Haken: A Capacity for Violence Part 13

This story features forge master Haken and takes place between the events of 'Werewolves: Haven Rising' and 'Werewolves 3: Evolution's End.' 

[If you haven't read part 12, click on the Collections tab and select 'Werewolves' to find the previous chapter of this story.]

Previously: Haken's sparring session with Alice took an unexpected turn for the romantic. In the hours after their encounter he was returned to his cell alone, only to be attacked by one of the guards! Haken was easily able to repel the attack, but the next two men who rushed in with their rifles weren't such pushovers. He was able to use one as a human shield and buy himself some time, but he was running out of options.

Part 13:

"Damn it." Haken gritted his teeth together and gestured with his free hand to the guard. "Stay in the cell." He backed up through the door into the outer observation room. Alice and Dr. Lim had led him out enough times now that he knew how the controls worked, so it was simple enough to close and lock the door behind him.

The guard he was holding twisted in his arms, jabbing him unexpectedly in the ribs. Huh. Not knocked out after all. Unfortunately for the guard, his rifle was back in the locked cell, and he was already disoriented from the earlier blow to the head. Haken wrapped his callused fingers around his unprotected neck and threw him to the floor as hard as he could. If he were in wolf form, that probably would have killed him, but in his current state it was unlikely to be a lethal blow. Either way it was good enough to take the fight out of him for the foreseeable future.

Alone at last, Haken finally had a moment to think and take stock of his situation. He could transform–it would give him an edge against the enemy–but he hadn't eaten his regular meal which was already barely enough to allow him to make it through a standard shift. Maintaining wolf form for more than twenty minutes or so would be incredibly draining and possibly leave him more vulnerable than he would have been if he stayed in human form. Blunt force was what he was known for; if he wanted to escape then he needed to subvert expectations. There must be something here that he could use to give him an advantage.

The observation room's back wall was lined with computer monitors, each brightly shining through the room's dim light as it showed his cell from every conceivable angle. The words 'Video Recording Suspended' hung over the feeds in bold, red lettering. So, the impetuous young guard had been telling the truth. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing, but he moved on all the same, tucking away the info in case he needed it later. 

Haken scanned the other video feeds focused elsewhere in the facility, searching for anything that might help him discover Alice's whereabouts. He hated admitting it to himself, but he didn't have the heart to leave her behind. Acting selfishly had gotten many wolves killed during the fighting at Haven and he didn't want Alice to suffer a similar fate as a result of his actions. 

No…that wasn't it. If he were being honest with himself, he wanted her to come with him. For once in his life he had something he was truly afraid to lose and he'd be damned if he left her behind in a place like this. Frustrated by his inability to pinpoint her location, Haken used the mouse to scroll through a list of available locations. He wasn't terribly accustomed to modern computer systems, but like many lower-priority government facilities, this system was a solid ten to twenty years behind the curve and he was able to manage.

"What's this?" he muttered to himself. "An evacuation tunnel?" He double-clicked on the file and a detailed map sprung to life. "This might be good. Just need to find Alice, now."

"What are you doing?"

Haken turned at the unexpected voice to find a woman he'd never seen before standing in the door to the outer hall, a shocked look on her face. She brushed her long blond hair back and her eyes widened when she noticed the guard sprawled out unconscious on the floor. "You attacked the humans! We're all going to be punished, now!"

Haken had been moving toward her, but he paused when what she said sunk in. "You're not human?"

She shook her head, eyeing him nervously. "No, not human. I'm Mia. Dr. Lim brought me here at the same time as all the other wolves." She was trembling, just about ready to bolt. "You didn't kill him, did you? What happened?"

"Hotshot back in the cell attacked me," Haken said, pointing at the locked door. "He turned off the camera feeds and went in to start a fight."

Mia bit her lip. "Of all the days for them to send me here, they had to choose today. Why does this always happen to me?"

Haken was growing concerned. "Why send you? They usually send Alice."

"They sent me to tend to you because Alice was…indisposed. I mean...she's fine, just resting in bed."

A surge of hope flashed through Haken. "Do you know where she is?" he asked. "We can all get out of here together!"

"And do what?" Mia asked, a cloud of anger forming on her face. She was much shorter than him and she had to look up at a severe angle to stare in him the eyes, but the force behind her glare was enough to immediately put him on the defensive. "Run for the rest of our lives? I don't know how you were treated before you arrived, but we're comfortable here! Dr. Lim even told me that I didn't have to participate in…whatever's going on between you and Alice. Do you have any idea how many other humans would even care about my feelings like that? None that I've ever met!"

Haken shook his head. "You're still a prisoner. They let you walk around and act like a member of the staff, but if they won't let you leave…"

"It doesn't matter." Mia crossed her arms. "This place is locked down tight. Most of the humans aren't even allowed to go home without filling out a dozen forms weeks in advance. Half the facility is underground and the other half is surrounded by electric fences with guard towers."

Haken snarled with frustration. "What about the evacuation tunnel?"

"Evacuation tunnel? What evacuation–"

The double doors to the hallway slammed open and more riot gear-clad guards poured through, two at a time. They aimed their rifles at both wolves. Unlike the newbie that Haken had schooled in his cell, these men smelled calm and their posture was self-assured, though he supposed he'd feel the same if he were on their end of the firing range.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dr. Lim pushed her way between the two guards blocking the door and stood in front of them, utterly fearless with her hands firmly planted on her hips, looking for all the world like a mother scolding children who were acting up. She glanced at Mia. "Did you play a part in this?"

Mia shook her head vehemently. "No, ma'am! I swear! But it's not his fault, either!"

Lim shifted her gaze to Haken. "I suppose you want me to believe that my men decided to take a nap after letting you out of your cell?"

Haken had already calculated his odds and come to the inevitable conclusion that they were decidedly against him. His only hope now was to convince the doctor that he hadn't started the fight. The fact that she was giving him an opportunity to speak at all was a positive sign. He pointed to the monitor with the video feeds. "The idiot left in charge turned off the video recording and came in looking for a fight, ranting about how werewolves killed his old man. I let him take the first swing with his stunner and then I put him down. Simple as."

The doctor pointed at the guard on the floor beside him. "And that one?"

"Walked in at an inopportune time and came to the wrong conclusion. I decided that I didn't want to get shot and did what I had to do."

Lim closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose. 

The guard closest to her motioned toward Haken with his rifle. "What do we do with him, doctor?"

"Give me a moment for heaven's sake!" Dr. Lim stalked through the room with absolutely no fear until she stood beside Haken and Mia. She leaned down, ignoring them as she gave the computer a close look. 

"Ma'am?" the same guard spoke up again. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot and it looked like his trigger finger was getting mighty itchy. 

Lim looked back at him, a disgusted expression on her face. "It looks like he's telling the truth, Jones. Riley used his passcode to shut down the cameras. Remind me who brought him in here?"

"Vollick recommended him, ma'am."

The doctor double-clicked on a file and audio began playing. The entire back-and-forth between Haken and the guard could be heard crystal clear. The guard–Riley, apparently–hadn't realized that the audio recording was controlled through another application.

"I want Riley and Vollick out on their asses by end of day," Dr. Lim snapped. "No arguments. If anyone has a problem with that, tell them to talk to me."

The guard let out a slow breath. "I'll get it done."

Lim turned to Haken. "I'm disappointed that you let things get this far out of control, but given the circumstances it's difficult to blame you. I take full responsibility for Riley's unprovoked attack. You have my apologies."

Haken wasn't sure how to respond. An apology was the last thing he expected from a human, especially after he'd beat the hell out of her men. "It's...uh...it's okay," he stammered. "I'm barely injured. Only a graze with the stunner." Gods...what was he thinking?

"Good," Lim said, slapping her hands together and rubbing them vigorously, as if to wash her hands of the situation. "Let's just put this incident behind us so we can get back on track. There's far too much work to be done to waste time on such frivolous matters."

"Should I still attend Haken?" Mia asked meekly.

Lim shook her head. "No. That's why I came here in the first place. I have need of you in the lab. Come." Mia walked past the guards without another word and the doctor fixed her eyes on Haken. "I'll have my men clean your cell and feed you. Later tonight, we'll meet in my lab. You've made me quite happy today, current indiscretion notwithstanding. The future of our program is looking very bright indeed!"