"What does it mean?"
"It means I'm calling in every favor, every alliance my tribe has built over generations." My voice had hardened with determination. "It means war."
A door slid open ahead, revealing two more guards. They spotted me immediately, raising their weapons.
"Halt! This is a restricted… "
I didn't let them finish. With a roar that shook the corridor, I charged. The guards fired, their energy weapons scorching myhide, but my momentum carried me forward. I slammed into them like a battering ram, sending both sprawling against the far wall.
One tried to reach for his communication device. My foot came down on his hand, not hard enough to crush, but enough to make him reconsider.
"Section C," I reminded him. "Fastest route."
The guard pointed shakily down a side corridor. "Elevator at the end. Security code 5591."
I nodded my thanks before rendering both unconscious with quick, precise strikes. No need for them to suffer for doing their jobs.
The elevator required the code plus palm recognition. I solved that problem by ripping the panel from the wall and crossing specific wires. A trick I'd learned from a former Magnus Terra technician who'd joined our resistance months ago.
As the elevator descended, I thought again of the hours after Kalyndi's capture, of gathering my allies.
Elder Marok had arrived with six of his most trusted warriors within two hours of my message.
"Protocol Ancestral," he'd said, his face grim. "You invoke the old ways, War Chief."
"They've taken my mate against her will. Against our agreement."
The old mapinguari had nodded slowly. "Then we stand with you. But you should know this facility is not like others. It houses their most precious secrets."
"Good." I'd bared my teeth. "Then they'll feel the loss more keenly."
Tarek, Marok's grandson, had spread a detailed map across the table. "The central facility has three underground levels.Containment cells are on the lowest floor. Security is heaviest at the main entrance, but there's a maintenance tunnel here." His claw indicated a spot on the eastern perimeter.
"How did you get these plans?" I'd asked.
Marok's expression had been unreadable. "We've been preparing for this day longer than you know, Redmon. Not all humans support Magnus Terra's methods. Some have been feeding us information for years."
I'd studied the schematics, memorizing the layout. "I go in alone."
"That's suicide," one warrior had protested.
"A group would never make it past the sensors," I'd countered. "One can slip through, especially if distracted by something bigger."
Marok had understood immediately. "A diversion on the western perimeter. Something that draws their security forces."
"Something loud," I'd agreed. "Something that looks like a full tribal assault."
"And while they focus on us," Tarek had said, catching on, "you enter from the east and find Kalyndi."
"Exactly."
"And after?" Marok had asked no one else dared. "What then, War Chief?"
"Then we disappear," I'd said simply. "All of us. It's time to join the others."
The elevator doors opened onto Section C, revealing a sterile corridor lined with reinforced doors. Each bore a designation number and status indicator. Most showed empty, but three glowed with the red light of occupancy.
Containment Room 3 was at the far end. I approached cautiously, listening for guards, but this level seemed eerily deserted. Perhaps they never expected an intruder to get this far.
