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whatever it was that she wanted. The noises behind those doors were uneasy, louder than a government complex should be. His hand tensed as the lock clicked.
    “Stand your ground.”
    Her words were firm, and Edward let go of his butt. Before he could say anything, the door swung open… and kids began streaming out.
    Dressed in white, many of them were stained with bright red streaks and splatters, telling Edward how their freedom had been gained. They helped each other, carrying the younger ones, and he was horrified at their bruised, abused condition.
    Some of the kids moved alertly to Alexa’s side, but most headed straight for the trees and disappeared.
    “Should I try to get them… ”
    “No.”
    The group around them slowly grew from a dozen, to two…and then three. How many children were in there?
    Two tall girls of about thirteen ran to Alexa and threw themselves at her boots. Crying her name, the bald twins were panicked in their grief and joy.
    “We did it!”
    “We killed them all!”
    “There’s no one left inside! We killed them all!”
    Alexa’s hands settled onto each head, and the girls visibly calmed.
    “ Sshhh … You did what you had to.”
    Alexa’s eyes swept over her large group of kids, seeing all the injured and weakest had been left. Not even those with the DNA marker were immune to fear. Those who had run stood little hope of evading the soldiers with an injured party.
    She looked at the bunker and then back down to the twins. “You’re sure there’s no one left?”
    The girls’ simultaneously spoken words were eerie. “They took many of them to other places when we moved. This complex held only a hundred.”
    They had half of that number around them now and only minutes before a patrol would discover the escape. Alexa closed her eyes, sending out the power again. Without being told, the children joined her, feeding off their joy at finally being freed.
    Edward listened to the waves of power with a slightly disbelieving ear. It was like a call for help and a challenge in one, and he forced himself not to wince as it grew stronger. What they were calling to, he wasn’t anxious to see, but he was honored to be a part of something so noble as rescuing children. He stood proudly behind her.
    The thought of traveling with these kids all the way to find Safe Haven didn’t cross Edward’s mind until he began really looking at them. Some of their injuries wouldn’t allow a slow trip, let alone a fast flight. What would Alexa do?
    “Watch the south side.”
    Clearly that’s where she expected trouble to come from and he turned his attention that way… in time to see a pack of very large dogs running towards the children.
    “Look out!” Edward started firing before the snarling animals were close enough to hurt any of the kids, and heard Alexa spin to do the same.
    Their guns barked loudly, drawing screams and running feet that they were forced to ignore as more dogs burst from the south perimeter and charged their way.
    Edward let go of his control and proved his words of being very, very good with his guns.
    The pack thinned quickly as he protected them, and Alexa stopped firing to watch in admiration. There weren’t so many left that he couldn’t handle it, and she studied his technique, his fast reload with only a seconds’ pause. He was better than good. He was on her level. Excellent.
    The perimeter soldiers followed the dogs from the trees, and Edward switched targets, hitting them with beautiful head-shots before they could draw and fire. He blew them off of their feet, never hesitating. These men had held the kids, hurt them. That wouldn’t be allowed to continue!
    Alexa let him take care of the dozen guards, ready to hit any he missed, but there was a thick silence after he stopped firing that said he could have handled much more.
    The few bullets the soldiers had managed to get off, hit nothing vital.
    Instinct made her turn suddenly. “Get down! Down! Down!”
    A