Tares City

92. A Plan Formed

DEAN STRAKEN

"No, look they're right over there," Nicholas points out as he makes a U-turn in the street, speeding away from the direction of Dean's home.

"I find it hard to believe that they're staking out our houses and not making an active grab at us. Especially, Quinn, she seems like one to jump at the opportunity." Dean comments.

"Don't be fooled. They know what they're doing. Making it seem like they are failing, but they'll be right behind us when they want to move in." Nicholas replies.

"Shit, look!" Dean hisses, watching as a young man in tactical clothing tackles an older male to the ground. Dean watches him pull out a chalk-looking object, breaking it over the man's nose. Almost immediately, the man's eyes turn yellow, the other pulling out a gun and pointing it at him. Around the people scream, gasp, and look on in horror.

"Let's get out of here," Dean says to Nicholas, not wanting to watch what was going to happen next. "I need to call Calvin," Dean mumbles, taking out his phone.

The phone call with Calvin led them to Avery's house to catch up in person. They started on the phone before realizing it would be better to do it face-to-face.

"You," Nicholas growled as he and Dean walked through Avery's front door, his yellow eyes locked on two people Dean wasn't quite familiar with.

"WOAH! WOAHH! NICHOLAS WHAT THE HELL? WHEN! HOW!" Avery exclaims, watching him with wide eyes.

"Holy shit!" Dean hears Calvin say as he enters the room, taking in the situation.

"Nicholas, when the hell did this happen?" Avery asks him. "And what are you two doing together? Calvin said you were coming, Dean, but he didn't mention you, Nic."

Calvin clears his throat loudly. "I think we should all take a minute. Take a seat...and then, uh, calmly talk this through and fill in all the blanks. Yeah?"

~

They all do as Calvin suggested, taking a seat in Avery's living room. It takes an hour-long conversation for everyone to be on the same page. Avery was only now finding out about Nicholas, even though they all knew about Arrow. Nicholas was only now seeing for himself what Arrow had realized on her own and kept from him. Dean learned about the fate of Naomi and Jensen, the others learning what he knew about Arrow's whereabouts - though not what she was after. They all talked about the state of the city and the danger Kennedy had introduced. In some way or another, they were all on the Kennedys' hit list. None of them are safe.

Though Dean noticed Nicholas glaring constantly at the Lycans, Yara, and Clayton, he made no outward moves to confront them. The tension in the room was high as they all sat together.

"Huh, guys, listen to this," Calvin starts looking at his phone. "Luke Kennedy plans to implement a bunch of new anti-Lycan measures when he's elected. He wants to start handing out anti-Lycan packages to tested humans. The package would include a spray to expose a Lycan, a tranquilizer to subdue them, an injection to keep them weak, and a coated rope to keep them bound until his organization could come to collect them."

"That's crazy!" Avery hisses.

"People are looking forward to it, according to this," Calvin adds, scrolling through his phone. "There are so many videos up with hunters publicly taking down Lycans. Hurting them while people cheer. Teenagers... elders... women. It's crazy out there."

"It's not safe out there. Walking out the door is a death sentence." Sean comments.

"The cure is the answer," Nicholas says.

"No such thing," Clayton says to him.

"It exists. Arrow's over there looking for it as we speak."

"That's the mission she went on?" Calvin asks Dean, nodding to his friend.

"How are you not with her, then? You're changing too... did you not want it?". Avery addresses her brother.

"No, I want it. It was a stupid decision... me not going. A mistake," Nicholas tells her.

"So you're going to go now, then?"

"Yes," Nicholas answers, Dean, turning to look at him.

"Is it... being mass-produced or something over there?" Calvin asks.

"I don't know about mass production, but a man by the name of Rockwell is making it to save his son. Sow we know for sure it's real." Nicholas answers.

"What are the chances he's only making enough for his son alone?" Calvin asks, cringing when Nicholas snaps in his direction.

"I highly doubt it." He growls in response.

"That's it!" Says Naomi, who enters the room just then. Dean looks at her, seeing the noticeable bags underneath her red puffy eyes. Her face was swollen with evidence of crying. "That's how we save Jensen. A cure!"

~

NAOMI REID

Naomi hated the way everyone went silent and stared at her with a sorry gaze. "It's a cure. It'll work!" She says in frustration.

"Would it?" Calvin asks, turning to the hunter, Avery's brother. The commotion of their voices had grabbed her attention, coming down the stairs in time to hear them mention a Lycanthropy cure. She knew right away that would be her best chance of getting Jensen back.

"It doesn't know if it'll work on a Lycan trapped in its state." Nicholas shrugs.

"You don't know if it'll work at all, but you're going for it!" Naomi rebuts.

"Say we do get a working cure," Dalton starts from his position in the far corner of the room, his eyes not meeting hers. "We need to find J and get him out of there before we give it to him. And we have to get close enough to administer it."

"We could find a way to break him out..." Naomi murmurs.

"Do you even know where they're keeping him. They have many properties. You can't just assume he'll be in their main." Nicholas says to her. "Even if you did, you'd have to get through passcode security, maybe even some biometrics, more than a handful of armed guards, and then what?"

Tears of frustration build in Naomi's eyes.

"We'll find a way," Dalton says, all eyes landing on him. "If there's a working cure out there, trust me. I'll find a way to get it to him."

"Let us come with you," Clayton says, looking at Nicholas, who scuffs. "I'm serious. We will help you get to the cure. I know Xylia. I know the terrain, and I know the people. Him," he pauses, nodding to Dalton. "He's special forces. He'll be a tactical asset. We get the cure, you save yourself, and we save our friend."

~

Arguments, negotiations, and deliberations ensued, but Naomi didn't stay for any of it. Instead, her fogged mind came up with a plan of her own.