The Praegressus Project: Part One

by Aaron Hodges

  “It’s a terrible risk,” he looked up as his grandmother finally spoke. Turning, he saw her smiling. “Your grandfather would be proud, Chris.”

  Letting out a long sigh, Chris nodded. “Okay, so we go with plan C.”

  CHAPTER 24

  They ran all the next day, the endless stamina of the Chead carrying them over the long plains and raging rivers and rolling hills. Susan went with them – though each time she glimpsed the grey eyes of the creatures, she shook with fear. At times her mind wandered, and it seemed another presence took her place. Hours later Susan would wake, and looking around, she would find the landscape had changed while she’d dreamed.

  By the time the creatures stopped to rest, Susan’s legs were burning and her whole body ached. The relentless sun had turned her pale skin red, and she was struggling to control her unruly mind. The scent of the Chead was all around her, a sweetness that hung in the air, stirring dark desires in the pit of her stomach.

  She slumped to the ground, wanting only to curl up into a ball and sleep. But as she closed her eyes, she felt that other presence at the back of her mind, a red haze swelling in the darkness, threatening to drown her. Her eyes snapped open again, and she looked around, seeking to distract herself.

  They had stopped beside an old farmhouse, though it seemed far better condition than the last. A faint trace of smoke came from the chimney, and a long dried up river bed threaded its way past the house. She frowned as she glimpsed several Chead wandering along the gravel, but then a movement came from beside her, and she turned to find Talisa watching her.

  “Susan,” Talisa said.

  Susan shivered. Something about the woman’s voice called to her. Looking into Talisa’s eyes, she could feel her will crumbling, swept away by a yearning to obey.

  “Yes, Talisa,” she whispered, crouched on her knees.

  Talisa offered her hand. “Come, child.”

  Rising, Susan followed the old woman through the host of Chead. She tried to count them as they passed, but her mind was foggy, sluggish, and she quickly lost track.

  Hundreds, she thought, but she couldn’t know.

  Ahead the ground dropped down into the riverbed. She followed Talisa out onto the gravel, and together they started moving downhill, away from the other Chead. Susan watched the old Chead, wondering where she was being taken, but Talisa did not turn back and all she could do was follow obediently behind her.

  Finally, Talisa drew to a stop in the shadow of the river banks. Staring into the darkness, Susan blinked, and then realised there was more to the shadows. A cavern beckoned amidst the broken gravel, its mouth far darker than the shadows around it.

  “You will sleep inside tonight,” Talisa nodded to the cave.

  Susan’s forehead creased, but as she started to object, her eyes met Talisa’s. The sweet scent of the Chead wafted around her, and the words died in her throat. She swallowed and nodded demurely. Shivering, she moved past Talisa, until she stood at the mouth of the cave.

  “What… do I… do?” she managed.

  “Wait,” Talisa replied.

  Biting her lip, Susan nodded and before she lost her nerve, lowered herself down into the darkness. Halfway in, her foot missed a hold, and before she could recover, she fell. The darkness rose up to swallow her, but an instant later she struck the ground. Groaning, she sat up on the hard rock, her scream still echoing around her.

  Blinking, Susan struggled back to her feet. In the pitch-black, even her newly enhanced vision was taking time to adjust. Closing her eyes, she sucked in a breath to steady herself. The sweet smell had vanished, and her stomach twisted. A pain began in her chest as an awful loneliness filled her. Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked around, seeking something, anything to distract herself.

  She was in a narrow cavern, its stone walls worn smooth by the passage of water. A fine gravel covered the floor, while in the corner, a tiny pool of water had gathered. Moving across, she crouched beside it. She cupped her hands together, scooped up a handful of water, and drank. Afterwards, she tried to wash the dried blood from her skin. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do for her clothes. She shuddered as her colleague’s screams rang through her mind, and straightened again.

  Behind her, the gravel crunched, and she spun towards the sound. Heart racing, she scanned the gloom, and latched onto a figure moving towards her. A scream built in her throat and raising her hands, she stumbled backwards.

  “Susan,” a voice whispered.

  Susan froze, staring into the shadows. The voice was familiar, and she frowned as Hecate took shape in the darkness.

  “Hecate…” Susan shook her head, struggling to form the words, “What are… you doing… here?”

  Hecate took another step towards her. His grey eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and Susan felt a sudden yearning for a mirror – though she knew what she would see. Her blue eyes were gone – they were the cold hard grey of the Chead now.

  She shrank back as Hecate continued towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. As he approached, his sweet scent drifted across the cavern, filling the emptiness in her chest. She moaned, sucking in a breath, and felt something stirring inside her, something responding to the Chead’s presence. Her breath quickened as she looked up at Hecate. Her teeth chattered and she took a step back, fighting to keep her body from shaking.

  “I was… sent,” Hecate whispered.

  “Why… are we… here?” Susan managed.

  Blinking, the Chead looked around at the rock walls. “For decades, the Chead have hidden… in these places,” he turned back to her, “I found Talisa…and her family…in a place like this.”

  “That doesn’t…” Susan broke off with a yelp as Hecate took another step towards her. Raising her arms, she stammered a warning. “Stay… back!”

  But her words sounded weak and feeble, and Hecate ignored them. She flinched as he raised his hand, but he did not strike her. Instead, the Chead lifted a finger to her cheek. “You are…home.”

  “Home?” Susan shook her head, “No…”

  “Yes…” Hecate said. “You are mine…now.”

  Susan’s whole body shook and a voice screamed in the back of her head, but she stood frozen, her legs fixed to the ground. Looking up into the Chead’s eyes, she saw something there, and to her horror felt herself responding. Hunger swelled in her chest as the sweetness of the Chead wrapped around her.

  Even so, she shook her head. Finally she found the will to move, and she stumbled back. The gravel slipped beneath her feet and she tumbled to the ground.

  “No, no, no,” she whispered, scrambling away.

  The Chead watched her, its strange eyes unblinking. Her eyes caught in its gaze and she stilled. A long silence stretched out, the only sound the distant dripping of water. Susan hardly dared to breathe. Her heart pounded in her ears, and ripples spread along her skin, as though her entire body had come alive.

  Still the Chead did not move, only watched her, waiting. Susan sucked in a breath, and the rich scent flooded her nostrils. She shuddered. The scent of the Chead filled the cavern now, drowning her, smothering her mind like a blanket.

  What is happening to me?

  She flinched as Hecate moved, but he only offered his arm. She stared at it for a moment, her terror slowly fading away. In its place, a strange peace spread through her, sweeping away her worries. Looking into Hecate’s eyes, she nodded slowly, and took the offered hand.

  With a yank of Hecate’s arm, Susan was propelled to her feet. She gasped, her heart racing as the Chead’s strong arms wrapped around her. For a moment she felt herself again, and terror twisted in her stomach. She sucked in a breath, but her face was buried in his chest now, and the sweet scent was so strong she could taste it. A yellow haze swirled around the edges of her vision as she looked up at Hecate.

  “Hecate,” she whispered.

  The Chead nodded. For the first time she looked at him, and truly saw him. When she had seen Hecate back
in the facility, she had not thought of the Chead as people. They had been monsters, creatures of the dark, come to kill them all.

  But now she knew she had been wrong. As the yellow haze filled her mind, she realised they had only wanted to free her, to break her from the shackles of her humanity. There was no terror or sadness now – only joy, only desire.

  She shivered as Hecate’s arms went around her waist. Another scream echoed through the back of her mind, but now her entire body was burning. Her skin was alive, and even the touch of her clothing made her scream with longing. The scent of Hecate was all around her, overpowering, her mind was drowning in it.

  “You are mine,” Hecate whispered, his grey eyes boring into hers.

  His arms wrapped hard around her, pulling her close, and she felt his power. She trembled in his arms, the strength fleeing her legs. She lifted her head, staring into those strange grey eyes, seeing their depth. Desire wrapped around her and she almost screamed for him to kiss her, to take her and quench the longing in her chest.

  But Hecate only stared back, his eyes wide, his face expectant, and Susan realised his last words had not been a statement – but a question.

  She trembled in his arms, and she felt a distant memory, a disgust, a voice screaming out in rebellion. But looking into Hecate’s eyes, she could not think why. All memory was fading, falling away, until she could only remember this cave, this place, this moment.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  CHAPTER 25

  Liz took a long breath as the elevator dinged and the heavy steel doors clanged open. She cast a furtive glance outside before nodding at Ashley to take the lead. Her friend forced a grin, though her eyes betrayed her nerves. She pulled the raincoat tighter around her shoulders, and then stepped from the elevator. Liz, Chris and Jasmine followed close on her heels.

  They had landed on the roof of the ten-storey library to avoid the guards checking university IDs at the gates. According to Ashley, this was the only security measure the university took to stop interlopers, but Liz still couldn’t help but hold her breath as they moved towards the exit. Even here on the ground floor, rows of books stretched out around them, and the scent of old paper was strong on the air.

  As they neared the sliding glass doors, Ashley slowed. Following the direction of her gaze, Liz saw the guard standing beside the exit. He wore a blue uniform and a handgun at his side, but his eyes were bored and he was practically leaning against the wall. Moving forward, Liz looped her arm through Ashley’s. Laughing, she nodded towards the exit.

  “I know, Professor McKenzie’s a bore. But just another hour and we’re done for the day.” She tugged on Ashley’s arm and together they walked out the glass doors, Chris and Jasmine a step behind them. The guard didn’t give them a second glance.

  Outside, a fine rain was falling, but beneath their raincoats they were already soaked from their flight. Liz wasn’t complaining though – with the low-lying cloud, there was no chance anyone had spotted their approach. Releasing Ashley’s arm, she flashed her a smile.

  “Easy!” she said, “So, where to now?”

  “The engineering department, according to the schedule I looked up. It starts in ten minutes.”

  Liz frowned. “Are you sure you got that right? I thought genetics was a biology class.”

  Ashley grinned. “Don’t get me started. The schedules here don’t make any sense. Now come on, we don’t want to be late,” she moved off without waiting for an answer.

  “Were you ever late in your life?” Liz called as she followed her.

  She grinned as Ashley glared back at her. “Of course I was,” she paused, her eyes growing distant for a second, “I just can’t remember when.”

  Beside them, Chris chuckled and Liz only shook her head. In the first moment they’d met, Ashley had seemed the model of perfection. With her slim legs and perfect curves, she could have been a fashion model in another life. While Halt’s cruelty had shattered that image, Liz was still not surprised to learn Ashley had started university early. There was certainly more to the girl than looks.

  Liz shivered as the wind howled around them. Without prompting, Ashley picked up the pace. Liz could feel the water dripping from her feathers and down her back, but there was little she could do about it. Around them, the other students were just as soaked. They moved quickly through the open squares, heads down and shoulders hunched against the rain. That at least served their purposes – no one was paying attention to the four strangers in their midst.

  When they finally moved back indoors, they kept their hoods up, aware that even here their faces might be recognised. Many of the other students did the same, apparently in too much of a rush to adjust their clothing.

  Watching them, Liz swallowed as memories of her old boarding school rose from the back of her mind. Those memories were behind her now, but they hurt all the same. Far from home, in an unfamiliar city, and the only student from the country, Liz had been desperately lonely in the school.

  It might have been different if she’d found friends. But with her country accent and olive skin, there was no hiding her background. The other children had looked down on her, thinking her beneath them. They had played cruel pranks on her when the teachers weren’t watching. Some had even stooped to ambushing her while she was alone, though they soon learned she’d been raised far rougher than them.

  The students moving along the corridor with them now looked much the same as the ones who had tormented her all those years ago. Their expensive clothes stank of privilege, and Liz’s stomach roiled as she struggled with her old prejudice. She knew better now. Ashley had been one of these teenagers, and Chris had dreamed of joining them.

  We’re not all evil, Liz. Some of us want to fix things, want the government to be held to account.

  She smiled. Chris had said that, a long time ago, as they sat alone in their cell. She hoped he was right. They would need these young minds on their side if the government fell. Someone would need to put the pieces of their nation back together, and the older generation had failed miserably at the task.

  Idly, Liz wondered if she would have a chance to join them one day. If things changed, maybe there would be a place for her here. She wondered what it would be like to walk among these students as an equal, to attend lectures in science or engineering and expand her mind. For a moment she allowed her thoughts to drift, to imagine…

  Then she shook her head, and the cold hands of reality wrapped themselves around her heart. Even if they somehow won, and brought down the government, she could never study here. Not now. Not with the deadly nematocysts in her skin, and the wings and the Chead rages. If the students in her boarding school could not accept her before, they would never accept the freak of nature she had become.

  Pushing aside the depressing thoughts, she watched Ashley draw to a stop ahead of them. A crowd of students barred their path, gathering around a set of massive double doors. Ashley flashed her a nervous look, her hands deep in her pockets.

  “This is it,” she shouted over the roar of a hundred voices.

  The volume increased as the double doors cracked open, and a second crowd of students began to pour out of the lecture theatre. Those outside pressed forward as well, creating a bottleneck where the two groups came together. Watching them, Liz shook her head, and wondered just what the university was teaching them.

  When the students outside finally moved apart to let the departing students through, the crowd thinned, and it was soon their turn to move inside. Sucking in a breath, Liz smiled at the others, and decided it was her turn to take the lead. She grabbed Ashley’s hand again and together they followed the crowd through the double doors.

  Inside, she blinked as the bright lights of the lecture theatre stung her eyes. When she looked around, she was shocked at the size of the room they’d entered. Steps led down from the double doors to the carpeted stage, where a lonely lectern stood empty. Foldable seats and desks stretched out in rows to either side of
them, dropping down until they were on the same level as the stage. There had to be at least four hundred seats, though the students had already filled half of them.

  Spying a row of seats still free halfway down the stairwell, Liz quickly moved towards them, dragging Ashley with her. Sliding down the row, she took a seat and leaned back in her chair, trying to relax. With everyone facing the front of the lecture theatre, no one could see her face unless they turned around, so she reached up and pulled off her hood.

  At that moment, the rumbling of voices started to tail off, and for a second Liz thought she’d made a horrible mistake. She shrank down in her seat as the room fell silent, her wings twitching beneath her jacket. Then her eyes caught sight of the lectern, where a grey-haired man was now standing. She blinked, wondering where he had come from, and then noticed the door on the side of the stage with a glowing ‘EXIT’ sign above it.

  There was a small computer at the lectern, and the man tapped a few buttons, prompting the white wall behind him to light up. Glancing around, Liz found a long steel beam stretching over head, and a pair of projectors pointed at the front wall.

  Returning her gaze to the professor, she studied his face, searching for some hint of what had befallen the Texan. Even from halfway up the theatre, her eyes could make him out with crystal clarity. He had a strong face, though he had clearly seen better days. Age had worn away the hard edges of his cheekbones, and the skin of his cheeks hung in bags. His eyes were red, as though he had not been sleeping well, and while he wore an expensive suit, it’s fabric was creased and he had a stain on his collar.

  Licking his lips, he glanced up at the students, then back to his computer screen. He tapped a few more buttons, and the white light on the wall flickered. The image of a chromosome appeared. Beside it, a young man stared down at the lecture theatre with the cold grey eyes of the Chead.