Sorry about the Computer code and thank you for telling me. As a sorry, I will be posting another Chapter within the week.
"This will be a difficult target." Rat continued, placing a rather old looking map on the table. "Not a large family, no security or other barriers but the father has military training and the children we're looking for will most likely be trained as well."
"Do we expect any trouble from the wife?" The man named Charlie didn't seemed concerned, an emotion shared by Rat.
"If you do you can always kill her." Rat replied, sounding like it had been stated before and, by both Charlie's and Halley's lack of reaction, it probably had been.
The woman sighed as she leaned over the map, her voice tired as she asked, "Do we get to know the reason for going after this target?" Again, it sounded like a well worn question, carrying the air of neglect.
As a small time person in the Grimm family, Milena understood the woman's frustration with the blatant lack of exposition on the felony they were about to commit. She had killed wesen just because her team had been given a name and an address; an action that she never could truly get over. These people acted liked they could care less about what would happen to the victim of their felony. The Grimm felt Ruiss' anger slowly start to rise and attempted to quell her own.
This is a recon mission. She reminded herself, knuckles white as she gripped the steel plating of the bar beneath her. You'll get your chance to kill them later. Milena didn't know whether to be proud as the surge of satisfaction washed over her at the thought or the shame that followed. From the jagged grin on Ruiss' face Milena could see in the dim light, the Grimm knew she should have taken pride in it.
Below them, Rat had motioned for his two comrades to stop speaking, small eyes darting around the room. "Do you smell that-"
He woged, lifting his now fur covered nose to the air, taking deep breaths. The two in front of his did the same, glancing up at the ceiling. After a moment, Charlie took out a small flashlight, the beam slicing through the shadows. A flash of movement made the small group stiffen but the rafters and support beams proved to be empty. "I swore I saw something." Halley muttered, watching the space above them.
"Birds wander in here all the time." Rat's dismissive voice ended their search. "I want this to go smoothly."
Both of the thugs turned away reluctantly, Charlie rolling his eyes. "You already said that. No worries- we'll get it done."
No one apart of the group noticed the two shades squeezing through the small hole in the roof, disappearing with little more than a breath.
"Are you sure about this?"
They had waited patiently for either Halley or Charlie to appear form the compound but as the second hour ticked past, Ruiss was growing hungry which meant she was growing irritable which meant she had to irritate Milena as well. The girl re-braided her hair for the sixth time, quietly cursing the tangles under her breath. "Dad said he wanted information."
"He also said to keep in touch." Ruisseau said, watching Milena critically as she struggled with her hair. "And what are you attempting? A noose?"
The other Grimm shot her a withering glare. "French braid. Valian taught me once. Don't worry about Dad, we sent him a text with all our information."
Ruiss looked down at her phone. "It's still sending."
Milena added subtle cusses about useless phone service to her muttered proclamations about tangled hair. She was as bored as Ruiss, the only difference being she actually tried to entertain herself while Ruiss preferred to chat.
"Maybe we should go-"
"We're suppose to stay put."
"Really, you're going to pull the 'I'm an obedient child' now that your dad is here?"
Milena felt herself blush but pushed the reaction away. "Shut up Ruiss."
"Unlikely." She retorted back. Light flashed off a single curved blade before it sank into a target on the wall.
I get that it's a coping habit. Milena watched her throw another knife, landing it millimeters away from the other. But this is ridicules. "Maybe we should patrol." She suggested out loud, watching another projectile land next to the last.
Ruiss puffed out a breath. "Thank God for that." She sheathed the knife already in her hand and stalked forward to collect the rest from the small area surrounding them where she had hung more targets for a little more challenge.
Stretching to relieve the stiffness in her muscles, Milena gave up on the braid and coiled her hair into a pony tail. The girl again glanced down at her wrist, checking her clock for the umpteenth time. Where are you Dad?
"Come on Mile." Ruiss sheathed her last knife, before turning toward the compound's side entrance door. "We've been like sitting ducks in here."
The Grimm rolled her eyes then paused, tilting her head to the side.
Ever in tune with her teammate's responses, Ruiss immediately froze, knife in hand. "What is it?"
Milena held her hand up for silence, motioning for her cousin to back away from the door. They both melted into the shadows against the walls, Milena drawing her saber while Ruiss drew two more throwing knifes. Tilting her head, Milena focused on the slight noises of a car roll to a stop. Whoever was driving it had cut the power, using the momentum built because of the slight decline to the compound to their advantage, moving the car in neutral. Ruiss' head cocked as two voices quietly conversed outside, a flurry of boots crunching through the gravel. At Milena's motioning, both of the girls lined up beside the main door, weapons at the ready.
The Grimms tensed as the people outside tried the door handle, unfamiliar voices tangling together. Giving a single nod to Ruiss, Milena grasped the handle, holding up five fingers.
Four.
Three. Ruiss flipped a knife, shifting to a ready stance.
Two. Tightening her grip on the handle, Milena held her breath
Before she reached one, a voice farther from the compound than the others shouted and a flurry of movement outside followed by the sound of a car speeding down the drive made both Ruiss and Milena relax their stances.
Ruiss let out a sigh of disappointment that was immediately echoed by Milena as they both sheathed their weapons. "You were right about being sitting ducks." Milena admitted as she walked to the back door.
"I'm rarely wrong." The other Grimm answered, twirling a knife. "Who do you think they were?"
"Probably some kids looking for a quiet spot." Milena guessed.
"But what made them leave?"
"Fredrick just arrived."
A coded knock echoed Milena's assumption. She opened the door and found Fredrick staring down the drive, a frown of his own mirrored in her expression. The young Grimm looked over his shoulder, noting the deep furrows in the gravel made by a speeding car. "Where are Silas and Brie?"
"They said to drop them off before we made it to the complex." Milena watched as the man seemed to mentally shrug as he stepped past her with a wary sigh. "Valian really has taught you to run paranoid."
"If it kept us alive, I would stop eating meat." Ruiss shouted from inside the building.
Milena ignored the quip, breathing the cool night air as she stepped outside of the building, away from the light. Something's wrong. Her eyes swept the surrounding area, pushing away the instinct that insisted she find cover as she searched for whatever was wrong. Brie might do this as a precaution but Silas doesn't like to do more work than he has to. Milena drew her sidearm, barrel to the ground as she bent her knees. After a few second of hesitation, Ruiss stalked out of the compound to walk beside her, drawing her knives as they both slowly entered the brush. Milena's father sighed but didn't call them back, drawing a pistol of his own as he turned to watch the driveway. Milena turned the situation over in her head again as her feet silently padded through the trees, eyes alert as she searched for Silas and Brie. They wouldn't send Fredrick to warn us, they know our training. They're the trigger, corralling whoever they're after but Ruiss and I are the trap. At Milena's nod, both Grimms separated, remaining in shouting distance of each other.
Milena refused to be distracted by the small sounds the forest naturally produced, ignoring the slight wind, leaves rustling, branches clacking together like dried bones.
Something rustled in the bushes and Milena immediately froze.
It moved again.
Milena brought up her gun, breathing through her nose.
Careful. The Grimm felt her excitement entice something deep with in her chest, an instinct she prayed would remain quiet. It stirred as the footfalls got closer, rising beneath Milena's skin, flooding her limbs with impatient strength, an eagerness to tear, to main, to hurt-
Careful. Milena fought kept her breath steady as her hands trembled, an eagerness blooming in her heart.
In. She held it for a second, hearing the footsteps increase in speed.
Closer.
Closer.
Out. She could feel Ruisseau's heart beat beside her own, taste the iron heating in her blood. The need to move, to chase rose made her muscles tense in anticipation, a vicious pleasure at the thought of running down her prey, of toying with them as they begged-
Milena huffed a breath, wrenching herself from her thoughts, feeling a the vague sense of disappointment be overwhelmed by a wave of shame. The connection with Ruiss had dissipated, leaving a sinking hole in her. It quickly disappeared as Ruiss moved beside her, nudging her cousin and rushed forward, Milena at her heels.
Now was the time to kill, to run, to live as the figure stepped into their path, Milena's heart leaping with savage joy as another another followed the first figure, shadowing their footsteps. Now both she and Ruiss could play, bleed, cut, kill-
Only Ruiss' outstretched arm bared Milena from leaping forward as the French girl stopped. The Grimm bared her teeth at Ruiss, ready to demand why she had taken her fun before she finally lowered her weapon, recognizing Silas and Brie step forward, armed to the teeth.
"You make enough noise to wake the dead." Milena growled, feeling the vague regret once again rise as she holstered her weapon. Ruiss actually growled at them, angry at the missed opportunity to hunt but both Silas and Brie smiled at the younger Grimms.
"Making noise was kinda the point Hunts." Brie sheathed her own curved knife, winking at Milena. "Can't herd wesen if they don't know they're being hunted."
"Still disappointing there's nothing out here." Ruiss kicked a pebble, pacing like a caged tiger. "I wanted some excitement."
"We'll get some more tomorrow." Silas said. "There was a car that left in a hurry before we covered the driveway. They didn't have any plates which means-"
"We need to set patrols." Milena finished the sentence with a sigh. Patrols meant a little less sleep, which oftentimes meant cranky people. The resigned looks Ruiss Silas and Brie shared showed they also knew the consequences of the patrols.
Tossing her night colored hair, Brie held out a hand to stop Ruiss from pacing. "Come on, we found a few things you might like." The anger Milena felt stir in her chest at the anticlimactic night was written across Ruiss' face as the French Grimm turned and headed back to camp, followed by the other Grimms.
I'm not getting better at controlling it. The Grimm felt her blood go cold at the thought as she trudged back to camp. If anything I'm getting worse. Normal people don't have to deal with this. That feeling, the incredible rush, the shiver that traveled down her spine at the thought of blood splashing across her clothing, normal people didn't have to fight against that on a daily basis. The yawning hole in her chest began to ache with need, the beginning of a headache echoing in her skull, dogged her feet steps as she followed the others to the base.