by Casey Wolfe
Caleb growled, flashing canines that were far too large for his human form. He let go of the knight, revealing the claws that had grown, covered in blood. Shaw was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of Caleb’s wrath.
Because Shaw used a silencer, no one would have heard the shots, so the rest of the knights were none the wiser. He took the earpiece from Prin’s corpse before pushing it out of the way. “We can listen in on their comms,” Shaw said. “Now, just to get into their system.”
Caleb grunted in answer. Shaw didn’t have time to worry over him at the moment.
The computer was easy enough to navigate, and Shaw was able to shut down the alarms. He pulled out his phone once that was done, punching in Rhys on speed dial. “Winter Storm is a go. Infiltration team has seized the first objective.”
“Shaw,” Rhys growled, “you were supposed to wait!”
“Control center is secure. We’re moving to secure the rest of the facility now. No one has been alerted to our real purpose.”
Rhys grumbled, “You keep it that way. I’m scrambling everyone now. They can be at your location in about…twenty-five mikes.”
Shaw synced his diving watch to that time. “Copy. I’ll have the facility secured for their arrival.”
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Rhys warned. “No risks.”
“Can’t make any promises, sir.” Shaw disconnected and looked at Caleb. He had reined in his Alpha side, although he was shaking a little. “You alright?”
“Yeah.” Caleb’s voice was rough. “What now?”
“Now,” Shaw replied, rolling Trin to take the master keycard off her body, “we take out the guards over here and see about these scientists.”
“I say kill them,” Caleb grunted.
“We should try to keep as many of them alive for interrogation as possible,” Shaw said, even if he personally hated the idea. “Kill anyone who poses a threat, but leave the others.”
“Fine.”
“Play it cool with these guys. We keep the act as long as we can.”
“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”
Shaw sent Caleb a look, holstering his handgun.
He used Trin’s keycard, knowing that once the door closed behind them, they would be stuck in the science wing until they made their way back to the main room. It was a risky move, as they could end up cornered, but it was a risk they would have to take.
“Showtime,” Shaw murmured.
The wing wasn’t as long as the cell blocks, and as they walked down the hall, they passed three different rooms, all closed up with no windows and no sound emerging. “They must have soundproofing,” Caleb mentioned under his breath, apparently unable to make out anything either.
The two knights were sitting at the end of the hall as Trin had said they would be. They looked bored out of their minds behind the desk, one with his feet propped up and watching a game on TV, the other playing on his phone.
“Working hard, I see,” Shaw said, slipping back into the role.
“Yeah,” Phone Guy replied, “the excitement is too much.”
“Where’s Borek?”
“Downstairs today. All I know.” He didn’t even look up from his phone.
“Where are they working up here?”
“Everyone piled into room five a little while ago, chattering about an amazing result.” Phone Guy rolled his eyes. “Got me. They don’t pay me to follow what it is the eggheads do.”
“Thanks for the info,” Shaw replied, jerking his chin to Caleb.
Not needing any further signal, Caleb lunged forward, grabbing the man by the throat and slamming him into the wall. TV Guy didn’t even have a chance to react as Shaw drew his gun and put one in his head. He turned his gun on Phone Guy next, doing the same. Caleb dropped him, looking at the body in disgust.
“Let’s go see what’s in room five,” Caleb suggested.
“Try to keep behind me,” Shaw urged, changing the magazine of his gun despite having rounds left, just to be safe.
Shaw swiped the keycard through the lock on room five, pleased when the light turned green and the magnetic locks gave a low buzz. Apparently, no one heard it over the screams of their prisoner, the sound slamming into him when he opened the door. Shaw froze in the doorway, stunned by the sight of the bloody mess before him.
“What the hell?” one of the scientists demanded. “Who are you? Who let you in here?”
Shaw growled, bringing his gun to bear. “Fuck you.”
It was rather like shooting fish in a barrel, five of the staff gone, just like that. Shaw stood there a long moment, teeth bared and arm shaking, until Caleb pressed his hand to Shaw’s arm.
“And you were worried about me.” He spared Shaw a concerned glance, before going over to the man strapped to the table. “Fuck,” Caleb breathed. The prisoner had stopped screaming, but now he was convulsing. Caleb looked to Shaw, wide-eyed. “What do we do?”
Shaw stepped forward, looking down at the man. His entire body was covered in severe burns, blackened and peeling. His eyes were rolled back in his head as foam started to come from his mouth. Shaw bit his lip, shaking his head. “Nothing we can do.” He raised his gun again, this time to grant someone a small mercy. A single casing hit the floor. The man’s body stopped moving.
A whine caught in Caleb’s throat before he let out a rushing breath. “What did they do to him?”
“No idea.” Shaw looked down at the chart that hung on the end of the bed like an old-fashioned hospital. “Subject AD-3572. Mage.” Suddenly, the prisoner’s condition came into grim focus. He had combusted with fire magic, whether by design or a reaction to whatever they did, it didn’t much matter.
“We have to keep moving,” Shaw said, dropping the chart on the floor. “Let the inspectors work this out.”
“We should check the other rooms,” Caleb replied. “Trin said they had six prisoners today.”
“You’re right.”
Room six contained an elf who was heavily medicated but breathing. She was wheeled into room four after they cleared it and found a terrified werelion. He was no more than fifteen, with a barbaric anti-shift collar on—spikes sitting against his skin that would kill him if he changed forms. Caleb chucked it across the room after removing it, eyes flashing red.
“You’re safe now,” Shaw assured him. “The rest of the team is on the way, but right now we need you to stay put, okay?”
“I will.”
“Can you watch after her? Keep her safe?”
The teenager looked over at the unconscious elf, nodding. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good.” Shaw offered him a soft smile. “I promise our friends will be here to get you out real soon. Caleb and I have to finish taking out the knights first. Make sure it’s safe before we move you.”
The boy snagged Caleb’s wrist. “Thank you.”
Caleb’s shoulders sagged and his whole demeanor softened looking down at the battered and bruised teen. “Stay put.” Caleb dropped his hand on the werelion’s head briefly. To Shaw, he said, “Let’s get the rest of these assholes.”
Shaw slid a fresh magazine home in his gun. “With you.”
Chapter Twenty
THEY DIDN’T BOTHER playing nice with the knights they found at the bottom of the staircase, both too wound up from what they’d just seen. Shaw killed the first knight to enter his sights, weapon quickly training on the other as he ordered, “Hold it right there. Don’t touch a damn thing.”
The knight held up her hands.
Caleb checked around the corner. “It’s clear.” He growled at the knight, letting his eyes flash red. “What rooms are they using?”
“A-a-all of them.” The knight’s gaze shifted between them.
“How many scientists?” Shaw demanded.
“Two in each room.”
“Which room’s Borek in?”
“Three.”
“Thank you.” Shaw pulled the trigger.
Caleb crinkled his nose, blood havi
ng splattered on his face. “Now what?” he asked. He picked up a piece of the knight’s shirt, where she was laid out over the desk, and wiped his face.
“We’re going to have to hit each of them fast in case somebody comes out. Let’s get this one here”—he nodded to room three—“and then you can guard it while I get each of the others. I’ll force them back to you.”
Caleb let his claws grow—or perhaps they did on their own—eyes glowing red. “Ready.”
Shaw entered the room first, holding the pair at gunpoint and ordering them to the ground. “Watch them,” he told Caleb needlessly, both scientists too scared to lift their gazes off the ground—they’d figure out which one was Borek after they secured the wing.
The next room was of no incident, Shaw able to take them by surprise as well. He herded the scientists down the hall and forced them inside room three. They shied away from Caleb’s flashing eyes and sharp fangs, cowering in the corner with the others.
In the final room, Shaw caught them while one scientist was holding a syringe that was promptly propelled in Shaw’s direction, barely missing him. That one was shot for his brashness. The other scientist tried chucking a tray. Shaw was tempted to shoot her, too, but instead, he snarled, cuffing her by the collar and dragging her back to room three.
“Grab the restraints,” Shaw ordered Caleb, confiscating all the keycard lanyards from the scientists. “Which one of you bastards is Borek?” He toed at one of the men who had been in the room.
“I am,” the other answered. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Me? I’ll just be happy when you’re strapped into a nice electric chair with the power cranked to max.”
Caleb sneered, shoving a piece of cloth in Borek’s mouth and tying it behind his head. “Hope you choke on it.”
They bound and gagged the scientists with a variety of cuffs and hobbles that were in the locker, chaining them to the furniture for good measure.
“We need to check on the prisoners,” Shaw said, looking to the one in this room for the first time. It was a woman, a vampire according to the chart. She was thankfully out cold, her breathing relatively steady. “Let’s get her out of here.”
“Nice knowing you, assholes,” Caleb crooned, shutting the door behind them.
Wheeling the cot into the next room, they found this patient awake. Restrained to the table with straps, he thrashed against the binds. Shaw removed the cloth covering his eyes, shushing him. “Relax,” he urged. “You’re safe now.”
Caleb worked quickly to release the straps while Shaw took the gag out of his mouth. “Easy now,” Caleb said, squeezing the guy’s leg when he tried to move too quickly.
“Who—?” His voice cracked.
“We’re the cavalry,” Caleb answered. “But, you need to stay put.”
“This place isn’t secure,” Shaw said. “We need you to stay here. Watch after her, alright?”
“Alright.” By the way the guy practically collapsed back down on the table, it didn’t appear he’d be getting very far, even if he tried. It was just as well that watching after his fellow prisoner was mostly a ploy.
In the third room, they found another unconscious victim, except this one was barely breathing. With all the machines he was hooked up to, and neither of them having a clue what they were doing, they deemed it best to leave him where he was.
“You good to go?” Shaw asked, reloading his gun once again to be safe. Checking Caleb over, he made sure his claws and canines were receded and his eyes were back to their golden hue.
“Yeah,” Caleb replied, taking a deep breath and adjusting his hat. “Let’s do this.”
Shaw holstered his weapon, adopting a cool demeanor. Caleb was like a coiled spring, waiting to go off.
The two knights at the desk were still there, and Shaw greeted them casually enough. “Can you radio those knights out front? We want to speak with them about a few things.”
The knights exchanged concerned glances but did as they were asked.
“Thanks.” Shaw grinned before drawing his gun and killing them both. “Chuck them under the desk,” he said, attention already turning toward the doors—and the next threat. “Stay up here.” He jogged over to the inner doors, lying in wait off to the side.
Caleb shook his head, walking to the other side of the desk and leaning a hip against the railing of the steps.
The pair of knights entered shortly thereafter, approaching hesitantly. “You asked to see us?” one inquired.
Shaw moved up behind the guard trailing a few steps behind. He snapped the knight’s neck in a practiced movement, bringing his gun up as the man’s partner whirled around and received a bullet in his head for the trouble.
Caleb looked down at the corpses apathetically. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
Shaw smirked briefly. “Come on.” He slapped the back of Caleb’s shoulder on the way by. “Let’s finish this.”
They took the elevator back up to the control room using Trin’s key card. The comms had been quiet, confirming the remaining knights were none the wiser to their activities. “I’m gonna lock the personnel housing wing down,” Shaw said. “I shut off the alarms, but they still may figure it out. Especially once the shooting starts.”
Caleb nodded. “Just be careful.”
Shaw looked over at him, Caleb gazing back in concern. “I’ll be alright. This is what I do.”
“I trust you.” Caleb wet his lips, looking out the window to the cell blocks. The four men out there were oblivious to what was about to happen. They were the last people standing between them and Rowan. Looking back to Shaw, Caleb growled, “Go get ’em.”
Shaw smirked in response. He pushed the lockdown button, confirming that the remaining off-duty knights wouldn’t be able to interfere in what was about to happen. Then he picked an assault rifle from the weapons locker. “I need you to stay in here to open the door back up for me,” Shaw said, hitting the charging handle of the gun and loading a round into the chamber.
Caleb grumbled but went to open the door. “Already starting to stink in here.”
“You’ll live.”
The door slid open and Shaw stepped through, the buttstock of the rifle nestled against his shoulder. He put the first knight in his sights. Popping off a couple of rounds, he was able to get the next knight without either having time to fire.
The knights in the next block were alerted, however. As soon as Shaw got them into view from up on the catwalk, he popped one in the shoulder. The second knight opened fire, and Shaw darted sideways into cover. He waited for a lull in the fire before creeping out. Squeezing the trigger, Shaw took the shooter down, finishing off the wounded knight next.
Shaw took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It was a long moment before he lowered the rifle. The rest of the world trickled back into focus.
The door opened behind him and Shaw slipped inside, met by a frantic Caleb. “Are you okay?” Caleb’s hands patted him down and his nose twitched, probably searching for blood.
“Caleb.” Shaw grabbed his shoulder, giving him a little shake. “I’m good.”
“Right.”
Shaw’s watch alarm sounded, and he grinned. “Looks like we’re right on time.” He hadn’t heard any chatter on the comms—the place must have had very good soundproofing—but it probably wouldn’t be long before they noticed inbound helicopters outside. “How about we find Ro and get these people out of here?”
Caleb grinned, tossing his hat. “Won’t hear any arguments from me.” He started to pull off the inquisitor tunic next.
Shaw initiated another emergency protocol, this one releasing every single cell in the blocks, along with the wing’s entry doors. He opened both gates into the prison, giving the incoming teams easy access. Last, but not least, he figured Caleb had the right idea by losing the inquisitor garb. He shed his tunic, leaving them both in their winter camo.
“I will happily never wear that thing again,’” Shaw said, throwing the
uniform aside.
“Amen to that.” They bumped fists as they got into the elevator.
Returned to processing, Shaw gestured to the block on the right. “Take that one. Try to get everyone to head out here. I’ll take this one.”
“You got it.” Caleb disappeared into the cell block.
Shaw hesitated, hearing the familiar whir of helicopter blades. Backup had arrived, along with medical help for everyone here.
Need to find Ro.
Shaw jogged into the cell block, discovering prisoners hesitantly emerging or lingering in the doorways of their cells. “It’s alright!” he called, putting the strap of the rifle over his head so it could hang freely. Shaw used his empathy to project as much calm as he could. “We’re here to help! Soldiers are coming in now to get everybody out!”
More prisoners appeared, each in various states of health. “Come on,” Shaw urged. “If you can walk, head on into the processing area.”
“Thank you!” a woman cried out. She threw her arms around his shoulders, sobbing in relief. “Thank you so much!”
“It’s okay. You’re all safe now.” He rubbed her back a moment before gesturing to another woman. “Here, take her. Get out to processing.”
He continued down the block, seeking out Rowan. He paused to steady a man who appeared worse for wear, but he was walking at least. There were others who were being coaxed to their feet by healthier cellmates. One man was practically being carried between two others who looked barely able to stand themselves. That’s when Shaw felt it. Warmth blossomed in his chest. It had been mere days since their bonding, yet it was already so familiar.
Rowan appeared from a cell, helping a man keep his feet. He looked up, eyes latching onto Shaw. A grin split Rowan’s face and he asked someone else to help his ill cellmate as Shaw started running.
Shaw slammed into him, enveloping Rowan in a crushing embrace. Every fiber of his being sang with the contact. “Damn it all! You had me so worried!”
Rowan had the nerve to laugh. “I told you I would be fine. I trusted you.”
“I oughta smack you right now,” Shaw groused.