Page 65 of Sergi
My heart pounded in my ears, and I forced deeper breaths until my pulse slowed. I had to pull myself together. This was a mission. It might have been delayed a year, but the task I’d beenassigned was happening. I had to act like the warrior I’d been trained to be. I could do this.
The words sounded good, but I couldn’t stop the anxiety creeping over me when the footsteps drew near. Whoever it was never slowed, and once they were past the storage closet, I eased the door open and sighed with relief. Two lab techs were running to a safe location, which should be back to their rooms. It was something I’d overheard at the women’s baths when I’d first arrived. One of the staff workers was new to the facility, and another female was answering questions about a possible raid, though one had never happened in the hundred years the lab had been in service.
If I remembered the conversation correctly, standard protocol for when the alarms sounded was to return to their room and lock the door. If they couldn’t get to their room, there were several rooms on each level considered secure panic rooms—if they could make it to one.
Before leaving the storage closet, I listened for anyone else who might be out there. Another lab tech appeared but turned down a different hallway. I had to find clothing. A nude woman walking around the lab would certainly draw suspicions from anyone monitoring a security camera.
I continued down the hall toward the director’s office and slipped into one of the smaller labs similar to the ones I’d cleaned before. This one was no different and was thankfully empty of staff.
I searched through the cabinets, feeling time ticking away. There had to be something to wear. I’d seen spare clothes in other labs in case of a mishap, and the second to the last cabinet finally rewarded my efforts. I slipped on a pair of scrub pants, a loose-fitting shirt, and a fresh lab coat. I’d kept a keycard and clipped it to the lapel.
I ran my fingers through my hair. It had been a couple of days since my last bathing privilege, one of the perks of working on level one. The staff didn’t like the stink of unwashed shifters. Once again, I slowly opened the door in time to see two staff rushing toward me.
I would have panicked, but they looked terrified, their eyes huge behind their glasses.
“Get to your room,” the male yelled as he rushed by.
The female behind him said nothing, but her quick glance my way said it all. It was everyone for themselves. I grinned. The odds were still against us, but not having to fight the staff worked in our favor.
I was passing the second main lab where some of the experiments had been held and stopped. The director’s office would have the evidence Sergi needed, but what about all the vials? What if he was still trapped on level three? It wouldn’t take long to grab a few samples.
I used the keycard to open the doors but only made it a few steps when the familiar click of nails on hard surface made me turn around. Three wolves stood at the doorway, their eyes alert. When they saw me, their hackles rose, and I lifted my hands.
“I’m shifter S-473. I’m searching for evidence. You need to be on level two. That’s where we’re making our stand.”
Their raised fur lowered, but they were cautious as they drew closer, noses lifted in the air, trying to catch my scent. I’d have to let them get a lot closer. The smell of disinfectant in the labs made it difficult for shifters to get a good scent.
Once they were within a couple of feet of me, their tails wagged as one licked my hand.
When I tried to shoo them away, they stood their ground.
“Fine. But once I find what I need in here, you need to get below. We need your help holding the lower levels and can’t afford to lose you to the guards.”
Before I could return to my task, two guards slid to a stop at the doorway.Unbelievable.They lifted their rifles, but there wasn’t enough distance between them and us, and the wolves didn’t hesitate. They raced to meet the guards, and I caught the fear in the guards’ eyes.
They managed to each get a shot off. One went wide as I ducked behind the closest counter. One of the wolves yelped and fell on their side, but then it was up. A small trickle of blood marred its coat, but it was probably nothing more than a flesh wound.
The guards never got another shot.
I blocked out their screams and focused on my mission. If the staff changed the codes, this would all be for naught, but I typed in the numbers I’d memorized. I grinned when the light turned green, and the door popped open.
I pulled out several trays from the shelves and placed them on the counter. The first tray of vials held human blood. I set it and another aside and checked other trays until I found vials marked with an S, which I believed to be an earlier version of the shifter serum.
The next step was to check the locked cabinet near the fridge. Bingo.
A tray of vials marked with MP—Magic Poppy—sat front and center. They probably kept it handy for Gheata in case he wanted to give Sergi another dose. I pulled it out and looked for the last item Sergi would need. My gut wrenched when the other vials had labels that didn’t follow the same naming convention, and I didn’t have time to speculate what they might be. On the top shelf, pushed toward the back, was a single tray of Blood Poppy. And not just any Blood Poppy, but the ones marked BP-X. I didn’t know why they kept it stored in the back, but considering how addictive Sergi said it was, perhaps the lab techs thought, “Out of sight, out of mind.”
I brought the trays over to where I’d put the other trays aside, then grabbed towels from the storage cabinet. I decided to take three vials each of the Magic Poppy, the Blood Poppy, and the shifter serum. Not knowing how much blood Sergi might need, I decided to take a dozen vials of the human blood. I wouldn’t be able to carry more than that.
I tightly wrapped the vials so they wouldn’t jostle and break, then wrapped them again, creating two bundles. They barely fit into the pockets of my lab coat.
I was on my way out when I heard a whimper. I spun around. The sound was coming from behind the island. I peered over the top and found a man huddled in the corner of two cabinets. He wore a lab coat, and that was all I needed to know as I raced around the island.
When he lifted his head, I grinned. I recognized that face, though his expression was filled with terror rather than his normal arrogance.
“Well, hello, Leonard.”
He screamed, “I was only doing my job.”
