Page 3 of His Reluctant Mate

For reasons she would never know, her more primal instincts kicked in and she pressed herself against the wall just outside the door, listening intently.

“Do you think I don’t understand that?” Marcus said, his tone brimming with equal parts of frustration and resignation. “But we have protocols to follow.” [Pause] “I know. I’ve tried to come up with another solution, but there isn’t one. One of them will talk. They’re all a bunch of gung-ho scientists who will never see that there are other considerations to be made. We can’t just go public with this.”

There was another pause, and Marcus sighed. “I understand. I’m moving the security team into place. We’ll take care of them. We’ll destroy the research station, which will get rid of the data and anything that indicates we had prior knowledge as well as the bodies. It’ll just be one of those tragic incidents that everyone wrings their hands over before they move on to the next one.”

Melinda stood in horrified silence. Unless she was quite mistaken, Marcus was talking about killing her and her team and then destroying the station to get rid of all of the evidence—including their corpses.

Obviously, the truth she had uncovered about the methane spike was not only as serious as she feared, but it was not unexpected. It sounded as if the company and Marcus had worked out a plan to cover up whatever was causing the spike if she and her team found it. She and the team were the company’s insurance that whatever they had done would never be discovered. She peeked around the corner, catching a glimpse of Marcus’s stern face.

Melinda felt a chill run down her spine, not from the cold, but from the gravity of the side of the conversation she could hear. She took a deep breath, deciding she needed to intervene before things got out of hand. Gathering her courage, she stepped away and turned to get to her team and get them to some kind of safety.

As she was passing the storage room, she could hear voices and footsteps coming from the hallway that intersected with the one where she was. She ducked inside.

Melinda crouched behind a row of metal cabinets in the dimly-lit storage room, her breath coming in shallow, controlled gasps. The hum of the facility’s machinery seemed louder in the tense silence, echoing off the sterile walls. Her heart pounded as she strained to hear the voices coming from the adjacent corridor.

“We need to clear this section first,” a gruff voice commanded. It was the leader of the armed security team, a burly man with a scar cutting across his left cheek. Melinda had seen him around before, but she had never felt the chill of fear he now inspired.

“Yes, sir,” another voice replied, obedient and urgent.

“After that, round up all the scientists and support staff,” the leader continued, his tone devoid of any emotion. “Get them into the central area. We’ll dispose of them there. Make sure the explosives are set properly this time. We can’t afford any mistakes.”

Melinda’s stomach twisted with horror. She pressed a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. The reality of their situation crashed down on her. These men weren’t here for security; they were here to ensure no information got out that the company didn’t want. She needed to warn the others, but she couldn’t afford to get caught.

The sound of boots echoed closer. Melinda peeked around the edge of the cabinet, seeing the shadows of the men through the frosted glass of the storage room’s door as they moved through the hallway. She calculated her next move. The storage room had a secondary exit that led to the lab’s ventilation shafts. If she could get there unnoticed, she might have a chance to alert her colleagues.

“Remember,” the leader’s voice cut through her thoughts, “no one gets out alive. This facility needs to be wiped off the map. We leave no traces.”

Melinda’s mind raced. She had to act fast. As the footsteps grew fainter, she seized her opportunity. Keeping low, she scurried to the back of the storage room, pushing aside a stack of crates that concealed the entrance to the ventilation shafts. She squeezed through the narrow opening, the metal cool against her skin.

Inside the ventilation shaft, the noise of the facility was muffled, but she could still hear the distant orders of the security team. Melinda inched forward, her movements deliberate and silent. Every muscle in her body was tense with the effort to remain quiet. She couldn’t afford to make a single sound.

But as she moved deeper into the shaft, the pathway suddenly narrowed and twisted, leading to a space far too small for a human. Not even an Arctic fox could fit through.. Panic gripped her. She couldn’t reach her colleagues through this route. She needed another plan.

Retracing her steps, Melinda emerged back into the storage room. She glanced around, her mind racing. Marcus’s office was on the other side of the facility. He was the lead researcher, and his computer contained all the crucial data. If she couldn’t save everyone directly, she could at least secure the research and ensure they didn’t die in vain. The fact that she could so coldly make that decision and write off the lives of the others made her want to vomit, but if she couldn’t save them, she could save what they died for.

Dodging from one shadow to the next, Melinda navigated the labyrinthine hallways of the facility. The security team’s voices echoed intermittently, a constant reminder of the ticking clock. She finally reached Marcus’s office, her heart pounding in her ears.

The door was slightly ajar. She slipped inside and went straight to his computer. With trembling hands, she plugged in a flash drive and started downloading the data. The progress bar crept forward agonizingly slowly. Each second felt like an eternity.

“Hurry, hurry,” she whispered to herself, glancing nervously at the door.

Finally, the download was complete. Melinda snatched the flash drive and tucked it into her bra. As she turned to leave, she heard footsteps approaching. She couldn’t afford to be seen here. She slipped behind the office door just as it swung open.

One of the security guards entered, scanning the room suspiciously. Melinda held her breath, pressing herself flat against the wall. After a few tense moments, the guard left, closing the door behind him.

Melinda exhaled slowly. She had the data, but now she had to find a way out. Steeling herself, she slipped back into the corridor, determined to escape and ensure that the truth about the facility—and the horror she had heard—would not be lost.

With the data secured, Melinda made her way back through the labyrinth of hallways, her heart pounding in her chest. The flash drive, now a precious lifeline, was tucked securely in her bra. She moved with purpose, careful to avoid the patrols of the armed security team. The stakes were higher than ever; she had to get out and expose the atrocity about to unfold.

She reached the storage closet, slipping inside and closing the door softly behind her. The room was dimly lit, the shadows providing some comfort against the oppressive tension outside. She considered the ramifications of locking the door from the inside. It would give her, at least, some warning that someone was about to enter the room and possibly find her. On the other hand, it would alert anyone trying to open the door that someone might have locked it inside. She opted for early warning. It wouldn’t slow them down by much, but it might be the difference between her getting away or being murdered. She crossed to the back, where the ductwork began, hidden behind a stack of crates. Melinda slipped behind the crates quietly, revealing the narrow opening that led to the ventilation shaft.

Quietly, she removed her clothes, bundling them together inside one of the expedition suits that was kept in the closet and ensuring the flash drive was well protected. She called forth her Arctic fox, who had been prowling and snarling within her mind’s eye. The familiar mist shrouded her but did not bring the comfort or excitement it usually did. Her fox form was so much smaller than her human one. Perhaps it could slip through the ventilation shafts and reach the outside. Once outside, it would be better able to cope and survive within the harsh arctic conditions.

Taking a deep breath, she squeezed into the duct. The metal was cool against her fur, and the confined space heightened her sense of urgency. She began to crawl, each movement careful and deliberate. The hum of the facility’s machinery reverberated through the ducts, masking the sound of her progress. She felt a mixture of fear and determination, knowing that her journey through the ductwork would be treacherous but necessary.

The path through the ventilation system was cramped and winding. Melinda navigated the twists and turns, her mind focused on reaching the outside. The air grew fresher and more frigid, and she knew she was getting closer to the facility’s outer walls. She paused occasionally to listen, ensuring she wasn’t being followed or detected.

The ducting shook and reverberated with the sounds of the security team opening fire on her colleagues. She could hear their screams, and she was certain she could feel their fear. Arctic foxes were very attuned to the earth’s magnetic forces, which were tied to the life forces of everything that called the planet home. It was what had driven her to become an environmental scientist. There were those who turned a deliberate blind eye to what was happening, elemental and contrived forces that were bringing about the earth’s destruction.

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