Chapter 88 The Escape
CALLUM
My neck burns where Fell injected the formula. My shoulder bleeds from the silver bullet. My hands are ruined from breaking silver chains.
But we're alive. Free. Moving.
"Left here," Tom directs from the passenger seat. He's holding pressure on a stomach wound. Not fatal but bad.
I take the turn. Behind us, two more vehicles carry the rest of our crew. Nine of us escaped. Marcus died in the fighting. Five others are still captured or dead in the warehouse.
The math is brutal. We went in with fifteen. We're leaving with nine.
"How much further?" Valentina asks from the back seat. She's chained to Professor Fell, making sure he doesn't try anything.
"Three blocks. The backup safe house in Whitechapel." Tom coughs. Blood on his lips. "We can't use primary location. Mordaunt knows about it."
"How bad is it?" I glance at him.
"Bad enough. But I'll live." He checks his watch. "Dawn in twenty minutes. Vampires will withdraw. Gives us window to relocate."
We reach the safe house. Abandoned textile factory, three floors, reinforced doors. Not ideal but better than nothing.
Everyone inside. I post guards at entrances. Check each crew member.
Tom: stomach wound, needs stitches. Valentina: twisted ankle, bruised ribs. Danny: concussion. Everyone else has various cuts, burns, bruises.
Marcus is dead. Jenny's captured. Three others unaccounted for.
The cost keeps climbing.
"Get Isla," I tell Danny. "We need medical help."
"She's at the clinic. Thirty minutes away."
"Then get her now."
Danny leaves.
I turn to Professor Fell. He's chained to a support column, looking terrified. Good.
"Start talking," I say. "Everything about the Hermetic Order. Everything about the hybrid experiments. Everything."
"Where do you want me to start?"
"The children. Seven hybrid children in cells beneath the British Museum. Details."
Fell takes a breath. "They range from three to twelve years old. All born from supernatural-human pairings. Most are werewolf-human hybrids. One vampire-human. One fae-human."
"What kind of experiments?"
"Genetic testing. Observing their development. Seeing how hybrid genetics express. Some physical endurance testing. Magical resistance evaluation." He won't meet my eyes. "Nothing fatal. We don't kill them."
"Just torture them."
"We study them. It's different."
"It's not." I grab his collar. "Where exactly are they kept?"
"Sublevel three. East wing. Behind triple-locked doors. Magical wards on every entrance." He's shaking. "I can draw you a map. Give you access codes. But security is intense. You can't just walk in."
"We'll see about that." I release him. Turn to Tom. "Can you break magical wards?"
"Fae magic can counter human magic. Usually." Tom grimaces. "But I'm not exactly in fighting condition."
"You don't need to fight. Just break the wards so we can get in."
"When?"
Good question. We're wounded, depleted, barely functional. Attacking a secure facility right now would be suicide.
But seven children are in cages. Being experimented on.
How long do we wait?
"We need more people," Valentina says. "More weapons. More preparation. This isn't something we can do with nine wounded wolves."
She's right. Tactically correct.
But every day we wait is another day those kids suffer.
"How many guards?" I ask Fell.
"Twelve on sublevel three. All human, but magically enhanced. Plus automated defenses. Magical barriers. Alarms." He's trying to be helpful. Save his own skin. "You'd need at least twenty fighters to have a chance."
"We have nine."
"Then you can't do it. Not successfully."
I want to argue. Want to say we'll find a way. But the math doesn't work.
We're too few. Too wounded. Too depleted.
The door opens. Isla arrives with medical supplies.
"Callum." She sees the casualties, the injuries. "What happened?"
"Rescue attempt went wrong. We got out but barely." I gesture at the wounded. "Tom needs stitches. Valentina needs her ankle wrapped. Danny might have concussion."
"I'll start with Tom. He's bleeding the most." She pulls out supplies, starts working.
I sit against the wall. Exhaustion hitting me. The formula's aftereffects make everything hurt worse. My body fought off poison and it shows.
Valentina sits beside me. "You okay?"
"No. But I'm alive." I look at her. "Sorry I couldn't get you out sooner. Had to break the mind control first."
"You broke mind control. That's impressive." She touches my neck where the injection site is. "Most people can't fight that."
"Born wolf advantage. Formula was designed for turned wolves." I close my eyes. "Five minutes of hell, but I pushed through."
"What did it feel like?"
"Like someone else was driving my body. Like I was passenger watching myself obey commands. Horrifying." The memory makes me shudder. "I thought I was lost. Thought the formula had won."
"But it didn't."
"No. Something in my blood rejected it. Expelled it like poison." I open my eyes. "Fell said he'd tested it on three subjects. All turned wolves. Never thought to test on born wolf."
"His mistake cost him everything."
"Good." No sympathy there. "He tried to enslave me. Wants to experiment on children. Deserves whatever happens."
Isla finishes with Tom, moves to Valentina. I watch her work. Professional, efficient, compassionate.
She's been holding this crew together through medical expertise. Saving lives while I risk them.
"Isla," I call over.
"Yeah?"
"If something happens to me, you lead. We talked about this before."
"Nothing's happening to you."
"Eventually something will. When it does, promise me you'll keep the shelters running. Keep helping newly turned wolves. That matters more than revenge or resistance."
She stops working. Looks at me directly. "You're planning something stupid."
"I'm always planning something stupid."
"Callum, we just barely escaped. We're wounded, depleted, and Mordaunt's hunting us. This isn't time for heroics."
"There are seven children in the Hermetic Order facility. Being experimented on. I can't just leave them there."
"You also can't save them with nine wounded wolves." Isla's voice is firm. "Think strategically. We need to rebuild, recruit, prepare. Then we rescue those kids properly."
"How long does that take?"
"Weeks. Maybe a month."
"That's a month those kids spend in cages."
"And if you get everyone killed trying to save them tomorrow, they spend the rest of their lives in cages." Isla returns to treating Valentina. "I know you want to help immediately. But suicide missions don't save anyone."
She's right. I hate it, but she's right.
We need time. Resources. More fighters.
The kids will have to wait.
I stand, pace the room. Can't sit still with adrenaline still burning through me.
Professor Fell watches from his chains. "You're planning to attack the facility."
"Eventually."
"You'll fail. The security is designed to stop exactly this kind of assault."
"Then we'll find a different approach." I stop in front of him. "You're going to help us. Give us everything we need to succeed."
"And if I do? What happens to me?"
"You survive. Maybe. If the information's good and you don't betray us."
"What guarantees do I have?"
"None." I lean closer. "But your alternative is I kill you now. So cooperation is your best option."
He swallows hard. "What do you need?"
"Everything. Layouts, security protocols, shift schedules, magical ward specifications. Every detail about that facility."
"That'll take time to write down."
"You've got time. We're not moving for a while." I gesture to the wounded crew. "But start talking now. Basics first. Details later."
Fell begins describing the facility. I listen, memorize, plan.
Valentina joins me after Isla finishes her ankle. "You're serious about this. Attacking the Order."
"They're experimenting on children. Yes, I'm serious."
"It's dangerous. More dangerous than anything we've done."
"I know."
"And you're doing it anyway."
"I am." I look at her. "These kids are like us. Victims of supernatural politics. Abandoned by systems that should protect them. If we don't help, who will?"
"No one." She's quiet for a moment. "Okay. I'm in. When you're ready to hit that facility, I'm with you."
"Thank you."
Tom limps over, stitches fresh. "I'm in too. Fae magic versus human magic. Should be interesting."
"You're wounded."
"I'll heal. Give me two weeks." He grins despite the pain. "Besides, someone needs to make sure you don't get everyone killed."
"Appreciated."
One by one, the crew pledges support. Danny, despite the concussion. The other five fighters, all wounded but willing.
Nine wolves against the Hermetic Order.
It's not enough.
But it's what we have.
"Two weeks," I announce. "We use that time to heal, prepare, recruit if possible. Then we hit the facility. Free those kids. Burn the place down."
"And Professor Fell?" Isla asks.
"He helps us plan the assault. Provides intelligence. Then we decide what to do with him."
Fell looks relieved. Temporary reprieve is better than immediate execution.
I check the time. 5:47 AM. Dawn coming.
"Everyone rest. We've got two weeks to prepare for the impossible."
The crew settles in. Finding corners to sleep, treating minor wounds, trying to recover.
I can't sleep. Too much adrenaline. Too much pain from the formula aftereffects.
I sit by a window, watching dawn break over London.
We escaped. Barely.
Marcus is dead. Five others captured or dead.
But we're alive. Free. Fighting.
And in two weeks, we're going to do something even more impossible.
Free seven hybrid children from the most secure supernatural research facility in London.
I should feel confident. Should believe we can do it.
Instead I feel scared.
Because the odds keep getting worse and we keep surviving on luck.
Eventually luck runs out.
I just hope it lasts two more weeks.