Moore stared at the building in front of them. Nothing moved, and it looked abandoned, but he knew better than to believe that. He’d been here before, watching the place, so he knew that under the abandoned-looking façade was a lab full of scientists, guards, and prisoners. No one would believe him if he told them, although after the video he and the others had emailed several news stations a few weeks ago, maybe they would.

“Are we going to stare at the place for much longer?” Teddy muttered.

Moore glanced at him before moving his attention back to the building. “Five more minutes. We’re waiting for the change of guards.”

Teddy rubbed his hands together. “So there will be more guards than unusual? Can I kill them all?”

“You can do whatever you want as long as you don’t hurt the prisoners.”

As Moore said that, he thought of Jasper. He was a mutant, like them, but he disagreed with what they were doing. Moore didn’t entirely blame him. If he had the option, he’d stay away from all of this, too.

He softly snorted. 

That was a lie.

He wouldn’t stay away because it wasn’t in his nature. After what he’d been through, he never wanted anyone to experience the same, and he was ready to do anything to make sure that didn’t happen. He didn’t understand how Jasper couldn’t see that, but that wasn’t his business. He didn’t need Jasper, even though he’d have been glad to have him with them. They didn’t, which was fine, too.

Silence fell on their group when a man walked toward the door. They watched as he looked around, then reached for a patch on the wall. Moore nodded, and Jessup went to work.

The man in front of the building stopped moving. He was frozen, which meant Jessup had worked his magic. Moore clapped his shoulder as he rushed away from the group and moved toward the building. The man was right where he’d been before Jessup used his power on him, and as Moore watched, he slowly raised his hand and pressed it against the wall.

It took a few tries, but Jessup finally managed to find the pad hidden under the crumbling wall. It opened, thanks to the guard’s fingerprints, which was why Jessup’s mind control was essential in this kind of situation.

The door clicked. Moore sucked in a breath, nodded, and watched as the guard moved to the side. He slowly walked toward the group, and Moore knew what would happen to him without having to look. He didn’t care. He knew what the guard was and who he worked for, which meant he deserved whatever his friends decided to do to him.

He pushed open the door.

He already knew there were cameras everywhere, but they had someone taking care of that, too. When the scientists had changed him and his friends, they hadn’t thought about what would happen if their creations turned on them.

They should have.

The group gathered around Moore. Elsa nodded, silently telling him she’d taken care of the cameras, and they moved in.

Moore had lost count of how many labs they’d broken into. That fact alone meant there were too many of them, but he and his friends were working on closing every single one. Tonight, it was this lab’s turn, and Moore found himself grimly smiling.

It was time to get to work.

They’d done this so many times that he knew what everyone in their group was supposed to do. Moore activated his ability and snuck in, making sure the coast was clear before having just his hand reappear so he could gesture at his friends to follow. He went ahead, doing the same thing again and again until they reached the second door. Elsa stepped forward, and with only one touch, the door opened.

“I’ve done the same with all of them,” she whispered. “All the doors are open.”

Moore nodded and pushed the door open. This time, when he walked in, he found a group of guards. They’d just arrived, and they were still wearing their civilian clothes. They looked startled, but only for a moment, because they didn’t have any more time to do anything. Moore moved forward, punching the first one on the nose, already moving toward the second one as something small exploded in their little group.

There were screams, people running, and it was music to Moore’s ears.

Some people might think he and his people were cruel and doing things they shouldn’t be doing, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be sorry. He wasn’t enjoying himself, but he did enjoy the fact that these people would finally pay for what they’d done. In the end, that was all that mattered.

They worked their way through the lab, killing the scientists and guards when they tried defending themselves. Moore wasn’t exactly working with the shifter council, but no matter how much he resented it, he couldn’t deny they could come in useful, and he’d promised he’d keep as many people as possible alive so they could interrogate them. It went against his feelings, but he could understand it would be good to get answers.

So he had Jessup grab as many scientists and guards as possible and guide them toward the entrance. There, more of their people would tie them up and make sure they didn’t run away. Prison didn’t feel like enough for what they’d done, but it would be better than nothing.

“The lab is clear,” Elsa said.

She had a way with computers and all kinds of systems, thanks to her time in a lab. She only needed to touch a power outlet or computer, and she could get into all of those in the building. Knowing her, Moore had no doubt that right now she was checking the cameras to make sure everyone who was supposed to be was either dead or captured.