by Aaron Hodges
A flash of green and copper feathers came from overhead as Sam soared upwards to clash with Jasmine, only for a sharp kick of her boot to send him crashing back to the ground. Then a shriek drew their attention to where Richard stood wrestling with two newcomers. Chris stared as Richard leapt into the air, his wings beating hard, only for the boy to jump on his back. Black wings tore the air as he dragged Richard back down. They crashed into the tiles and rolled across the ground. Richard was up first, but the girl was on him before he could recover, sending him staggering back towards the far wall.
And in the centre of it all, Halt.
The doctor stood with arms folded, a calm smile twisting his thin lips. His grey eyes watched the scene with detached interest, as though this was no more than a game to him. The body of Artemis lay at his feet, his neck twisted at an awful angle. Mira crouched over the old Chead, weeping into his chest. As Chris watched, Halt reached down and pulled her from the body.
Hauling Mira up by her hair, Halt held her in front of his face. “Ah, my little Mira,” he laughed as she tried to break free, but her strength was no match for the doctor’s.
Liz was right, Chris thought as he stepped from the elevator. He had not had time to think about Liz’s accusation back in the cages, but here was the evidence. Mira had more strength in one arm than an ordinary man. Halt shouldn’t have stood a chance.
Chris slid towards the reception desks, Ashley and Liz following close behind as they sought to understand what was happening. Ashley was moving without aid now, and some of her old sharpness had returned to her eyes. They crouched together behind the desks as the women fled into the elevator, and shared a glance.
“Halt!” a familiar voice echoed through the hall. “Leave her alone.”
Chris peered over the desktop and watched Sam striding across the hall, his copper wings spread, his face filled with rage.
Halt stared for a second, seemingly taken aback by Sam’s pronouncement. But his surprise did not last long. Scowling, he tossed Mira aside and then he reached down to press a finger to the watch on his wrist.
A collective scream carried through the hall as Sam and the two winged strangers crumpled, their hands clutched desperately at their necks. Face dark with rage, Halt strode across to their incapacitated friend. Lifting his boot, he drove it into Sam’s side, sending him sliding across the tiles.
“How dare you defy me!” Halt’s rage echoed from the ceiling as Sam clawed at the tiles, his body still convulsing. Caught in the clutches of the shock collar, Sam could do nothing to defend himself.
On the other side of the hall, Richard stood over the boy and girl he had been fighting, blinking in surprise. A smile tugged at his lips as his gaze travelled across the hall and found Chris and the others. But Chris was already moving, racing towards Halt. He leapt past Mira as she staggered to her feet, gesturing for her to stay back. This had gone on long enough. It was time they rid themselves of the vile doctor. And this time, he wasn’t going to let anyone get in this way.
Chris was still a few feet away when Halt looked up and saw him coming. He drove a final kick into Sam’s chest before turning to face the greater threat, his grey eyes flashing with rage. A wild grin spread across his lips as Chris leapt.
At the last second, Halt twisted away, and his fist flashed out to catch Chris in the stomach. The breath exploded between Chris’s teeth as he staggered back. But he straightened quickly and went for the doctor again.
Now Halt leapt at him, and through sheer instinct Chris turned, shifting himself from the doctor’s path. As Halt barrelled past, Chris flicked out with his foot and caught the doctor square in the stomach. Halt crumpled beneath the blow, and grinning Chris stepped in to finish him.
An awful growl rattled up from Halt’s throat as he straightened suddenly. Before Chris could jump back, a fist caught him in the side of the head. He reeled away as stars flashed across his vision. Staggering, he felt the strength flee his limbs. Then a second blow caught him in the chin and hurled him backwards.
Chris gasped as he crashed down on the hard tiles. Bones creaking, he struggled to sit up, before a heavy boot crashed down on his chest. He collapsed back to the ground, ears ringing as his head struck.
With a blood curdling scream, Liz appeared from nowhere and slammed into Halt. Wings flashing, the force of her attack lifted Halt off the ground and sent him hurtling through the air. Heart pounding, Chris struggled to sit up, to find the strength to help Liz.
But she didn’t need it.
Liz stood a few feet away, her lips drawn back in a snarl, wings extended, fingers clenched like claws. As the doctor staggered back to his feet, she sprang, her hand flashing out to catch him by the throat. With inhuman strength, she hauled him above her head and held him there.
Halt growled as he struggled in her grasp. Then his eyes bulged, and a short, sharp shriek rattled up from his throat. Liz’s eyes flashed blue and grey as she lifted him higher, watching as his feet kicked helplessly at empty air. His flesh paled and veins bulged in his forehead, his skin turning an angry red where Liz held him.
Chris shuddered as Halt began to moan, the low, pitiful sound of a dying animal. He couldn’t imagine the pain, the pure agony sweeping through the doctor’s body. He had only felt Liz’s touch for an instant, but it had been enough to take his feet out from under him. This… this could only be infinitely worse.
Purple lines spread up Halt’s neck, radiating out from Liz’s touch. His struggles weakened, the whites of his eyes now stained red. A low whine hissed from his mouth, but Chris could see the life fleeing his body, suffocated by Liz’s touch.
Then he was still.
With a casual shrug of her shoulders, Liz tossed Halt’s lifeless body aside.
Chris swallowed as she turned towards him. Grey speckled eyes stared down at him, and for a moment he wondered who was looking out – Liz, or the Chead. Then she blinked, and the grey faded away, the blue swelling to replace it.
She shuddered as her shoulders sagged. Chris found his feet and stepped towards her, and then froze as memory of her touch returned.
Hurt flashed across Liz’s face as she saw him hesitate.
Without speaking, she turned away.
36
A dagger twisted in Liz’s chest as she saw the fear flash across Chris’s face. She sucked in a breath, fighting back the sting of tears, and turned away from him. Across the hall, she saw Ashley and Sam embracing one another. The collar that had been around Sam’s neck lay on the ground beside them, the key she had passed Ashley earlier still in the lock. Beside them, Jasmine had staggered to her feet. Mira huddled under her arm, her cheeks streaked by tears.
Pushing aside her pain, Liz moved to join them. She heard Chris’s footsteps as he followed her, but did not look back. In that moment, she could not face him, though all she wanted was to bury her head in his shoulder. Glancing down at her hands, despair rose in her chest, threatening to drown her. Would anyone ever hold her again?
Artemis was dead, and with him the hope they’d had of exposing the government’s corruption. No one would believe them without proof, without the Chead that had witnessed it all, the supposed monster who spoke like a human. No, the secret had died with Artemis.
But against all chances, they had found Sam and Ashley, had rescued them from the clutches of the government. They just had to make it through the front door, and they were free. The last of the crowd had fled through the revolving door, leaving them alone in the hall.
Her eyes drifted beyond their little group, and found Richard still on the far side of the hall near the elevators. He was crouched over the strangers he’d been fighting, trying to remove their collars. Sam and Ashely were too preoccupied in their reunion to have noticed, but wearily she moved towards Sam’s collar to retrieve the key.
Before she could reach it, a bell dinged from the direction of the elevators. Looking up, she saw the metal doors slide open. A woman stepped into view. Her gaze swept the hall
, and lifting her arm she pointed at them. Men stepped from the elevator behind her, lifting their rifles to take aim.
Then there was no more time for thought.
On the far side of the hall, Richard looked up as the first of the men stepped from the elevator. His eyes turned towards Liz, and she saw the fear that flashed across his face. Their eyes met, and Liz saw the fear fall away from him. He nodded across at her, and turned away.
“No!” Liz screamed.
But it too late; Richard was too far away. He was closer to the elevators, already cut off from the exit by the men and their heavy guns. Straightening, he spread his wings and roared. The guards swung round at the sound, and Richard charged.
The others turned as the first gunshot rang out. Still several feet from the men, Richard lurched as the bullet took him in the shoulder, but he did not slow. He ploughed into the first man, baring him to the ground as he tore the weapon from his grasp.
He was up again a second later, already charging at the next guard. A gun roared again, and blood blossomed from Richard’s chest. He stumbled, almost went down, before reaching out and smashing another man off his feet.
Then he spun, his eyes meeting theirs from across the hall. “Go!”
Another gunshot tore through the room, and then they were sprinting for the door, half-dragging Jasmine with them, even as she pleaded for them to go back, to leave her behind.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Liz winced with each gunshot, but she did not look back. Every step she expected hot lead to tear through her body, for a hail of bullets to bring them all down. They raced towards the exit, wings spread and beating hard, half-sprinting, half-flying.
They shoved Jasmine through first as they reached the revolving door, and crammed Ashley and Mira in after her. Chris and Sam followed, as Liz cast one final look back.
Richard was still on his feet, swaying as he looked around at the ring of guards. His wings slumped to either side of him, torn and broken by bullets, and blood stained his shirt. He staggered for a second and then straightened, his green eyes looking up to catch Liz’s gaze. A smile tugged at his lips as he lifted his arm.
Liz turned away as the roar of gunfire filled the hall.
Epilogue
Hecate drew to a stop at the edge of the empty stream and looked back, checking the others were close. They trickled in one by one, picking their slow way across the plains. The harsh sun beat down from overhead, burning at their pale skin, even as the orange globe dropped towards the distant peaks. Their shadows cast long silhouettes across the grass.
As the seven Chead drew up around them, Hecate’s thoughts drifted back to the strangers they’d left behind. In his mind’s eye, he saw again the explosion that had erupted from the side of the mountain, engulfing the buildings in which the group had been hiding. Out on the empty plains, Hecate had watched the flames, waiting to see whether anything had survived.
But there had only been the flickering of the flames, and as dusk fell, he had finally turned away.
Now, days later, Hecate still felt the pang of regret.
Such a waste.
The boy and girl had been talented, strong. They could have used their strength. Still it didn’t matter now.
For days they had raced across the grasslands, their powerful legs carrying them easily across the flat ground, following a distant scent. They rarely stopped to sleep, and ate as they moved, slaughtering chickens and other livestock when their hunger demanded it. They revelled in their freedom, in the touch of the breeze over their skin, the sun on their faces.
Though they had been born within the facility, each of them possessed a rugged endurance, an ability to run for endless days and nights. Their imprisonment had not lessened them – the doctors had been sure to keep them healthy and fit, the better for their experiments.
Now Hecate could sense the wind changing, carrying with it fresh traces of the scent they followed. A delicious sweetness filled the air, familiar and at once alien. It was close now, its source at hand.
The others smelt it too. They shifted around him, faces lifted to breathe it in. They growled, hunger rattling up from his throat. Hecate nodded. Tensing his legs, he leapt down onto the streambed.
Starting upriver, he listened to the crunch of gravel as the others followed. His eyes scanned the riverbed ahead, searching for the source, but finding only plain grey stones. There was no water in sight, only the empty bed what had once been a great river. Perhaps as Spring set in, the snow on the distant peaks would melt, and return the waters to the dried-out bed.
But for today, the river remained dead.
Ahead, Hecate’s keen eyes alighted on a dark shadow amidst the stones. Drawing to a stop, he allowed the others to gather around him. His lips twitched as he looked down at the entrance to the cave. The worn bedrock around the entrance suggested the river had once plunged underground here, falling down to depths unknown. Now though, with the waters gone, the entrance to the cave stood open.
The sweet scent of the Chead hung thick in the air.
Grinning, Hecate dropped down into the darkness.
Phase Two: Complete.
The Project Continues In:
RETALIATION
Note from the Author
Sorry, I know, I’m awful. I hope you guys didn’t get toooo attached to Richard, because I’m afraid unlike Ashley, he won’t be coming back. Mutated muscle density and regenerative abilities or not, he ain’t bulletproof! Feel free to vent your frustration in the review section of Amazon though, maybe even let me know who your favourite characters are so they don’t have a little accident ;-)
If you’re enjoying my books, also be sure to signup below for the chance to get future books free and before release!
http://www.aaronhodges.co.nz/praegressus-project/
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AND FINALLY!
If you’ve enjoyed this book, you might also like my original works.
Be sure to read on below for a free preview of my first ever novel:
Stormwielder
Stormwielder: Prologue
Alastair stared into the fire, letting its heat wash through his damp cloak. The autumn storm had caught him in the open, drenching him before he could reach the shelter of a band of trees. The sudden violence of the storm was a grim warning of winter’s fast approach.
Thunder rumbled in the distance. Alastair shifted position, groaning as his old joints cracked in the cold. He added another stick to the fire. A greedy tongue of flame licked up the tender wood. Wind rustled the dark branches above. The fire flickered in the breeze and blew smoke into his face. Its feeble light cast dancing shadows across the clearing.
A head appeared in the trees nearby, its long face staring at him. Alastair gripped his sword and fought to control the pain in his chest. His horse snickered at his fear and retreated into the shadows. It was only Elcano, his constant companion for almost a decade. Shivering, he released his sword hilt. He knew all too well the dangers of the night. Once he had been one to stand against such things. Now, though...
He shook his head to clear the morbid thoughts. He was still a warrior, and creatures of the dark still feared his name. Yet lately doubt had crept into his mind. It had been a long time since he’d fought the good fight, long before the ravages of time stripped away his strength. The old man shivering at autumn shadows was but a spectre of the Alastair who had once battled the demons of winter.
“If only...” he whispered to himself. The words haunted him, carrying with them the weight of wasted decades. If only he had known, if only he had prepared himself. Instead the great Alastair had settled down and put the dark days behind him.
Then two years ago, Antonia had come. She shattered the peaceful world he had built for himself and dragged him back into a life he had thought long buried.
“Find them,” she ordered, and he had obeyed.
If only it were so simple. Th
ings were never as they seemed when she was involved. Two years of searching and he was now farther from the truth than when he started. The trail was ancient, his quarry adept at disappearing without trace. He himself had taught them the skills, but for generations they had perfected them. Alastair had tracked them as far as Peakill but there all trace vanished. For all he knew they were dead. He prayed to Antonia it was not so.
The wind died away and the chirp of crickets rose above the whisper of the trees. The fire popped as a log collapsed, scattering sparks across the ground. He watched them slowly dwindle to nothing and then looked up at the dark canopy. Through the branches he glimpsed the brilliance of the full moon.
Alastair gritted his teeth. She would come tonight. His hands began to shake; he had dreaded this moment for weeks. The sickly taste of despair rose in his throat. The world would feel the consequences of his failure.
“Not yet, there is still time,” the soft whisper of a female’s voice came from the shadows.
Antonia walked from the trees. A veil of mist clung to her small frame, obscuring her features. Her violet eyes shone through the darkness, making the firelight seem pale by comparison. Those eyes held such power and resolve that he shrank before them. The scent of roses filled the grove and cleansed the smoky air. Her footsteps made the slightest crunch as she glided towards him.
“It doesn’t matter. They’re gone and I don’t have the strength to continue. Find someone else to fight this battle, I’m done!” he lowered his gaze, unable to meet her eyes.
“There is no one else like you. You know that,” there was anger in the girl’s voice. “Look at me and tell me you would abandon everything we have worked for!”
Alastair glanced up. “I abandoned my family for your cause,” he forced the words out, struggling to hold back tears. “I have given everything for you, and it has all been in vain. It’s over, they’re gone.”
