Anada (Book #3)

The New Mission

The next day we left for Savannah. It's a fairly large city on the coast of Georgia. During the summer it's filled with people who are on vacation. Only a few brave people dared to have a holiday here during the fall. This city isn't too far from where Elias and I live either. We only lived north of Savannah.
Today was the day of our mission. The mission assigned by the untrustworthy Leon Escapade.
We didn't even book a hotel when we arrived. Instead, we got right down to business and headed toward the location of our mission.
The location of our mission was at a port. Huge stacks of large shipment containers were surrounded by a ten foot high bob-wire fence. The area was massive. On the far side of the port was a warehouse.
It was about five or six o'clock, but it was already dark. That's another reason why I dislike the colder season. There's more night than day. Not a nice thing for a sun loving dragon like me.
"So... explain the plan Captain Alex." I grinned at my team leader.
He gets annoyed when I refer to him as captain. Alex just likes his plain title as Alex.
We, the team, have our vehicles parked in a dark eerie alley next to the port. The smell of something metallic and rotten wafts up from the ground. I'm the only one who can smell it though. It's these dragon abilities of mine.
"We all know that we work the best when together. That's our plane, but we our going to spread out. Fan out, I should say." He spoke to us authoritatively.
Fanning out seems to cover more ground. A teammate is always in your sight, and if he isn't in sight... well, that's not good.
We grab our gear and stealthily go toward the port. During this time Alex further explains our goal. Some contraband had 'accidentally' been lost in the shipments. We were to find the shipment container that held the illegal contraband. My ability to smell specific details was very valuable in such cases as this.
The only exception with this mission was that we were supposed to come and go without being noticed. That might be easy for me, but I wasn't sure about my friends.
Elias was by my side. A smirk on his face showed his excitement. The black clothes we had on camouflaged us well. The slick fabric seemed to want to cling to our bodies.
"I'm just gonna go ahead with my shifting." I told them while already starting to morph into my second form.
Scales grew as fast as my clothes were absorbed into my flesh. My neck lengthened at the same time my vertebrae did. A tail with spines grew from the base of my back while wings sprouted from my shoulders. Talons, dangerously sharp teeth, and my razor-like spines grew last.
As always, the shift took only two seconds. Though, if you were not looking, you would have never known about my shapeshifting process that was taking place next to you. That's why I usually notify my friends before surprising them.
Now in my dragon I run ahead and launch myself over the ten foot fence. Sharp wire passes under my stomach as I sail over. Even if I rubbed against them I would be fine. My scales have saved me from receiving many scars.
When I land I fine a way to help my team members get inside with me. I easily find a gap under the fence. I enlarge it, and quickly signal to my waiting comrades.
A few minutes later we were walking along rows of shipment containers. I sniffed the air like a bloodhound. Jumping from container to container, I start remembering Mr.Escapades threat.
Through the earpiece I wore,  I ask my friends, "Do you think this is possibly something setup by Escapade?"
I get a few positive and negative feedbacks from them. Elias starts talking about how he'd be so furious, but I quickly start telling him that I would be the one that would need holding back.
"Stay on subject. Focus on the target." Alex reminds us since the whole team is obviously eavesdropping on our conversation.
I inwardly blush, because I physically can't in dragon form.
Elias and I were officially dating, and I often wondered what the others thought. They probably didn't think much of it, except for Reina. She was thrilled to officially see us together.
I continued to smell the containers. For a long time I had no results. I was about to growl in annoyance, but a strange odor suddenly filled my nostrils. I immediately looked over toward the warehouse. Why is it always the warehouse that holds the  contraband?
I spoke through the earpiece, "Hey, guys. I think I found the location of the contraband."
"Exact location?" Alex asks me.
I sit on the container that I'm standing on, "Well, not the exact, but the main region of its storage."
That's around the time I felt my stomach drop. Uneasiness overcame my emotions.
The old legends about dragons sometime mention how dragons can feel or sense things that are happening or soon-to-be happening situations.
Every single time I get this feeling it usually means something unusual or bad is about to occur.
I immediately notify the others of my sensation, and we proceed cautiously.
In less than five minutes, the warehouse comes into view much better.
I open my wings and shoot into the sky. My body is a rocket as I increase my altitude. Eventually, I'm too high to receive a message from my friends, but I'm able to easily survey the whole property.
There are men at the warehouse. They're being still and unmoving. Hiding obviously.
The night air was cold and crisp. It felt fresh inside my warm lungs. A slight wind blew against my open wings.
I quickly swoop closer so I can contact the others. I start talking, but no one answers. I tap on the device wedged inside my small dragon ear.
Still nobody answers. I get upset and pull the device out.
The earpiece was no longer working. I either went through a pocket of moisture while flying or the batteries had randomly died.
I forget about the useless thing, and dive toward the warehouse. I silently land on the metal roof of the ginormous building. Scanning for my friends and watching for enemies I start to flex my talons in nervousness. On edge. That was how I felt.
I saw a man step into what little the light there was. My dragon eyes saw him well, but to humans he would just be a distant dark smudge.
I took a very deep breath. I caught his scent. My expression was not the same as I exhaled.
Fury and anger rose from me, because it was Leon Escapade and some of his men.
I knew his threat from earlier was meant to inflict harm. So that is what he was going to do. He was here to destroy us.
Leon hated me that much. He was desperate to wipe me away like a smug.
I definitely wasn't going to let him win this though. He was not the first powerful enemy I had encountered before.
I prepared myself by crouching on the cold metal roof, and then I went into extreme dragon mode.