Sedated

For good measure, and because the "off" button was right fucking there, I cut the camera feed, too. Might as well leave things a mystery.

I'd turn everything back on when I returned.

After counting out sixty seconds in my head to make sure Morgan and Dixon were gone, I was out the door. I walked at a brisk pace down the hall and around the corner.

The entrance to the examination room should be there, all I'd have to do is figure out the code and—

There was someone there, standing sentry.

I jumped back out of view and pressed against the wall. My heart was pounding and I was stuck wondering if they'd seen me. It would look really fucking alarmed if they had.

That whole spy move I'd just pulled off was the most suspicious thing I'd done all day.

Now I was stuck figuring out how to trick the person into letting me into the room. I didn't even know the code, so I'd also have to convince them to punch it in for me.

Assuming they knew.

My options seemed slim. I wasn't wearing my work clothes—since this was my day off—so it wasn't likely he'd buy that I was his relief. The only other option was some sort of distraction, but that wouldn't get me in the room.

Maybe I could just bullshit my way in.

Deciding to wing it, I took a deep breath and tried to reset my expression. /Look. Natural. You work here, too./

When I walked around the corner, I kept my head high and forced purpose into my gait. A hard thing to sell with the limp, but I did the best I could to suppress it.

He spotted me right away and straightened up. Seemed like he was just an agent, not a security guard.

"Name," he demanded.

"Agent Nichole Shain," I said cooly, fishing my badge from my back pocket to show him. "Newest transfer to the case. Just stopping by to see the . . . specimen."

The word left an acrid taste in my throat, but I had a part to play. Didn't know if it was worth it yet, though.

After examining my badge, he hummed and relaxed. "Alright, well, what can I do for you, agent?" he asked.

He sounded bored. Maybe that would work in my favor.

All I had to do was play it smart.

Or just knock him out. That was always an option. And doable, if I hit him just right . . .

Call it "Plan Z".

"Oh, I thought I'd familiarize myself with everything. Thought I'd introduce myself, too, Mister . . ."

He grunted. "Just Powell is fine."

"Alright, Powell. You been standing here long?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Couple hours," he replied with a shrug.

"Must be boring. Why they got you here?"

Glancing at the door, he said, "Keep watch, I guess. Make sure that the specimen can't and doesn't escape."

This was Plan A. Try to schmooze my way in. Just be a regular, decent human being. Flirting was going to be almost impossible because of who I was as a person, so I wasn't even going to try.

I hadn't been very good at it in high school, and then the whole notion of finding a boyfriend had gone out the window after the incident. I had bigger things to worry about.

Would prefer knocking him out to flirting. At least that I was mostly confident with.

"Is he not heavily sedated?" I asked.

"I'm sure he is, but I guess they want me here as extra security or something." Powell shrugged.

/Yeah. One whole guy. Feel real safe./

If the predator in there was awake enough to break himself free, he'd just stomp all over one man, armed or not.

Well, if anything, maybe I could glean something from this small talk. If I had him blabbering, maybe he'd give me something to work with.

"How much longer do you have on your shift?" I asked.

Powell made a face. "Another few hours. Just started."

"Any breaks?"

"I don't know. They didn't tell me. I sure hope so."

I made a sympathetic click of my tongue. "Man that must be rough. Well, do you need anything before I head out? A soda or something?"

He studied me for a moment as if he was debating something, then he nodded toward the door. "You were in observation looking at him just a few minutes ago, right?" he asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"He look pretty out of it?"

Eyebrows raised, I said, "You wondering if he's gonna break loose and come get you?"

"Did he or didn't he?" Powell harrumphed, his face turning a light shade of red around his ears.

"I mean, sure. He was awake, but seemed pretty listless."

"Alright. Well, do you mind standing here for a couple minutes while I take a leak?" he asked. "Shouldn't take long, and I don't think the big guy's going anywhere."

God damn this was easy. I had to make it convincing, though, so I faked it a little bit.

"You're not afraid that you'd get in trouble?"

"Not many people come down here. I normally wouldn't ask, sorry. Just been holding it a while already."

I put my hands up and said, "You're not putting me out or anything. Just don't want to get you or myself in trouble. But yeah, I don't mind standing here if you think it'll be okay."

The look of relief on his face was delicious. "Thanks. I'll be quick."

Nodding, I took up position in front of the door. "Sure thing. We're all on the same team. Oh, I do have a quick question before you go."

"Shoot."

"I haven't gotten the chance to memorize the codes yet. Could you write them down for me real quick? Before I forget to ask when you return."

I fished around in my pockets a second before coming up with an old wadded up receipt.

Grimacing, I asked, "You got a pen?"

Powell chuckled. "Sure thing. I forget them sometimes, myself. I understand having different ones for each door or whatever, but still. So dumb. I got a pen here."

"Yeah, you said it."

He pulled a pen free from his shirt collar used the wall as a table to scribble out some numbers for me. After handing everything back, he started walking backward down the hall.

"Alright, I'll be right back, don't worry."

I waved and he turned around, disappearing around the corner. As soon as he was out of sight, I counted down from thirty to make sure he was gone for good, then started punching the numbers into the security pad by the door.

This had been a cakewalk. Why had I been so nervous? As far as anyone here knew, we were all on the same side.

"Come on," I muttered, punching in another combination. I hoped there wasn't some alarm that would blare after a certain amount of failed attempts.

The third sequence I tried worked and the light turned green. I quickly pulled on the handle and slipped inside. My stomach felt like it was full of butterflies, and I knew I was seconds away from being caught.

If I was, I'd probably wind up dragging poor Powell down with me. Couldn't really bring myself to care.

The door closed behind me with a resounding click. It stirred the predator locked down on the table and I held my breath, waiting.

I put my hands up in surrender and quietly said, "Hey there, big guy."

When he finally realized I was there and what I was, he strained against his bindings and roared a challenge at me. Despite expecting as much, I still flinched.

My heart nearly shattered at the sight of what should have been a formidable creature struggling so much. His roar wasn't even at the decibel I remembered Wolf's being. It was like seeing a lion or a tiger stuck in a tiny cage.

However, I kept my composure and swallowed my pity. He wouldn't accept pity.

At least he still had fight in him. It gave me some hope.

"Easy," I said, raising my hands back up to show I meant no harm. "I'm on your side."

Unconvinced, he rattled his bonds and I couldn't help but think that under normal circumstances, he would have destroyed them as if they were made of paper.

He attempted another roar and I sighed. The only good thing about him being tied up was that I was free to approach and show him my scar without fear of him crushing my skull.

Wolf had told me it made me one of them. It should work. It had to work. I needed him to know that we were on the same side.

Time was of the essence.

Even though I couldn't see, I glanced at the mirror taking up the wall. I could only hope that no one was on the other side watching me. I was putting everything on the line for this encounter. My luck could only stretch so far.

I should have turned on the backlight so I could see through it. Fuck.

"I'm coming closer," I told him. Whether he understood or not, I moved toward him.

He made an awful ruckus despite his weakened state, but I stopped outside of arm's reach of his table and took a deep breath.

"I'm not supposed to be here, so please be quiet," I urged him. "I told you, I'm on your side."

His shoulders rocked and I waited for him to calm down before I lifted my arm. With my wrist exposed, I showed him the mark om my wrist Wolf had branded me with all those years ago.

"See?" I said. "One of yours."

The predator stiffened and remained still for several seconds before his head slowly tilted and he let out a curious chitter. If I hadn't known to listen for the subtle noises his species made, I would have missed it.

Still, he calmed further and I even saw the muscles in his shoulders relax.

Relieved, I let my arm fall. "Can you understand me?"

A single nod. I straightened up and said, "The one who gave this mark to me, his name was . . ."

Remembering Wolf's true name was easy. Pronouncing it was not. All I earned for my efforts was a hardy laugh from the predator.

With an indignant huff, I asked, "Do you know him?"

He shook his head with a snort, and I was disappointed but not surprised. Of course not. It was just a name. For all I knew it was a very common name. Still, I'd been hoping he knew him.

Then I could ask about him.

Oh well.

I chewed on my lip for a minute. I'd had so many questions, but now that I was face to face with another predator, my train of thought derailed so violently I was sure Dixon heard it from the other floor.

It didn't help that the pressure was building—every second I spent was a second closer to being discovered.

Most of the questions could wait until later. I had to tell him the important parts so I could get out of there. Every second was a second I came closer to discovery.

In the time I'd been there, I could see a difference in his physical state. His answers were becoming less sluggish, his movements more precise. I considered that this might be my chance to break him out.

Except the building was still full of people. I didn't want to be responsible for all those deaths—or risk the chance of the two of us being shot down without any other allies.

There was hope, though. I could come back at night. I knew the codes, I could let myself in the building.

First things first, though.

Before I could open my mouth to say or ask something else, the predator pulled against his restraints so suddenly that I took a step back in surprise.

He thrashed and I placed my hand on my chest to still my beating heart. It was already pounding so heavily in my chest, I didn't need that extra fright.

His message was clear. "Let me out."

My fists clenched at my sides. "I'm going to try to get you out of here," I told him.

He chittered and growled.

"I don't have a lot of power, but I can get in and out. I'll do my best to free you."

The niggling voice in my head reminded me that I needed to leave. Powell could come back any second and the last thing I needed was to be caught red-handed.

So, I backed toward the door. "Just hang on until I can figure something out. I have to go now."

Before he could reply, I punched in the code to unlock the door and slipped through, closing it quietly behind me. My heart was about to beat right out of my chest and a sheen of sweat had formed on my brow.

/Playing it fast and loose, Nichole,/ I berated myself.

"What are you doing?"

I nearly leaped ten feet in the air and whirled around, ready to fight or flee. It was just Powell, giving me the weirdest look as he returned down the hall. He'd caught me standing with my fingers on the door handle.

Mouth bobbing, I tried to come up with something. "I—he started making a ruckus in there so I was just listening, trying to decide if it was bad or he was just posturing . . ."

/Fuck fuck fuck! You almost fucked everything up! Fuck!/

Powell rolled his eyes. "Sedatives must be wearing off. I thought I'd heard something on the way back. Got some pipes on him, huh?"

I relaxed by a margin, but the blood was still roaring in my ears. "Yeah, really startled me," I muttered, stepping aside so he could take up his post again.

Would he notice the nervous trembling? My flushed face?

"Well, thanks for standing guard for a moment. No telling when I'll get another chance for a break," he said, managing a small smile.

Mine was more reflexive than anything. "Yeah, course. Glad I could do my part to help."

"Enjoy the rest of your day."

"I'll do my best."

We bade each other farewell and I tried to walk normally as I left. Not like I was fleeing the scene of a crime.

Though I tried not to look back, I found it difficult. It hadn't seemed like he noticed or suspected anything. If there was a night guard, then it would be a little more difficult to break the predator free.

That would probably require Plan Z—knock them out.

My thoughts were racing as I made my way down the hall. I wanted to check one more time in observation to turn the cameras and audio back on before anyone noticed.

More than that, I wanted another chance to look around the room. I hadn't thought to do so while I was inside, but maybe I could spot something.

I had to figure out what exactly they were doing to him—what kind of sedatives did they have him on? Were they using muscle relaxants?—then I would have an easier time getting him out. What should I prioritize? His escape or killing the xenos?

/One task at a time, Nichole./

Around the corner, I found the door to observation. I un-wadded my list of codes and tried to decide which one to try first. Before I could pick one, the door opened and I leaped back in surprise, crushing the paper in my hand.

"Oh, Nichole," Dixon said, frowning at me. "You're still here. I thought maybe you'd gone home."

"Ah—no, not yet. I was introducing myself to Powell over there," I said. The best way to sell a lie was to be confident.

I could fake confidence.

"Who?"

"The guy standing guard down there." I waved my hand in the general direction.

He eyed me, then opened the door wider and pointed at the predator. "You know what's got him all riled up?"

I stared at him a second or two, then craned my neck to look over my shoulder. The predator was shaking in his restraints, still trying to break through.

The cameras were back on, but Dixon wasn't bringing it up.

"The sedatives might be wearing off," I said with a shrug. "I remember Wolf being pretty warm to the touch, so maybe their core temperature burns it off quicker."

Dixon furrowed his brow. "You could be right. I'll contact the doctor."

"That's probably a good idea. He could probably break through those restraints pretty quick."

"Uh huh. Well, I'm glad you stuck around. The team leader is on his way down. Figure you could get a jump and introduce yourself to him before tomorrow," Dixon announced.

Swallowing, I nodded and rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants. "Um, sure. Yeah. That's fine."

"You okay?" Dixon asked. There was neither concern nor true interest in his voice. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"Hearing him roar and growl like that is making me nervous I guess," I muttered under my breath. "Who's the team leader?"

"A man by the name of Joseph Hassan. He's been the spearhead of this operation for 15 years," Dixon explained, indicating to a chair inside the room.

I thanked him out if habit and took a seat to wait for this Hassan guy to show up. I couldn't look directly at Dixon or the predator.

However, Dixon was still studying me. He did take out his phone and fiddle with it.

/Could you be any more suspicious?/ I was meant kicking myself.

"There. Told the doctor he needs more sedatives," Dixon declared, putting his phone away.

"Cool. You know much about this guy?" I asked.

"The doctor?"

"No, the team leader."

Dixon shrugged. "Oh. Right. We don't talk a whole lot, but no one's complained about him and he gets results."

As the silence continued, I was left trying not to look like I had a guilty conscience. Like I hadn't just broken protocol and sixteen different rules. I pulled out my cell phone to look busy.

All the while, the predator in the other room tested his bonds and growled.