The Renegade Shifters

by Cheryl Rush Cowperthwait

  “This is a nice set up, Dave.”

  “Yes, it will get us there in comfort without having to worry about trying to use the airports. This van is designed to withstand most everything unless a missile is fired at it. I’m pretty sure we’re still under their radar, but to be on the safe side I’m going to leave the metal partition closed unless we need to discuss something. You both should try to get some rest as I drive. We’ll talk later.” He pushed the button on his steering wheel and the metal panel closed, shutting them off from view.

  Bailey unfolded the bench seat and pulled a blanket out from the storage under the seat. “I’ll doze for a while and then you can rest.” She smiled at Rye.

  “Don’t worry about it, these seats recline. I’ll catch a good rest right where I am.” He closed his eyes as he felt the miles start to disappear beneath the tires. As every night he had recently, he said a silent prayer hoping he would wake in the morning and find this had all been a bad dream.

  About mid-day they stopped at a rest stop to make use of the facilities. Rye saw Dave talking on the phone when he came out of the restroom. When Dave hung up, he removed something from the phone and dumped it in the nearest trash bin. He noticed he was sporting a baseball cap and had one of those one-piece coveralls on with a name badge affixed on his front left pocket.

  Rye made his way back to the van. Bailey was already inside and buckled up in one of the captain chairs in the back of the van. Rye took a seat next to her and closed the door. “Did you see Dave out there?” Rye motioned toward the closed door.

  “No. I guess he was still inside.”

  Rye shook his head. “He’s changed into a uniform and wearing a baseball cap. I’m wondering if he received a message that people are closing in on us.”

  Bailey’s eyes bulged in surprise. “Do you really think so?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure he’ll fill us in when he gets back.”

  They waited patiently for Dave to climb in the van and throw it in reverse. After they returned to the interstate, Dave lowered the metal portion dividing them and spoke. “You need to keep as quiet as possible, especially if we get stopped. All I can tell you is if the back door suddenly gets ripped open, Shift and get the hell out of here.”

  “What’s happened?” Bailey asked, leaning in towards the opening.

  “They’ve already found one of the safe houses in California and apparently are setting up surveillance to watch the highways.”

  “That’s crazy! Certainly they don’t have enough people to watch every road, in every state.” Bailey burst out.

  “They don’t have to when they can control the eyes in the skies.”

  “Dave, what do you mean by that?”

  “All the cameras they have on stop lights and highway overhead signs. That’s how they watch people coming and going. They can take snapshots as you pass and run it through facial recognition programs. I’ve been more relaxed than I should have been. My contact said they’re backtracking several of the areas I’ve been filmed entering. Nothing has been said yet about the two of you.”

  “I think I should call Marlow to let her know everything is about to get bat shit crazy.” Bailey reached for her phone.

  “No!” The word echoed around her from Rye and Dave.

  Dave warned. “No more phone usage. If those aren’t burner phones, get rid of them. It won’t take them long to track you once they set their minds to it, which won’t take long since they’ve amped up the search for me. If they can get to you, they’ll try to use you to get to me. Remember, if at any time that back door opens, Shift and get away.”

  With those last words, Dave sealed the metal partition leaving them alone with their thoughts.

  Bailey slumped back into her chair, worry etched on her face. Rye reached over and took her hand. “I still think we’ll get through this okay. Let Dave handle the driving and soon we’ll be tucked away in the mountains, hidden away from them all.”

  “I’m worried about the others. If they find Marlow and the group, they’ll hurt them. We should have stayed, at least long enough to let them know what’s really going on.”

  “My best guess is they’ll be able to take care of things on their end, if anyone gets close to them. Remember, they have an underground hideout. No one gets in that they don’t bring in.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. That is, if they don’t bring down a whole brigade of military to breach it.”

  “They can’t afford to be seen like that, Bailey. They have to do everything on the sly like we do. I’m sure by the time we get resettled, Dave and those he’s working with will have an idea of what to do next.” Rye tried to sooth her fears, but her forehead still furrowed in doubt.

  Stretching out on the bed, Rye closed his eyes and let his mind expand on the information he’d gathered from Dave. He hated that the focus turned to Dave. It could impact what they planned, to help the targets of that clandestine operation of the government. Yet the result could be in their favor. It forced their hand, making them prepare to bring the people back to Earth, where at least they stood a chance of saving them.

  The miles clicked away as he slept, bringing them closer to their next safe house. Bailey nudged him awake.

  “Rye, we’re here. Well, at least we’re starting down the underground drive to the safe house. Dave opened the metal divider and wants to talk to us.”

  Rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes, Rye climbed into his chair and swiveled it towards the front. “What’s up, Dave?”

  “I thought you might want to see the path that takes us down into the mountain. You’ll notice the lights above and on the walls only stay illuminated as we come within range, then they turn off behind us. This also triggers the surveillance camera to start. It will record whoever passes under it. The house is already on lockdown. It’ll only open by Iris scanner or code.”

  Bailey noticed the walls as they passed, irregular, rough stone chiseled or blasted away by the designer. It had a similar appearance as the place where Geoff and the others lived. As they drove she noticed offshoots branching away from the gravel road they traveled. “Where do those tunnels lead?”

  Dave pointed up ahead. “This once was a gold mine and there are several tunnels through the mountain where gold was once mined. If you decided to travel them, most have been braced for safety, but not all have lighting the complete way. You’ll have to take flashlights or wear headlamps for exploration. They’re still set up with surveillance equipment, every so often. There are several entry points in this mountain, but you’d have to be a skilled climber to access most of them. Regardless, they’d still be detected long before reaching the house. And then they’d have to be carrying an equivalent to a nuclear bomb to gain entrance. This is as secure as a person could hope to be in the event of any war. I can’t disclose who actually owns it now, but it was bought by a GAF. Even the systems that regard incoming threats are based on the DEFCON system levels and colors. I’ll show you the panel when we get inside.”

  Bailey looked perplexed, so Rye filled in her unasked questions. “When someone says DEFCON 5, it means the normal state of preparedness or readiness. The lower the numbers go, the higher the threat. A DEFCON 1 is the highest threat and requires immediate action.”

  “Okay, I follow. What is a GAF?” Bailey queried.

  Dave answered. “That would be your five-star general of the Air Force, the highest-ranking designation. It was he who had this designed decades ago. He sold it later to a well-known person and now his heirs own it. Fortunately for us, they are supporters of the cause and know intimately well some of the so-called black operations a few of the three letter agencies have been involved with.”

  “Whoa, that’s pretty badass.”

  Dave chuckled and nodded his agreement. “I could tell you tales that would make your toes curl. Well, maybe not, since you are living your own rendition of what these so-called black projects can do.”

  “I still fail to see why
the government would create Shifters. What would they expect of this mixed array?”

  “Anything I say is only conjecture. Remember, I thought I was brought on to complete testing on animals. Supposedly, they were looking for a better and more sustainable way of feeding the world’s population. They sold this idea as a potential of Sky-Farming, a way to run and grow the experiments in space. If it worked, there would be multi-layered sky-farms to meet the needs of the world’s population and reduce the global carbon footprint as well as freeing up resources. It is my belief, all this was a cover to introduce many space centers full of this new breed of soldiers, the Shifters, that they could let loose against any military division.”

  “What type of Shifters are they hoping to train?” Bailey leaned as far forward as she could, to listen.

  “I wish I knew. I only discovered this after they did their experiments. I’m gauging this as their Stage One. They simply took several samples to see if any of them would be viable enough to blend with human DNA and to see what results they could expect. I don’t believe their experiments were completed when you both escaped. Just as there are ways of breeding the strongest of animals, you can also isolate the genes for things such as eye color or male and female. I suspect they have gone farther in their explorations by taking the genes of one sample, let’s say for instance, an armadillo and blending it with a human. If the test went as they’d hoped, then they might feasibly get a Shifter that had ready-made armor. I’ve had to comb through the dark web to find stories that seemed too outrageous to be true, to find an indication of Shifters that might have been used in these experiments.”

  It was as if a balloon deflated as Bailey fell back against the captain’s chair. “So—we don’t even know how far they’ve gone or how messed up our DNA is? This is a nightmare. These people should have to go through what they’ve done to us! Or better yet just put me in a room with them and I’ll…”

  “I can understand. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to stop this. Okay, we’ve arrived. Let’s go see your new home away from home.” Dave parked the van outside of a multi-storied concrete and stone house looming out of the side of the mountain.

  Chapter 16

  Geoff meandered to the front door with his pick of the night. In her alcohol infused daze, the luscious long-legged brunette beauty hung limply in his arms. Motioning Linken over with a wave, he waited impatiently.

  “Have you brought the car around? Where the hell is Marlow and Bailey?”

  “Marlow is waiting outside by the car. I couldn’t find Bailey or Rye anywhere. I checked all rooms and the outside of the estate. They’re missing.”

  Geoff glared through narrowed eyes. “When is the last time anyone saw them?”

  “I haven’t seen them for hours. Marlow says last time she saw them was shortly after we arrived. They’d gone out back for fresh air.”

  Geoff promptly deposited his date on a nearby couch telling her to wait there while he went to check on something.

  “You check the house again. I’ll make the rounds outside. When you’re done wait for me by the car.” Geoff stormed off and headed for the back door. Once outside, he passed several couples laughing it up around the outside bar and around the several tables set up for the overflow of guests. He asked several guests if they’d seen his friends, but none recalled seeing whom he described.

  Making his way through the dark, he searched all the hidden areas. Some couples had gravitated to the dark recesses to seek out their darkest desires. He’d have enjoyed watching it play out, had he not been searching for the missing group members. Along the side wall of the yard, he discovered a hidden doorway leading out to a sidewalk next to the street. He brought his face close to the door, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He caught their scent. Anger welled up in his chest as he swung the door wide and stood on the sidewalk, cape flapping in the breeze where their scent dissipated into the night air. Glancing up the sidewalk, he saw Marlow leaning against the car, her dangling cigarette illuminated by the orange-red glow on its tip. He marched forward, his cape billowing out behind him.

  Marlow turned as she heard footsteps approaching. “Hey Geoff, did you find them?” She caught the look in his eyes and withered beneath his glare.

  “What the hell do you think? No, I didn’t find them, only the trail of their scent where it disappeared. I knew this would happen if we let that Rye stay with us—he’s taken her!”

  Marlow gasped. This was not going to end well, she thought. No one pisses off Geoff and lives to tell about it.

  He yelled at Linken, “Here’s the damn keys. Let’s go. I want you to drive around all the streets nearby. Maybe they’re still on foot.” Geoff whisked his cape around him and dropped into the passenger seat up front, slamming the door behind him as he glared out the window.

  The engine roared to life and they careened out into the street. Linken drove as Geoff stared out the window nearest him. Marlow searched from her side, looking for her friends. They drove around the winding roads but didn’t see any sign of them.

  After about an hour, Geoff slammed his fists against the dashboard. “Get us home. I’ll need to reset the codes to our hideout because there’s no telling who this Rye really is and now he knows where we live. I swear when I find him, he’ll wish he’d never laid eyes on me.”

  Tires squealed as Linken almost overshot their turn to get back on the highway. He re-adjusted and had them flying down the road within seconds. No one dared ask Geoff any questions. They’d seen him this way before. The anger radiating from him was palpable. Linken also knew, somewhere out in the city tonight, there was going to be a bloodbath. He could only hope Geoff wouldn’t turn on him and Marlow in his anger. That was one of the reasons they went to clubs and parties like these. It helped dispel the pent-up cravings and kept the rest of them safe.

  They made it home in record time. Linken hardly slid to a stop before Geoff flew out the door and raced inside their home, running down to his basement retreat to address the entry codes to both house and exterior panel hidden amongst the trees.

  Marlow crawled out of the back and waited for Linken to join her. “He sure is pissed. I’m not sure I even want to go inside.”

  “All I can suggest is if he starts coming at you, Shift! Someone will pay for this tonight and I’d rather it not be either one of us,” Linken’s eyes were glued to the front door.

  Fumbling through her purse, Marlow extracted a Virginia Slim, lit it and inhaled deeply. She was visibly shaken from this turn of events. “Maybe they got a hotel room nearby. You know the two of them have chemistry—maybe they wanted some privacy.”

  Linken shrugged. “Whatever their reasons, it’s not going to change how Geoff feels. He’s been betrayed in his eyes. No amount of explaining will change his reaction. It will be Rye that he’ll take it out on. If I were Rye—I’d never show my face again.”

  Marlow took a long drag of her cigarette, letting the smoke curl above her face. “I hear you on that. Geoff never liked Rye in the first place. It was like watching two bears fighting over their territory. Now if anyone gets in between the two of them, they’ll end up shredded. Count me out, they’re on their own.” She ground the cigarette butt out with the bottom of her heels and was about to climb the stairs of the porch when the front door burst open.

  Geoff stood there, eyes veined in thick winding blood vessels, his chest pounding through his thin shirt. “I’m out of here. Lock up.” In a blink of their eyes, he shifted and flew out through one of the tunnels.

  Marlow latched onto Linken’s arm. “I think I’ll bed down with you tonight. I don’t want to be alone if he comes back without taking his vengeance out on somebody else.”

  He winked and guided Marlow into the house, promptly hitting the security lock down button before they turned off the lights and retreated to Linken’s domain.

  The lights of the city gave off a harsh glow even in the predawn light. Cars buzzed along the freeway. A dark shape made h
is way to a pocket of town known for the loud bars and dim lights. He saw her stumbling towards a derelict of a car. From his vantage point, he saw auburn hair trailing down the back of her halter top. His yellowed eyes glared at her back with its similar lines to Bailey. He dove for the target.

  Rene dropped her keys, her hip sliding against the rusted blue paint of her car as she steadied herself to bend and retrieve her keys. A light breeze rustled a discarded newspaper nearby. Before she could raise herself, a pair of dark gray boots came into vision. As she stood, she braced herself against the side of the car, her arms splayed wide to keep her from swaying.

  “Say, I didn’t see you in the bar.” A smile creased her face. The stranger reached for her hand and slowly brought it to his lips, all the while staring deeply into her eyes. No further words were spoken as he gently guided her back into the darkness along the graffiti wall of the bar.

  The music blared with a heavy base beat but the other sounds of the bar were muted behind the wall. Geoff pinned his conquest against the wall, her eyes fluttering with his hot breath against her cheek. He ran his tongue delicately down her neck until it circled her pulse point that danced excitedly under her skin. A gentle kiss brought a deep moan from her lips. He slid a hand over her mouth as he viciously clamped down on her jugular, sucking deep gulps as her excitement turned to terror. She fought using her long, red-painted nails, some breaking against his skin but he continued to drink her life away. His own nails ripped her flesh as the last of her blood ran dry. She crumpled into a heap amidst the discarded beer bottles. Geoff glared down at her before he kicked her ribs. “Bitch! You have no idea what you’ve unleashed.” He spun on his heels, Shifted, and flew back towards his home. Daylight would be coming soon. There was much to think about before the nightfall crept back in.

  Chapter 17

  Linken and Marlow were fast asleep when the front door slammed shut. Geoff, still seething, stomped through the house. Finding no one awake to vent his anger, he turned and went down to his lavish domain. Entering the bathroom, he cupped his hands under the flowing faucet and scrubbed them, then his face and blotted them dry with a thick velvety towel.