6. CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 6
Frustrated that they hadn’t made much headway after two hours of discussion, especially knowing they only had another seven before it got dark, Cayman closed his eyes and pictured everything he’d seen since he’d arrived three days earlier.
It hadn’t been easy to make an approach, even in water. There were sensors in the river, but as a manta ray, while large, he wasn’t the size of a boat, which he assumed was what the North Koreans were searching for. Stupid, considering they were kidnapping shifters? Fuck yes.
It wasn’t like a fucking orca could have swam the river. But it had been to his advantage so he wasn’t going to bitch. Even better, he’d noticed a large amount of the shifters there were penguins, otters and seals. Not all. He would still need to figure out a way to get those like Rip, Wizard, and Lael out. Still, it made the odds better.
The only thing they’d agreed on was there was no way to breach the compound on ground. But the pipe leading from the river to the facility wasn’t exactly big. Sure, he could fit, but if it had any type of sensors, they would know he was coming.
Add to it, it would be nearly impossible for him to take the bag with his clothes and weapons with him. Oh, he had no choice to bring it, not for the clothes, but the weapons. It would already be difficult to kill the enemy with nothing but knives, but with nothing but his hands? Yeah…No.
The biggest problem? The fact that he needed to traverse the pipe, get inside, shift and somehow strap enough knives to his body – with or without clothes he had no idea yet – without being detected. He had no clue what was beyond that pipe. For all they knew, the water went right into the chamber to cool off the uranium, which would most likely kill him even if he was a shifter.
“You can always do a test run,” Chadwick, Saber’s mate, said as if it were the most obvious solution.
The thing was, it was.
“If it isn’t an option, call us back and we’ll figure something out.” The bored affect in Chadwick’s voice was something that was often there. Well, that and sarcasm. Which, technically was also in his words.
“Fuck you,” Cayman said as he clicked off the call. Yeah, so Chadwick tended to see things others didn’t, but that time the obvious had been practically smacking them in the face and no one had mentioned it until Chadwick said something.
Running back to the river, Cayman stripped, putting his clothes in the waterproof bag and storing it under a small outcropping of rock, he waded into the water and shifted. As much as he would prefer to have his weapons with him in case an opportunity arose, he also knew he couldn’t chance carrying it in case it set off any sensors the North Koreans might have in the pipe.
As much as he wanted to swim quickly in order to discover what he needed to know to get his mate free, he didn’t. Caution was his best chance of not getting caught. Cayman let the flow of the water take him down river until he was near the pipe he needed to travel through. Studying it for several moments, he decided there weren’t any sensors at the entrance.
He could only pray he was right.
Entering, he only had to fold in his pectoral fins slightly. He didn’t fight against the suction as he traveled closer to the interior of the facility. His senses were on high alert for any sign the enemy knew he was there but there wasn’t anything amiss. Yet.
Light ahead alerted him that he was coming to the end of the pipe. A flick of his fins had him slowing as the water flowed around him at a faster pace. It felt like an eternity but eventually the water was pushed into a giant pool.
No. That was too simple of a description. A pond seemed like a too big description but it was more accurate than a pool. Cayman had no clue where he was inside the compound, or how to get to his mate, but he was inside. Even better, there were no guards in there. Not that it meant he was free and clear. He had zero doubts it was being watched.
The desire to go further was strong, but he refused to succumb to it. He stayed just on the edge. Not showing himself, even as he watched every fucking inch as the water poured out into what was basically a pool. Cayman didn’t dare spill out into it. Not then.
All he could do in that moment was hover around the periphery and take everything in. It killed him to not go in. But he damn well knew there was no way he could take the chance of alerting anyone and instead turned to swim back to the river.
Yeah, he already knew he was going to go inside to rescue his mate. But, and it was a big but, knowing that and actually doing it was fucking huge.
Wait…
No…
Not huge. But definitely…
How did he say it?
Cayman had gone into some of the worst…? Situations? Hell? Fuck! At that moment, with his mate inside, there were no words. None. He needed to find a way in that would not only get him there, but also get the prisoners out without risking their lives.
That was easily said, yet impossible to do. No. He wouldn’t use that word because it would be admitting Cayman wasn’t meant to save his mate. That was something he would never allow to happen.
The question then was, what the fuck was he supposed to do?
As fast as he could, yet still moving slowly enough to not alert anyone, he made his way out of the pipe, into the river and back to where he felt reasonably safe enough to shift. Cayman had barely reached a place that hid him from anyone watching when he’d hit the send button on his phone.
“You there?” he winced when he was somewhat positive he’d practically shouted.
“We are,” Saber growled out. “We’re going through the video frame by frame as well as trying to map out what we believe you will find beyond the water tank.”
It wasn’t impossible to get inside, but it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park either. The tank of water was exactly that. A giant tank with no way to hide once he was inside.
No rocks to hide behind. No sand along the bottom. Just cement and water. It would mean he’d be vulnerable. Not something he would typically mind, but it meant time for the enemy to capture him before he could arm himself properly.
That was something he couldn’t allow. Not if he had any hope of getting his mate out of there alive.
Which left him where?
Fuck if he knew.
“How am I supposed to get them out alive?” Because even though his only thought was about his mate, the fact was, he had at least a hundred others to save. It was why he was there.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Chadwick exclaimed. “After what I’d just seen, you’ll be lucky as fuck to get out of that room alive, much less free anyone.”
Saber growled. “Not helpful, mate.”
“Helpful, my ass,” Chadwick claimed. “Like seriously,” as he stared into the tablet Cayman held. “If your mate is in there, that should be your only goal. Trust your manta ray. You have one shot in saving anyone, especially your mate. Do that and there is a chance you both might survive.”
Was that possible?
Cayman wasn’t certain, but as much as he wanted to only worry about his mate, the fact was, he was there to get everyone he could out. If he could get to Rip, Wizard, and Lael he would have a better chance as they would have the ability to help him fight.
Ending the call, he checked his bag to ensure his weapons were easily accessible. Stripping once more, he stowed his clothes. It was a risk to try and dress after exiting the water, but he needed to be able to carry as many of his knives as possible.
Minutes later, he went into the river and shifted. It wasn’t ideal to have to get his body through the strap of the bag without help, but he’d learned through the years to make it work. Entering the pipe again, resolve settled over him. No matter what it took, he was not only going to save his mate but give them their chance of having their happily ever after.
Right?
If not, he was more than willing to die. Not that he would prefer it, but he also hated even the idea of not having his fated mate by his side.
Exiting the pipe, he did his best to stick to the side of the giant tank. When no alarm sounded, he searched the room and let out a huge breath when he noticed no one else was there.
Several minutes later, he shifted and pushed himself out of the pool. Quickly drying off, he dressed and started strapping knives to his body as efficiently as possible.
“Ready?” Yosi asked someone still connected to them. Since Rip, Wizard, and Lael weren’t in contact, he knew it was only a matter of time before he’d be cut off.
“Ready,” he muttered softly.
Did he want to kill anyone involved in capturing them? Yep. And, fucking yep. That said, he also understood it wasn’t always that easy. It took planning, something they hadn’t been able to do. He had no clue what was on the other side of that door and as much as it pained him, Cayman was willing to be patient and methodical if it got his mate out of there.
Typically, he was extremely patient, but not this time, and he needed to find a way to remain focused on his job or he was going to end up dead.