The patrol is cleared, Draden reported. I’m starting up the wall.

You wait, Ezekiel demanded. I’ve moved around, but need a couple of minutes to get into position to cover your ass. Stay put until I give the okay.

And give me a minute to come up from the other side, Wyatt cautioned.

He sprinted across the open land, not slowing down when the fence loomed up in front of him. He leapt, using his enhancement to clear the high chain link and razor wire. He dropped to the other side and continued running to the side of the building.

It’s a go, Ezekiel said. I’ve got you covered.

I’m in position, Wyatt said. Let’s do this.

Three stories up was a climb, even for a cat, but he scaled the building, using finger- and toeholds when he could and sheer strength at other times. He went up fast, knowing if another guard happened to appear below him or on the other side, he or Draden would be spotted. Ezekiel had shifted position to cover Draden. Malichai was covering Wyatt.

I’m at the top, Draden. I count five guards. Their weapons are lyin’ up against the wall on your side. I see three handguns, but they’re probably all packin’ more. Two of the three carryin’ are close to you, the other is nearly on top of me. I’ll dart them first because their hands are close to their guns.

I see them, Draden confirmed. I’ll take the other two. You ready?

Wyatt took a breath and let it out. Go. He calmly darted each man, one right after the other and then switched back to the first one to ensure he’d gone down. The men toppled to the floor, one dropping his beer bottle from nerveless fingers. Wyatt caught the sound, muffling it, as it would have carried in the quiet of the night.

All five down, Wyatt said, pulling himself onto the roof with Draden.

Draden was already collecting weapons as quickly as possible while Wyatt checked the guards to make certain they were all the way out.

Trap, you’re up. You go in first. Pepper, if he makes it, you’re next.

Get into the lab, Wyatt, we need anything you can find on the antivenom, how far they’ve gotten in their research, Trap said. Hell, just get everything they’ve got. We might find it useful.

Why are you going into the labs? Pepper asked, suddenly anxious. I thought this was just about the children. And maybe rescuing the woman they’re holding prisoner. Why are you going inside? That floor is heavily guarded and you need palm scans on the third floor for everything. The guards there are different. You didn’t say a word about going inside there. It’s dangerous. Soundproof. We don’t need anything from there.

There was no mistaking the anxiety in her voice, or her worry for him and he couldn’t help but feel a little satisfaction that she didn’t want him in danger. He had known all along she wouldn’t want them going anywhere near the lab. He’d not told her what he would be doing on purpose. She wouldn’t understand their need to get the files on the girls.

We need to find out why they created the children, what they did and how we can counteract it, he admitted to her. I’ll be fine.

Really, Wyatt, don’t go in there. This is crazy. We don’t need the information enough to risk your life. She was pleading with him, more afraid of the lab than the cells.

He tried to soothe her, pushing a confident calm into her mind, even as he used his tone of command. You just get the kids and get out of there. Malichai and Ezekiel will cover us outside. I’ll be inside with Draden. Trap will be on the lower floor watching your back and then he’ll try to free the woman.

I just don’t see how it’s possible for him to get inside, she reiterated.

We’re GhostWalkers, ma’am, Ezekiel said, as if that explained everything, and to them it did. Same as you. You got in and out your way. We’ll do the same.

As Whitney had refined his experiments and learned from his mistakes, he got better and better at enhancing his soldiers without too many repercussions. Trap’s specialty was the most dangerous, as far as Wyatt was concerned. Trap had a good mind and was brilliant with numbers, but if his measurements weren’t exact or they were off on their intel, he could be in trouble.

Wyatt took a deep breath and let it out, watching from the roof as Trap sprinted across the open space and easily cleared the fence in one jump. He landed softer than any big man had the right to do, making his way to the side of the building where the children were being held.

They know sign language, Trap, Wyatt reminded just in case Trap ended up in a cell with one of the babies. They bite out of fear, just the way a snake might.

Okay, mama, are you ever going to let me get to this, or are you going to yammer at me all night? I committed a few books on sign language to memory, and your woman promised to let those babies know I’m on their side.

Wyatt knew he had to allow Trap to do his work, but he couldn’t help feeling reluctant. He never quite could shake the fear when Trap was about to pass through something solid. One missed calculation and he was toast.

Trap ran his hands over the concrete wall, ignoring the mold and green slime clinging to the surface. He closed his eyes, tuning himself to the materials used to create the wall. Limestone. Ash. Slag. Aggregate. He let himself find every component, blocking everything else out of his world. He could no longer hear the heartbeat of the swamp, only the faint energy hum coming from the concrete wall itself.

He was a scientist and he still had a difficult time understanding why his body seemed to absorb the past of whatever object he touched. He “saw” the building being made. Felt the thickness. The grade of concrete. He found every piece of reinforced rebar or steel running through the building, feeling as if the same steel ran through his own body.