Asteria shook her head. “I already tried that. It’s jammed too tight. Try shooting out the hinges.”
Ken pulled his rifle while Myrick used his body to shield Asteria. The rifle’s blast was deafening, and shards of rock exploded in all directions. The hinge, however, looked undamaged. “No good.”
“Something’s not right. What was their plan? To trap us in here? Their man would have been trapped with us. What were they hoping to gain?”
“I think I can answer that,” said the only captive who had yet to shift. “A couple of months ago we tried to escape. When the guards came to bring us to their lab, we attacked them. It was a stupid plan, really. We just needed to try something instead of waiting for help that we thought would never come. Anyway, before we got a few feet out of our cell, this door slammed shut and gas poured in from the ceiling. When we woke up, we were all locked back in our cells, with a few extra bruises.”
“So, the gas isn’t released until the door closes. It makes sense. They wouldn’t risk it leaking into the rest of the facility. When Asteria stopped it from closing all the way, she stopped the gas.” Ken looked at Asteria. “Nice job.”
“Thanks, but not helpful. How are we going to open this door?”
Myrick grabbed the walkie-talkie, pressed the button, and spoke. “Myrine, we’re stuck in the holding area. Can you send some assistance?” He waited a moment for her response, then tried again. “Myrine, can you hear me?” Still nothing. “Looks like we’re on our own.”
One of the bears nudged Myrick with his snout and started nibbling on his belt. “Whoa, there lad. You haven’t been in prison long enough for that.” The bear let out a loud snort.
Asteria laughed. “I think he wants you to remove your belt.” The bear nodded and began tugging at Ken’s belt next. “And yours, too, it would seem.”
Myrick started to make another quip until he realized what the bear had in mind. “Good thinking, big guy.” When both men had their belts removed, Myrick slid one’s end into the buckle of the other, making sure they were tightly buckled together. He then looped the other end through the door handle. Once it was secure, he held the free end out to the bear. “Have at it, boys.”
The largest bear gripped the end of the leather belt in his powerful jaws, while the other clenched it a few inches up. Both wolves bit down in the space that was left. Myrick looked to the last man who simply shook his head. “I can’t shift,” he said. “They put something inside my brain that makes it impossible.”
“That explains why the soldier chose you as his cellmate. We’ll get the general for what he’s done to you. He will pay.”
The animals set their paws on the rock beneath their feet and pulled. Myrick watched the formidable muscles in their backs go taught as they growled with exertion. Asteria wiggled her blade and exclaimed, “It’s working!”
“Keep your blade where it is just in case they lose their grip,” Myrick said.
The largest bear took a tentative step backward, followed by the others. The gap between the door and its frame grew almost three inches, allowing in a beam of light from the hallway. Myrick saw the progress but wasn’t optimistic. Even if they could spread the gap wide enough to fit through, there remained one serious problem. It was taking an enormous effort from all four animals to even hold that door open. How would the bears and wolves get out once they let go of the belt?
“What’s your name?” Myrick asked the man.
“Clive.”
“Okay, Clive. Where did the gas come from?”
Clive pointed to a vent in the ceiling in front of the center cell.
“Grab all of the clothes on the floor. We need to block that vent completely,” Myrick said. Without question, Clive did as he was told. “Ken, I’m going to hoist you up to the ceiling. I need you to get that vent cover off and stuff all of the clothes in there.”
Ken nodded and grabbed the knife dropped by the soldier. Myrick knelt down while Ken climbed onto his shoulders and, with Clive’s help, rose up until he was standing again.
The vent cover clattered to the floor a few moments later when Ken used the knife as a screwdriver. Clive passed up each item of clothing until they were all stuffed inside the shaft, and finally the vent cover to hold it all in place.
Myrick stumbled as he bent down to let Ken off his shoulders. “You really need to go on a diet.” He turned to the bears and wolves. “I’m sure you boys have figured this out already, but you’re not going to be able to get through that door. You don’t know us, but I need you to trust me right now. I will get you out of here. We’ve blocked the gas pipe, so you won’t be knocked out. It’ll take me a little bit of time to break you out, but make sure you stay in your animal form. What I have in mind will be rough, but in your current form, you should be fine.”
“I should stay with them,” Clive said.
“No, in your human form you’re too fragile. Don’t worry.” Myrick put his hand on Clive’s shoulder. “I will not leave them behind. You have my word.”
The largest bear eyed Clive and inclined his snout as much as the belt would allow. He took another step backward with the rest of them, and the door opened even more.
“Asteria, you can squeeze through now,” Myrick said.
She looked at the animals and said, “Thank you,” before slipping through.
A moment later the gap was large enough for the men, and all three squeezed through. Myrick stopped half way and looked again at the shifters who had made this possible. “Hold tight. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
All of them watched from the hallway as the heavy metal door slammed shut, locking four brave souls in the dark, harsh room.
Chapter 38
The noise emanating from the hangar told Carter that they didn’t have much time. The helicopter sounded as though it was ready to lift off and, judging by the fresh air flowing from the entrance, they’d already retracted the roof.
“We can’t let them take off.” Myrine had to yell to be heard over the engine noise and sirens that were still blaring throughout the facility. “Can we close the roof?”
Captain Hancock laid Mirissa gently on the floor. Her eyes were beginning to flutter as the sedative wore off. “The control switch is on the other side of the room. If you can cover me, I can get to it,” Hancock stated as though it were a simple task instead of a life-threatening proposition.
“Still nonlethal force?” Carter asked.
“Hell, no. These guys are here by choice, not coercion,” Myrine said.
They took positions on either side of the door and began firing rounds at the helicopter. Hancock took off at a sprint, cutting left and right to reduce his risk of being targeted. Carter felt splinters of wood impale his cheek as a bullet embedded itself into the wood frame of the door. Instinctively, he dove inside the hangar and rolled behind a stack of crates.
With his back to the crates, he took a deep breath before spinning to the side and unloading his rifle at the chopper. His second shot took out the shooter sitting behind the pilot. His third narrowly missed a guy strapped into one of the back seats. The look of fear on that guy’s face stopped Carter’s heart. Lou. “Hold your fire! Hold your fire! There’s a hostage in the chopper.”
Carter watched in horror as Hancock reached the wall on the far side of the hangar. He had no cover in that position and the rifle barrel jutting out of the chopper’s window turned towards him. “Hancock!” he screamed as a flash from the rifle’s muzzle signified he was too late. Hancock crumpled to his knees. Two more flashes and he was an unmoving heap on the floor.
Anger streamed through Carter as he ran toward the nose of the helicopter. If they were going to shoot him, they’d have to do it through their own windshield. The whir of the rotors increased and the wheels of the landing gear rose from the floor. Carter surged forward, squeezing out every bit of speed he had, but it wouldn’t be enough. The copter’s landing gear was already well over six feet in the air and rising fast.
/>
With one last, futile effort, Carter jumped. There was no way he’d make it, but he had to at least try. He reached his hands toward the small rubber tire at the height of his leap, but grasped only air. He’d lost them. He’d lost Lou.
An unexpected wave hit him in the back and drove him violently upward. The tire that was easily out of his reach a second before, slammed into his chest with enough force to knock the wind out of him. The shock almost caused him to forget to grab hold, but he looped his arm through the metal gear and held tight.
Over his shoulder, he saw Mirissa on her knees just inside the doorway, smiling up at him.
********
Myrine stared helplessly as the helicopter carrying the general and his men disappeared into the night sky with Carter dangling below. She had no way to track it. No way to give Carter any backup. No way to help her team member of five years in any way.
Steve slid his fingers through hers and said, “It was the only way.”
Myrine turned to him and forced a smile. “I know, but he’s on his own now.”
Her husband gave her hand a squeeze before kneeling beside Mirissa. He brushed the hair from their daughter’s face and kissed her forehead. “Rest easy for a while, sweetheart. You’ve got a long way to go before you’re fully recovered.”
Mirissa looked up at him through hazy eyes and smiled. “You said not to use my powers unless absolutely necessary. I figured that qualified.”
Myrine reached for her walkie-talkie to get an update from Myrick on the captives. She pressed the button but stopped before speaking.
Myrick, Ken, Asteria, and a man she didn’t recognize emerged from the corridor and walked slowly toward them. The looks on their faces told Myrine something was very wrong even before she saw the group of armed men following them. The men were carrying rifles, not tranquilizer guns, so it appeared their nonlethal-force-only order had been lifted.
The soldiers herded everyone to the center of the hangar. Myrine saw Mirissa raise her hand with no affect. She’d used every last bit of control she had in her drugged state to propel Carter to the chopper. She had nothing left.
“It’s over, boys,” Myrine said to the soldiers as she moved herself to the front of the group. “Your general’s gone, your mission’s ended. There’s no need for you to do anything else.”
The blank stares of the men reminded Myrine of the creatures from zombie movies. They weren’t just not listening to her, they weren’t even aware she was speaking.
As a unit, the soldiers raised their rifles and took aim. Myrine straightened her shoulders and stood tall, as did her husband. The rest of her group, including Mirissa, did the same. At that moment, Myrine was as proud as she’d ever been. If they had to die, they’d at least do it with the grace and power she’d grown to expect from them.
But they didn’t.
Before the first trigger was pulled, every soldier in front of them dropped to the floor, unconscious. Confusion set in as Myrine glanced around the hanger for some sort of explanation, yet found none. The sirens that had been wailing since the explosive released Gina and Kell suddenly stopped, and a familiar voice came over the speaker system in their place.
“Sorry that took so long, guys. Their system was seriously good. Not as good as me, of course, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Even with an internal network they still had wicked firewalls, and don’t get me started on the code they wrote for those brain chips. It was—”
“Julian,” Myrine interrupted his monologue. “Your timing was perfect. Thank you.”
A groan from across the room had everyone reaching for weapons, but Myrine called them off with a smile.
“Damn, that hurts.” Captain Hancock struggled to his feet.
“How is that possible?” Steve asked.
Hancock gave them a crooked smile. “Did you forget where you are? This is a DARPA research facility. I’m one of their guinea pigs. What would be the point of developing computer-controlled liquid body armor if we didn’t actually use it?” He took a step forward and winced. “There are still a few kinks to be worked out, though. My cracked ribs can attest to that.”
“All right everyone, we need to secure these soldiers in case their chips reboot.” She looked up and quickly added, “I know you wouldn’t let that happen, Julian. I’m just being overly cautious.” Myrine returned her focus to the room. “Let’s go through the facility room by room and round up every last soldier. I don’t want any more surprises.”
“Hancock, are you in good enough shape to point me in the direction of some explosives?” Myrick asked.
“Hell, yes. If a few cracked ribs put me out I wouldn’t have made it very far in this program. Follow me.”
Myrine raised an eyebrow at the Scotsman. “What exactly are you up to?”
“I’ve got a promise to keep.”
********
“Are you sure about this?” Hancock asked as Myrick stripped off his clothes and donned the liquid body armor he’d been given.
“It’s the only way.”
“Why don’t we just blow a hole in the interior wall?”
“Because the pipe that’s now full of gas might ignite. This way, if that happens, any fire will be doused immediately.” Myrick looked down over the northern edge of the canyon at the Colorado River below. It was a long way down, but the river was more than deep enough at this point to keep him from hitting bottom. “Are you positive we’re in the right position?”
“Yep, the holding cells are directly under us. Once you jump, I’ll shine my flashlight downward. The current is fast, so you’ll need to swim hard against it. Just make sure you’re under my light before you plant the explosive.”
Myrick checked the container that held the device one last time. It was secured with a length of paracord tied around his chest. “Here we go.” He walked away from the ledge so he could get a running start. Being a merman wouldn’t do him any good if he crashed against the canyon wall before he hit the water. A few long strides and he was over the edge, plummeting to the rushing water below.
He crossed his arms over his chest and locked his legs, toes pointed to lessen the impact. Even so, when he broke the surface of the water, he sent a silent thank you to Hancock for lending him the armor. He felt the suit change from soft fabric to steel the instant he hit.
The rope around his chest pulled violently upward as the container struggled to float while his body continued to pull it down. His gills formed and opened on his neck at the same time the webbing between his fingers and toes grew. Once his downward momentum slowed, his powerful arms and legs pulled him to the surface. He scanned the ridge for Hancock’s flashlight, but saw nothing.
He could feel the current pulling him away and realized he was looking in the wrong spot. He turned to his right and saw a pinprick of light waving back and forth at least a hundred yards east of him. Myrick set the spot in his mind and dove.
Although a current that strong would be impossible for a man to swim against, it was child’s play for Myrick. This was his world. His gills filled his lungs with ample oxygen to power his body, and the webbing allowed him to push massive amounts of water with each stroke. It took him less than a minute to surface directly underneath the waving light.
Myrick used his hands to pull the container to him while his kicking legs kept him from drifting downstream. He pulled the explosive out and did a quick check for damage. Once he was satisfied it was still in one piece, he dove.
If Captain Hancock’s calculations were correct, he needed to blow the wall twenty feet below the river’s surface. The holding room would flood within seconds, but the airtight door would keep the rest of the facility dry. He only hoped he could get the captives out of there before they drowned. In their animal forms, they would be powerful swimmers, but there was no guarantee they’d be able to find their way out in the dark.
Myrick found a spot on the canyon wall and attached the explosive. The waterproof detonator Hancock had rig
ged flashed red when he depressed the button, signifying he had thirty seconds to get to a safe distance.
Swimming away with the current would have been much easier than swimming against it, but he refused to do that. He was more than capable of getting a relatively safe distance upstream before the device detonated and wanted to use the current to speed his return to the men. Every second would count for them.
The blast was muted by the rushing water, but the concussion it caused was unmistakable. Myrick spun around and powered back the instant it went off. The jagged hole in the rock wall was acting like a drain in some macabre bathtub, pulling the water and Myrick into it so the river could accomplish its goal of filling the new space.
Underwater, Myrick’s eyesight was no better than anyone else’s, but that didn’t matter. Just as his gills and webbing formed when he submersed, his eardrums and voice box mutated to give him natural sonar. Like a porpoise, Myrick opened his mouth and emitted the high frequency sound that would bounce off every surface and return to him all the information he needed.
The bears and wolves were floating near the ceiling, taking in their last breaths from the quickly diminishing air pocket. Myrick swam through the cell’s open door and broke the surface beside them, but before he could get a word out, powerful jaws clamped around his forearm. “Hey! It’s me.” The suit once again protected him from any serious damage, but the delay cost them valuable air. “Follow me. Swim hard and don’t stop for any reason.”
Myrick dove toward the jagged opening in the wall. He stopped at the cell door and held it open for the beasts as they paddled through. The closer they got to the hole, the slower their progress against the new current. One of the wolves looked panicked and tried to swim back up to the ceiling for air. Myrick grabbed his tail and pulled him back down. There was no air up there anymore.
He placed his hands on the backside of the lead bear and kicked with everything he had until he disappeared into the raging river. He grabbed the panicked wolf and threw him through the opening, followed by the next one. The last bear, however, looked to be swimming away.
Rogue (Book 2) (The Omega Group) Page 17