I didn’t have that luxury here. Half the walls were crumbled, the sky visible through gaping holes. Guards were yelling at each other down below, their voices sounding so near that it reminded me of how little time I had.
I needed to think.
Where would they keep the clones?
Stone had kept Wren in the basement, Lab Delta had cells on all levels, the troopers’ base had a separate block just for the few tiny prison cells. There was no consistency anywhere.
Wren had mentioned her cell in Lab Delta once, but what had she said? It was cold there, dirty too. That didn’t help me now. What else had she said?
There was no light there.
Wren said there was no light in her cell.
That had to mean the basement was the best shot I had. It was the only lead, the only chance, and probably the only part of the building still mostly intact.
I needed to find stairs.
There had to be some around somewhere.
The more I looked, the more certain I was that I had heard footsteps again. I wasn’t alone in the destroyed corridors, at least one person was there with me.
Finally, I found a set of stairs that went both upwards and downwards. Light was coming through from above, the stairs didn’t quite reach the next level up anymore. I went down, cautiously waiting to hear the footsteps to see if they were still following me.
At the bottom of the stairs a narrow corridor stretched out before me. I pulled myself into the tiny alcove and waited, slowing my breaths because they were too loud over the footsteps.
I waited.
Waited for them to come.
The footsteps grew louder as they descended the stairs. Boots, it sounded like boots. They probably belonged to a guard. I’d have to subdue him, but maybe he could give up some information first. I might be able to convince him to take me to the clones and save a whole bunch of time.
Unless he had a gun, that would make it more complicated.
I prayed he didn’t.
I counted down the stairs he took until he was at the bottom. I only had a second to get the upper hand and I was going to take it. Jumping out, I raised my arm and prepared it to lay a blow to his head.
I stopped mid-swing.
It was Joseph.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, relief and anger both coursing through my blood.
“The same thing you are. I couldn’t leave them behind,” he replied, an apology somewhere in between the lines. “Are we going to stand around talking, or are we going to find them?”
I answered by leading the way. My feet raced down the corridor, careful to avoid the loose debris that had been shaken from the ceiling and foundations. The doors were all locked with no windows, the few that were open seemed to be offices or medical rooms. No sign of any clones around.
Maybe I had been wrong? There were no traces of cells anywhere. They had to be keeping the clones somewhere, I’d seen them come in with my own eyes. I wasn’t ready to believe they had perished in the explosions yet. Not until I saw bodies. Until then, I had to keep searching.
We delved deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast, weaving through corridors that seemed never ending. No guards got in our way, the explosions working their magic to keep them away and concentrated in one area.
The whole place was deserted, giving the crippled building an eerie feeling. My senses remained on high alert, expecting resistance around every corner and behind every door. Joseph continued along with me, a few paces behind to cover my back.
I could hardly believe he had followed me into the labs. To say I was starting to really lose my faith in him was an understatement. But he hadn’t abandoned the clones like others had, restoring my trust in him tenfold.
Another set of stairs led even further down, two levels underground now. We hurried along, relieved to see this part of the building was still largely intact. Maybe George’s C-4 wasn’t planted this far below ground level.
My foot stopped mid-step when something made a noise. Joseph caught up with me, straining to make out the source. It had sounded like a groan, elicited from the mouth of someone not having a good day. They sounded injured, hurt, and in pain.
I signed directions for a slow creep forward to Joseph, hoping he would understand trooper sign language. He nodded, which was a positive sign. We moved down the corridor slowly and silently, my heartbeat racing in my chest. This far underground the scientists could have anything hidden. They liked to manipulate genes, they might have been keeping a super race down here for all I knew.
At the end of the hallway, I pressed my back against the wall and risked peeking around. In the two-second glance I saw a cell. It was full of prisoners. I couldn’t tell if they were Defective Clones yet, but that’s what I would have put my money on.
There were also guards, five of them.
I turned back to Joseph and held up five fingers. Hugging my gun close to my chest, I had to come up with a plan. Five to two weren’t good odds and I didn’t know how well Joseph could fight. He was the brains behind the Resistance, I’d never seen him even hold a gun before he stepped into the building behind me.
There was no time to get prepared. It was either stay and fight or run away and leave those in the cell to a certain death. The whole building was unstable, it could either collapse or the remaining C-4 could take out the rest at any time. Walking away now would mean a sure death for them all.
May as well get it over and done with.
Chapter 20: Reece
I held my gun in front of me, with no other plan except to win, and rounded the corner. The guards instantly attacked, firing off their own weapons with lightning speed.
Any bullets I shot their way could have ended up in the cell and bring about their deaths quicker. Instead, I tried to shoot only sideways, aiming for the guards on the sides instead of the ones that stood in front of the cells.
The first guard got close enough to me to throw a punch. I jumped back and missed it by only a millimeter. I used the butt of my gun to hit him, managing to clock him on the side of the head. He was dazed for only a few seconds, long enough for me to get hold of his gun and rip it out of his hands.
More shots rang out, this time from Joseph. His bullet collided with another guard, throwing him backwards from the impact where he hit his head on the wall railing. He slumped to the floor, completely out of it.
One down, four to go.
With my guard having lost his gun, he started pummeling me with his fists. More than one collided with my stomach, making me double over with the impact. I pushed back, surging against him with energy born from sheer adrenalin. He stumbled back a step before coming at me again.
In my peripheral vision, I was just quick enough to glimpse another guard coming at me. Two of them were working as a team, pushing and hitting me until I stepped backwards and was pinned to the wall.
A foot hit out at my leg, forcing me to grip onto the railing just to stay upright. If they got me on the floor it would be all over. They would be able to end the fight in seconds once they got the upper hand. I had to stay on my feet at all costs.
The guard on my right hit me on the side of my head, making my ear burst with a ringing sound. I momentarily saw stars as they swum around my head in smatterings of lightning and disorientated me. I stumbled, losing my grip on the railing before lunging for it again.
Through the guards, I saw Joseph fighting with the other remaining two. He was holding his own, I didn’t know the old man had it in him. The people in the cell watched on in horror, unable to do anything but look and hope one of us were on their side.
Checking in on Joseph cost me precious seconds, ones the guards took advantage of and punched me in the stomach again. I summoned all my remaining strength and pushed onto my feet.
They weren’t expecting me to lunge for the guard on my left, the one I had already hit in the head with my gun. I finished the job, landing another blow to the side of his head that made his e
yes roll back in their sockets. He fell to the floor, slumping against the wall.
It seemed to make the other guard really angry. He grunted as he made a move, taking a step back so his gun could be leveled directly at my head. His finger was on the trigger and ready to fire.
But I was quicker.
My gun exploded with a loud crack that echoed around the walls of the small space. Some of the prisoners screamed as blood splattered the wall. The guard stepped backwards before he fell to the concrete floor. His head hit the hard ground with a sickening thud.
I kicked his gun out of his hand and turned my attention to Joseph. One of the remaining guards had him in a headlock while the other was beating him in the gut. I lunged for that one, gripping him around the waist and pulling him away, spinning him in the process.
The motion made the guard disorientated for just a moment which gave me time to whack him around the head with my fist. Shooting was a last resort, I didn’t want any more blood spilled down here.
He was like a machine, coming at me even with a trickle of blood dripping down his temple. His eyes were full of hatred, intent on ripping me to shreds at all costs. I knew that look, it was one of madness when all their humanity had been lost somewhere along the way.
I reached for him before he could make another move, throwing punches at him anywhere I could reach. He did the same. When he wasn’t blocking my blows, he was issuing ones of his own.
His fist collided with my arm, managing to hit the bullet wound from earlier. I cried out with the sudden surge of white-hot pain as it ripped through me. Blood quickly started to pool on my shirt, making the guard grin from ear to ear. He recoiled his fist, ready to hit the same spot again and take advantage of my injury.
I didn’t let him.
Using my left hand, I threw a defensive punch to his chest. I must have hit the right spot because he clutched his chest and walked back a few steps, his mouth open and hanging wide.
He dropped to the ground with a thud.
“Help me out here,” Joseph called. “Now!”
I spun around to see the old man having the life squeezed out of him. He was still in a headlock, his face turning a shade of red I hadn’t seen before.
The guard holding him tried to block me as he tightened his grip. Joseph flailed in his arms, his breath gurgling in the back of his throat. I snaked my arms around the guard’s waist and tugged. He didn’t move, standing as solid as a brick wall.
I made a fist with my left hand, unable to do anything useless with my right while it was still bleeding. The floor was starting to get slippery as the red liquid was smeared around. I threw a punch at the guard’s kidneys, hoping to inflict enough pain to redirect his interest to me and forget about Joseph.
My fist went into the soft flesh at his side. It was enough to shock him. He relaxed his grip around Joseph’s neck and used one hand to swat me away.
He was probably wearing a protective vest, which was why I had to favor his head like with the others. I wrapped my left arm around his neck, dragging him away from the wall where he had Joseph pinned. He stumbled against me, his feet finding it difficult to hold him up at the strange angle.
I could hear Joseph gasping for breath as he leaned on his knees for support. I wouldn’t be able to rely on him for some help for a few minutes yet while he recovered.
The guard was heavy against me and I didn’t have a working arm free to do anything about it. We both ended up stumbling backwards until my spine hit the wall. I spun us both around until his face was pushed against the cold wall. His lips pursed with the pressure while I held him there.
One shot would have ended it all.
I couldn’t do that, not when he was unarmed.
I unwound my arm from his neck and banged his head against the wall, hard enough to knock him out. I helped him down to the ground and left him sprawled there while he had a sleep. With any luck we’d be long gone before he woke up.
Joseph was already working on the cell door when I recovered enough to join him. The prisoners were dirty, tired, and scared. The man standing closest to the door watched on closely.
“Are you Defective Clones?” I asked.
He nodded, holding up a pronouncedly deformed hand with only three fingers. “Are you here to kill us?”
I grabbed at the lock, trying to work it open using one of the fallen guard’s keys. “No, we’re here to rescue you. We’re members of the Resistance.”
His wide eyes travelled back and forth between us. I don’t think he fully understood who we were but he relaxed slightly anyway. I guess anyone who took out the guards had to be better than being at the guards’ mercy.
“We need to get out of here quickly,” I said loudly so they could all hear. I wasn’t sure how far back the cell went but I got the feeling it was deep. “Is there anyone who can’t walk?”
“A few,” the man replied. “But we can help them move. Where are you taking us?”
I smiled as the lock came free. “I’m taking you to safety. This building isn’t going to last much longer and the guards will try to stop us. Follow my instructions and we’ll all get out together, got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
I swung open the door and started moving back the way we came. As I passed the unconscious guards, I gathered up all their guns.
The man was probably only a few years older than me but was as skinny as a twig. He kept up with me, glancing back continually to make sure the others were following us. I handed him one of the guns.
“Do you know how to use this?” I asked, shoving it into his hands.
“Point and pull the trigger, right?”
“That’s about it. Don’t point it at anyone you don’t want to kill, got it?” He nodded. “You want to give these out to those capable?” I held the remaining guns out for him. He took them, distributing as I directed.
I held onto my own gun, more powerful than those of the guards. Joseph walked midway along the line of clones, keeping a watchful eye on those at the rear. Some couldn’t walk too fast, needing the assistance of those around them.
One thing I’d always noticed about the Defective Clones was that they looked after each other. Like Wren said once, they were a family. They might not be bound by blood but they were by choice. The humans who cast them out could learn a lot from them.
I led the convoy of about eighty clones back the way we’d come. My feet and instincts wanted to go faster but it was impossible with such a large group. Some were far more hurt than they made out, needing complete assistance just to be able to stand. Clearly the scientists hadn’t thought medical attention was vital to keeping the clones alive.
The stairs were difficult. We had to take them two abreast which made our line even longer. I made it to the top first and looked both ways, hoping the guards were still busy with the outside damage and too afraid of structural integrity to come back inside.
I had to think at every intersection, remembering the way we had come in to find our way back outside. When the second set of stairs came into view, I said a little prayer for making it. If we could get back up to ground level we would have a good shot at making it out in full.
Sprinting up the stairs, I looked around through the debris for people. It seemed clear but the condition had deteriorated even further. The corridors I had taken before were now covered with scattered bricks and pieces of twisted steel. The injured clones wouldn’t make it down that passageway.
I turned right instead of left and moved away debris with my foot to clear a path. My arm was still bloodied but my shirt was now stuck to the bullet wound, staunching the flow. I wouldn’t bleed out just yet.
The male clone continued to shadow me as I hurried along. His eyes were alert as he held the gun with white knuckled hands. He was terrified.
We all were.
Even through the fear, it was clear the only option we had was escaping, so that was what we needed to focus on. There
was no point wasting brain cells on anything else.
The blueness of the sky started to brighten the corridors as we approached the end of the hallway. The door had been blown off its hinges, hanging askew. There was little wall around it to even hold the hinges.
“What’s your plan?” the clone asked as we approached. Once we were through to the outside we wouldn’t have the luxury of having any cover. The first guard that saw us would be the beginning of our end.
“We get outside and escape,” I answered.
“Wait, that’s it?”
“Yeah.”
I increased my pace to get ahead of the group, reaching the door first so I could peer through and see what we were dealing with on the other side.
Smoke was clouding the sky like layers of dust, hanging low and choking lungs. Guards were everywhere but they weren’t alone. They’d called in backup. The white uniforms of the troopers were mingled in. Thankfully they were too focused on the damage and explosives than those inside the building.
They thought their prisoners would stay put.
They were wrong.
Parked on the other side of the lawn was a trooper truck.
Perfect.
By the time the clone caught up with me, I had a plan. “Head for the truck and get everyone inside. It’s going to be a very tight fit but we all have to get in. The keys will be in it already. Once everyone’s in, we go.”
He grinned. “I thought you didn’t have a plan.”
“I didn’t.”
We charged on through while trying to make as little noise as possible. The beating of our footsteps were covered by the building still groaning with the efforts of trying to remain standing. Everyone picked up a little speed once we were outside and closer to freedom.
I sprinted ahead and checked out the truck. It was empty and would be slow but everyone would squeeze in and fit – just. It would also be incredibly noisy when the engine started.
Thank goodness the windows were bulletproof.
Hundred Stolen Breaths Page 21
