Wetness dripped from Megan’s hair while Taylor spattered blood along the cracked floor as we raced out of the lab.
An explosion wave rocked behind us, throwing us forward, but we all managed to stay upright. I risked a glance back and caught the sight of the entire lab being sucked down into what resembled a sinkhole.
Water erupted from the hole and began its chase. We had a head start. It had speed.
I really thought we were going to make it until I saw the large metal-looking garage door blocking our only escape. The words Fire Door glowed across its sleek surface.
28
“Carter, can you open the door?” Kalis said, banging on the metal with the butt of his gun. He then tossed a bandana toward Rollins. “Wrap the kid’s hand before he bleeds out.”
I snagged the bandana midair and tied it around Taylor’s hand. “Thanks.”
“I could override the lockdown protocol if I was by the central computer, but from this side, I can’t.” Carter glanced down at Megan. “She’s waking up.”
We all turned to Megan. She looked worn out and frailer than I remembered.
Adam took Megan from Rollins and pulled Taylor’s sweatshirt down, making sure it covered her.
She shook her head and coughed. She coughed again, and I could tell by how she pinched her face that it hurt. She opened her eyes and gave a weak smile.
“Welcome back. Missed you.” I gave her a quick hug and tried not to look obvious as I inspected her skin. “Can you stand?”
“I think so.” She stood, wobbled, then gained her balance.
“Everyone back up, I’m going to blast the door.” Kalis interrupted our reunion, but he was only doing his job. He had no emotional attachment to Megan. Or the rest of us, except Rollins and maybe Carter and the doctor.
Taylor grabbed Megan’s hand and pulled her back down the hall. “Hi. I’m Taylor.”
This time Megan’s smile was big and genuine. “Megan.” She turned to Adam and me. “I’m so glad you found me.”
“Seriously, stop talking and move your asses.” Kalis stuck something along the edge of the door.
We all backed up until Rollins indicated we were clear enough.
Kalis lit what he had attached and raced to us, covering his ears. The rest of us, except Carter, covered ours as well and turned away.
A boom filled the space and shook the floor. I turned back. Kalis had blown a hole big enough for us to climb through.
“What happened?” Megan whispered to me. “Where are my clothes?” She pulled the hem of the sweatshirt down. “What’s happening? Is that a robot?”
“I’ll explain later, we have to go.” I let her climb through the hole first so I could keep her backside covered.
After Adam, Dr. Morgenstern, and Taylor went through, Kalis went halfway then turned back and helped Rollins maneuver Carter through. They got him through as the water rolled into the door. But luckily, it didn’t seem to be rising any further.
“Be on the lookout. There could be Raspers or Bugs anywhere,” Carter said once he rebalanced himself.
Megan and Taylor stuck behind me, while Adam kept Dr. Morgenstern in front of him.
The floor vibrated under our feet.
“We have to meet Bowie before the place falls apart.” Rollins tapped behind his ear. “Bowie, do you read me?” He nodded. “We’ll be there ASAP. Bowie’s at the Z.”
The sound of the building breaking apart chased us as we raced to the main circle room. The bodies and parts still littered the floor. Red and black blood made a disturbing mosaic along the walls and floor. Bowie had some clothes tucked under his arm and his gun at the ready.
“Where now?” Kalis asked Dr. Morgenstern.
“Here.”
I glanced around. “You better not be lying.”
“I’m not.” She went to the wall with the Z emblem and traced the Z, adding different patterns within the letter.
“Let’s go.” She went to the right of the Z.
The wall had disappeared, revealing an opening to spiral steps.
“Damn, I never knew this was here.” Kalis waved us to go.
We raced up the hidden stairs. They circled up and around like a parking garage. The only sound was the tapping of our boots. Then a rumbling noise sounded below and kept getting louder like a monster ripping through the building chasing its next meal. Us. We ran faster. Megan kept her gaze on the soldiers and Carter while Taylor couldn’t keep his off her.
We reached the top of the ramp and met a metal ladder that went up to a hatch. The metal clanged and shook.
“Okay, faster, people. Carter, you’re with me. Rollins will go first. Then you guys.” Kalis pointed off-handedly at us. “Then I’ll bring Carter up.”
I climbed the ladder after Rollins, Adam, and Megan. The metal wobbled in my hands. When I wiggled through the small hatch opening, I was surprised by the glare of the sun. I stood on a rectangular roof, with walls probably six feet high surrounding the cement floor. I turned to look for the others.
Megan looked anxious. “Val, I need to tell you something.”
“Once we get out of here, okay?”
She grabbed my hand. “No. You need to know. I’ve being hearing things. A voice commands me to come to a place where the sun kisses the trees. After they purposely injected me with the Bug Dr. Morgenstern took from us, I passed out and came to like I was in a dream. I was floating and heard someone talking to me. Always talking. Telling me to bring you to that place.”
“Do you know where it is?”
“No, but I know how to get there. It’s like the directions, coordinates, whatever, are in my head pulling me to a place. And I don’t think it will stop until I go.”
Taylor came up onto the rooftop. He eyed the transports, then turned. Bowie then Dr. Morgenstern climbed up. Kalis pushed Carter up the ladder, and Rollins reached down and pulled him up the rest of the way.
The two transports looked like something from a sci-fi movie. Hybrid machines that looked part fighter jet and part helicopter. Compact, black, deadly. “Can you fly this thing?” I asked Kalis as I glanced around searching for any threats.
The rumbling noise continued to search for us to hamper our escape.
“Yes, but where are we going?”
“To find the queen and end this.” I turned to Megan. “Do you know where to go?”
Megan rubbed her temple where the yellow mark covered her face. “I can’t say exactly. It’s north and west from here. It’s like a homing signal.”
Bowie tossed some clothes to Megan, and she quickly got them on, then we all climbed into one of the pods.
Kalis took the pilot seat, and Rollins took the seat next to him. The rest of us sat in groups facing each other. Carter hovered in the back.
Kalis fired up the engine, and it sounded quieter than I expected. Rollins and he donned headsets, tapped buttons, and toggled levers.
Kalis pulled back the joystick-like steering wheel.
The pod rose into the air, and it reminded me of the helicopter flight from Site R. We were about fifty feet up when a weird sound rocked the pod.
Flames burst from the building. The right side sheared off and splashed into the water.
A whoosh sounded, then our pod was sent into a spin that Kalis and Rollins fought to control.
The rest of us scrambled to see what was happening.
Kalis cursed. “Come on, baby. I can’t get control. Everyone prepare for a crash.”
29
The pod spun around like dandelion fluff in the wind. I gripped the armrests and glanced at my friends. My family. This was it. We had gotten through so much, but our luck had run out.
“Rollins, flip the override switch,” Kalis said through gritted teeth. “Come on.”
The pod stayed in the tailspin. I closed my eyes tight. Adam brushed my pinkie finger. My stomach rolled in time with the pod’s hard spins.
I guessed we only had a few seconds before we hit the roof we had taken off from. Wo
uld I see my parents again?
“The explosion knocked out the drive system. Carter, can you fix it?” Kalis yelled.
I opened my eyes.
“Yes, give me a minute.” Carter hooked himself to a computer.
The pod jerked and stopped spinning.
“Yes, that’s it. Be a good girl.” Kalis spoke to the pod like it was a puppy he was trying to calm down. “Thanks, Carter. We’ve got her back under control.”
Everyone visually relaxed.
I turned to Adam. “I’m sorry about your uncle.”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. Turns out he was a real asshole.” He looked down.
I could tell his uncle’s betrayal and death were a big deal.
“Your uncle?” Megan wore a confused expression.
Adam laughed, but it wasn’t a happy laugh. “Turns out the crazy director of Zigotgen is, was, my uncle and he wanted to take over everyone’s mind.”
“And I thought my story was crazy.”
I grabbed Megan’s hand. “We’re so glad you’re okay.”
She nodded, and I caught a glistening in her eyes. “Me too. General DeCarlo wanted to send me to some jail center. But before the helicopter left, the soldier in charge said plans had changed and I was going someplace safe. He was so wrong. And now I have voices in my head like there’s something wrong with my brain.”
Adam put his hand on top of ours. Megan didn’t know. I bit my lip.
“Megan, honey, we saw your medical report while you were in the tube.” My voice cracked.
“What’s wrong with me. Tell me.”
I took a deep breath. “Is there anything that would work as a mirror in here?”
Dirk unsheathed his knife and handed it to me. I held it in front of Megan.
Megan leaned forward. “What the hell is on my face?”
When no one said anything, her voice went shrill. “Why is there a handprint mark on my face?”
I handed the knife back to Dirk. “It seems to be a side effect of the Bug sting.”
“Just tell me.”
“Did you know you have a brain tumor?” I used a softer than normal voice.
“What?” Tears filled her eyes. “No. Is it fatal?”
“Carter, can you explain what happened?”
Carter nodded. “I don’t know how long you’ve had the tumor, but it seems it was dormant. When you were injected with the alien toxin, the tumor came to life. The tumor destroyed the toxin, and in a weird twist that I medically can’t explain, the toxin in turn made the tumor benign. I’m sure in time the doctors could have determined how and why it all happened. You maintain a small amount of active toxin. However, it will not turn you into a Rasper. But you might have side effects like you had turned. Hence, the yellow-looking mark on your face.”
“I can live with that if it means I’m alive. Thank you for saving me.” Megan pulled Adam, Taylor, and me into a group hug.
Dr. Morgenstern cleared her throat. “There is no evidence that the tumor won’t reactivate.”
Taylor pulled away. “You know you are the worst. Let her be happy. Jeez.”
The tension in the pod hung heavy, weighing down our reunion.
In an effort to ease some of it, Rollins turned around. “So the Rasper queen? How are we going to find her?”
We all belted ourselves in the seats. I glanced at Megan.
She twisted a lock of her hair. “We’re going in the right direction. I can only tell you that. If we get off course, I’ll let you know. Sorry.”
“So we don’t have any idea where we’re headed?” Taylor asked.
“I keep hearing tell Val to go to where the sun kisses the trees.” Megan spun her hair around and tucked it into a loose knot at the back of her head.
“Does that mean anything to you?” Bowie tilted his head to the side.
Where the sun kisses the trees. The phrase had a familiar ring to it, but I couldn’t place where it was or where I had heard the words before. “It sounds familiar, but it’s not a specific place I can think of.”
Where the sun kisses the trees. Why would the queen of an alien species think that place or phrase meant something to me?
Megan grabbed my hand and laced her fingers through mine. The scenery changed. I wasn’t in the pod anymore. I was in a forest surrounded by trees. A thin trail wormed its way through. The vision moved forward like my sight was that of a drone hovering above the trail. The trees thinned out, and a small clearing filled with wildflowers took center stage.
Like I snapped awake from a head nod, my vision cleared and I was back in the pod.
Megan let go of my hand and smiled.
The image of the field of flowers flashed through my mind. Then I recalled being there. In real life. I had been about eight or so. As the sun slid down the horizon, I had turned to my mom and said, “Look, the sun is kissing the trees goodnight.”
A chill radiated through my body. Regret and sorrow squeezed my heart. Mom had to have become a Rasper for them to know that memory. We would hike the forest trails in some state park when we would visit my grandparents in Oregon. We had gone every summer until a drunk driver killed my grandparents when he hit them head-on as they were driving home from dinner.
But why would the Raspers pick that particular place? It seemed too weird. Too coincidental. Too convenient.
“You okay?” Adam gave me a puzzled look.
“Yeah.” I really wanted to tell him the truth. No, I’m not okay. I just found out my mom was turned into a Rasper, and the Colony is using her memories to get me to do what they want.
And they were using Megan as well. It made no sense. I wasn’t that important. Adam was just like me. Why me and not him or even Taylor? But I knew the answer. Neither of their mothers had been patient zero.
Then it hit me. Patient zero, my mom, had been stung in Tikal. She couldn’t have become a Rasper. So how did the Colony get that memory?
A boom reverberated around the pod, and it shook like we hit something.
“What was that?” Adam shouted, his voice an octave higher than normal.
“Wind sheer. Hang on,” Rollins called over his shoulder.
The pod swung to the right, and we had to grip the armrests.
“The atmosphere is unstable.” Carter had plugged a cable from his midsection into a USB port in the pod.
Thunder rolled, the noise zipping through my nerve endings. Lightning flashed and the pod shuttered. Then it spun around and around. My stomach protested the movement. All the lights in the pod winked off, then came back on.
“We’re going to crash,” Taylor whispered, probably thinking no one could hear him. Megan grabbed his hand.
The pod spun even faster, and the lights went out again. This time they stayed off.
The pod flipped over and over. I couldn’t tell which way was up or down. No idea how far from the ground we were. How hard were we going to hit? How were we going to survive?
“Can we parachute out?” Adam yelled.
“No time. We’re going to hit. Brace yourselves,” Kalis or Rollins said. I couldn’t tell which.
The pod slammed into something, and I was pulled back against my seat by the belt. If I lived, I was going to have one heck of a bruise across my chest.
“Is it over?” Megan asked.
But before anyone could answer, the pod groaned and shot downward. The smell of smoke filled the air. Someone cursed. The pod spun like a thrill ride. Anything not tied down flew through the pod. I closed my eyes and waited for impact.
The crash was hard, fast, and breath stealing. A loud cracking noise rattled my teeth. Pain radiated through my body. I opened my eyes, but I couldn’t make much out in the dark.
The pod lights flicked on, then went out with a pop. Metal groaned, and the scent of blood mixed with the smoke. A small emergency light bathed the pod in shadows, but it gave enough light for me to see.
“Is everyone okay?” I unclipped my belt, rubbed my chest, and reac
hed out to Adam.
He moaned, then put his hand to his shoulder. “Damn that hurt.” He unbuckled as well.
Megan coughed and Taylor groaned.
“Shit, Bowie,” Adam said.
A twisted piece of metal that had been part of the pod’s roof had impaled Bowie in the chest. Blood covered him. Dr. Morgenstern’s head hung at an unnatural angle, but she was blood-free.
I checked their necks for a pulse. “Bowie and Doctor Morgenstern are gone.”
“Kalis? You okay?” Rollins said with a hint of worry in his tone. “Can someone check him? I can’t move. I think my leg’s broken.”
Adam clambered out of his seat and touched Kalis’s neck. “He’s not breathing.”
Rollins threw something at the cracked windshield. The glass broke, and Rollins whispered, “Omega.”
“Let me see your leg.” Adam grabbed the flashlight Rollins held out. “Ouch. Let’s get you out, then maybe we can set it with something.”
“I’m not going to be able to go anywhere on foot. You’ll have to go without me. Help me back to the seats.” By the tone of his voice, I could tell Rollins was in a lot of pain.
“Are you guys okay?” I asked Megan and Taylor. They both nodded. Adam came into the back of the pod. “We need to get out of this thing. Taylor, help me with the door.”
The guys pushed at the crumpled door, tried the emergency release, but couldn’t get it to budge.
I tapped Carter, but he didn’t respond. “Carter?”
Rollins groaned and said, “He probably turned his system to low power. It will take some time for him to boot up.”
“The door’s not moving, so we need to go out the cockpit window.” Adam banged on the jammed door.
I took the flashlight from Adam and shifted to the front of the pod. I swept the light on Rollins’s left leg. It was turned far to the right and jammed under part of the cockpit. His femur poked out of his skin. I shut the light off and turned so he wouldn’t see my reaction.
“Adam, we have to get him out of this seat. Come help me.” I leaned from the back to the right side of Rollins’s chair. There was hardly any space. “I’m sorry if I’m causing you pain, but I need to lift the panel there so we can get your leg free.”
The Hive (Rasper Book 2) Page 19
