Death Is Legion - The Cavalry

[x-dominion.livejournal.com]

While Kyle is in the lab, Garrison, Logan, Wade and North arrive, following the lead from Dugan.



The rental car wasn't pretty, but it was rugged, and in the soupy conditions of a Montana spring, the four wheel drive chewed up the road as they headed up the disused mining road towards where they had pinpointed the location of the lab. According to local maps, it was a salt mining operation, shutdown in the late 90s but still owned by the corporation. North and Wilson had explained it was a pattern for the program, since heavy industry allowed them to move large machinery and cycle in staff without arousing suspicions. The company turned out to be a dummy corporation, with a series of shell companies routed through the Caymans and Madripoor; impossible to trace to the actual owner. That alone convinced them they were on the right track.

"OK, so what, this program had labs all over? And they managed to do it all off the record? That's just unbelievable." Kane wasn't trying to hide his anxiousness. They could lead him to the people who murdered his friends, and answer the questions that had been gnawing at him for years now.

“Basically,” North replied, looking for all the world like he was merely taking three friends for a spin in his new ride if one missed the tell-tale tightness about his mouth and the crushing one-hand grip he had on the steering wheel. “It is just about the smallest charge you can level against them. Off the record was– is their modus operandi.” He glanced in the rear view mirror and met Wade’s eyes. Most of their lives had been off the record.

Wade quirked an eyebrow at North and then looked back out at the passing landscape. "The labs were off the record, the training centers were off the record, the termination facilities were off the record." He shrugged, his familiarity with all of those making him antsy. "Wouldn't be a very good top secret program if any of it was easily tracked. Plausible deniability and all that."

In some ways, Logan didn't envy North and Wade their knowledge of the program but then at least they remembered. He couldn't say the same for himself. He was already itching out of his skin more than he had been since this all started. His instincts were pegged to the hilt and telling him this was only gonna end badly. Every line of his body was filled with tension ready for a fight, and one hand was fisted against his thigh. "Disappearin' on your own terms was about the best outcome you could get," Logan muttered as he stared out the window. Though that didn't take into account the considerable resources that would be sent after you, friends turned into foes and your life forfeit if you didn't think fast enough on your feet.

"Well, this is turning into a cheery outing." Kane pulled off to the side of the road. They were close enough that it would be better to proceed on foot. He wished he had to FBI jacket with him. Having people mistake them for a Bureau squad might cause them to hesitate for a moment, give them an edge if the lab was still being staffed. That was the problem with Dugan's intel; it was all 'ifs'. They could be walking into a mothballed shell that hadn't been used for a decade or a fully equipped lab crawling with private troops. He unholstered his pistol, keeping it down at his side and safe for now.

North's guns remained holster for the moment as he alighted from the car and scanned their surroundings. "It gets better," he commented, pointing at the road just ahead of where they were. Black skid marks lined the road at one point before patterns were made off-side and into the snow. "Tire tracks. Looks fresh."

Logan stepped from the car and moved toward the tire tracks as he sniffed the air. He detected a hint of exhaust fumes different from the car they'd come in while his hearing picked up...something. "Think the car might still even be around." He didn't have the discretion of implied threat inherent in holstered guns so he didn't bother. His claws slid free with a soft snickt and he held them carefully downward to stop them glinting in the light.

"Awesome," Wade said, eyes narrowing as he flicked his wrist, a throwing knife sliding into place almost soundlessly. "This should be loads of wholesome, family-friendly fun." He didn't really want to think about the possibility of snipers, but if they were looking at a functioning, military grade lab, it was something to worry about. "Let's stick to the trees, break up line of sight a bit."

They ghosted through the treeline towards their target, moving in short bursts, stopping often to form up and look for signs of detection. It didn't take long to reach the end of the road. It opened on to a clearing against a rocky expanse. A heavy concrete half dome was visible rising from the ground, festooned with aging HVAC equipment on the roof. There was an old gravel parking area cut from woods, already going back to seed, and a dilapidated guard house perched on the edge. There was a dark sedan with a sign for 'Billings Personal Travel' stuck on the back window. Through the glass, they could just make out a figure sitting in the back. Lights flickered in the guard shack, peeking out around the partially sealed windows.

Kane motioned North to follow him, as they circled the car at a wide angle with weapons ready, leaving Wade and Logan to watch the shack and the perimeter for signs of alarm. In a moment, they were close enough to approach the car, using its bulk to shield them from view of anyone watching from the shack, and open the door. The man inside started at the sound of the car door opening, but couldn't do much with his hands locked together with zipties and a piece of duct tape over his mouth. Kane gave North a quizzical look before he reached in and pulled off the tape.

"You're Kyle Gibney's stepfather, right?"

"Jesus fuck!" Tyler rasped hoarsely, his voice dry as dust from fear and isolation. "There's- they-"

Logan eased behind a large tree to where he had a clear line of sight on both the guard house and the van. It meant he couldn't directly see what was going on at the van but he could eavesdrop just fine. He started slightly when Kane mentioned Kyle. This wasn't gonna end well. The ragged state of security already felt off. For WEAPONX facilities, it was either ghost town central or fully operational. This weird in between of neglect and abandonment wasn't the usual. They should've been attacked by now if the lab was being reactivated.

“Easy,” North murmured, indicating that Tyler should lower his voice. “Breathe and calm down. We got you.” The spy shifted on his feet, restless as he waited for his powers to kick in. Nodding at Kane to handle the man, he glanced back to check on their companions’ positions before doing a quick search of the car, unsurprisingly coming up with nothing. A certain level of unease began to bubble in the back of his mind.

Letting Logan keep an eye on the guardhouse, Wade shifted into a position that allowed him to keep an eye on North and Kane. His attention shifted back toward the main facility every now and again, but he didn't see any signs of distress from his compatriots and there was no actual movement from any of the buildings. At least not yet, anyway. "This doesn't feel right," he muttered, unholstering one of his guns and flicking the safety off.

"Tyler, what happened?"

"Midge and I got forced out by some guy called Arkady and his lackey. Fuck. They took her and Kyle into that building, and then Kyle went into the big one." He pointed, rubbing his wrists to try and get the circulation back in his hands. "He said he had a job that Kyle had to do for them, and if he cooperated, they'd let us go. She's in there with them."

"It's okay, Tyler. We'll go get her. Logan, Wade-" Kane motioned them over. "Kyle's in the lab. It's fucking Arkady in the guardshack with Kyle's mom hostage."

"From bad to worse," Logan muttered as he broke from cover and jogged over to join Gar and North at the back of the van. Why the hell were the Gibneys targeted and what did they need Kyle for? So much for keeping it to just the four of them. He looked at Tyler Gibney for a moment then turned to Wade and jerked his head toward the building. "C'mon, looks like we're off to do a rescue."

Wade lifted his chin in acknowledge Logan's directive, then nodded toward Kane, North, and Kyle's dad before moving to the lab. He kept his gun out, eyes flicking back and forth between the guardhouse and the lab. "This is gonna be less than awesome."