The matted-haired girl tried again to come for Rurik.
The boy tensed. “Olga, stop. We need to find Libs.”
Olga narrowed her gaze and crossed her arms. “She’s probably dead.”
“Take it back!” shouted the girl with ink-black hair right before she tackled Olga. For as small as they were, they had might. It took several children to pull the little girls apart. Thankfully, none of the operatives needed to intervene.
Olga spit at the ink-haired girl and then stuck out her tongue.
The temperature in the hallway began to increase in a way that wasn’t natural as the ink-haired girl lifted a hand, aiming it at the other child. Her green eyes swirled, and a flame appeared out of nowhere in the palm of her extended hand.
Boomer was fast to respond, rushing to the fire-wielding child and lifting her fast. “None of that now.”
The flame died out as she glared over Boomer’s shoulder at Olga. Boomer set her down, keeping his body before hers. “Captain?”
He was thinking what they were all thinking—the children could be dangerous if left unattended.
Note to selves, said Duke through the mental mind path the operatives shared. Don’t piss off the one with black hair. She’ll body slam you and then light your ass on fire.
The boy drew the ink-haired child away from Boomer and held her hand. He stared at Corbin, his eyes growing moist. “You can tell us the truth—if Libs is dead. We know what it means.”
“Other children have died?” blurted Boomer.
The boy nodded.
Corbin cast a worried glance toward Boomer before patting the boy’s shoulder. “I was not informed of there being any casualties. I’m sure Libs is fine.”
Rurik growled at the knowledge of how poorly they’d been treated.
The next he knew, half of them screamed and huddled closer together.
He spun around, expecting to find a threat. When he realized he was what had scared them, he sighed and faced Corbin once more.
Corbin stood fully. “Children, you’re safe. He wasn’t growling at you, were you?”
“No,” Rurik said louder than he’d meant, making the little ones nearest him start to cry. He cringed. He shouldn’t be allowed around anyone, let alone children. “Enough.”
They cried harder.
“Christ, stop helping,” snapped Duke powerfully, causing more of them to join in the crying.
Gram shook his head. “Och, the two of you are gonna scare the life out of them. All right, children, show of hands. Who wants some food in their bellies?”
Little hands shot up right before some wiped their faces and noses with their arms.
Gram smiled. “Guid. Now, what do you say we get you cleaned, in some fresh clothes, and then something to eat?”
“Pie,” said Rurik, still louder than he’d meant.
Several of the children flinched.
Gram eyed him. “What?”
“Boomer mentioned Corbin got more pies. We can give them to the children,” he said gruffly before clearing his throat.
Corbin grinned and nodded. “Splendid idea. There are more than enough. I’ve already put a call in to have soup ready in the cafeteria. We’ll handle getting the pies there as well. How does soup and pie sound?”
The boy, who was shaping up to be the children’s spokesman, tipped his head as he continued to hold the little girl’s hand. “What is pie?”
“’Tis a treat,” said Striker, coming to stand near Rurik and Duke. “Something tasty. Have you had soup, lad?”
The boy shook his head. “But we know what it is. Some of the scientists and guards would eat it on their breaks. Sometimes, nicer ones would share their food with us. They felt bad about what we were given to eat.”
“What is it you were fed?” asked Striker, his gaze going to the group of children nearest him. Compassion shone in his eyes.
“The guards called it slop,” said the boy. “It had everything we needed nutrient-wise but didn’t taste very good.”
“No, I expect it would nae taste guid at all with a name like slop,” returned Striker. “Well, yer nae at that vile place any longer, lad. Come. You need to get cleaned up and to change into some fresh clothing. Then pie. That’s an order.”
The boy’s lips twitched, and he grinned. He then faced the other children, still holding hands with the little girl. He stared at the other kids but didn’t speak a single word.
“Thank you,” offered the boy.
The other children nodded in unison and stood, the older ones helping the younger and any frail ones.
Rurik stepped back, and Duke did so as well. They merely watched as the other men handled dividing the children into groups.
Boomer joined them, supervising as the children were paired off with various operatives. Some went in the direction of the workout facility’s locker rooms, others went toward the shower facilities in the medical wing, and the rest went in the direction of the sleeping quarters.
Soon, there were no children left in need of supervision, and Rurik let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Thankfully, he’d not been needed after all.
Duke leaned slightly in Rurik’s direction. “We dodged that bullet.”
Rurik nodded.
They had.
Good thing, too; they’d have probably only scared the children again.
What he couldn’t figure out was why Boomer had avoided taking a group of children. He seemed decent enough at dealing with them. A hell of a lot better than Rurik and Duke had been.
“All right, Yankee Doodle and Punk Rock Kitty,” said Duke. “Let’s grab the extra pies and start taking them down to the cafeteria. It’ll keep us away from little people.”
Boomer nodded but didn’t budge. He stared at the spot the children had been huddled in, looking far away in thought.
Rurik and Duke shared a look, but neither said a word as they stood by their fellow operative, letting him work out his own demons in silence.
Blaise Regnier came rushing through the bay doors that led into the medical area. He was part of the Fang Gang and looked like he shopped wherever Boomer did for clothing. The two could be mistaken for brothers or members of the same goth boy band.
Blaise stopped quickly and sniffed the air. He stiffened and then looked to them. “Did a little girl about this high just run through here?” Blaise asked, holding a hand to his mid-thigh.
Boomer snapped out of his trance-like state. “You’re going to need to be more specific. There were a lot of little girls that size here a minute ago.”
Blaise watched them all for a long moment. “She would have just been here in the last minute or so. I turned my back for a minute to get what I needed to suture her face, and she was gone. Maybe she joined the others out here, blending?”
“Anyone else want to know why he’s in there playing doctor?” asked Boomer.
Rurik had seen the vampire in action with the children Team Eight had helped rescue a week prior. Blaise had seemed very capable of dealing with little ones and like he had a great deal of medical knowledge. He had an exceptionally long and extensive past. One that clearly consisted of medical training.
“You said her face needed tending to?” asked Duke.
Blaise nodded, touching his left cheek and drawing a line from his mouth to his ear with his fingers. “She was clawed by a shifter during the raid Team Thirteen was part of. The field medic butterfly-taped the slashes shut after cleaning them as best he could. But the area needs to be addressed. She may even require reconstructive surgery. I’m not sure. I wasn’t able to get a good enough look before she vanished.”
Rurik’s bear side stirred. “Which of our people harmed her?”
“None,” said Blaise. “The enemy did it. From the little bit of details that I could gather, it was a bear-shifter. The damage is extensive and if the records recovered at the scene are correct, she, like most of the children here now, was given the same toxic chemical combination
we encountered a week ago. Some of the children have been given heavy doses for years, causing their supernatural healing abilities to be slowed considerably. Some completely. I think she’s one of those children. The injury wasn’t showing any signs of closing on its own.”
Boomer’s shoulders slumped. “None of the kids who were here had cut-open faces. I didn’t smell blood on any of them either. Either of you?”
Rurik shook his head. “No.”
“Nope,” said Duke, his voice tight. “I don’t think the kid was part of the group that was here.”
Blaise stepped farther into the hall. “She needs medical attention. They need me back in there. Can you three search for her?”
“Yes, of course,” said Boomer.
“I’ll check the other exit points from the medical area. She might have taken one of them,” said Duke, hurrying off.
Boomer went right for the medical bay doors. “I’ll recheck the med wing. Rurik, can you check the bullpen and the office side of things? I don’t see how she could have gotten that far without anyone noticing her, but who knows what any of the kids are capable of.”
Chapter Three
Rurik pivoted, hurrying back in the same direction he’d come from, a sense of urgency filling his stomach as he did. He understood why he was tasked with searching in this direction for the little girl. It was the least likely to contain the child. After how well he’d handled talking to the other children, he didn’t take offense. Already the children had been traumatized. They didn’t need to be scared more by a man who didn’t know how to show a softer side.
He was nearly to the bullpen when he caught the faint scent of the chemical compound that he’d smelled a week prior. There was a sickeningly sweet note to it, along with the smell of tar.
He stiffened, realizing he was on the trail of the missing child. For a moment, Rurik considered getting another operative, one who was better with children, to come and track the young one. His bear side chimed in with an internal growl, not liking the idea of bringing in anyone else.
Looking up, he focused on the overhead grate leading to the ventilation system. The smell was stronger there. He was hardly an expert on the building’s heating and air system, but he held little doubt a child could fit easily within the shafts.
He couldn’t help but laugh softly as he realized the child had made her escape through the vents, thus avoiding notice or detection.
Smart.
Now that he had the child’s scent, it made tracking her easy enough. He quickly found himself entering the bullpen and nearly to Team Five’s area when he saw it—an open vent in the ceiling. It was directly over Duke’s desk.
The cup of coffee Duke had been drinking was tipped over. Its contents were spilled onto the paperwork that was there, as well as the laptop. Some of the coffee was still dripping over the side of the desk, onto the floor, an indication the spill was recent. The puddle of liquid had been stepped in by tiny feet. Wet footprints headed away from Duke’s desk.
His chest tightened at the sight of how small the footprints were. How could anyone harm a child? His bear, still restless, pushed at him in agreeance. If the opportunity presented itself, Rurik would kill the people responsible for causing the children pain. He wouldn’t wait for permission from those in charge. He would puree them as he had others in the past who’d crossed him.
For now, he’d see to the little one’s safety and hope that in doing so, he didn’t scare her more.
Rurik followed the footprints as far as they went and then paused, seeing his own desk not far from him now. The Statue of Liberty figurine was missing. The stuffed bear was on the floor, on its side, and the pie had a small section that was missing, as if tiny fingers had dipped into it.
Relief filled Rurik at the knowledge she’d been located. The only issue now would be how to handle retrieving her. He didn’t want to frighten her but seemed to have a knack for terrorizing small children.
He practiced smiling but knew without seeing that he looked like a homicidal maniac. That wouldn’t do. The best he could offer was keeping his face devoid of emotion. Nothing had to be better than something when it came to him.
You can do this.
Move forward slowly.
Do not frown.
Do not smile.
Do not scare the living shit out of the child.
With his inner pep talk complete, Rurik took a few steps in the direction the trail went. The firework tablecloth over his desk made the slightest of movements, alerting him that the child was there and probably very aware of his presence. On the plus side, she wasn’t screaming or crying.
Give it a minute.
Boomer and Duke came walking briskly in at the same time from different entrances.
“I found an open access point to the ventilation system in the infirmary,” said Boomer before coming to a stop about ten feet from Rurik’s desk. “I think the kid may be using the vents as a means to get past us all. Crafty little devil. Nimble too. I call ‘not it’ on climbing into the vents to hunt for her there.”
“The kid is smart. We should look at hiring her when she’s, you know, not a kid anymore. I’ve seen trained operatives with less ability to sneak past others,” said Duke. “And I call ‘not it’ on getting in the vents too. That leaves the communist.”
Rurik motioned toward his desk. “It won’t be necessary. I do not believe our little operative in the making is in the vents any longer.”
A slight smile touched Boomer’s lips. “How about I make first contact, since you two keep making kids cry?”
Rurik didn’t want to scare the little one, so he nodded, letting the cat-shifter take over.
Boomer walked slowly to the desk and bent near it, lifting the tablecloth slightly as he did. Tipping his head, he peered in, and raised his body up slightly, but didn’t school his expression fast enough. Horror shone in his eyes for the briefest of seconds before he pressed a pleasant smile to his face. “Hey there, sweetie.”
The smell of cinnamon filled the air, drowning out the smell of the toxic concoction. The temperature in the bullpen dropped enough for Rurik to notice but not enough for him to see his breath.
The hair on his arms stood on end and he realized what he was sensing.
Magik.
Suddenly, Boomer was catapulted back by seemingly nothing. The cat-shifter slammed into one of the half walls with a grunt and hit the floor before rolling to his side and rubbing his chest. “Magik,” he said with a grunt and then a partial laugh, confirming what Rurik suspected. “Fae.”
Duke snorted, shaking his head as he stepped over his teammate on his way to Rurik’s desk. “If you want something done right, don’t send a cat.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were—”
Boomer’s words died as Duke was launched backward as well. The wolf-shifter landed on Boomer, making the man grunt again. “Off! You’re heavy.”
Duke moved off Boomer and lay flat on his back. “Son-of-a… Ouch. Kid packs a punch. I think we’re gonna need to tranq her.”
Rurik’s bear side nearly overtook him at the mention of tranquilizing the little one. His shoulders heaved as he took deep breaths, trying to keep his beast at bay. A tingling sensation began in his back, indicating a pending, uncontrolled shift was about to occur. “No!”
Duke and Rurik both looked over at him, with dual confused expressions.
“Uh, you all right?” asked Boomer, still on his side, still rubbing his chest.
“No one is sedating her in any manner,” Rurik said through clenched teeth, only barely managing to maintain control of his beast. “Try, and I will kill you.”
Boomer lifted a dark brow. “Taking the suggestion that we tranq her a little personal, don’t you think?”
“He’s Russian,” said Duke, rubbing his chest as well. “They take everything personally.”
It was then Rurik noticed the tablecloth lifting ever so slightly. Chocolate-brown eyes peeked out from under it, wide w
ith what he first assumed was fear, but then realized was curiosity. The sight of those eyes instantly calmed his bear side, causing it to retreat slightly. It was curious.
While the bear wanted a better look, and Rurik wanted to be sure the child was well, approaching her hadn’t worked out for the other two men. Rurik decided to go a different route. He sat down on the floor, where he was, allowing distance to remain between them. He locked gazes with her.
She blinked several times, never taking her gaze from him.
He schooled his face, trying to avoid smiling. He’d come this far and not scared her, no sense doing it now. “I will not hurt you.”
One small hand inched out slowly as the child attempted to grab the discarded bear.
Duke pushed to his feet with a loud groan that left the child pulling her arm back fast. The large male grunted as he stared at the desk. “Have I mentioned that I hate kids?”
Boomer was the next to stand. “She’s scared, man. Can you blame her? For all she knows, we’re like the people who hurt her.”
Duke sighed but inclined his head, rubbing his chest more. “She’s got a hell of a magikal right hook.”
Gram came hurrying into the bullpen. “Two of the wee ones in my group are crying for their missing friend and another is having a temper tantrum that the focus isnae on her. The worried ones are claiming the lass is this way. One of them has threatened to do me bodily harm should I nae find her. Funny enough, I believe she’ll give it her best effort. I’m pretty sure the area around her was getting hotter the longer I stood there. Also thought I sensed a bit of Fae on her. The other one won’t stop crying. Has anyone seen a li’l one?” He stopped quickly. “Hold on, is that Fae magik I smell?”
“Yes,” said Duke and Boomer.
Rurik remained seated and lifted a hand to stop Gram from getting too close. He brought a finger to his lips, indicating the need for silence. He then glanced at his desk.
“Don’t go near it,” said Duke to Gram. “It’s not friendly.”
“Och, ’tis just a child,” returned the Scotsman. “What harm can she possibly do?”
Act of Surveillance: Paranormal Security and Intelligence® an Immortal Ops® World Novel (PSI-Ops/Immortal Ops Book 7) Page 3