Raelle secured her scourge to her side and found Scylla watching her with an amused look. "What?"
"You'll need this," Scylla said, pinning Raelle's mom's combat charm on her.
"You need something to keep you safe, too," Raelle said, pulling a familiar thing from her bag. She pinned the bird skull charm under Scylla's jacket.
"I thought I lost it," Scylla said gratefully.
"I found and kept it," Raelle explained. "I hope it keeps you safe."
Scylla believed it would, given how it made her feel then and now.
"Ready?" Jin asked when they joined the combined group of witches embarking on a joint mission. He and Scylla were tasked with intercepting a truck scheduled to arrive at the facility with newly captured witches. They would in turn use that to sneak in the rest of the group into the facility to launch an attack.
"No matter what happens, please watch her back," Raelle requested of Jin as Scylla got into the car.
"Yes, I will," Jin promised. He gave Tally a quick hug before getting into the car as well.
Raelle was surprised to see Khalida who must've arrived while she was preparing. She gave her friend a quick hug. "What are you doing here?"
"This is as much my fight as yours," Khalida said. "Besides, you might need my help if you get arrested again." She smiled when Raelle chuckled.
"I'm just glad you're on our side," Raelle said, watching Abigail and Tally signal for them to get a move on.
It was a bit of a tight squeeze in the van but soon they were by the roadside waiting for the truck to pass hidden away courtesy of Adil while Scylla and Jin try to stop it en route at that agreed upon spot.
"There's more than one truck," Tally announced. "And more Camarilla soldiers than young witches."
"It's a trap, we have to stop Scylla," Raelle told Anacostia, alarmed by the development.
"No, we'll improvise," Anacostia replied, knowing how time-sensitive their operation is. "How many trucks are there and which one do we need to protect?" She got Tally to lay it out for her and sent back Ash to signal Scylla when she passes him along the road.
.
Scylla was driving at a leisurely speed waiting for the Camarilla truck to catch up to her so she could stop it by the roadside according to plan. She noticed an out of place hitchhiker and realized who it was signaling to her.
"Wasn't that Ash?" Jin asked the obvious.
Scylla made a quick stop for Ash to catch up to them and give his update. Knowing she had little time, she summoned her avian friends to flock and follow her. She also turned the car into a trailer to prepare for what she was going to do when the trucks were behind her.
"Here they come," Jin said, seeing them in the distance. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"I think so," she said confidently, getting in the car. "Hang on." She pulled out and waited for the trucks to get behind her and hope they wouldn't try to pass her. When they were near where the group was hiding, Scylla swerved and made the car jackknife as safely as she could. It still jostled them but at least they stopped without injuries. She got out of the car and watched the birds fly past the trucks drawing out the Camarilla.
"Nice job Ramshorn," Anacostia said, coming out of hiding.
"Your girlfriend is crazy," Abigail said intentionally making her hear.
"She got it done, didn't she?" Raelle countered. "Are you ok?" She looked at Jin and Ash to ensure they were, too.
"I'm fine," Scylla assured her, glad that everyone was safe. She turned and transformed the trailer back.
"Birds?" Raelle asked in astonishment even after seeing them on the road.
"I can't make something out of nothing," Scylla reminded her. "Time to switch." The Spree agents started to transform into the drivers while the rest rescued the witches and tied up the Camarilla.
"Take them to safety," Anacostia told Quinn and Khalida, loading the girls into the van.
"We have to move," Scylla said, climbing into the first truck to drive them into the facility.
Anacostia and Raelle got into the back of the truck Scylla was driving while Abigail and Adil then Tally and Gregorio got into the other two trucks driven by Ash and Jin respectively. They were going to remain hidden among the Camarilla just in case.
.
Raelle helped Anacostia put neck braces on each of the Camarilla in their truck. "What are these for?"
"They're to keep them under control," Anacostia explained. "We modified it to have a recording of the push work used on them."
Raelle still didn't see the point of it but did as told.
"You know, it was your girlfriend's idea," Anacostia revealed.
"Scylla?" Raelle asked curiously.
"Are there other girlfriends?" Anacostia teased, seeing Raelle shake her head emphatically in response. "Petra was quite impressed with her suggestion. It actually serves the Army quite beautifully. The president had been expecting us to do something about the Spree and since the Camarilla had been posing as Spree, we can parade them as that."
"So the attacks on the Camarilla will appear as the Army putting an end to Spree activities," Raelle finished, seeing the sense of it all.
"She's quite diplomatic according to Petra," Anacostia added. "Coming up with an idea that everyone including the Dodgers found acceptable."
"I wished I could've seen her," Raelle said proudly.
"Maybe when this is over, Petra can make an exception to get her admission to the War College," Anacostia suggested.
"I doubt she'd agree to that," Raelle said, knowing how Scylla felt about the Army.
"Maybe you can convince her to return," Anacostia suggested, also aware of Scylla's attitude towards the Army.
Raelle knew Scylla would for her but they had other plans that she wasn't ready to disclose to Anacostia yet.
"Stay sharp," Anacostia told Raelle when they felt the truck come to a stop. She saw a guard check fleetingly and move on.
The convoy arrived at the loading dock of one of the buildings without further delay and the team secured their trucks.
"Something wrong?" Tally asked Scylla who looked concerned.
"There are more guards than usual," Scylla observed as she drove in.
"You've only been here a few times," Abigail reminded her. "Maybe this is normal."
"No, it's not," Jin chimed in. "Something's wrong."
.
Scylla kept an eye out with Tally while Anacostia reported to Petra telepathically.
"Hearst isn't at the base," Anacostia announced.
"Then he must be here," Abigail guessed. "That's why the additional guards."
"What do we do now?" Tally asked.
"We draw them all out and away from the buildings," Anacostia said, improvising the original plan. "And you three, go rescue and protect the witches." She addressed Scylla, Jin and Ash.
"Are we going after Hearst?" Raelle asked, wanting to get a crack at him. She saw Anacostia confirm that they would and prepared herself for it. "Stay safe." She kissed Scylla before following her group.
Scylla led her group through the dock to get to the holding cells. Moving quickly, they got into the security room and disabled all the cameras. They were in the process of leading the young witches to safety when a lab worker came across them. She struck him to prevent him from sounding the alert.
.
Raelle looked around the main building and wondered how many were in there. "How are we going to get them out into the open?"
Abigail asked Adil to keep them invisible before pulling the fire alarm and sure enough everyone evacuated and went outside.
Anacostia performed a sleep induction with Raelle's help that put them all out except for some that remained standing. "They're on our side." She explained quickly and pointed to her earbud.
Raelle watched as the Spree and Dodgers put neck braces on the sleeping Camarilla. She didn't have long to spend before her group moved on to the next building in the complex to do the same.
"They're falling back," Tally warned, watching guards start running away towards a building a distance away. Instead of rushing them, it seemed they were going to it to make a stand.
"That's probably where Hearst is," Abigail guessed as the group followed. She asked Adil to create a sinkhole under it.
"What if there are witches in there?" Raelle cautioned.
"Probably not; it's been high-security not even Scylla could get in," Anacostia revealed, giving Adil the go-ahead.
"Probably isn't good enough?" Raelle insisted.
.
Scylla and her companions drove the young witches to safety and handed them off to awaiting Dodgers at a side gate. She was quite relieved that it went smoothly to not further traumatize the young girls.
"What now?" Jin asked when the last group was safely on their way in school buses to remain discreet.
"We go back and help Anacostia," Scylla said, knowing that like her, Jin was concerned for the unit.
Ash had already turned the truck around when they hopped in. They passed by the main building and found things under control there. The same with the next buildings they passed.
Scylla heard alarm bells in her head. "Stop the truck."
Ash did as she asked and looked around. "What's wrong?
"There are no guards," Scylla pointed out. "We saw a lot of them but none of them are here. Where did they go?"
.
Raelle expected nothing less than a building fortified with dampeners for Hearst to hide in. She waited while Adil tried to find an entry point.
"We need to shut down the power," Anacostia said, sending Adil and Gregorio to do so.
"What if they escape while we do nothing?" Raelle asked impatiently.
"We can't do work inside and if there's witch plague, we'll be in trouble," Abigail reminded her.
But the decision was made for them when a Camarilla guard deliberately threw a girl off the roof. Abigail spun up a small tornado quickly to save her when Tally shouted the alarm.
"Are you alright?" Tally asked, taking the dazed girl by the hand away from the building.
"We have to stop them before they kill more innocent witches," Raelle said angrily.
Anacostia linked with the young witch to get an idea what's in the building. When she ascertained there was no danger to them, she agreed to go in. "Do you see those people?" she asked the little girl. "I need you to run over there and tell them you need help, ok?"
Just in time, Adil successfully shut the power to the building from the box and gave Abigail the signal to blast the doors in.
Briefly after the female witches entered the building ready to attack when the power came back on and steel gates came down keeping them in and the male witches out.
"Find the backup power and shut it down," Anacostia ordered and got ready to fight their way out.
.
Scylla got out of the truck and found Adil and Gregorio studying the building. "Where are they?"
"They're trapped inside," Gregorio reported, watching Jin and Ash join them. "And we're shut out."
Scylla deduced the building was protected by dampeners so she asked Adil if he could shut the power down.
"They have a generator underground," Adil revealed. "It's also protected so I can't do anything to it to help them."
"They're trying to get out by getting to the roof," Gregorio said.
"Do you have any idea how many guards are in there?" Scylla asked, guessing they were outnumbered which is why they haven't escaped yet.
"No idea," Adil replied unable to penetrate the building's defenses.
"We have to get inside," Scylla said looking up at the roof. "Gregorio, do you have salva?"
Gregorio retrieved his container of it and gave it to her. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking."
"Do you have a better idea?" Scylla challenged him. She distributed the salva among them and convinced her fellow Spree agents that it was safe. "See you up there." She pulled Jin and Ash up with her and Gregorio took Adil with him.
.
Raelle stayed absolutely still and waited for the guard to come around the corner and knocked him out while Abigail did the same to his partner. She dragged him into the room they had taken refuge in.
"This is taking too long," Abigail complained, dragging hers in.
"No, it won't," Anacostia said, putting on the Camarilla's uniform over hers. "We just need these guys to pose as them."
"How are we going to rescue the young witches?" Raelle asked, hoping they weren't abandoning them.
"First we have to find them," Anacostia said, putting her headgear on. "Then we'll figure it out."
"I don't think I'll ever get rid of this Camarilla smell off me," Abigail complained.
"I'm sure your High Atlantic soap will do the trick," Raelle joked, garnering her glare which she brushed off. "Or I can share some of my Cession soap."
"Are you two finished?" Anacostia asked sternly, knowing they had to get going.
.
Scylla got ready to fight as they got closer to the roof. Lucky for them the guards weren't expecting them so they got the upper hand. Landing on the roof, the guards were easily overpowered by the group.
"What now?" Ash asked first.
"Gregorio, you and Adil find the generator and shut it off," Scylla said, taking charge. "Ash, you stay here in case they get up here and let them know we're here. Jin and I will try to find them inside and help them if we can."
Given their assignments, they broke off into smaller groups and made their way inside except for Ash.
Scylla looked for any signs of fighting in the stairwell but saw none to her relief. She and Jin decided to take the upper floor to see what they were up against while Gregorio and Jin went down to the basement.
At the very first hallway they looked into, they found a group of guards doing a sweep of the rooms. Scylla signaled Jin to wait for her before engaging.
"Oh, you scared me," Scylla pretended to be startled rounding the corner.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the guard closest to her asked, pointing a dart gun at her.
.
Raelle was on the right flank of their tight unit formation as they searched for the young witches. Tally was in front, Abigail to her left and Anacostia rounded their rear. She saw movement across the atrium from them and recognized one of the combatants. "Scylla." She announced telepathically to her unit before running to get to the other side.
"What?" Anacostia replied telepathically, looking across after Raelle ran off. "Collar, wait!" Her order was unheeded as the blonde raced to help her girlfriend.
"What do we do?" Tally asked, wanting to go after Raelle.
"We go as a unit," Abigail replied and the trio took off running. "You better be right about this shitbird or I'll squash you." She threatened Raelle in the hopes it would make the other slow down for them to catch up.
"I think I saw Jin with her," Tally confirmed, hoping they were in time to help the pair.
.
Scylla hoped that her deception worked instead of having to fight a growing number of guards coming their way. The good thing was they were in a hallway so they can limit the approach of their attackers but knew eventually they'd be at a disadvantage so they had to move out of it quickly.
"How many more are there?" Jin asked after their third group of guards fell to the floor. He knelt to check to be sure they were out.
"Tired already?" she asked with a wicked smile.
"I'm just getting started," he replied, looking up at her with an equal smile.
"Keep your gun loaded and ready," she reminded him, holding one in each hand and a spare on her waistband covering both ends of the hallway for them.
"That was a good move back there," he noted about her use of the guard's dart gun against his companions while using him as a shield. "You live up to your reputation." He got up and kept watch of their rear as they started to move.
Scylla looked around the corner and saw two groups heading their way. She also heard footfall behind them so braced for the onslaught.
.
Raelle saw a group of guards turn towards where Scylla was but drew her dart gun too late to hit any of them. She made the turn and found Scylla using her own dart guns to overpower the guards. She saw the brunette discard both guns when they were spent and draw another at her. "Scyl, it's me!"
"Raelle?" Scylla asked in surprise. She confirmed it was when Raelle pulled her mask down.
"Duck," Raelle ordered and shot at the last remaining guard charging from behind her. She saw Jin nod in gratitude.
"What are you doing here?" Anacostia asked, arriving as things were under control. "And what happened to subtlety?"
"You can't have all the fun," Scylla said cheekily. "And I did try to convince them I worked here."
"You would've been captured eventually," Abigail observed regardless of the pile of guards on the ground.
"We can use that to our advantage," Anacostia said, outlining her plan to use Scylla and Jin to pose as captives to find the young witches.
"Why not just have them pose as guards like us?" Raelle countered.
"I'll be fine; I'm with you now," Scylla assured her, supported by Jin's nod of agreement to the plan.
.
Scylla marched confidently in front of her so-called captors waiting for the next group of guards they encountered.
"Can she at least pretend to be afraid?" Abigail asked her unit telepathically.
"Why should she?" Raelle replied in kind. "She's not afraid of you." She could tell from Abigail's eyes that she didn't know if that was a compliment or an insult.
"Incoming," Tally alerted her team.
"Who're these?" the lead of the guard unit asked.
"We caught these witches," Anacostia replied. "What should we do with them?"
"Take them to the captain," he replied and tilted his head toward the direction.
"Which door?" she asked, claiming they were new.
"Second door on the left," he informed her and moved his unit through.
Anacostia took her group in and presented their captives to a bald man who came around his desk to take a closer look at them.
"Have you found the others?" he asked, seeing the negative response from the four newcomers. "Doesn't matter, we can use these two as bait."
.
Raelle was on edge as she waited for the lecherous captain to finish walking around Scylla. She wished she could just punch him and get it over with.
"Easy Collar," Anacostia warned, watching her tense appearance. "We don't want to engage them until we know where the young witches are." She knew they could take on the captain and his two guards but wanted it to be less messy and keep their position hidden from the rest of the Camarilla guards.
"You are pretty," he said when he came back around to face her.
"You're not my type," Scylla retorted.
"I'm sure by the end of the day, you'll be begging for me," he said lasciviously which garnered him a knee to the groin that made him double over.
The two real Camarilla guards pulled Scylla away and kicked her legs out from under her.
Raelle was about to defend her girlfriend but Anacostia held her back physically.
"Take them to the test chamber," the captain managed to order his guards. The two holding Scylla pulled her up and dragged her out while the other three took the male witch with them. "What?" He noticed one of the guards linger behind.
Raelle pulled her dart gun and shot him then tied him up securely before exiting the office making sure to lock the door.
"What took you so long?" Anacostia asked, remaining silent to the Camarilla guards ahead of them.
"I made sure he was tied up," Raelle replied honestly.
"He could yell for help and blow our cover," Abigail chastised her.
"He won't because I shot him with a sedative and if he does wake up, I put one of my socks in his big mouth," Raelle revealed.