Chapter 12
Twelve
Redmon
The first guard never saw me coming.
I moved through the shadows of the facility corridor, a silent ghost despite my massive bulk. The humans relied too heavily on their technology with motion sensors, cameras, automated locks. None of which worked properly after I'd smashed the main control panel.
My claws sliced through the guard's weapon before he could raise the alarm, the metal parting like cloth beneath my strength. His eyes widened in terror as I lifted him by his uniform collar, bringing his face close to mine.
"Where are they keeping the human woman brought in today?" I growled, my voice low enough that only he could hear.
"S-section C, containment room 3," he stammered, the fragrance of his fear sharp in my nostrils. "Please don't… ”
I pressed a pressure point at the base of his neck, a technique my father had taught me long ago. The guard slumped unconscious in my grasp. I lowered him gently to the floor, no need for unnecessary death.
The facility's emergency lights cast everything in a pulsing red glow, perfect for my night vision but disorienting for the humans. Alarms blared intermittently, but the evacuation protocols I'd triggered had most staff running toward the exits rather than toward me.
I moved deeper into the complex, my mind flashing back to the hours after Kalyndi's capture.
"They took her." Selene's voice had been tight with fear as she burst into our dwelling. "Magnus Terra officials, with tribal enforcers. They said it was for routine testing, but they had restraints, Redmon. They hurt her when she resisted."
Ice had formed in my veins. "When?"
"Less than an hour ago. They headed toward the central facility."
I'd moved immediately, grabbing weapons and the emergency pack we'd prepared. "Stay here. Bar the doors."
"I'm coming with you," Selene had insisted, her jaw set in the same stubborn line I recognized in her sister.
"No. I need you to do something more important." I'd gripped her shoulders gently. "Contact Elder Marok. Tell him 'Protocol Ancestral.' He'll understand."
"What does it mean?"
"It means I'm calling in every favor, every alliance my tribe has built over generations." My voice had hardened with determination. "It means war."
A door slid open ahead, revealing two more guards. They spotted me immediately, raising their weapons.
"Halt! This is a restricted… "
I didn't let them finish. With a roar that shook the corridor, I charged. The guards fired, their energy weapons scorching my hide, but my momentum carried me forward. I slammed into them like a battering ram, sending both sprawling against the far wall.
One tried to reach for his communication device. My foot came down on his hand, not hard enough to crush, but enough to make him reconsider.
"Section C," I reminded him. "Fastest route."
The guard pointed shakily down a side corridor. "Elevator at the end. Security code 5591."
I nodded my thanks before rendering both unconscious with quick, precise strikes. No need for them to suffer for doing their jobs.
The elevator required the code plus palm recognition. I solved that problem by ripping the panel from the wall and crossing specific wires. A trick I'd learned from a former Magnus Terra technician who'd joined our resistance months ago.
As the elevator descended, I thought again of the hours after Kalyndi's capture, of gathering my allies.
Elder Marok had arrived with six of his most trusted warriors within two hours of my message.
"Protocol Ancestral," he'd said, his face grim. "You invoke the old ways, War Chief."
"They've taken my mate against her will. Against our agreement."
The old mapinguari had nodded slowly. "Then we stand with you. But you should know this facility is not like others. It houses their most precious secrets."
"Good." I'd bared my teeth. "Then they'll feel the loss more keenly."
Tarek, Marok's grandson, had spread a detailed map across the table. "The central facility has three underground levels. Containment cells are on the lowest floor. Security is heaviest at the main entrance, but there's a maintenance tunnel here." His claw indicated a spot on the eastern perimeter.
"How did you get these plans?" I'd asked.
Marok's expression had been unreadable. "We've been preparing for this day longer than you know, Redmon. Not all humans support Magnus Terra's methods. Some have been feeding us information for years."
I'd studied the schematics, memorizing the layout. "I go in alone."
"That's suicide," one warrior had protested.
"A group would never make it past the sensors," I'd countered. "One can slip through, especially if distracted by something bigger."
Marok had understood immediately. "A diversion on the western perimeter. Something that draws their security forces."
"Something loud," I'd agreed. "Something that looks like a full tribal assault."
"And while they focus on us," Tarek had said, catching on, "you enter from the east and find Kalyndi."
"Exactly."
"And after?" Marok had asked no one else dared. "What then, War Chief?"
"Then we disappear," I'd said simply. "All of us. It's time to join the others."
The elevator doors opened onto Section C, revealing a sterile corridor lined with reinforced doors. Each bore a designation number and status indicator. Most showed empty, but three glowed with the red light of occupancy.
Containment Room 3 was at the far end. I approached cautiously, listening for guards, but this level seemed eerily deserted. Perhaps they never expected an intruder to get this far.
The door's security panel required another code.
I didn't bother trying to bypass it. Time was too precious.
Instead, I wedged my claws into the seam between door and frame, bracing my feet against the floor.
With a roar of effort, I pulled, feeling the metal bend and then give way with a shriek of protest.
The room beyond was clinically white, dominated by a medical examination table in the center. And there, strapped down with restraints, was Kalyndi.
When she saw me, relief washed over her face. "Redmon!"
I rushed to her side, quickly assessing her condition. They'd taken blood, several vials based on the marks on her arm, and attached monitoring devices to her chest and temples. Her skin was paler than usual, but she seemed otherwise unharmed.
"Did they hurt you?" I asked, carefully removing the restraints.
"Nothing permanent." Her voice was hoarse. "Just tests. So many tests. And questions about us, about our relationship."
The last restraint fell away, and she sat up, swaying slightly. Without thinking, I pulled her against my body, breathing in her scent, reassuring myself she was truly here, alive.
"I knew you'd come," she whispered against my hide.
"Always," I promised, helping her stand. "Can you walk?"
She nodded, determination replacing the momentary weakness. "We need to go. There's something else, Redmon. Something I found out while they had me."
"Tell me once we're clear of this place."
"No, you need to know now." Her eyes locked with mine, intense and urgent. "There are others here. Not just test subjects, actual captives. Including children."
My blood ran cold. "The missing offspring? Here?"
"Level B, Section 4. I heard the scientists discussing transfers while they thought I was sedated." She gripped my arm. "We can't leave them."
I hesitated only for a heartbeat. The plan had been simple: get Kalyndi, get out. But I knew she was right. We couldn't abandon children to Magnus Terra's experiments.
"It will be dangerous," I warned. "Security will be tighter there."
"I know." Her jaw set in that familiar stubborn line. "But if it were our child, wouldn't you want someone to try?"
The thought of our theoretical child in this sterile hell made my decision instant. "Level B it is."
I helped her to the door, checking the corridor before we stepped out. "Stay close. The diversion won't last forever."
"Diversion?"
As if on cue, a distant explosion rocked the facility, the vibrations traveling through the floor beneath our feet.
"Elder Marok sends his regards," I said with grim satisfaction.
We made our way to the emergency stairwell, avoiding the elevator's cameras. Kalyndi moved more steadily with each step, her natural resilience asserting itself. When we reached Level B, I cracked the door open, scanning for threats.
This floor was different, brighter, almost homey in sections, with colorful murals on some walls. It might have seemed pleasant if not for the armed guards at intersections and the locked doors with biometric scanners.
"It's designed to look like a school," Kalyndi whispered, disgust evident in her voice.
"A prison disguised as a sanctuary," I agreed.
A large blue door marked section 4 at the end of the main corridor. Between us and it stood four guards and what appeared to be a scientist in a white lab coat, all looking tense as alarms continued to sound throughout the facility.
"We need a distraction," I murmured.
Kalyndi's eyes lit up. "The fire suppression system." She pointed to a control panel on the wall nearby. "If we trigger it on this level only, they'll have to investigate."
"Good thinking."
I tiptoed to the panel, using my claws to pry it open. Inside was a tangle of wires and circuits beyond my understanding. I looked at Kalyndi questioningly.
"Red and blue wires," she whispered. "Cross them."
I did as instructed, and immediately sprinklers activated throughout the corridor, spraying everyone with fine mist. Simultaneously, compartment doors closed automatically, a safety feature to contain potential fires.
The guards shouted in confusion. The scientist demanding they find the source of the malfunction. As they moved away from Section 4 to check the panel at their end of the corridor, we slipped through the rapidly closing compartment doors toward the blue entrance.