Page 57 of Rarely Pure and Never Simple
"They're more afraid of people getting out than in," Shudder added. "It's a prison camp."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Blaze said on a snort.
Damien took the offered scope to study the problem himself. From their vantage point on a slight rise, they had the best view of the place they could have hoped for besides an aerial one. The place was six-sided, the twenty-foot-high fence most likely electrified, since nothing touched it. Several long, single-story buildings occupied the center of the compound. Ten of his trails ended in one of those buildings. He knew which building, he knew which kids, and he knew they still lived.
Frustration rolled in his stomach. He knew all this and couldn't get to them. The only things he could reach were their fear and despair.
They mingled with his confusion, creating an unholy mess in his mind. Confusion because Tara's trail… Hers came here but didn'tendhere—arrivals and departures crossing over each other so that he struggled to decipher which was the most recent. What had happened? What did it mean?
"Damien?" Blaze's soft question was barely more than a whisper.
"I don't know what do to."
In the moonlight, he could just see Blaze cross his arms over his chest. "I know you don't wanna hear this, but the best thing we can do right now is wait and watch."
"But—"
"We need more intel. How they operate. When things happen. We need an opening. Sure, I could go in there guns blazing and probably take out most of the guards, but getting the kids out without me dying in a hail of bullets? That'll take a little more thought."
"Shouldn't we just call in for backup?" Damien murmured, though he had already thought of several reasons what that could be disastrous.
Blaze cocked an eyebrow at him. "You wanna get those kids out alive, I'm thinking. Without creating a hostage situation first. You get those Guild morons screaming in here, guns blazing, that's what you'll have, and some of those kids are gonna die."
"I hate telling Blazey he's right, but he is, beautiful." Shudder turned on his side to look up at them. "There's a routine to places like this. We'll figure it out."
Damien knew sense when he heard it. His impatience came from the terrible feelings in his head and the crushing guilt, knowing those kids had to wait through it all another day.
Midmorning of the next day,the first kernels of a solution presented themselves. It was Damien's turn to watch. In the full sun, all the sharp details and angles of the compound became visible, every movement easy to track through the wire fence.
He zoomed in on the shoulder emblem on one of the guard's uniforms as he strolled passed the gate. The words pieced together a syllable at a time. "Fredamine Data Project."
"Well, doesn't that sound appropriately vague and bureaucratic," Shudder said on a chuckle. "Government funded, Blazey. I can smell it."
"Could be anything," Blaze shot back. "Anything else?"
Damien squinted in the glare. "No. There's a DNA graphic. Some numbers. That's it."
Movement at the corner of the lens caught his eye, and he zoomed out to a wider angle. "Blaze, look."
From one of the buildings, the one Damien was certain housed the missing students, people emerged. Several guards surrounded a group of people in gray coveralls. They clumped together like frightened sheep and only spread out when they reached the center of the yard, apparently ordered to space themselves out. He counted twenty-five… thirty individuals who could only be described as prisoners, all moving mechanically as they were bullied through sets of dispirited calisthenics.
"Exercise period," Blaze growled. "Twitch, do you see our kids out there?"
He nodded. Even without recognizing their faces, he knew ten were with this group. "Do we…?"
"Not yet." Blaze chewed hard on the edge of a ragged nail. "Good to know this is part of the schedule, but we need to figure this out. Let me think."
Shudder began, "We could—"
"You could shut the fuck up and let me think."
"Don't let his brain overheat," Shudder stage-whispered to Damien. "I'm circling around for a different view. We're only seeing a piece of the rotten pie from here."
Blaze shot out a hand and seized Shudder's wrist. "Don't, you jackass. You'll give us away."
Something fierce and angry invaded Shudder's bright grin. "Who's been out here avoiding capture all these years,Bailey? You? We need a more complete picture."
"Wait. Damn it, Shuds." Blaze pulled his palm phone from his pocket. "Whisper line. You remember how? So you don't go haring off and we lose contact?"
