“Nice meeting you guys. Wish me luck,” he smiled.
“Carter, you don’t have to do this,” said Tony wanting to reach for the young man. Hell, to anyone else Tony was a young man. What they didn’t know was that he was in his fifties, stuck forever in the body of a young man.
“Actually, I do. For my mom,” he said smiling as he walked toward the office door where Butch was standing.
“He’s praying off possible hopes and dreams,” said Archie. “These kids don’t understand what’s being done to their bodies and their parents are just willing to sacrifice everything for one chance. I hate this man.”
“He’s easy to hate,” said Tahlako. “I don’t know a great deal about all this science, but didn’t it seem strange that some men are experiencing rage and others emotional breakdowns?”
“It is strange,” said Bull walking behind the three ghosts. “Finish your run and meet as at the car.”
While the younger men finished their run, although technically Tahlako and Archie were older than Bull and Rory, the two men sat at a coffee shop waiting for them to arrive.
“That whole place is fucked up,” said Rory. “I can’t believe the parents who are okay with all of this. Sooner or later someone will figure out how to detect the drugs he’s using.”
“Did you see the blonde woman doing squats?” asked Bull. “Dude, she was doing more weight than I did in my prime. There was something really odd about her. Her hairline was receding like a man’s. Her voice was deep but cracking like someone in puberty.”
“Maybe she was a man?” said Rory.
“No. There wasn’t an Adam’s apple. I don’t know. There’s more to this than just pumping athletes full of steroids. I can feel it in my bones.”
As if by magic, Tahlako, Archie and Tony appeared before the men, causing Rory to spill his coffee.
“For fuck’s sake! Don’t scare me like that,” he muttered.
“Sorry,” laughed Tony. “We thought we were being followed so we ducked into an alleyway and disappeared.”
“Like disappeared, woo-woo ghosty-like?” asked Bull. Archie smiled at him.
“Yes, like that. Really all we had to do was make ourselves not visible. I think we need to try and befriend Carter and see if we can find out where his mother works. If she’s working in the manufacturing plant, it might be our way in.”
“Let’s get home,” said Bull. “The tech boys are on tonight and we have to get a better view of what’s going on inside that place. I have a feeling there’s something else happening that we don’t understand.”
“I feel the same way,” said Tahlako. “I’m not an expert in this area, nor am I an expert with the female population but there was something very odd about some of the women, as much as the men.”
“We said the same thing,” nodded Bull pulling away from the curb. “Let’s see what magic the tech boys can find. If that doesn’t work, you guys will be on invisible night duty.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“I don’t give a shit if you don’t like the feeling,” said Butch. “We both agreed to do this and we have to prove that this shit works.”
“Don’t yell at me,” said his sister. “I’m doing the best I can, Butch but I’m having some pretty severe side-effects.”
“We all are!”
His sister backed up from him, staring him down. She wasn’t afraid of him but she knew that right now he was stronger than she was and could hurt her if he lost his temper.
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he said softly. “It would kill me if you were afraid of me. We’re siblings. Twins.”
“I’m aware of what we are,” she said quietly. “I’m going to see if I can get something for this urinary tract infection. It’s really painful and this is the fourth one in six months. Hopefully, the meds will work better this time.”
“I’ll come with you,” he said apologetically. “I want to be there for you.”
“You don’t have to,” she said shaking her head.
“I don’t mind, Helen. Really. I want to be there for you, like you’ve been there for me.”
“You’re my brother, Butch. I’ll always be there for you.”