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It took them two hours to drive through the sequoia forest. When they finally left the tree line, August drove across a barren tundra; the mountains loomed ominously in the distance, and a huge frozen lake shimmered brightly as the sunlight hit it.

Elijah stared out the window as August drove towards a snowy hill. Jake was recovering from his weaver-induced paralysis, mumbling words here and there when Zoe asked how he was doing. The only other sounds around them were the howling wind and the crunching ice beneath the jeep's tyres.

And something else. A distant...familiar whisper carried upon the breeze. "Elijah..." it called, echoing around inside his head.

The demon frowned and glanced in the mirrors and out the windows; he thought he might see that black-haired, red-eyed man again, just like he did before, but there was nothing but endless white in every direction.

"I'll find you," the voice murmured.

Elijah tensed up. The voice was different; it wasn't the same one that called him before. But he still knew it.

"I can sense you, Elijah."

His frown turned into a scowl. Maverick?

A maniacal laugh swarmed Elijah's mind. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun with you when you're safely back in your cage."

Elijah felt conflicted. On one hand, he was a little freaked out because he wasn't in The Darkness yet he could hear Maverick speaking to him; but on the other, he wasn't afraid because he knew that he was strong enough to deal with Maverick if he had to again. He'd already stripped him of one of his arms, and he wouldn't hesitate to take the other.

"We just need to get over this hill," August said, glancing at them.

Zoe's nervous expression thickened. "What...what if we get caught?"

"Or blown up by a tank," Jake muttered.

She turned pale. "Would they do that?"

August sighed a little. "I highly doubt that. The base sits in this like...oval of mountains; a noise as loud as a tank going off would cause an avalanche. I feel like those tanks and gunships are a last resort type of deal...so as long as we don't get caught, we'll be fine."

"We're not going to get caught," Elijah grumbled.

"Where are you, Elijah?" came Maverick's voice.

The demon snarled irritably to himself and glared out the window.

"I hope not," Zoe replied anxiously.

"So...what's the plan?" August asked, glancing at Elijah.

"I'll know once I see the lab," the demon said, glaring at a moose grazing in the distance.

Zoe then looked at Jake. "How are you feeling now?" she asked.

He grunted in response. "Okay, I guess. My feet still feel weird, though."

"You'll be all right," August said dismissively as he began driving up the snowy hill.

Jake sighed and shuffled around behind Elijah. "So what's with the like...mothy wings?"

"Don't be rude," Zoe snapped at him.

"What? I'm just curious," he exclaimed quietly. "If I had wings, I wouldn't hide them."

"Yeah, well, I have my reasons," August muttered. "I don't like drawing attention to myself; walking around with a pair of fae wings would definitely do that." He turned his head to look at Elijah. "We're almost there. How close do you need me to get?"

Elijah stared out the window. "The top of this hill should be fine. It overlooks the lab, right?"

"The entire area, yeah."

"Good. Just park somewhere up there, then."

August drove to the top of the hill and parked the jeep behind the cover of a few fir trees.

Elijah didn't waste a moment. He got out of the jeep and kept low as he walked to the ridge, and once he reached the edge, he set his sights on the massive facility below. It looked at least two miles wide, surrounded by towering metal fences with guard towers at each corner. The building itself was white, and several large satellite dishes sat on the tallest part of the roof.

August was right about there being military on site. Four tanks were parked in the compound, one at each corner, and a black gunship sat on the furthest right helicopter pad. Armed guards were patrolling in every direction, snipers were on standby in the watch towers, and what looked like automatic turrets were stowed on the outside walls.

"This is like...army shit, man," Jake said cautiously.

"Are we...really going to try and break in there?" Zoe asked.

August chuckled nervously. "Looks even scarier up close."

Elijah reached into his bag and took out his Prăpădi M82.

"Uh...what are you doing?" Zoe questioned.

Jake grimaced. "You're not gonna shoot anyone, are you?"

Ignoring them, Elijah positioned his rifle's tripod on the snowy ground and peered through the scope. Through the laboratory windows, he could see doctors laughing and drinking, while in the room beside them, kids covered in blood were fighting each other to the death. He saw soldiers smoking, detainers playing cards, and morticians carrying the bodies of dead lycans and demons to a pit near the left wall.

It made him feel sick. They were just dumping kids' bodies into a fucking pit like they were nothing but trash. Scrap. Unwanted, inconvenient burdens. They weren't even burying them.

"What...the fuck?" August drawled, sounding disgusted.

Elijah turned his head to look at him. He was holding a pair of binoculars and was staring at the morticians who were dumping bodies.

"What?" Zoe asked.

August offered the binoculars to her, but Elijah shoved them away before the girl could take them.

"You don't want to see," the demon said, putting his rifle away.

"Why?" she questioned, wide-eyed.

"Trust me," he muttered, backing away from the ridge. "Get back to the jeep."

She frowned and followed him. "Okay...."

When they got back to the jeep, they all climbed inside and stared expectantly at Elijah.

He tapped his fingers on his leg as he stared aimlessly out the window. Forcing his way inside wasn't going to work; there were too many guards and too many weapons. It was also likely that there were cameras and sensors inside that would detect him before he got close. There also didn't seem to be any weak points in the fence; there were guards and guns at every turn, every corner.

Desperation started ensnaring him. Haru was inside that building. He was so fucking close. There had to be a way, and he wasn't going to give up until he found it.

With a frustrated scowl, he shifted his attention to a bird sitting in the tree in front of them. He thought about coming in from above, but that wouldn't work; the guns would take them out. There were likely emergency escape hatches, but there was no way in hell he was going to find one in time in all the snow—if they even existed. He didn't have enough firepower to fight his way in, either.

He scowled and exhaled deeply; he couldn't believe that he was considering it, but...what about the Nosferatu? They'd attacked the lab that he was being held at, and it was roughly the same size. But what if they failed? What if something happened to Haru when the attack happened? He didn't want to risk that. No, he had to get in there, find him, and get him out.

But how?

Elijah scowled, pondering over his options—there weren't many.

"Starting to snow," came August's voice. "Are we setting up here for a while? What's the plan?"

The demon looked at him, and then he glanced at Zoe and Jake. Just as he was about to tell them he needed more time, though, something cut through the quiet.

A horn.

He frowned and turned his head in the direction, but he couldn't see over the hill from where he was, so he got out of the jeep, hurried to the ridge and crouched there, staring down at the compound.

Three trucks were heading towards the entrance gate, and they looked harrowingly familiar. He took his rifle out of his bag and looked through the scope and seeing them closer only confirmed his suspicion. Those trucks were carrying newly captured subjects. The tarp covering the open back of the vehicle floated violently in the wind, and inside, Elijah could see the terrified faces of at least ten children, all wearing the silver collars that Lyca-Corp. forced them to wear to negate their ethos.

"What is it?" Zoe asked, appearing beside him.

He didn't answer. He watched as the gates opened, and the three trucks headed inside. They stopped, though, when a man who looked like a commander stepped out of the base of the watch tower and approached the leading vehicle.

Elijah listened.

"Where's the other two?" the commander asked.

"We're sorry, sir. The storm started picking up; we lost them in the snow," the driver replied.

With a grunt, the commander waved them in, and as the trucks headed deeper into the compound, the man pulled a radio from his pocket. "This is Homebase. Come in, Supply Four. Over."

His radio buzzed statically.

"Repeat, this is Homebase. Come in, Supply Four. Over."

Elijah pondered as he stared at the man through his scope. There was a truck lost out there somewhere, a truck carrying subjects. He could use that to get through the gates and into the compound—even into the building itself.

"Elijah?" Zoe asked.

"What's going on?" Jake questioned.

The demon glanced at his three companions—

"This...Supply...copy...over," a static voice came through the commander's radio. "We're...three mi...west...compound, sir. We got...in the storm...signal is weak...there soon. Over."

The fourth truck was three miles away.

He backed away from the ridge. "There's a supply truck lost out there in the storm," he said as he led the way back to the jeep. "If we can find it, that's our way into the compound."

"Wait, a truck?" August asked as they all got into the jeep.

"Carrying subjects," Elijah said. "We'll blend right in."

"Uh...okay," the fae said, starting the engine. "Which way?"

"West."

"All right, let's get going, then," he said as he pulled away from the trees. He took a compass from the glovebox, placed it on the dashboard, and then took a pair of goggles from his pocket—they looked just like the pair he'd worn while flying through a blizzard. "You've all got a pair in your inside pocket; we're gonna need them," he said as he pulled his goggles on and started driving west.

Elijah didn't hesitate. He took the goggles from his pocket and pulled them on, and to his surprise, he could see through the thickening blizzard as if there wasn't any snow falling.

August drove down the hill, heading to the left of the way they'd come. Soon, a makeshift road became visible on the snow-covered ground. "Looks like we're on the right track," he said, following the road further and further away from the compound.

"What happens when we find this truck?" Jake asked.

"You three stay in here while I deal with the driver and any security."

Zoe frowned and asked, "Wouldn't it be suspicious though if this truck turns up without its security?"

"Nobody in these labs knows each other's names other than the doctors who work together," Elijah started. "One of us will have to masquerade as the driver, and if there's security, the rest of us take that role. If not, we can hide among the subjects."

August shrugged. "Sounds doable. What about if we get inside?"

"The subjects are all taken to a big mess hall," the demon said. Remembering the process was starting to unnerve him, but he did his best to ignore the dismay. "If we're pretending to be security, we can just walk right in. If we're hiding among the subjects, we'll have to fight our way out of the hall. There's only ever one doctor and a guard who shadows him, so they'll be easy to deal with."

"I'd usually ask how you know so much, but I guess the answer is because you escaped one of these places, huh?" August said.

He grunted in response.

"What if we get caught?" Zoe asked nervously.

"Yeah...I don't do so good under pressure," Jake muttered.

"We won't get caught," Elijah grumbled. He couldn't. This was his only chance to save Haru, and he wasn't going to fuck it up...or let anyone else fuck it up. He glared over his shoulder at Jake. "If you screw this up, I won't hesitate to tear your insides out. You've fucked enough up for me already."

The pardus frowned. "Yeah, threatening me totally makes me feel a whole lot better."

"Just don't freak out, Jake," Zoe said with a sigh. "Elijah knows what he's doing, so relax."

"Right," he mumbled.

August glanced at Elijah again. "Okay, so...once we're inside, do you know where to go?"

"The subjects are usually all kept on the same floor, but this lab could be different. If we're going in as subjects, the doctor will likely have a list of all the subjects and where they are. If we're going in as security, we'll have to find the server room," the demon explained.

"Roger," the fae replied.

Zoe then tapped Elijah's shoulder.

He looked back at her.

"Are we...saving all the kids here?" she asked.

Elijah frowned as guilt and regret filled him. "We don't have the manpower for that. This lab is much bigger than the one Enid came from."

"Okay," she said understandably. "But...once we've gotten Haru, it'd be okay for me to tell my dads where this place is so that the Nosferatu can help them, right?"

"Not until we're back over The Ice Wall." He didn't want to risk getting caught or followed.

She nodded, but then she looked down at her dog. "Uh...what about Antonio?"

"You should've left him on the plane," Jake said.

"I couldn't leave him there all alone," she said with a pout.

"You can leave him in the jeep," Elijah said.

"But...what if we're gone really long?"

"Well, whoever's driving isn't likely going to be let into the same places as the security, right?" August asked.

Elijah nodded.

"So whoever's playing driver, they can come back to the jeep and make sure the engines are warm and ready to flee."

"But how do we get out of the lab with one of their subjects?" Zoe asked.

The demon pondered for a moment. "They were dumping bodies out back," he mumbled. "It's close to the fence, and it didn't look like there were any guards or cameras around there. Whoever's keeping the jeep ready can meet us around there; I'll cut the fence."

"And then we take off into the hills," August said. "Sounds good. It could work."

"It will work," Elijah muttered.

They kept driving, and the blizzard grew thicker. August slowed down a little, leaning forward and squinting his eyes behind his goggles.

"Hey, I think that's it," the fae said.

Elijah squinted, too; through the blizzard, which the goggles made seem like a mere blur, he saw the outline of a truck. "Pull over."

August did as he said and pulled over not far from the road.

"Stay in the car," he said firmly, shifting his sights between the three of them. "I'll come and get you when it's safe."

"Won't you need help?" August asked.

"It'd get done faster with all of us, wouldn't it?" Zoe suggested.

"If the truck wasn't moving, maybe." He opened his door, leaving his bag on his seat. "Stay. Put."

The three of them nodded, Zoe more reluctant than the others.

Elijah got out of the jeep and used the blizzard as cover, approaching the slowly moving truck. He waited until it passed; in the front, he saw only a driver. He snarled irritably but hoped to see security guards in the back...but he didn't. It was just the subjects, which meant they were going to have to sneak in with him.

With a quiet sigh, he hurried after the truck, and when he reached the passenger side door, he pulled it open and climbed inside.

"Wh-who the fuck are you?!" the driver exclaimed, panicking.

Elijah grabbed the man's throat, and when he panicked, the demon grabbed the steering wheel with his other hand to keep the truck on the road. He squeezed tightly, crushing the man's windpipe in half a moment, and then he reached his foot towards the brake pedal and stopped the truck. He focused on his companions' auras, and then he drove the truck to where August had parked the jeep.

He climbed out, dragging the dead driver with him, and when he reached the jeep, he opened August's door. "Put his clothes on. You're driving us inside."

August looked nervous. "Uh...why me?"

"Because you can't lie; I can't risk you telling someone the truth once we're inside. This is also your jeep, so you'll be driving us out."

The fae nodded slowly. "Okay...so...I drive you into the compound, and then I come back out here for the jeep and meet you around where they were dumping bodies?"

"Exactly," Elijah confirmed. "I'm sure you can fly over the fence."

"What about us?" Zoe asked.

"There weren't any security guards, so we're going to have to blend in with the subjects in the back." He looked at August. "You're going to have to throw us in like you've just caught us. I don't want any of the kids giving us away."

August nodded.

"Take the goggles off," Elijah said as he took his off. "All the kids have collars around their necks, so make sure you keep your scarves on," he warned them.

Zoe and Jake nodded and took their goggles off.

"Leave the dog and your bags here," the demon added.

"He'll be okay until I get back, don't worry," August told Zoe as she stared reluctantly at her dog.

She hesitantly nodded and put her bag onto her seat as she climbed out of the jeep.

August locked the doors, and then Elijah led the way to the truck. As he was told, the fae dragged each of them to the back by their collars and chucked them in with the other terrified kids. "If I hear one fucking word out of any of you, I'll come back here and shut you up myself," he growled, and the kids whimpered and hid their faces behind their hands. He then left the back of the truck, and after a few moments, the engine started.

Elijah grunted irritably as he got up off the floor and sat beside Zoe. His heart started racing as the truck began moving, and angst and desperation quickly enthralled him. The plan had to work. August seemed to fit into his role perfectly...he just hoped that Jake and Zoe wouldn't mess this up—Jake more than Zoe; he'd fucked up enough already. But the truth was that he needed him. Jake knew his way around computers, and if he was going to find his own file on the Lyca Corp. servers, he needed Jake to locate it.

But first...he was going to get Haru. He was more important than the answers Elijah sought.

⊳⊱ ♕ ⊰⊲