by Julie Kagawa
Martin nodded. “I understand.”
“All right, Mist.” I handed a pair of bolt cutters to the girl. “It’s all you.”
She took the tool and, without hesitation, slipped across the open space to the fence. I held my breath as the spotlights swept closer, until the girl darted back again, just avoiding the edge of the light, and beckoned to us with a hand.
“Wes? Security cameras?”
“One above the front door and a few in the halls. Taking care of them now.”
“All right. I’m going in. Riley out.”
I crept forward, getting as close as I could without venturing into spotlight territory, then waiting until they swept around once more. As soon as they glided past, I moved, scurrying up to the fence, sliding through the hole Mist had made and hurrying across the yard while trying to stay as low and quiet as I could. The soldiers followed at my heels, moving in perfect unison, and we swept across the open ground in total darkness.
Mist was crouched by the front door as we exited the yard. A security camera hovered over the frame, winking at us ominously, but I trusted that Wes had either temporarily blacked it out or put it on a playback loop. The Basilisk gave me a grim look as I joined her.
“Door is electronically locked. Let’s hope you grabbed the right key.”
Without answering, I pulled the key card I’d taken from the tower guard and slid it through the slot, which beeped and turned green a second later. After yanking open the door, we slipped through the frame and closed it behind us.
I wasn’t quite sure what I’d expected when I was finally inside the facility. Perhaps rows of prison cells or individual locked rooms. Certainly not what looked to be a comfortable lobby, with sofas surrounding coffee tables, a Ping-Pong table in the corner and a television on the wall. I was expecting the lone security guard inside the entrance, who blinked at us in shock for a half second too long; obviously he was not expecting a group of armed strangers to come waltzing through the front door. I lunged forward and silenced him, then dragged him behind one of the sofas.
“Now what?” Mist asked as I straightened.
I glanced at Martin. “Secure the perimeter,” I told him. “Make sure there aren’t more guards wandering around, and if there are, take them out quietly. Mist and I are going to find the breeders. I’ll let you know when we’ve located them.” I narrowed my eyes. “It goes without saying, but don’t let any of them see you until I’ve explained the situation. I don’t want a bunch of armed soldiers of St. George surprising them in their sleep. Then this will be less a rescue mission and more a ‘get out before everything burns to the ground’ mission.”
Martin nodded briskly. “I’ll await your signal,” he said, and gestured for the soldiers to move out. They filed out of the lobby, into the dark corridors beyond, and disappeared.
“Riley.” Wes’s voice echoed over the com again. I crouched behind the sofa with the unconscious guard, Mist kneeling beside me, and tied his hands behind his back. “I’ve got a camera feed on the second floor of the place. Looks like there’s a bunch of individual dorm rooms up top. I’d say that’s where they’re keeping the breeders, mate—the not-pregnant ones, anyway.”
“Got it.” I gagged the unconscious human, then carried him to a nearby closet and stuffed him inside. “On our way now.”
“So, how are we going to do this exactly?” Mist wanted to know as we crept up the stairs. “Go to each individual room, one by one, and explain what we’re doing to every dragon on the floor? That will take forever, even if we knew how many dragons are in this place, which we don’t. We don’t have that much time.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And what happens if some of them don’t want to leave? What if they mistake what we’re doing here and sound the alarm?”
“Mist,” I growled as we reached the top of the stairs. “You’re not really helping with the devil’s advocate stuff.”
“Just want to be sure that there is an actual plan in place,” she countered as we continued down a short hall and rounded a corner. A dimly lit hall stretched away before us, with numbered doors lining the walls like apartments. “And this whole daring rescue in the middle of one of Talon’s biggest operations isn’t relying solely on luck and your gut intuition.”
“I have a plan—”
The soft click of a door interrupted us. Instantly, we melted back around the corner, pressing our backs to the wall, as one of the doors opened and something shuffled into the hallway.
Peeking around the corner, I set my jaw. It was a dragon, all right. A hatchling, probably in her late teens, her dark hair cropped short. She wore an oversize T-shirt that hung to her knees, and from where I stood, I could see the glint of a metal anklet above her left foot. Most likely a tracking device. My blood boiled at the thought of these dragons being held prisoner, living their whole lives on this island, simply because they didn’t meet Talon’s expectations. Worse, being forced to produce offspring so that Talon and the Elder Wyrm could expand their reach and become even more powerful, all under the pretense of “saving our race from extinction.”
I clenched a fist. No more. That ended tonight. I might not be dealing a crushing blow to the organization anymore; now that they had their monstrous vessel army, they could simply clone mindless slaves, instead of brainwashing them from the beginning. But the dragons here, at least, would not spend another day in Talon’s crushing grip. We didn’t know what was coming; hell, maybe we would all die soon. But, for me, anyway, better to die free than live as a slave. I hoped these dragons felt the same.
The girl stepped forward, bare feet making almost no sound on the carpet. I waited until she was almost to the corner before I lunged out, clamping a hand around her mouth and pushing her back into the wall.
She stiffened, eyes going wide, as I put a finger to my lips. “I’m not here to hurt you,” I whispered, hoping the kid wouldn’t freak out. I suspected the non-pregnant breeders were regularly dosed with Dractylpromazine to prevent Shifting, but I didn’t want to deal with a hysterical teenager, either. “My name is Cobalt, and I’ve come to get you out.”
If possible, the girl’s eyes got even bigger. I took that as a good sign and hurried on. “We’re leaving,” I told her. “All of us. I have a boat waiting outside that will take you and everyone else off this island. You’ll never have to work for Talon again. I’m getting all of you out tonight, but we have to be quick and quiet about it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The girl nodded against my hand.
“And if I let you go, you won’t scream and alert every guard in the place?”
She shook her head.
Okay. Holding my breath, I released her.
“Omigod,” the girl blurted as soon as she was free. “You’re Cobalt!”
I winced. “You wanna scream my name a little louder? I don’t think the guards outside heard you.”
“Oh, sorry,” the hatchling said, pitching her voice to a much softer level. “It’s just...you’re really here.” Her eyes watered, years of hope and disappointment welling to the surface. “They tell stories about you,” she went on. “Some of the older dragons. They say there’s a dragon on the outside who can get you out of Talon, if you’re lucky enough to meet him.” The sheen in her eyes grew brighter, and her lip trembled. “Director Vance told us that you don’t exist, that no one has ever discovered the location of the facilities and that we’re here for our own safety. But some of us still held out hope. That you were really out there, and that maybe this was the year you’d find us.”
A tear slid down her face, making the guilt churning inside about a million times stronger. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I came as soon as I could.”
“Cobalt.” Mist appeared beside me, looking stern. “There is no time for this. We need to wake the rest of the breeders and let them know what is going on, without alar
ming them and alerting the guards.”
“I know.” I turned back to the hatchling. “Where is everyone else?” I asked urgently. “Are they here, in this building?”
“Most of them.” The girl glanced at Mist, saw she was a dragon and relaxed. “The pregnant ones are next door, in the medical facilities.”
“How many?”
“Five, I think.”
“Shit.” I raked my hands through my hair. Five pregnant dragons that couldn’t Shift to human form would make sneaking out of here even more difficult. We had prepared for this scenario, so it wasn’t unexpected, but having a confirmed number made the stakes more real.
I looked back at the hatchling. “What’s your name?”
“Sera.”
“All right, Sera, can you wake the rest of the dragons here and let them know what’s going on? Get them up and ready to move out when I give the word?”
The girl paled, but nodded. “I think so.”
“Good enough. Mist.” I looked at the other Basilisk. “Stay with her and help. You know the plan. Don’t forget to warn them about the soldiers. We don’t want anyone freaking out before it’s time.”
Mist nodded. “I assume you’re going after the pregnant breeders.”
“Yeah. So you have about fifteen minutes to make sure everyone here is ready to move. Once we give the order, it’s go time. Wes...” I spoke quickly into the throat com. “I’m heading into the medical facility next door. It’s where they’re keeping the pregnant dragons. I need to know what I’m up against.”
“Hang on” came the voice on the other end. “I’ll see if they have any cameras inside.”
The hatchling hovered at the edge of the corridor, watching me. She was trembling slightly, worrying her bottom lip. I put a hand on her arm.
“Take Mist with you,” I told her. “You can trust her, and the soldiers in the building. They’re here to help. Once I get the breeders, we’re all leaving together. But I need you to keep calm and make sure everyone understands what’s happening. Can you do that?”
Sera took a deep breath, and nodded.
“All right.” I took a step back, glancing at Mist. “I’m counting on you. If you don’t hear from me in fifteen minutes, keep with the plan. I’ll let Martin know what’s going on.”
“Cobalt.” Sera met my gaze. “Be careful of Director Vance,” she said, a current of fear underlying her voice. “He’s the one in charge of everything, and he spends a lot of time in the medical bay. If he sees you...”
I nodded. “Thanks for the warning. I’ll be careful.”
I crept back down the stairs, found Martin guarding the front doors with the soldiers and explained the situation. He nodded.
“Do you need us to cover you?”
“No,” I said. “Better that I talk to the breeders alone. A half-dozen pregnant dragons aren’t going to take an invasion of St. George soldiers very well. Stay here, watch the building and be ready to move. Once I give the go-ahead, things are going to get crazy.”
“Understood.” The officer gave a grim smile. “We’ll be ready.”
I slipped out the door and back into the yard, easily avoiding the spotlights as they swept the perimeter. Ducking into the shadows between the buildings, I gazed up at the brick-and-mortar walls. “Wes? Anything?”
“Bugger all,” Wes muttered. “Yeah, I’m in. This place is locked down tight, Riley. At least three guards, and they’re all carrying these massive bloody elephant rifles. The dragons are in individual cells—two hatchlings, two Juveniles and one Adult. Also, there’s some bloke in a suit walking around—looks like he could be straight from Talon.”
“Got it.” I slipped up to a window on the ground floor and peered in. A darkened room with white counters and medical equipment lay beyond the glass, part of the hospital bay attached to the building if I had to guess. Fishing a glass cutter out of my belt, I made a tiny circle in the window, just enough to reach my hand through and unlock the pane. Pushing up the window, I glanced around warily before slipping inside.
“I’m in the medical bay, Wes. Looks like some sort of exam room.”
“Right. You shouldn’t have any problems until you get to the main enclosure. Let me know when you’re close, and I’ll take care of the cameras.”
I crept through a series of hallways that for all the world looked like part of a normal clinic. White tile floors, individual rooms with counters and shelves of equipment, a couple wheelchairs sitting against the wall. Until I reached a single door that was outlined in yellow and black stripes and read Danger! Authorized Personnel Only.
I snorted in quiet contempt. That’s a bit dramatic. It’s not like we’re dangerous wild animals that will bite someone in half for no reason. Then again, if I were an imprisoned, pregnant dragon that couldn’t Shift into human form, I might be a bit cranky and inclined to take it out on my human captors, too.
The door was locked, but the key card I’d taken from the guard opened it easily. As the door hissed back, I slipped into a vast, cavernous room, the roof soaring up to about sixty feet overhead. Metal walkways lined the walls, passing over rows of large enclosures about fifty feet high, with steel walls that were probably a foot thick. The temperature had skyrocketed; the air was hot and damp, and I felt like I’d stepped into a sauna. The room smelled of wet vegetation, and beneath my heavy combat jacket, the Viper suit felt uncomfortably slick.
“Wes,” I muttered into the com, “I’m in the main room by the medical bay door. Can you tell me which cells are holding the breeders?”
“Hang on.” There was a short pause, and I slipped between a pair of standing shelves that held things like shovels, hoses and bags of fertilizer. “Okay,” Wes told me, “looks like they’re in cells three, eight, thirteen, sixteen and twenty-two.”
I peered at the walkways between two five-gallon buckets. “Where are the guards?”
“One patrolling the walkway, two guarding the doors on opposite ends of the room.”
“And the Adult? Where is she?”
“In the last cell, mate. Twenty-two.”
On the other side of the room. Of course. “Right,” I muttered. “Looks like I’m headed to cell twenty-two.”
As I scoured the walkway and open floor beneath, searching for the best route across the room, voices and approaching footsteps caught my attention. I ducked behind the shelves, hunkering down behind several bags of topsoil, as two figures appeared, walking toward the door I’d just come through.
I swallowed a growl. One was a dragon, a tall man in a business suit, with short brown hair and a perfectly groomed goatee. He was also an Adult, given the way my instincts shrank back, wanting me to crawl beneath the shelves to hide. This must be the famous Director Vance, the one in charge of this island of atrocities. He was speaking to a balding human doctor–type with glasses and a white lab coat, the smaller man nervously tapping a pencil against his clipboard as they walked.
“Scarlett should be ready to lay any day now,” the human was saying as they got closer. “She just started nesting behavior this morning, so I stopped her food and ordered her habitat be put in isolation mode until the egg arrives. Which should be sometime tomorrow or the next day, if I had to guess.”
“Good,” the dragon said. “I’ve just received word from Talon. This is to be Scarlett’s final hatching. Once the egg has been sent to the organization, terminate her name from the schedule.”
The human chewed his lip. “Forgive me, Director,” he ventured, and those cold dark eyes fixed on him, unblinking. “I understand Talon’s desire to scale back production,” the human went on as the pencil resumed its anxious tapping against the clipboard. “But Scarlett has always produced healthy, fertile eggs. Now that we’ve reduced the number of resident females by nearly half, she is one of the only breeders left who is a known quantity. I’m not one to question the
organization’s motives, but—”
“Then don’t.” Director Vance narrowed his eyes, seeming to loom over the smaller human, who cringed away from him. “You are not paid to question Talon, Dr. Miles. You are here to keep our breeders healthy and happy, and to make certain the eggs arrive safely and on time, a task that you are paid exceptionally well to do. What Talon does with the members of our organization is not your concern. I suggest you put it from your mind and follow orders before you find yourself out of work, on a small raft, in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.”
His voice raised the hair on the back of my neck. I’d heard his kind speak many times before, but that cold, clinical detachment never ceased to infuriate me. As if he were discussing the inner workings of a car, rather than a living, breathing, sentient creature. I remembered the fear in Sera’s voice when she spoke of Director Vance, and my resolve hardened even further.
“Yes, Director.” The human’s voice trembled, but there was a hint of sullenness there, too. “As you say. I’ll remove Scarlett from the list and prepare her for deportation.” The medical bay door opened with a hiss, and the pair vanished from sight as it closed behind them.
As soon as they were gone, I hurried across the room, careful to locate the three guards and time my approach so that I passed out of sight of each of them. Thankfully, the room was dim, with heavy shadows making stealth a bit easier. As I reached the cell labeled twenty-two, I saw that a single large window had been set into the front of the otherwise solid steel walls. Through the glass, a junglelike habitat greeted me, heavy vegetation and indoor trees growing along the inner wall. Beside the window sat a pair of huge, dragon-size doors that looked thick enough to hold up to a tank, but a normal-size door was also set into the wall to the left of the window. A single lightbulb glowed a warning red beside it, probably to indicate the cell was occupied.
“Wes?” I crouched in the shadows under the walkway, ready to make that final dash. “I’m about to break into cell twenty-two. Where are the cameras?”
“Give me a second” came the terse reply, followed by a moment of silence. “Okay, the one in twenty-two shouldn’t be a problem now. But...” And a slow whistle came through the earpiece. “Bloody hell. I’d be careful if I were you, mate.”