Page 86 of Blade's Battle
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They found the cabin at the coordinates Anna had given. It was along a rough dirt road that from the clear tire marks had been used recently. Anna hadn’t been here since before Drake kidnapped her. That was over three months ago. With a nod from Callen, Frank and Pryce shifted and headed out to patrol.
“Who else comes here,” Callen asked as he climbed the cabin’s four creaky wooden steps.
“No one.” Anna pushed the door open.
Callen flung a heavily muscled arm out, blocking her. Then he stepped in, nodding to her to remain outside. “All clear,” he said a few minutes later.
Blade frowned. The place wasn’t exactly run down, but it was small. There was no way Anna could do her research here. She’d been telling him about the special equipment she needed and the size of her lab she used to work in before the WSSO trashed it.
Anna turned on a small LED lamp on the table by the kitchen. The light did nothing to change his first impression. This was a hunter’s cabin at best, with barely enough space for the four of them. Across from a central fireplace was a decent enough sofa built for three and the kitchen had a few feet of counter space, a sink, a small fridge which was probably hooked up to a generator, and a few cabinets of dishes and cookware. They’d hunt for most of their meals, but even so, the place was barely livable. He didn’t like the idea that she called this place ‘home.’ His Anna deserved better.
“It’s nice,” Blade said, forcing a smile even as he took in the three doors off to the back. Maybe one of those was her lab. He took a quick peek in each. Two bedrooms with a shared bathroom between. At least the place had inside plumbing.
“You should see the look on your faces,” she said as she opened the windows for some fresh air. "Drop everything except the samples and follow me.”
They left their supplies there, taking only the pack of tissue and blood samples she had collected. Anna led them through the woods toward a cave but stopped a few hundred feet short. After walking around in circles for several minutes, she started kicking at the brush.
“Found it!”
“I’ll be damned,” Callen said as Anna cleared enough brush away to reveal a hatch with a keypad. “The code is 0217.”
“Birthday?” Callen asked.
The second she hesitated, Blade knew that the date had to do with Kurt.
“My anniversary. At least it was.”
“Still is, Angel.” That earned him a surprised, albeit confused look.
He took her backpack as she climbed down the ladder, followed by Callen and then him. Callen didn’t check the bunker, given the lock. He hung back with Blade as Anna turned on a flashlight and then flipped a light switch.
The second the place lit up, Blade’s mouth dropped open. This was more than a survivalist’s bunker. It had to be a government facility, with cement floors, steel walls, and lighting that led down a long tunnel. They followed her down the tunnel, passing three rooms, all filled with lab equipment. Big machines, beakers, and microscopes everywhere. That’s when he noticed the logo of a dead wolf shifter on several of the smaller machines. WSSO.
Callen ran his hand over the letters. “I thought you didn’t work for the WSSO.”
“I didn’t.” She bit her lip.
“Is this their facility?” Blade asked.
“This used to be a military facility, but it was abandoned decades ago. It’s mine now, legally. I had everything stripped down except the structure, plumbing, and ventilation. There are solar panels on the cliff above the cave, with lines running down the face, hopefully well camouflaged, but I haven’t had anyone out here in months to check. It’s hard to find people to trust.”
“Then this location isn’t exactly secret,” Callen remarked as he continued down the hall, peering into other rooms. “More storage down here.”
“Dried and canned goods. Water. Gasoline even for the generator in the kitchen. As for secrecy, the workers signed non-disclosure agreements. As long as they keep their mouths shut, they get a bonus quarterly. It’s all set up with the banks through a few dummy corporations. I’m not exactly sure how it works. Finances aren’t my area of expertise.”
“You have a partner,” Blade guessed.
“A benefactor, more or less.”
“The WSSO,” Callen said. “This is their equipment.”
“Itwastheir equipment. After they destroyed my lab, Kurt contacted his pack. A few of his packmates stole the equipment for me. He said the WSSO owed me.”
“That a problem for you, Callen?” Blade asked.
“Hardly. Makes me like the guy all the more.”
