Chapter 22 #2
Elliot avoided her gaze. “Leaving him there night after night is not exactly pleasant. I go to one of my sisters and feel like shit for abandoning him to it, though he told me to.” He paused, not wanting to admit the rest. “And I miss him. I made his dreams better because he needed me to, but I’m not so daft that it escaped my notice they were a haven for me as well.
That I let myself believe I was safe there.
And that although I knew it was only a part of him, not the complete person I… ”
Elliot shook his head and stared up at the cloudy gray sky. The chill of the winter air seeped beneath the woolen layers of his jacket and uniform. I loved him, he couldn’t say. I knew better and I fell for him anyway.
He couldn’t help it. Warren made falling so effortless.
And he knew he didn’t know everything about Warren, not awake at least, but Elliot thought he’d love him even more when he got to.
How was he supposed to stop himself? He’d always been prone to fast and deep passions, but none had persisted quite like this.
Bellona leaned against his side, offering silent support. “Couldn’t you tell him some of that? Or explain how it started? Or talk to him about it at all?”
Exasperated, Elliot took another draw of smoke, then dropped the remains into the snow. “I can’t. Look at how poorly the last two times have gone. He specifically told me he needs to think without my interference. I can’t force him to listen before he’s prepared. It wouldn’t be fair.”
Bellona muttered something under her breath, but all he caught was a disgusted sounding, “Men.”
He couldn’t disagree, but raised a brow at her anyway, and she widened her eyes innocently.
“I finished reading the documents Courtemanche sent,” Elliot said, grasping for something less personal to discuss.
“Do tell.”
“They examined the vials we recovered. Chlorine gas laced with magic. The exact nature of it was impossible to divine without testing.”
“So they tested it?” Bellona guessed.
Elliot wrinkled his nose in revulsion at the detailed recollection he’d read. He leaned back against the cold stone. “Mm. On mice. Killed them, of course.”
Bellona scowled. “Of course.”
He waited a beat, then shared the profoundly disturbing part. “Moments later they appeared to revive.”
Shocked, she quickly tensed. “They—”
“Revived, yes. Some of the skilled scientists described them as ‘wrong’ though they couldn’t explain how, solely that the magic had an effect.
They placed the momentarily deceased mice in cages with unaffected mice and it was a bloodbath.
They tore the others to shreds. And when they tried to end the experiment, the infected mice proved extremely difficult to terminate. ”
“Wonderful.”
“Oh, it gets worse. In the intervening days, Courtemanche has received intelligence which suggests the Germans have moved this research to a new location. One we haven’t compromised, where they’re carrying out experiments of this gas on captured French citizens.
The information is vague, but it suggests if the tests are successful, they’ll begin stockpiling.
Our source claims they’re preparing to perpetrate larger scale testing. ”
“How on earth have they even crafted something like this?” she asked, resting her hands on her hips. “How do we counter it?”
“That’s part of what we’re to discover. We’ve been tasked to covertly enter the new location and attempt to retrieve any formula specifications or indications of where it might be deployed, unnoticed.
Any other information we retrieve could prove useful, so we’ll take whatever we can get our hands on.
We’ve been ordered not to engage unless absolutely necessary. ”
Bellona stared at him, baffled. “We’re not going to shut them down? Blow it up on the way out?”
Elliot gave a quick shake of his head. Whether he agreed with HQ’s assessment or not, it wasn’t his decision.
“According to Courtemanche for the time being, we’re too valuable to risk a confrontation.
The resistance we could encounter might prove too large to overcome and we must return with that information.
It’s unlikely this is the only site they’re experimenting at, and we are rather less sure of what explosives might do in this situation than they would prefer us to be. ”
“That holds water.” Bellona’s small, upturned nose wrinkled, and her lips pursed. “I still don’t like it.”
“Nor I.”
After a short pause Bellona asked, “This sounds like necromantic magic, doesn’t it? Do you think Albrecht is involved?”
It had occurred to him. He almost hoped she was. That they’d have an excuse to go after the woman who’d led to Swift’s demise. Anger and guilt bubbled in his stomach. “I suppose we’ll find out soon enough.”
There was a triumphant noise from the field, and they both glanced over to see Hoffman patting Charbonneau on the back, Sully glowering. “Your boy lost.”
Elliot expelled a weary breath. “You really oughtn’t call him that. Considering it’s untrue and should anyone overhear—”
“They would simply think I was teasing you about your new recruit losing. Though I realize I shouldn’t have poked at a sore spot, for that I do apologize.”
Nodding acceptance, Elliot rubbed his gloved hands over his arms in a vain attempt to warm up. “We’ll need to brief the others and devise a plan. We’ve got to move in two days when the preparations on the other side of the line are in place.”
Bellona frowned at Sully, who was now laughing at something Charbonneau said. “I thought we’d have longer to get him ready. He hasn’t even learned to shoot with a pistol yet. At least he’s competent with a motorcycle, but anything requiring fancy driving?” She inclined her head, suggesting doubt.
He concurred. “There’s no choice. We cannot leave him behind when his skillset is so perfectly suited to a covert mission.
HQ would be breathing down our necks about what he’s here for then.
We’ve the rest of today and one more full day.
We’ll determine the essentials to teach him in the time allotted.
Trust me, I hate the idea as much as you do.
It’s killing me to put him at risk like this, but you were right.
I’ve got to treat him like anyone else in this unit. It’ll have to suffice.”
Bellona huffed as she rested her weight against her shoulder pressed to the stone wall. “Oh, now you’ve said it that way, it still sounds bonkers.”
“Helpful.”
“Am I not always?” Bellona took one look at Elliot’s face and relented. “We’ll teach him everything we possibly can and keep watch over him as much as we’re able, of course we will. It won’t go the same this time.”
Elliot’s chest froze. For a moment he couldn’t breathe. Releasing air in a slow breath through his nose, he nervously rubbed his palms against his pant legs. “It can’t.”
Bellona clapped a palm to his bicep in solidarity. “It won’t.”