Rebellion (The Praegressus Project Book 4)

by Aaron Hodges

  “This is unacceptable, Director,” the President said, continuing his march along the corridor. His lips curled downwards as he surveyed the horror, “I expected more from you. We need these creatures. The public were buoyed from our initial presentation, but perceptions are changing. We need a symbol of hope. Before the Chead become any more disruptive.”

  “Why the rush?” the Director countered, “This could have been avoided if we’d been given time. The Mad Women are certainly no longer a threat. The idiot doctor that snuck out on the shipping barge led us to another of their safehouses last night. Or is it the Chead you are concerned about? Surely you can’t believe the rumours?”

  Chris clenched his fists as he stared at her back. What had she meant by the Mad Women’s safehouse? Could his grandmother have been captured? And what about the others?

  The President snorted. “No, I have sent our best recruits to deal with that overblown rumour. They’ve tracked a group on our infrared satellites. They’ll make short work of them.”

  “Best recruits?” the Director questioned.

  “Yes, fortunately I was not foolish enough to trust you with all the conscripts,” he shook his head, “And no, it’s not the Chead that concern me, it’s Mexico. They’ve stayed neutral until now, but Texas is calling for an investigation into our involvement with the Chead. They say there is proof we are behind the plague.”

  “I told you that was taken care of at the university,” the Director replied demurely. She leaned her head to the side and smiled. “As for proof of Texas’s involvement, I have made headway in that matter.”

  “Tell me,” the President growled.

  Grinning, the Director strode on, seeming to regain confidence with every step. “The Texan is ready to talk. I have scheduled a conference for tomorrow morning. He’ll confirm the Lone Star State created the Chead, and that he played a role seeding it into our food chain.”

  “It won’t be enough,” the President interjected.

  “Perhaps not, but it should buy us time.” The Director nodded at one of the cells. Inside, a girl lay on her bed, being attended too by one of the doctors. “We still have forty odd candidates left. In a few days, they will be ready for the homeotic activator injection. You’ll have your symbol.”

  “It’s an army I need, Director,” the President pressed.

  Smiling, the Director leaned against the bars of the cell and looked back at the towering man. “Bring me more candidates, and you’ll have it.”

  At that, she started walking down the corridor towards the exit. Shaking his head, the President followed her, his anger apparently mollified. As Chris went with them, he noticed Ashley had stopped outside the open door to the girl’s cell. He continued a few more steps before coming to a stop. Glancing from the departing Director to Ashley, he cursed under his breath and moved back towards Ashley.

  “Ash, what are you doing?” he hissed under his breath.

  Before he could reach her, Ashley disappeared inside the cell. Swearing, Chris glanced around and staggered to a halt as he found the Director watching him, her brow hard, arms crossed. Beside her, the President’s face remained expressionless.

  Swallowing, he looked away and moved to the door of the cell. Inside, Ashley had shoved the doctor away from the girl and was kneeling beside the bed. The girl’s eyes were open, but they had a faraway look to them. She was mumbling under her breath, a string of non-sensical words interspersed with occasional curses.

  “Please…don’t want to…where am I…are my parents…the Chead!” she shuddered and her eyes suddenly focused on Ashley’s face, “Who are you?” she croaked.

  Leaning forward, Ashley stroked her hair. “It’s okay,” her voice cracked as she spoke, “You’re going to be okay.”

  A shudder went through the girl’s body and her eyes rolled back into her skull. She began to convulse, and the doctors quickly returned to her side as Ashley stepped back, her face a mask of horror. One prepared a syringe while the others held the girl down. Chris looked away as the needle slid into the girl’s neck. When he looked back again she had stilled, though her teeth were still clenched and her chest rattled with each breath.

  “Get out of there,” Chris jumped as the Director’s voice came from behind him.

  In the cell, Ashley looked up from where she still knelt on the concrete. Her eyes shone as she stared at the Director. Slowly, she rose and stepped towards the door of the cell. Chris quickly retreated out of her path as she approached the Director. He had seen that look on her face, that strange glow to her eyes, once before—back in the university, when she had coolly beaten Paul into submission—a boy twice her size and Chead to boot.

  “This is my fault,” Ashley said as she emerged from the cell.

  Chris moved to the far side of the corridor as Ashley faced the President and Director. The two had taken a step back at her emergence. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed the change in her. Her eyes might not have turned grey, but there was clearly something different about her.

  “I should never have let Sam do it,” Ashley continued, stepping towards the Director. A tear spilt down one cheek. “I should have died.”

  “Stay back.” There was fear in the Director’s voice now.

  When Ashley didn’t stop, the woman reached down and tapped her watch. Ashley flinched as the collar lit up around her neck, but to Chris’s shock, she didn’t collapse. Instead, she bared her teeth and took another step, a low growl rasping up from her throat.

  “I won’t let you do this.” Ashley panted, each step slow now, as though she were wading through a swamp.

  The colour drained from the Director’s face as she tapped her watch again. Behind her, the President started backing towards the door. But the Director stood her ground, scowling as she played with the settings on her controller watch.

  Teeth bared, fists clenched so tight her knuckles had turned white, Ashley continued her advance. The tendons in her neck stood up like iron cables, and the collar around her throat flashed red. It made no sound, and Chris could only guess how much electricity was flowing through Ashley’s tiny body.

  Finally, the Director retreated a pace, but she was so focused on her watch, her feet tripped over themselves. She cried out as she fell back and crashed into the floor. Ashley’s eyes flashed and she redoubled her efforts, fighting through the pain, reaching for the Director’s throat.

  On the floor, the Director screamed and slammed her palm down on her watch. Chris’s collar beeped, and he had a split second to realise she’d activated the panic button, before a ripple of electricity coursed through his body, worse than any he’d felt before. His jaw locked in place, silencing his screams, and he dropped to the floor, paralysed. From the corner of his eye he glimpsed Ashley falling backwards, finally overwhelmed by the collar’s power.

  A few seconds later, the collars bite ceased, but it took a long moment for his senses to return. He lay on his back, dark spots dancing across his vision, the brilliance of the fluorescent lights drilling into his skull like sharp screws. Finally, he groaned and forced himself to sit up, though it only made the pounding in his head worse. Fire wrapped around his throat as he swallowed.

  Looking up, his eyes settled on Ashley. She lay on the ground nearby, her wings splayed out around her, her scarlet hair tangled up in the white feathers. Her breath came in short gasps, and every few seconds her body spasmed, her back arcing against the concrete. A light still flashed on her collar, but as the Director walked up and tapped her watch, it clicked off. Ashley’s body relaxed with a sigh.

  “I’m disappointed, Director,” the President had almost reached the exit to the prison block, but he approached again now, though he kept one cautious eye on Ashley, “I had expected your pets to be under control by now.”

  The Director scowled, obviously trying to cover her fear, though Chris could see her hands were still shaking. “They’re not my pets,” she snapped, still staring down at Ashley, “They’re Ha
lt’s. His methods made them feral.”

  “Yes, well, you had best improve with the next batch. Or I will begin to question whether you’re truly the best candidate for this position.” Turning, he strode past Chris and out the open steel door, leaving him in the corridor with the Director and the unconscious Ashley.

  Chris watched him go, fear twisting around his heart. Taking a breath, he forced himself to look at the Director, steeling himself for what was to come.

  The woman still stood over Ashley. Looking down at his friend’s unconscious body, she slowly shook her head. “You disappoint me, Christopher,” she looked up then, her eyes catching his, “I expected more of you. After yesterday, I thought you were ready. Now, I wonder if you ever will be.”

  She stared at him until Chris lowered his gaze, unable to match the power in her eyes. Huddled on the ground, he tried to find his voice, and failed. He looked around as the sound of marching boots came from the entrance to the prison block. Guards were racing towards them, having apparently been summoned back from body disposal duty.

  “Take her to my room,” the Director snapped, waving at Ashley. Then she turned and looked down at Chris. “I’m done with you for the day, Christopher. The guards will escort you. I will deal with you both tonight.”

  Chris glanced at Ashley, then back at the Director, hesitating.

  “Go!” she snapped.

  Chris went.

  Chapter 18

  Susan fell back against the gravel as Hecate’s body pressed down on her. His mouth pressed hard against hers, their tongues entwining. Wrapping her arms around his powerful shoulders, she pulled him closer, nails digging into his back like claws. For a moment their lips separated and she gasped, sucking in a fresh lungful of air. The tang of blood lingered in her nostrils, fuelling her lust.

  She shuddered as Hecate’s lips moved to her neck. His long black hair hung across her face, and she could feel his power, sense his desperate desire, though it was tempered with caution now, by the need to shelter her swollen belly.

  Yet the life growing inside Susan had not tempered her lust, and growling, she gripped Hecate by the waist and toppled him to the side. She straddled him before he could sit up, leaning down to nip at the soft flesh of his neck. He shivered beneath her, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her to him. She went gladly, sliding down, burning with heat, with desire…

  Afterwards, they lay entwined in each other’s arms, the rush of their passion slowly fading. Closing her eyes, Susan lay her head on Hecate’s chest, and listened to the quick pounding of his heart. Her hands drifted to her stomach, and she shivered as her children kicked. Reaching up, she took Hecate’s hand and placed it on her naked belly.

  A soft growl rumbled from his chest, and smiling, Susan wriggled closer to her mate.

  Safe.

  They had travelled through the rest of the night to reach the safety of the caverns. It had been a long journey, and for the first time since her rebirth, Susan had felt the cold touch of fear. Not for herself, but the children growing within her.

  But they had found no more soldiers waiting for them, no more explosions or bullets to tear away their lives. They had slipped into the outer tunnels as the first light of morning lit the sky, travelling the final miles in the darkness, following scent and sound and touch rather than sight. Talisa and her people knew the way, but even Susan could have followed the scent home. The cloying sweetness of the Chead grew stronger with every passing mile, until finally the tunnels had opened out, revealing the great expanse of a limestone cavern.

  Here, Talisa’s Chead had made their nest. Those who had remained behind gathered around their returning brethren, offering food and water, while Hecate led Susan across the cavern to where a crack in the wall led to the antechamber he had made his home.

  Now, as Susan lay in Hecate’s arms, she finally allowed herself to look around. The Chead must have been raiding nearby settlements for some time, as Hecate had lit several candles when they’d first entered. The chamber was maybe ten-feet-wide, with smooth limestone walls and a gravel floor. Water trickled down the far wall and made its way through a narrow groove in the rock, before disappearing beneath the gravel. A pile of rags in the corner served as a bed, although in their haste they had ignored it.

  Home.

  She frowned at the thought. Her hand drifted to her stomach once more. It would not be long now before her children took their first steps into the world. Would they truly be safe here, deep beneath the earth, while humanity roamed above? Could they truly prosper here, in a world where they were despised, where they would be hunted and killed on sight?

  “My children…” Susan flinched as a voice spoke from the entrance to their chamber.

  Sitting up, she watched as Talisa wandered across the cave, the gravel crunching beneath her bare feet.

  “Talisa,” Hecate said as he climbed to his feet, “What brings you…here?”

  Silently, Talisa wandered over and took a seat on an outcropping of rock. It was the only place in the cavern to sit. Lying on the ground, Susan’s cheeks flushed as the old woman’s milky eyes settled on her naked body. She still wasn’t sure whether the elder Chead was blind or not—Talisa certainly didn’t show it. Either way, Hecate seemed unconcerned by her inspection of their naked bodies.

  As though reading her thoughts, Talisa chuckled. “You forget, my child,” her voice whispered through the cave, “You are Chead. Your body holds no shame for us. Especially not with the precious gift you carry.” She held out a wrinkled arm towards Susan.

  Shivering, Susan hesitated before taking the outstretched hand. Talisa pulled her to her feet, her strength belying her age. Susan shivered as the old Chead placed a cold hand on her swelling stomach.

  “You are progressing well,” a smile cracked her ancient face, “Soon your children will join with mine.”

  Susan grinned, joy washing away her fears, and nodded.

  Removing her hand, Talisa returned to her seat. Closing her eyes, she swayed wearily, and for a second it seemed she might fall.

  “Talisa,” Hecate moved to her side and placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, “What is...wrong?”

  “I am old, my child,” Talisa shook her head and looked up at them, “My time approaches. Soon I will be gone. It is the price we pay, for our existence.”

  Susan’s heart quickened as she looked at the woman, wondering suddenly how long it would be until she faced the same fate. Talisa had been nearing fifty when she’d changed, but in just a couple of years, she had aged decades. Susan was only thirty. Her best years should have been ahead of her. Now, she might be lucky to live another decade. Her stomach clenched at the thought.

  Sensing her distress, Hecate returned to her. Bending down, he stroked her cheek. “My mate…” he breathed.

  Susan closed her eyes at his touch, his scent stilling her racing heart. Taking a breath, she resolved to embrace her fate. At least as Chead, she could truly live. She might only have ten years, but they would be spent free of the shackles of humanity. Gone were her days locked in grey-walled rooms, far from the thrill of life.

  “There is still time,” Talisa continued, her voice strengthening, “Before I go, I intend to see my purpose fulfilled.”

  “Your purpose?” Susan pressed.

  Talisa nodded. “Humanity have proven time and again they will not tolerate us. They will hunt us to extinction, stop at nothing to destroy us. I will not die while my children still face the threat of extinction.”

  “But how, Talisa?” Susan asked, thinking of the life growing inside her, “How can we defeat them? Our numbers have swelled, but the humans are legion. In just one battle we lost a tenth of our fighters.”

  Beside her, Hecate growled. Standing, she took his hand, feeling the tension radiating from him, the wild heat of his anger. All his life he had been imprisoned, tormented by the creatures she had once worked alongside.

  “We must destroy…them all,” he rumbled.

 
Susan shivered as the grey in Hecate’s eyes darkened. Still fresh from the passion of battle, she could see him teetering on the brink. Standing on her toes, she kissed him on the soft fluff of his beard. Her hands went around his waist as she pressed her body against him. He blinked, looking down at her. Smiling demurely, she watched the darkness fade from his eyes, replaced with hunger.

  On her makeshift chair, Talisa laughed. “You are right, my child.” Standing, she wandered around the cave, her fingers trailing over the smooth rock. In the corner, a candle flickered as a slight breeze passed through the cave, its flame burning low.

  “But we must not be reckless,” Talisa went on, “As you say, our enemy is legion. Our people must have a chance to grow, before we face them in open battle.”

  “We will not…fight them?” Hecate hissed.

  Turning, Talisa stared him down, her eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. After a long moment, Hecate lowered his head in deference, and she went on.

  “Until now, they have been ignorant to our presence, but that is changing. If they come for us in strength, our people will be wiped away.”

  “What can…we do?” Susan asked softly.

  Talisa turned to watch her, a smile on her lips. “You did well, my child, capturing the woman.”

  “The woman?” Hecate’s head whipped up, “She has…accepted the change?”

  “No…” Talisa replied, “She refuses.”

  “Then she has joined her fellow humans?” Hecate questioned.

  Talisa had finished her loop around the cavern and now stood in front of them again. “Patience, my child,” she said, “The girl may yet prove…valuable. She is the first of their warriors we have captured.”