The two babies were both shivering. He had barely registered that fact; now he could see that they were very cold. The more adventurous one signed again.
“They keep it cold so you can’t move around very fast, is that right? Is that what you’re saying?” Trap asked, feeling a slow burn of anger all over again.
The little heads nodded, the dark caps of wavy hair bobbing around their faces. He felt his heart melting a little. He didn’t even like kids. Well… that wasn’t exactly the truth. He didn’t know if he liked them or not. Most of the time they seemed annoying. He ignored their existence, but these children seemed bright. He connected with intelligence, no matter the age.
The idea that these children, who clearly had a difficult time functioning in the cold, were kept in such conditions kept his anger growing. Pepper, it’s freezing down here. Hurry up. I found the keys to their cells.
I’m on my way, Pepper responded. It’s very narrow in here. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
Don’ open the cells, Trap, Wyatt advised.
They’re cold and afraid, Trap explained, feeling a little ridiculous. He wasn’t the kind of man to even notice such things other than in a purely scientific way, but for some reason, he wanted to hold both little babies close to him and warm them up. He figured it had to be because of his relationship with Wyatt. They deliberately keep these cells freezing.
They have somethin’ in them other than snake, possibly cheetah, Wyatt said. So they’re extremely fast. I saw Ginger runnin’ in the swamp and I couldn’ believe how fast she was. Faster than we are, Trap. They must keep it cold down there to keep them from movin’ around too much.
Trap held up the keys to the two children. “Your mom’s on her way. She’s coming in through the air vent, just like she did when she managed to get your sister out. I can open your cells if you’d like and you can snuggle up in the soldier’s coat to stay warm while you wait for her. Once you’re warm you’ll be able to move faster. But I don’t want you to be afraid of me. If you’d rather, you can stay where you are until she gets here. You make the choice.”
He figured the children weren’t given many choices. The two babies looked at one another again, clearly talking it out in some telepathic language only they spoke. Eventually the more outgoing one nodded her head.
“What’s your name?” Trap asked.
“Cannelle.” For the first time the child spoke aloud.
“Thym.” The other one added.
Pepper, I’m opening the cells. I can’t stand them being so cold. If they bite me, at least it saves me from having to go through the wall again to get to our other prisoner.
Trap. Stop. If they bite you… Wyatt broke off.
Sorry, man, they’re just too little to leave all alone in the cold. I already feel like a monster for killing the soldiers in front of them.
Chapter 16
Wyatt rubbed his hands together, generating heat. His palms grew hot and began to glow. He knelt down, cocking his head to one side, listening to the sounds emitting below him, coming from the laboratory. In spite of the “soundproofing,” his acute hearing and cat sonar picked up more movement than there should have been. He knew the soldiers assigned to the lab had a recreation area right next to their workstation, but the rustles were in the lab below him, where the techs worked, not where they slept or relaxed.
He sighed. Nothing was ever easy and few missions ever came off without a hitch. For the sake of his family and his children, he needed to get into the laboratory, soldiers or no soldiers. He had known all along why Pepper and the children had been put in his path. He was too intelligent not to know, but that didn’t mean he’d back down. He just had to be faster and outwit Whitney at his own game.
The soldiers in the third-story laboratory were lying in wait for anyone who would come to rescue the two children. Trap had run into two soldiers in the holding cells. Without a doubt, Whitney had used the babies as bait for Wyatt.
Wyatt listened carefully, noting every position. The soldiers had grown restless, and who could blame them? It was difficult to stay on high alert for days. The civilian guards had dismissed the danger all too readily – other than Larry and Jim, who had maintained their job as best they could by themselves.
The men in the laboratory had to be trained soldiers from Whitney’s personal army. He’d smuggled them inside and kept them on alert waiting for Wyatt to make his move. Whitney clearly had expected him to wait for reinforcements or to secure his grandmother’s home before coming after the two children.
Wyatt was hot-tempered and sometimes impulsive – such as when he’d joined the GhostWalker program after losing Joy. Whitney underestimated him, plain and simple. And he’d underestimated the loyalty of his team members as well.