The van burst into laughter.
“All right, everyone. Turn on your comm and keep it open on channel two. Maintain silence unless necessary. We’re getting close. Look sharp.” Creed was peering between Alik and Evan to look out the front windshield. “Pull over here.”
Alik slowed the van and pulled off to the side of the road. There was a cluster of trees and brush providing good coverage. Slider and Gavil were already jumping out of the van, Creed held back a moment. His soldier’s calm slipped when he turned to look at the dark-eyed beauty of his dreams. Meg’s empath skill created a strong link between them. She could feel his anxiety, mixed with affection.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said and smiled reassuringly. He stared into her eyes as though desperately trying to memorize her before nodding once and gracefully leaping out of the van. The doors closed firmly, and they were gone.
Meg took a deep breath.
Through her earpiece, she could hear Creed’s slow deep breathing. He was running. Slider and Gavil were there, too, racing on either side of him and though she could hear them, her empath senses focused entirely on Creed, making him easy to distinguish. She tried to send him calming emotions and could feel him reaching out even as the van rounded the bend. The Facility’s massive front gates loomed.
Farrow and Meg stayed out of sight as Alik pulled the van to a squeaky stop and rolled down his window. A metasoldier was already walking forward, clipboard in hand.
“Guten abend,” Alik offered. Yes, Alik spoke perfect German, thanks to his eidetic memory. It only took him one day to learn it. He just sat at the computer with the “Learn to Speak German” software and by dinner, he was fluent. Meg smiled wryly. Now that’s a gift.
“Wieder gutmachen Sie pünktlich. Unterzeichnen Sie hier,” the guard said, passing the clipboard and pen to Alik who scribbled next to the “X” and handed it back.
Peering through a crack in the boxes, Meg watched the exchange with bated breath. The guard frowned at Alik’s signature, then looked at him more closely.
“Sie sind nicht der übliche Lieferant. Wo ist Hans?” The guard squinted into Alik’s face.
“Er ist krank,” Alik said and shrugged innocently.
“Warten hier. Ich muss Ihre Firma rufen, zu beglaubigen.” He guard turned and strode back to the little booth and began talking to the other guard even as he reached for the phone.
“Alik!” Meg hissed. “What’s going on?”
“He says I’m not the regular guy and he’s going to have to call the company to verify my identity.” Alik whispered into his shoulder so it didn’t look too obvious. “Did you hear that, Creed?”
“I’m on it,” his voice was steady in Meg’s ear.
Meg never even saw who took out the surveillance cameras. They exploded all around the booth and on both sides of the gated entrance.
Creed was on the guards with deadly precision. Two shots, then silence.
They probably never even realized he was there.
The gate began to slide open, having been triggered by a button in the booth Creed found. Farrow flung the back doors wide so the three metas could spill back in. Creed closed the doors behind him and whispered, “All clear. Let’s go Alik.” He wasn’t even winded.
Gavil, Slider and Creed assumed their same positions casually, as though they’d just stepped out to get the mail instead of sprinting a half mile, shooting out security cameras and killing two metasoldiers.
“Are you ready, Meg?” Creed asked. This was all feeling so surreal, but she nodded and closed her eyes to look out into her empath’s night sky seeking the sickening venom of Williams’ signature. Her brothers and Farrow knew how traumatized she was by Williams’ macabre psyche, and felt them send encouraging thoughts her way. Without being conscious of it, Meg’s shaking hand reached out to find Creed’s. His strength and determination flowed into her, steadying her efforts, allowing her to focus.
“He’s in an office, sipping a cup of Earl Gray tea. He’s…oh, no!” Meg gasped. Everyone stared, waiting for her to explain.
“He’s expecting us.” Meg said numbly.
“What?”
“How the hell could he know?”
“We took out the surveillance at the gate!”
“There’s no way!”
“We are so screwed.”
“Shit.”
Creed reached out and held both her hands in his, forcing her to look at him. “Meg, where is he?”
“He’s in the administration building sitting behind his desk in his office. He’s thinking about how lovely it will be to see me…” Meg heard her voice drift away. “He’s calling to me.”