by Casey Wolfe
“Not in the slightest.”
“Well, then, goin’ furry seems to be your best bet. But, not till I tell ya. We wanna get the jump on them.”
“I can do that.”
Shaw went back to watching the prison. Looking at the tire tracks leading from the building, he had an idea. “Did you see those Inquisition trucks at the docks?”
“Yeah?”
“We’re gonna go commandeer one.”
Caleb’s brows shot up. “And how are we gonna do that?”
Shaw patted his shoulder. “Leave it to me.”
Caleb snorted.
“Oh, ye of little faith.”
“More like ye who likes to live,” Caleb grumbled, following all the same as Shaw grabbed his gear and slipped away.
Chapter Nineteen
THERE WERE TWO docks with a small building that served as an outpost. On their way to Ashgate, they had noted a half-dozen crew leaving on the barge. Now, it looked like only a few men had been left there.
“Are they waiting for another shipment?” Caleb asked, watching the knights playing cards inside the building.
“Could be. People, supplies—they’d need both to keep the prison operational.” Shaw looked at the pair of light, open-top Humvees. “If we steal one outright, they might notice it missing and call it in.”
“So what do you suggest?”
Shaw grinned over at him. “I turn on the charm.”
“Oh, right. We’re dead then.”
Shaw shoved Caleb right onto his ass. “Shut up, and put this on.” It was a spare inquisitor tunic from the duffel bag of goodies, along with a hat to cover up that crazy hair of his. Shaw slipped his own tunic on over the winter camo, hoping it and his acting would be enough to get what they needed. “Hang onto this”—Shaw handed Caleb his bag—“and wait next to the Humvee.” He paused before leaving. “Just act pissy and like you’re more important than anyone else here.”
“Right,” Caleb dragged out the word, not even bothering to hide his skepticism.
Shaw walked up to the door and took a deep breath. Putting his best scowl in place, he slammed the door open and yelled at the startled knights, “What in the hell is going on around here? Do you people have no concept of time?”
“Wha—? Who are you?” one of them demanded.
“Who the fuck do I look like?” Shaw barked, getting in his face. He dumped some oppressive emotions into the air for good measure. “I’m your goddamned superior officer, and you will address me as Inquisitor or sir. Do I make myself clear?”
The knight’s eyes widened. “Sir, yes sir! Sorry, sir, we, uh…we weren’t expecting—”
“The hell you were not! I was supposed to be en route already to check on things up the mountain. Instead, I’ve been standing out there waiting for a knight to come out and give me my bloody Humvee!”
“Our apologies, Inquisitor,” another knight stammered. “We weren’t told about your arrival.”
“My boat dropped me off nearly five minutes ago, Knight,” Shaw informed him. “And you’re going to sit there and tell me you knew nothing about my being here?”
“No, sir. We swear, sir.”
Shaw huffed. “Well, somebody is going to pay for this oversight. And I better not find out that you were lying to me.”
“Not at all, sir,” the third knight assured him, hopping up to grab a set of keys by the door. “I can drive you up there right now, Inquisitor.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Shaw said, snatching the keys. “My colleague and I can find our way.”
The knights followed him out, pausing when they saw Caleb. He was leaning up against the Humvee looking thoroughly unimpressed. Caleb had no doubt heard the entire conversation because he grumbled, “Oh, so we can finally go now?” He took the keys from Shaw. “Don’t ask me to be happy about this little trip.” Caleb tossed the duffel into the back of the Humvee and asked, “Sure I’m not allowed to kill anyone on general principle?” before climbing into the driver’s seat to start it up.
Shaw’s grin was anything but kind to the knights. “You boys just consider yourselves lucky I was the one to come in and chat with you.”
They all nodded, continuing to grovel as Shaw got into the Humvee. Seeing they were sufficiently scared, Shaw slapped the dashboard a couple of times, letting Caleb drive off without another word.
Once they were out of earshot, Caleb burst out laughing. “Oh my God, that was great!”
Shaw smirked. “Told you to have some faith.”
“My apologies, Inquisitor,” Caleb replied sarcastically. After a moment he admitted, “I suppose someone who has been playing the game this long would know how to pull something like that off.”
“You weren’t so bad yourself.” Shaw patted his shoulder. “Now, we need an encore performance at the gate. Don’t say anything if you don’t have to. I’ll handle the talking.”
“So, we’re here as an inspection detail?” Caleb checked the story.
“Right. We report directly to Knight Commander Zane.”
Caleb snorted. “Now there’s a pompous ass I’d like to meet in a dark alley.”
“You and me both,” Shaw muttered. “Put your game face on,” he said when the prison came into view.
When Caleb’s face set into a scowl, Shaw smirked briefly. Caleb was a pretty damn good actor. Granted, Shaw was fairly certain it wasn’t all that hard to feign displeasure, given their current mission.
One guard stepped out of the shack into the road, holding his hand up in a motion for them to stop. Shaw wasn’t about to say anything when Caleb halted the Humvee mere inches from running the knight over. Shaw’s attention turned to the knight still in the guard shack.
“Inquisitor Shaw,” he introduced, flashing his credentials. “This is my partner, Inquisitor Bane. We’re here for a surprise inspection of the facility.”
“I wasn’t informed of any—”
“That’s why it’s called a surprise, Knight,” Shaw spoke blandly, playing up the bored angle.
“Yes, sir. My apologies, sir.” The knight glanced to his partner, clearly wondering what to do.
“Are you letting us past, Knight?” Shaw inquired. “Or am I making a phone call to the Knight Commander to explain why I don’t have the information he wants?”
“No, Inquisitor. Go right on through. I’ll inform Commander Trin of your arrival.”
The large steel gates swung open, allowing them to pass into the prison. There was a secondary gate just beyond it that opened after the first closed. “A thermal barrier,” Shaw explained. “Helps keep most of the cold out when the transports come and go.”
“And another gate to get through if you wanted to escape,” Caleb noted with a growl. As he drove the Humvee through and into a vacant parking spot to the side, he asked, “Bane?”
Shaw lifted a shoulder. “He was a wolf I worked with in S.O.D.”
Caleb cocked a brow in confusion at the term.
“Special Operations Division… Anyway, you kinda remind me of him.” Shaw smirked. “Hotheaded.”
Caleb scoffed, muttering what were undoubtedly insults under his breath.
They stepped right up into the main room from the small parking area. There was a horseshoe-shaped desk with high counters and a bank of monitors. It appeared that each of the three wings was accessible from here.
“Inquisitors,” a woman greeted them. The navy sash around her waist and patches on her shoulder helped identify her as a commander in the knight branch. At least they had the advantage that no one here was likely to recognize Shaw from the Everstrand Temple.
“Commander Trin,” Shaw assumed, offering his hand. “Inquisitor Shaw.” He once more introduced Caleb as Bane, not missing the scowl he gave the woman as he crossed his arms over his chest. Shaw leaned in toward Trin and stage-whispered, “He’s a bit on the grumpy side today. Don’t mind him.”
“Screw you,” Caleb huffed. “Let’s get this over with. I want to be back a
t the temple before the day’s out.”
“Of course,” Trin said. “You’ll have to excuse my knights. We were told by Knight Commander Zane that we would function with very little oversight.”
“Yes, well,” Shaw replied, “Zane wants to cover his ass. He’s been hearing…murmurs.”
Trin lowered her brows. “What kinds of murmurs?”
Shaw brushed it off. “Shall we?”
“Yes, of course.” She gestured off to the right—“Our science wing”—straight ahead—“cell blocks”—and to the left—“and personnel housing. Where would you care to start?”
“Do you have a central control? I would like to look over operations there. As well as where you’re conducting these experiments.” Shaw sniffed in distaste. “Frankly, I’m not concerned with the holding cells, except to check your containment methods. How your knights live is not my concern.” He paused. “Unless you believe there is anyone who poses a security risk?”
Trin froze. She took the bait. “That’s what Zane is concerned with. A leak.” She pursed her lips, looking over to the pair of guards on duty at the desk. “I personally cleared all the knights who work here. I trust them. The science team, however… I have my doubts about them. They stay in quarters on the second floor. My knights have the ground level.”
Shaw nodded. “I’ll be sure to have you give me a tour.” He walked forward enough to catch what the knights at the desk were doing. They appeared to be processing paperwork. The few security monitors there contained footage from the front gate and the cell blocks. “For now, the control center?”
“Yes, right this way, Inquisitors.”
Shaw and Caleb shared a look as they followed behind her. Caleb gave him a brief smirk, Shaw returning it. Sometimes it was just far too easy to manipulate people.
They were led to an elevator beside the entrance to the prison wing, which took them straight to the control center. Windows looked out over the entrance area, as well as into the cell blocks. There were only two guards in here as well.
“Your staffing seems light,” Shaw mentioned.
“We don’t need a large force,” Trin confirmed. “Everything runs like a well-oiled machine. The knights here monitor the entire facility. There’s a pair stationed in each cell block. The knights you saw down in processing are there during intakes and for completing paperwork. Redundant, otherwise.”
“But, no oversight in the science wing,” Shaw noted, having been looking over the array of security monitors.
“Just guard postings.” Trin didn’t appear happy about it either. Shaw would have to play that to his advantage.
“Who oversees the science team?”
“Borek.” Trin scoffed. “He has no concept of security practices. He wants his fodder and we’re meant to provide without question. Never mind that it’s my knights I have to put in harm’s way.”
Shaw nodded, walking around the control room. On the outside, he may have appeared apathetic, but in reality, he was taking in all of the equipment.
It was Caleb who asked, “What about these two doors?” They were heavy, with keycard locks, sitting at the other end of the room.
“One is to the second floor of the science wing, and the other goes to the blocks—up on the catwalks.” Trin was quick to assure, “They’re only accessible from this side. They allow a fast response, if needed, until the knights off duty can be there.”
Caleb nodded to the weapons locker. “What are they armed with?”
“Everyone on duty carries a sidearm. The ones on the cell block floor are given their choice of a rifle or shotgun. The rest of the weapons are kept secured in lockers here and in the armory near the housing wing. The quartermaster and I have keys.”
Shaw was looking out into the prison area. Two cell blocks, each with two rows of cells, plus a few in the very back. By his quick estimate, there were at least forty of them. “What’s the current occupancy? Zane didn’t give us many details on operations before sending us.”
“That’s Zane, alright,” Trin remarked. To answer his question, she said, “We’re currently at forty-two. There was upward of sixty not that long ago, but the science team… Well, they’ve lost their share to whatever games they’re playing.”
Caleb’s jaw tightened and he turned away to hide his expression. Shaw hoped his face didn’t give anything away.
“They’ve become reckless lately,” Trin continued. “Something about breakthroughs and new theories. The details of which I’m not made privy to. Zane and the other Knight Commanders involved are the ones with that information.”
“Always makes our jobs so much easier, doesn’t it?” Shaw asked sarcastically. He knocked his knuckles against the glass behind him. “Two-way?”
“Of course.”
“Good, I don’t want anyone knowing we’re here until we get to them.” He looked between the two knights working pointedly. “Understood?”
They looked to Trin, who nodded before answering, “Understood, sir.”
“Good.” Shaw looked to the door going to the science wing. “What’s the procedure for prisoner transfer?”
“We have at least four knights to move prisoners. Borek refuses to have them in the rooms. Claims they would cause problems for his people: get in the way.” Trin scoffed. “So, they sit at posts on the far end of the wing, two on each floor, once they’re done with all the transfers. They’re set up for six prisoners maximum at one time. Borek has fought me on it, but I refuse to budge. At least Zane saw fit to back me on that, if nothing else.”
“I assume you have to take the prisoners through the main area.” Shaw didn’t see any other connection between the wings.
“Correct. One prisoner at a time, ankle chains and handcuffs for everyone. Depending on what they are, we might need more security. Nothing different from the temple jails—magic-dampeners on the cuffs and cells themselves, silver-infused cuffs for were-creatures and anti-shift collars at all times. Really, it’s all to Inquisition standards.”
“Do the science team have access to firearms?”
“Hell, no.” Trin scoffed. “Another thing I put my foot down about. They don’t have the training, and I wasn’t going to allow people I couldn’t control running around here with weapons.”
“Smart,” Caleb grunted. He was hovering next to one of the guards, reading over his shoulder and making the knight highly uncomfortable by the looks of it.
“Impressive.” Shaw practically choked on the word. “You run a well-oiled machine, Commander.”
Trin offered him a smile. “Thank you. I take pride in my knights.” She paused before saying, “I refuse to be held responsible for what Borek does with his people.”
“Noted.” Shaw tipped his head toward the computer bank. “Do you know where they’re working today?”
“Of course. Prin,” she ordered the knight not being harassed by Caleb, “bring up the logs for today.”
Shaw quirked a brow. “Prin?”
They both smirked at him, a perfect reflection of the other, and it was Prin who supplied, “Siblings.”
Shaw felt a pang of guilt for what they were about to do. It was possible some of these knights were decent people caught in the crossfire. If it was true Trin had no knowledge or control over what was taking place in the science wing, it could be argued they were all simply prison guards doing their jobs.
The fact remained, however, that they were all very aware of what illegal actions they were taking. They would know these people were stolen, stricken from all records, and being tortured in any number of ways. Whatever else they might have been, these knights were contributing to that.
“We have six prisoners currently out. We also received three new ones today.” Trin huffed. “Borek wanted to take one of them immediately. Some mage. Cursed me up one side and down the other when I told him no. That’s not how this works. All new arrivals require processing and assignment. Borek doesn’t get to jump the line because he wants a new toy.”
<
br /> Shaw was thankful to hear Rowan was safe at least. “Sounds like Borek is going to be a problem.”
“I’ll be thrilled if you could somehow take care of that for me.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Shaw took a deep breath, running everything over in his mind as he looked out at the cell blocks. He wanted to make sure he had all he needed before they acted. “The knights you mentioned are the only ones on duty right now?”
“Yes. Shift changes are staggered but don’t start for another five hours. While not on duty, they’re restricted to housing. There’s a rec room, kitchens, and whatnot to occupy them.”
Shaw nodded. “I’ll speak with them last. For now, I think it’s time to speak to Borek and his team.”
“Agreed,” Caleb spoke up, meeting Shaw’s gaze.
“I’d like to do that alone, if you don’t mind, Commander.”
“Not at all.” Trin huffed. “The less I have to see of that man, the better.”
Shaw smirked. “This should be interesting. Can you radio your teams in the science wing so they know we’re coming?”
“Absolutely.” Trin patted her brother’s shoulder to have him go ahead and alert the knights. “Will there be anything else you need?”
“Not right now. We’ll go check the science team, and do a cursory inspection of the cell blocks, before checking on your little problem in housing.”
Trin nodded. “I appreciate any help you can give me, Inquisitor.”
Prin looked up at them. “The teams on duty have been informed to expect you, Inquisitors.”
“Good.” Shaw looked over at Caleb. “Shall we?” There was a glint in Caleb’s eyes and Shaw knew he understood.
In a flash, Shaw drew his sidearm, firing on the siblings. Prin was shot in the temple, Trin catching one in the throat. Her eyes widened, grabbing at her neck to try to stem the blood flow. “Sorry,” Shaw said, taking pity on her and putting the next bullet between her eyes. Trin fell to the floor in a heap.
Looking over, he found Caleb had tackled the other knight, banging his head off the floor repeatedly. “Caleb… Caleb!” Caleb looked up at him, eyes glowing red—his Alpha magic had come to the surface. “He’s dead. Let’s go.”