In what was perhaps one of the most tense moments in Tom’s life, it had ended just like that.
He was in a car riding back to Slough with Olivia and Marie by his side. There were no crazy troubles, no blood spilled, or any type of saga that was needed to get Tom out of trouble.
"I'm starting to think that Gary might be the cause of all the troubles," Marie said, sitting in the front and staring out the window.
She had similar thoughts as Tom since everything went fine.
At least that’s what Tom thought? He was sure Rickle had agreed to the request… right?
The car they had taken returned to the Wolf’s Pool Club, where everyone was waiting for Tom inside.
As he entered through the door, Gary rushed over to Tom, checking him all over.
"Are you alright? You didn't get hurt or anything, right… there was no trouble, they didn’t inject you with the infected serum or anything?"
Tom smiled as he lifted his arms and turned around, trying to give Gary peace of mind.
"It's fine, I'm fine, and… thanks for worrying about me," Tom said. "I told Rickle everything, and it didn’t seem like he knew about where the infected solutions were coming from.”
"And he’s agreed to help us; he said he would send someone over with the information when he finds something."
"If he finds something," Kai corrected. "From Gary's father, Rickle should be a careful person, yet he allowed someone to sell infected solutions from under his nose? I mean, it might be the fact that he's a founder and never expected a thing, but even more so, that means that Rumper might have covered all of his tracks," Kai said.
What Kai said was true, but nonetheless, it was good news for the group. Without getting directly involved, they might gather dirt that would allow the White Rose to act as well.
If they also had Rickle’s support, it meant the White Rose would be even more confident in moving against them.
Kai was well aware that the White Rose was cautious about incriminating all of NIRV, and for good reason.
With their influence over other gangs and the retrievers they had.
"I'm sorry," Tom suddenly said as he faced Gary. "I didn't meet your father; I didn’t see him there, only Rickle, so I have no update on that."
Immediately, Gary patted Tom on the back.
"What are you doing? Did I tell you to keep updates on my father or something? If he wants to see me, he'll come see me like before.”
"I honestly was just worried about you the whole time. You've got nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I’m sorry for putting you in such a tough situation."
Gary and Tom were true friends. Their awkward relationship from high school had continued.
Although so different, they were incredibly close, and Gary was happy to still have Tom by his side despite every single thing that had happened.
A tune started to play out, and Kai quickly reached for his phone. He didn’t say anything as his hand slowly went down to his side, and he turned to Gary.
"It's news from White Rose… they found him, they found Jayden."
---
Rickle had stayed in his lab since he heard the news from Tom. He had been in two places.
On one hand, he was tinkering with a number of devices but would then stop partly, while also looking up files and trying to gather information in another area.
Eventually, he sat down at one of the workshop tables and pushed a load of parts away in front of him.
He then rested his chin on both hands as he started to think.
"How did this even happen?" Rickle said. "I expected it, I even expected it from the inside, but I didn't think it would occur with you, Rumper.”
"Are you being set up? Blackmailed, or are you doing this for the money? None of that seems to be the case—you seemed to be an honest person."
Rickle started to think back to when he met Rumper. A smart man, an archeologist, and one of the first to discover some of the fossils of the dead beasts.
It wasn’t just because he had started the company with this man that Rickle trusted him.
Rickle had also saved his wife’s life, something that couldn’t be cured by normal means.
Rumper had said he was forever in Rickle’s debt, and Rickle could tell that he wasn't lying.
"So what has changed? It’s annoying as well that she didn’t foresee something like this.”
"She gives me bits and pieces, and I’m meant to just prevent everything. It's tiring at times… very tiring," Rickle said. "These things… just keep repeating."
A few beeps and bops were heard from the other side of the door. As it slid open, a man wearing a dark outfit that almost looked like it absorbed the white room into him walked in.
His heavy footsteps echoed across the room.
"You're not working? That's very strange for you," Dean said.
"A friend of your son came to visit me."
Dean froze for a moment but didn’t say anything else.
"You need to get ready, bring what tools you can. We’re going to be quite busy, and you need to be ready for a fight," Rickle ordered.
"Right," Dean said as he moved over to one side of the lab.
Pressing a few buttons on the console, one of the walls started to descend, revealing a whole wall of different weapons oozing with power.
Weapons even beyond what the Altered Hunters had.
"Oh, by the way, how were they?" Rickle asked.
"The Talen family, they were doing just fine," Dean replied.not too busy, I tend to reply back.