Coffee?

When Avery got out of the shower Soren turned to the sink, put the stopper down, and filled it with a small amount of water. He took one last drag from his cigarette then set it in the water to extinguish it. There were already ashes in the sink. Jordan will be upset when he finds out I smoked inside again.

Jordan had talked with him the first time they drew blood about him smoking inside. He had promised to give it a go and had refrained from smoking anywhere but his room. Even the threat of his friend's disapproving glare did not stop Soren from lighting another cigarette.

He turned around to find Avery dressed and watching him. He took out a cigarette and held it out.

"Want one?"

Avery nodded and stepped forward to grab the cigarette. His hands were visibly shaking as he reached out and took hold of the cigarette, his eyes were watching Soren for any signs of danger.

Soren held up the lighter and ignited it for Avery to light his cigarette. He silently applauded the man for only flinching a little at the movement. Once Avery's cigarette was lit, Soren pulled out another for himself and lit it.

He took his time, enjoying every moment of the cigarette as his mind relived the one-sided battle and his feeding afterward. He would have to meet a few of Agent Issac's higher ups before he could say who did what.

The only familiar face he had seen was of Dr. Reynalds. The doctor might know that he had access to the cure, but he did not know where he was located. That meant someone high enough to know everything.

When the second cigarette was done he set it in the water. Avery was not far behind him. On the way out Soren made a mental note to himself to clean the sink up before he went to bed.

Downstairs Jordan was relaxing on the couch. Every so often he would glance at the clock to the side or out the windows.

~We are at thirty minutes.~

"They're definitely not in a hurry."

He could not imagine Agent Issac having fun waiting for his backup to arrive. Lots of free time to think about things.

"Oh, Avery, this is Jordan. Jordan, Avery. I've decided that Avery will be my personal assistant for the time being."

~I see you're continuing to torture the poor man. Wouldn't it just be easier to kill him?~

~Easier, yes, but it's worth the investment.~

Avery had turned pale at being called Soren's personal assistant and took a step back. He crossed his arms and looked around the room, taking in every detail. He knew that his chances of escaping successfully were not good, but that did not stop him from planning it out in his head.

~Where is Fry and Ethan?~

~Cleaning up. They should be done soon.~

As if on cue, Fry came down the stairs. Not far behind her was Ethan. When Soren turned to look Avery did as well. Seeing the two of them Avery looked like he was going to be sick. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the weight of a hand on his shoulder. His appearance did not improve when he saw that it was Soren who was touching him.

"Come, sit down. You're going to make me jittery if you keep this up."

Soren guided him to the recliner near the couch and forced him to sit.

"You agreed to work for me and I've made you my personal assistant, no one here will harm you. Unless you decide to run or attack someone, then all bets are off."

Avery nodded his head several times and kept looking around the room. Soren just sighed and turned to the others. He could not blame the guy for his behavior, he had seen his team leader eaten by three of the four people gathered in the room.

"Guys, I want you to meet Avery. Avery, this is Fry and Ethan. Avery is my new personal assistant. Ethan, you've been upgraded."

Fry gave a small wave to Avery and sat down on the couch. She was still processing the fact that she had eaten a person. It was a level of horror that far surpassed the first dinner at the house. Her eyes had a glossy sheen to them and she seemed to struggle with focusing on one thing.

"Upgraded to what?"

Ethan was faring a little better, though it could be said that it was because of the nightmares he had been having about being served body parts. He had lived that every time he tried to sleep since their dinner. After having actually eaten a body, with a pristine head still attached, he just felt numb.

"Enforcer. I've decided that you and Fry are Enforcers. Once we get things here up and running we will need something like a police force to keep order and take care of any mutated that come near."

Ethan paused mid-step and rubbed his eyes, "You really gonna throw a gangster like me into the position of law enforcer?"

"To enforce my laws, yes. I think that you'd still be considered a gangster by taking orders from me."

Ethan laughed, "That's true, boss. You're not exactly 'law abiding' yourself."

~Cars.~

Soren turned to look out the window. Agent Issac's car was in front, leading three nearly matching cars to park in the front yard.

"All right, kids, time to disappear. Everyone to the dungeon. I will stay up here to talk with them, but I don't trust them enough to have the rest of you up here."

He turned to look at Avery, "You'll follow them. Listen to what they tell you."

By the time the cars had parked and agents began to exit Soren was standing alone in the living room. I guess I should greet my guests.

"It's nice to know that I'm important enough for so many agents to rush to keep me safe."

Soren spoke with his usual hint of derism and quickly won himself a new set of fans.

"No one has shown up yet?"

The agent standing next to Issac asked. He had dark blond hair and blue eyes, he was shorter than Agent Issac and appeared to be as active as Issac.

"No, I got here fairly quick once I learned about what was going on. I checked in here then stood guard at the road."

"I'm sure they realized you guys were headed here and decided against coming. Would anyone be interested in some coffee?"

"No, thanks. Where are your friends?"

"Oh, they're not early risers like me. They are still in bed, it'll be closer to noon before they get up. You're welcome to come in and check."

The agent shakes his head, "That's not necessary, we will check the area. Once we clear it I'll leave a team here to keep watch."

"I'll take you up on that coffee."

"Of course. If you change your mind, or any of the other agents want a coffee, just come in."

Soren gave what he hoped was a friendly smile, but fell short, then started making his way back inside with Agent Issac walking with him.

"Agent Issac, we missed seeing you yesterday."

"I had a lot of paperwork to do and figured you guys would want time to settle in."

"Are you certain it wasn't because of what happened at the apartment?"

Soren said, low enough that only Agent Issac could hear him as he walked inside. Agent Issac gave him a look out of the corner of his eye, then turned to look around.

"So, were you really offering coffee?"

Soren snorted, "Fuck, no. We have the shit to make it if you want to go through all that, but I'm not touching it. I didn't actually believe that they would come in and I knew you wouldn't expect any even if I offered.

"I will admit that I'm curious. Why are you still here?"

"Honestly, I don't know. What happened at the apartment was unnerving enough. What I saw earlier..."

Agent Issac shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

"It may not make it seem any better, but one of the abilities I have allows me to gain knowledge and see the memories of someone I eat. I have to actively utilize the ability, the parts I eat have to be fresh and a certain amount in order to succeed.

"I now have a better idea of what happened. Dr. Reynolds was part of it, but a small part. I have pictures in my head and would have to see them to tell you if they were there."

"What are the casualty numbers?"

Soren leans back against the couch, "Eight total; three dead and five alive."

"Are they staying alive?"

"I'm not a complete monster. They're staying alive so long as they don't do anything stupid. Once your buddies clear out I'll take you down to see them. They don't get to leave, I'll find work for them here.

"We're planning on turning this place into a sanctuary and we'll need all the hands we can get. I've even been stockpiling vaccines for those we bring here. I'm limited in my production capacity compared to a fully staffed lab, though. I had hoped that your people would make up for that."