"You." He stabbed a finger in Austin's direction. "Would you like to tell me what the hell you were doing??"
Austin blinked. "Following your orders, sir." His voice trembled as Callan stared back at him in furious shock.
"My orders? I ordered you to deliberately antagonize another Breed?" His voice lowered further. Something was wrong here, because he had given no such order, and he sure as hell hadn't revoked Mercury's rank.
Austin was paste white now, his lips trembling as he licked them. "No, sir. You ordered the camera uncovered." Terror filled his voice. "He answered the call." He pointed to the enforcer as though it were his fault.
The young enforcer stood tall, Callan gave him credit for that, but his gaze was stark with fear. "You asked for Austin, and when he hung up he stated we were to uncover that camera and I was to go with him."
Callan stared back at the two men. They weren't lying. Someone had managed to impersonate him, from his own home.
Callan turned slowly to Kane, lowering his voice once again. "See if you can get into the system. See if that call can be traced. And I want the orders that went out regarding Mercury's rank traced as well. Find out what the hell is going on here."
"You didn't give the order?" Jonas asked him carefully, his silver eyes swirling with chilling force.
Callan flicked him a disgusted look as Kane remained silent. "Any such order would have gone to you, Jonas. Not an enforcer below Mercury's rank."
"Callan, you have to do something about Mercury," Ely stated then, her voice rising with anger.
Desperation and fear laced her voice as Callan glanced at Jonas and read the flat, hard anger in the director's expression.
"Ely." Callan turned to her, fighting back his anger as he indicated that she should take a seat before him. "What kind of game are you playing with Mercury?"
Kane and Jonas took their seats as well, watching as the doctor moved forward warily and sat down. With a flick of his hand, Callan sent the tech and the enforcer outside the door.
"He's dangerous, Callan." She pushed her fingers through her tussled hair and stared back at him as she rubbed at her neck, clearly concerned, worried. "These tests don't lie. The Council developed the criteria to detect the feral fever. It's building in him, and someone's going to die if you don't confine him and get him back on the drug therapy."
Confine Merc? Callan stared at her in shock. "You want to confine Merc? And drug him?"
Disbelief filled him. Where had her compassion gone? This wasn't the doctor who had overseen their mates, their community, and protected them when the anomalies in their systems went haywire. The Ely he knew would have never considered such a thing.
"It's the only venue of safety," she argued, clearly believing the words spilling from her lips. "Callan, we can't risk him going feral. If the press gets so much as a hint of this, it could destroy us."
"Bullshit."
All eyes turned to Jonas.
"How dare you!" Ely snarled as she turned on him. "You're playing your damned games again. Tell our pride leader how you refused to allow me to bring my findings to him or Mercury. Ordered me not to reveal them. You're risking all our lives."
Callan watched the confrontation, inhaling slowly, deeply, trying to figure out the emotions or the cause for her behavior.
"And you're a paranoid scientist with nothing better to do than chase shadows," Jonas grunted. "You're irrational lately, Ely. Have you had yourself tested?" He flicked her a disgusted look.
"You have to do something about him." Ely surged to her feet as Callan leaned back against his desk and watched the entire scene with a sense of disbelief.
"Sit down, Ely," he ordered her.
"I will not sit here and listen to his insults," she bit out. "He's protecting Mercury for some game he's playing and I've had enough of it. I want that Breed confined and tested. I demand it."
"You demand it?" He straightened slowly. "By what right do you demand anything?"
He watched the scientist closely now. Her features were flushed, her eyes bright as anger coursed through her.
"I'll take my findings to the Ruling Cabinet if you refuse to listen to me," she snarled back in his face.
She was defying him; not just defying him but deliberately challenging him.
"Will you now?" He looked around the room. "We have three of the Ruling Cabinet here now, disagreeing with your suggestions. What makes you think for a second that you can get the vote you need to even consider your demands?"