I called ahead to Area 29 and let everyone know what the situation was. Nick didn't seem like a typical grunt from the way his uniform looked, so I suspected he was a higher ranking person and because of this, he knew something. I was fuming the entire way back to Area 29. Nick was unconscious in the covered bed of the pick up, as there was no room for him in the cabin. When we did make it back to 29, it had started raining again, making the Ford sink into the sand. I drove into the hangar and pulled to a stop, put the truck in park and got out, leaving the engine running as I walked back to the bed. I unlocked the tailgate and pulled the bed cover open, finding Nick had woken up and was trying to work through the restraints.

"Oh hell no", I said yanking him from the bed and letting him fall to the concrete ground, "I will shut that bullshit down so fast your head will spin."

"You sound like that dude from the last season of the walking dead", Nick said sitting up, "guy's whose all up in Rick's grill with that new world order bullshit."

With a growl, the steel toe of my boot found the side of his face. He collapsed back to the ground as I grabbed him by the front of his vest, lifting all of what must have been his 350 pounds a full foot off the ground, one handed.

"I'm ten times worse", I snarled, "come on, you and I are gonna have a little talk."

I dragged Nick across the hangar and to the room where the mechanics kept all their tools, it would be the perfect place to get my former friend to spill his guts, figuratively and literally if I had to. Once we were inside, I took his flack jacket along with a concealed Glock handgun.

"Smart move back there at the crash", I said handing his weapon to Riley, "use the other guys weapon so if you get disarmed, you still have a backup. Wouldn't have done you any good against three of us anyhow. The only one you would have killed would have been Taro."

Nick looked up at me, "Taro's here?"

I nodded and leaned in close to the chair I had him chained, duct taped and zip tied to, "yeah, and he's the only reason I haven't snapped your neck yet."

Nick had a flash of wonder, then reverted back to the stone cold killer I thought was always his fictional character, "what do you mean my Glock wouldn't have hurt three of you?"

"Oh right", I grinned, "I still have the cloaker on."

I pulled out my Window's Phone and used it to turn my device off, revealing my true form, Riley and Nina did so as well, leaving Nick looking terrified.

"Hunter", I said pulling up another metal chair, "you are neck deep up shit creek with your mouth wide open. You used to be my friend, so for now, I'll cut you some slack, unless you make things difficult."

"What happens then snow cone?", Nick asked looking me in the eyes.

"I've dreamed up lots of very, very good ways to hurt people", I grinned, "if you give me one ounce of shit, I will test them all, every single one of them, out on you, then I will snap your neck."

"No you won't", Nick said, "your not that kind of person mate."

"Your right", I smiled, "I'm not that kind of person, but I'm not a person am I?"

"I walked into that one", Nick sighed.

"You've got ten minutes to get your story straight", I said, "think long and hard about what you'll say, otherwise your gonna have a very hard time walking with no soles on your feet."

"I won't even need that", Nick grinned.

"The bad guys talk to much before they get around to pulling the trigger", Nick said.

"Not this time around", I said, "forget about any tracking chip you may have implanted, the truck was Radio Shielded and the base is in the middle of Death Valley, you won't make it 20 feet from the hangar before Carlos or Jayden drops you like the sack of shit you are."

"Void", I said, looking down at his black and Neon green German shepherd hologram, "stay here with Riley, you can't kill him, but you can brake him into as many pieces as you want. Just make sure you leave his head intact, I need him fully with us."

"With pleasure", Riley said cracking his knuckles.

I smiled to myself as I left the tool shed, knowing full well that Riley would assume that Nick knew his sisters location, regardless of what nick said. Satisfied that Nick would be broken beyond protecting Black River by the time I returned, I handed Nina my Assault Rifle.

"If by some miracle Nick manages to get out of that chair", I said, "you blow his fuckin brains out, don't wait, don't hesitate, pull that trigger till he doesn't get back up."

Nina took my AR 15, "I know you feel betrayed Josh, but why do you sound like he's already blown his only chance."

"I've known that man for a little over a year now", I said, "this year, I was planing to drive to MS to meet him and taro for the first time and spend Christmas together. How do you think I feel knowing he's an evil bitch?"

"I think it probably stings worse than a bullet", Nina sighed, "if he get's lose, I'll shoot, but I won't kill. You'll not make this something you regret."

I sighed, "fine, fair enough."

I left Nina's side and walked back to the truck. Taro was still sitting in the passenger's seat, his head in his hands, trying wrap his head around the situation.

"This isn't how I imagined the three of us would meet", he said.

"Me either brother", I said.

"You really think you can get him to talk?", Taro asked, "this is Hunter after all."

"Trust me", I said, "when I take a band saw to the soles of his feet, he'll sing like a bird."

"Josh come on", Tristan said, "we both know that torture is the shortest route to a lie, you'll have to kill him before he talks."

"He'll talk", I said, "if he doesn't, he'll die."

Taro sighed, "if you say so."

"If you wanna walk away", I said, "you can, I will not stop you."

"I'm in this too now", Taro said, 'I was in it the minute they blew my Seahawk out of the air."

I nodded, "I'm gonna get an update on Nick's position in Black River from Morningstar. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Tristan nodded to me as I left the hangar. I walked across the muddy grounds to the dome building and up to Morningstar's office, where I found him working at his computer. I knocked on the door.

"Come in ace", he said.

"Find anything on my buddy?", I asked stuffing my paws into my pockets.

"I did", Morningstar said, "but you won't like it."

"I'm an adult", I said, "I can take it."

"Your friend, Nick Switzer, head of interrogation and prisoner transfer at Black River."

"Fuck me", I sighed, "That means he'll be extra difficult to crack."

"Maybe not", Morningstar said, "in fact, I think I have just the thing that will make him not only hate Black River, but restore your friendship, possibly make him forever grateful you nabbed him."

"How are you planing to do that?", I asked, "you say that you can make him grateful I kidnapped him? How? How does that work?"

"You'll find out", Morningstar said, handing me a folded piece of paper, "show him that, any hate he has in him is gonna go straight to one place."

Curious, I unfolded the paper and read it. Let me tell ya, if I didn't want Black River shut down before, I sure as hell did now.

"They. Did. NOT!", I snarled.

"They did", Morningstar said, "they got it in the middle of the night, while Nick was asleep."

"Damn them all", I growled.

"I suggest you patch your friendship before Riley murders your friend", Morningstar said.

As quickly as I could, I left the dome and then ran back to the hangar. Quickly going back to the tool room, finding that Riley had reduced Nick to a bloody pulp. There were deep cuts all over him though none of them would be anything other than painful.

"Enough Riley", I said.

"He knows where my sister is!", Riley said with his blood paw poised for a kill slash across Nick's neck, "he won't talk!"

"He won't if we kill him", I said sitting back down, "desist, that's an order."

Sighing, Riley backed off and left.

"Just as I was starting to enjoy myself", Nick said, "so, about cutting the soles off my feet?"

I sighed.

"Your tone has changed snow cone", Nick said.

"Yeah", I said, "tell me where my friends Mercury and Trace are."

"Never heard those names before in my life", Nick said.

I sighed, "but I do know a name that means something to you."

"That would be?", Nick asked.

"Rex", I said.

"My Dog?", Nick asked, "what does he have to do with this."

I stood up, cut the tape and zip ties on his hands, then handed him the paper. I saw him get teary eyed almost instantly and watched his face twist in rage and hate.

"They did not!", Nick said lowly, "you're faking this."

"Nope", I said, "that came right out of Black River's data base. The snuck in, while you were asleep."

Nick folded up the paper and handed it back to me. We both sat there in silence for the longest time before he spoke.

"What do you wanna know?", he said, "tell me and the info is yours."

"I need to know where their keeping my friends", I said.

Nick sighed, "the exact same base where they took my pup."

"They deploy Rex to the same base where they got Mercury and Riley", I said, "that's not a coincidence. Seems to me that Black River expected me to catch you, which also means they have a general idea where we're at."

"Neither of those is a good thing", Nick said, "I know BR. You thought I was neck deep up shit creek, the both of us have really stepped in it."

"That means we wipe it on their faces", I said, "how long does it take for them to move a convoy of prisoners?"

"It takes years to get them to do anything", Nick said, "with enough firepower, we can roll right over them. Fast and hard is what wins against Black River."

"If were going in fast and hard we'll need more men", I said, "Nick, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but how'd you like to join project venom?"

"I have a single term", Nick said, "when we find the fucker who dug up my pup, I get to kill him, in whatever manner I see fit."

"Deal", I said releasing the rest of the chains, "come on, I'll take you to get patched up."

I helped Nick out of the tool room and got Taro to help me carry him across the grounds to the Dome.

"Funny", Nick said as we arrived at the infirmary, "I pictured the both of you being bigger."

"Nigga I'm 6'5 and 463 pounds", I said, "I'm bigger than you."

"hehe", Nick said, "Hunter was 7 feet."

"Yeah well", I answered, 'once you turn you might shrink a few inches."

"Mate don't play with my height", Nick said, "I'll Pimp slap your ass so hard your great grandma will feel it."

"I won't be doing shit you fat fucker", I snickered, "the serum will be doing it."

"Then I'll beat the guy who made it", Nick said as I helped him up on the bench.

"You do that then", I laughed as Doctor Sun came in.

"This your friend Ace?", he asked.

"Yep", I said, "he needs to be patched up before he takes the serum."

"He's a new recruit?", Sun asked.

"Not officially", I said, "I need to talk to Morningstar first."

"Then get on it", Sun said.

I nodded and left the infirmary with Taro and then went up to Morningstar's office, knocking on his still open door.

"Hey Alex?", I asked, "your door was open, but I'm kind of knocking."

"Did Nick cave?", Morningstar asked.

"Like a rotted two by four holding up a planet", I said, "I've never seen anyone brake that quickly. Not only that, but he's agreed to join Project venom on the condition that when we find the person who defiled his dog's grave, that he gets to kill him. No strings attached."

Morningstar sighed, "I question that intent, but we do need more people, so to that end he's cleared. And now...Private Hungate..."

Morningstar held up a plane ticket, "before I hand you this ticket, I need to know right now, would you consider joining the Venom project? I understand you wanted to be Delta Force?"

"Yes sir", Taro said.

"Here at Venom you'll do everything they do, with a lot more freedom and money at the end of each month", Morningstar said, "we approach combat very differently from the Army, so I won't lie when I say you'll question some of the things we do."

"Question them how sir?", Tristan asked.

"We still carry weapons like flamethrowers, explosive rounds and chemical grenades into combat", I said, "the day we rescued you, my AR-15 had hollow points in it since it seems that BR merc's don't wear plates in their carriers as a way of keeping the load down."

"I'm willing to look past ammunition types", taro said, "but put me on a flamethrower and I'll toss it down and pick up an AK. And that should be saying something cause I hate that weapon."

"I'm aware", I said, "you'll get to chose your carry weapons anyway, so don't worry about it."

"Okay then", Taro said.

"So your in?", I asked.

"Hell fucking yes! It will be just like AAT two years ago.", Taro said smiling, "ANTHRO POWA!"

Morningstar and both burst out laughing, Taro, unable to hold back as well, joined us. Since Taro and Nick both already had combat experience, I wouldn't wait to train them. We had Mercury and Trace's location. As soon as Taro and Nick were turned, we were going in.