Chapter 10

Having regenerative capabilities doesn't change the fact that a broken thumb would take time to heal. Alice looks up at Lee who is staring at the door and thinking very hard. "Honey... Honey... Lee!!" Lee finally looks over at her and before she gets out her plan he ruins it by asking her to pull her hands through and break her thumbs. She hates it when he comes to the same conclusion before she can get a word out.

Lee taking in everything at once sees what Alice is planning and to not waste time just tells her to go ahead with her plan. "While you heal I will protect you, but my hands are too big to slide out of the cuffs. Hurry so you can break ours." Watching Alice go through something like breaking her own thumb is terrible and commendable all at the same time, but just like in the past she ends up making better decisions than He would.

Alice takes her left thumb in hand, closes her eyes and snaps it as fast as she can and before she feels the pain slips it out of her cuff. Making strangled wimpers Alice slowly opens her eyes and breaths in and out to gain her composure back. Once she is under control her eyes slowly fade back to their normal color and with her newfound leverage she rips her bolted chair out of the ground and walks over to Him where he snaps her other cuff so she still has her right hand.

Alice frees Lee who then breaks out Barbie and Preston. While he is so close to them he smells them on each other and asks quietly how long they've been sleeping together. Barbie and Preston Jump a little at the question and tell him everything and their plan to eventually come out and join as one clan. Before they can tell him they were going to retire and leave the clan to the Walkers the door breaks open with a crash and Sebastian enters throwing around magic like he is a God.

Sebastians Magic, though flashy and powerful, only covers the inside of the room with flowing black ink. All four Shifters drop into fighting position but Before Barbera can Lash out Lee stops her with a hand and stands tall. Sebastian with a look of concentration on his face starts telling them how to get out and get free. Lee walking forward grabs his collar and rips it off with his bare hands, and says to Sebastian. "Where is Slade? I need to bring him back with me." Sebastian tells him he doesn't know but most of the specimens are kept in the Hanger.

With his new knowledge Lee backs off and goes to snap off the others' collars. While they are getting ready to leave Sebastian says to knock him out and run, his collar is made of something new and can only be removed by a key Xavier has without killing him. Lee shakes his hand and thanks him. "We are in your debt, you have my word once we are free and our children are safe we will come for you." Then punches him in the side of the head and lowers him to the ground.

Sticking his head out the door the black ink dissipates and leaves them chilled to the bone. Grabbing what they can they head down the hall making sure to keep to the walls and move as a team. Moving through the warehouse was like moving through a wasteland, no one was around or walking the halls. Preston stops and smells something. He grabs Lee and says "there are 14… no 18 people on the other side of that door. They have guns and something I cannot put a name to but it smells like magic." Not knowing what to do Lee asks for options which he gets none but the door that has to be a trap. 

Looking at Alice he smiles and says "you remember playing tag with the kids?" She just gives him an exasperated look and shakes her head. He pointed and said "they never look up!" Without any warning his knees dip and he jumps as hard as he can at the ceiling, breaking chunks off and raining rubble down on the others. Swearing and cursing Lee they all step back and let him pound a hole into the floor above. Looking down from the hole a dust covered Lee is smiling and waving for them to come on up. With rolled eyes they jump and let him pull them up. 

walking right Past the trap and into a warehouse full of cages the four slowly start to feel an unease come over them, like something in the room is going to eat them. Barbera looking for a light switch hits a button that turns on a video on the far wall. They can see Xavier walking through the room they are in now pointing out and describing the beings in the cages. Lee completely forgets what he is about to say, He sees the largest Buffalo he has ever seen on the screen. Xavier saying it is three rows down and four cages in. Lee takes off faster than you can see with the other three hurling after him asking what's wrong.

Lee stops at the cage and pulls his hands back from the silver bars that burnt him. A Black man about six feet seven inches stares at him through the bars. He starts to speak but stops. Then it all comes out in a rush "pleasehelpusweknowwhatyouare" slowly Lee figures out what he said and asks the man slowly "what are we?" "Originals" the man says. "All of the Non-predator shifters can smell an Original, it's in our blood. There is only a small amount of us left. Please help us!" 

Alice, hating to see anyone caged, grabbed the lock with her hand and pulled as hard as she could, but with one hand all she could do was bend it. Lee seeing his wife's one armed struggle stepped over, grabbed the whole door strained for a second and then pulled it off its hinges. Barbie and Prestons jaws were almost hitting the ground. They knew he was strong but he had been holding back all these years. The Buffalo Shifter slowly walks out and takes Lee's Hand "My name is Benjamin but you can call me Ben, Thank you! we need to free the others and get the Hell out of here!"

Helping the hundred or so non-predator shifters out took a long time. Once they were all clear and Lee had let out a couple Witches, Dwarves and Elves. Lee turned toward and cage full of ten people. He knew what they were by their smell and knew if he let them out without a deal they would try and slaughter the NP-shifters until they were bursting with blood. He stayed behind while Alice led them out onto the roof. Lee walked up and asked the Vampires if he let them out they would leave his people in peace and flee the area. The extremely pale normally beautiful people rushed up and looked through the bars starved for blood, saying they would do anything to get out. One among them still seemed rather in control and very old, he moved with an unnatural grace to the front of the cage while the others fell away with deference or fear.

"My name is Henry Francois and you have my word that I will keep all of them in control until we are far from this place, your people will be safe from us. For helping us you may call upon me for help. I will eventually fulfill my debt to you if you but give me your name." Lee opens the door, puts out his hand and tells Henry who he is and where to leave his information not thinking the Vampire is telling the whole truth about his debt. "Good luck Mr. Francois I hope you get out alright." Turning around Lee walks in the back of the shifter line out onto the roof. Seeing the shifters jumping into  huge snow banks below the building Lee realizes they aren't in Colorado anymore.