13. When You're Gone.

The first thing that registered in my consciousness was a sharp pain in my neck. Despite being tasered, my muscles weren't functioning properly yet, but I managed to open my eyes slightly, only to be met with the sight of bars enclosing me in a cage. Damn it. It didn't take long for the memory of the ambush to resurface, guards swarming everywhere, and then darkness.

No point in blaming myself constantly. Fuck, I needed to get my body moving and assess the situation - where we were, how to escape, and the condition of the others. They had stripped me of my outer gear, leaving me with just jeans, a t-shirt, and not much else. And of course, I hadn't prepared anything beneath my skin, underestimating the gravity of this mission.

I turned my head and spotted Damon lying in the next cage, still unconscious. On the other side of me, Mariella was trapped in another cage. Adam and Charles, and the wolves, were positioned opposite me, separated by this confining corridor or whatever this space was. The others were placed on either side of Mariella and Damon, leaving me in the middle.

Alright, time to formulate a plan of action and not get too disheartened. I attempted to transform my shape, but it was futile. There was some sort of spell cast on these cages. No matter, being a siphon, it wasn't a significant hindrance. I mustered the strength to move my hand, grabbing onto a bar and feeling the effects of the spell, drawing it into myself. All that was left now was to wait for everyone to regain consciousness and devise a plan. It would take some time for me to siphon the spell, but I was taking everything I could. I opened my siphoning more, so I could get energies around me too.

As I said, you can never anticipate everything that happens on a mission. Gradually, I regained control of my body and sat up, keeping my hand on the bars, absorbing the damn spell. I wasn't sure if Damon or Mariella could do anything, but I was already taking action. This was simply a novel experience for the pack, a lesson to be learned, and we would find a way to escape. Much would depend on who had captured us.

Once I had fully regained my functionality, I paced around my cage, which was about three meters by three meters, and surprisingly spacious. I could see rows upon rows of cages, containing both men and women, humans and other beings. I heard various languages being spoken, including English, with a Texan drawl and a few others I recognized. Well, there were plenty of victims here, but they didn't seem to be in too terrible a state. Meaning no need to kill them all. This would be the perfect rescue operation for the NSA and other organizations. But for now, I was stuck here. Maybe if I managed to break free, I could arrange something.

I was conducting a test on the bars. They were thick, but not too thick for me to twist them slightly. However, I didn't want to give any indication of my powers to whoever had captured us just yet. It was time to play innocent and let the men take the lead. Cunning was one thing that I knew how to use to my advantage, and careful planning was another. The first step would be to make the enemy underestimate me if possible, meaning they would have no idea who I was.

I noticed Damon groaning and slowly opening his eyes. "What the hell happened?" he mumbled.

I sent a surge of power through our bond, causing him to blink a little faster. "Baby, where are we?" he asked.

I explained to him calmly, "We've been captured. There's a spell preventing shape-shifting, but I'm trying to siphon it off. Not sure if you can do anything about it. I'm waiting for the others to wake up. This is just one possible outcome of the mission."

Damon said. "We should have waited for more information instead of rushing into their arms. Damn it!" He seemed angry and irritated.

I remained silent. It was normal for him to find someone to blame. I didn't bother explaining myself. Beginners often looked for someone to blame when they got caught. This would show me what they were made of. If they couldn't regain control, it meant they were the dangerous type who blamed everything and burned out. I hoped that wasn't the case, but it was what it was. I didn't remind him of our previous conversation.

Mariella was waking up as well. Our cages were next to each other, and I could almost reach out and touch her. She didn't seem scared or angry about waking up. She calmly looked around and assessed her surroundings. Interesting. She showed promise. I also saw Adam, Charles, and the wolves starting to wake up and move.

Charles remained composed, while Adam's temper flared up. He muttered something about being too hasty. Even though Adam had been in tough situations before, his temper often got the better of him and led him to engage in reckless behavior. So, he wasn't perfect either. As humans and others came near the bars of their cages to see and talk to my team members, they began sharing horror stories of being forcibly bred, tested, and humiliated.

I was prepared to take the hit before any of my team members had to. I knew how to handle it, but I wasn't sure what consequences it would bring. But maybe I could escape here by the best chance possible. Too bad, as it would entail for me to leave my team behind. No one else was more suitable for this plan than me.

I sat on the cot, gripping the bars of Damon's cage. Damon was being quiet, almost pouting, which was ridiculous. However, I had no intention of taking him on any missions anytime soon. There was no room for drama during missions. You had to be prepared for the possibility of getting caught. My guess was that Damon was talking telepathically to someone, but not to me. That was fine with me. I wasn't going to demand his attention, but I was ready to show him how things should be done.

Many guards were walking around. They carried tasers, pistols, and tranq rifles. They didn't come close enough for me to catch a whiff of what they had in their rifles, but perhaps in due time. I kept my expression neutral, and innocent, not letting my experience show at all. A few hours later, the females in their cages started becoming restless. They were talking about the imminent arrival of someone. They were scared. I had released no pheromones yet because I needed to assess who I was up against. If it turned out to be a shifter or someone who knew about shifters, my pheromones wouldn't be wise, as they could counteract them.

I sat on the cot, listening to several sets of footsteps approaching. It was quite humorous. First, there was that damn spell, and now this. The real deal. But fine, let's see what this is all about. I kept my expression innocent, even dumb. I knew how to make myself look like an idiot. I was leaning in my cot, in a sitting position.

Several men walked down the corridor. They were coming to see the newcomers, meaning us. The tallest man was blonde, with a sparse beard, bad skin, a thin chin, a crooked nose, and an ill-fitting, cheap, old lab coat. He had tall, busty bimbos walking next to him. Their faces were caked with makeup. They were ex-whores, not even pretty. Their fake act grated on my nerves, but I kept myself under control. I didn't recognize this jerk, which meant it was unlikely that he knew who I was. Several grunts accompanied him, with beady eyes and soulless faces. They looked at the females with lustful gazes, seeing them as toys to be played with.

As the group stopped in front of our cages, mainly near me, one of the bimbos went to the front of the blonde man. She kneeled down, opened his trousers, and started to suck and lick his tiny dick. She didn't have to struggle, as it wasn't big enough to make her gag.

Damon spoke in a deep voice, "Come here, darlin'. I can show you a real experience, no need to settle for something smaller. My children have bigger ones. I have something that will make you gag, and properly so."

The blonde man glared at Damon and hissed, but he had a lisp. "You'll have your turn to breed, don't worry. It's a shame you don't get to choose who gets pregnant. That's all on me."

I looked at the bimbo trying to please the man and said, "Don't bother, whore. That thing is not functional. Besides, he's not going to pay you. I can spot an ex-whore when I see one."

The man's gaze snapped towards me. I lounged on the cot, acting as though there was nothing to worry about, keeping my expression sweet and innocent. I knew exactly what I was doing. I was taking the heat on me, making him pay attention to me, and giving me a chance to escape.

Damon spoke to me in my mind, "What the hell, baby? Stay quiet and let me handle this. You don't need to get involved."

I replied to Damon in my mind, "Shut up and learn. You know me, don't mess with this. Let me do my thing, and I'll get you out of here, eventually. I will have to leave you behind, I am making my escape here, use your pretender skills, and get read on this guy, he hates women, and as I am not like those whores most likely outcome, is he is gonna make them kill me, exactly what I need for my escape."

He fell silent in my mind. He was observing, seeing what I was talking about. The blonde man approached me and looked me over.

He said, "You're nothing but a skinny thing, not suitable for breeding, are you? Now, do I have any use for you? Boys, undress this one and use tasers to control it."

I didn't move as one of the guards launched a taser at me. I convulsed, my muscles spasming painfully, not fully obeying. But not for long. I kept my expression purposely blank as the guards entered my cage and began removing my clothes. I knew how to tense up so that my thin skin draped over my bones, making me appear even skinnier. I also kept my muscles relaxed, so their definition wasn't too obvious.

The guards scoffed at my pale, bony body. My breasts were not DD; they were a small C, but work had taken its toll, and they had become a B cup. As for the bimbos, they had either silicone or natural E cups. My narrow hips, flat but firm ass, and unassuming bare pussy didn't arouse the guards as they desired females with hairy, lush pussies and obvious signs of arousal.

The blonde man approached me, touching my body and feeling my warmth.

He cupped my breast, saying, "Too small. She's too skinny. Useless freak. Fine, let's get rid of her. Make an example out of her."

I looked at the man, selling my point as I said "You are not a man, you are a eunuch, I am not human, I am an escaped experiment, and I have an excellent sense of smell so your high voice with your lisp, tells me you have brain damage, hormonal insufficiency and you are nothing."

The blonde man backhanded me, he was not that strong, he sneered, lisping even more. "You will soon see what I can do, you damn freak."

Damon said to my mind, "I hope, baby, you know what you are doing. Surely we could get out of here easier. I mean, twist the bars, or something, you are siphoning the spell out. Think again, baby."

One of the men walked closer, pushing a cart filled with drugs and other items. The blonde man instructed him, "Hook her up to a monitor so her friends can watch. Restrain her on the cot."

The guards placed strong cuffs around my ankles and wrists, securing me to the cot. The blonde man approached the cart and retrieved a large brown bottle from the lower shelf.

He then told one of the guards, "Cannulate her, central vein."

His voice was cold, filled with hate. I had gotten him to lose his composure, and he was now acting just like a little child, not thinking things through. Just what I needed. 

The man followed his orders. I wasn't scared.

I reassured Mariella, saying, "Stay calm. They kill me, but I will revive and get you out. Pretending to be dead is the best way to escape when the enemy believes it."

Mariella responded, "Make this public. There are Americans here, involving the NSA and locals. We can hold on, but exposing this will help. Do you understand?"

I replied, "Damon wouldn't approve, and I don't want to leave you here for too long."

Mariella assured me, "We'll be fine. We can handle it. Make sure the press in America catches wind of it too. Stay in touch. We're strong enough for you to use telepathy."

I didn't like the idea, but I agreed, realizing it would have a significant impact.

"Fine, I'll see what the NSA thinks and then make a decision. No promises, though. I might take action without making it public if necessary. It's my call," I told her.

Mariella insisted, "Do what you can to expose this. It'll be a huge help when we finally bring them down."

I replied, "It may not be the biggest victory, but I'll decide. There are quite many factors here and things can get rough for you. Beware, this can be nasty real soon, so it might be best to get you out of here as soon as possible." 

Mariella was still convinced that they could take it. After all, they were part of the fleas and this was part of the parcel of being in my organization. If I can take this, so could they, too.

As the man cannulated me and attached a telemetry device to monitor my vitals, a blonde man entered the corridor carrying a bottle. He had rigged it to hang upside down, like an IV.

He showed me the bottle and said, "Euthsanol. You're a freak, so let's see how much it takes to kill you. Normally, an animal would be sedated before injecting this, as it might be not nice to get an overdose of barbiturates. But I won't sedate you. Your team members can watch you die. I've dealt with wannabe rebels like you before. As for the other females, don't worry. They'll soon be used for breeding, either by me or someone else. And the males? We have plenty of paying customers looking for quality sperm. They'll be used as well. You can die knowing you got off easy."

I said to the man, "You don't have any sperm so it won't be you and that fake dick of yours is not functional. My guess is you have never orgasmed even."

The man scoffed and proceeded to hang the bottle over me. So I could see an euthanasing agent dripping into me.

Despite the situation, I still wasn't scared. Well, maybe I Could feel fear but not here, in this situation. I had to keep my role on. Meaning I was trying to be a stupidly innocent, reckless, feisty, and freak, so he would not see me as anything useful.

 I spoke to Damon through the link. "I'll find a way to get you out. But first, I need to release a pheromone. Take it, unless you want to risk having children with someone unknown. It's an alpha female pheromone, which will temporarily make you sterile. I'll reverse it as soon as you're free."

Damon pleaded with me, "You can't let them kill you. Come on, do something."

I reassured him, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. This is the best plan to escape. Let them believe I'm dead. Now, take the pheromone. Maybe you can even use it on the females to stop their fertility. If not, I can do it myself. We might face some challenges, but hang in there. Mariella wants to make this public. I wonder if I can make her the next heroine for the press."

Damon questioned, "But are you sure, baby? Think about it. I might break free from this cage soon. We can escape together. You are weakening the spell all the time. I can feel it. We can get out of here and then get help. No need for you to get poisoned."

 I pointed out the obstacles. "Look around. There are 20-30 guards. Can you take them all down? The magic prevention grid will nullify any spells. I'm not sure if your energy manipulation will work. Those guards will be on us before you can even blink. And there are dangerous drugs in that cart. If we get drugged, our chances of escaping diminish. It is a hell of hard to escape if you are drugged out of your mind. I can get rid of drugs with my rage, but not you. A few darts of tiletamine, and you are out of it and properly. Don't be hasty. Stay focused. Remember, we're a team, not just pack members." I spoke in a sharper tone, hoping to make Damon see reason.

 I released the pheromone, hoping Damon and the others would take it too. I wasn't certain how long it would last or how effective it would be. It was time to play my part in this dangerous game and figure out how to free everyone and expose it all to the public.

The blonde man taunted, "I'll take my time with this. Slowly enough for your team member to witness your vitals dropping and your struggle to stay alive. Maybe they'll have some fun while you're at it."

One of the men interrupted, "Sir, not yet. We need to test them first, following the protocol. We'll soon decide who to sedate first and you'll be the first to test. We have shifters ready for initial mating tests, but artificial insemination is the best course of action."

The blonde man scoffed, "I want to see some real action, not just cells in a petri dish."

I rolled my eyes, realizing that this operation was being run by amateurs, but knowing better than to underestimate them. Sometimes, amateurs can be the most unpredictable. But then again, this guy was so damn easy to get riled up and he had decided to play the part of the very epitome of a mad scientist, a bad guy from some damn movie or book. He was really a walking cliche.

I kept my role on, prepared to "die" and then move along to get this place shut down for good. It occurred to me that I was not like in that spell. It was now clear to me that it was not in my mind just to rescue myself, but I was already planning to bring this whole facility down. So that spell had been fake. I had not been me.