by Laurie Roma
“Mya doesn’t give herself enough credit. Some elites get extra abilities after we’re given enhancements, but she’s never counted herself as one of them. Hers might not be powerful enough to classify, but she does have them. It comes from having an intuitive father and an empathic mother, both with strong abilities.”
“So, she gets feelings sometimes?”
“Yep, and when she gets one, we’ve learned to listen.”
Tavius connected through the link a few seconds later. “We’re at the security center.”
“Good. We’re entering the commander’s room now.”
Maddox knocked on the door, and when he didn’t get a response, he pressed the call button on the security panel next to the door.
“Fuck this,” he muttered, then he bypassed the lock with a voice command and opened the door. A few seconds later, he let out a vicious curse.
Amir rushed past him, guarding Maddox even though there was no need. The metallic scent of blood filled the air, but they didn’t need to smell it to know something bad had happened in the suite.
Commander Macy’s body lay on the floor next to the traitorous Officer Howards. It was as Maddox had feared. The officer had led Quilla straight to the commander. There was a blade sticking out of the officer’s chest, but the commander had a thin line of blood circling his neck.
“Fuck…” Mikal breathed.
Maddox slammed his fist into the wall, putting a big dent into it. His mate, his brothers, their world…all of them were at risk now. “That bloody psychotic bitch has the Genesis drug!”
“What is this drug that has made her risk all this to get it?” Amir asked.
“We don’t really know, but it sounded bad,” Mikal said. “Really bad.”
“Commander Macy is dead,” Maddox said over the comm link. “We’re in his suite right now. He was garroted and Officer Howard has been stabbed. The case containing the Genesis Project samples isn’t here. Someone contact that damn doctor on Avox and find out what the fuck this drug is.”
“On it.” A few seconds later, Daimon contacted them back. “I’m taking Ryland, Pia, Reva and a security team down to the docking bay. If she tries to leave, we’ll get her.”
“Take her team,” Maddox snarled. “We’ll meet you down there.”
“Mya, Kahla and I will keep searching for Quilla,” Tavius told them.
Maddox, Mikal, Amir and the two other officers raced towards the closest elevator. When the doors opened, he said, “Voice override, Adaro-alpha-one. Activate horizontal shift. Priority level, red. Lobby entrance. Now!”
“Can’t we just have it take us to the docking area?” Mikal asked
“The elevators don’t go to the docking areas. They have to be to be accessed through the central lobby area,” Maddox explained.
“I found her!” Mya’s excited voice came over the link.
“Show me,” Maddox ordered.
“Sending feed now,” Tavius said.
Maddox activated the video screen on the inside of his face shield and saw the real-time video footage of the shopping pavilion pop up in the corner of his shield screen so he could see it with his left eye.
At first, he didn’t know what he was looking for. All he saw was a mass group of people milling around the main floor, with others walking along each level of the shopping pavilion. Then the image zoomed in on a woman walking with two men. All three of them had masks on. Not the holo-mask they had been looking for that would have allowed Quilla to change her face, but a smaller mask that only covered their mouths and noses, leaving their eyes uncovered.
No one would have picked them out of the crowd, as many of the other people walking around the pavilion were wearing costumes. The masks were enough to throw off the system scan for their faces, but a prickle on the back of Maddox’s neck told him that Mya was right.
“It’s the black jumpsuit she’s wearing. It’s the same one she had on in Sanctum when I saw her earlier.”
“Are you sure it’s her?” Mikal asked.
Mya’s laughter echoed through the link. “I’m positive. Trust me, I know fashion.”
Mikal’s mood brightened with understanding. “Shit, that’s right. You would be able to see that.”
“Sighting confirmed,” Tavius told them. “When we focused on her eyes we could see it. She’s not bothering to hide her eyes.”
The Tarins were a barbaric race that fed off the energy of others. They had pure black eyes like demons, and Maddox could see by the zoomed in image of Quilla’s eyes on screen that she was definitely a Tarin.
The door to the elevator slid open and Maddox’s team stepped out into the lobby. Quilla and the two men hadn’t gotten to the lobby yet, but they would be there in a few minutes. It was the only way to access the docking bays, and he was sure that’s where she was headed. Quilla had what she wanted, and now she was ready to leave.
But he wasn’t about to let that happen.
“Four men down in the docking bay,” Daimon’s voice told them. “We’re heading out to meet you.”
Maddox focused on the image on his screen. “She has a bag.”
Quilla was carrying a small black bag, with the strap over one shoulder. The bag wasn’t big, but it had enough room to carry a small bio-container in it. Maddox stalked over to the security checkpoint and told them to clear the people out of the lobby.
“I have officers clearing out the sections behind her as well, just in case they have weapons,” Tavius told him. “We don’t want anyone hit by accident.”
“Make sure they do it quietly. We don’t want to tip our hand too soon.” Maddox didn’t glance over when Daimon came to stand next to him. “Did you kill them?”
“One,” Daimon said, his voice flat of emotion. “We stunned the other three. I had a few security officers take them to the cells to hold them until we’re ready to talk to them. I think she’s working with mercenaries. They got a few shots off, but none of our team was injured. It was easier than we anticipated.”
“You know you just jinxed us…dick.”
“Suck me.”
Brotherly banter was pushed aside as Maddox saw Quilla and her two men come into view. “There she is.”
On his orders, their team fanned out. Blocking the entire lobby so she couldn’t get past them. As one, they all lifted their weapons and pointed it at the trio. Seeing them, the two men with Quilla grabbed two elites that had been strolling by, grabbed their blasters and held it up to their captives’ temples.
Quilla slowly looked around. “Ah, so I’ve been found out. What gave me away?”
“You reek of evil,” Reva snarled.
“Cute,” Quilla said with a little laugh. “I thought I would have been long gone before you discovered I was even here. Unfortunately, I had to deal with a few unforeseen problems that pushed back my schedule. Then again, I always leave room for the unexpected. What’s life without a few surprises?”
Maddox raised his blaster until she was in his sights.
He didn’t want to talk to the bitch…he just wanted to end her.
As if she could sense what he was thinking, the first flicker of fear shone in her black eyes, then she blinked as she let out a soft, seductive chuckle. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” In her hand was a small silver canister with something attached to the top. She pulled at a small pin and clenched the lever, holding it up so they could see it. “If you shoot me, I might drop this.”
“You can’t let her drop that,” Mya said over the link to the entire team. “The canister is filled with the Genesis Project drug, and she has an aerosol trigger on it. I just spoke to Dr. Whitmer-Fields. She said it needs to be destroyed and cannot—under any circumstances—be released.”
“What the hell is it?” Daimon asked softly.
“It’s an altered form of the Alliance enhancement drug that triggers an uncontrollable rage in anyone who is tainted by it. A killing rage.”
“That sounds special,” Pia said softly.
“If people inhale the drug, the effects are temporary, but it will give them extra speed, strength and agility. They won’t feel pain or listen to reason until the drug wears off. They can’t. All they will feel is the rage inside them.”
“Well, shit,” Ryland muttered. “This just keeps getting better and better.”
“We could kill you now,” Maddox said conversationally, trying to sound like it didn’t matter if she dropped the canister or not. “Or we could keep you alive and give you back to your people. I’m sure the Tarins would love to have you back where they could personally make you pay for all the pain and suffering you’ve caused.”
“I’m sure they would, but that’s not going to happen. Now, move out of my way.”
“Tell your men to let their hostages go,” Maddox countered.
“We can’t let her leave,” Daimon murmured.
“No, we can’t,” Maddox replied.
“The face shields will protect us,” Daimon said, mentioning the black helmets they were wearing. “But all of these other people in here are fucked if she drops that.”
Maddox was trying to figure out a way to get the canister from her when Quilla let out a loud sigh.
“I guess it was too much to ask to do this the easy way, but I never was one for easy.”
Before anyone could react, she stepped behind her guards back, blocking her from view. She released the canister in her hand, throwing it hard so it fell in the center of the shopping pavilion.
For a heartbeat there was nothing but silence.
A few seconds later, the canister made a hissing sound and a stream of smoke spilled out into the air.
Then the world exploded into chaos.
***
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mya stared at the screen in horror.
From the safety of the security center, she couldn’t do anything but watch the scene play out before her. Taken over by a killing rage, the Krytos shifted into their battle forms. Their fangs grew, their nails elongated into claws, and their eyes shifted from black to a bright red. The Helios also shifted, but their bodies changed into their cat forms—animals that resembled saber-tooth tigers, with sharp claws and vicious fangs.
In an instant, the shopping pavilion and lobby turned into a battle zone.
“Kill them!” Quilla shouted.
Mya thought that she was giving her guards the order, but after all the humans in the lobby started attacking the first person they could get their hands on, she quickly realized that the Genesis Project drug made them susceptible to any order given.
“Holy mother of…” one of the security officers whispered.
“May the gods pity us,” another stated.
There were hundreds of people on the screen, and all of them were doing their best to kill one another. And they were succeeding. Maddox, Daimon and the rest of their friends were unaffected by the drug, but they were still fighting for their lives as the infected attacked in droves.
Maddox and Daimon shot at Quilla and her guards. One of the men fell to the floor, where he was instantly pounced on by a large Helios in cat form. Mya wanted to look away from the carnage, but she forced herself to track her mates on screen as she silently repeated a prayer for their safety.
She saw Maddox shoot again, and the bag Quilla was carrying fell to the floor. The Tarin woman held her arm to her chest protectively, but Mya lost sight of her as a wave of people crowded into view. Daimon slid across the floor, retrieving the bag while Maddox raced after Quilla until Mya could no longer see him on the monitor.
“Adaro-alpha-three. Computer, activate security lockdown and turn off air circulation system. Code Black,” Tavius shouted. Dozens of thick metal doors slid into place, blocking off access to all the corridors on screen. “This will block off all the exits, and shut down access to the other levels, including all elevators and stairwells. People in other sections will be locked in wherever they are…which should keep them safe.”
“We’ll only have an hour of air!” Kahla exclaimed.
“More like a half an hour with all these people on board, but it won’t matter if this drug spreads all over the ship,” Tavius growled. “Look at the monitors. The people in the ballroom and on the other levels haven’t been infected. Yet. If we keep the air on, they will be.”
“Speaking of air, look at the D’Aire!” Mya pointed to the screen that showed the chaos in the shopping pavilion. Most of the D’Aire had taken to the air, their large wings flapping slowly as they watched the scene below. They were trying to help some of the combatants by knocking them out to stop them from attacking, but they were outnumbered by the crazed.
“When Arik V’Dir was helping Serra…never mind. The D’Aire aren’t affected by the xili in the drug!”
“That’s good,” Tavius said. “They can help us.”
All of the people wearing face shields were safe from breathing in the Genesis drug, but they were grossly outnumbered. She saw Pia, Reva and Mikal fighting their way towards Daimon, who still held the bag. Ryland and Amir fought back to back as they stunned as many people as they could. Where was Maddox, Mya thought frantically as she scanned the footage. Panic surged through her when she couldn’t find him. “We have to get them out of there!”
Tavius hurried toward the weapons area, where more officers were already gearing up. They were shoving all the stunners that were on the rack into bags, getting them ready to take with them.
“What are you doing?” Mya asked as Tavius put on tactical gear.
He cupped her face in his large hands. “I have to go help.”
“You can’t go out there!” Trying to sound reasonable, she said, “Besides, all the doors are locked.”
“My brothers and I can get through with an override code,” Tavius explained. “If we get these stunners to the D’Aire, they can knock more people out from the air before everyone dies. It’s the only way to keep this contained.”
Contained?
Mya wanted to yell at him that there was no way to contain what was happening. To tell him that he would die if he went out there, but he already knew that. Nothing would stop him from going to help his brothers…and there was no way he was going to let her go with him. She loved him desperately, even more because he would help his brothers and try to save as many people as he could.
When Kahla started to reach for some of the gear, Tavius put a hand on her arm and shook his head. “I need you to stay here to protect Mya.”
“She’ll be safe in here without me,” his cousin protested.
Tavius stared at her. “I need you to do this for me.”
“Fuck!” Kahla hissed.
He turned away from her and wrapped his arm around Mya’s waist. “You stay here, where it’s safe. If I’m not back in twenty minutes, turn the air circulation back on. You’re programmed in, so the system will respond to you.”
Instead of agreeing, she whispered, “Come back to me.”
“I love you, Mya. And I always will.”
That sounded too much like a goodbye to her. He bent his head, kissing her so tenderly tears filled her eyes. Before she could beg him to stay, Tavius left the security center with a team of officers following in his wake.
“This is fucking crazy,” Kahla growled. “They need to get out of there.”
“Madam Alpha, we have another problem,” one of the only remaining security officers said. She and Kahla hurried over to him, and he pointed to one of the monitors. “That’s docking bay twelve. The exterior door was just blown out.”
“Quilla,” Kahla snarled. “What ship was that?”
“The Intrepid. It’s an Alliance vessel.”
Mya shared a look with Kahla. “That’s Commander Macy’s vessel. She must have gotten the access codes from him. She got away, but Daimon has the rest of the Genesis drug. At least she wasn’t able to take it with her.”
Kahla began pacing. “We can’t just sit here! We need to do something! They can’t stun everyone
before we run out of air.”
Mya watched as Tavius and his team joined in the fight. Several of the D’Aire came down to collect the stunners. They flew back up, and began to stun people on the top floors of the balconies.
She felt helpless…hopeless.
Everyone she loved was down there, and there was nothing she could do to help them but sit and cry.
Or was there?
“It’s airborne.”
“We know that,” Kahla snapped.
“No, don’t you see? The drug is temporary because it’s airborne! We just need to knock them out until the drug wears off. They can’t do it with the stunners, but what if we released something else into the air? Something that will make everyone sleep?” Mya asked excitedly.
Understanding dawned, and Kahla’s eyes widened. “That’s brilliant! Med-center one is close by. All we’d have to do is get there and release a sleeping agent into the vent system.”
“There’s a problem with that,” one of the security officers announced. They all looked at the image of the med-center on one of the screens. Inside the med-center, Dr. Deveaux and three others were huddled together while a patient lay in one of the med-beds. But outside the entrance, a dozen Helios, Krytos and elites fought to the death, while others pounded on the doors, trying to get in.
“Shit,” Kahla breathed out. “Maybe I could make it in beast form—”
“They’d kill you,” Mya said, then quickly turned to look at the map of New Vega that was displayed on a transparent board in the middle of the security center. “The vent system. Can we access the med-center using it?”
“Yes,” the security officer said. “It’s just straight through the vent, then down into the room.” He pulled up the schematics onto the board.
“I can’t fit into that,” Kahla told them.
“But I can,” Mya said softly. Before they could argue with her, she laid out her plan. “Listen, the people inside the med-center aren’t going crazy. I just have to wear a mask as I crawl through the vent, get the sleeping agent and release it back into the air system.”
