Following the small road had been the easy part, and he’d done it for miles, keeping hidden in case more vehicles came out looking for the men he’d killed. Not that he’d ever seen any. More than likely, those left behind had been expendable. Whoever was funding Dr. Gardner and his research seemed to have a bottomless pit of money. What it would cost to run the labs, then the money he kept throwing at mercenaries willing to attempt to get the contracts on Rose and Cassandra’s heads, plus hiring this many guards, meant the financial backer likely wasn't worried about a few extra deaths when they could always just go and hire more.
As he walked, Voodoo did his best to keep his emotions locked down tight. If he didn't, concern for Indigo would override everything else.
Common sense would be lost to fear.
Training would be lost to fear.
Years of experience would be lost to fear.
And the anger raging inside him, screaming to be let out, to be given a target, would find a crack in his armor and slither free.
If it got free after being caged for so many years … he didn't even know what would happen.
Over the years, he’d seen his teammates slip every now and then. Dragon, in particular, had always been the one to struggle the most to keep his rage in check. Several times the man had lost control, as recently as a week or so ago when Blade first brought Whitney home.
Of all of them, he’d always been the one who had struggled the least. Of course, that anger had always been there for him, just as it was for the others, but his healer instincts always seemed to balance it out. Not thathe thought his brothers enjoyed killing, they didn't, it was just part of the world they’d chosen when they joined the military, but they didn't find it as objectionable as he did. They were better able to compartmentalize.
For so long, he’d thought that was a weakness on his part.
That he was lacking somehow. Not as good as the others.
But then he’d come to realize that what made him different than the others was actually his strength. He balanced the team and was a calming force for all of them.
Now he was the one who needed a calming force. It washisgirl who had been kidnapped by Dr. Gardner’s men, it washisgirl who was in danger. It washisfailings that had led to that happening.
His team was coming, he didn't need a comms unit to know that, but they might not make it before he lost control.
At the moment, pretty much the only thing keeping his fury somewhat contained was the fact that he didn't have an outlet for it.
Caught up in his head as he was, Voodoo almost didn't see it.
Just up ahead, hidden amongst the trees, was a vehicle.
It was black, and since it was dark out, he might have walked right past it as he battled to keep his anger caged and not allow his terror over Indigo cloud his instincts. Which they quite obviously were.
Palming one of the weapons from the dead men that he’d slung over his shoulders, it was a little awkward walking with all ten of them, but he’d rather have more firepower than less, he slipped behind a tree and watched.
While his instincts might be urging him to act, run, jump in, to do something, he knew he had to play this smart. Smart meant taking his time, assessing, and making a plan before he acted. The more time Indigo spent with these people, the more he risked her being hurt, but in the end, her life was more important. If taking his time meant getting her out alive, he had to do it, even if he hated it.
As he watched, he saw two men standing nearby. Even without his night vision goggles, he could spot them because they were both smoking, and the little red glows caught his attention.
If he could get into that vehicle, then he could use a GPS to find his way to wherever Indigo was being held. Voodoo was holdingout hope that it wasn't too far away. He felt sure if Dr. Gardner knew they were out there, and he was positive that the scientist did know Delta Team was there, then he wouldn't leave the area without trying to lure them into a trap.
A trap with Indigo as the bait. As much as Dr. Gardner needed her alive, he needed Delta Team more. They held greater value because they were already a highly trained special ops team, and thus of more use to him.
Deciding on a plan, Voodoo began to move. He wanted these two men dead without any bloodshed, wanted to be able to use their uniforms without needing to worry about someone spotting blood and things blowing up around him, if he could make inroads into wherever Indigo was.
So he snuck around the men, waited until their soft voices told him they were deep in a conversation they shouldn’t be having when they knew that he and his team were out there somewhere, then made his move.
Snapping a neck wasn't necessarily as easy as it was portrayed in movies, but if you knew what you were doing, then it wasn't particularly difficult either.
Of course, as soon as he pounced, grabbed the closest man, broke his neck, and let the body drop at his feet, the other man was already shouting in shock and fumbling for his weapon.
Guess he’d never learned the basics of never parting with your weapon while in the field.
Trying to keep him alive to interrogate would only be a waste of time. These men were afraid enough of Dr. Gardner that they wouldn't talk, would only find a way to get him to kill them anyway like the man had earlier. So he merely slammed his foot into the man’s chest, sending him sprawling backward with a yelp.
His rage wanted to make the man suffer, wanted to rip him apart limb by limb, demanded screams to satiate it, but he didn't give in.
