Chapter 12 #2
This door had both a code panel and biometric scanner. Kalyndi studied it, then looked at me. "We need an authorized person."
I nodded, understanding immediately. We waited until the scientist separated slightly from his guards, then I moved, a blur of motion that ended with my hand over the man's mouth and my arm around his chest, dragging him back toward the door.
"Open it," I growled in his ear, "or discover how sharp mapinguari claws really are."
The scientist trembled but complied, pressing his palm to the scanner and entering a six-digit code. The blue door slid open with a soft hiss.
Beyond lay a large open space divided into smaller areas. Some resembled classrooms, others playrooms, but all were empty. At the far end, another door led to what appeared to be sleeping quarters.
"Where are the children?" I demanded of our captive.
"Sublevel C during emergencies," he stammered. "Standard protocol."
Kalyndi's face fell. "Another level down? We'll never reach them before security regroups."
The scientist's expression shifted subtly, something like relief in his eyes. I tightened my grip. "You're lying."
"I'm following protocol," he insisted.
But there was something in his scent, a nervousness beyond normal fear. I inhaled deeply, tracking the complex emotions radiating from him. "No. They're here. You're protecting them."
Kalyndi caught on immediately. "You're not afraid we'll find them. You're afraid we'll hurt them."
The man's resistance crumbled. "Please. They're just children. Whatever your quarrel with Magnus Terra… "
"We're here to free them," Kalyndi interrupted gently. "To return them to their parents."
Disbelief warred with hope in the scientist's expression. "You can't possibly… "
"We can and we will," I assured him. "Now, where are they?"
After a moment's hesitation, he gestured toward a seemingly solid wall. "Hidden door. Panel behind the bookshelf."
I released him cautiously, ready to recapture him if necessary, but he made no move to flee or call for help. Instead, he went to the bookshelf and pressed a specific sequence of books. The wall slid open, revealing a large room beyond.
Inside were twelve children of various ages, from toddlers to perhaps ten years old.
All showed mixed human-monster heritage, some with scaled skin, others with distinctive mapinguari features, still others with characteristics of different monster tribes.
They huddled together, the older ones protectively surrounding the younger.
A girl of about eight, with the distinctive ridge pattern of mapinguari along her arms but otherwise human-appearing, stepped forward. "Are you here to hurt us?" Her voice was steady despite her obvious fear.
Kalyndi knelt to the child's level. "No, sweetheart. We're here to help you."
"To take you home," I added, staying back slightly to avoid frightening them with my imposing presence.
The girl's eyes widened. "Home? To our parents?"
"Yes," Kalyndi promised. "If we can find them."
"I know where the records are kept," the scientist interjected quietly. When we both turned to him in surprise, he continued, "I've had... doubts... about this program for some time. The children are remarkable, but the methods..." He shook his head. "This isn't what I signed up for."
"You'll help us?" I couldn't keep the suspicion from my voice.
"Yes." He straightened his lab coat with dignity. "My name is Dr. Vega. And I want to make this right."
Another explosion, closer this time, rocked the facility. We had minutes at most before security regrouped.
"We need to move now," I urged. "Is there another way out from this level?"
Dr. Vega nodded. "Maintenance tunnels. They lead to the surface about half a kilometer east of the main complex."
"Perfect." I turned to the children. "We're going on an adventure. The most important rule is to stay quiet and follow Dr. Vega and Kalyndi. Can you do that?"
Solemn nods answered me. These children, I realized with a pang, were used to following orders.
"What about the records?" Kalyndi asked Dr. Vega.
"In my office. One level up."
I made a quick decision. "You take the children through the tunnels. I'll get the records and meet you at the exit point."
"Too dangerous," Kalyndi protested. "We should stay together."
"The children need you," I countered. "And we need those records to find their families."
She knew I was right, though she clearly hated the separation. "Promise me you'll be careful."
"I promise." I touched her face gently. "Now go."
Dr. Vega led them to another hidden panel, revealing a narrow service corridor beyond. As Kalyndi herded the children through, she looked back at me one last time, her eyes conveying everything words couldn't in that moment.
Then they were gone, and I was racing back toward the stairwell, determined to retrieve the information that would reunite these children with their parents.
Dr. Vega's office was surprisingly easy to find, clearly labeled on Level A with his name and title: "Director of Genetic Integration." Inside, I quickly located his personal terminal.
The system required his credentials, which I didn't have. But what I had was the strength to simply remove the entire data core from the machine. I wrenched it free, tucking the small device into my pouch.
As I turned to leave, the door slid open. A woman in a Magnus Terra uniform stood there, weapon raised. Not a regular guard, her insignia marked her as high-ranking security.
"War Chief Redmon," she said, her voice cool and professional. "You've caused quite a disturbance today."
I tensed, ready to charge or dodge depending on her next move. "Just correcting a mistake Magnus Terra made when they took my mate."
"Your mate is Magnus Terra property, as designated by the matching protocols you agreed to." Her weapon remained steady. "As are the children you've stolen."
"People aren't property," I growled. "And those children belong with their parents."
"Those children are the future of both our species," she countered. "The first generation that can survive in the dead zones, that can reclaim the world we destroyed in the war."
"Without consent. Without choice."
"Choice?" She laughed bitterly. "Was there choice when the world burned? When ninety percent of all habitable land was lost? Some decisions transcend individual rights, War Chief."
"Not these decisions." I shifted slightly, preparing to move. "Not when they involve children."
Her finger tightened on the trigger. "Stand down, and perhaps we can negotiate terms for your tribe's continued autonomy."
"I don't speak for my tribe anymore," I told her honestly. "I speak only for myself, my mate, and those children."
"Then you speak for no one of consequence."
"That's where you're wrong." I smiled, showing teeth. "I speak for the future. Just not the one you planned."
I moved faster than she expected, not toward her but toward the window behind the desk. The reinforced glass withstood conventional force, but not the focused pressure of mapinguari claws at structural weak points.
The window shattered as I crashed through it, the three-story drop beneath me less dangerous for my kind than a direct confrontation with energy weapons. I twisted in mid-air, landing in a controlled roll that still sent pain shooting through my already battered body.
Guards shouted, spotting me immediately. I ran, not toward the maintenance tunnel exit where Kalyndi would emerge with the children, but in the opposite direction, drawing pursuit away from them.
The diversion on the western perimeter had served its purpose, but now security forces were regrouping, forming a perimeter around the facility. I charged through their line at its weakest point, taking fire that scorched my hide but failed to stop my momentum.
The forest beyond offered cover, familiar territory where I could lose pursuers before circling back to the rendezvous point Elder Marok had established. I ran deeper into the trees, using every trick I knew to confuse my trail.
By the time I reached the hidden cave system five kilometers from the facility, night had fallen. Tarek and another warrior, who nodded respectfully as I approached guarded the entrance.
"The others?" I asked immediately.
"Inside," Tarek confirmed. "All safe."
Relief flooded through me as I ducked into the cave. The main chamber was lit by portable lamps, revealing a scene that stopped me in my tracks.
Kalyndi moved among the rescued children, checking each one with gentle hands and soothing words. The children, initially frightened and withdrawn, now showed cautious curiosity about their surroundings. Some even smiled as Marok's warriors entertained them with simple tricks and stories.
Dr. Vega sat apart, deep in conversation with Elder Marok, maps and documents spread between them. Selene distributed food and blankets, her face alight with purpose.
But it was Kalyndi who drew my gaze like a lodestone. She looked up as I entered with her face transforming with joy and relief. She rushed to me, throwing her arms around my waist, heedless of the others watching.
"You made it," she breathed.
I held her close, savoring her warmth, her scent, the simple miracle of her presence. "I promised I would."
"Did you get the records?"
I patted my pouch. "Everything Dr. Vega had on the children and their parents."
She pulled back slightly, examining the burns and cuts I'd sustained during the escape. "You're hurt."
"Nothing serious."
"Let me be the judge of that." She led me to a quiet corner of the cave, making me sit while she retrieved medical supplies.
As she cleaned my wounds, her touch gentle but efficient, I observed the organized chaos around us. "How are the children?"
"Physically healthy," she reported. "Emotionally... it's complicated. They've been isolated from their parents since they were toddlers. Some barely remember their families."
"But they will," I said firmly. "We'll find their parents."