Chapter Thirteen #2
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let my consciousness expand outward, feeling for the electronic pulses that made up the facility's nervous system.
The sensation was always difficult to describe—like dipping my hands into a rushing stream of data, feeling each bit and byte flow through my fingertips. The initial connection made my skin tingle and the air around my hands shimmer with faint blue energy.
"You sure you can handle this?" Yuri asked, positioning himself by the door, weapon at the ready. His tone tried for casual, but I caught the undertone of concern.
I didn't answer immediately, too focused on navigating the first layer of security. My fingers danced across the keyboard while my mind worked on a deeper level, sensing pathways and backdoors invisible to normal hackers.
"I've got this," I finally replied, as the first firewall collapsed under my assault. "Keep watch. This might take a minute."
Yuri grunted acknowledgment, dividing his attention between the corridor outside and occasional glances at me. I could feel his unease—not just about our situation, but about my abilities.
The Syndicate members still weren't entirely comfortable with what I could do. Can't blame them, really. Most days, I wasn't comfortable with it either.
The room gradually filled with a pulsing green light as my connection to the system deepened. It emanated from my fingertips first, then spread up my arms and eventually to my eyes.
I'd seen my reflection during these moments—eyes glowing neon green, face cast in eerie light. I probably looked like something from a sci-fi horror flick.
Layer after layer of security fell before me.
Passwords were meaningless when I could feel the electronic pulse of the correct sequence.
Biometric requirements couldn't stop someone who could mimic the exact electronic signature of an authorized user.
I moved through the system like a ghost, leaving barely a trace of my intrusion.
"Got the security feeds," I announced, voice slightly strained as multiple screens flickered to life, showing different areas of the facility.
I tracked our people first—Dima and his team were engaged in a firefight in the east corridor, providing the distraction we needed.
Zev's group had reached a research lab on the second level, securing potential intel on O'Rourke's operation.
Ivan and Sergei were systematically disabling the facility's communication with the outside world.
"East corridor clear," I reported, directing my attention to the security doors that would allow our teams to move more freely. "Sublevel two security doors unlocked."
Each new system I accessed added to the strain. It was like trying to focus on dozens of conversations simultaneously, extracting the important bits while filtering out the noise. My temples began to throb, a familiar pressure building behind my eyes.
"Any sign of Nicolai?" Yuri asked, pacing behind me now, dividing his attention between guarding the door and monitoring my progress.
"Working on it," I grunted, diving deeper into the building's restricted areas.
The sublevel designations caught my attention—B1 through B4, with increasing security protocols for each descending level. If I were keeping a valuable prisoner, especially one as dangerous as a bear shifter, I'd put him as deep as possible.
I focused my efforts on B3 and B4, searching for any sign of Nicolai.
The strain was becoming more noticeable now.
Sweat beaded on my forehead, and I could feel the beginning of a nosebleed—a warning sign that I was pushing too hard.
I ignored it, wiping my nose on my sleeve without breaking concentration.
"Yuri, watch the corridor," I said, sensing his growing concern as he hovered behind me. "I can't focus with you breathing down my neck."
He moved away with a dissatisfied grunt. "Don't push yourself into a seizure. We need you functional."
The words were gruff, but the sentiment surprised me. In Yuri's world, my worth was tied to my usefulness to Nicolai and the syndicate. This flash of concern for my actual wellbeing was unexpected.
"I'll manage," I replied, even as a fresh trickle of blood ran from my nose.
The strain was worth it when I finally breached the B3 security feeds. The sublevel was divided into sections, each dedicated to different "research" activities. My stomach turned as I flicked through images of laboratories and containment cells.
How many others like me had been trapped here?
How many still were?
The thought fueled my determination as I continued searching. Section A revealed nothing but empty cells. Section B contained laboratories with equipment I couldn't identify. Section C housed what looked like medical facilities.
Then I reached Section S—Special Talents Division.
"Got something," I murmured, focusing all my attention on those feeds.
The cameras in this section were more heavily encrypted than the others, requiring an exhausting push of my abilities to access. The effort sent a spike of pain through my skull, like an ice pick between my eyes, but I persisted.
The first clear image made my heart skip—a laboratory with specialized restraints, monitoring equipment, and a central examination table. Empty, but recently used based on the state of the equipment.
I moved to the next camera, then the next, scanning each feed for any sign of Nicolai. Most showed similar labs or containment cells, some occupied by figures I couldn't clearly make out.
The realization that O'Rourke was holding multiple people with abilities made my blood boil, but I couldn't let myself get distracted.
"Come on, where are you?" I muttered, ignoring the blood now freely dripping from my nose.
Yuri returned to my side, his expression darkening at my condition. "You're bleeding."
"I noticed," I snapped, moving to the final set of feeds in Section S.
And there he was.
The image on the screen stole my breath—Nicolai, unconscious on a metal table, restrained with the same specialized tech I'd disabled during our earlier escape. Around him, scientists in lab coats monitored equipment and took readings, treating him like a specimen rather than a person.
"Found him," I said, voice tight with barely controlled rage. "Northeast quadrant, Section S, sublevel three."
Yuri immediately relayed the information through his comm unit, coordinating with the other teams. I barely heard him, too focused on Nicolai's still form on the screen. Was he hurt? Drugged? The camera angle didn't show his face clearly enough for me to tell.
"We've got his location," Yuri said, turning back to me. "Now get out of the system before you stroke out."
I shook my head, blood spattering the console in front of me. "Not done yet. Need to clear his path." My words were becoming slurred as the strain took its toll, but I wasn't stopping, not when I was so close.
The facility map showed at least three security checkpoints between our teams and Nicolai's location. Each one would cost precious time and potentially alert O'Rourke to our specific target… Unless I removed them from the equation entirely.
"What are you doing?" Yuri asked sharply as warning lights began flashing across the monitors.
My fingers danced across the keyboard while my mind reached deeper into the facility's systems. "Creating a path," I managed through gritted teeth. "And making sure we can get out alive."
The room swam in and out of focus as I pushed my abilities past any reasonable limit. Blood flowed freely from my nose now, warm and metallic-tasting as it dripped over my lips and stained the front of my shirt.
My hands trembled against the keyboard, and each breath came harder than the last. I was burning myself out from the inside, but I couldn't stop—not when Nicolai needed me.
"You're pushing too hard," Yuri growled, his voice cutting through the haze of pain and concentration. He moved closer, eyeing the blood that now dripped onto the console. "This isn't worth killing yourself over."
I wiped my nose with my sleeve, leaving a bright red smear across the fabric. The gesture did nothing to stem the flow. "Since when do you care?" I shot back, not taking my eyes off the screens where Nicolai lay motionless, surrounded by O'Rourke's scientists.
"Nicolai would rather die than watch you kill yourself saving him."
That got my attention.
I turned to look at Yuri, surprised by the sincerity in his usually stoic face. For a moment, I glimpsed something beyond the hardened enforcer—actual concern. It was almost touching, in a weird, gruff bear shifter kind of way.
My eyes flashed with electronic energy as I snapped back, "Not your call to make. Besides, I've been running my whole life. Time to stand and fight for once."
The monitor displaying Nicolai's containment room showed increased activity now. One of the scientists was preparing some kind of injection. Whatever they were planning to do to him, it wasn't going to happen. Not while I still had breath in my body and electricity at my fingertips.
I dove deeper into the facility's systems, bypassing security protocols and overriding safety measures with reckless abandon. Each new connection sent fresh waves of pain through my skull, but I welcomed it.
Pain meant I was still conscious, still fighting.
The image on the main screen shifted as I accessed a better camera angle, and what I saw froze my blood.
Nicolai was strapped to a metal table in a laboratory-like setting, specialized restraints at his wrists, ankles, and across his chest. They were the same type I'd encountered before—designed to suppress shifting abilities.
A scientist approached with a syringe containing luminescent blue fluid. Some kind of experimental drug? A sedative? Whatever it was, the sight of it sparked a rage I'd rarely allowed myself to feel.
"Northeast quadrant, sublevel three," I reported again, voice cracking as I relayed coordinates through Yuri's comm unit.
My hands trembled not just with exhaustion now, but with fury.
"Section S, Room 12. Five hostiles present, all non-combatants.
Nicolai is restrained, but appears physically uninjured. "
Yuri nodded sharply, relaying the information to the strike teams. "Dima's group is closest. ETA three minutes if they encounter no resistance."
Three minutes was too long. In three minutes, that syringe could be emptied into Nicolai's veins. In three minutes, they could move him to a more secure location. In three minutes, O'Rourke himself could arrive.
No, we needed a distraction now.