It was surprisingly easy to break into Black Dragon’s Manor for a second time. The door locks once more proved to be no match for Swipe’s claws, opening with a soft click. As the Rogue Five cautiously entered, they kept their eyes collectively peeled for anything that seemed off. Any security systems added. Anything. However, there didn’t seem to be anything new in the home of the corrupt hero.

  The descent into the basement lair was silent and tense, with Bella especially on edge. She fidgeted with her wings, wringing the feathers to try and soothe herself. Checking the cameras allowed confirmation that Black Dragon wasn’t here. He was all too busy accepting that award. It made Huntress sick. But now wasn’t the time for that. They had work to do.

  Finding that the door to the lab was sealed shut, Huntress turned to Blaze.

  “Alright, do your thing. Don’t overdo it. We need to make sure we don’t hurt them.” She ordered.

  Blaze was all too happy to oblige, stepping up to the door and flaring his fire bright.

  “Heh. You got it, boss. One door, comin’ up.”

  Blasting the door with a wave of heat, the metal started to drip and deform, liquifying with the force of the inferno unleashed upon it. Soon enough, the fire torched through the heavy metal door and horrified gasps could be heard on the other side. As Blaze’s burn ceased, he stepped through and opened the door from the inside.

  “Ta-da!”

  If nothing else, it got a chuckle out of Swipe before everyone else stepped into the lab. The inside was a very minimalist design, meant to be as ruthlessly efficient as possible in achieving Black Dragon’s goals. A front desk to the lab was seemingly the only furniture aside from a station near the back, which was likely only there because the desk didn’t have enough space for more equipment. Lining the walls were dozens of cages shaped almost like test tubes. Each cage contained at least three harpy children, although most held five or more. None of the children looked to be any older than fifteen and all of them were very clearly frightened by the sudden invasion.

  “What the hell…?” For once, Kraken was at a loss for words, his own wisdom and guidance failing him.

  Walking over to one of the cages, Swipe slowly stuck her hand through the bars.

  “Hey. It’s okay. We’re gonna get you guys outta here…” She soothed, hoping they’d understand.

  Zap, meanwhile, had gone to the desk, checking for any sort of keys to unlock the cages. What he found, however, was Black Dragon’s research. A vial of blood was stored in a small desk freezer to preserve it, the label of “subject 0” prominently taped onto it. Standing next to Zap, Bella tilted her head slightly at the find.

  “Hey, that’s me. He took that when he brought me here… He was going to check for diseases…”

  “Looks like he checked for a lot more than just disease.” Zap answered grimly, looking over the research notes.

  “Apparently he’s been using your blood to alter human DNA. So that means…”

  The unsettling implications hung heavy in the air as Huntress joined the pair at the front desk.

  “We’re going to bring him down.” She reassured, looking over the notes as well.

  Soon enough, the point behind his research became clear. A highly detailed document relating to an object Black Dragon had created, capable of controlling harpies. All it would take was a simple press of a button on his remote to activate a latent part of their biology with microchips, making them serve his will unquestioningly.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “That bastard.” Huntress muttered under her breath. “When and how does he plan on using this?”

  “Never.” Swipe answered, extending a claw to use as a key again. “Not if I’ve got anything to say about it.”

  However, there was no keyhole on the cells. The lock seemed to be controlled via fingerprint. Only Black Dragon could unlock it. As Swipe muttered a few colorful curses under her breath, Blaze stepped up.

  “Well, we got options. Let’s gettem out of there!” Blaze declared, his inner fire heating up to melt through the cage.

  However, Kraken stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

  “Wait. You can’t. You’ll harm the children.” He warned, gesturing to the small size of the cages. The newly harpied children would have nowhere to escape the heat.

  “Yeah, I’d really rather not leave here with a bunch of roast chickens, Blaze.” Zap commented, looking for anything that might be helpful.

  “Ugh, we need somethin’ to break through! Bella!” Swipe called, looking over her shoulder at her feathered friend. “You know this place better than we do. You think ol’ Dragon’s got any power tools?”

  “Oh! There’s some in the attic! C’mon, I’ll show you!”

  Swipe and Bella left the laboratory, leaving the other rogues to guard the place and gather evidence. As they made their way through the manor, up flights of stairs and down long hallways, the various busts of Black Dragon made it feel like they were being watched at all times. A calculated move to keep anyone from trying anything. Every turn felt like he could simply appear and rain down his trademark righteous fury upon an unsuspecting maid. A fidgeting ruffle of feathers caught Swipe’s eye and she reached an arm around Bella’s shoulders to provide at least some semblance of safety.

  As the pair ascended the steps into Black Dragon’s attic, the air chilled slightly. The attic itself was well maintained at least, with several neatly lined shelves of boxes. Each box had a different label on it, marking old papers, clothes that were out of season, and other possessions of the manor’s lord. A toolchest sat in a corner of the room, precisely what they were looking for.

  Meanwhile, down in the laboratory, while Zap was scouring the research notes, and Blaze and Kraken were looking for safe ways to free the captives, Huntress’s attention turned to the monitor near the desk, which was tapping into local news and recording. Recording? Was he really that vain to record his own award? Probably. His smug face said it all while the mayor was giving his speech.

  “While the Rogues may have escaped our jailhouse, we have no doubt that our mighty hero, Black Dragon, will capture them again. Once retrieved, Lursec is waiting to pick them up. And now, it is my great honor to present our esteemed hero with the key to the city. Maurice, if you will.”

  Huntress bit back the urge to gag at Black Dragon’s smirk. She really wished she could be doing something else right now, but sadly, this was about all she could do for now.

  With the big fake key in his hands, Black Dragon turned to address the crowd, although he was clearly focused on the camera.

  “Yes indeed, my good mayor. I will capture these fiends and bring them to face the true might of justice. And greetings to the governor and city council as well. It’s so nice to have everyone all right here, together in one place.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Pretty much every important person in Dilstone was there. Hell, there were even some state level politicians like the governor. It was an impressive turnout. And that’s when it hit her. He wasn’t recording to get footage of him accepting an award. Black Dragon was recording what was about to become a hostile takeover.

  “We need to get them out of there. Now.” Huntress ordered, picking up the nearest chair and bashing it into one of the cages to try and force it open. The cage was stronger than it looked, however, and didn’t budge at all.

  Behind her, on the screen, Black Dragon’s smirk turned from cheesily heroic to downright sinister. He gestured broadly with his arms to the audience.

  “I must thank you for the award. It’s quite touching to be entrusted with the key to the city. But of course, we all know this key is little more than a trophy. Something to be given out for doing a good job. It doesn’t actually unlock any gates or do anything of value. This, however…” The fallen hero started, pulling out a small remote.

  “Now this is what a real key to the city looks like. Don’t bother trying to run. The blockades for this event have you all trapped in. My army will be here within seconds of me pressing this button. Those who resist will be eliminated. I’ll be taking this city for myself. And Huntress? I know you’re watching. Don’t keep me waiting. Let’s finish our fight this time.”

  With that, he pressed the button. Kraken reached out, attempting to control the hydraulics of the cages as they were lifted into tubes for launch. However, he soon found that they ran on pneumatics instead. Black Dragon had already thought of that plan.

  “We need to move. Now.” Huntress ordered, racing up the steps, trailed closely by the rest of her team. As they burst out the front door, all they could do was watch as an army of harpies was released from above, flying straight for the main city.

  Meanwhile, in the attic, Bella had found the tool they were looking for. An angle grinder.

  “Hey! I found it!” Bella chirped, holding up the tool with one of her talons.

  “Nice one.” Swipe answered, stiffening as she heard a series of screeches. Turning and looking out the attic window, she was horrified to see the harpies flying straight for the center of Dilstone.

  “Son of a bitch, he actually did it. Bella, we need to get down there. Forget the tools!” She ordered in a panic.

  Turning, however, Swipe’s eyes widened and her ears flattened against her head when she saw that Bella’s eyes had glazed over. The once bubbly girl was now eerily calm and unresponsive, simply staring at Swipe like she was studying her. Sizing up her new opponent.

  “Bella? Ah shit, not you too… Don’t worry, we’ll save you. I promise you, Bella.”

  Bella turned on the angle grinder.