A/N : Sorry for the long wait, I was passing finals, and an important entrance exam. Unfortunately I wasn't received u_u I'll try again next year ^^ Anyway, I'll keep updating until I reach the end of season 1 at least. I have plenty of ideas, and this story is a good way to learn to improve my english. So please, if you notice huge mistakes or are just a grammar maniac, don't hesitate to make remarks.

CHAPTER 9

They spent the whole night searching through Butler's files, but the only interesting thing they found was his notebook, listing the Reiden's products that contained the Mother Cell. Tired, but most of all worried for Jamie, who wasn't giving any news, Niamh started to pace the room, cursing against the scientist and his stupid plan. In the background of her anger though, was another emotion eating her up. She shouldn't have been so aggressive at the journalist earlier… According to Leo's GPS and Shafer's computer, the car had been still for about an hour, before driving again for a hundred meters, before stopping again. It was still static, and the sun was rising.

Niamh was worried sick and pacing Butler's shack like a lion in its cage, and couldn't stop but thinking about Jamie and what could have happened to her. Her stress was contagious. Jackson was wringing his hands and sighed a lot, trying to suppress his anxiety, while he often glanced anxiously at the girl. Shafer was sitting on a pile of crates and was spinning his phone between his fingers to keep himself busy, while he stared blankly at his computer screen.

Eventually, Niamh stopped brutally and stood in front of the agent of FBI. She glued her eyes in his, unwavering, challenging him to defy her.

"I'm going to look for Jamie. You can stay here if you want, but I'm very worried", she growled. "Jackson, coming with me ?"

"Yep", he agreed as he grabbed their bags, relieved to finally act.

"I come with you too. I'm not gonna let my suspect escape like that, and I won't let you roam freely without surveillance", Shafer added while he gathered his material.

Once they were in the boat, and then in the car, Niamh's anxiety started to decrease. They were doing something, they were finally moving. She hated staying passive in this kind of situation. As they were getting closer of Jamie and Leo's location, she began to see lights and beacons in the far. Her fear crawled back in her heart as she grasped the edges of her seat, panicked at the idea of what meant the red and blue beacons. And indeed, when they pulled the car over, they discovered a grim sight. Butler's car was upside down and the driver's side was caving inside like it was rammed into by another vehicle. As soon as Shafer stopped the engine, Niamh bounced out of the car and ran towards a silhouette sitting at the back of an ambulance.

"Jamie !" she exclaimed, relief clearly audible in her voice.

A medic was taking care of the reporter, disinfecting the cut she had on her forehead. When he noticed the metamorph coming, he tried to prevent her from getting closer.

"Miss, I'm sorry but you can't stay…"

"FBI. Give us a minute", Shafer intervened, swinging his badge around, a few steps behind Niamh.

The medic nodded and walked away, letting Niamh, Jackson and Shafer circle her. Jackson crouched next to her, while Niamh sat on her left, on the footboard of the ambulance.

"Hey… You okay ?" Jackson queried with concern.

"No, I'm not okay. I lost it", Jamie angrilly and distressfully retorted.

"You lost what ?" Shafer asked frowning, hands it his pockets.

Jamie averted her eyes, as if she was fleeing their judgement, or to remember the events. She narrowed her eyes, deep in her memories.

"Leo and I were driving back. He had the Mother Cell out of the woods somewhere. It took forever, but… he was telling me about the boat he was gonna buy. And uh…"

She trailed off, as a stretcher passed by them, a human shape draped in a bodybag lying on it. She didn't need words to make them understand the situation. Their chemist and informer was definitely out of the game. Niamh pinched her lips, accusing herself. She wasn't there, she didn't fulfill her role of protector. On the other hand, what could she have done ? The car had been rammed into by another vehicle, she would have been of no use, and maybe she would have died in the accident… Despite that, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Something just rammed into us", Jamie continued without noticing the guilt of her young colleague. "The last thing I remember seeing is Evan Lee Hartley's face."

Jackson paled and his worry suddenly wrinkled his face.

"Whoa. Are you sure it was him ?"

"He took it. He took the Mother Cell", Jamie replied blankly, as if all hope was lost.

Jackson held her gaze, giving her all the support he could. He believed her, he trusted her, and wanted it to be clear. She didn't need to try to convince him. She seemed to relax slightly, and she slouched her shoulders, as a small sad smile cracked on her lips.

"Okay…", Shafer let out casually. "We'll deal with it. It's gonna be all right."

"On what planet is it gonna be all right ?" Jamie bitterly protested, and slightly bewildered.

Shafer didn't take any offense of her behavior, keeping a straight face, and walked off.

"I'm gonna call this in to the marshal's office."

As he walked away, Niamh got closer to Jamie, both worried and relieved. Since she had been bannished from her pack, she wasn't as cuddly as before, she was more of a loner. But now, she had only one thing in her mind : hug Jamie, hold her tight with relief. She didn't act on it, though, scared of her reaction. She just escaped death, and she seemed utterly destroyed by Leo's death and Hartley disappearing with the Mother Cell. She wasn't emotionnaly ready for a hug.

"It's not your fault", she whispered instead. "What I see, is that you're alive, and that is the most important."

Gathering her courage, she finally put her arm behind Jamie's shoulders and pulled her closer with a sympathetic gaze. Jamie immediately broke free from her hold, her face distorted with anger and bitterness.

"No, it's not ! Evan Lee has the Mother Cell, Niamh ! And we have no idea what he's gonna do with it."

"We will find him. He won't get away, I promise you", the metamorph reassured her.

She was thinking about following Hartley's trail with her sense of smell, but too many obstacles were preventing her to do so. She was under her human form, and track a prey like that was a lot harder. She couldn't transform without risking to lose her mind. And finally, Hartley had a car, hard to smell, and he was probably already far away… She growled inwardly, but focused on her happiness and relief to clear her thoughts.

"Do you think you could… you know ?" Jackson asked lowly while he looked around them to make sure noone was listening. "Sniff around for a track ?"

Niamh shook her head in a defeated look and pouted.

"I could… But in human form, I wouldn't get any smell. And in wolf form, there is too many people around us, it's way too dangerous if I snap. And Shafer is around, he is already suspicious about me, he would immediately notice my absence. I don't know if he is smart enough or open-minded enough to link the Beast with me, but I'd rather not take the risk. And… track down a car on a road, it's almost impossible mission…"

"So it's over ?" Jamie complained, completely distraught.

"No… Only compromised", Niamh tempered, glaring at Shafer while he was talking with the policemen. "We're going to use him to find Hartley", she said as she gestured towards the agent of FBI with her chin.

The two others glanced at her with uncertainty, not sure if she was serious or not. Jamie in particular seemed to have a hard time following her train of thoughts.

"Are you serious ? Scam an agent of FBI ? You almost broke his nose already, I think you should behave if you don't want to get in trouble… You must be tired, we should go back to the hotel and rest", the journalist tried to ease the situation as she slowly got up from the footboard of the ambulance.

"I'm dead serious, Jamie. I don't like him… There's something off… I don't know… He keeps lying to us. Since the very beginning."

"What do you mean, he's lying ? I know you guessed right, at the hotel, when he talked about Hartley to get in, but now… Why do you hate him so much ?" Jackson wondered sincerely.

"I can hear his heart beating. Yours too. When he lies, his heartbeat increases sensibly, and since he hangs around us, each time we talk about something important, about our work or Reiden, his heart starts beating stronger and faster, even if these variations are rather insignificant as long as we don't confront him."

Jackson couldn't help but feel his gaze fly towards Shafer and stare at him longly carefully : he didn't want to cross eyes with the agent. Eventually, he sighed deeply, hands on his hips and staring at the ground between his feet, deep in thoughts.

"We're going back to the hotel, and we'll see then. I trust you, Niamh, but I don't want Shafer to suspect anything."

"And you would believe her just like that ?" Jamie protested a little louder, drawing Shafer's attention on them.

"I saw her, Jamie. If she tells us she can hear a heart beating inside someone's chest with her bare ears, I believe her, yes. I don't like what she says, but it's not a reason to ignore her", the zoologist retorted.

"Ignore what ?" Shafer inquired when he stepped next to them.

Jamie, usually so quick to escape traps like these with her wit, opened her mouth but no sound came out of it. She couldn't get herself and the others out of this with a pirouette, which surprised and destabilized her enough for her to began stuttering.

"Ignore my instinct", Niamh intervened sourly.

She stepped right in front of Shafer, preparing to lie to him right in his face.

"This case is suspicious. I don't know how Hartley ended knowing the existence of the Mother Cell or how he knew where to find it… Thats makes me uncomfortable. You want to help ? Fine. Find Hartley and make him confess what he knows."

She immediately turned her back to him, fearing that her passion and worry would partly trigger her transformation.

"Well…" Shafer said watching her, with arched brows and wide eyes. "What happened to you ? You finally understood that I'm with the good guys too ?" he taunted, his heart beating slightly faster and reinforcing the metamorph's conviction of his fishiness.

Niamh controlled her bloodrush, calmed down the tingles in her eyes that betrayed her agitation, and turned to face the agent of FBI with a grim look.

"Oh, don't make me say things I didn't say. I still don't trust you. I wouldn't for a million dollars. But it's your job, so I guess it's better to let the professionnals do it, even if I hate it."

She walked away towards Shafer's car, a grim pout darkening her face to keep her act on. The agent must not be suspicious, and leaving like that was totally something she could do, regarding her character. She was rightfully upset by the conclusion she had come to, and so there was nothing suspicious with her brooding alone. Feeling forced to let him do as he wants, and having to admit it in front of him was more than enough to put her on a bad mood for a certain amount of time. And as it stuck to her usual behavior… he wouldn't see anything suspicious.

Jackson offered his arm and shoulder to Jamie to help her get up and walk to the car, while Shafer joined Niamh quickly. He looked for her eyes, to start a conversation about what just happened before the two others made it there, but the girl locked herself on the back seats before he could say anything. He threw his hands up in annoyance and opened the door of the driver's side . When Jackson and Jamie got in the car too, he started the engine and drove them back to their hotel. As the three recruits of Delavane were about to return to their room, Shafer motioned them to follow him to the hotel's restaurant, a few meters away from the lobby.

As they were heading towards the restaurant, Niamh stopped Jamie by holding her arm. She had an apologetic look on her face, and Jamie suddenly seemed concerned for her.

"Are you okay ? Is that because of what I said back at the car crash ?" she quiered.

"No… Look I'm sorry", Niamh replied softly.

"For what ?" Jamie was genuinely lost, at this point.

"I'm sorry for how I talked to you yesterday, before you went with Butler. I shouldn't have been mean to you. You didn't deserve it."

Usually, having to apologize was something that really upset Niamh. It was her inner alpha wolf that didn't deal well with it. She would do it, but she didn't like it, it felt almost wrong to her. And yet, there she was, asking for forgiveness from the human she had wronged.

"I admit I was surprised by your outburst, but… I guess you were just… overly protective. You promised Chloé that you would protect Jackson and I, and you had to let me go to achieve our mission. I can understand that it upset you", Jamie slowly said, fixing her gaze into Niamh's.

"I just wanted to apologize. You didn't deserve my anger. It was supposed to be directed at Butler and Shafer, but you was just on the receiving end on the wrong moment… Once again, I'm sorry…"

"Hey, you know, it's okay. I forgive you", Jamie smiled as she patted the girl on the shoulder to comfort her. "We're fine, now, okay ?"

"Yeah. Let's join the boys, they'll wait for us otherwise."

They sat at the first table they saw, and started to debrief about the crash and Hartley stealing the Mother Cell. Jackson and Jamie were sitting face to face, and Niamh was in front of Shafer. They were all looking at the journalist with both understanding and worry. They all knew she had just faced something traumatising, but they also knew they needed info. And Jamie knew it all to well, and so she started to talk without being asked.

"All I remember were his eyes. I couldn't stop staring at them because they were so strange."

"Come on, Jamie. Something. Which direction he went in, what he was wearing, something", Jackson urged Jamie softly.

"I'm trying, okay ?" Jamie bit back almost angrily.

Jackson recoiled slightly and excused himself. He lifted himself up from the chair and went to purchase drinks at the counter. He came back only a few seconds later, before Shafer could ask more questions, with the photo of his father and Hartley, the one they found in Hartley's Bible. He set it flat on the table and glanced at Shafer.

"Hey, do you have a recent photo of Evan Lee ?"

"Just on the fugitive notification", the agent of FBI replied as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed them the photo he was talking about.

Niamh frowned as she was trying to figure out where Jackson was going. He put the two photos side by side and tapped on Hartley's eyes on the first photo, the one with his father. The metamorph understood immediately when she saw the normal pupils of the man, and when she compared them with those of the second photo. His pupil was different, just like those of the mad animals, it was dilated and seemed to dribble into the iris. She tightened her jaws and took a deep breath.

"Look at his eyes. They appear normal. And then here, his pupil is blown. Sometime after meeting my father, Evan Lee suffered the same mutation as those animals", Jackson stated, a slightly crazy gleam in his eyes.

"You're telling me this is the reason he attacked those hunters ?" Shafer asked, clearly doubtful.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Trust me, there's no need for an actual reason to attack hunters", Niamh scoffed as she crossed her arms.

"Niamh, please", Jackson chided her with a glare.

"Oh come on !"

Jamie was quietly watching the photos until she suddenly remembered something and spoke it out, interrupting the starting argument.

"He was wearing a light-colored shirt. I remember because everything else was so dark…" she said softly.

"You didn't mention that before", Jackson remarked with a comforting smile as he immediately stopped his quarrel with the metamorph.

Jamie mouthed a 'no' as she gently shook her head. Niamh too seemed to have completely forgot about their dispute and smiled at the journalist. She nudged her shoulder with hers in a comforting attitude. Shafer eyed her behavior carefully, before turning to Jamie.

"You know, Jamie, there's a chance I can help you remember if, uh... if you're willing to try."

As they all shared curious glances with the agent of FBI about how he could help Jamie remember her accident, they decided to go to their room to not be disturbed. They left the restaurant after Jackson paid for their drinks and they brought them back with them. In the elevator, they discussed about what Shafer intended to do.

"I believe that we actually remember a lot more than we commonly think we can. I'm going to help you remember. Nothing painful or invasive. Just talk, trust me."

At these two last words, Niamh growled quietly and balled up her fists. Trust that man ? Never.

"I don't think hypnosis is real, agent Shafer... No offense", Jamie tentatively said.

"Oh, it's not hypnosis. We'll just talk and see what happens, okay ?"

"Okay..." Jamie accepted as the doors of the elevator opened and let them out of it.

They walked down the corridor to their room, leading Shafer to it. The agent of FBI and the reporter entered first, and before Niamh could follow them, Jackson stopped her by holding her arm.

"We'll join you in a minute", he explained to the agent as he closed the door and dragged Niamh in the emergency staircase.

"What's wrong ? I don't like leaving her alone with that devil..." Niamh protested.

"Don't worry, it won't take long. I wanted to talk to you about what we found about Hartley."

"His pupil ?"

"Hum... Yeah. I guess Abe told you about yours."

"Actually no, but I heard Chloé tell you about the bats they found in Rio. Sorry, I spied on your conversation with her when we still were at Butler's shelter."

Jackson looked at her with wide eyes and mouth agape, before closing it and look at her with a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Well, I didn't expect that. But well as you know then, you, the animals and Hartley have this common point."

"Yeah, but only when I turn into my wolf form. Otherwise, I think I would have been told if my pupil was dilated and dribbling", she drawled in a voice laced with sarcasm.

"Do you think Hartley could be the missing link between you and the animals ? I mean, no other human did have this defying pupil, as my father called it, maybe..."

"The missing link ? Man you sound like you try to find the yeti", Niamh sneered. "I don't know what Hartley is, but he certainly is not the 'missing link'."

"Come on, Niamh, think about it for a second ! The animals are sick and attack people. And they have this defying pupil. Hartley is a human, who attacked other humans, and he has this pupil too. And you. You are halfway between human and animal, you can turn into a wolf-bear hybrid and when you do so, you also have this defying pupil. Come and try to tell me now you don't think there's a connection between you two."

Niamh grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him from the ground from about ten centimeters, pushing him against the wall, her jaws tightened to the point they were hurting. Her eyes were slowly turning to gold and her strength was also increased from her sudden ire.

"Do not ever again compare me to this human, Jackson", she hissed through her clenched teeth, which were beginning to grow in her mouth as she tried her best to control her inner wolf.

Jackson surprinsingly kept his calm, raising his hands peacefully while his drumming heart gave away his fear. He tentatively pointed at her eyes and gently whispered.

"Your eyes, Niamh. You should look in a mirror."

She growled lowly but got the message. She put him down and started breathing deeply to calm herself down. She needed to appease her wrath. Slowly, her anger ebbed away, and she realised how childish she was. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly.

"Sorry, Jackson... I'd like to blame it on my Berserker blood, but I think I'm just too quick to get angry. Did I hurt you ?"

"No. You just scared me a little", he lied. Her nails had scratched his skin to blood, even if so little of it had spilled, and she did scare him as hell.

She nodded distractedly and breathed deeply another couple of times. She saw the scene unfold again under her closed eyelids, and cursed herself and her pride. How could she have attacked him for such a petty reason ? Additionnal, his hypothesis was not unreasonnable. Maybe there was indeed a link, something in common between her and Hartley. After all, they were both of human shape and organism, though Niamh's was faster and stronger, and they could be reacting to the same sickness. Maybe he was exposed to the Mother Cell of Reiden, but in his case, something fucked up and he ended up becoming a murderer. Maybe this was also what was awaiting her. Maybe she will ultimately go mad and attack people even when human...

"We should keep this hypothesis in mind. I think... you may have a point. I hate it, but as we have no real lead yet on what happened to him or me... we should follow this one."

Jackson cracked a sad smile and gestured her to go back to their room.

"Shafer and Jamie will start wondering what takes us so long. We should join them."

"Agreed."

When Jackson opened the door, though, Niamh's phone rang. She shot a quick glance at it and froze. Richard. She was hesitating. Answer or deny ? With a trembling hand, she refused the call and shoved the phone deep in her pocket before entering the room behind Jackson. Shafer and Jamie were sitting face to face, and were talking about this and that, and when the last two entered, they stopped.

"Have you finally decided to join us ?" Shafer drawled.

Niamh was about to bite out a sarcastic retort, but Jackson beat her to it.

"Yes. Sorry, we had personnal matters to discuss. We won't disturb you."

Jackson played it diplomatic, perfectly knowing that being difficult to the agent of FBI would only make things more complex and wouldn't help Jamie recall the accident. Niamh zipped her mouth obediently and swore to not open it anymore until the whole thing was over.

"Great. So Jamie, now I want you to relax. And 've been in an accident", he continued as Jamie did so and nodded. "But you're okay. Now, what do you see ?"

Hesitantly and with a little voice, Jamie started to speak.

"I was hanging, because we were upside-down. And, um… and the steering wheel was kind of bent towards me", she said while she made gestures with her hands to explain more clearly.

Sitting in the background, Jackson and Niamh were quietly listening to her and Shafer, silently wondering how Shafer would extract the truth from Jamie simply by talking to her.

"Then you hit your head on the passenger window. That, um... That must have hurt."

"Yeah. And my chest. Uh, uh, from the seat belt. I-It hurt to breathe", Jamie continued, still immerged in her memories.

Niamh froze again when her phone rang in her pocket. Without a second look at it, she rushed out of the room to not compromise Jamie's recollection of the car crash. She closed the door and answered the call.

"Niamh ? I've been trying to call you for days ! Didn't you see my calls ? Pick up the bloody phone when I call you ! I was worried sick for you !"

Niamh slightly recoiled from her phone when Richard started to yell at her. She felt like a child being scolded by her mother.

"Actually I never noticed any call before today. I thought that you didn't want to hear about me again..."

Despite her usual contempt for humans, she really cared for her friend and didn't want him to forsake her.

"Are you kidding ? I'd never forget you, Niamh. We're friends, remember ? I don't care if you're some sort of... I don't even know what you are. But I don't care. You saved my life back then, with these dogs."

"Yeah, about that... Try to not approach any animal in the next months. See, I was recruited because of this... particularity of mine... because animals are behaving weirdly. They attack people, like the dogs the other day. I don't want you to get hurt, so please, follow my advice and protect yourself."

There was a small silence between the two.

"I've heard that there were attacks... Guess it wasn't just a coïncidence..."

"No. I'm in America, with a team of scientists, trying to figure out what is happening exactly. It's not easy. But we found some evidence and we're tracking down a man who could help us understand what is happening."

"America ?! And... I thought you didn't like people ? Like, you barely put up with me at first, and sometimes I still feel like you just want to silence me forever", he joked with a refreshing laugh.

She laughed back, feeling a genuine smile cracking on her lips. And then the smile turned bitter as she remembered why she was with the team to begin with.

"A man came to me after you passed that day. He blackmails me into this. Well, he did to convince me to join, but now I genuinely want to solve this crisis."

"He did what ? But it's illegal ! Why didn't you turn him in to the police ?" the young man protested, seeming rightfully offended.

"Richard. I'm a werewolf, remember ? If I had turned him in, like you say, he would have revealed my secret. I couldn't afford that. You have to know that I'm not alone. I'm not the only metamorph on Earth. I couldn't reveal the secret of an entire species."

She heard him sigh loudly, and very clearly imagined him wiping his face.

"I guess I understand. But if there's anything I can do to help you, just tell me. And I promise I'll steer clear from any animals until you tell me it's safe."

At this moment, Shafer exited the room and glanced at her with curiosity. She covered her phone for a second.

"What do you want ? Did it work ?" she growled.

"As a matter of fact, it did. We have a plate, or at least, the beginning : KLL. Who are you talking to ?"

"That doesn't concern you, Shafer", she bit back as she re-entered the hotel room.

She heard him sigh and leave, but she didn't care. Once inside, she found Jackson smiling to Jamie, seemingly happy that she managed to remember. Niamh smiled apologetically to the reporter, and resumed to her phone call.

"Sorry Richard, I had to deal with a nosy agent of FBI."

"FBI ? Bloody hell, Niamh, what have you done ?" he panicked.

"Nothing, he's just suspicious of me and he keeps sticking his nose into our mission. He's just a pain in the ass..." she tried to dedramatize the situation. He's supposed to help us find the man we are looking for. I hope he will actually be useful and not just that annoying devil he usually is. Well anyway, look Richard, I have to go back to work. Please, stay safe okay ?"

"Will do. Try to follow your own advice, would you ?" he responded, half serious, half joking.

She smiled and breathed out a little laugh.

"You perfectly know I won't. It was nice to talk to you, I'll try to call you more often. Bye", she concluded as she hung up the phone. "Sorry, I had to answer, I didn't want to disturb you and risk a failure of Shafer's attempt to bring back your memories..."

Jamie pushed her apologies aside with a wave of her hand and a comprehensive smile.

"Who was it ? Was it the Richard you talked about the other day ?" she quiered with a sly smile.

"Yes. I thought he would never want to hear of me again, after what happened... But it seems that he is okay with me being a big hybrid wolf-bear metamorph", Niamh replied swiftly. "So, Shafer told me you remembered the letters of Evan Lee's plate. Well done !"

"Do not even imagine you will get away from that talk so easily", Jamie gently scolded her. "What does he look like ? How long have you been knowing each other ? Do you like him ?"

Niamh opened wide eyes at the avalanche of indiscreet questions and took a step back as she raised her hands in defense.

"Wow, easy there, Jamie. He's just a friend. I like him, yes. Like a friend", Niamh precised.

"Oh, poor guy... That sucks..." Jamie's enthusiasm deflated.

"Jamie. Stop that", Niamh sighed with an annoyed look on her face. "Let's talk about what you remembered, would you ?"

"Fine, Evan Lee was driving a green truck with a plate reading KLL. Now, back to this Richard", Jamie insisted with a devilish smile.

Niamh cast a distressful glance at Jackson, pleading for help that never came. The zoologist sent her an apologetic gaze and lifted himself from his chair. He then walked outside of the room.

"Sorry, Niamh, this is way too awkward for me."

"Is this your revenge for earlier ?" she complained half-heartedly.

He smiled a wolfish smile.

"You did scare me as hell, you know ?" he simply answered as he left the room.

Niamh sighed deeply and turned towards Jamie, preparing herself to face countless questions about her friend. She didn't think the reporter would recover so quickly from the car crash and Butler's death, but there she was, burying her under endless questions. She prepared herself for a long afternoon...

XXXXXXXXXX

Still recovering from the intense questionning she had been victim of, Niamh laid on her back on her bed. She wouldn't have thought the reporter to be so nosy about her private life. Maybe it was a woman thing. Or a journalist thing. She sighed deeply, feeling completely depleted. Next to her, Jackson was trying to contact Chloé since he had come back, half an hour earlier. He was getting worrier each passing second. They had not have news from the Rio group since the last call, when Chloé had to hang up brutally. Jackson kept hearing her voicemail, and Niamh too, since her hearing was increased from her inactivity.

"Bonjour, vous êtes sur la messagerie de Chloé, laissez-moi un message", it said before Jackson hung up.

He sighed worrily and glanced at the still unmoving Niamh.

"Don't worry too much. She is a big girl, she can handle herself. They must be too focused to contact us right now, that's all", she reassured him as she felt the weight of his gaze on her.

Jamie suddenly entered the room with a hopeful look on her face.

"Hey. Where you been ?" Jackson asked, hoping to distract himself from his worry.

"Finding Evan Lee. Or at least trying", the journalist replied.

"The FBI can't, but you can", he doubtfully said.

"That woudn't surprise me... She found Butler, after all", Niamh intervened, causing a tense silence. "Sorry, you liked him, I forgot about that..."

Jamie avoided her eyes and started to talk again, trying her best to ignore the twinge in her heart.

"Well... You know how many law enforcement officers there are in this country ? About a million. You know how many dog lovers there are ?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about", Jackson hesitantly said, looking genuinely lost.

"I do. It reminds me of a series. And if it is what I think it is, it's pure genius", Niamh remarked with a carnivorous smile.

Jamie cast an approving and victorious look at her before continuing.

"Eighty-five million. Look, I posted this to every social media site and local app I could find : 'Looking for the man who killed my golden retriever and drove off in a green pickup. Louisiana plates start with KLL. Last seen : Mobile, Alabama'."

As she was reading her message, comprehension dawned on Jackson's face, who also seemed to think it was genius.

"I'm not waiting for the FBI to find Evan Lee Hartley's truck. That son of a bitch nearly killed me", Jamie bit out with spite.

"You are one clever cookie. Was that something like that in your series ?" Jackson complimented the reporter, before turning to the young metamorph, who had sat up on the bed when Jamie had started to talk.

"Almost. Instead of a dog, it was a cycling club and bikes voluntarily destroyed by a car. Worked too", she shrugged. "I personnaly prefer dogs to bikes."

There was a small silence to allow them all to concentrate again. It was Jamie who spoke first afterwards.

"You find anything in Leo's ledger ?"

"Yeah, the dates and locations where Reiden's Mother Cell product were used are consistent with pretty much all the infected animals we've seen. Louisiana, L.A., Slovenia, U.K. … Brazil", he replied obediently as he showed the occurrences on the notebook and handed it to Jamie.

"What if there's nothing we can do about it ?" she worried as she rapidly read the ledger.

"If there's nothing that we can do about it, then, uh... there's nothing that anyone can do about it... and my father was right, and the whole world goes to hell."

Niamh may be thinking that it was a bit pretentious, he was still right. Noone else had yet noticed the anomaly with the animals. They were just thinking there were random attacks every here and there, anf though it was abnormal, it wasn't abnormal enough to trigger government reactions. Or at least, not officially... She sighed loudly with determination, rose from the bed and walked to the table wher Jackson and Jamie were sitting. She set her hands on it aggressively and fixer her eyes in those of the two others alternatively.

"We're going to find a solution, a cure, or whatever it might be. If Hartley is affected by the mutation, as his pupil seems to tell, it means it may affect the rest of the humans too. Plus, the animal kingdom is absolutely essential to life on Earth. We have to cure them from this madness. And finally, I'd like to add that metamorphs going mad is the last thing you fragile humans would want. You may have technologic superiority over wolves and bears, but metamorphs are intelligent. They won't act like every other mad animal. They will plan their attacks and kill thousands of people. And I know it's selfich, but I wish I could transform without snapping and try to kill Abraham and Mitch again... Well, I think it's not that selfish, actually..."

Another contemplative silence stretched between Jackson and Niamh, as they both considered the hypothesis of packs of wild metamorphs attacking human cities around the entire world. Not a really appealing sight... Jamie, though, seemed to still not believe this story about metamorphs. However, Jackson believed it, and she trusted him, so she kept her doubts for herself.

"Don't worry, we'll find know it's the Mother Cell that triggered these reactions. Maybe we could use it to cure the animals. You know, like we do with venom, to make anti-venom", Jackson suggested.

"That... is not a stupid idea. It might even actually work, but we need to find Hartley first. He has the Mother Cell after all..." Niamh tempered.

Jamie's phone chimed and she took a look at it. Her face enlightened as she turned to the others with a wide smile.

"Oh, my God."

"Hmm ?" Jackson said.

"Someone spotted Evan Lee."

Jackson raised his head with both hope and disbelief. They quickly gathered their stuff and decided to join Shafer in the lobby. Once down there, they quickly noticed the man wandering about.

"Hey ! Hey. Why didn't you return my text ?" Jamie accused him.

Shafer turned to them, and set his hands on his hips in a rather dominant stance.

"Oh, sorry, there's nothing to report yet. We haven't found Evan Lee", he excused himself with an apologetic look on his face, one that Niamh didn't trust for a second.

"We did", Jamie announced triumphantly as she glanced at Jackson and Niamh rapidly. "He's been spotted at the shopping center. We should go now."

"Of course", Shafer approved as he immediately rushed to his car, the three recruits of Delavane in tow. "But how did you find him ?"

"An obscure method about dog lovers and her deceased golden retriever", Jackson joked as he shared an amused wink with Niamh.

Shafer seemed quite baffled and incredulous, but didn't say anything : he was too busy driving. It only took fifteen minutes to get to the shopping plaza. They got off the agent's car and started looking around to find Hartley's pickup. Jamie almost immediately spotted it and pointed at it.

"That's it. That's his truck."

"All right, I want the three of you to go back to the hotel", Shafer ordered as he threw his keys to Jackson and drew his gun out of his holster to inspect the pickup.

Jackson and Niamh scoffed in unison.

"No, the answer's no", he spoke out, determined.

"Stay back. All of you", Shafer repeated as he trotted to the pickup.

"Take care, I'll check the pickup too. You know, give it a sniff", she jested. " Try not to get yourself in trouble before I come back, okay ?"

She followed Shafer while keeping an ear for the two others. They were pondering about where Evan Lee Hartley may have gone. She got to the pickup when Shafer forcefully opened it and could smell the inside almost discreetly. When the door opened, she was showered in Hartley's smell and had to take a step back. She had breathed in deeply when she had seen Shafer forcing the lock, and she was overwhelmed by the odour of their target. He didn't smell bad, he just... Something was wrong about him. Like if he was sick, his scent was both very sweet and queasy. She felt her stomach flip and immediately stepped back from the truck.

"I told you to keep your distance", Shafer scolded her as he searched the car.

"And Jackson spoke for all of us, we won't. So accept it now, it will be easier for after", Niamh retorted while she inspected the inside of the pickup from a safe distance.

"Don't get in my way..." Shafer sighed wearily.

She took a deep breath again, fighting her disgust to find the smell of Hartley in the vicinity, not noticing that Shafer was looking at her from the corner of his eye. He furrowed his brows, intrigued by her odd behavior, but kept his thoughts to himself, although adamant on confronting her later. She identified almost immediately the path Hartley took, and where he should be now. There was an optometrist cabinet further, and his smell lead straight to it. She walked to the others, who were also heading to the office. They must have come to the same conclusion as her.

"What would he be doing there ?" she asked as she reach to them.

"We know his eye changed. We also know that he worked for my father, who cut out the eyes of infected animals", Jackson explained.

"Wait, you don't think he's gonna cut his eyes out, do you ?" Jamie frantically said, looking really concerned.

"That would be a solution", Niamh shrugged. "What ? Don't give me that look, it wouldn't be a big loss. Anyway, if he thinks he can cure himself with an optometrist, I want to know why and how. Maybe it could work for me too ?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure gonna find out", Jackson determinedly muttered, looking at the window.

Suddenly, they heard cries of pain from the optometrist cabinet. Jackson took the lead and opened the door, Niamh only a step behind, and Jamie following more timidly. They entered the office and found Evan Lee Hartley screaming in pain, clutching his hands on his left eye, obviously injured considering the blood that was spilling fron under his fingers. Next to him, the optometrist was utterly panicking, repeating that Hartley had forced him to do it. What was it, though, was another question...

"He made me do it. He made me do it !" the man repeated frantically.

"FBI. Back up", Shafer ordered.

Niamh just noticed him, while he must have followed them, but she didn't took care of his presence before, focused on Hartley and his smell. He smelt like a human. A sick human, infected with something unknown to her, but still a human. Not a metamorph. In a way, it reassured her because it would have been hard for her to deal with another metamorph in front of the others, and because she didn't like to fight her peers. And on the other hand, it was worrisome, because it meant that the mutation could affect the human race. And if it could, then noone would be safe...

Jackson rushed to Evan Lee's side and grabbed him, forcing him to look at him in the eyes. He shook the agonizing man carelessly.

"My name is Jackson Oz", he said very quickly, knowing he had little time to talk. "Listen to me. You knew my father."

"Get away from me", Hartley groaned painfully, half unconscious.

"Why'd you think this would cure you ?" Jackson growled lowly with a crazed gleam in the eyes.

Niamh noticed the serynge and the liquid Mother Cell in it, she cringed and snarled at the criminal.

"Yeah, that's stupid. Maybe using this is the solution, but not like that. You can't cure your poison infection by injecting yourself more of the poison. Congrats, man, you win a Darwin Award !" she sneered in a voice laced with sarcasm.

Jackson glared at her. They didn't have time to make fun of the criminal. He was obviously dying from the injection, and he still had questions to answer.

"Why'd you think would cure you ? Why'd you think would cure you ?!" the zoologist repeated with a glint of madness in his desperate voice.

Jamie then saw what was left of the Mother Cell, a yellow solid crystal that almost looked like amber, and secured it quickly. It was what they were looking for at the beginning, and they would get it. Next to them, Jackson was completely loosing his mind, shouting at Hartley while the latter was dying from the injection of the liquid Mother Cell.

"Did my father think it would cure the animals ?"

"Your father... did this to me..." Evan Lee managed to utter before letting out his last breath.

His heart stopped at the same moment, Niamh could hear it, or rather, the absence of beating in his chest. It wasn't her first corpse, but it was the first since her mother she actually saw die. She wasn't on the battlefield with the Berserkers when her former pack attacked them. She stepped back and looked away, feeling uneasy at the idea to look straight at the dead man. His left eye was red from the blood that spilled, and his pupil was still dilated. It didn't even cure him... Shafer rushed to the dead man and checked his pulse.

"He's gone", he said, like the others had not understood yet.

Jamie didn't look at the dead man either, and got closer to Jackson.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Jackson. But... But we got it. This could be the answer", she whispered tentatively while Jackson just stared at Hartley with blank eyes.

"I got to call this into the field office", Shafer intervened, seemingly as dumbfounded and panicked as the three others and the optometrist. "Go. Go ! I got this, go ! he insisted, ushering them to the outside.

Niamh heard his heart beating like a drum, but it didn't mean anything. A man just died, Shafer could simply be panicking over this event, and not be trying to trick them again. It was perfectly reasonnable. In addition, they found the Mother Cell, which means new leads to save the animal kingdom. He had every reason to be frantic, so she decided not to protest when he pushed them to the exit.

Still shaken by what they just witnessed, the three of them got back in Shafer's car and drove back to their hotel, the Mother Cell carefully stowed in Jamie's pocket.