it, they may not toss it out. It's probably our only shot that doesn't involve you three running around howling. Yeah, bye."
He stared at his dad for a moment, not sure how much he knows, or even how to begin. Before he can decide, his dad takes it out of his hands. "So... werewolves, eh?"
"How did you find out?" He blurts out, still reeling too hard from the attack and Derek to be overly freaked about this.
"Shooting something in the chest six times, and not stopping it is a Hell of an eye opener. Watching another man drop it with one shot is a Hell of a sales pitch." He said, eyes on the road.
"Chris freaking Argent." Stiles grumbled, before he could jerk to look at his dad again and ask, "Who did he shoot?"
"Don't you mean what?" His dad asked, voice devoid of emotion as he waited for an answer.
"No I mean who. They're people. Not always good people, but yeah, people. Was he... she... were they attacking someone?"
"I'm not exactly in the habit of shooting someone when they are just standing around twiddling their thumbs, Stiles." His dad glared at him. "He, was tearing the throat out of some guy who wandered alone in the wrong place at the wrong time a couple nights ago. Argent said he was one of this Alpha Pack."
Stiles ground his teeth together. "Those bastards have a lot to answer for. The lot of them, from what I can tell, are rapists and more than a few murderers. I've been tracking the packs movements as best I can, between the few hunters I can get information out of online, crime statistics and news reports. Everywhere I have confirmed sitings has a spike in violence. Murders, rapes, and assaults, and that's above and beyond the destruction of any packs in the area and forcing biological slavery on any Omega they can find. They're done, they just don't know it yet." He hissed, eyes burning in fierce rage.
"What happened to 'they're people'?" His father asked, carefully, face blank.
"Do not go all Buffy on me. Having a soul doesn't make you a good vampire. Not that werewolves lack souls or that vampires are real... God I hope not." Stiles scrubbed his hands over his face and head. "It isn't some werewolf thing that makes them murderers and rapists and all around assholes, it's what they choose to do, how they choose to use the power they have. You can choose to help people, you can choose to hurt people, or you can choose to ignore them. Everyone on the planet makes that choice. Being a wolf doesn't predetermine your answer any more than being human does."
"So what's your choice, Son?"
"I choose to help, by stopping them. Can you honestly see you and your deputies taking down a whole pack full of creatures that take six bullets to stop. Hell, I know for a fact even Chris Argent's bullets don't automatically kill them unless you make a hell of a good shot. His sister shot Derek, and I watched the bullet hole close up in a matter of seconds, with the right treatment, and that was a full twenty four hours after he'd been shot, and with him being a Beta at the time. Alphas are tougher."
His dad looked at him, eyes wide.
"These Alphas need stopped, and your deputies aren't equipped to deal with them, and even if you told them, how many would believe? Better yet, how many wouldn't see one bad group and decide to exterminate them all? Chris Argent follows a code, but even in his own family they broke it, over and over, killing innocent people. Kate, his father, Hell his wife tried to kill Scott and Derek, just because Scott was dating Allison. The night I was beat up? That was from Argent; a message to keep Scott in line. One I made sure NOT to deliver."
Now his dad was furious. "Chris-"
"No, his dad. He didn't know, but if I had been a wolf, he might not have fucking CARED. I can respect Chris Argent's code, but the man, is a dick. He let his seventeen year old daughter shoot two other teenagers full of arrows, and then helped her tie them up in the basement and set up some sick version of shock treatment to keep them too weak to break loose, because they were werewolves. They never attacked anyone and they were running away, but they wanted leverage and he LET them do it. It took him hours and hours of them being tormented like that to decide his precious code was finally important enough to uphold. Gerard Argent was a bastard and I'm glad he's dead, but at least he wasn't a fucking hypocrite. Chris Argent helped his wife die, because she was too much of a bigot to live as a wolf and he was too much of a coward to stand up to his father and stop her."
"They're wolves, but they're people, so don't let Chris Argent or these Alpha's twist you around about that. Scott is a person, a damned good person. Derek is a person. Hell, do you know how close it came to being me turned instead of Scott, and that's not even counting the time he flat out offered to turn me."
"Scott offered to turn you?" His Dad asked, gripping the wheel.
"No, the rogue Alpha that turned Scott. That bitch Kate took Derek. The rogue wanted him back, because the more wolves under them the more powerful the Alpha, and I figured out a way to track Derek. That's when Lydia was attacked at the field. I had get him away from her, and I was afraid if I refused he'd just kill her. Luckily he let me call Jackson."
"Why didn't you ever tell me any of this, Stiles?" He kept his eyes on the road.
Stiles sucked in a breath and blew it out before he started talking. "Some of it wasn't my secret to tell. It felt wrong betraying that trust, you know. Then I think I convinced myself the only reason we were in so much danger was BECAUSE we knew too much. Like if you don't see it, it can't see you. I knew, if you knew about all of this you'd want to help and I just kept seeing you dead. Eventually it was so big in my mind that I didn't know how I could ever possibly tell you, because there's already so much, you know? I'd put up these stupid walls to keep you safe and all I did was keep us separated. And when it came down to it, I couldn't protect you. I couldn't get to you and some nutball was pistol whipping you because I had made us a target, by trying to stop him. It was like every nightmare I'd ever had come to life and just like in a nightmare, I was paralyzed, literally crawling to get to you and knowing I wasn't going to get there in time; that Matt was going to kill you in front of me. And he would have, he sent the kanima after you, and if it wasn't for Derek and then Scott..."
"Kanima?" His Dad asked, glancing over at him while taking a sharp right.
"It's basically a turning that takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque."
"Stiles!"
"Sorry, I just mean, it was supposed to be a wolf, but something messed with the turning. We never figured out exactly what, genetics, mental issues, I don't know, but instead of a wolf it becames this sort of werelizard slash werejaguar; at least that's what the bestiary said. It uh, seemed more lizard to me, except the tail; that was pretty cat like. Anyway, it was what Matt used to kill people. The kanima is basically a slave it's meant to kill murderers. The person inside didn't know, didn't want to believe us. It was at the police station that night. It paralyzed me and Derek when he came to help because Matt told it to. Gerard Argent killed Matt, we think, because he took over controlling the kanima until the night I got taken."
"It was Jackson Whittemore, wasn't it? That's what that whole supposed prank was about?"
"We were trying to keep him safe, and keep everyone else safe from him, but he wouldn't believe us, didn't want to believe us. I mean who would, right? Who would want to believe that they've murdered people? I don't think he really accepted what was happening until that night. He paralyzed himself, overdosed himself on his own toxin, because Gerard was using him to threatening Scott. He was supposed to kill people when those lights dropped out, only he overcame Gerard's control long enough to take himself off the board instead. Lydia finally got through to him, but Gerard left him with a final command, to kill all of us. Derek and Peter had to stop him, and Jackson let them. He was dead, again like who does that, twice in one night, especially someone like Jackson? Who acts like the biggest douche on the planet, and then basically kills themselves twice to protect people?"
His dad reached out a hand and took his, squeezing it. "Apparently, whatever crap was blocking the change kicked in right then, and his wolf just took over, and healed him right up. Ever since he's been a wolf not a lizard. He's still Jackson though, so you know, still the worlds biggest douche, but he's ours and those bastards have him and Danny and De-" Stiles took a gulping breath, fighting back panic. "Derek."
"We'll get him back, son. We'll get them all back."
"We're going after them. Me and the rest of the pack if they'll follow me." Stiles said, purposefully not looking at his Dad.
"I don't like it, but I understand it, Stiles. Just like you're going to have to understand that I'm coming too. What about the Argents? I know you don't like him much, but Chris has weapons and can maybe provide backup."
"He blames Derek for his wife. Allison blames him, too. Neither of them seem to care that she was trying to kill Scott at the time and nearly killed Derek too. I don't trust them to not get in a 'lucky' shot, But if you're serious about coming in, do you still have access to the riot gear the government supplied a few years back, you know the crowd control stuff?"
"Sure, it's all just collecting dust in the store room."
"I need to get Lydia cooking up some supplies, and find out where they're at before we go after them, can you drop me off at the school and pick up stuff if I write you a list?"
His dad was sort of hesitant when he spoke again. "There was something else Chris Argent mentioned after he was done explaining the basics of this uh, stuff to me. He said that you might be in particular danger from these Alpha wolves."
"What? Me? Why?" He asked, confused.
Apparently they look for people who are um, something called an Omega, and he seems to think you're a human Omega. Naturally submissive." His dad explained, a little out of his comfort zone mentioning anything even remotely sexual in nature to Stiles.
Stiles stared at him, stunned for more than a few seconds, before he broke out into laughter. "Leave it to an Argent to look at a picture and completely misinterpret it. I'm going to clarify, but this doesn't EVER get back to anyone named Argent. I'm not giving those bastards information about my mate that they might use to hurt him. Besides if they're stupid enough to think I'm an Omega, they'll always underestimate me. I'm not an Omega, Dad. I'm an Alpha. A human Alpha. And Derek? He is both an Alpha, the leader of our pack, and a sexual Omega. That is why Peter approached me to let me know Derek liked me. Those bastards took him, before we could properly bond and then they plan to rape him. Once that happens, they will steal everything that means anything to him, including his free will, and the most positive option is his rapist doesn't like sharing."
"Jesus." His dad muttered.
"Jackson is one too, but for some reason they grabbed Danny, and Danny isn't a wolf OR an Omega, so I don't even know what the Hell that is."
Lydia was suddenly at his window, and answering. "Danny is Jackson's other mate. The one who's not immune to a werewolf bite." Stiles stared at her stunned for a minute before he started talking again. "Oh fuck. They're gonna turn Danny, and if they control Danny they have control of Jackson. The thing is though, I don't think Danny is gonna play ball even if they turn him, and they'll kill him." He was ready to freak out and then just forced himself to breath. After a minute or so he turned to face his Dad. "Go grab the stuff we need, please, Dad. I promise we'll wait for you before we go in, but we're going to need that stuff.
His Dad nodded and once Stiles climbed out, drove away. Stiles turned to the remaining people in the parking lot. Peter had driven the Camaro. "Peter, I need you and Lydia with me. Isaac, take the car and go to Walmart. I need you to get as much of this stuff as you can. He handed Isaac a list, and Peter handed him a credit card. "You have a half hour, get what you can, and get back here. We'll be in the chem lab." Peter held out the keys and Isaac took them automatically.
He stopped before he climbed in, and turned to Stiles. "We're going to get them back. I know we will." Stiles just nodded, appreciating the positive thinking. He marched up to the closest door, and Lydia and Peter followed. It was a testament to how pissed and freaked out that Lydia was, that she didn't seem to even register Peter's existence, let alone flinch from it.
Peter was about to speak up when Stiles pulled out a small key ring from his pocket. He grabbed the chain on the door and lifted the lock into position before shoving a key into it. When he noticed the looks he was getting, he spoke up. "After last time, I made a point of stea- er I mean of borrowing the master key and making a copy. I'm not getting cornered in this school again without a way to get out. Peter just arched an eyebrow and then followed when Stiles just turned and raced to the proper room. He started pulling flasks and chemicals out of the various cabinets, and Lydia just went to a station, already prepared to work.
When she got a glimpse of the things Stiles was setting out at various stations she looked confused. "Stiles, honey, those aren't the right ingredients for the Molotov." She said quietly.
"I know. Those are at station five, if you want to get started. These are a few other favors for the party we're gonna throw. Peter you're gonna want to be careful with this stuff. I mean some of these are gonna be standard pranking supplies on steroids, but quite a few of these are going to get additions from Deaton's supplies, and if I've got the mixtures right, they're gonna have a very adverse reaction to any wolf breathing them in. Don't worry though, you'll be protected before we actually use them
"Thank you for the warning Stiles. Just let me know where and how I can safely help. I know you have no reason to believe me, but he's the only family I have left. I want to keep him safe."
"We will." Stiles said, determinedly, before he started laying out specific chemicals and vials at each station. He dropped a different printed set of instructions at each stations before getting to work. By the time Isaac showed up with several clanking bags, he had several vials made at three of the stations. Lydia was almost done creating several sealed flasks, and he moved to take the bags from Isaac when he rushed in. Moving to a cleared table, he began organizing supplies and then Scott was there. Stiles let Isaac organize the stuff he'd bought, while he went to inspect Scott's haul.
"I left a note for Deaton. I tried to call him, but he wasn't answering. I don't want him pissed, but we need this stuff, right?"
Yeah, we do." Stiles said sorting and dropping supplies at various spots, before he began dividing a large bag of mountain ash into smaller baggies meant for sandwiches.
"The pack will make sure we compensate him for supplies." Peter said, giving the contents of Scott's bags a cautious look.
"Scott, can you help Isaac?" He moved over to some of the supplies Isaac had pulled from the bags. He pulled out scissors and began cutting lengths of Velcro and taping them onto a can. once he was done he demonstrated the newly created mechanism. You need to be able to pull this across the trigger, tightly, and keep it depressed." Both of them saw what he was going for and got to work, reproducing the rigged cans.
Peter had an eyebrow raised, but kept quiet. Lydia was done with the meager supplies for the cocktails so he pulled her over to a new station. He handed her a baggie full of powdered wolfsbane, and another printed instruction sheet. "Here, I need as many of these as you can make. While I'm at it, do you know if Danny or Jackson had their phones on them? And would you know their username and password?"
I'm not sure about Jackson, but I know Danny did. Unless one of them changed it, these are their logins. She quickly jotted them down before getting to work with the purple powder.
Stiles moved towards Peter, grabbing the bag he was holding out with the equipment he would need. He quickly began traces on the three phones. Jackson's phone was still in his car, but Danny's and Derek's were both in the heart of downtown. "Son of a Bitch." Stiles exclaimed, causing everyone to stop working. "They stole Derek's idea." He pulled up the map of the city and set it to the coordinates of the phones. "Look, they're in another one of the abandoned stations. They never put a mark near the station you guys were using. Instead they marked the house in the woods, so we'd assume they were out in the woods, but they've been in town the whole time. And really in that neighborhood no one would notice people coming and going, and even if they did, no one would be stupid enough to call the cops." Stiles pulled up a map and satellite pictures of the area studying the entrances and the set up. After a few minutes he realized something. "I'm going to have to go in first."
"You're what?" His dad said from the doorway.
"We need to know more, and we need someone who knows the assault is coming so they can keep our people safe. I'm the only Alpha left who can."
Lydia grabbed his shirt and pulled him to face her. "You are NOT the only Alpha left." she hissed.
"I meant I'm the only one who can fight for Derek's um... for Derek. You're bonded to Jackson already and IF they find that out they'll kill you instead of letting you fight them for Derek. They can't turn you and they may or may not know that. Me? I already have a partial claim on Derek and defeating me will make him easier to control and proves the worth of whoever beats me. Plus I pissed them off defeating a wolf " They're gonna want to get me in the fight for Derek. To show off and prove their superiority. I'm going to prove them wrong. It has to be me, and we all know it."
Lydia stepped back and nodded. No one else stepped up to argue, although it was clear that Scott and his dad both wanted to. Stiles looked down at the two bags his dad had carried in. The first bag was the one he'd put into the car when they'd left the house. "Dad, what's in there?" He asked, curious.
"Well, I did say Argent had a Hell of a sales pitch. Thanks for passing on his message this morning, by the way." He grinned at Stiles.
"That son of a bitch. That whole gas station creeper act was so I'd let you know your order was ready? Hasn't he ever heard of a damned phone?" Stiles grumbled.
"Oh, well yeah, he called too, but honestly I think he just likes messing with your head." His Dad said, amused despite the situation.
"I TOLD Derek Argent had creepy hobbies." Stiles grinned for a minute too, and then they both grew serious again, remembering what was coming. "I'm gonna assume guns and ammo?" He asked, nodding towards the duffel.
"Along with a few 'free samples'. I figured you might need them, but looking around, I'd be willing to bet you got whatever these things do covered."
Stiles quickly organized the toys, and then along with his Dad, prepped and loaded four of the guns. He handed two to a surprised Peter. "You know how to shoot, don't you?"
Peter nodded, putting on the holster the sheriff was passing him, before checking the guns and tucking them away. Once he was done he looked at Stiles and spoke again. "Why?"
"Because we need the fire power, and because you know what will happen if you turn on us." Peter nodded, and went back to organizing supplies, without further comment.
Once they prepared the supplies he began to organize his kit secreting various bits and bobs along different places on his body then he instructing them on the different items. "We are going for shock and awe here people. You see red eyes and it's not Derek, you put the fucker down hard. Our little tricks should be driving them mad by the time you go in. I want the wolves to use earplugs and everyone to use the gas masks. Scott you keep trying to get Deaton because if one of the wolves takes a dose of the wolfsbane we may need him. Also is your mom working?"
Scott nodded. "Good, if need be we go directly to her for help. She knows the story and can help us cover up anything particularly fast healing. I'm going ahead in the Camaro, you guys know the plan. Dad, make sure your gun has the special bullets. Something comes at you with teeth you put a wolfsbane bullet through their head."
His dad nodded solemnly. He checked his watch and his phone and prepared a text to send to their phones at the press of a button. "If I send this early, come in and knock the fuck out of them. If not, give me until midnight. That should give me time to find out where our people are." He hugged his dad and Kissed Lydia on the forehead. "I... We're gonna bring our boys home."
"You bet your ass we are." She replied.
