The Praegressus Project: Part One

by Aaron Hodges

  Elizabeth and Christopher stood in all their glory, wings spread wide, stretching out to fill the cell. They had found the ragged clothes she’d left by their beds, with the clumsy holes she’d torn in the backs. The girl’s black feathers pressed against the brown of the boy’s, their wings entwining in the tiny space.

  Angela’s heart ached with the wonder of it.

  “What’s happening?” Christopher demanded.

  Blinking, Angela tore herself from her stupor. She shook her head, then looked down at her watch and pressed a button. The cell slid open with a dull rattle.

  The two of them stood still, a wary surprise spreading across their faces.

  “Come on,” Angela said. “We’re getting out of here. Hurry, the others should be awake by now.”

  Christopher’s hand drifted to his neck, his fingers touching the collar. Angela shook her head and reached into her pocket. “I’ve deactivated them,” finding the little key, she drew it out and tossed it to them. “Here, that’ll unlock them. But hurry.”

  A few seconds later their collars lay discarded on the ground. Angela watched them embrace, saw the tears shining in their eyes, but she could not pause to celebrate their freedom. Apprehension nibbled at her stomach, an awful fear they would be caught.

  “Come on,” she urged again, waving them towards the door. “We need to find the others.”

  Their eyes widened then, their mouths opening in question, but she was already moving away. Sirens still sounded and red lights flashed in the ceiling, but there was no sign of movement as they moved out into the corridors. The guards remained preoccupied at the other end of the facility, and she hoped the other civilians would have already retreated to the safe room.

  Silently she led them through the maze of the facility, to the clean room where the other survivors of the PERV-B strain had remained in their comas. She had swapped out their medication that morning, replacing the drugs with saline. They would be awake by now, and she hoped they had not wandered from the room while she detoured.

  Unfortunately, the remaining PERV-A candidates were lost to her. They still lay in their comas, their bodies wracked by fever, struggling to accept the chromosomal alterations of the virus. There was nothing she could do for them now.

  Ahead, the door to the clean room lay unguarded. She smiled, glad her distraction had proven so effective. With luck, they would be long gone before anyone realised they were missing. If the guards even managed to regain control of the facility. She had seen a single Chead tear a man to pieces. With twelve… she didn’t like to think what twelve Chead might be capable of.

  But there was no more time to think of that. Pushing open the door, Angela led the others inside.

  CHAPTER 31

  Liz stumbled through the door after Chris. Every step was a struggle to keep upright. The new weight on her back threw her whole coordination out of sync, leaving her feeling strangely out of proportion. Even the simple act of closing her wings had taken several attempts, but she and Chris had finally managed to pull them tight against their backs. Even so, they niggled at her consciousness, an alien presence that would not go away.

  The thought of freedom drove her on, the knowledge that each step carried her closer to a possible reunion with Ashley and Sam fuelling her. She sucked in a breath, joying again in the feel of her naked neck. The collar was gone, her throat free of its steel encasing. It felt like a lifetime ago since the awful contraption had trapped her. Perhaps it was.

  Blinking, Liz returned her mind to the present. Looking around, she recognised it as the room they had awoken in before. The beds still lined its length, but they were empty now. The whir of machines filled the air, their tubes and wires dangling free. Her chest contracted as her eyes swept the room, searching for her friends.

  A thud came from their right, and she spun, raising her fists to defend herself.

  Then lowered them. Beside her Chris chuckled, as together they watched the figure sprawled on the ground struggling to sit up.

  It took a few seconds for Sam to get his tangle of limbs and copper wings under control, and several more before he managed to stand. A string of curses echoed from the walls as he finally pulled himself up, red in the face, puffing like he’d run a marathon. Then her eyes drifted past Sam, and she gave a wild yelp.

  Ashley strode forward, her lips twitching with suppressed humour. She moved with the same casual grace as before, her lithe legs easily finding their balance as she weaved between the empty beds. Trailing out behind her, a pair of snow-white wings shone in the overhead lights. They quivered as she moved, slowly lifting from the ground, expanding across the room.

  Liz laughed again as Ashley reached her, then stepped up to draw the girl into a hug. They clung to each other for a moment, arms gripped tightly. When they finally broke apart, Ashley’s eyes travelled past Liz. She raised an eyebrow at the doctor.

  When Fallow did not speak, Ashley nodded and turned back to Liz. “I guess we found their weakness.”

  Chris shrugged. “She found us.”

  The distant wail of sirens prickled at Liz’s ears, reminding her they were not out of danger yet. Before she could speak though, another movement came from the far side of the room. Her eyes trailed past Sam and found the remaining survivors of the Praegressus project.

  Her heart sank as her eyes alighted on Richard and Jasmine. Their attitude towards the four of them did not appear to have changed in the untold weeks they’d lain unconscious. They still stood on the far side of the room, arms crossed and eyes hard with suspicion. Though it was not their faces that drew her attention. Their wings lay half-furled behind them, each sporting an array of dark emerald feathers, like those of some tropical parrot. Their eyes caught hers and she quickly looked away, unable to face their unspoken accusations, their hate that she was alive, while Joshua was gone.

  Of course, she thought. Of everyone else who could have survived, it would be Richard and Jasmine…

  Well, Richard and Jasmine, and the girl.

  Standing beside them was a young girl of maybe thirteen years. Locks of grey hair tumbled around her face, where eyes wide with fear stared out at them. A button nose and freckled cheeks only served to make her look younger – how she had survived this far, Liz couldn’t begin to guess. Liz shivered as the girl’s eyes, one blue, the other green, found her from across the room.

  Looking away, Liz cast her gaze around the room one last time, searching for the others. There had still been dozens of candidates left the last time she had been there. Now there was only the seven of them, each sporting the plain grey uniforms they’d found at the ends of their beds.

  “Where are the others?” she whispered, turning to face Fallow.

  Fallow looked away, head bowing. When she did not respond, Chris repeated her question. “Doctor Fallow, where are the rest of them?”

  Fallow looked back, her eyes flashing. “Don’t call me that. I don’t deserve to be called ‘doctor’ after what I’ve done. My name is Angela.” She bowed her head. “And the others did not survive. The physiological changes… they were too much for their bodies to support. Even unconscious, the accelerated wing growth was too much. Their hearts gave out from the strain.”

  An awful anger spread through Liz as she stepped in close to the doctor. Fallow flinched, but this time she did not look away. “How many did you kill?” Liz hissed.

  Angela Fallow closed her eyes. “I’ve lost count,” her eyes snapped open again. “But it ends here. I won’t let them take you too.”

  Liz might have struck her if Chris had not placed a hand on her shoulder. Looking back at him, she saw the sadness in his eyes, the same sorrow from which her own rage spawned. Stepping away from Angela, she hugged Chris to her. A second later she smiled as Ashley joined them, then Sam.

  “Ahem.” Liz looked up at a new voice. Richard raised an eyebrow. Reaching up, he tapped his collar. “Someone care to share the key?”

  Chris nodded. Reaching into his pocket
he pulled out the little key Angela had given them and handed it over. The clink of the thick steel collars striking the concrete quickly followed as the five of them freed themselves.

  “Are you okay there, Sam?” Chris asked as Sam finally managed to unlock the clasp of his collar.

  Sam cursed beneath his breath and tossed the collar aside. “Almost,” he said as a shiver went through his copper feathers.

  Slowly his wings contracted. “Don’t know what the idiots were thinking, putting these clunky things on our backs,” he paused, eying Angela uncertainly. “Err, no offence, Doc– I mean, Angela?”

  Angela shook her head, a sad smile touching her lips. “And it’s alright. You have every right to complain. I would have… I would have stopped them before they gave you the injection, but I was unconscious. Then I had to wait… wait until you were conscious again.”

  “It’s okay.” Of all of them, Ashley seemed the best adapted to the new appendages. She looked over her shoulder, smiling. “I kind of like them.”

  “Yeah,” Sam’s voice was gruff, but he continued with his usual humour, “but yours are tiny. Did you have to make mine so big?”

  Angela raised a hand to her mouth, trying to hide her smile. “It took some research of various avian species to get our specifications right. We looked at genome variations between species such as the Andean Condors and Wandering Albatross, then used them to identify genes relating to size in fragmented DNA from Argentavis magnificens.”

  “Argentavis what?” Richard growled from nearby.

  “The largest known bird to have flown,” Liz looked around as Jasmine spoke.

  Angela nodded. “It could weigh up to two-hundred-fifty pounds. Once we’d identified all the genes related to wing surface area, we linked them with those that controlled your own sizes and weights. Thus, why yours are so… big, Samuel.”

  Sam glanced at Liz. “I think she’s calling me fat…”

  Smiling, Liz looked around the little group, a strange elation rising within her. Even with the open animosity of Jasmine and Richard, there was a connection between the seven of them now, a shared experience which could not be denied. Of all the desperate souls who had passed through this place, they alone had survived.

  They alone had evolved.

  And now they needed to get out.

  As though reading Liz’s mind, Angela turned away from the group and started towards the door. The others paused a moment to collect themselves. Feathers rustled as wings were slowly furled, and then Chris started after her, Liz close behind.

  Ahead of them, Angela was stretching out a hand to open the door, when it suddenly swung inwards to meet her.

  And Halt stepped into the room.

  CHAPTER 32

  Liz froze as Halt took a step into the room, the others following suit behind her. Her heart plummeted into the pit of her stomach as his eyes swept the room, his confusion turning quickly to rage. Before any of them could react, they settled on Angela. He clutched a handgun in one hand, and with a snarl, he sprang.

  Angela managed a scream before he was on her, his arm wrapping around her waist, spinning her against him. Pressing the gun to her head, he drew back his lips.

  “What do we have here, doctor?” he snarled. Angela flinched as he shifted the gun, jabbing it into her ribs. “Have you betrayed me? Have you betrayed us all?”

  Clenching her fists, Liz inhaled, tasting the scent of gunpowder on the air. Halt’s gun had already been fired recently; the man posed no idle threat. She froze as his eyes turned back to them. A cold grin twisted his lips as Angela struggled in his grasp.

  “That’s enough!” he snapped.

  Halt swung the gun, catching Angela in the forehead. She slumped in Halt’s hands as he turned back to them. “Don’t come any closer.”

  Liz suppressed a moan. Angela had gone limp now, her amber eyes wide and staring. Her hands swiped feebly at the arms holding her, but Halt was more than a match for the small woman. Biting her lip, Liz flashed a glance at the others. Her arms trembled, the sensation spreading through her body, down her spine, to the foreignness of her wings. A phantom ache started in her throat, the distant reminder of the collar pressing against her flesh.

  I won’t go back.

  She flinched as her fingernails bit the palms of her hands. Drawing in a deep breath, she unclenched her hands, trying to calm herself, to find a way out of the trap. Her eyes travelled across the space separating her from Halt and Angela.

  Too far.

  But Chris was closer, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw him slide another step towards the doctors. If he could reach her…

  No, it was still too far.

  Her eyes turned back to Angela. Emotion washed over the doctor’s face – fear, anger, regret. Her head sagged as her eyes closed, her whole body trembling. Then her head snapped up, and a new resolve now shone from her eyes. The fear had vanished, replaced by an implacable determination.

  Liz opened her mouth to shout, but she was too late. She wasn’t sure what she would have said anyway. Would she have begged Angela not to act? Or had she only wanted to thank her, for finally freeing them.

  Either way, Liz never got the chance. Still clutched in Halt’s arms, Angela jerked her arm and jumped, driving her weight backwards into Halt. Small as she was, the act was enough to throw Halt off balance, and cursing, he staggered backwards.

  In that instant, Chris leapt, charging across the ten feet still separating them. He closed the gap in a second, his wings cracking as they beat the air, driving him on. He raised a fist and snarled as he swung it at the doctor. Another second, and it would be over.

  The roar of the gun was so sudden, so deafening in the sealed room that Liz found herself stumbling backwards.

  Then Chris barrelled into Halt, his fist catching the man in the face. The blow sent Halt hurtling backwards through the air. He struck the concrete with a dull thud, bounced once then smashed hard against the wall. A low groan came from him as he slumped down and lay still. The gun slid across the floor, coming to rest in a nook between the floor and the wall.

  Chris landed lightly on his feet, wings still outstretched, eyes locked on the doctor. But Liz was already moving, running forward, falling to her knees beside Angela. A dark pool spread around her, the overhead lights glimmering on its scarlet surface. Her eyes were open, staring at the ceiling, her mouth wide in a silent scream. One hand still clutched at her chest, where a small red mark stained her lab coat.

  Liz knelt over her, staring at the hole through blurry eyes. A low moan came from her throat as she reached out and shook the woman. She heard the soft pad of footsteps from behind her, but she took no notice.

  Disbelief threaded around her mind. Whatever her crimes, Angela Fallow had been the only one in this place to show any compassion for them. Twice she had stopped Halt’s torture, and in the end, she had followed her conscience, had freed them from the cells.

  And now she was dead.

  A terrible rage rose in Liz’s chest, driving her to her feet. Spinning, she leapt at Halt, crossing the room in a single bound. She reached down and grasped him by the front of his coat, hauling him to his feet. Without effort she lifted him into the air, held him aloft, and then slammed him into the wall.

  He groaned, his eyelids flickering, but did not wake. Gritting her teeth, Liz drew back a fist.

  Ashley’s hand caught her arm before the blow could fall. Liz half-turned, straining against the other girl, a snarl twisting her lips. Frustration built inside her and she spun, dropping Halt to the ground and swung at Ashley.

  Ashley leaned back and Liz’s blow found only open air. Her other hand shot out, catching Liz in the chest, pushing her back. Stumbling, Liz straightened and then leapt at her. Rage burned in her throat, filling her with a need to rend, to tear the flesh from her enemies.

  “Liz!” Ashley screamed, raising an arm to protect herself.

  The scream gave Liz pause, and she drew back. Blood pounded in her h
ead, and a voice screamed for her to attack, but she sucked in a breath. Slowly she looked around, blinking back the red haze, and saw the fear dancing in the eyes of the others. She sucked in another mouthful of air, and faced Ashley.

  “Why?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Why did you stop me?”

  “He’s not worth it,” Ashley breathed. “He’s not worth it, Liz. Don’t let this place make you like them. Don’t let it corrupt you.”

  Liz clenched her fists, trembling with the effort to suppress her rage. Red flashed across her vision as she turned to look down at Halt, but she fought back the impulse to reach for him.

  She bowed her head. “He’ll come for us,” she whispered.

  “They’ll come for us anyway,” Chris replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Besides, I doubt he’ll be doing anything after this. They were always talking about needing results,” he waved a hand at the room, “and this seems about the opposite of that.”

  Slowly, Liz allowed her body to relax. She looked up at Chris and nodded.

  He stepped forward then, arms open, drawing her to him. They stood there in silence, holding each other, the others forgotten for a second, the nightmare around them a distant memory.

  When they finally parted, Liz and Chris turned to face the others. Ashley and Sam, Richard and Jasmine, and the strange little girl stared back. Their eyes shone with emotion: hope mixed with anger, love with hate. Shivering, Liz looked at Chris.

  “Let’s go.”

  CHAPTER 33

  The tired hinges of the door screeched as Chris threw himself against it. His shoulder throbbed, and his wings gave a little flap, but on the next blow the door caved. He stumbled after it, his momentum carrying him outside, where a blast of icy air caught in his wings and hurled him backwards. Pain shot from his bare feet as they stumbled on stones. Dropping to his knees, he braced himself against the howling wind, and glanced back at the others.