Operation Cub

By Hailey Huntington

The chain link fence surrounding rows of storage units came into view, and my skin crawled. “Everyone in position?”

“We’re ready, Peter.” Agent Natalia’s voice came through my earpiece.

“Good. Let’s finish this,” I growled. With a nod at my partner, Cassandra Chantos, I crossed the remaining distance, walking up to a man lurking outside the fence gate. He was average-looking all the way around, but I knew better than anyone not to be fooled by appearances. With my heightened senses, I could practically smell his guilt.

Part of me was tempted to knock him out now and take the storage unit key from him. But that wasn’t the way the Magical Persons Agency did things—most of the time, at least. Besides, I’d worked this undercover story for a month to finally arrive at a face-to-face transaction. I could handle several more minutes.

“Damian Tural,” I said, stopping a few feet away from the man.

Cassandra came up next to me.

Damian raised an eyebrow behind his sunglasses. “Mr. Johnson.” My undercover name still threw me for a loop. “I assume you have the cash?” He tipped his head toward the briefcase in Cassie’s hands.

“Show me the creature first. I want to know that it’s the real deal. Video footage can be doctored. In person experience can’t.” I folded my arms across my chest.

“Of course.” Damian slipped a key out of his pocket and unlocked the gate. Cassie and I followed him past the rows of units. My fists tightened with every step.

A month ago, the agency had found a listing for a baby gryphon on one of the mythical black markets. Most of the listings on evil corners of the internet are scams, but the gryphon-cub listing had contained enough evidence to know it was legit. Someone had found and hatched a gryphon egg. We’d instantly started working on a rescue mission. One cover story and several dubious e-messages later, we were close to freeing the cub.

Damian stopped in front of a locker. He tipped his head toward a white bulge protruding from the overhang. “That is a security camera. I wouldn’t recommend trying anything.”

“Natalia,” I muttered as Damian turned to the lock.

“The gremlins are already on it.” Gremlins was the MP nickname for our tech gurus, both for their genius and their actual gremlin heritage.

The lock slipped off. With a loud rumble, the metal door slid up. My pulse drummed against my skin. Sunlight poured into the storage unit, and anger rushed through me. A metal cage filled half of the locker. Curled up opposite the half-empty food and water bowls was the gryphon cub. His feathers were a dull sheen—probably due to the poor conditions. The cage was barely big enough for him to practice flying.

“As you can see,” Damian said, “a living baby gryphon.”

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to sound like the sleazeball Damian thought I was. “Indeed.” I took a step closer to the cage. Feathers rustling, the cub lifted his head, letting out a pitiful chirp.

Natalia’s voice came through the earpiece. “You’re clear. All cameras are down, and footage is wiped. Ready whenever you are.”

“Well, Mr. Johnson. Shall we move on with things?”

I turned to face Damian. “Let’s.”

In a blink, I sprang toward him, spinning him around and pinning his arms to his sides. He struggled but couldn’t break free—my werewolf blood gave me extra strength.

Cassie pulled off her headscarf, revealing the emerald snakes coming from her head. Damian’s eyes glazed over the moment he looked at her. Cassie herself had a vacant expression as she mentally sifted through Damian’s memories. Her abilities as a memory-wiping gorgon were one of MP’s greatest assets. He wouldn’t remember the baby gryphon existed after Cassandra finished.

“Done,” she said a moment later. I slammed my fist into Damian’s temple. It felt as good as I thought it would. He slumped, and I lowered him to the ground and bound his ankles and wrists.

Next, we turned our attention to the cub. Cassie opened the briefcase, pulled out the bar cutter, and handed it to me. During the tussle with Damian, the gryphon had risen and now stood a foot away, feathers ruffled.

I met his gaze and cawed, “We’re here to rescue you. Stand back.”

As the cub backed away, I pressed the bar cutter against the metal and pressed the button. A sharp screeching sound filled the air. Sparks flew. After a couple minutes, I’d cut a circle large enough for the cub. The moment I’d passed the cutter back to Cassie, he lunged into my arms, eyes bright. I held him tight, his ribs poking beneath his thin fur.

“Natalia, we’ve got the cub. Send the alert to our man at NYPD.” I glanced at the boxes and sacks filling the rest of the locker. While building our file on Damian Tural, we’d discovered that mythical creatures weren’t his only black-market items. The police were about to land a large catch.

Cassie tilted her head toward the door, headscarf in place once again. “Time to go, Peter.”

I followed her back to the gate, stroking the cub’s feathers as we walked. A purr rumbled in his chest. When we reached the street, I slipped off my jacket, wrapping it around the cub to hide him from view. Media Control always appreciated it when I made their job easier.

As the MP undercover tactical van came in view further down the street, the gryphon let out a cry. “Hungry.”

“You and me both, little guy.” I glanced over at Cassie. “Think I can convince Natalia to stop for some hamburgers before we return to headquarters?”

“You won’t be able to.” Her eyes twinkled. “But that sweet little guy might.”

“Food?”

I winked at the cub. “Soon as you lay that charming personality on Natalia. All in a day’s work, pal.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hailey Huntington is a speculative fiction author, penning tales of wonder, hope, and heroes, with a dash of wit. Her stories can be found online and in various print anthologies. When not writing or reading, Hailey can be found listening to her favorite film scores, making homemade ice cream, or spending time with her family.

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