Page 71 of Grizzly Sleuth
They couldn’t see much once the lights on the ground went out, but that didn’t stop everyone on board from cheering.
They’d escaped.
But Svetlana had to wonder,What next?
Chapter Twenty-Two
There wasmuch chatter as Freya flew the chopper with everyone wanting to know what happened to Idris. Shock about the fact Hiro, Svetlana, and Yuri could shift without having been subjected to the protocol. Exclaiming over Levy’s death and the fact the monster from the first lab had actually made it to Russia for its revenge. The loquacious Yuri reveled in narrating all that happened, and Idris let him, content to sit with Svetlana on his lap.
They’d made it out alive. A happy surprise, but she didn’t seem to be as ecstatic.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered into her ear.
She turned on his lap to say, “What happens now?”
Barrett overhead and stated, “We go home.”
“I have no home,” a statement murmured by Tatiana.
Hiro, the man who’d been the main ingredient and reason for the protocol, pursed his lips. “None of us truly do, but we have our lives.”
“We’ll help you get settled somewhere,” Takhi stated. “Although, given your Russian roots and the fact you’re on the KGB radar, I would recommend a different continent, justin case eliminating Levy wasn’t enough and someone tries to continue the program or eliminate loose ends.”
“Takhi’s right. Levy’s death might not be the end. We should assume that there exists records of the protocol and those it was used on, whether in a safe or stored on a computer.” Barrett stood, a hand braced overhead as he addressed them.
“True, but I think it’s important to remember that we’ve now beaten those assholes twice, three if you count the Harimau countering the general’s attempt to take them,” Phoenix added. “If you ask me, they’d be dumb to come after us again.”
“The general’s arrogance won’t ever let him stop searching,” Barrett interjected, which led to Idris clearing his throat.
“General is currently MIA. Apparently, he hasn’t been seen since the incident in Malaysia.” He glanced at Phoenix.
The lieutenant shook his head. “I forgot you don’t know. Davidson’s not dead. We found out during the fight that he took the serum.”
“Fuck off, he did not!” Idris exclaimed.
“He did,” Phoenix affirmed. “Took me by surprise when I saw him change into a gorilla.”
“Well, shit,” Idris murmured.
“The general is still out there, but in good news, he’s lost another lab.” Barrett took over again. “Will he be able to secure funding to open a third? Maybe. And if he does?—”
“We’ll blow it to hell!”
“Kill him!”
“Fuck him up!”
Everyone had something to say, and none of it sounded like defeat. As a matter of fact, the vehement cries spoke of resilience and the determination to soldier on.
As the group devolved into chatter, Idris pressed his lips to Svetlana’s ear. “So where shall you, me, and Yuri head to? Name a place and I’ll get us there.”
“I’ve always wanted to visit Spain.”
Across from them, Yuri snorted. “Only because you’re obsessed with their cuisine.”
Svetlana leaned forward from his lap. “And where would you prefer to go?”
“Everywhere. The world awaits, and I want to see it.”
