Just Another Job

Answers

"Marks, you have held up surprisingly well, which is rather perplexing," Harting mused as he paced back in forth in front of me. I followed him with my eyes, his henchman standing next to me with his knife at the ready. I was breathing heavily, well aware of the six red blotches staining my orange jumpsuit. 

Harting bent down in front of me, forcing me to meet his eyes. "What is it about this girl that commands such loyalty?" 

I didn't bother to answer, because I didn't know myself. It wasn't necessarily about Jo. It was more about my damn stubborn pride, and not wanting to give in to this maniac. 

"Fine. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask Brian to start playing a little rougher," Harting said sympathetically, as if he wished things could go differently. He motioned to his goon, who emotionlessly reached over and grabbed my hand. Methodically, he began breaking my fingers, one by one. The relentless pace, coupled with the crippling pain, had me screaming against my will. 

Harting motioned for Brian to stop. "Are you ready to tell us where Joanna is?" 

Brian tightened his grip on my thumb, the only appendage on my left hand that hadn't been broken yet. 

"She went to a cabin in Montana," I choked out. "I don't know anything else; that's all she told me." 

Harting paused, and I was afraid Brian would begin his administrations again. 

"I believe you," Harting stated, straightening up. Brian dropped my hand, and I winced as it fell back to the arm of the chair. He turned away, tapping his lips with his forefinger thoughtfully. He abruptly turned to face me. "You still don't know why I need Joanna, do you?" 

"Because you're a crazed sadistic bastard?" I guessed, my voice bitter.

Harting cracked a half-grin, unfazed by my words. "Marks, I had pegged you for brighter. Did she not display extraordinary qualities, even for one of your mutant kind? Perhaps you noticed enhanced stealth, reflexes, strength, agility? Ah, I can see by your face that you did. Well my boy, that is because Joanna is a pureblood shifter." 

"Impossible," I spat. "There are none left." Pureblooded shifters hadn't existed for hundreds of years. They had gone extinct long ago, marrying humans and other tainted shifters. It was just the natural cycle of life. 

"Yes, that is what the majority of the population thinks," Harting said, holding up a finger. "But they do exist. Most of their lives are spent hiding from those who would use them for their power." 

"What power?" I asked, my morbid curiousity getting the better of me. 

"Really, you are woefully uneducated. I suppose though, you do deserve an explanation. After all, Joanna will quite literally be the death of you after we're done here. Obviously, you do not know that the bite of a pureblood shifter has the power to change humans into a lesser form of shifter. Specifically, humans infected by a pureblood bite can only shift on a full moon, which gave rise to the urban legend. They do not have the abilities that shifter descendents have, such as you. No, when these mutants are forced to shift on the lunar cycle, they are wild, dangerous, killing beasts." 

"So for some unknown and probably evil reason, you want Jo to turn a bunch of humans into mindless wolves on one night of the month?" It didn't make sense to me. 

"No, I'm not interested in anything of the sort. But think about who would be. Opposing forces in the middle east, rival drug cartels, anyone with an messy agenda to fill could essentially create a ruthless and powerful army to use against each other. These creatures are strong and virtually unstopped by bullets or modern weapons. They could transform entire units, for a price, of course."