The Puppet Assassin [TTR sequel]

The Puppet Assassin - Ch 34 [sleep can wait]

He started to turn away and then remembered something. “Ah, I know you were trained to kill first, seek questions later, but please, use the handcuffs. It makes things more difficult but we’re representing Liam and his sloppy institute which is currently under investigation. We need to keep deaths here to a minimum. But safety first.”

He walked over to the fourth group and latched some sort of bracelet to a lion’s leg. Then he gave the order and they leapt over the fence with ease. He glanced at me and I made my way over to the platform.

“You’ve got good balance, right?” he asked. “Perch on the top of the fence and let me know if you can see anything.”

I lifted myself up and crouched on the top of the fence, holding on tight to remain balanced. From there I surveyed the building. The back door was wide open and the cats entered without encountering anyone. The first few rooms had definitely been cleared. There were some wounded, I could see an officer giving orders for them to leave the site. They seemed reluctant. There were no stretchers out though so I wasn’t worried.

A side door opened and I saw three men exit. They weren’t in uniform.

“Three men to the left of the building making a retreat,” I reported to Luke.

He leapt up beside me, barely wobbling the fence. “Ramsey, Northgate, round them up.” Two shape-changers cleared the fence, flying past me and towards the trio. It was a swift surrender, the men following the commands of the changers and preparing for arrest. Luke jumped down and I followed him. The other member of our team was Ramsey and he was taking one of the three back to where Liam had a group waiting with vans.

“Stay close,” he said lowly, reminding for the millionth time that I was to remain at his side. The first room we entered was dark, lit only by the light coming in through the door. Two handcuffed men were being guarded by a man in uniform who nodded to Luke as he walked in.

“It seems like we caught ‘em by surprise, Lion. But they gathered pretty fast. And yer information was right. Something’s off about these guys, they ain’t witches but they act like it.”

“Thanks, Gates. The third team will be coming in a second. Get one to shift back and help you remove these two men. Tell the other two that I gave the order for them to patrol the back exits. Let’s go, Dizelde.”

I trailed after Luke, feeling like a child looking up to their idol. I wanted to be a leader like him. I wanted people to lead first, but then I wanted to be esteemed the way he was. The first few rooms we went through were empty until we came to the large open space I’d seen in the blueprints, the place I figured that they were keeping the prisoners. Liam’s informants had found otherwise and I looked at the scary looking machines that lined one wall. Big blocks of metal with latches, buttons and lights that looked like something right out of a horror/mad scientist film. I could see at least ten of Liam’s men taking the machines apart and taking away any evidence. One opened a freezer and I glimpsed vials and bags filled with blood. Oh shit, oh no.

A small, wiry cat, I would guess a serval but I had never really studied wild cats, hopped off a table, landing at Luke’s feet.

“Marvel, if you’re done here, you should come with us.”

There were two loud bangs, too long to be gunshots.

“Let’s go.”

Luke picked up the pace as we headed towards the stairs on the other side of hall. The cat moved gracefully but I wondered how resourceful the changer would be. They were small, less muscled. For what purpose had this person chosen such a small member of the species?