The ABO Serum

Alpha Rats Became Aggressive

Ryan came back in to check on the shop just before it closed the next day. A phone call didn't seem adequate. Carey was training him to be the manager, so he wanted the backup crew to see his face. He also wanted to check on his boss and he knew Carey would be somewhere in the building staying close to his new lover.

To his knowledge, it was the first relationship the older man ever had. And it was intense for being so new. But to nab the head of this huge operation, and one with a Ph.D., good for him! Ryan wasn't sure why he felt compelled to look out for Carey, but he did.

Maybe it had something to do with the guy he'd caught following them yesterday, another doctor. Did he have his eye on Carey or his own boss?

The backup crew was doing fine but Carey was nowhere to be seen so he texted, "where u at?" He didn't have a security badge to go in and look on his own. Carey received one Monday; hand-delivered by his lover. Perks of being the big boss Ryan supposed.

His phone buzzed and he looked at Carey's response, "Coming down. Wait in the shop."

Having heard a little of the previous day's drama, the backup crew insisted he sit and brought him his usual. With half an hour to go before closing, they were getting started on cleanup. Few customers ever showed up at end of day, but today a few more than usual interrupted them. Ryan supposed after the late night everyone's schedule got shifted back.

It was taking Carey a while to extract himself from whatever he was doing inside, but his stalker wandered in looking half dead with his hair sticking out at every angle. He moved toward the counter first but sniffed the air and detoured, straight toward Ryan. He practically fell over Ryan, taking long sniffs and moaning. "Hey, hey!" Ryan tried to get the doctor's attention.

Fortunately, this was the moment Carey arrived. "Oh shit!" He exclaimed and grabbed his phone. In fewer than sixty seconds security rushed in and escorted both Dr. Martin and Ryan out of the coffee shop. "Wait, what?" Ryan shouted to Carey as they escorted him out.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Carey assured him as he followed behind. "His condition is more advanced, and he's been drawn to you which means you're probably an alpha. Alphas are being quarantined."

"Quarantined?" Ryan questioned; his panic poorly concealed.

"Wait until we get back where there's privacy, I'll tell you everything," Carey tried assuring his employee. "Breathe. Seriously, it's gonna be okay."

A few deep breaths later the elevator opened on the fifth floor, the top floor. It looked remarkably like a hotel hallway. "The rooms were built for housing human test subjects during their transition. There are two floors of them. They weren't expecting so many subjects, so GenLife is giving priority to alphas because in the animal trials they became aggressive around unmated omegas. If there's room, we'll be quarantining omegas second. If there's not room, we may be able to quarantine them in a nearby hotel. Their problem won't be aggression but keeping them comfortably contained so they don't go seeking sex from strangers under the influence of their transition. Betas change physically but we don't expect the wide emotional swings and mating behavior that could potentially make them dangerous to themselves or others, so they'll be checking in daily and going home. Though everybody gets a panic button," Carey held up his as an example, "and we've called in additional security to respond."

"We?" Ryan asked as the security guard opened a door and handed him the key. He was a little stunned to receive the key after being marched up here like a prisoner.

"You won't be able to leave the top floors," Carey explained. "I suppose 'we' is wrong since I'm not part of the company, but I think I'm becoming part of the boss. Daryl's an alpha, not surprisingly since the alpha/omega transformations seem to be enhancements of strong natural tendencies and he's a natural leader, like you. I'm an omega, which makes sense since I'm only a business owner because I took my nurturing instinct to an extreme. There's a weird emotional or psychological attraction between us. We can't be apart for long. But as long as we're together I'm not experiencing the outright insanity Dr. Martin is going through. It seems he's looking for his mate. And he's got a nose for it. Maybe we should let him wander and have security follow him around. It might be the fastest way to find all the alphas. Blood tests for specific gender changes take longer and aren't perfect."