Chapter 27: A Hunt for a Mystery.

October was nearly at it's end. Night was beginning to descend on Canada more aggressively with the spread of what was to come. Winter. Among many other things, for Bronte and his feral family. It felt like the colder it got, the closer they came to their goal. The whole reason they'd come to Canada.

That was until all their plans were flipped on their heads. Maybe that was an over exaggeration. A new variable was added to their chaotic hunt. And for the first time, it wasn't explosive..... or spitting military grade missiles like nerf bullets. It was a woman, of unknown age or origin. And she'd given them..... help.

"Sounds like bullshit! There are no benefits to anyone helping us. We're outgunned and undermanned on paper." Daken yelled from the dark of the Canadian forests they ran through. Their only source of light being the waxing Moon beaming from the sky and the scarce amounts of passing cars.

Alberta Canda was nice in that way. The closer you got to the wilderness, the less people you ran into. And with Bronte's blizzards, they could use their Mutant abilities freely without being seen. That also meant they didn't need a car. Every one of them ran above the legal speed limit anyway.

Especially Laura and Bronte.

"Yea.... on paper. But what if she knows stuff beyond that? Bronte says she knew Wolverine." Laura cut in.

"HAHA! Useless statement, sister! Everyone and their worst enemy knows dear old daddy!" Raze yelled from somewhere in the tree's. The only sight of him shown in the bits of snow and icicles that fell from each branch he landed on before abruptly bounding off once more. Raze didn't like running much.

"He's got a point." Bronte said.

"What if she's an old friend? Maybe she's a Hero!" Gabbie yelled as she ran behind Daken. Her ten year old frame was larger than most girls her age, but she still had to work to keep up.

"Seems too fitting." Laura replied casually as she darted through a dense collection of evergreens in a dark blur.

"Why not?" Gabbie pouted.

"Because Heroes don't come on our side. You're too old to still be this naive." Daken spat.

"You're too old to still sound like an angsty teenager. Dickhead." Gabbie shot back from behind him.

"Language, Gabbie." Laura silenced them both and allowed Bronte to cut in.

He slowed off from running beside Laura to get closer to the others as he dusted through the snow on fresh legs.

"Whoever she is doesn't matter at the moment. She could've smoked my ass if she wanted to in that bar..... or at least tried. But she didn't. She gave intel. All we can do now is see if it checks out and stay ready. She found us in that bar, meaning she was looking for us..... meaning she may know where we live."

Raze cursed as he burst from the bushes of an evergreen flying on a pair of bat-like blue skinned wings he'd grown from his back. He looked like a demon in denim jeans under the pale moonlight. "FUCK ME! Right after we lost the shield guys! WHY can't they just let us focus on MURDER and DESTRUCTION in peace?!"

"I don't think peace is our intended lifestyle, bro." Bronte whispered a reply.

"Amen, Brontosaur."

Sometimes Bronte forgot how useless whispering was when they could hear things happening from miles away.

The group settled into a shared run of silence for the rest of the travel home. After nearly an hour, they'd covered the sixty-mile distance between the bar and their home. A calm sprint for the most part. Bronte's breaths weren't even affected as he came to a stop at the top of the massive hill leading to their home. It was there, on the hill of forestry and snow, that the blizzard was most intense, baring humans and anything else from even considering entering. Like a spinning cyclone of snow, ice, tree branches and small sparks of lightning. But, once at the top of the hill, the world flattened into a field and the storm opened upon their entry.

It was less of an opening and more so that they lived in the eye of the storm. The field was vast. At least a few hundred feet across in all directions and blindly white at times from all the glimmering snow. It was that same diamond-like snow that covered their cabin like a luxurious sheet. If only the cabin could match the level of natural luster and beauty.

But it didn't. Portions of the shingled roof were busted and eroded by water. Windows were dirtied beyond what they could clean. The door was marred by slash marks and chipped paint, and the steps leading up to it were a crumbled mess.

Beside the cabin, weights made from logs and salvaged metal beams were laid out in the snow from previous use.

"Hooooome sweet hooome!" Raze sang outloud. As he did, he shape-shifted, exaggerating his cheekbones, jawline and puffing his muscles until he looked so objectively masculine and handsome that it was horrific. It didn't help that he was a terrible singer.

Daken cringed from beside him. "Leave the singing to the ragdoll."

Bronte wanted to say something to Daken in those moments-- he still liked to test him as if they both hadn't saved each other's lives a dozen times over, but before he could a howl shook the cabin grounds they shared.

A deep and soulful howl heightened by excitement.

Bronte kept walking towards the Cabin as his eyes veered to the leftside of the Cabin. Soon after, it came trotting out from behind the Cabin. Long slender legs built for running. Massive long clawed paws meant for handling the snowy surfaces of the canadian wildlands. It's fur was black and brown with splotches of thick grey. You wouldn't have thought it was a wolf at first glance despite it's size and build. And you'd be right sort of.

It was a crossbreed. If Bronte could guess there was some Shepherd.... maybe Doberman, mixed in with the Wolf. From the dark mask of fur covering it's face, a pair of liquid blue eyes watched him. So expressive.

The Wolfdog howled again as it approached Bronte and circled him, licking his knuckles and nipping at his cargo pants pockets.

"What's going on Chop!" Bronte said as he ruffled the Wolfdogs fur. Being so close to him, Bronte could hear the winds running through the hole in the Wolfdogs ear, giving off a whistling sound and reminding him of when they'd first found the Wolfdog. Alone, bleeding, afraid. Now on a steady diet of Elk and chicken tenders from Gabbie, he was as healthy as the rest of them. But he still wouldn't leave the eye of the storm Bronte had built for them.

Something out there scared him. Bronte thought about it oft--

"Let's get to work, hermano." Laura yelled from the busted Cabin steps ahead of him. Everyone else had already gone inside.

Bronte followed after them, Chop jogged close to his side with his tail held high.

***

Upon entering the Cabin, the familiar smells and sights welcomed Bronte in stride. Unlike the outside appearance of the Cabin, things were neat-- tidy. Well, everywhere except Raze's room. But there, with them all in the living room, circled around an old polished wooden table, things were clean. Professional. Fitting, since they had a job coming up.

Bronte joined the circle. On the table, dusted old schematics and blueprints of buildings were laid out loosely with marking and highlights written over each paper along with little notes and jottings.

Each one held significance and was gained from a previous job. Each low-level Romulus affiliated site. Manufacturing plants, Armories, think tanks, anything and everything connected to Romulus' tightest connections he ran from the shadows.

The Weapon X Program. Project Rebirth. Russian Special Forces Regiments. Mutant Separatist Groups and even publicly known companies like, The Life Foundation.

Bronte and his siblings found themselves traveling all over the globe attempting to dismantle and learn just how much of a grasp Romulus had over everything concerning Mutants and Wolverine's bloodline.

They learned.... little. But with their sporadic mode of attack that never followed a linear path, they also had very few run ins with beings they couldn't handle.

Hopefully, the mystery woman's intel would be the boost they needed to make substantial ground.

"Ok. We all know this job could be one of our biggest." Laura said, grabbing everyone's attention in the dimly lit room. Night Vision meant lights no longer mattered.

They all nodded.

"Canada is where it all started.... for him." She explained, in reference to Wolverine. "Department K is our target, and we cut off the legs before taking the head. The place looks inactive..... unlike the other sites, it looks abandoned. It fits the idea that the building went out of commission when the Department did. Remember, this isn't just any loosely affiliated group."

"Department K is still fully functional and most of it's participants probably don't even know who they're answering to." Daken added.

"Sucks for them." Raze added.

Daken agreed, "Yea, it does."

"Because this is essentially Canada's SHIELD, expect more than military forces. They'll have a team..... I know they will."

Bronte looked up from the blueprints, "What... like the Avengers?"

Laura nodded, "I planned to explain them in detail when we first reviewed this plan.... but I don't have solid info. Alpha Flight's been out of the public eye for at least a decade. Members have left and refilled positions. Just know the headquarters will be heavily guarded."

"They have a hulk." Daken added.

"Sasquatch." Laura corrected.

"I thought those were fake." Gabbie commented.

Raze rubbed his hands together with excitement, "Sounds like a fun tree to climb!"

"You got a plan for how to take it out?" Bronte asked Laura as they all looked over the blueprints.

"Yea." Laura said as she popped her claws, "Cut it like the rest."

Silence fell for a bit before Bronte spoke up.

"So. The plan is to run a double hit-- to split any possible responding forces..."

Laura nodded along.

"With our teams we can have two modes of attack. Raze, Gabbie and Laura can run Stealth led by Raze posing as whoever you need." Bronte continued.

"And me and you run Slaughter." Daken said as he looked at Bronte, "You better bring the storm. Don't freeze."

Bronte nodded, "You already know what I'm on. I don't freeze anymore."

Daken didn't look like he believed Bronte. That pissed him off. Daken had a knack for that.

"So...?" Laura said while watching Bronte, sensing that he'd roughly ran through the plan again for a reason.

"So, how does this plan change with the new intel?"

Laura sighed and crossed her arms. She did that when she was thinking hard about something.

"Well..... are we looking at her as an ally or an enemy?" Laura asked.

"Enemy. It's safer." Daken provided.

Bronte shook his head in confusion, "Bu--"

"If she's not in this damn cabin, she's an enemy." Daken interrupted.

Bronte growled as his patience grew thin, "Oh word? Because I don't think you keep that same energy when you're sending your love must out to any broad or brute with a pulse."

Daken sneered, "Raze tells me it was you getting all chummy with the mystery threat in the first place. Hypocrisy looks like shit on you."

"Come a little closer and say th--"

"Enough, you apes!" Laura snapped at them both, pushing their faces apart as they leaned over the table. "Focus on the mission or stay behind."

The two didn't say much more.

"Let's look at her as both." Gabbie cut in.

Laura didn't lead onward, causing Gabbie to continue while she filed her nails with a piece of treebark, "If she's the enemy it's obviously a trap... an accurate trap. Since she knows we're going to hit Department K sites and it's headquarters. She might even have an idea of when we're doing it. They could be expecting us."

Laura nodded, "And if she's helping us, then we know these blueprints are hiding something underground. Department K could have a hidden additional facility... one the workers at lower levels don't know about. It's not too far off."

"That's where we need to be." Bronte added.

"So now what?" Gabbie asked, "I don't want to walk into a trap."

A lightbulb went off in Bronte's head.

"What?" Laura could tell.

"We go before the trap is made."

Nobody followed. "We can move with this mission as if she's with us or against us at the same time. We leave early and still search for the additional area she wants us to find. They'd be spooked if they were expecting us later meaning we'd have an upper hand, you feel me? It's our best bet from how I see it."

Everyone loosely agreed. Raze was drooling from excitement. It seemed Laura wasn't the only one that could read his mind.

"Ok, so how early do you think we should leave?" Laura questioned.

Raze was practically pulling out his wild red hair, "heheheheheheHEHEHEH.!.....say it say it say it! Say we're leaving tonight, and I'll love you forever, brother!"

Bronte grabbed a pen and circled the headquarters, "Yea..... we're leaving tonight."