Kade (sci-fi romance - The Ember Quest Book 2)

by Arcadia Shield

  “Once we’re done here, this place will never open again,” said Kade. “Tell us what else you do with the hybrids.”

  “Trade them, experiment on them, try to figure out how they have their freaky abilities. Whatever the State pays us to do. We sort through them and send them off for processing.”

  “Processing?”

  “Sure. Go to a central point, get checked over, tagged, and off they go.”

  “A central point?” Honor looked at Kade, her eyes wide. “They take them to the facility we’ve just found.”

  HONOR’S STOMACH CLENCHED. She knew she was right; that code on the necklace had shown a large, industrial-looking building, reminiscent of a hospital. It would be an ideal place to test hybrids, steal them away from their loved ones before pulling them apart.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seamus ran a foot along the ground.

  “We don’t have time for lies,” said Kade.

  “I only follow orders.” Seamus shrugged again.

  “Sounds like you get your kicks from exploiting people.” Lincoln’s eyes narrowed. “Kade, can I kill him now?”

  “Not yet,” said Kade. “Tell me about this facility.”

  “You planning on burning it down as well?” Seamus sneered at him. “You’ll need more than a few bombs and guns if you do. The State values that place.”

  “Don’t you worry about how we’re going to take care of things,” said Kade.

  “You’re deluded,” said Seamus. “The State are here to stay. And as soon as they find you, they’ll kill you.”

  “Tell us about this facility,” said Honor.

  Seamus frowned, before sighing as Lincoln stepped closer. “I need access to my comms device. There’s a map showing where it is.”

  “Take him to get his device.” Kade gestured to Lincoln.

  Lincoln strode over, grabbed Seamus’s collar, and yanked him around.

  Honor looked at Anastasia and Bellatrix. “You both doing okay?”

  “Been better.” Anastasia shrugged.

  “We’re fine,” said Bellatrix. Her gaze ran over her sister’s injuries. “Well, we will be.”

  “Won’t be long and we can get out of here.”

  “And then what?” Anastasia looked at the ground.

  “Then we have some talking to do.” Honor saw a flash of something that looked like regret on Anastasia’s face, and she hoped the others would forgive her.

  “Hey, go easy,” Seamus protested, as Lincoln dragged him across the room. “You shot me.”

  “I’ll do more than shoot you, if you mess us around.”

  “My comms device is over there.” Seamus pointed to the corner of the room where a canvas bag sat on the floor.

  Lincoln marched him over, and they returned with the comms device.

  “Show us the map,” said Honor, anticipation making her stomach churn.

  “This is where I send the freaks.” Seamus turned the device and showed them a map.

  “Say that word one more time and I’ll burn you,” hissed Anastasia.

  “That’s what you are,” said Seamus.

  “Do as the lady says,” said Lincoln, nudging the back of Seamus’ head with the tip of his laser pistol. “Show her the proper respect.”

  “Whatever.” Seamus scrolled through files on his comms device, before clicking one open. “The red dot is where my hybrids go.”

  Honor stared at the map. “There’s more than one red dot.”

  “We have a dozen places.”

  Honor gasped in shock. “You must be testing hundreds of hybrids.”

  “So what?”

  Lincoln clipped Seamus on the back of the head. “Give me one more reason, and my trigger finger will slip.”

  “Easy,” muttered Kade, his gaze narrowing. “This looks familiar.” He yanked the comms device from Seamus and linked into his own remote drive. It was a wetware, cloud-based network more secure than any State prison. No one could hack through Kade’s security, so it was safe for him to use this device.

  “What you doing?” asked Seamus, his voice rising with panic.

  “Anything he likes,” said Lincoln.

  “I’ve seen this before.” Kade studied the map more intently. “Knew it! This information inlays perfectly with the map on the data chip that Annie stole. It shows exact locations, number of hybrids, full site details, including security detail and access points.”

  “That’s clever,” said Lincoln.

  “We have Annie to thank for this,” said Kade. “This information is priceless. It’s got everything we need to know about the location of State sites.”

  “They’re going down.” Lincoln grinned at him.

  Kade nodded. “One step at a time. This is the place you found?” He turned the screen to Honor.

  “That’s it.” She glared at Seamus. “They all do the same thing? You run tests to check hybrid abilities?”

  “Some of them.” Seamus wiped his sweaty brow. “Like I said, don’t care what happens, so long as I get credits.”

  “You’re a piece of scum,” growled Kade.

  Honor stared at the screen in horror, panic rising in her throat. There were too many centers. How would they ever help all the hybrids? She took in a deep breath, forcing the panic away. They had to focus on the center Vivian’s necklace had revealed. It appeared to be a central point; a main hub. Shut that down and it would hopefully destabilize the network.

  “We should start there.” She pointed a trembling finger at the red dot on the screen.

  “Good a place as any.” Kade looked at Lincoln, who nodded.

  “They’ll kill you,” said Seamus. “And I wish them well when they do.”

  Honor swallowed bile and slammed the butt of her gun into the side of Seamus’s head. He fell to the ground and didn’t get up. “He’s a monster.”

  “Glad you did that,” murmured Anastasia. “I’ve been itching to make that scumbag pay.”

  “It was my pleasure.”

  “And I am sorry,” said Anastasia, shooting a guilty look around the group. “I wish I’d had another option.”

  “Other than to sell us out, you mean,” said Lincoln.

  “Other than that.”

  “We deal with that later,” said Kade. “I’ll report back to the bunker. Lincoln, get rid of these bodies and make sure Seamus remains out of action, and then let’s get out of here.”

  “I get the best jobs.” Lincoln grabbed Seamus’s legs and dragged him away.

  “What about the hybrids in this center you’ve found?” Bellatrix looked at the screen with wide eyes.

  “We’ll get them out,” said Honor.

  “Maybe they’re trying to make the myth come true.” Anastasia leaned on Bellatrix, her face drawn and her lips blue.

  “Creating a nest of dragon eggs?”

  “Maybe. But it’s not as simple as that,” said Anastasia. “It’s not about rebuilding an egg from fragments. It’s about finding a dragon who can bring them to life.”

  “Without a dragon that won’t be possible,” said Bellatrix.

  “I still believe it,” said Anastasia. “They’ll come back.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Honor turned as Kade strode back to them. She could tell by the set of his jaw and the way his fingers clenched that he was unhappy. “What is it?”

  “Heath’s ordered us to go to the test site,” said Kade. “He’s sending backup to meet us there.”

  “It won’t take long to get there in the copter,” said Lincoln, wiping his hands down his fatigues as he returned to the group. “But what about our injured people?” His gaze slid to Anastasia and Bellatrix.

  Anastasia stood up straight. “A few bruises won’t stop me from fighting.”

  “It’s more than a few bruises,” muttered Lincoln.

  “When does he want us to go?” asked Honor, watching the scowl form on Kade’s face.

  “Now.”

  Chapter 22

  Ka
de sat next to Honor in the copter. Anastasia and Bellatrix sat opposite them on the other bench, talking quietly, as the craft shot through the air toward the hybrid center. Bellatrix now wore arm-length gloves, keeping everyone safe from her toxic skin.

  He hated keeping Honor out on these missions. Everywhere they went, it increased the risk of her being discovered and arrested, or killed. But from the gleam in Honor’s eyes, she was enjoying herself. Maybe she was turning into a dragon blood adrenaline junkie and got off on the thrill of the chase. But he also noticed the sweat on her forehead and the way her fingers tapped relentlessly on her knees.

  “You feeling okay?”

  “Never better,” said Honor.

  He took hold of one of her hands and felt a tremor in her fingers. “It’s all right to feel nervous.”

  “You nervous?”

  Kade shrugged. “No more than usual.” To him, this was normal. He shouldn’t feel so calm in situations like this, but this was what he knew. A quiet life seemed like a distant memory.

  “You come out on missions a lot?”

  “Not recently.” It had been a while since Kade had been on a mission, burying himself behind his computer screens and in his codes. But he felt a sudden longing for being in the field; it was important to him to be more active and involved. “In a sick kind of way, I miss it.”

  “I get that,” said Honor. “It’s good to meet the people you can help.”

  “I always find punching a bad guy or two calming to the soul,” said Lincoln.

  Kade grunted. He’d used his knowledge of coding and computing to avoid getting his hands dirty for too long. Being on the front line mattered to him, but he still didn’t want Honor risking herself.

  Honor’s grip tightened on his hand. “I’m not sure about the punching bit, but I’m not hating this. And we are helping hybrids.”

  He stared into Honor’s bright eyes, and his heart clenched as he realized how right she was. Not just about going out on missions, but how natural it felt to have her there, like they’d picked up on something they hadn’t really started when they first met. She was another reason he needed time away from the computers. Having Honor by his side gave him something to fight for, something that was warm and responsive and brought him alive.

  “There’s a place for you at the bunker.” The words rushed out of Kade before he had time to overthink them. He couldn’t imagine Honor would want to stay. But the State wouldn’t leave her alone. And now she had her memories back, she was even more vulnerable, and an even bigger target.

  She leaned against him. “Glad to hear it.”

  Something inside him relaxed. She wanted to stay. “There’s a place for all of you.” Kade looked at Anastasia and Bellatrix.

  “You want me there after I betrayed you?” Anastasia’s cuts and bruises were already fading, but she looked exhausted and shell-shocked.

  Kade shifted in his seat. “You made a mistake, but I get the reason why.” He gestured at Bellatrix. He was still riled she’d double-crossed them, but seeing the sisters together, Kade understood. He’d do anything to keep his brothers safe.

  “We’d like to stay,” said Bellatrix. “What you guys do is amazing.”

  Anastasia nodded. “And I am sorry. I know I’ve already said it. Can’t believe we’ve got you on our side. Can’t believe I was dumb enough to almost ruin it.”

  “We are extraordinary,” said Lincoln.

  Anastasia shook her head, a ghost of a smile on her lips. “Most of you are.”

  Kade rolled his shoulders, trying to ease the tension in them. Sometimes, it felt like they weren’t doing enough. But they’d helped the hybrids in the Pleasure Dome and were a serious thorn in the State’s side. Every step they took was a step closer to the State being destroyed, revealing them for the monsters they were.

  “Hive One has picked up activity at the center,” said Lincoln. “Suggests they’re leaving.”

  “What will happen to the hybrids if they do?” asked Honor.

  “They’ll destroy all evidence they’ve ever been there. Even the hybrids.” Kade suppressed a shudder. The State never failed to shock him at how low they’d stoop to get what they wanted. He activated his comm. “Heath. What’s your location?”

  “Ten minutes out.” Heath’s voice sounded over the comms link.

  Kade pulled up a 3-D image of the building. “If this facility is important to the State, it will be well-guarded, especially if they’re holding hybrids captive. They’ll need high levels of security to stop them using their abilities and escaping.”

  “We can still take them down,” said Bellatrix. “They can’t suppress us all.”

  Kade nodded. “We’ll go in this side entrance.” He pointed to the image. “If the base is on the move, you need to be extra watchful for guards. Normal patrol patterns will be disrupted and we could run into anybody.”

  “Anyone would think they’re scared,” said Lincoln. “It’s bad manners to leave before we’ve said hello and asked them what the hell they’re doing.”

  “Our focus is to get the hybrids out and keep them safe,” said Heath, over the comms link. “But don’t hesitate in getting rid of any guards who get in your way.”

  “We might not be able to take everyone in a single trip,” said Lincoln. “Could be hundreds of people inside.”

  “That’s covered,” said Heath. “We’re bringing a truck. And Hive One has identified fifty people.”

  “We can take some in the copter,” said Kade. “We can quickly fly any with serious injuries to the bunker for immediate treatment. I’ll notify Sophia to be ready.”

  “I’m setting us down to the west of the side entrance,” said Lincoln, as he maneuvered the copter lower. “They won’t see us coming. We can use the trees as cover to get to the entrance.”

  Kade passed pulse laser guns to Anastasia and Bellatrix. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with until we get inside. Be prepared for anything.”

  Bellatrix blew a smoke ring and grinned at Kade. “Don’t worry, we’ll be ready. And we come already armed.”

  The copter landed, and they disembarked. Kade grabbed Honor’s arm and kept her close as they slid away from the copter. He caught her eye and gave her a nod. “You ready?”

  Honor glanced around the group. “Let’s go.”

  HONOR STRODE ALONG, matching Kade’s pace. Lincoln was behind them, with Anastasia and Bellatrix, as they made their way toward the center, underneath the thick cover of the densely packed trees.

  The air felt static, as if an electrical storm was brewing, and the night air was heavy. Honor forced her breathing to remain steady.

  Kade activated his comm. “Heath. What’s your location?”

  “Be with you in thirty seconds.”

  The group slowed and waited as the sound of faint footsteps approached. Heath, Tobias, and Arlo emerged from the gloom, weapons in hand. Arlo had a belt full of grenades wrapped around his chest, and a smile on his face.

  “Glad you could make it,” said Kade.

  “Wouldn’t miss this for anything.” Arlo grinned at him, his grin fading as he spotted Anastasia. “Everything good?”

  “It will be,” said Kade. “We can trust everyone here.”

  Heath shot Anastasia a sharp look before turning to the building. “What’s the situation?”

  “That’s the door we go through,” said Kade, as they stopped at the edge of the tree line.

  Heath nodded. “That corridor leads straight to the main room, where most of the people are located.”

  “That’s where the hybrids will be.”

  Honor caught the smell of something sickly-sweet burning. “Smells like barbecue out here.”

  Bellatrix wrinkled her nose. “Something stinks. I won’t be eating it though.”

  “It smells like cooked meat.”

  “Cooked dragon, more like.” Anastasia’s face was pale and her lips pressed together as she pointed to the left of the building, where a pile of
ash smoldered.

  Honor’s hand flitted to her stomach. “They’re burning bodies?”

  “Saves time on burying them.”

  “Damned bastards,” muttered Kade.

  “Stay low,” said Heath. “Someone’s coming.” The door they were watching opened, and two guards stepped out.

  Honor held her breath, as she watched the guards walk toward the smoldering heap with a body between them, carrying it by the arms and legs. “They can’t do that!”

  “It’s amazing how many hybrids disappear and nobody notices,” whispered Anastasia.

  “You kept yourself hidden,” said Kade. “We didn’t even know about you until recently. Made you vulnerable.”

  Anastasia snorted softly. “Guess it is partly our fault for secluding ourselves. We had no clue who we could trust.”

  “That doesn’t make it right,” growled Lincoln.

  “At least you’re here to protect me now.” Anastasia gave a fake pout and fluttered her eyelashes at him.

  Lincoln turned away and squinted at the guards as they stood by the smoldering ash pit. “They’re our way in. They’ll have pass cards to get inside and through any locked doors.”

  “We need those cards,” said Honor.

  “We’ll get them while we say hello to the guards,” said Bellatrix. “Call it payback for what they’ve been doing to us.”

  “Keep it low key,” ordered Heath. “We don’t need to attract attention.”

  “No fireballs?” Bellatrix’s bottom lip jutted out.

  “Only if they’re small,” said Heath.

  Honor watched as the two women ran out of the tree cover and disappeared into the shadows. The guards returned to the building, one of them taking a drink out of a bottle before handing it to his colleague.

  As the guards reached the door, a flash of fire shot out from a shadow and the men recoiled and hit the ground. Bellatrix and Anastasia were on them in seconds, and angry snarls and the sound of bones crunching filled the air. Honor winced and her mouth went dry. She’d make sure never to get on the wrong side of them.

  “It’s all clear,” came a loud whisper from the darkness.

  “Let’s move.” Kade led the way out of the trees and over to the building, Honor right behind him.