Jammed (Louis Tomlinson au)

Chapter 14

"The idea of biochemical warfare has been in the idea of the government for decades, back before we'd even come up with the idea of MASK. Of course after World War II, the idea of using it in the United States was shot down, but the concept and research certainly didn't go away. You see, we needed something to cover the research up if we ever needed to use it: that something became MASK. With an agency dedicated to scientific research it became easy access to some of the most dangerous chemical weapons of the modern world, and when Mr. Tomlinson's medical technology was published, interests ran high. We had no choice but to access it and take it under our wing. But as agents became more suspicious, we had no choice but to announce the spread of the virus to slow the revealing. Disguised as a computer virus, no one would think twice about it being anything else. Of course, you were interested in the case, but you were beginning to get so dangerously close that we almost thought to kill you. Drew was a much easier target, and proved exactly what we needed." Mallory explained everything, which seemed odd but he wasn't lying. I wanted to scream at him and like I said before, probably kill him. I couldn't believe he was the same man I had looked up to, that had been my role model for most of my adult life. How could he not see that who he was was not a good man?

"You're a terrorist, do you even realize how crazy and cruel your actions are? This is bioengineered war, Mallory. Why the hell are you doing this?" I questioned his intentions in hopes of discovering his true character. Something still wasn't making any sense to me.

"Well, at first I was simply fascinated by the idea of using a virus as a weapon. It was genius, what Louis came up with. At first it was an issue of international security, but then I realized that someone would pay billions upon billions to get ahold of it."

"So you're selling it to terrorists? You are supplying some of the most dangerous people in the world with weapons that have the potential to kill millions of people?" I was now standing, I was so upset. Mallory didn't seemed phased, however. He never did.

"People have the potential to kill millions of people, too. I wouldn't call myself a supplier to terrorists though that was my original thought. I came into contact with some interesting people a while back whom I'd worked with a long time ago. It was interesting because you were the one who brought us all together." My gaze instantly shifted to the calm city skyline to Mallory's just as calm face as he eyed me from the other end of the window.

"Me? Oh do explain." I asked and he began to pace, moving towards the end of the room so that he stood between me and the door, putting up a sort of defense. It worried me for whatever he was going to say.

"Well the Kaminski family is very... Persuasive, I'll put it. They gave me an offer I just couldn't refuse, much like your parents. Of course I'll actually be able to give them everything they want in return for what they've promised me. The mafia has changed since the days of the KGB, Jancer, so why be so hostile?" Mallory had a gleam in his eye that was obviously intended to anger me. It made me even more frustrated that his mind games were working. This was all taking too much time, but I needed to figure out what his plot was.

"Why be so hostile?" I asked, almost laughing at him and the question. "Because they fucking killed my parents, my brother, everyone I loved! I was sixteen and orphaned for Christ's sake, and now you're teaming up with them."

"I'm not joining them, Jancer. I couldn't simply abandon my place here and they couldn't leave Moscow without being noticed. We're just making an exchange." I really didn't think that was the truth. Like he had said, the Kaminskis were very persuasive. My parents were smart people and even they were manipulated. They could potentially get to anyone, and that was why when I was seventeen and I made sure to get as far away as I could. I never thought that the place I had found so safe would turn into another nightmare of my past. And I certainly wasn't ready to bring more people into that. Drew had already suffered because of me and I couldn't do that to anyone else.