by Morgan Wylie
Poppy smacked the back of her hand across Mather’s stomach to chastise him and stepped forward. She could barely see the girl standing in front of her except for the sliver of moonlight landing across her angelic face. “Hi, I’m Poppy.” She gestured to the rest of the team. “That’s Bastion, Jackson, the tiger is Jet, and the rude one here is Mather.” She tilted her head and smirked at him.
“Hello. I’m Masia Lotham, but you can call me Maze or Mazy.”
“Why are you here?” Mather grunted.
“What Mather meant was, how is that you came to be with Enock?” Poppy glared at Mather as if to say there is no reason to be rude.
“We don’t have time for this. Introductions can happen later. If E brought her, then it is for a reason, and we figure it out as we go,” Mather explained sharply, his tone agitated.
“If she is helpful to us, then it is good to know that ahead of time so we can use her,” Poppy elaborated, not understanding why Mather was having an issue.
The imp cleared her throat and stepped forward. “While I understand that time is of the essence, I am here because I had the information that brought Enock here. I saw your missing Alana get taken and followed them here.”
“I came with her to see if it was viable information, but when I called Luc, he said you were already out and I should just find you here.” He cocked his head in her direction, “Mazy was already with me, so she stays.” His voice was final; there would be no further discussion about it at the moment. Mather studied Enock’s face for a few minutes then nodded his head.
“Does she know…?” Poppy approached the question hesitantly. Enock, understanding what she was asking, smiled and winked her way.
“She called me from Triumph. She’s aware of who we are.”
“Oh, yes. I’m not special like you all are, but I’m very aware of your world. I grew up around some strange occurrences, but that’s for another time.”
Enock looked over at her with an odd expression as he listened to her heartbeat, something Mather recognized from years of watching his friend. “We shall see. You called us, and that took courage.”
With pleasantries out of the way, Enock turned to Mather, his expression down to business. “What’s the plan? Take the building down?” His eyebrows waggled up and down with mischief.
“Close, but first we have to find our way in.
“Yeah, we saw it. That was unreal, Poppy, good job,” Enock praised.
“That was you?” Masia asked, her eyes wide with wonder and amazement.
Poppy nodded as a blush crept up her neck. Remembering that Masia would only be able to see her in the dark as well as Poppy herself could see, she added, “Yes, but it was mostly the technology. I just know how to tweak it.”
“Tweak it?” Mather huffed. “I’d say you do quite a bit more than ‘tweak it,’ you’re just being modest.”
“So back to Alana,” Poppy interrupted, uneasy with the attention being focused on her, especially with a stranger involved. “Here’s what I’m thinking, but it’s Mather’s call as lead.” She swung her head to Mather who gestured for her to continue. “The building is laid out like this, Enock. I was able to get a quick diagram of the layout while it was visible into the app.” She showed them her tablet with a blueprint layout of the invisible building’s elevation. “This is where we saw the two entrances.” She pointed to what they believed were the only ways inside. “I don’t have the strength to reveal the building again, so it’s going to be a little bit of a guessing game the closer we get. Now, getting in and past the doors will be another story. We don’t know what to expect on the inside. I’m hoping that security is lax since they are invisible and perhaps think we can’t find them. But I don’t want to underestimate them, either.” Poppy took a big breath and looked from Mather to Enock. “I think the best would be for all the teams to split up and go through both doors—one as a distraction to draw away from the other door as the rest of us slip through that one. I will need to be at the door we want to actually get in so I can try to disable the system. I think it best if the alarm is set off at the other door, hopefully creating a loud diversion. What do you guys think?”
“Not bad. I think Poppy should be in charge more often,” Enock smiled.
“She seemed to cover everything except what to do once we find Alana. Is there an extraction plan?” Mather concurred.
“No, I didn’t get that far. I’m thinking the place will be swarmed, and we aren’t to engage in warfare. This was supposed to be just a rescue. So maybe we need to rethink part of that?” She looked to Mather. His hand was to his mouth in thought as he stared at her diagram. He moved closer, so close his arm brushed hers, causing her hairs to stand on end at the electrifying feelings she was fighting but failed.
“No, we stick to it. They waged war on us by trying to take Gracie and ending up with Alana. They crossed the lines and will pay whatever price we bring their way.” Mather’s eyes grew tight and narrow, their green glow shining through as his wolf’s anger rose to the surface. No one messed with what was theirs to protect. They would pay the ultimate cost if necessary. “Teams B and C will approach the front entrance while we man the side one. We will split up inside and find the basement or wherever the dungeon is. Poppy, once we’re in the building, will you be able to locate Alana with your app and the signal you have on her?”
“Yes,” she replied adamantly. “Once inside, I’ll be able to get the schematics for the inside of the building and match it to where her signal is.” There was no doubt in her mind. There couldn’t be. She had to help Alana—she was counting on them.
“Then that’s the plan. We wing it as we go.” Mather reached up to his ear and pushed his comm. “Red Leader to Teams B and C. You saw the building reveal. You are to find the door and attempt entry at the front. Beat it in if you have to. You are the decoy; we enter at the opposite end to find the prize.” They tended to talk in code on the comms, so if any part of the message was intercepted, no one would know who they were referring to. They changed the codes often, usually before each new op or as different members rotated in and out to keep teams fresh. “Rendezvous at the vehicle when the fireworks start,” Mather ordered with a smile.
In his ear, he heard, “Copy from team C. Whatever means necessary?” and “Roger that, Red Leader. Team B, out.”
“Roger that, team C,” Mather replied. “Wait for my signal.”
“Red Leader, Mat?” Enock snorted.
“Yeah, you know, from that one popular space/science fiction movie. Made me excited,” Mather said with wide eyes and a wolfish grin, his tongue practically lolling out the side of his mouth.
Mather could feel the anticipation, the excitement of action building inside him and his wolf. His wolf loved the action; he loved to be in the very center of it. Mather could feel the wolf prowling inside him, itching to get out. Not yet buddy. Jet’s on this one until you’re needed. We have to stay with our team. Mather spoke internally to his wolf. There was really no way to define how he and his wolf worked together. He loved being a wolf, and there was nothing he would do to change it even if he was offered an alternative lifestyle.
“I’ll take the lead with Jet, followed by Poppy and Bastion, then Enock and Masia. Jackson, bring up the rear. Stealthily, let’s sneak into the viper’s pit.” Mather moved out.
“He’s kinda dramatic isn’t he?” Masia whispered to Poppy before they got into their designated formation.
“Just a bit.” Poppy shook her head with the start of a smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Stay close,” she told the only other girl in their group. The girl seemed nice, she hoped she got a chance to meet her properly after all this was over.
Mather’s nose was in the air, and Jet struck a similar pose in tiger form. It was an odd dichotomy of the two natures of a shifter but yet a beautiful imagery of the magic that nurtures them in their truest selves.
Mather turned his head sharply back to look straight into Poppy’s greens ey
es, lit with the effervescence of the moonlight. She studied him. He could feel her eyes watching him, roaming over his body. The hunger he saw reflected in her eyes mirrored his own, but they had a job to do. He turned away from her and focused on what they had to do. There would be time to throw her off his scent later—it was another job he had to take care of, though a part of him dreaded it.
Chapter Thirty
Reaching the edge of the building, Poppy held out her tablet, showing her right where the entrance should be. She had quickly texted the leaders of Teams B and C the blueprints so they could attempt to find their door with greater ease. Mather grabbed her arm, pulling her up to the building right next to him. She could feel his breath hot on her neck. The shivers racing down her spine were uncontrollable; the feelings churning in her stomach didn’t listen to her protest at their timing. Poppy forced herself to focus on her screen, assessing every angle she could without looking up.
“Tell me when you’re ready, Poppy,” Mather whispered into her ear, his mouth practically skimming her sensitive skin, “and I’ll give the go ahead to the other teams.” Poppy nodded her head quickly as if it would get him to move away from her, though she truly didn’t want him to. He would do that on his own as soon as he realized how close he was and that it was affecting her.
“Ok, I’m just about locked on, hang on… three, two, one.” Her eyes were large orbs as she watched her app lock on to the magic and tech of the building once more, but this time, to disengage, not reveal. She was able to hack—or as she liked to call it: enter uninvited—their mainframe easily, undetected. When she was the Alliance’s prisoner, she had dropped several almost untraceable “pins” into their system so she could enter it anytime she needed to. Hopefully, Simmon hadn't noticed yet or at least hadn’t put an alert on her since he was helping them get Alana out. “I’m ready when you are,” she informed Mather.
“Team B, Team C, you are a go,” Mather spoke quietly into the comm. “Repeat: B and C you are a go for entry.”
“Copy that,” one of the teams replied.
Now, they waited. Their team pressed against the invisible building, hoping they were hiding under the cover of darkness. To anyone able to spot them in the middle of the field, the site would be comical—they’d see seven people leaning against something not there and another dozen people pushing into an invisible door. Poppy almost chuckled out loud at the potential sight and wished she could be watching from a distance for just that reason. She rested her shoulder against the bunker’s rough and natural exterior, almost unbelieving it was truly there except for being able to feel it against her skin. Mather had moved in close so that their shoulders created a triangle of protection to cover the light from her tablet as she watched the for the other team’s signal to move past the barrier. Her heart rate accelerated. She had never been on this side of an op, and the excitement and even fear of the unknown were threatening to overcome her. But she fought to keep her breathing even and paced so as not to lose her shit. She listened to Mather’s breathing, to its consistent and even pacing as he inhaled then exhaled. It brought peace and a sense of calm she actually didn’t feel, but she was counting on him to regulate for her.
“You’re doing just fine, Poppy,” Mather encouraged. Of course, he could hear her heartbeat, especially being as close as he was. She closed her eyes for only a second then looked up into his. He truly believed she was doing well, and that gave her courage. She nodded once and gave him a small smile.
“It’s show time. Looks like the other team has breached the security of the other door,” she whispered, her eyes shining with nerves and excitement. She looked to Mather for the signal to proceed. His eyes searched her, giving her confidence in what he saw.
“You’re up. Show ‘em what flowers are made of.” Mather smiled. Poppy’s eyes sparkled as she nodded then went back to her tablet, her fingers flying over certain touch points that Mather would never understand.
Mather inclined his head toward the building, listening to anything he could catch. He turned his head and watched Enock doing the same. The tiger next to him rumbled, antsy for action. Mather could relate. Standing and waiting were not strong suits of a shifter, or possibly it was just him, but either way, it was killing him to not do anything. He needed action; he craved the movement and the fight. He wanted to be at that front door, except he was where his boss would want him—in position to save Alana. So he listened.
Footsteps thundered in two separate directions: toward the front entrance and away from it in the opposite direction but strangely not toward where they covered the other entrance. Mather growled in his chest. Another exit—there had to be another exit they hadn’t seen.
Explicit words erupted from Enock’s mouth followed by, “I hear whirring and the grinding of metal sliding across metal… like a hangar opening. They have a chopper hidden in this bullshit somewhere.”
“Shit,” Mather agreed. “We have to get to Alana. Fast. Poppy, is her signal still in place?”
“Yes, she’s barely moved in the last twenty minutes.”
“Time to get in there. Do your magic, Poppy, as quick as you can,” Mather implored.
“No pressure,” she replied dryly.
Poppy closed her eyes and placed her hand on the wall of the invisible building, feeling the rough and cold cement combined with part grass and dirt under her fingertips. She focused on the manmade part: the grated texture and the wavy lines within the blocks of cement. Her magic ran through her body and into both the wall and her tablet held in her other hand. Breathing slowly, she concentrated on what she did best: finding the technology of a certain thing and hacking into it. She found her “pins” and worked them into her code and encryptions.
“Something’s wrong,” Poppy whispered.
“What is it?” Mather asked in turn.
“I… I’m not sure. It’s never worked like this before. It’s like something is blocking me and my magic,” she explained with concern.
“It’s ok, Poppy, try again,” Enock said, leaning around Mather.
“No, it’s not ok!” Poppy almost shouted, more frustrated and worried than she was letting on until that moment. “I’m sorry, E. It’s taking a lot out of me.” Poppy breathed in through her nose and out slowly through her mouth. “Let me try again.”
She tapped a couple more buttons on her tablet and then regrouped to attempt another try. As she moved her hand back toward the wall, she saw out of the corner of her eye Masia sneak around Enock and approach Poppy.
“I don’t know why, but I feel like I should lend my help to you.” She shrugged and moved in close to Poppy, ignoring the slight warning growl uttered from Mather.
“Brave little thing, isn’t she?” Enock whispered low enough that only Mather—and Jet—would be able to hear him. Mather grunted, but Jet’s head bobbed up and down, abruptly answering him.
Poppy scrunched up her forehead but allowed Mazy to continue. “All right, but don’t touch anything unless I tell you to.” The girl nodded and then put both hands on Poppy’s back. Oddly, a strange feeling surged up Poppy’s back, originating where the girl’s hands were. A warm energy… like magic, tingled and moved through Poppy, joining her own magic as it flowed around the tablet, circulated back through her, then entered the wall where her hand was placed. Poppy gasped, but stopped Mather’s hand before he could push Masia off Poppy. “It’s amazing. Her energy, her power… it’s like mine. I can feel her flowing through me, adding to my magic. It’s forceful, and I think the power combined will be able to break through the wards.”
Poppy reached back for one of Masia’s hands and told her to place it next to hers on the wall so that more power could flow directly into the wall at the same time, covering more ground. “Place your hand here, next to mine,” Poppy instructed quietly.
The girl did as she was instructed and a surge of energy ignited under their hands and into the essence of the building’s technology. Poppy could feel it as it blasted through
the firewall she was attempting to break down, most likely triggering an alarm signaling their presence, but at this juncture, it seemed to be a moot point.
“I can feel that. That’s amazing!” Masia whispered in awe. “I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
Poppy cocked her head toward the girl, puzzling something in her head that she was not close to solving. For the moment, she gave the thought up in order to focus on the task at hand.
“Almost there…” Poppy’s brow furrowed in intense concentration. “Just have one more… There!” Poppy’s face relaxed as she removed her hand from the wall and her fingers flew once more across the screen of her tablet until she heard an audible click and the door opened inward.
Masia moved away from Poppy and the others as she breathed heavily, regaining her normal breathing and heart rate. “Does using that much energy drain you like it appears to for me?” she asked Poppy.
Poppy moved to her side and placed her hand on Mazy’s shoulder. “Yes, you get used to it, but you need to take a minute and allow your body to reacclimatize back to normal. I’m surprised you’ve never used that much energy before. Your gift is strong.”
Masia’s eyes grew wide. “I have a gift? Do you mean I’m like you?” The confusion apparent on her face told Poppy this girl had not been taught, let alone even told, that she was more than human.
“I believe so. I’ve only met a couple others like me before, but I’d be happy to help you out when we are done here… if you want, that is,” Poppy hesitated, realizing she didn’t know this girl at all—none of them did—and she probably should have approached it a bit softer.
Excitement lit Masia’s eyes, and the smile that emerged from her face was enough to put Poppy’s cautions to the wind. Finally, she might be able to impart her knowledge and technique on to someone else. “That would be amazing, thank you.”
“Good job, ladies. Let’s go find Alana,” Mather attempted to say without being rude, but his impatience still came shining through. Enock was at his back, watching out at the forest and the surrounding clearing with Jet at his side. Their heads were cocked as they listened intently for any pursuers on their path.