by Meg Ripley
As odd as it all was, Ash was most taken aback by what he saw behind those bars: dragons, just as Drake had mentioned. Not just one or two, but dozens. They lay on the cold hard ground inside the improvised prison cells. Some of them moaned in pain and clutched at their bodies, their own claws making deep marks in their flesh. Others were caught mid-shift, blood pouring from their backs as their wings tried to decide if they should be in or out. The skin on their fingers had ripped apart to allow their claws to spring forward.
They weren’t all so unfortunate, but that didn’t mean they were better off. A massive dragon to the left pounded against the bars that held him back. His pale blue scales were bruised from slamming himself into the metal so many times and his eyes rolled crazily in his head.
Ash kept to the right, watchful of the uniformed men who occupied the cavern further away, where he assumed they were closer to the main entrance he’d initially seen. They paid no attention to the thrashing dragon as they worked on setting up equipment and creating more barriers.
Something moved to his right, grabbing his attention. Ash swiveled his head, watching the shadows. The prison cells—because Ash was now convinced that was what they were—weren’t lit nearly as well as the central part of the cavity. He retreated a step as a human woman crawled toward him.
She appeared just in the edge of the light. Her light red hair had been braided over her shoulder, but the loose strands made a net of knots around the plait. Her blue eyes were exhausted and slightly sunken into her face, confused as she stared at him through the bars.
It was clear to Ash that she’d been through a lot, but this woman enthralled him in a way he didn’t expect. He dared to move a little closer, sniffing carefully. The air was clogged with the scent of unwashed bodies and a sharp medicinal odor. Was she a human or another shifter? Was she even a dragon, or did she hide some other beast inside her? He couldn’t tell, and it bothered him.
Whomever she was, the woman glanced aside at the soldiers before reaching her hand through the bars. Ash stood a short distance from her, unmoving as the tips of her fingers barely touched his fur. She couldn’t hurt him, no matter who she was. The bars would keep her back, as evidenced by the blue dragon who’d been unable to break them. But Ash wasn’t concerned about getting attacked by her. There was something else about this woman that kept his paws rooted to the ground, his dark eyes entranced by hers.
“Get a tranquilizer in him, will you? I can’t think with all that racket!” barked a voice.
Ash jolted, recognizing that something was about to change. He backed away from the woman and further into the darkness from which he’d come as a soldier approached, fiddling with a tranq gun.
The trooper paused in front of the cage that held the blue dragon. “You like to cause a lot of fucking trouble, don’t you?” he questioned.
The dragon’s only response was to lash out, pushing his clawed feet through the bars in an effort to swipe at the uniformed man.
The soldier laughed. “Good luck, you scaly asshole. These bars aren’t going anywhere, and neither are you. Now you’ll shut the hell up and let us get some work done.” He aimed and fired, watching with glee as the dart sank into the animal’s hide. The dragon continued to thrash for a moment before he began losing his momentum, his clawed hand curling in on itself as he sank to the cold floor and closed his eyes. “That’s what I thought,” the soldier mumbled to the inert body.
Ash had pressed himself against the wall, but he was prepared to spring to action if the soldier looked his way. Fortunately, the man turned on his heel and returned to where he’d come from. When he was gone, Ash dared to peek around the corner at the woman once more. She’d retreated from the bars, a dim shadow. He hesitated a moment before turning and retreating to the sloping tunnel through which he’d found this horrid place.
It was a hell of a climb, and he had to make the choice of heaving his heavy bear body up through the tunnel or sacrificing the strength of his limbs and the sharpness of his claws if he morphed back into a human. Overall, this whole continent seemed better suited to his bear form, and so he kept it, even as he reemerged into daylight and headed away from the compound.
Anyone there? he dared to ask in his head. He’d hardly used the telepathic link Garrison had helped them establish, and at first, he hadn’t been entirely certain he would. But he was part of a team again, and Drake had stressed repeatedly that he should report in as often as possible.
Jack speaking, came the fox’s voice in his head. How are things going down there on the bottom of the world?
I guess that depends on your opinion. Ash dared to glance over his shoulder. There was no sight of the encampment from there, but still he could sense it as though he had a natural radar. I found the place I was sent here to find, but it’s not good. He did his best to describe it, though the images had been disturbing.
Wow. That’s wild. What’s the next step in your plan?
Ash wasn’t used to the way the Force was arranged. As far as he was concerned, there was no need to share much detail with Jack. The guy wasn’t his commanding officer, or anything. But at the moment, he was the only link Ash had with headquarters. And Ash understood that some missions simply couldn’t be completed alone. No one saw me, but if anyone discovers my break in the ice, they’ll know that someone either got in or out. That means they’re guaranteed to ramp up security and I won’t be able to get back in as easily. And even if I do slip in the back entrance a second time, I know I can’t take them all down by myself. I need to get more information and see what I’m really up against, and I may need some serious backup.
Jack was quiet long enough that Ash wondered if he was still there. I have some strings I may be able to pull to get you in, he finally replied. You said this is some sort of scientific mission?
As far as I can tell, Ash confirmed.
Let me check with one of my connections. I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks.
It only made Ash feel minimally better to know he wasn’t the only one working on this problem. He had no idea what Jack had in mind, but he hoped it worked. Something had to be done, that was for sure.
Ash shambled on for another couple of miles before the tiny shack came into view. It barely stood out against the wilderness, the same color as the mountain it crouched against, and was nearly covered with snow. No one had bothered to lock up the abandoned science station before they left, and he only had to contend with the weight of the snow against the door to get inside.
All the equipment and tools had been packed out, leaving behind a ragged bunk with a threadbare sleeping bag and a coffee pot that wouldn’t work without the generator that was no longer sitting outside. Still, the dilapidated station was a damn sight for sore eyes; much better than the conditions those dragons were being held in. At least he was free to come and go as he pleased.
Shivering as he resumed his human form, Ash threw himself down on the creaky bunk. Night was falling, and there was nothing for him to do now but wait. He could feel the long hours stretch out before him, a vast amount of time in which he could do nothing to help those dragons. He closed his eyes and saw them clearly. Whatever was being done to them was most definitely torture. They were thin and pitiful, and it was obvious from the bars that they hadn’t volunteered for this research. They all deserved freedom, and it bothered Ash that he would have to fight against the Army—the very military that he’d given his life to—in order to rescue them.
But what bothered him even more was the effect that woman had on him.
Even now, miles away from the prison, he could feel the brush of her fingers on his fur. His bear roiled inside him at the thought of her, demanding to know why he’d left her there. Those bright blue eyes held so much.
Ash had cared greatly about the men and women who were suffering around the world at the hands of poor government or extremist influences. He’d always acknowledged that change needed to happen, but it’d long since stopped aff
ecting him. A man gets desensitized after seeing starving children and beaten women over and over again. Even in the midst of a war zone, Ash had slept well because he’d known he had a full day’s work ahead of him.
This was different. He tossed and turned, reminding himself continuously that he’d be an idiot to march back over there and take that entire base down single handedly. He’d only get himself killed, and that part, he could live with.
But what would happen to her?
You don’t even know her name, he scolded himself as he tossed and turned. Start thinking with your other head, soldier.
He couldn’t, though. His bear kept looping thoughts of the enchanting beauty through his mind all night long.
5
“Did you see that?” Lane’s throat felt tight as she retreated to the back corner of her chamber, the place that had once been so comforting to her. But this was no longer a natural cave that served as a bedroom. Those soldiers had converted it into a jail, and the only time they brought her out was to push needles into her. Then, they stood back while they observed the results.
Right now, though, the only thing on her mind was the mysterious beast that had been on the other side of the bars just a few moments ago.
“See what?” came Edi’s voice. She’d aged considerably since the attack, but Lane no longer knew how long ago that was. She’d completely lost track of time.
“That… bear,” Lane stuttered. The words didn’t sound right on her lips. “There was a polar bear in here just a minute ago.”
Edi, who’d been sleeping in the back corner, lifted her hand and patted Lane’s cheek. “Sometimes the drugs make us see things, dear. Don’t forget that. We have to stay as grounded as possible and we both know there aren’t any polar bears here.” She dropped her hand as though it were far too heavy for her to hold up any longer.
Lane gently placed the older woman’s hand back on the blanket. “I know that. But this was completely different. It stood right there on the other side of the bars, and the way it watched everyone and everything was incredible, like it knew what was going on. I even touched it; I couldn’t have imagined that.” She stared at her fingertips as she recalled the way his fur had felt against her skin.
“You could’ve,” Edi replied drowsily. “I’ve dreamt countless times that this was all over with; that we were back to the way we used to live and the bars were gone. And I swore it was real. But then I’d always wake up and nothing had changed. We should just get used to it.”
Lane gritted her teeth. She hated when the old woman began to lose faith. She had her moments when she rallied, but it was always the worst when Edi gave up. It made Lane want to give up, too, and she knew the others felt the same. “We can’t do that,” Lane scolded. “I know everything looks bleak right now, but it can’t stay like this forever.”
“Can’t it?”
Visions of spending the rest of their years languishing in that cell came rushing to Lane’s mind, and not for the first time. It’d been more than difficult to handle these soldiers on their territory, changing their home into both a prison and some sort of lab. The bars were incredibly strong, and though the dragons had tried numerous times, none of them had been able to escape so far. Every day, the scientists came and took at least one from their flight away to experiment on them. Lane had endured the injections and the side effects from them so many times that she was becoming numb to the way her body reacted, fluctuating between forms. The one saving Grace was that they hardly ever took Edi anymore. Even the stupid soldiers knew the old woman wasn’t up for being a guinea pig.
Exhausted and confused, Lane moved back to the front of the chamber. She peered through the bars at where the polar bear had been. The earth was packed hard, and there was no evidence that his wide paws had been there, but it was all too real. It couldn’t have just been in her mind.
“I saw it, too,” came a grumpy voice from the other side of the hall-like tunnel that ran between the chambers.
Lane lifted her head, shocked to see that Liam was still awake. “Are you sure?”
He lay on the floor of his enclosure, his long muzzle pressed against the bars. Speech was an effort for him, and he took a deep breath every few words. “Yes. It was before they… got me. Again. Bastards.”
“So you don’t think it was all in my head?” It’d been harder and harder to determine reality from some fictional world ever since these men had invaded their home. Even the nightmares she often experienced were more tempting than what she would inevitably wake up to. It made her wonder how everyone else was experiencing this captivity, too.
“No,” Liam panted. “I saw him. I smelled him. He was there and he… looked me in the eye. Besides, I haven’t been… seeing things.”
Lane nodded her understanding, even though Liam wasn’t looking at her at the moment. “I wonder if they’re injecting you with something different than what they’re giving me.” Liam had been in his dragon form for weeks now, as far as she could tell. It was taxing on any shifter to remain in one form for too long, and she could only imagine that it was doubly hard to remain a dragon. His temper often got the better of him, as evidenced by the bruised and missing scales all down his hide from thrashing against the bars.
“I don’t know. They don’t exactly like to talk to me.” Liam let out a giggly laugh, unlike any sound he would’ve emitted in their former lives as simple shifters who’d come to this remote area to escape humans. His head rolled on the floor as his tongue flicked over his sharp teeth. “They won’t even accept my invitation to dinner!” He snickered again.
“You’re just stoned on sedatives,” Lane said, more to explain his odd behavior to herself than to remind him. He knew, and she couldn’t blame him if he wanted to forget. Liam had been an interesting test subject for the scientists, but in a different way than Lane was.
“He’s not wrong, though.” This came from Brandy. She and Amy had been put in the same cell with Lane and Edi, presumably because they were all women. She dragged herself forward to lean against the bar next to Lane. “I know you still think we have a chance of getting out of here, but we’re far outnumbered and outgunned. Those G.I. Joes might be soft and squishy inside and no match for dragon teeth, but it changes the game completely when they’ve got all their guns and drugs.”
Lane scowled. She knew her friend was right, and this wasn’t the first time they’d gone through their situation, looking for holes they could take advantage of. Even so, she didn’t like to think everyone else around her had just submitted to these assholes. “There’s got to be a way, and I’m determined to find it.”
Brandy lay a hand over Lane’s, her dark hair falling in tangled mats over her shoulder. “That’s noble of you, but I’m not sure it’s worth it. You’ll only get yourself killed if you fight back against them.”
Ignoring her, Lane continued to brainstorm. “I still think our priority should be to figure out why they’re holding us here.”
Brandy’s lips tightened as she gestured to the series of injection sites on her arm, some of which were beginning to scar over. “Isn’t it obvious? They think we’re just big scaly lab rats.”
Lane rubbed her own arm, remembering too easily the way those needles felt when they sank into her flesh. “But that still doesn’t explain why. What good would it do?”
“What does it matter?” Brandy retorted, letting out a huff of exasperation. “For all we know, they think we hold the cure for cancer or the secret to eternal youth.” She paused, one clawed and oozing finger tapping her chin. “Actually, that last one could be a possibility, considering how long we live compared to them and how we age. But anyway, I don’t see what their motives have to do with finding a way out of here.”
“I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s stupid of us to just give up.” Lane put her chin in the air, feeling a sense of defiance and determination that was hard to come by these days. “I’m going to figure this out, and I’ve got more than enough time to do
it in.” She retreated to the dark corner near the back where she spent most of her time.
“I’m sorry.” Brandy followed her and sank down next to her once again, putting a thin arm around Lane’s shoulders. “I guess there’s nothing wrong with getting as much information as possible. It’s just hard to feel like there’s any hope most days.”
“Don’t I know it.” Lane tipped her head onto Brandy’s shoulder, grateful that even if they didn’t have their lives and their freedom, they at least had each other. “You’re pretty. Maybe you can seduce one of them.”
Brandy laughed at the notion, the noise echoing against the high ceiling. “Right. I have a pretty good feeling they’re not interested in us that way, and even if they were, I think I’d just vomit.”
“That can be fun, too,” Lane pointed out, remembering the disgusting look on the doctor’s face when he’d done his first test on her.
Her friend tightened her arm. “We’ll keep our eyes and ears open at least, okay?”
It was all she was going to get for now, and she couldn’t really ask for more. Lane nodded and closed her eyes, a bright vision of that big white bear flashing before her eyes. “It’s at least a start.”
* * *
“Lane!”
Lane opened her eyes. Her head ached, as it always did these days, but she was awake in a moment when she understood the urgency of Brandy’s voice. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Edi.” Brandy was crouched over the old woman’s pallet, one hand on her shoulder. “She’s not breathing right. I think she’s really sick.”
Lane was at her side in an instant, but she felt helpless. Even though scientists and doctors surrounded them, she knew they wouldn’t be willing to help. “What’s wrong, Edi? What can we do for you?”
The old woman moaned, but she didn’t speak or open her eyes.
The two younger women exchanged glances over her inert form. “I don’t like this,” Lane said, a furrow growing deeper between her brows. “I’m not even sure what to do.”
