Evolution

CHAPTER 12 | deal or no deal

📎A/N. Hands up those of you who have had far too much chocolate this weekend? For those of you with an extra long weekend, I hope you are making the most of it before the working week starts again. I'm back to work tomorrow and not looking forward to it  :(

I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you do, don't forget to vote. It's my birthday weekend, so all votes appreciated.

Take care,

❤ ℳ

❧ ⚛ ✺ ✺ ⚛ ❧

Parker placed the last of Carbine's journals into her briefcase. To make sure she hadn't missed one, she rescanned Daniel's office. Positive there were no stragglers, she reached for a notepad and pen to leave a message for Daniel once he awoke.

After spending hours pouring over the pages, they were no closer to knowing what his cryptic message meant than they had been at the beginning. There was no rhyme nor reason to his bizarre jottings and clippings. The man had certainly been eclectic in the subjects covered. Parker had even spotted tips for removing stains from carpet she filed away for later. You never knew when that would come in handy. There were entire pages of words that didn't make sense. So much so, that Parker wasn't even sure what language they were written in.

While Daniel declared they were going to get nothing from the journals, Parker wasn't as convinced. There was information in there, she just need to interpret the code. She was now a woman on a mission. Jay, Zeke and the rest of the trainees in the Bunker, were about to get a new project.

The Bunker had been set up with a dual role. The first was to provide an ongoing facility in which werewolves could solve their identification issues that invariably occurred as time marched on, and it was obvious they were not aging. Parker's team would access the appropriate databases and adjust dates of birth or update qualifications as required. In addition, they would access the details recorded against the social security number to remove any transactions or information that would raise red flags. It wouldn't do to have tax records dating to well before their date of birth.

The Bunker's secondary role was to provide an education in all aspects of computer science for those werewolves that qualified. Seven Werewolves from various packs, including one from France, attended the University of Denver part-time, working their way towards a degree in computer science or engineering. In addition, Parker, Jay, and Zeke provided them with practical training on how to apply what they were learning into a tangible skill the Werewolf community was in desperate need of.

The sub-basement facility was as protected as Fort Knox and, as far as the rest of Parker's employees were concerned, was a highly-classified government contract she had secured.

Parker finished her note and zipped up her bag. Even with Daniel's assurances to the contrary, she still couldn't shake the feeling she was partially responsible for the situation they now found themselves in. Perhaps if she hadn't told Daniel what Mateo had done to her, he'd still be alive and giving them the answers they so desperately needed.

Parker rubbed her forehead. Alice, I now understand what you are going through.

Her friend hadn't been the same since the Wildfire epidemic. They had barely gotten over the fallout from Wildfire, which had not only taken the lives of an untold number of humans but had ripped through the Werewolf community as well. The dust had just settled when a dozen Werewolves across the country vanished within a matter of days. At first, no one had thought the matter an issue. But when a Werewolf from the pack in San Diego disappeared, the Alpha wanted answers. The missing man was mated, and they had only recently given birth to their first child. There was no way he would have taken off on a whim. The Lycan attacks had taken everyone's full attention, and the investigation on the missing had stalled.