Hidden Impact (Safeguard #1)(70)

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.

They moved quickly through the halls, and the cameras blurred a little more on the edges. They encountered one more guard, overwhelmed him with a speedy efficiency that made it look simple. It couldn’t be, but Maylin had no doubts they were very good at what they did.

“Note—no unit insignias on the uniforms. Their badges are worn, they’ve been here a while.”

Harte responded, “Understood, One Alpha.”

Finally, Gabe’s camera trained on a door. He touched a badge he’d stripped off the first guard to a sensor on the left and it flashed green as the lock disengaged with an audible click. Inside, a tiny form lay curled up on a bare bunk. Gabe moved forward and pinned the girl down as she woke, covering her mouth to silence her scream. Gaunt, exhausted, but a beautiful sight.

“An-mei.” Maylin whispered her sister’s name.

Harte didn’t even glance back at her. “Identity confirmed. Acquire the package and get the hell out of Dodge.”

Still gruff, the version of Gabe’s voice she knew returned. “An-mei. Maylin sent us. Can you walk?”

Panic receded from An-mei’s eyes when Gabe made no move. After a long moment, she nodded. He released her and helped her up. Her sister took a moment to gain her balance but then seemed steady on her bare feet.

“She looks okay.” Dizzy with relief, Maylin leaned back against the wall.

Clothes, boots. They could get An-mei those. What mattered was she seemed whole and mostly well.

“They’d want her in good enough shape to conduct their research.” Caleb sounded so incredibly reasonable. “Scientists need steady hands. If she didn’t eat, they’d have force-fed her to make sure she was getting nutrition.”

Hopefully, it hadn’t happened.

They were on the move again and Maylin had to look at Marc’s camera to see An-mei. Gabe had taken the lead again and they were back in formation.

Caleb moved to lean against the wall next to her. “They might have done other things to try to get her to cooperate. Isolation, sensory deprivation. Your sister will probably need counseling. I’d recommend you both stay here for some time until we can find new options for you.”

“They aren’t safe yet. Can we talk about it after? We need them safe first.” It was unlucky to talk about the future before the immediate danger had been overcome. It was tempting fate.

Gunfire burst out in a staccato beat across the speakers. Marc’s camera ran into An-mei’s back; from one of the Bravo team’s monitors, Maylin could see Marc pressing An-mei into the floor as he loomed protectively over her to shield her. Gabe had gone down into a crouch as he returned fire.

“One Alpha, Code 13. We’re under fire. Request immediate assistance.”

Maylin’s heart stopped.

Harte barked orders. “Two Alpha, proceed inside. Two Bravo and Charlie, retrograde to vehicles and prepare for secondary exit scenario. One Delta, stand by.”

“What...?”

Caleb placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. She was glad he kept his distance, though. She might have shoved him off in her anxiety. Instead, his touch grounded her. He stepped into her line of sight. “We’re switching to Plan B. The other squadron was waiting above ground just for this. One of the fire teams is heading in to help and then lead them out to the ground level where the other two teams are clearing a path out. Squadron One Bravo is moving inside now while One Delta will stay below ground in the tunnels to guard that escape route in case they have to go to Plan C. The teams have this under control and are still moving.”

And they were. Marc had hoisted An-mei over his shoulder and was walking fast. The cameras of the Bravo team bounced as the teams moved forward at speed, not quite running but definitely heading somewhere in a rush. Here and there, gunfire burst and Gabe’s teams responded. Victoria wielded an impossibly large gun, lighting up the hallway as she fired. Maylin wasn’t sure if it would be a memorial or a nightmare, but the sounds of shouts and pained cries burned into her brain. So far though, every one of the Centurion cameras continued to move.