Chapter 12

"On your feet, soldier!" Natasha grabbed the disoriented man by his shirt and pushed him toward the massive opening on the wall, away from the entrance blocked by debris. "Evacuate the building, now!"

The man stumbled forward and disappeared through a cloud of dust, the sound of his frantic footsteps receding. Of the thirty or so guards that had occupied the game room, only a handful remained after the ceiling caved in. Crushed to death or buried alive, when the first explosion detonated, chaos ensued and it was every man for himself.

Dougal was the first to abandon his soldiers.

Without any stragglers remaining, Natasha scrambled over chunks of brick and concrete towards Paige. Emergency lights cast the holding room in a harsh, red glow and the acrid stench of smoke was beginning to fill the air. Paige could see her mother's face and hair covered in a layer of dust, and her left arm had a streak of blood from a deep cut, but the gun strapped to the holster she'd salvaged from the wreck was a reassuring sight. Natasha produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the cage, forcing the door open with her shoulder. Paige threw herself into her mother's embrace, relieved she'd escaped the collapse of the ceiling unharmed.

"Hey, Rambo," she teased, burrowing her face between Natasha's neck and shoulder like she often did as a child.

Natasha chuckled and kissed Paige on her forehead, then she pulled back to assess her appearance. Her fingers brushed over the bruises on her neck, prodding gently to evaluate the damage.

"Looks worse than it feels," Paige mumbled, shifting with discomfort.

"Guess I'll just have to take your word for it," Natasha said, though by the tone of her voice she didn't believe her. "We'll have our doctors take a look at you when we get home." Her eyes narrowed, and something dangerous shifted in the air. "Nothing…happened with you and that male, right? With X-013? You were there for almost a day, honey. He didn't—"

The ground shook beneath their feet. Another section of the ceiling fell, lifting a cloud of dust as it crashed to the floor a short distance from them. Beyond the opening in the wall, a woman screamed but the sound was abrupt and followed by an eerie silence.

"Shit, this place has gone to hell," Natasha said and approached 328's cage. "We'll finish this conversation later."

Paige wasn't looking forward to that.

The male snarled as Natasha pressed the key into the lock, cat eyes narrowed to slits. He was crouched in the corner of his cell, tail whipping from side to side as if he were preparing himself to attack once the door opened.

"Behave!" Natasha snapped, lifting her finger in warning. "Keep your fangs and claws to yourself, male. I will not tolerate your dominance alpha bullshit, unless you'd rather stay here and roast when the building collapses. Now, decide."

328 glanced at Paige and something in her expression must've reassured him, for he stood and took a calming breath. He glared at Natasha, but did not bare his teeth. "I will not attack you, female. Let me out. I do not wish to…roast."

Natasha nodded and unlocked his cage.

Paige stood beside her enclosure nervously as the male stepped out. Without bars to restrict him, his savage presence was daunting. He was easily six and a half feet tall, perhaps an inch or two shorter than X-013, but even so he towered over them with ease. The male assessed the destroyed game room, unmoved by the human remains scattered on the ground or buried beneath the rubble. Lifting his nose to the air, he sniffed once and curled his lips in disgust.

"That's smoke," Natasha explained, and then gestured to Paige. "And you've met Paige. She's my daughter, so I'll trust you to be on your best behavior. You're under NSO protection, 328." She pointed to the gap in the wall. "You two wait for me there and stay sharp. We move out in five."

Her mother winked at Paige and jogged across the room to release the Species women from their cages. They were agitated, but otherwise appeared unharmed. Unlike the guards in the room, their enclosures had protected all of them when half the ceiling had collapsed. Natasha was fortunate she'd thought to jump back into her cage when the first explosion obliterated the game room.

A puff of warm breath tickled the back of her neck, but Paige forced herself to remain calm. New Species were part animal, she reminded herself, and this one was more animal than man. Scenting was probably the equivalent of a handshake to him, and of the two humans in the room she was the least threatening to approach. Paige crossed her arms over her chest as the male circled her, sniffing her hair and taking her appearance in with curious eyes. She stiffened when he circled her once more and felt his brazen tail brush the back of her thighs.

"I do not know the scent of this male," 328 said, stooping low to sniff the column of her neck. He didn't sound pleased. "What claim does he have on you?"

Paige pulled back, batting her hand at him as if chasing away a persistent gnat. "The same claim you had on me when they locked me in that cage—none. X-013's my friend—sort of—and what's with the creeper routine, spot? Ever heard of a personal bubble? How would you like it if I started touching and sniffing you all over…"

328 grinned.

Paige threw her hands in the air and made her way toward their exit, a huff of frustration escaping her lips. The male chuckled and followed close behind struggled to climb the slabs of concrete with her injured foot, and did her best to walk a path where bodies were least visible. Still, the sight of blood pooling from beneath a mound of debris couldn't be avoided, nor the sight of a man impaled through the stomach by a metal bar. Eyes to the ground, she skirted around him and plowed on. It occurred to her she was taking the gruesome scene rather well, despite her stomach's urge to rebel, but she was certain her emotional detachment would wear off once she was in the comfort of her own home.

Do. Not. Process, Paige!

Approaching the wall, she was relieved to see Natasha climb down a heap of rubble, followed by 11 and 619. The females acknowledged 328 with a curt nod as they walked past him, but the male's attention didn't waver from the direction from whence they came.

"They didn't survive," Natasha called over her shoulder, her expression grim but determined as she steered Paige towards the exit. "Let's move out."

Paige glanced back at 328. He clenched his hands into fists and lowered his head, sparing a moment of grief for the males who would know freedom only in death. A second blast forced them to abandon the game room, moments before the retched place was buried beneath a cloud of fire and ash.

The time to mourn would come.

For now, survival was their priority.

Paige followed the Species women down the deserted corridor, the stench of smoke growing stronger as they approached Level Three. Natasha and 328 led the way. They were two predators in motion, darting over fallen debris without missing a step and steering them toward the paths least overrun by the enemy. More than once, they had to conceal themselves from the men still trapped in the building. They struggled to contain 328 and his urge to hunt the stragglers down, but the male was growing agitated by the closed quarters and the scent of fear in the air.

The small rooms Mercile had used to store their laboratory equipment, or had been fully occupied by their technicians, were now desolate. Cabinets were left open, papers and supplies scattered on the floor in their haste to escape the destruction—or their imminent capture at the hands of the NSO. They didn't find X-013 locked and abandoned in a cage within the rooms they passed, but Paige refused to believe he'd met the same fate as the two unknown males in the game room. His life held value to Mercile, she assured herself. Surely the guards would think to keep him safe during an evacuation.

Or, so she hoped.

As they climbed a set of stairs leading them out of Level Four, the others appeared unhindered by the semi-darkness, including her mother, but Paige found herself stumbling more often than not. Her eyes watered from the smoke filtering through the network of ventilation shafts above them, and the lack of breathable air was taking its toll on her. She was tempted to use the light from the cell phone still tucked inside her bra, but at her mother's request she was to conserve the battery until it was absolutely necessary.

"Wait!" 619 called out, skidding to a halt just below a fissure in the ceiling.

They had reached the landing and stood before a metal door with a number 3 painted in red on its surface. Wires hung from a broken overhead light, but the flickering bulb that remained allowed them to see the canine's puzzled expression as she tilted her head to the side and frowned.

"What is it?" Natasha asked. She pressed the back of her hand to her mouth and coughed. "It's getting harder to breathe down here, pup. We need to keep moving."

619 glowered at Natasha, but then her eyes widened and narrowed at the ceiling.

328 growled and fixed his gaze in the same direction. "I hear it, too."

"So do I," 11 said and turned to Natasha. "It is a strange, rhythmic sound like the air that rushes from the wall to keep our space cool."

"An air conditioner," Paige offered, somewhat out of breath. She wiped the sweat from her brow, more aware of the rise in temperature in the building now than before. It wouldn't be long before the fire caught up to them.

619 cocked her head again and turned to Natasha. "I can detect at least six distinct patterns."

Paige turned to her mother, just as a laugh escaped her lips. Even covered in filth and blood, the smile she offered them was radiant. "My boys must be close if all of you can hear the NSO helicopters from here, and it sounds like Tim brought the whole damn cavalry."

"These are the test subjects you spoke of?" 328 said, directing his question to Paige. "The ones no longer in cages?"

"New Species," Paige said. "They've come to take all of you home."

Natasha pressed a hand to the door, but her attention focused on the male. "I've already given this speech to the women, so listen up. Once we make it outside, under no circumstances will you attack the humans with NSO uniforms. Those men work for your people, 328. They're not the enemy, understood?"

The male narrowed his eyes and growled.

Paige wondered which of the two he was most displeased with—being ordered about by a female, or knowing he'd have to play nice with the other humans once they made it outside. If X-013 were present, Paige was certain it would be a combination of the two and the stubborn brute wasn't likely to comply with either demand.

Natasha snorted at 328's obstinate response and shook her head, pushing the door ajar with her shoulder. She peered through the opening, but seeing the darkened hallway deserted she signaled for them to follow her. As Paige stepped through the threshold, the cell phone pressed against her chest buzzed and made her jump. The others turned a corner, unaware of the noise, and Paige fumbled with the phone inside her shirt while keeping track of their progression ahead. The phone chimed again in her hand, heralding a second message received. Paige flipped it open, saw the digital envelope on the screen and pressed the OK button.

RANDALL: ARCHIVES SECURED. MAINFRAME DESTROYED. RANDEVOUS POINT COMPROMISED BY NSO. MALCOLM MIA. WAITING 2ND RANDEVOUS POINT WITH X. NEARLY OUT OF TRANQS. HURRY THE FUCK UP, D

Paige scrolled to the second message and blanched.

RANDALL: BRING GIRL. NICOLAI PRIORITY. $ $ $

"Paige, get down!"

The sound of gunfire exploded ahead. Someone tackled Paige to the ground and rolled them out of the line of attack, just as a searing pain shot up her arm. A thunderous compilation of distressed voices and snarls filled the hallway, followed by an agonized scream. Bullets ricocheted from the wall, the ceiling, and footsteps pounded against the concrete floor in a rush to escape what Paige could discern were the trio of Species in a foul mood.

In seconds, it was over.

"Fuck," Natasha hissed. She pushed herself to her knees and glared down at Paige. Her eyes narrowed on the phone still clutched to her hand, but they widened at the sight of blood soaking the sleeve of her shirt. She pried the fabric away from the gash, and Paige groaned when she attempted to lift her arm.

"Let me guess, looks worse than it feels?" Natasha said, her tone full of reproach.

Fighting a wave of nausea, Paige sucked in a shuddered breath and nodded. As if she'd admit to her mother it hurt like hell; Paige could be stubborn, too. Natasha tore the hem of her own shirt and wrapped the wound, but the bullet graze was deep and would need stitches. It didn't take long for the piece of cloth to stain with blood.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Natasha stood and pulled Paige to her feet by her good arm. She took hold of her chin in a firm grip. "Eyes always to the front in the field, Paige. What if I hadn't reached you in time?"

"I'd be Swiss cheese?"

Natasha glowered at her response and released her, raking a frustrated hand through her short, black hair. Paige couldn't blame her; even that small attempt at humor sounded morbid to her own ears. The Species regrouped, their clothing stained with blood but otherwise unscathed by the ambush.

"The humans are dead," 328 announced with pride, wiping a streak of blood from his cheek with his thumb.

The male's pupils were dilated, shoulders vibrating with pent up adrenaline. He sniffed the air and frowned at Paige, eyes locked to her arm in a way that made her feel uneasy. She did her best not to stare at the bloodshed behind him, for the image was sure to follow her in her nightmares if she did, and instead held the phone out to Natasha.

"I found where they're holding X-013."

Her mother took the phone and scrolled through the messages. She lifted a brow upon reading the second one, and then texted a short reply before she dialed a number and held it to her ear. A gruff voice answered on the third ring, loud enough for even Paige to hear.

"How pissed are you?" Natasha said, but she pulled the phone away from her ear just in time to avoid the snarled reply to her question.

328 glared at the phone and moved away, the tip of his spotted tail twitching as the speaker's irate voice increased in volume. It was obvious a Species male had answered the call and was, indeed, very pissed. Natasha rolled her eyes to the ceiling and signaled the group to continue their trek down Level Three, all the while holding the phone to her side as the male continued a heated rant that even the Species women found amusing.

"He has yelled the word fuck at least thirteen times now," 619 mused, rounding the next corner. She stepped over a splintered door and glanced back at Natasha. "Is he your male?"

"Oh, god no!" Natasha shuddered, and pressed the phone back to her ear. "Okay, my turn. Shut up and listen, Darkness, or I swear I'll tell Fury about the time Sal kicked you in the balls so hard during training you fell to your knees and cried."

They heard a growled response.

"You bet your ass I would," Natasha said, lips quirked in a mischievous smile. "I'd spread that shit so fast, people in the Wild Zone will hear about it come morning." She paused, and said in a conspiratorial whisper, "The boys might even go easy on you during combat exercise. You know, 'cause you're so fragile and all."

Another rumbled string of words, and then silence.

"Roger that," Natasha muttered, unperturbed by what Paige suspected was a threat. "Alert the medic team. I've got three Species here—two females, one male—and my girl." —Pause— "No, the others didn't survive." —Another pause, this one much longer— "Level Two? Yes, we'll be there in ten but spread the word. There's an asshole trying to weasel out of here with a male called X-013. The man goes by the name Randall, and apparently he's almost out of tranquilizers so that male's going to be in a certain mood when he wakes up. Nicolai also sent out an order to take my girl along for the ride, so if you're feeling generous I'd like to be in the interrogation room when we nail his ass."

Natasha pressed her lips together as her mentor, Darkness, rumbled another string of words. Whatever he said did not please her one bit.

"Fine. Dougal is mine, you grouchy son of a bitch."

Without waiting for a reply, Natasha shut the phone and slid it into her back pocket. She squared her shoulders and signaled for them to follow her down the next corridor. 11 took mercy on Paige and held her hand while she guided her through the bodies slain on the floor, but as they reached the threshold which would lead them to Level Two they could go no further.

Their exit was blocked.

Natasha growled a curse, while she stood before the mountain of rubble and assessed their rather complicated setback. The ceiling just above the threshold had caved in and buried the hallway leading to Level Two, and to turn back in the hopes of finding another exit would be foolish. The foundation of the building was too unstable, their time limited by the next explosion that would bring the entire structure to the ground. After calling Darkness once more, it was revealed the blockage ran the length of the corridor and it would take the NSO some time to dig through on their end. Left with little choice, and seeing the smoke begin to thicken around them, Natasha and the Species trio set to work on digging through the debris in an effort to meet the rescue team somewhere in the middle.

If the smoke didn't suffocate them first.

Determined to help, Paige attempted to lift a chunk of concrete the size of a shoe box with her good arm. The sudden weight jolted her injured one, forcing her to release the burden from her hand and gasp in pain. She clenched her teeth and tried again, but even the slightest movement sent painful currents that left her head spinning. Natasha abandoned her post and steered Paige a few steps away from the wreckage.

"Be our lookout, yeah?"

Paige glanced down the deserted corridor and scowled at her mother. "Seriously?"

Natasha poked her injured arm, which caused Paige to stiffen and yelp. "Seriously."

Paige glared at her mother's back as she returned to her post. 11 and 619 picked up an impressive chunk of concrete and tossed it onto the pile they'd begun to form in a corner. 328 lifted a collection of pipes with one hand and tossed them in as well, his enhanced strength making it seem as though the things were made of foam rather than metal.

With the group absorbed in their task, Paige turned her attention to the corridor. Demoted to sentry duty, she walked a few paces ahead and used the collar of her shirt to cover her mouth and nose while she kept her vigil. She squinted her eyes in an effort to see past the gloom and smoke, but the longer she stared at her surroundings the more sinister the view became to her. Oftentimes, she'd imagine a shapeless form glide across her line of sight and vanish like a specter through the wall. With the knowledge of the men still lifeless in the adjoining passageway, and the distant glow of a flickering red emergency light, it was perhaps the ideal scene for a horror movie.

Of course, that's when the sound of a child's laughter reached her ears.

Paige stilled and felt her skin prickle with gooseflesh. She glanced back at the group, but no one seemed to have heard the voice but her. She swung her eyes back to the corridor and took a few hesitant steps forward, unsure in what direction it came from. If it came from anywhere at all. Paige counted ten seconds in her head, but only the sound of brick and stone hitting the concrete floor could be heard. Deciding fatigue and the disturbing atmosphere of the place was playing tricks on her mind, she turned to leave—

"I love you, Mommy…!"

There!

Without forethought to her actions, Paige walked at a brisk pace down the corridor. No one stopped her, so they must've been too immerse in their task to notice her depart. She skipped the corridor where the guards had ambushed them and discovered another passageway rounding the corner. Paige muffled a cough with her hand and noticed the shape of a door through the smoke near the end of the hall. A sliver of blue light shone from beneath the entrance, and again the sound of the child's laughter echoed around her. A moment later, a woman's voice called out to him, accompanied by the familiar call of seagulls and rushing water.

A beach?

In quiet footsteps, Paige closed the remaining space to the door with caution. Something inside her implored her to turn back, but another more powerful force guided her fingers to grasp the lever handle and pull down. Pushing the door ajar, Paige discovered the source of her disquiet in the form of a flat screen television attached to a pale blue wall. It was placed at an angle to the left side of an office, allowing her a clear view of the home video recorded on a brilliant sunny day by the sea. The child's laughter filled the room once more when he sprinted across the screen and rolled in the sand. He was perhaps six or seven years old, with black hair and a reed-like frame. He wore T-Rex patterned swim trunks and a generous coat of sunscreen covered his nose and cheeks. The angle of the camera shifted, drawing closer to the boy as an adult-sized shadow eclipsed over him. Hazel eyes crinkled at the corners when an impish smile curved his lips.

"I love you, Mommy!"

The video paused, and then a digital arrow pointing left appeared on the screen. Only seconds were rewound, just long enough for the boy to repeat those words once more.

"I love you, Mommy!"

Pause.

Then, a whispered reply.

"I love you too, darling."

Drawn to the familiar voice, Paige swung the door open and stood frozen at the sight before her.

Not much remained of Dr. Rosenburg's face, bludgeoned and covered in blood which had pooled beneath her head and soaked the carpeted floor. Bits of flesh and broken teeth suggested a mouth, her crushed nose positioned above it. Sprawled face up like a broken doll, one lifeless doe eye stared back at Paige. The other was swollen shut, the flesh around it battered and bruised from the trauma caused by the object resting beside her.

A small trophy, smeared with her own blood.

"He won first place," Dr. Malcolm's disembodied voice called out, wistful and slurred. "The other children couldn't keep up with him in the water, you know?"

Paige tore her eyes away from the dead technician. She stepped into the room and shuffled to the left, keeping a safe distance between herself, the corpse, and the woman sitting on the floor with her back to wall. The leather sofa near Dr. Malcolm almost hid her from view, but her legs and bare feet were visible from her position by the door. Paige stepped a little further inside until she stood directly across from the woman, and felt her lips part in shock.

Soot covered Dr. Malcolm from head to toe, and her once impeccable blonde hair had been reduced to nothing but a hideous gnarled clump matted by sweat and blood. A deep cut on her cheek marred her elegant features, another along the column of her neck. Yet, these wounds were nothing compared to the four claw marks carved across her abdomen. With every intake of breath, Paige could see beneath the shredded blouse the cuts separate to reveal a dark pink layer of muscle and the slight bulge of an intestine. Blood soaked the hand she kept pressed to the wound, but without the aid of a medic she knew it wouldn't be long before the woman succumbed to her injuries.

It was then Paige noticed something peculiar resting over Dr. Malcolm's lap. The thing shouldn't have held her attention so, but the wicked smile curving the woman's lips kept her rooted to the floor. She was a bird caught in a snare, and there was nothing she could do to break free from her hold. Lifting the object with her blood-soaked hand, Dr. Malcolm offered it to Paige. It was a black, rectangular box no bigger than a pencil case. Not a loaded gun, or a bomb ready to detonate and blow them to pieces.

A box.

Harmless, really.

At least, it shouldn't have altered the course of her life the way it did.

Author's Note - OMG! One more chapter down, not sure how many to go! I'm sorry for the temporary cliffie, guys, but what happens next deserves its own chapter. Good news is, we're almost down with what I like to call "part 1" of Shield, which means we'll be seeing some old faces soon when Paige and X-013 get whisked to Homeland / Reservation. Darn it, I still haven't figured out where to put them. Ladon is still lurking about, but we'll be getting a bigger picture on what motivated Malcolm to create him. Yes, we shall see what's in the mystery box! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! Later, gators! :)