Page 69 of Sergi
Cadfael chuckled. “You give me more credit for that long-ago uprising, but I have to admit, it’s been some time since I’ve had to worry about such things. Besides, who better to offer options on holding vampires at bay than another vampire.”
Sergi bowed his head, but he couldn’t help but be pleased. “I’d be honored.” He shifted his stance so while he was responding to Cadfael, any shifters within a ten-foot radius would be able to hear. They hovered about in both human and wolf form, milling about in small groups or racing up and down the halls, haunted shadows buried deep in their eyes. Some probably hadn’t been out of their cells for months. A look he was well-versed with from memories he kept locked away. But they all had one thing in common—a fierce glow in their gaze. They wouldn’t go down easy.
He refocused on Cadfael. “How many shifters do you have?”
Cadfael considered the question. “Forty-six have reported in, but a few came out of their cells as wolves and haven’t shifted, so the count is a handful more than that. I haven’t used my full Alpha powers yet. I thought I’d give them time to settle on their own.”
Sergi nodded. Though they might not shift back to human for days, they could still help the cause. For now, the group’s first concern would be preventing the guards from infiltrating this level. The guards would be armed with tranquilizers and live rounds. “Alex said there were two staircases and one elevator?”
“That’s right. And the back door on level three. We currently have twelve shifters holding positions at the other staircase and the elevator.”
“Do we need to worry about the guards gaining access to level three without going past your perimeters on this level?
“We don’t believe so.”
Sergi grunted. The last thing they needed were guards flanking them from below. “You might want those wolves who refuse to shift to spend their time running around level three."
“I think two are already down there.” Cadfael pointed at Carlos. “Can you round up the others?”
“I’ll take care of it. I also wanted to add that I’ve checked both armories. There weren’t a lot of weapons, but we have several handguns, ten rifles, and about a dozen automatics.”
“What about ammo or explosives?” Sergi asked.
“There’s plenty of ammo, but that depends on what the guards will do. I didn’t see any explosives. There are plenty of knives, but the shifters prefer to fight as wolves.”
Sergi considered the information. “I agree the shifters in their wolf form is an advantage, but I suggest a mix of wolves and shifters with weapons to protect the access points. My other concern is that they might want to starve you out. Most of you haven’t eaten well as it is. I believe there are small cafeteriason levels two and three. You might want to have someone responsible for rationing.”
Cadfael nodded as Sergi gave his opinions. “I agree. Carlos, I’ll ask you to find someone to take charge of the food and water inventory. But our first priority should be to focus on our perimeters. The elevator will be our weakest point. There’s a limit to how many guards can fit, but they’ll be better armed and could have tear gas or smoke bombs.”
Sergi nodded along with Cadfael. “The guards could use similar methods at the stairs.”
Cadfael considered his point as he tugged on an ear, his eyes glowing a soft red. “What we need are blockades at each entrance.”
“Use whatever you can find to block specific corridors at those locations. Force them to go where you want them to go.”
“Set up an ambush.” Carlos grinned. “We need the shifters who know these corridors the best.”
If Rafael had escaped, Devon should be on his way with a rescue team, but Sergi couldn’t take that chance. Devon would be prepared, but it would still take several days to get a team to Romania. “You should plan to hold off the guards for at least two weeks.”
Cadfael shook his head this time, his expression grim. “It will take you several days to find a town where you can contact your House leader.”
“I’m not new to the Carpathians. I’ve fought many battles here over the centuries. I also studied the geography before coming here.”
“And we have our trackers,” Carlos chimed in.
“Trackers?” Cadfael asked.
Sergi pointed to a spot just above his left wrist. “Carlos and I were implanted with GPS trackers. We also had a third team member. I don’t know if he made it out alive. Either way, Devonwill already be planning a rescue. He knows Carlos and I have been in one position for too long, but he won’t know why. He might think we’re dead, or—” He glanced up and waved his arm to emphasize the entire facility. “Something is blocking our transmitters, and he’ll want to know why our signal stopped.”
“If that’s the case—” Carlos looked at Cadfael, “—once Sergi is outside the facility, his tracker should work again, and they’ll know there was a dead zone between where he went in and where he came out.”
Cadfael nodded, his expression brightening. “And they’ll suspect the lab is between the two signals.”
“That’s my belief.” Sergi felt time starting to press in on him. He still had one objective, then he caught himself. He had two objectives, and the thought startled him.
His primary mission had shifted once he’d been captured. Now that he was inside, he had to find some piece of evidence. If the director thought the facility was compromised, they could destroy all evidence and restart somewhere else. He couldn’t leave without an attempt.
Then there was Alex. Still somewhere on level one, perhaps trapped. Maybe dead. And when the thought hit him, his chest tightened. She’d saved him. Had endangered her own welfare to help him. He knew she saw him as the shifter’s one way out, but that didn’t matter. He couldn’t betray her belief in him by running away.
