2. CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
Gliding through the water, Cayman Dahl let the peace and quiet surrounded him. There was nothing better than shifting into his manta ray and forgetting about life for a while. Not that it would last when their world was in chaos and he would once again be called upon to go in search for more missing shifters.
He shifted slightly, skimming the sandy bottom of the cove of Salvation Island. He loved it there. Well, usually. Admittedly, he would have preferred if the water was a bit warmer, but other than that, the island, especially the cove, were ideal for him and his animal.
It was removed from the rest of the world, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and only accessible by boat or helicopter. It provided the residents with the ability to live simply without the hassles of the outside world intruding.
A shadow alerted him that someone was waiting for him on shore. He glanced in that direction where Yosi – owner of Salvation Island – and Saber, their Chief Council, stood with his gaze fixed on Cayman. Damn. Apparently he was needed again. He had only just got back two days ago from a mission to find a group of missing shifters in Russia.
Shifting, he rose up out of the water and walked to the pair. Bending down, he picked up his swim trunks and slipped them on. “Where are you sending me this time?”
There were only about two dozen of them that could do what he did. Unfortunately, assholes were buying and selling shifters more and more, which kept Yosi and Saber busy overseeing shifters like Cayman to infiltrate a place, find their weaknesses, and plan an attack to free the captives.
“North Korea.”
Cayman froze at Saber’s words. That was not what he’d expected. Not even a little. “Are you kidding me?”
Saber’s expression said it all. Not only was he not kidding, but it was clear, Saber feared it was a mission Cayman might not come back from. “Rip, Wizard, and Lael went in to try and find where a large group of shifters were being held.”
Frowning, he asked, “If they’re already there, why am I being sent?”
“They haven’t been heard from in three weeks.” The worry in Saber’s voice was palatable, which wasn’t a surprise. Saber had been Rip’s Alpha before taking over the Council and becoming chief. “We fear they were captured.”
Well fuck. That can’t be good. “Do we know where they’re being held?”
Yosi handed him a tablet. “They had trackers on them. They aren’t currently working because it is believed they are deep underground at a uranium facility. Their last coordinates are there.”
“Fucking great,” he muttered as he studied the satellite images from the site. “I not only have to get into North fucking Korea without being caught, but I also have to get inside one of their underground bomb making facilities. Talk about impossible.”
That was one country that didn’t fuck around. They tended to kill first and ask questions later.
“We realize this will be a nightmare to get to.” Saber wasn’t wrong there. Although, for Cayman not as much as others.
“But we will do everything we can to do so,” Yosi added.
That would mean Yosi and his team would have satellites watching him at all times. It would help, but it still wasn’t going to be easy as the North Koreans watched everything, including the route he would end up using. “When do I go?”
“As soon as you pack.” Saber wasn’t one to mince words, especially when one of his own was at risk.
Nodding, he turned to Yosi. “Tell Rus I’ll be ready in fifteen.”
He didn’t wait for a response. There was zero doubt their helicopter pilot was already warming it up to take off. But if Cayman had any chance of pulling the mission off, he was going to need his gear.
Landing in South Korea, Cayman was ready to get started. He’d discussed logistics with Saber and Yosi while in flight. He would take to the water. It wasn’t ideal because it meant risking what he’d take with him getting wet, but it would allow him to get deep into North Korea before needing to shift into his human form.
That would be a huge advantage, especially since the facility was built next to a river to use for cooling the uranium. But, it would mean swimming and, most likely, staying for long periods of time in fresh water. Not something he enjoyed. At all. In fact, he hated it. It made his skin itch just thinking about it, but it was necessary if he was going to get close enough to find Rip and the others.
Getting out? That might prove impossible. Saber might have millions of shifters under his command, but that didn’t mean they could just invade a country. Had they done it in the past? Sort of. Not so much the country, but the mines that shifters had been forced to work in.
The difference was, even if the country had been behind the buying of those shifters, once they’d been freed, the country didn’t come after Saber or the Council. North Korea just might. They didn’t see things like the rest of the leaders in the world did. They didn’t care if they got their hands dirty.
Setting the waterproof bag on the ground, Cayman quickly undressed and waded out in the water with the airplane pilot, Felix, right behind him, holding the bag. Once he shifted, Felix slipped it on his body, with the bag firmly strapped to his back so it wouldn’t slide off while in the water.
“Good luck,” Felix told him as he went back to the shore. He would stay in South Korea with the plane in order to get Cayman and the others out in a hurry. There would also be a large ship in the Yellow Sea to pick them up in case it was necessary, but he honestly didn’t think they would ever make it that far. If he managed to get even one shifter out it would be a miracle.
The facility was basically in the middle of North Korea. As a manta ray, Cayman had a good chance of making it in and out of the country, but the others? No fucking way. Especially when one of them was a fucking tiger. Admitted, Rip could swim, but not down a river into the sea. As for the others, they weren’t even certain what species were being held captive. The odds of them getting to freedom were slim to none.
Not that he’d let that stop him. But Cayman was still a realist. Because he would never leave anyone behind, he had zero doubt this was a suicide mission. But he wasn’t going to shy away from it. Those people deserved to be free and he would do everything in his power to make that happen.
Gliding along the sea to the mouth of the river he and Yosi had discussed, Cayman tried to block out everything but the mission. He would need all his senses if he was going to survive this.
“The river is less than a hundred yards from your position,” Yosi said into his ear.
He already knew that. His body could feel the difference in salinity from the fresh water dumping into the sea. Still, it was good to hear his voice, letting Cayman know they were keeping an eye on him even though he was still safe. Although that would soon change the closer he got to shore.
“There are soldiers posted at the mouth of the river,” Yosi warned him. “Stay as close to the bottom as you can.”
Thankfully, the river was deep enough to do that. There were parts where it would become shallower, but they were, hopefully, much further upriver, into the country, that no one would be watching any longer. That would change when he was closer to the facility.
He could just barely make out the shadows of the guards watching the entrance to the river. They weren’t looking into the water, just the surface to block any boats from accessing it.
Relief washed over him when Yosi said, “You’re past them all.”
Staying low and in the middle the whole way, he managed to move into position beyond the actual compound. He’d done a quick sweep as he glided past it, but had done so quickly, uncertain as to how closely they watched the water.
“Stay put,” Yosi told him when he’d started to head to the shore. “There is a small convoy about to pass close to your position.”
He could feel the vibration dancing along his body as the trucks got closer. He couldn’t see them, but he damn well could feel them. Twenty. Fuck. He wasn’t certain if it was just more guards or more prisoners being brought in, but it didn’t matter. Either way, the situation wasn’t good.
“If you want to abort for now, do it,” Saber said into his ear after seeing just how many vehicles there had been. “We can wait for them to leave.”
He couldn’t do that. Not in good conscience. If he were the one there, he’d hope whoever came to help would do everything to get him out of there. Oddly, it wasn’t just his desire to help. There was something pulling him toward that damn facility. He had no idea what, but he wasn’t one to ignore his instincts, especially since he was still in his animal form.
He just prayed he’d be able to.