Retaliation (The Praegressus Project Book 3)

by Aaron Hodges

  “You’re free,” he pressed, “We didn’t want to leave you – we didn’t have a choice. But you have a choice now – come with us.”

  At that, Paul threw back his head and howled with laughter. “When they take you, I will watch you suffer as we did. I will watch you all turn, and the madness claim you.”

  Chris clenched his fists. “Not today.”

  29

  “Chris!” Liz screamed as she watched Chris charge the pair standing between them and the exit.

  Before she could intervene, Paul leapt forward to meet Chris’s charge. The two came together with a crash and then lifted into the air, their wings beating hard as they darted apart.

  Watching them, Liz gasped as she was caught off-guard by Francesca’s fist. Her teeth rattled as the blow struck her chin, but she rolled with the blow and took a step back to right herself. Growling, Francesca came on, tackling her around the midriff, driving her back. Liz stumbled, but her wings snapped out and beat the air to steady her.

  Before she could recover, Francesca’s hands closed around her throat like a vice. Gasping, she grabbed at Francesca’s wrists with her gloved hands, struggling to prise her fingers away. Then Jasmine shot out of nowhere and slammed into the blonde girl. Her black wings flashed, adding to her momentum, and the hands around Liz’s throat were torn away.

  Coughing, Liz sucked in a lungful of air and straightened. Jasmine stood beside her now, and together they squared off against the other girl. Watching Francesca recover, Liz didn’t miss the grey glint in her eyes. The girl had changed – that made her more dangerous than ever. If she lost control and went berserk, she would tear everyone in the lecture theatre to pieces. What had the Director been thinking, bringing them here?

  Beside her, Jasmine snarled and started towards the girl. Liz swallowed as she remembered that Paul and Francesca were the ones who had attacked them in the courthouse. The fight had delayed their escape, and led to Richard being separated from the rest of them.

  “Jasmine,” Liz called as she joined the girl, “Careful.”

  Jasmine flicked her a glance, her eyes shimmering, and for a moment Liz thought it was already too late. Then Jasmine let out a long breath, and the light in her eyes faded. She nodded, and turned her attention back to Francesca.

  With a roar, Francesca spread her wings and leapt into the air. Stretching her wings, Liz was about to chase after her, until Jasmine grabbed her by the arm. Glancing at the other girl, Liz saw her nod in the direction of the soldiers. Looking across, she realised what Jasmine meant.

  The students were slowly falling back from the men, as they used the butts of their rifles to muscle their way through. But enough still stood their ground to slow the soldiers’ progress – and more importantly, hide Liz and the others from their sights. But if they took to the air, the soldiers would have a clear shot.

  Overhead, Francesca shrieked when she saw they weren’t following. Folding her wings, she plummeted towards them, her face twisted with hate. Her face darkened, her grey eyes growing hard, and Liz knew it was no longer Francesca staring out. Jasmine may have gotten a hold of her rage, but the other girl had succumbed.

  Liz jumped back as the girl lashed out at them, but Jasmine was too slow and a blow caught her square in the forehead. She staggered and dropped to one knee as Francesca landed on the stage with a thump. Growling, Francesca attacked again, but Liz leapt in and deflected her attack before she could reach Jasmine. Francesca came after her then, but Liz twisted and leapt into the air, hoping to drop down on Francesca’s back as she stumbled past.

  But the other girl was too quick, and before Liz could slam her heel into the girl’s neck, Francesca was clear. Liz’s wings beat down as she hesitated, and Francesca took full advantage. Her hand shot out, and Liz screamed as fingers like iron closed around her ankle. Liz’s wings cracked as she struggled to break free, but using her terrifying strength, Francesca hauled her back down.

  Francesca laughed as their eyes met. Another hand wrapped around her ankle, and Liz’s stomach lurched into her chest as Francesca swung her through the air. Liz shrieked as the ground came rushing up, and she slammed face first into the stage.

  Liz gasped as the impact drove the breath from her lungs. But Francesca had at least released her ankle, and she rolled away before the other girl could land another blow. Struggling to regain her feet, she turned and saw Jasmine going toe to toe with the Chead. A fist flashed for her friend’s face, but she ducked, and the blow caught only empty air. Then Jasmine charged forward, driving her shoulder into Francesca’s stomach. Before Francesca could pull free, Jasmine wrapped both arms around her waist and lifted her into the air.

  Seeing her opportunity, Liz rushed in and swung a fist at Francesca’s face. But the girl saw her coming and twisted in Jasmine’s grip. Liz had no time to adjust her aim, and her fist slammed into the base of Jasmine’s skull. A low moan came from her friend’s throat, and her eyes rolled back into her skull. Releasing Francesca, Jasmine toppled to the carpeted floor.

  Liz gaped as Francesca slipped free and spun. Her wing arced out, catching Liz square in the face. As she staggered, Francesca twisted again, her wing coming around for a second blow. Without thinking, Liz reached up and caught the bony limb in both hands.

  Francesca screamed and her wing bucked in Liz’s grip. She stumbled several steps before she managed to dig in her heels. She grinned as Francesca suddenly stilled, and their eyes met across the ten feet of feathers stretching between them. Then Liz wrapped both hands around the joint she’d caught, and wrenched.

  The bones in Francesca’s wings were no match for Liz’s enhanced strength. They snapped like tissue paper as Francesca’s wing twisted at an awful angle. The colour drained from Francesca’s face as though sucked away into a vacuum. Then she was shrieking, thrashing and spinning across the stage, her eyes wild with pain and fury.

  Liz stretched her wings and leapt, and they carried her backwards to safety. Francesca’s eyes followed her, and she leapt after Liz. But as the broken wing beat down, Francesca screamed, and crashed back down, landing on her stomach on the carpeted floor.

  Seeing her chance, Liz launched herself on top of the fallen girl. She gasped as Francesca surged back against her, the girl’s strength threatening to buck her off. Gritting her teeth, Liz clung on, using her weight to slam the girl’s face into the carpet. But the blow did nothing to diminish Francesca’s strength. Catching a wing in her face, Liz almost lost her balance before she righted herself again.

  Growling, Liz drove her fist into the Francesca’s kidney. She could feel her fury starting to build. They couldn’t afford to sit here fighting. Though their fight had lasted less than a minute, the soldiers were drawing closer. She couldn’t understand why Paul and Francesca were helping the Director of their own freewill – not after everything that had been done to them. How could they support the government that had kidnapped and tortured them, that had taken everything from them?

  Choking on her rage, Liz gritted her teeth, struggling to control herself. She could feel her strength building, and the bloodlust that came with the Chead rage. Her stomach roiled, and before she had a chance to stop it, her vision turned red.

  Screaming, Liz grabbed Francesca by the hair and wrenched back her head. She felt the girl fighting her still, and drove her knee down hard into the small of Francesca’s back, forcing her down. Then she slammed Francesca’s face into the ground, again and again until the girl went limp beneath her.

  Rage flickered in Liz’s chest as she released the girl’s hair. But Francesca wasn’t finished. She moved weakly beneath Liz, still trying to get back up. Even injured, Francesca was still a threat, might still try and stop them.

  A growl built in Liz’s chest and she slowly removed her gloves. She gripped Francesca by the hair again, and slammed her face into the ground one last time. Then Liz slid her hands from Francesca’s hair, down to the exposed nape of her neck. She felt the soft skin beneath her fingers,
the fragile bones of Francesca’ spine as she squeezed. From behind, she could not choke the girl to death.

  But then, she didn’t need too.

  Francesca’s flesh was warm to the touch. It felt good, to feel naked skin beneath her fingers again. It seemed an age since the night in the safehouse with Chris. Her heart warmed at the memory, and its rapid thud began to slow. Bit by bit, the red faded from her vision, and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

  Only then did she realise Francesca was screaming, writhing against the floor beneath her, her broken wing flailing uselessly at her side. Liz gaped, taking long seconds to comprehend what she’d been trying to do. In horror, she released the girl and leapt backwards, praying she wasn’t too late.

  But Francesca’s struggles were already weakening, and her wings had fallen still. She managed to roll onto her back, but now her eyes were red and a trail of blood ran from her mouth and nose. Her neck was an awful tint of purple.

  Liz pressed her hand to her mouth and watched as Francesca staggered to her knees. Her blood red eyes stared at Liz, tight with agony, filled with hate. She almost made it to her feet, but her strength finally gave up. Her eyes rolled back into her skull, and with a long, drawn out moan, she toppled face first to the ground.

  Liz shivered as she stared at Francesca’s lifeless body. She glanced across as Jasmine stirred nearby. Shaking off her horror, she moved across and offered her friend a shoulder. They both took care not to let their skin touch.

  “Good job,” Jasmine gasped as she put a hand around Liz’s shoulder.

  Liz nodded. “Sorry... about this,” she offered lamely.

  “Feels like you hit me in the head with a brick,” Jasmine coughed. Inexplicably, there were tears in her eyes. “Where’s the others?”

  30

  Stars flashed across Chris’s vision as Paul’s meaty fist collided with his chin. Blindly, he raised his hands in front of his chest and another blow connected with his arm. Chris deflected it with a flick of his wrist, then spinning on his heel, he drove a back kick into the space where he hoped Paul was standing. It connected with a soft thud, and he heard a satisfying whoosh as Paul’s lungs emptied.

  The force of the kick pushed Chris off-balance, and he took a quick step back to recover. The stars faded from his vision and he found Paul half-doubled over. As their eyes met, Paul’s lips drew back in a snarl and he straightened. Black wings stretched out to either side of him, dwarfing Chris’s own. His wingspan had to be close to thirty feet wide.

  “It doesn’t have to be this way, Paul,” he shouted, “Come with us. Let Sam explain what happened.”

  Paul laughed. “Oh don’t worry, I’ll listen to him…as I tear those pretty wings from his back,” growling, he took a step towards Chris, and then froze.

  His eyes widened, and a groan rattled from his chest. His wings drooped and started to shake. Over the pounding of blood in his ears, Chris heard someone screaming, and shot a glance behind him.

  His fight with Paul carried him to the opposite side of the stage, but the others were still grouped near the fire exit. Liz was still on her feet, while nearby Jasmine crouched on her hands and knees. Ashley stood beside the lectern, her lips parted, staring back at Chris in terror.

  And Francesca was lying face down on the floor, unmoving.

  Chris turned back as Paul gave a strangled growl, but he was too late to block the foot that lashed out and caught him in the chest. He felt something go crack, then Chris was tumbling backwards, landing with a bone-jarring thud. Sucking in a breath, he gasped as a sharp pain came from his lungs. Tasting blood in his mouth, he spat it out.

  Across the stage, Paul leapt after him, and Chris quickly rolled and came back to his feet. Paul’s grey eyes followed him, devoid of humanity, all hint of compassion drained away. He was Chead now, consumed by his anger, driven by a hatred that swept all before it. Teeth bared, he stalked after Chris.

  Bracing himself, Chris let him come. Every movement brought another jab from his chest, but he forced it from his mind. As the distance between them closed, Chris leapt, his foot flicking out to catch the larger boy square in the jaw. Paul’s head whipped back and he staggered, but to Chris’s shock, he did not fall. Instead, Paul straightened, a dark grin spreading across his face. Before Chris could retreat, Paul’s fist flashed out and caught him in the chest.

  Chris groaned as the blow connected with his broken rib. He felt something inside him tear. Struggling to breathe through the pain, he doubled up and tried to retreat. But Paul was not about to let him recover. The boy came after him, fists raised to beat Chris into the ground.

  Chris gritted his teeth and spread his wings. Turning, he leapt into the air, even as the shard in his chest tore deeper. But before he could lift off, something slammed into his left wing and dragged him back down. Crashing face first into the ground, he tried to rise, but Paul landed on his spine, driving him back into the carpet.

  “Going so soon?” Paul grated in a rusty voice.

  For a second the pressure on Chris’s back relented. Then Paul’s boot came crashing down on his wing, and a pain unlike anything Chris had felt before shot down the length of the new limb. He heard something go crack as Paul lifted his boot and stomped down again. A terrible scream tore from his throat, and he tried to roll away. But with his wing pinned beneath Paul’s boot, there was no escape. An evil grin spread across the boy’s face as he ground Chris’s wing into the floor.

  Then with a blood-curdling scream, Ashley slammed into Paul and hurled him across the room. Her white wings flared out as she stood over Chris like a guardian angel, her red hair streaming down around her shoulders, her tawny yellow eyes glowing like tiny moons.

  Paul staggered back to his feet, his stone-grey eyes flashing with rage. Blood trickled from his mouth, but reaching up, he wiped it away and shook his head.

  “Run away, little girl,” he hissed, “Maybe I will let you live.”

  Ashley laughed in his face. “Go on then.”

  Paul’s lips drew back in a snarl. Growling, he charged. At five-foot-one, Ashley looked like a child beside Paul’s six-foot-six, but she stood her ground. The fear had gone from her eyes – in its place was a cool determination, an unyielding will in the face of the boy’s fury.

  At the last second before Paul struck, Ashley leapt, her white wings beating down to lift her tiny frame into the air. Paul staggered past beneath her, and folding her wings, she slammed her heel down on the back of his neck.

  Off-balance, the blow sent Paul toppling to the ground. Grinning, Ashley landed gracefully behind him. She crossed her arms and watched him stagger back to his feet, a soft smile on her lips. Her amber eyes were aflame as she waited for him to make his next move.

  Chris looked around as movement came from nearby. Liz crouched beside him, her brow creased with concern. Jasmine had one arm draped over her shoulder, but Chris was relieved to see she was okay. Her eyes were slightly glazed, but otherwise there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with her.

  “Are you alright?” Liz asked.

  His chest tightened. He took a deep breath, and felt the broken rib pressing against his lungs. His left wing hung limp beside him, twisted at an awful angle. Looking around, he saw the last students struggling to hold back the soldiers. They only had seconds before the men broke through.

  Looking into Liz’s eyes, Chris shook his head. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the thumb drive and pressed it into her palm. “Take it, get out of here.”

  “What?” Liz’s eyes widened as she saw the thumb drive. She shook her head. “No, we’re not leaving you, Chris. Come on, get up, there’s still time.”

  Chris staggered to his knees. Pain radiated through his body, robbing him of strength, but he reached out and gripped Liz by the shoulder. “I can’t fly, Liz,” he croaked, “He broke my wing. If I come with you, they’ll catch us all.”

  “Then they catch us all,” Liz said.

  Her eyes hardened, and she star
ted to stand, but Chris caught her by the wrist and pulled her back down.

  “No, Liz,” he blinked back tears, “You need to live. You need to show the world what’s on that drive, tell them what they did to us. Make all this mean something.”

  “But what about you?” Liz’s voice cracked, and her eyes shone with unspilt tears. “I can’t leave you like this. I… I love you, Chris.”

  Chris squeezed her wrist. Pulling her forward, he kissed her, hard and fast. His heart started to race, and for a second his pain lessened. But when they broke apart, it returned two-fold. Biting back a scream, he gathered his feet beneath him and stood.

  “I love you too, Liz,” he stroked her cheek. “But you have to go.”

  “I’ll come back for you,” she whispered, pain in her eyes.

  Grimacing, Chris shook his head. “No, Liz. I won’t let them take me, not this time.” He forced himself to turn away. If he stared into her eyes any longer, he would never be able to do what was needed.

  “Chris…” she croaked from behind him.

  “Go, Liz,” he said again, swallowing his grief, “I’ll distract him, so Ashley can follow you. Go!”

  Across the room, Ashley was running rings around Paul. Every time he went for her, she would dance clear, and he would stagger as she landed another blow. As they watched, Paul leapt at her again, and received a fist to the face and a knee to the groin for his efforts. Wheezing, he fell to the ground as Ashley leapt back.

  Chris steeled himself and moved away from Liz and Jasmine without looking back. Silently, he hoped Liz would listen, but there was no time left for discussion. Studying the two fighters, he searched for an opening. If he could distract Paul for just a second, he could give Ashley a chance to escape. But he had to act quickly – the last few students were crumbling, and the soldiers almost had a clear shot at him. Glancing back, he was relieved to see Liz and Jasmine almost to the exit. His heart lurched and he quickly looked away again.