Endangered

by Michelle Larkin

The other five wolf pack members followed suit—Rivera, Barnes, Delacruz, Kennedy, and Malenko. Like Oscar, all of them were cops. They’d been like Aspen’s uncles growing up, always dropping by for a meal or a ball game on TV.

  Miller stood and stared long and hard at everyone around the table. As Oscar’s second-in-command, Aspen knew he was the serious one, always the slowest to smile and the last to laugh. He was also the soul of the pack. “I think I speak for all my pack members when I say it would be an honor to fight alongside each of you.”

  Olga stood beside Miller. “I will fight for all of you like family.” She winked at Aspen.

  Oscar was the last to stand. He puffed his chest out proudly. His usual air of authority was somewhat compromised by the baby strapped to his chest in a fashionably patterned pink-and-green pouch. “A new pack is born today. We run together, fight together, lay our lives down for each other, and leave no one behind. Our loyalty to the pack knows no bounds.” He made a point of looking into each Shroud’s eyes. “From this moment on, we’re family.”

  “Works for me. But do we have to call ourselves a pack?” Still hungry, Aspen took a seat and emptied half the tub smothering her second bagel in strawberry cream cheese.

  “Hey, leave some for me,” Skye said, plucking the knife from Aspen’s hand. “How about a flock? That has a nice ring to it.”

  “Or a pride,” Tora said, joining in the fun. “That makes us sound fierce.”

  “I rather like herd,” Mrs. B chimed in.

  “We need a politically correct term that’s inclusive of all species,” Beckett pointed out.

  Liam sat beside his dad. “Let’s just give ourselves a kick-ass superhero name.”

  Skye glanced up from her bagel. “Like The Avengers?”

  “Exactly. But something original.” Liam swept the blue hair from his eyes. “How about The Ferals?”

  “Has potential.”

  “Simple and to the point.”

  “Makes us sound like wild animals.”

  “Shall we put it to a vote?” Oscar raised his hand. “All in favor of The Ferals?”

  Hope’s head popped up from the pouch on Oscar’s chest as she defiantly spat out her binky with an audible pop. Her angelic baby face did not look happy.

  “Our youngest member has cast the first vote,” Oscar said, catching the binky before it hit the floor.

  Hope’s eyes took on a golden hue as she gazed up at him.

  “Alpha Genesis,” Oscar announced with a shrug. “Just came to me. Those in favor?’”

  Everyone grew quiet as they met one another’s gaze around the table. One by one, they all raised a hand.

  “It’s official,” Oscar said, grinning. “Welcome, everyone…to Alpha Genesis.”

  “Can we have T-shirts made with little logos?” Hank asked.

  “I’ve never been in a superhero group before,” Mrs. B admitted. “Wait. Does my knitting group count?”

  Aspen finished her bagel and sipped her coffee, watching everyone as the banter continued. She was acutely aware they had all just made an oath to one another. Family, for better or worse.

  Until now, it had always been just her and Oscar. Their family had grown overnight. Something told her these Shrouds were destined all along to be here with her and the newborns.

  It was clear in her vision that the SEA’s arrival was imminent. All they needed was more time—time for the newborns to grow, time for her to finish her training and gain a better understanding of her own abilities. She shuddered to imagine what would happen if SEA soldiers found them before they were ready. The Shrouds sitting around this table already meant so much to her. There was no way in hell she was going to let anything happen to them.

  Chapter Eighteen

  They all finished breakfast and moved their meeting to the main room of chamber one. The early morning chill in the underground tunnels made Aspen shiver. She ignited the gas fire pit as everyone took a seat on the massive circular sofa and burrowed into the plethora of throw pillows.

  Tora returned a few minutes later with maps of the sanctuary in hand. She passed them out and then pressed a button on the side of the fire pit. A hidden panel in the rock floor opened as a huge screen rose up and towered above them.

  Aspen stood in the center of the group, hands on hips. “Now that we have our own headquarters, the first thing we’ll do is get to know every inch of this place like our lives depend on it. Tora’s going to familiarize us with the layout of the tunnels and chambers. We’ll need to commit all of this to memory as quickly as possible.” She made a point of looking over at Oscar. “I know it’s been, like, eons since some of you were in school. Just do your best to keep up with the rest of us.”

  Oscar rolled his eyes.

  Aspen turned the group over to Tora and took a seat beside Skye.

  Tora pointed a remote at the screen and brought up livestreams from various points within the sanctuary. “There are five chambers,” she explained. “Each one is roughly the size of two football fields. All are connected through a series of tunnels with limited entry and exit points. We’ll review the layout here, and then Michael will take you on a tour.”

  On cue, Michael stepped forward and nodded at the group.

  “What about the other residents?” Hank asked.

  “All residents are being evacuated and relocated as we speak,” Tora said in the clipped, no-nonsense tone Aspen had come to expect when there was business at hand. “A handful of nurses, two doctors, the newborns, and their parents are the only exceptions.”

  “And me,” Michael added as he smiled through his lumberjack beard. “I’m staying, too.”

  Aspen thought back to the impressive security measures for this chamber—no keyhole, doorknob, or keypad on the other side of the door. For all she knew, Michael was their sole means of entry. She’d have to ask Tora about that later. “Are you staying because you have to or because you want to?”

  The group was silent as they watched him.

  “Both,” he said finally, tugging at his beard as he appeared to give the question serious thought. “I gave old Doc Madigan my word I’d stick around and help out here if anything ever happened to him.” He looked up from the floor and shrugged broad shoulders. “If I die protecting what he built, I’m okay with that.”

  Well, Michael obviously understood the stakes. Aspen gave him a quick once-over and promptly decided to follow her instincts with this particular Shroud. She trusted Michael. Built like an NFL linebacker, he could easily intimidate those around him with his size and deep voice. Yet he moved with the grace and humility of a truly gentle man. She sensed he was not only aware of his imposing stature but felt obliged to compensate for it.

  Oscar called out from his place on the sofa, “Is your loyalty to the sanctuary?”

  Head bowed, Michael met Oscar’s gaze. “This sanctuary is supposed to be a refuge. Doc had plans to build them all over the world so Shrouds like us could be safe. We can defend this place. We should defend this place. By taking our stand here against humans, we show our people there’s hope. We let them know it’s time to fight back. My loyalty is to our people. All Shrouds. Everywhere. They’re worth dying for.”

  Aspen couldn’t have said it better herself. Members of the group nodded and murmured in agreement as Oscar stood and extended his hand to Michael. “Welcome to Alpha Genesis.”

  “To what?” Michael asked, reaching over to shake Oscar’s hand.

  “Alpha Genesis,” Oscar repeated.

  “That’s what we named ourselves,” Skye said, grinning. “We’re a superhero group.”

  “With a mission to kick the SEA’s ass from here to kingdom come.” Mrs. B pushed her glasses up with one finger and gave Michael a serious staring down.

  “Consider yourself an official member,” Beckett said proudly.

  “We’re having T-shirts made,” Hank chimed in. “We’ll get you an extra-extra-small,” he added as everyone laughed. Even Michael chuckled at his own expen
se.

  Derby and Miller scooted aside to make a space for Michael on the sofa.

  Everyone unfolded their maps and followed along as Tora reviewed each section of the sanctuary. Efficient as ever, her presentation was concise and to the point. Even her posture was ramrod straight. Aspen shook her head and smiled to herself. Tora needed to loosen up a little, have some fun. Times like these were exactly when goofing off was most needed.

  Oscar studied the map in his lap intently. “The only way to get to the other chambers is to come through this one first?”

  “Correct,” Tora replied.

  “Is Michael the only key?” Oscar asked the question before Aspen had the chance. As usual, they were on the same page.

  Tora started to shake her head but stopped. “Actually, he is our only key right now. We had a second Shroud who was small enough to fit through that hole, but he’s being evacuated with the others.”

  Aspen knew where Oscar’s thoughts were heading next. “Shouldn’t we have a backup?” he asked.

  Tora looked over at Aspen. They hadn’t told anyone about last night’s shapeshifting lesson. “Aspen will be our backup.”

  “You did it?” Skye sat up, bursting with excitement beside her. “You shifted?”

  “Into a mouse?” Oscar asked, frowning.

  Tora came to her defense before Aspen could respond. “In her first session, she was able to shift into each of your primary animals.”

  “Wow!” Skye reached out to give her a congratulatory hug. “That’s amazing!”

  Aspen smiled, aware all eyes were on her. “They all just sort of came out on their own,” she admitted.

  “True. But each animal was exquisite,” Tora countered.

  “And the panther?” Caught up in the excitement, Oscar scooted to the edge of his seat. “Did you shift into your panther?”

  She nodded.

  “Atta girl,” Oscar cheered. He smacked his leg and beamed with pride.

  Liam peered at Aspen through long blue bangs. “I remember my grandpa telling me a story about a Myriad who shifted into his primary when he lost control. Like the Hulk.” He glanced at Beckett. “Remember that story, Dad?”

  Beckett nodded, leaning forward. “My great-grandfather, Amos, was best friends with a Myriad. His name was Felix. He and my great-grandpa were like brothers. My dad passed on all the stories that Papa Amos told him. There’s one in particular about how Felix could shift into any animal at will, except his own. He was a lion like you, Tora. Hard as he tried, though, he could never shift into one.

  “Amos and Felix were walking home from a poker game at a friend’s house one night when they saw a father beating his little boy through an apartment window. They banged on the door and demanded he stop. But he ignored them, kept right on beating his boy. That’s when Felix just lost it. He shifted right there in the hallway. It was the first time Amos ever saw him as a lion.”

  “First and only,” Liam added. “Humans caught up with Felix soon after and killed him.”

  “But not before he saved the boy,” Beckett said, smiling as he reminisced. “That boy later became my grandfather. Great-grandpa Amos adopted Henry and raised him as his own.”

  “The boy was a Shroud?” Tora asked, clearly surprised as she sat on the edge of the fire pit.

  Beckett shook his head. “He was a three-year-old human boy. His mother had died and he had no other family. When Great-grandpa Amos confronted the father, he offered to take the boy off his hands.”

  Oscar scowled. “Offered or threatened?”

  “Probably a little of both,” Beckett admitted.

  “Your grandfather was human?” Tora asked, taken aback. “But you’re a Shroud. I saw it myself. You’re a wolf.”

  Beckett’s grin widened. “Damn right, I am.”

  Aspen looked around at the group. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, silent as they waited for him to explain. She’d never heard of such a thing happening.

  “Henry was raised by Great-grandpa Amos and Great-granny Edith—both Shrouds. They had five biological kids who were all Shrouds, of course. Grandpa Henry was human, but he was raised as a Shroud. He obviously never shifted, but he was a Shroud in every other sense. Later in life, he even married a Shroud. She gave birth to my dad and three uncles. Then my dad had me, and I had Liam.” He reached over to tousle Liam’s blue hair. “There you have it. My family lineage.”

  Everyone stared at him. From the looks on their faces, Aspen could tell they were all just as surprised as she was.

  Humans and Shrouds could bear children together? Maybe that was the answer to everything. Mixing human DNA with Shroud DNA would make it impossible for the government to distinguish between the two. Aspen wondered if that was what those in power had been afraid of all along: corrupting the human gene pool. The motivation behind the president’s all-out extermination rampage was finally beginning to take focus.

  “That’s why they’re trying to get rid of us,” Aspen said.

  “Because Great-grandpa Amos raised a human?” Frowning, Beckett looked at her like she was an idiot. “Shroud discrimination started long before that.”

  “Exactly,” she said, standing in front of the group. “That’s what they’re afraid of—Shrouds corrupting the human gene pool. Think about it. They don’t care about who we are, how we feel, how many kids we have, how successful we are, or how much we contribute to society.” She glanced at Tora. “Just look at your dad. He was the epitome of success and brilliance. Hell, he was the only neurosurgeon with the skills to save that ass wipe of a human who ordered his hit.” She shook her head. “All they care about is keeping the human gene pool free from Shroud influence.”

  Mrs. B looked up, her face a mix of disappointment and rage. “Pure and untainted.”

  “Like Nazi Germany,” Skye said sadly.

  “Yep.” Hank removed his ball cap and held it against his chest, his eyes haunted. “And we all know how that turned out.”

  “But humans from this country were the good guys back then.” Tony rolled his shoulders.

  Derby broke his characteristic silence. “Until they weren’t.”

  “This isn’t just limited to the US. Nations have banded together all around the world with one goal in mind.”

  “To wipe us out of existence,” Skye said, her eyes filling with tears.

  Humans were everywhere. From her experience, they outnumbered Shrouds by at least two to one. Why was that, she wondered? Her mind flashed to Hope’s mother, Sophie, who died during childbirth. She turned to Tora. “Are Shroud mothers required to report a pregnancy?”

  Tora nodded. “They’re mandated by law to do each prenatal checkup with a designated human doctor.”

  All of a sudden, everything made sense. “That’s how they’re controlling our numbers.”

  Tora’s eyes widened. “They’re administering something to trigger the postpartum hemorrhaging.”

  She’d been thinking about this all wrong. If they took out the SEA’s top officials, more would just be sent to take their place. If they took out SEA headquarters, might take a little longer, but it would be rebuilt eventually.

  “Taking out SEA headquarters here in the US should be part of our plan,” she said. “But it’s only a short-term solution.”

  Oscar nodded. “They’ll just rebuild and send new people.” He met her gaze, and she could see he was following her line of thought.

  Miller shook his head. “If you’re going to say our new mission is to rally Shrouds from around the world to fight those in power, that could take years. Possibly decades.”

  Aspen instinctively knew time wasn’t a factor in the fight to save her people. This war couldn’t be won overnight. “Our mission will have three distinct parts: the short-term plan, the long-term plan, and the hope-I’m-still-alive-to-see-it plan.”

  Oscar looked up. “Conspiring with Shrouds from around the world to overthrow governments obviously falls under that last plan. The short-term plan is to
find and destroy SEA headquarters.” He frowned. “What’s the long-term plan?”

  “Tell all Shrouds to start seeking out and forming alliances with humans.” She nodded at Beckett. “We need to follow in the footsteps of Grandpa Henry.”

  Oscar’s frown deepened. “You want us to start knocking boots with humans?”

  Aspen sighed. “No one uses that term anymore, Pop.”

  “Right, sorry. Don’t mind me. I’m ancient.”

  Tora locked eyes with her. “You want us to mix up the gene pool so governments all over the world can’t discern human from Shroud. It would be like splitting hairs.”

  “Exactly. Since that’s what they’re most afraid of, let’s do everything we can to mix things up at, like, warp speed.”

  Skye looked up, her expression one of confusion and worry. “But we were always taught to be wary of humans. Keep them at arm’s length and try to act as human as possible around them.”

  “And those teachings had merit. But if Shrouds ever hope to share a peaceful existence with humans, we’ll need to change the way we relate to them. Let them see us for who we are. Our people are beautifully different from humans. There’s no shame in that.”

  “She’s right.” Oscar sighed. “It’ll take some re-education within the Shroud community, but this is something we probably should have started doing long ago.”

  “This comes with substantial risk to our people,” Tora countered. “Especially now. By exposing ourselves as Shrouds, we face certain death.” She shook her head. “Not to mention the fact that most humans can’t be trusted. How are we going to sell an idea to Shrouds that we don’t even believe in?”

  The room grew quiet. Everyone’s questioning gaze landed on Aspen. This was, understandably, a sore spot for Shrouds. Humans’ centuries-long discrimination against Shrouds had turned into an extermination campaign overnight. Trusting humans right now was an unfathomable concept.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Aspen sat on the edge of the stone fire pit, the fire’s blazing warmth at her back as she addressed the group. “I’ve been living in the human world—believing I was one—my entire life. So I speak from experience when I say there are lots of humans out there who make piss-poor choices in life. They lie, steal, do drugs, cheat on their spouses, drink themselves into oblivion, beat each other up, and even commit murder. As a cop, I’ve definitely seen more than my share of their dark side. But I also know there are people out there who make much healthier choices in life. There are humans on the surface right now that I would lay down my life for, and I know—beyond a shadow of a doubt—they would do the same for me.”