Hang on. You have a big sister looking for you.
Gabe hoped they were in time. Edict shouldn’t have had time yet to move An-mei. They’d have needed a green light from a decision-maker in their backer’s organization, Phoenix Biotech, on any semi-permanent location to take her to in any case. And the Centurions were betting on An-mei’s value as a scientist to keep her alive. Anticipated retaliation after the attack on Centurion Corporation ground would push Edict and, by extension, Phoenix Biotech, into taking defensive action. Hopefully it wouldn’t pressure them into making An-mei disappear permanently.
Harte’s voice murmured into his ear-comm, “Squadron Two Bravo reports normal movement above ground. Guards on watch show no change.”
Which was an indicator that all was well below ground, if luck was on their side.
Gabe proceeded forward, working his way through the network of hallways and stopping to check the labels for each of the rooms as they passed, trying to find the labs or the sleeping quarters. The search would be painfully slow unless they found someone to help them. Gabe wasn’t above asking for directions.
Politely, of course.
They moved forward two more hallway junctions before he heard exactly what he was hoping for: footsteps. They echoed around the corner as his teams halted. The person was alone and unhurried. Perfect.
*
“What are they doing?” Maylin squinted, trying to make sense of the images on the various monitors. Apparently Gabe and each of his teams were wearing cameras, but the images had been too dark until Gabe’s team emerged in the lighted hallways of the facility. Even so, the video feed wasn’t crisp and the color was a little closer to gray scale. Focus was sharper in the center of the screen but stretched along the periphery. It made it more like a scary movie for her, surreal and tense. As if anything could come at them from any side. They’d all become people who mattered to her. And Gabe? Much more. Indescribably so.
“They’re about to ask for directions, most likely.” Harte stood in front of the monitors, arms crossed. His head turned slightly as he scanned each of the monitors in turn. “It’s what I’d do.”
“We had a good idea of what the layout was inside the underground lab based on the way the military tended to build those old silos. They’re cookie-cutter in some ways. Not the same, but following the same architectural logic.” Caleb tapped a monitor showing an outside view of the area. “But these people could’ve repurposed the interior in any number of ways. It’ll take too long to do a room-to-room search. Our teams need to get intel directly from someone familiar with the operation.”
Possibilities crowded into Maylin’s mind and none of them were the stuff of sweet dreams. She had to remind herself, chant silently. We’re saving An-mei.
The people who had her sister would’ve done worse to her, would’ve killed Charlie. An innocent man dragged into chaos and it was all Maylin’s fault. Maybe when it was all over she could figure out a way to make up for it, but she wasn’t in a place to think about it. Yet.
For now. There was only the screen and the sudden blur of movement as Gabe rushed forward and grabbed a person mouth first. There was a struggle as they grappled. Gabe had the other man subdued in less than a second. Frightening how quiet, how fast it had been.
“The scientists. Where are they kept?” Gabe’s voice was barely recognizable, the low growl distorted. Maybe he did it on purpose or maybe it was a measure of how different he was with her.
The captured man started to curse through the thing shoved in his mouth, but his words were cut off by a rapid clicking sound and he convulsed. Maylin jumped. Couldn’t help it.
“Taser.” Caleb’s comment was neutral. Harte said nothing, his face a hard mask.
Gabe waved a tiny cylinder under the unconscious man’s nose. As the man came to, Gabe fired off the question again. “Where are they? Where are the scientists?”
The man spit out another muffled insult. Defiance was in the set of his jaw and his stubborn glare.
Gabe tased him again.
“Maybe you should wait outside.” Caleb made the suggestion gently. “I’ll come get you when they move to the next phase.”
Maylin shook her head and hugged herself. Made sure to watch every moment. Gabe was doing this for her. He might have committed other things in the past and this probably wasn’t the worst he’d ever done, but this was for her. If there was nothing else she could do, she could bear witness.
Caleb didn’t argue, only returned his attention to the screen.
The man finally broke, stuttering out a set of directions.
“One Charlie, secure him.” Having given the order, Gabe and his team moved forward.