Chapter 5: Mason Vale
There were four men behind Kane.
All armed.
All wearing black.
But Kane wasn't looking at them.
He was looking at Rex.
“You brought him exactly where I wanted him,” Kane said.
I raised my weapon.
“You killed people to make that happen.””
“Some people were going to die anyway.””
“That supposed to make me feel better?””
“No.””
Kane smiled.
“It was supposed to make you angry.””
I moved Rex behind me.
Kane's expression remained calm.
“You still protect him.””
“Always.””
“That's unfortunate.””
“For you?””
“For both of you.””
One of the men behind him stepped forward.
I fired.
The shot struck his shoulder.
He dropped.
The others opened fire.
Glass shattered.
Metal screamed.
Rex dove behind a steel cabinet.
I dropped behind the desk.
Kane disappeared.
Not ran.
Disappeared.
There was a second exit behind the office.
I knew it before I saw it.
I moved fast.
Rex stayed close.
We pushed through the rear door and entered a loading bay.
A truck was waiting.
Kane stood beside it.
Daniel Cross was tied to a chair in the truck bed.
Kane held a knife against his throat.
“Drop the weapon.””
I froze.
Rex growled.
Daniel shook his head.
“Don't.””
Kane pressed the blade closer.
“You're going to listen this time.””
I lowered my weapon.
Kane nodded.
“Good.””
He looked at Rex.
“Come here.””
Rex didn't move.
Kane smiled.
“See?””
He looked at me.
“He was always better than you.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“What did you do to him?””
“Nothing he didn't volunteer for.””
“You experimented on him.””
“No.””
Kane's voice became colder.
“We trained him.””
“For what?””
“To find people.””
“Mason?””
Kane looked surprised.
“You remember the name.””
“I remember enough.””
“Then you remember the convoy.””
A memory flashed through my mind.
Dust.
An explosion.
Mason screaming.
Rex barking.
Someone dragging me away.
Then darkness.
I grabbed the side of the truck.
“I wasn't there.””
Kane laughed.
“You've spent six years believing a lie.””
He turned toward Daniel.
“Tell him.””
Daniel stared at the ground.
Kane pressed the knife against his neck.
“Tell him what happened.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Mason didn't die.””
I already knew that.
“You abandoned him.””
“No.””
“You were ordered to retreat.””
“I was ordered to erase him.””
The words hit harder than any bullet.
Kane continued.
“That convoy wasn't attacked by insurgents.””
I stared at him.
“It was an extraction.””
“For Mason?””
“For the program.””
Daniel's voice cracked.
“They wanted Rex and Mason transported to another facility.””
“Why?””
“Because Mason had discovered what Sentinel was really doing.””
Kane smiled.
“Mason wasn't a soldier anymore.””
“He was a witness.””
“And Rex?””
Kane looked at the dog.
“Rex was evidence.””
I felt sick.
Kane continued.
“Your unit had been infiltrated. Someone was leaking routes, names, everything.””
“Who?””
He smiled.
“You.””
The world seemed to tilt.
“No.””
“You carried information without realizing it.””
“How?””
“They used you.””
Kane's voice lowered.
“Your memories were altered.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Not completely. Just enough.””
I shook my head.
“That isn't possible.””
“It was.””
I looked at Rex.
He stared back at me.
Then, suddenly, he walked toward Kane.
I raised my hand.
“Rex!””
He stopped.
Kane smiled.
“Let him.””
Rex continued forward.
He walked directly to the truck.
Then stopped beneath Daniel's chair.
He looked up.
Daniel began crying.
“Good boy.””
Kane frowned.
Rex suddenly turned.
He lunged.
His jaws clamped onto Kane's wrist.
Kane screamed.
The knife flew away.
Daniel kicked the chair sideways.
I charged.
Two men fired.
I ducked.
Rex released Kane and attacked the nearest gunman.
The warehouse became chaos.
I grabbed Daniel and pulled him from the truck.
“Can you move?””
“Barely.””
We ran.
Kane shouted behind us.
“You don't know what Mason became!””
We reached the loading bay door.
I turned.
“What does that mean?””
Kane was bleeding heavily.
He stared directly at me.
“He wasn't the missing soldier.””
He paused.
“He was the man who betrayed you.””
We escaped into the night.
Daniel could barely walk.
I helped him into my truck.
Rex jumped into the back seat.
As I started the engine, Daniel reached for my arm.
“There's something you need to understand.””
I looked at him.
“Mason isn't hiding from Kane.””
“Then who?””
Daniel's eyes filled with fear.
“Everyone.””
He looked at Rex.
“He disappeared because he found out what they made him do.””
“What did they make him do?””
Daniel whispered:
“They trained him to identify targets.””
I stared ahead.
“That's what Rex was trained to do.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
May you like
His voice broke.
“They trained Mason to choose them.””
