The H.E.S.P. base was buzzing with activity. Soldiers moved efficiently in platoons, jogging in sync. Lone staff members found openings to dart past these groups, heads down, minds set to whatever task they were fulfilling. I hadn’t realized just how many people were present at the base as it had been relatively quiet before.
I’d dropped off AJ and his mom at the medic station a few hours ago and now I was wandering and wondering if I should go find Nell or continue to admire the busyness of it all, trying to guess what each person’s job was. Soldier, researcher, soldier, forensics, drone operator, admin, soldier…
“Nick Hart?” a woman in uniform gave me a level stare as she asked the question.
“Yes?”
“The Director is assembling your team for a meeting. Follow me please.” She set off without even checking to see if I followed.
“Are you part of Mac’s team?” I asked, starting after her.
“Mr. North? No, I’m part of Squad Four.”
I nodded. “I met the Sixth and First Squads. Were you in Sillwood as well?”
“Yes.”
“I did run into another team. I think I spooked them pretty bad,” I said sheepishly. “I was deaf at the time, so I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I had to run.”
“Sidebrooks area, near the university?” she asked crisply.
I frowned. “Yeah, I-”
“Restaurant kitchen?”
I stopped walking. “That’s when they flashbanged me.”
She stopped in front of a building entrance, pivoting around to look me in the eyes with a deadpan stare. “That was me.”
“Nice reactions,” I muttered.
She opened the door. “Nice disappearing act.”
She let me go in first and despite her serious demeanour, I felt like there was a slight glimmer of good humour in her eyes.
Following Nell’s connection, I eventually emerged into a small interior courtyard sequestered away in a less busy corner of the compound. Trees and shrubs obscured the windows that looked into the space while providing shade to sitting benches made of reddened wood and ornate iron sides. A plethora of flowers drew a path to the center of the courtyard, where everyone was waiting. Despite the cold, the flowers had bloomed again in startling colour. A small act of defiance against the passage of seasons.
Zola had already made it here. He was looking better, a lot more refreshed and confident wearing a cardigan and slacks. He was talking to Tom who was in sweats and a Sillwood Snakes jersey.
Nearby, Daria matched his athletic look with a tank top that accentuated her muscles. If it was snowing, I somehow imagined that steam would rise from her skin. She was in conversation with the Director, who dressed in loose monochrome clothes. Mac stood silently at one wall in an ‘at-ease’ position, despite not wearing the H.E.S.P. tactical gear and instead wearing a well-fitted turtleneck and dress pants. Neve watched me approach, crossing her arms to shiver. Her jean jacket must have not been warm enough.
A black butterfly fluttered past my nose. The sunlight glanced off its wings, giving a slight purple sheen to them. I spotted Kay, sitting alone on a bench, her hand in her lap.
“I offered to help,” Neve said, following my gaze to Kay. “I could sharpen her focus, make it easier to hold together. She refused, said she wanted to figure it out on her own.”
“This is all very new to her,” I said, splaying my hand to wave at Kay without raising my arm. “I can relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed with Shaping. How new it feels. Alien, even.”
“Can’t relate. This is all I’ve ever known,” Neve said, pulling down her jacket sleeves to cover her palms.
I opened my mouth then paused, trying to formulate the question tactfully.
She answered before I could speak, “I was a Witch before I found myself at Kirkbride Asylum, before I met Daria, before Organ’s meddling. I don’t know if they knew when they kidnapped me. Perhaps it’s the reason I got away. I’m not really an exception, most Witches discover their powers young. Not surprising, given how different our perception is from normal people.” She shook her head. “It’s unbearably gross sometimes. Imagine being elbows-deep in things that move all the time.”
“Can’t say I can relate to that one.”
“It’s why I think I was drawn to amplifying external senses. I developed a specialty, like Nell did with plants,” she gestured to Nell.
I watched Nell crouching next to a flower bed, wearing an oversized fleece jacket. She was focused on something I couldn’t see. The dirt shifted in front of her, parting as a vibrant flower emerged to join the others, complementing the neighbouring colours while standing apart as unique.
“Still,” I said slowly, “you Shaped your Wolf. That must have required some internal change, right?”
Neve smiled softly, “I swear it feels like I barely touched her. Like she had that strength inside her all along and I just gave her the smallest of pushes.” She flushed, raising her hands to cool her face, or perhaps to warm her cold fingers. “Don’t tell her I said that, it’ll go to her head.”
“Your secret is safe with me.”
The Director motioned for us to gather. “Originally, this meeting was going to be held indoors, but I suspect we won’t get many more days like this before the winter clouds come,” they said, tilting their head to catch the sun on their face.
“Welcome all to the special investigations squad at H.E.S.P. I was hoping to give you all more time to settle before this, but something has already come up that could use your experience.” They met my eyes, “I owe you some answers on what H.E.S.P. knows. But this mission is time-sensitive. We can delay the mission if you choose, but it may result in an outcome you’d rather not get. But first, perhaps a round of short introductions for your allies joining our team?”
“AJ’s not here right now. Scouting specialist and the bravest fourteen-year-old I know.”
Daria cackled, Neve shushing her unsuccessfully. “Oh! Recruiting children, are we?”
The Director smiled gently. “I’ve already spoken with him. Ajna was quite the shrewd deal-maker. He first asked to be compensated with full pay, the same I would give to our full-time employees. When I agreed, he then said he would forgo that pay in exchange for housing and support for his mother. So I gave him both.”
I continued, “This is Zola. Taught by a conman but retained a strong sense of compassion. He’s reliable and a team-player.”
“Are you sure he isn’t the one who’s a child? He’s as skinny as one,” Daria exclaimed.
Zola flashed her a fake smile that was closer to him baring his teeth at her. This only sent Daria into another cascade of amused chuckles.
“We’re all working to better ourselves,” I said. Nell pulsed strength and it filled my words. “We don’t want to see another Sillwood. That’s why we’re here.”
The Director winced. “Perhaps a poor choice of words. I may be sending you into a similarly distressing scene. Now, a decision to make. I won’t give the run-down on H.E.S.P.’s Shaper knowledge without everyone present. We can wait for AJ, but this mission may prove more pressing for you, Nick and Nell.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Well? Stop delaying then.”
“We’ve been on the hunt since Organ abducted them and now we’ve found their location.”
My heart sped up as the Director met my eyes.
“I will let you go and attempt a rescue, Nick. But I will warn you, the Cathrow kids might not be kids anymore.”
“Explain.”
“We have two very dedicated parents who are to thank for this information. Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs’ adoptive son, Avery, went missing last year. They’ve been desperately searching for any clue to where he could have gone. Mr. Gibbs had exhaustively combed through their area to try and find any hint as to where Avery could have gone and had never found anything.”
“They had nearly given up hope when Mrs. Gibbs briefly glimpsed the face of a man who looked like Avery. Believing it to be his biological father, Mrs. Gibbs tailed the man to a house in the countryside. Luckily, she texted all of this to her husband before knocking on the door. Whatever exchange took place there, she wasn’t the same after. She began to suffer from severe neurological problems and was unable to recount what happened herself. Luckily local H.E.S.P. agents who were searching for the Cathrow kids were able to find out about this and intercept Mr. Gibbs before he stormed the house himself.”
The Director looked to each of us in turn. “We know that Avery’s biological parents were dead and buried long ago. It was not the father that Mrs. Gibbs saw. Her brain scans after the encounter show that her brain looks like the brain of someone twice her age. We believe a Shaper is responsible, likely a Witch. The house belongs to the widowed Mr. Parra who hasn’t been seen by his neighbours in years. While we have no proof that this is the work of Organ, we believe that Mr. Parra may be forcibly aging the children in experiments of unknown purpose.”
“This is so fucked…” Kay muttered.
“Organ is wise enough to abandon locations we know about. We’ve been keeping tabs on the property from a distance. Other adults have been seen around the property but Mr. Parra has yet to show himself and there has not been a mass exodus. It’s possible Mr. Parra hasn’t relayed this information to Organ and thus we have a window to strike. But it has to be now, before Organ catches wind and erases the evidence.”
Daria cracked her knuckles. “So you want us to bust down the door, kick Mr. Parra’s ass, and find the missing kids? Easy enough.”
“I would insist on caution. A single Witch is powerful, and we have no idea what secrets might lie in that house. I’m worried about the damage that could be dealt to the children with a mere thought from the Witch. We’re asking that our two Witch and Wolf duos infiltrate the house without raising the alarm. Find the children and bring them out. That is our priority. If this sounds like a plan, we can leave as soon as this evening.”
Tom started. “What about the rest of us?”
“AJ needs time with his mother. The rest of you need assessment to see where you will fit in with the team. We will provide some further testing and training of your individual Shapes in the interim.”
Further discussions broke out and I made my way over to Nell, who was still tending to the garden.
“How do you feel about this?” I asked softly. “I know your time with the Cathrows wasn’t great.”
“It’s not a problem. The kids’ aren’t at fault for their parents being so fucked up.” She turned to face me, fire in her eyes. “And if there’s a chance we can pull these kids out of Organ’s clutches?”
My anger burned perfectly with hers.
“We’d face a hundred Cathrows to do it,” I finished with a grim smile.
Jason had been brave to stand up to his father, the regenerating cult leader with a sadistic streak. I’d promised Gail a normal life with friends and going to see the movies and my chest hurt every time I thought about how that had been taken from her yet again. Even the baby, Julie, had been like a watchdog for her mother, used like a tool to keep me restrained. They all deserved better than this. There would be hell to pay for whoever was exploiting them.