Charles bounced around and jumped from container to container wrapping around the soldiers position. Then he silently dropped to the floor. Everything stopped. He was close to the soldiers; he could smell their fear and apprehension. He silently moved along the deck plates on his padded claws, being careful to not click his claws on the metal. He moved with fluid silent grace.

  He sprinted at the two soldiers and with a shoulder charge, threw one into a nearby container with a loud crash. If the man hadn’t been wearing protective gear the impact might had killed him, or at the very least knocked him out. As it was the man was stunned, just trying to remember how to breathe.

  Charles slashed his claws at the other soldier, catching the shocked and terrified soldier by surprise and easily opening up his throat as he had to the other two. This one either didn’t know he was dying or had a real pair on him, because he still managed to raise his rifle at Charles.

  Charles ripped the gun away from him only to find that the soldier had the weapon in a sling to his body. Charles sliced the sling apart with his claws and ripped the weapon away from the man as he slid to floor and died.

  Charles quickly turned and grabbing the stunned soldier’s helmet he yanked and twisted it around, snapping the soldier’s neck. He left the weapons where they were and moved back among the containers. He listened intently for any movement at all, any sounds that might give away where the other two soldiers were.

  They had to know that coming into the container maze took away their weapon systems biggest advantage. But then, they had to know they couldn’t just stay up there like scarecrows either. If the entirety of the crew and their comrades were all killed, would they just stay up on their crow’s perch and let themselves be taken in to a port and arrested with port authorities or some other form of law enforcement? They might control this small section of the ship, but they were trapped on the larger boat, and they couldn’t do a thing about that from where they were now.

  The two men must have come to the same conclusion because he did hear footsteps pounding on the deck plates. Were they stupid enough to try to come into the maze and end up like the others? Charles wasn’t sure what they had in mind, but now that they weren’t in an over watch position on the catwalk he was free to take to the tops of the containers. He silently jumped from container to containers until he was on top of the neat stacks.

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  He moved toward the sounds of the footsteps. He looked down and saw the two machine gunners run up to the containers then stop. They were speaking in low muttered voices, probably wondering if they should go into the maze. Charles couldn’t help but smile. They looked so hesitant.

  Charles thrust himself out over the containers and down. He opened his arms and claws and twirled in midair, solidly connected with both soldiers before his foot pads hit the deck plates. He grabbed both soldier’s helmets and crushed them together. The helmets didn’t quite shatter, but splintered upon impact and blood exploded from the impacted skulls. The two machine gunners didn’t even have a chance to cry out before they died.

  Charles took a deep breath and leaned up against a container for a moment. William was going to need a long rest before he was going to wake up. There was a lot of work to do and right now he was the only one around that could do it. He shifted back into his human form. He walked to the end of the container hold and opened the small holding area with the cages.

  He looked in disgusted horror at the various cages in the holding area. There were over a dozen girls huddled in cages that were made for nothing more than large dogs. He could tell they had been there for a while. He saw the signs of stress and weakness from malnutrition etched across every girl’s face.

  He started opening the cages, helping the girls to get out. Most of them were unable to even stand, so he helped them get as comfortable as possible as they stretched out painfully on the cold deck plates of the ship.

  Ansuya and Amanda shared a cage, both of which were still deeply asleep. Charles knew all too well the struggle that both of them were in right now. The Shadows of the Whyte Plain had corrupted them. It was going to be tough for them to come back from that. He would have to put them down if they ended up like Achelois. He didn’t look forward to that possibility. But he would do it, having gone through that himself, death was a mercy in that case.

  Catherine was with another girl, also passed out from the drug they put in her food. He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn’t recognized the scent of the drug fast enough. Because he hadn’t, his friend’s lives had been put in danger. Something that he vowed wouldn’t happen again. He took Catherine’s body and gently laid her on the deck plates next to the softly moaning girls as the pain of feeling slowly worked their way back into their bodies.

  He knew the girls wouldn’t understand him, so instead he simply sat down and watched over the now freed human slaves. As far as he knew he was the only person still conscious or capable of moving or defending himself left on the ship. The ship had been fine when he left the bridge, and the weather had been clear. Of course, weather on the vast Pacific could change instantly. But for now, he felt like he was needed here. He would guide the girls to the galley when they could move. He would have to leave his pack mates and the elder here for now. But he was sure that all the crewmen had been taken care of and there was no real danger left on the ship.