by Aaron Hodges
Silence met her taunts, and Sam flashed her a glance. Don’t piss him off, he mouthed, but she only shrugged.
“I’m disappointed the Director did not deal with you as promised, Ashley,” the President said after a long pause. “I suppose it’s up to me to ensure you are adequately disciplined.”
Ice spread to Sam’s stomach, but Ashley was undeterred. “Do your worst,” she laughed. “Wherever you’re hiding.”
This time there was no answer, but before either of them could think of another taunt, a buzzer sounded, and all along the corridor the prison cells rattled open. Ashley blinked, staring at the open door to her cell for a moment, before stepping outside.
“Some punishment,” she muttered.
Sam didn’t respond. He was watching the other inmates emerge silently from their cells. He swallowed as the grey eyes of the Chead turned and found them standing nearby. Mad laughter carried down the corridor as their lips drew back into snarls. Growling, the Chead started towards them.
Ashley stilled as she saw them coming. Her wings trembling, she turned and watched the Chead advance. There were maybe twelve of them in all, enough to tear both Ashley and Sam to pieces if they wanted. And from the dark glint in their eyes, he guessed there would be no reasoning with them.
Taking a deep breath, Ashley stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sam on the cheek. “Stay here. You look like you could use a rest.” She wrinkled her nose. “And you’re shaving when we’re done here.”
Ashley drew in another breath. A calmness settled over her face, an almost imperceptible change. Her jaw tightened as she looked at the Chead. And her eyes…staring into them, Sam wanted to run away, and pull her to him, all at the same time.
She stepped towards the Chead without a backwards glance. Her wings spread to fill the corridor, giving even the Chead pause. Sam watched on, frozen with indecision.
Overcoming their hesitation, the Chead started forward once more. They moved on ungainly legs, still struggling to control their altered bodies. Their inexperience was Ashley’s only advantage, but she was still badly outmatched by twelve of the creatures. Sheer weight of numbers would overwhelm her.
Shaking free of his fear, Sam started after Ashley. His boot scuffed the concrete, and she shot a warning glance over her shoulder. The glow of her eyes brought him to an abrupt stop, and suddenly all he could do was hold his breath and watch as Ashley closed on the Chead.
Roaring, the leading Chead bounded towards her. Its wild howl echoed down the corridor, and Sam yearned to leap to Ashley’s aid. Together, they just might have stood a chance. Instead, he remained frozen in place, unable to break whatever impossible spell Ashley had placed over him.
Fortunately, Ashley had no need of his help.
She twisted as the Chead leapt, leaving it stumbling through empty space. Before it could recover, she caught the creature by the back of its shirt and catapulted it back into its comrades. The other Chead leapt aside as it crashed onto the concrete with a hard thump.
The Chead stared at their downed brother for a second, then turned to look back at Ashley. Folding her arms, she glared at them. Wings still spread, she contemplated each of the remaining Chead in turn.
“You’re young,” she said suddenly. Her voice echoed loudly in the corridor. “I will forgive you your insolence.”
A shiver went through the creatures as she took a step towards them. As one, they shrank back from her. She laughed, and for an instant Sam was reminded of the cold, grating laughter of the Chead.
“Get back in your cages,” Ashley snapped. “I will deal with you later.”
The Chead didn’t hesitate. Retreating down the corridor, they disappeared into their cells without looking back. The doors remained open, but none of the twisted inmates so much as poked out a head to check on them.
As Ashley turned back towards Sam, he caught a last glimpse of the glow in her eyes. Then she blinked, and it was only Ashley looking out at him. She slumped suddenly, and he caught her as she fell.
“What the hell was that?” he asked as she draped an arm over his shoulder.
Ashley gave a dry laugh. “I’ll tell you when I figure that out.”
“You do that.” He smiled and started towards the exit, doing his best to ignore the grey eyes watching as they stumbled past. “What are you, Lord Commander of the Chead now?”
“Really, I have no idea.” Ashley wrinkled her nose. “I just…acted on instinct.”
“Good instincts,” Sam snorted. Ahead, the exit loomed. “Guess we’ll figure it out later. Let’s just get out of here, before our luck runs out.”
As they moved into the narrow hallways of the facility, Ashley seemed to recover enough to stand on her own. Taking back her arm, she paused. “We can’t leave yet. Chris needs us.”
Grimacing, Sam glanced at her. Despite her show of strength against the Chead, she was clearly exhausted. Whatever they’d done to Ashley over the past four weeks had drained her strength. And if anything, Sam was in even worse shape.
But however desperate they were, she was right. They couldn’t leave Chris behind.
He nodded and gestured towards the corridor. “Lead the way.”
28
“No, no, no.” Chris crouched over his grandmother, shaking her in desperation. “Nana, no…”
Liz could only stand and stare in horror at the body of her friend. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything other than watch, helpless. The Director towered over Chris and Maria, a triumphant grin on her face. Slowly she turned the gun on Liz.
“I guess you’re next,” she said softly.
Looking down the barrel of the gun, Liz didn’t move. She was still reeling, struggling to comprehend everything she’d seen.
Chris, alive, waiting on the other side of the door. Chris, kissing the Director.
Jonathan, taking the precious thumb drive from her pocket. The Director, crushing it beneath her boot.
And Maria, reeling backwards as the bullet tore away her life.
Liz shook her head as a tear streaked her cheek. “You’re…vile,” she grated, “you’re sick, twisted. You’re worse than Halt.”
“Halt was an animal.” The Director smiled, the expression cold, devoid of emotion. “This? This was all just necessary.”
“Necessary?” Jonathan spoke from across the room. Liz clenched her teeth as he walked towards them. “How was any of this necessary?”
Frown lines crisscrossed the Director’s forehead. “Jonathan?” She raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?” She still held the handgun pointed at Liz, its tip unwavering.
“What is necessary,” Jonathan replied.
“What?” The Director blinked. “What are you talking about?”
His lips drew back in a sneer. “You finally made a mistake. All this time, I’ve been waiting for my chance. All I needed was an opening, a single chink in your armor. And you’ve finally given it to me.” He smiled, though the expression did not reach his eyes. “My family will have their justice.”
“Justice?” The Director shook her head and turned the gun on Jonathan. “Justice? We already gave them justice, Jonathan.”
“False justice.” Jonathan stared her down, unflinching.
The Director curled her finger around the trigger. “So you wish to betray me? You have a poor choice of timing, Jonathan. What brought about this sudden death wish?”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” Jonathan asked. “Six weeks ago I held the lifeless bodies of my wife and daughter in my arms, and swore I would do whatever it took to avenge them. At Independence Square, I saw my chance, realized you were my gateway to the truth. Now you’ve admitted that truth to the entire world.”
Liz stared at the man, unable to understand what he was saying. The Director took a step closer to Jonathan.
“What are you talking about?” she grated.
But Jonathan was no longer looking at her. His eyes had travelled to where Chris lay crouched
over his grandmother’s body.
“I wasn’t quick enough to stop you,” he murmured sadly. “Or maybe I didn’t want to. There’ll be no coming back for you, not after murdering an innocent old woman.” He looked up at the Director then, eyes hardening. “The camera has been broadcasting this whole time, Director. I switched it back on when you were distracted by the explosion. Everything you’ve said, everything you’ve done, the whole world has been watching.”
For a moment there was silence. Liz stared at Jonathan, her heart hammering in her chest. She hardly dared to breathe. Could it be true? Looking past Jonathan, she saw the tiny red light flashing on the camera. Easy to miss, when you weren’t looking for it.
“No…” the Director croaked. Her arm wavered, the gun shaking in her hand. “You’re lying.”
“See for yourself.” Jonathan nodded at the camera.
But the Director didn’t move. The evidence was clear for all to see. Her lips drew back in a mad grin as she strode across the room and pressed the gun to Jonathan’s forehead.
“You’ll die for this,” she hissed.
There was sadness in Jonathan’s eyes as he shrugged. “Do it, I’m ready to join my family. It won’t change anything, though. It’s over. You’ve lost.”
“It’s not over!” the Director screamed. Suddenly she was behind Jonathan. Her arm wrapped around his throat as she put the gun to his temple. “Christopher! Help me!”
Chris looked up from his grandmother’s body. Tears streaked his cheeks and there was no missing the hatred in his eyes. He stared at the Director for a moment before turning to Liz.
“Kill her,” he gasped to Liz. “Let me die. I don’t care anymore.”
Then he bent back over Maria, leaving Liz to face the Director alone. Balling her fists, Liz stepped towards the woman.
“If you kill me, Chris dies!” The gun left Jonathan’s head and Liz ducked as she fired, but the shot was wild and went well clear. The gun returned to Jonathan’s temple. He jerked as the hot barrel burned his flesh, but her grip around his neck held him in place. “The moment my heart stops, the signal goes out. He’ll die in agony!”
Swallowing, Liz came to a stop. A tense moment stretched out as they eyed one another, locked in a desperate stalemate. Finally the Director sneered.
“Good,” she hissed, “we understand one another.” She started to back towards the open door, dragging Jonathan with her.
Liz clenched her jaw tight. Blood thumped in her ears, but she made no move to stop the woman. Silently, she cursed herself for a coward. This was the moment she had been waiting for, her chance to end the woman’s tyranny—whatever the cost.
Yet Jasmine’s final plea echoed in her ears, and Liz knew she couldn’t do it. Not if it meant losing Chris again, not after she’d just found him. Her shoulders sagged as she realized the evil woman was going to escape.
Movement came from the door, drawing Liz’s attention. With her eyes on her enemies, the Director didn’t notice as Mira stepped into the doorway. The girl’s multicolored gaze surveyed the scene, taking in Chris and Maria, before settling finally on Liz.
Liz’s racing heart froze as Mira smiled. It was a small, hesitant thing, as though the girl wasn’t quite sure of what she’d done, as if she was still wondering whether she could take it back.
Across the room, Liz started to cry out, but Mira was already stepping forward, opening her arms to embrace the Director. And the Director was turning, her eyes widening as she saw the grey-winged girl for the first time. The chime of steel pins striking the concrete seemed unbelievably loud in the silence.
Then an explosion rocked the room, swallowing them all in its fiery embrace.
29
The young soldier was on all fours, lapping water from a stream as they entered, but when she saw them, she quickly darted back into the corner of the cave. Talisa strode after her, catching the girl by the foot and dragging her kicking and screaming across the sharp stones. She still wore her green and brown uniform, but it was filthy now, the badges and insignia streaked with mud.
She gasped as Talisa threw her at Susan’s feet, her green eyes casting wildly around in the darkness. Her auburn hair clung to her face, wet with sweat.
“Have you reconsidered, human?” Talisa asked.
Susan glanced back at the two Chead who guarded the cave’s only entrance. They stood nearby, watching the girl closely, alert for any sign she might threaten the elder. But this girl was too terrified to even stand.
Leaning closer, Susan wondered at the soldier’s fear. Earlier too, the girl and her comrades had fled when the Chead had charged. Such bad discipline was unusual among the soldiers of the WAS. Even the guards who’d protected her facility had been better trained.
This girl reminded Susan more of her former self, of the fearful woman she’d been before the change. She had her arms wrapped around her own chest, as though that could somehow protect her from the Chead. Yet despite her fear, the girl still shook her head at Talisa’s question, even as she bit her lower lip to keep from crying.
“You disappoint me,” Talisa rumbled.
Leaning down, she gripped the captive by the hair and hauled her to her feet, then shoved her at Hecate. The human screamed as he caught her in his powerful arms, struggling to break free, but he gripped her around the waist and hurled her to the ground. Even then she tried to crawl away, but she was nowhere near fast enough to escape. Hecate’s foot slammed down on her ankle, and a harsh crack echoed through the cavern. Susan flinched as the girl’s scream followed.
“You have chosen death,” Talisa said in a calm voice, as though nothing had happened, “but it will not be quick. First, we will have all you know.”
Beside Talisa, Hecate slowly ground the girl’s ankle beneath his foot. Pinned to the floor, the girl gave a pitiful cry and started sobbing into the gravel.
Susan watched the girl suffering, heart torn between pity and disgust. After a moment, she raised an eyebrow at Talisa. Normally the woman was quick to put her prisoners to death. Susan had never seen one tortured.
“We have never captured a soldier,” Talisa said, answering her unspoken question. “I wish to know more of our enemy.”
She waved to Hecate as she finished. He retreated to Susan’s side.
“Where are you from, soldier?” Talisa asked as she crouched beside the girl. When the prisoner only whimpered, the elder Chead grasped a handful of hair and forced the girl to look at her. “Would you like him to start again?”
The soldier bit her lip again and shook her head.
“Then speak,” Talisa commanded.
The girl’s eyes switched from Talisa to Hecate and back again. She nodded quickly. “I’m from…Oakdale,” she whispered, then her jaw hardened. “Or was…before you destroyed it.”
Talisa chuckled and released her hair. Standing, she crossed her arms. “So why did we find you with that pitiful army, soldier?”
The girl sat back and looked up at them. “I didn’t want to be there,” she spat, “but I’m glad we took some of you with us.”
Hecate started towards the human, but Susan put out her hand to stop him. She nodded to Talisa. This was her interrogation.
“You did not want to be there?” Talisa asked softly.
“I was drafted,” she murmured. Her eyes flashed and she seemed to regain some of her fight. “After you drove us from our home, my family fled to the city. But my brother and I were taken by the army, to be trained for the war.”
“The war?” Talisa pressed. “Against the Chead?”
The girl snorted. “Against Texas. We know who your masters are.”
Talisa raised an eyebrow. “Texas? What do they have to do with my Chead?”
“They created you, didn’t they?” the girl snapped. “Sent you to kill us, to weaken the WAS so they can take our land.”
Talisa began to laugh. “Such imaginative creatures. Who told you such a tale?”
The girl bared her teeth. “T
he President himself,” she hissed.
“The President?” Susan stepped up. “He sent you?”
The girl blanked. “Well, no…we…we were just the ones he selected for special training at his base.”
“And where was that?” Talisa pressed.
But the girl had realized she’d said too much. Clamping her lips shut, she glared at them in defiance. Hecate stepped towards her, a dark grin spreading across his face, but Susan was quicker still. Placing herself between the Chead and their prisoner, she raised her hands.
“Let me speak with her,” she asked softly. “Perhaps I can convince her to join us.” Her eyes moved towards Talisa.
Talisa eyed her closely. “Cut off their leadership, and the humans will be too busy fighting amongst themselves to come for us.”
Susan nodded. “Trust me.”
After another moment’s hesitation, Talisa nodded back. Taking Hecate by the shoulder, she led him across to the entrance of the cavern, giving Susan and the girl space to speak.
Susan let out a long sigh and faced the young soldier. The girl still knelt on the ground, her broken foot stretched out in front of her, twisted at an awkward angle. Susan sat down beside her.
“What’s your…name?” Susan asked.
The girl swallowed. She looked at Susan, then back at the doorway where the others waited. Apparently deciding it was better to talk with Susan than face Hecate, she answered: “Lisa.”
“My name is…Susan. Nice…to meet you…Lisa,” she said, offering her hand.
Lisa turned away with a snort of disgust. Susan sighed. “Defiance will…get you nothing,” she murmured, “but a long…and painful…death.”
“What would you know, Susan?” Lisa snapped, her eyes flashing, “What does a monster like you feel anyway?”
Susan’s anger flared and she fought the urge to strangle the life from the girl. Scarlet stained her vision as she took a long breath, her stomach straining against her shirt, and then exhaled.
