Alpha Squad: Boot Camp

Chapter Eight

Chapter EightIt was still dark out when Felicity was rudely awoken by her phone ringing off the hook. Her instincts kicked in instantly and she jerked upright, knocking over the lamp on her bedside table in order to get to the phone.

"Hello? Who is it?" she answered. In her rush, she hadn't even bothered to check the caller ID.

"Felicity!" a panicked female voice called out to her. "Fire! There’s fire, everywhere!"

Felicity recognized the voice as one of the women she'd been working with at the camp, Sophie. She was a single mother of two, and the one person with the best command of the English language out of the whole lot.

Felicity jumped out of bed and checked the time on her alarm clock. Just after six.

"What fire? What's going on?"

"I don't know, but Felicity, please come quickly. We are under attack!"

The line went dead, leaving Felicity with more questions than answers. A fire at the camp. So many families living so closely together… This could turn into a catastrophe.

She did her best to get dressed using only one hand while using the other to dial emergency services.

"Hello? I want to report a fire at the shifter camp," Felicity said as soon as someone answered on the other end.

"Please state your name."

"Felicity Weir. Please hurry, there are families there. Children."

"Thank you, Ms. Weir. We are aware of the situation."

Fine. That was all she needed to know.

Felicity did not waste time with any niceties, she just cut the call and finished getting dressed as quickly as she possibly could.

It was only a matter of time. Ever since the protests started, she had worried about things escalating. Victor Domnall's press conference in town, which she’d had the misfortune of catching on TV the previous night, should have tipped her off that the tide was closing in.

After weeks of uncertainty and finger-pointing, some fanatic had taken matters into their own hands and attacked the camp.

She gathered her coat and keys and ran out of the house, straight to her car. Of course, she wasn't a firefighter. She couldn't help, at least directly, but this was personal. Someone had attacked her people, and nothing and no one could keep Felicity away.

***

It was six-fifteen when Adam's sleep was interrupted by loud banging on the door to the room he shared with Blackwood.

"Huh, what?" the wolf called out as he sat up straight in his bed.

It took Adam a few seconds more to acknowledge the intrusion.

"What's going on?" he called out.

"Get up. We push out in five," Eric's voice shouted through the door.

Adam rubbed his eyes and forced himself out of bed. It wasn't so much that he minded the early start. It was the unexpected timing of it that frazzled him.

Something must have happened. Something bad.

He threw on his uniform as quickly as he could and grudgingly shared the space around the small sink with Blackwood to brush his teeth. Within minutes, the two shifters were ready.

Footsteps could already be heard moving out of the hallway outside their room. Alpha Squad was nothing if not efficient.

They joined the rest of the team outside in the Inn's parking lot, where Major Williams was busy making a phone call. Eric waited by her side with his hands folded.

"Yes, Mr. Teese. I understand that the Ministry of Shifter Affairs wants Alpha Squad to take a leading role in this, but we are dealing with influences outside our control here. Yes, Sir. I will report back to your office as soon as I have any information of note. Suspects? It's really too early to tell. We are following all leads. Yes, absolutely."

The major's expression was tense when she hung up. "Get into the Land Rover. We are heading to the camp," she said.

Adam raised his eyebrows and shot Eric a curious look. What was going on? Had they found another body?

Of course, Eric couldn't hear his question; that would be weird. And anyway, his brother was much more focused on Major Williams than on Adam. Obviously.

As soon as they found themselves in the back of the Land Rover, Adam voiced his question aloud.

"So, what's going down at the camp?" Adam asked.

The others lifted their heads and stared first at Adam, then at Eric, whom the question was directed at.

"They've been attacked."

Blackwood inhaled sharply.

Bentley shrugged. "That's not a surprise." He could be such an ass.

"Are they okay?" Adam asked, ignoring Bentley's comment on purpose.

Eric leaned forward and looked out the window. "Apparently someone's set a fire, but it's too early to say tell what exactly the situation is on ground. That's why we're heading in. Those shifters in the camp fall under our purview as well."

"I see," Adam mumbled. He sat back and tried to remain calm. This was terrible news. It was so early still that hopefully Felicity wouldn't have been at the camp when things went bad, but until they got there, he couldn't be sure of that either.

Hopefully she was okay. Hopefully they all were.

Adam remained quietly lost in his own web of worries and concerns for the remainder of the drive.

Finally, they pulled into the driveway of the camp, where they came to a halt.

"Alpha Squad, open the gate!" Major Williams could be heard clearly in the back of the Land Rover.

"Ma'am, it would be best, if…" a voice stammered.

"Step aside, soldier!" she barked. "We are under authority of the Secretary of Shifter Affairs, just as you are. If you value your job, you will let us in right this moment!"

Adam did not have that much patience. He climbed over Blackwood, who was blocking his exit, and jumped out of the back of the vehicle. He was already sprinting up the drive toward the camp, when the Land Rover started moving again behind him.

"Adam!" he heard Eric call out for him.

Adam did not look back though and continued to run. His eyes were focused solely on the orange glow ahead. The smell of charred wood stung against the inside of his nose. He thought he could even feel the heat already, though he was still some distance away from the actual fire.

That was when he felt her. Felicity was here somewhere and his heart started to beat even faster.

She was his first priority. Making sure she was safe. Only then would he be able to focus on anything else, including his actual purpose here, to represent Alpha Squad.

Felicity! His inner bear was raging inside his chest, and he wasn't the only one losing control.

As Adam ran past the first house, he saw what could have very well been a young version of himself: a teenage boy, mid-shift, his expression a mix of fear and determination as he ran away from the c*****e. Everyone's instincts were in overdrive. That was what happened when a shifter felt threatened or cornered; his animal side clawed its way to the surface in order to deal.

Adam stopped in front of the administrative building; this was where the management had their offices, only now it was engulfed by flames. He could feel her more keenly now. Felicity was inside. Right in the heart of it all.

Adam broke past some guards who tried to block his access, but they were no match for him.

"Felicity!" he called out as he entered the smoke-filled building.

There was no answer. He knew he was getting closer though, running through the corridor toward the back of the building where the fire seemed to have started.

The heat was intense.

He could feel her. He thought he could even hear the thump of her heartbeat. His own seemed to beat in sync with hers.

"Felicity!" he shouted again.

"In here," she responded. "Help me!"

He burst through the door separating them, and saw that she was surrounded by flames.

In her arms, she cradled a young child, a girl who couldn't have been more than four years old.

"She's not moving!" Felicity screamed.

With every passing moment, the smoke inside what looked like a classroom was getting denser and more pungent. It was hard to breathe already. The longer they stayed here, the more danger they were in.

Adam took a few seconds to scan the room. It wouldn't be long before the structure of the building would give way. Or a window would burst open and let in more oxygen, causing the fire to swell even further. They were out of time.

Adam didn't think any further; he let his bear take over and ran straight through the fire to reach Felicity.

He carried her as well as the child back the way he came. Flames licked at his fur, but he didn't feel a thing. All he could think of was her. To get her out of here before she was seriously hurt.

Within thirty seconds or so, Adam had found his way back through the maze he'd navigated to get here and they could all breathe somewhat fresher air again.

He didn't care that the human staff of the camp was staring at him. He barely even noticed the rest of Alpha Squad as he passed them by on the way to the ambulance.

"Please, take care of her," he said to the terrified paramedic. The latter did nothing but stare. He didn't even move a muscle or make any attempt to help.

What the hell! Do something already! he thought.

You're shifted, another voice spoke in his mind.

He looked down to find Felicity looking up at him. He could hear her, finally.

And she was right, of course.

He set Felicity and the girl down in front of the paramedic and withdrew. Shifters weren't generally shy about their bodies, but he thought it wise to get out of view first before transforming back into his human self. There were a lot of people about this morning, who might not understand or appreciate the sight of his transformation.

So he ran into the woods where Felicity and he had first spoken. There, he forced the animal back inside. It was cold this morning. He hadn't noticed until just now. Looking down at himself, he couldn't help but wonder how he might get out of here without attracting even more attention.

The answer to his problem presented itself in the form of Eric, who came running in his direction.

"Adam, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Look, she was in trouble. What was I supposed to do, let her die in there?" Adam straightened himself, placed his hands on his hips, and stared his brother down. His move was clear; any shifter would have recognized it as a classic leadership challenge.

Eric backed off, though his dark expression made it obvious that his reaction did not come from a position of submission.

"Had it been the major in there, what would you have done?" Adam pointed out, as he let his shoulders slump a little. The challenge was over. He had won, for now.

"Fine. Okay. But we have a job to do here. An image and a reputation to protect. Everyone already treats us like we're some joke, and you strutting around the place full-bear is not helping in any way!"

"It was the only way I could get through the fire, bro."

"There are going to be consequences," Eric said. His tone was flat. It not a threat, just a statement of fact. "I can't shield you from the fallout, little brother."

"I know and I'll take responsibility for it all. But first, I'm going to need a new uniform or something," Adam said.

Eric nodded and marched back in the direction he came from, passing Felicity on the way. They exchanged a strange look—part understanding, part apprehension—but Eric kept on walking, thankfully.

You're okay, Adam thought. The sight of her, zig-zagging through the trees in order to reach him, made him smile.

You're not so bad yourself, she responded.

He glanced down at himself and shrugged sheepishly. It comes with the territory.

She stopped just a couple of feet away. His inner bear wasn't ready to accept that, so Adam bridged the gap himself.

Guided purely by instinct, he leaned down, cupped her face in his hand, and planted his lips on top of hers. She did not resist. They both wanted this; he could feel it. He'd been so scared of her getting hurt in the fire; his relief was equally intense.

Her taste, so sweet, was like nectar straight from the most fragrant of flowers.

Her soft lips could have made a lesser man cry, they felt so delicate.

He could just about see a glimpse of the glow in her eyes before she shut them involuntarily, as he shut his.

A warmth filled Adam which he had never felt before. Like he was home. He belonged.

"Wait a moment." Eric's voice disrupted their moment of perfection.

"Step aside," another vaguely familiar voice demanded. It was the older one of the two unpleasant detectives who had briefed the squad at the police station.

Adam let go of Felicity and opened his eyes. The man was just fifteen feet away, looking right at him and Felicity with a smug grin on his face.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," he said, making it a point to stare down at Adam's naked form.

Oh God, kill me now. Adam sighed.

I hate this guy, Felicity agreed.

Those consequences Eric had warned him of were about to come crashing down on him and possibly her as well. Nobody, not even Alpha Squad, would be able to get him out of this one.