by Darren Shan
but the people inside the compound are quite —”
“The beasts are running free?” Shark interrupts.
“Yes. That’s on page four. They were set loose once delivered to the island, though they can be recaptured, singly or in small groups, using a variety of equipment provided for such a purpose.”
“Maybe Terry was right,” Meera says dubiously. “Perhaps Prae took them there to let them live naturally.”
“I think not,” Timas purrs, “and would refer you to page fourteen, appendix Bii, in support of my opinion.”
Antoine and a few of the others flick forward. Shark tosses his copy of the report aside and snaps, “Don’t play games. Just tell us.”
“No games,” Timas says mildly. “The appendix outlines everything concisely. But if you would prefer an oral report…”
“I would,” Shark snarls.
“No!” Antoine gasps, turning a shade paler beneath his tan. He must be a speed-reader because he’s already flicking from page fourteen to fifteen, eyes scanning the lines super-fast. “This can’t be right. I would have known.”
“The figures are accurate,” Timas says. “Nothing is speculative.” He faces Shark. “A third have been genetically, surgically, and electronically modified by Prae Athim and her team. She found a way to corrupt their metabolisms. This allowed her to do two things. First, using steroids, implants, and a variety of drugs, she created faster, stronger animals. Second, by operating on their brains and using other implants, she was able to train them.”
“They can’t survive at those levels,” Antoine says, glancing up from his report. “Their bodies can’t hold, not subjected to such degrees of abuse.”
“Their long-term prospects are grim,” Timas agrees. “But they can last a few years, or so the scientists believe.”
“What have they been trained to do?” Shark asks.
“Nothing too complex,” Timas says. “They can hunt in small groups, in pursuit of predefined targets — like hounds, they can be given a person’s scent. They’re not as reliable as hounds. In a crowded environment they might be distracted and chase others instead. And they’ll turn on their handlers afterwards unless subdued. But that’s a huge step forward.”
“I’d no idea she’d advanced to such a stage,” Antoine whispers. “We’ve been trying to install control mechanisms for decades. We could have done so much good if we’d known about this. We still could.”
“The Lambs are finished,” Shark says, “at least as far as werewolves are concerned. Do you really think people will trust you with their young once word of this gets out? And it will — have no doubt about that.”
“You’re right,” Antoine sighs. “But those on the island are still alive. If we can bring them back under our authority and follow up on these incredible breakthroughs…”
“You’re assuming we’ll leave any of them alive,” Shark laughs brutally. Before Antoine can react to that, he says to Timas, “What’s the best way to hit them? Do we need more troops?”
Timas purses his lips. “If the original implants had been left intact, we could have electronically disabled them from the air. But they were all secretly removed or rendered inactive prior to the abduction. The safest way would be to blanket-bomb the island.”
“No!” I cry. “You can’t just kill them. They were human once.”
“They’re not anymore,” Shark shrugs.
“I won’t let you,” I growl.
“You can’t stop me,” he says blankly.
“Actually, I can.” I raise a hand and let little forks of blue lightning crackle between my fingertips. Shark squints at me, taking my measure.
“He’d whup you,” Meera says to Shark. “He’s a magician. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Probably not.” Shark grimaces. “Besides, I don’t trust fly-boys and their damn guided missiles. They could level the compound by accident, and we need Prae alive. Options, Timas?”
“Go as we are.” He holds up his copy of the report, flicks to near the end, and taps the page. “There are very few guards. It’s mostly scientists and medics. If we just hit the compound, we can drop in and make a neat job of it.”
“You’re sure?” Shark asks.
“Absolutely,” Timas says. “I can provide you with a complete breakdown of the odds if you wish.”
“No need,” Shark smiles. “Twelve it is.”
“Thirteen,” Antoine corrects him.
Shark laughs. “You’re not serious.”
“Never more so. I’m coming.”
“You’re not,” Shark says, his smile disappearing. “This is a job for soldiers and Disciples.”
“I won’t pretend to be an action hero,” Antoine says with quiet dignity. “I’m not your equal in matters such as these. But I’m coming regardless. I run this operation now. I’m not sure what you want with Prae, but if you don’t kill her, I plan to bring her to justice. And there’s the matter of the specimens. They have to be returned. Or perhaps we can continue our work on the island. I need to undertake a study before I make a proposal to the board.”
“You can do that later,” Meera says. “Let us go in, shut down Prae’s operation, and take control of the situation. You can fly in after we’re finished and —”
“You don’t understand!” Antoine shouts, losing his temper for the first time. His jaw trembles as he glares at us. “This happened on my watch. I was supposed to control her. There have already been calls for my head. I’m hanging on to this job by my fingernails. If the board of governors finds out about this island and that I let you waltz in unrestricted and unmonitored…”
Antoine looks appealingly at Shark. “I need to come with you. And it won’t be a one-way favor. I can help. I know Prae, her people, the specimens. I can advise and caution if necessary.”
“It’d be dangerous,” Shark says. “If you come, you’re on your own. Nobody will risk their life to save yours.”
“In this business, you never expect anyone to be helpful.” Antoine smirks, in command of his temper again. “Do I have time to pack a few things?”
“No,” Shark snorts, and marches out of the office. The rest of us follow him up the stairs to where the helicopter is waiting, and off we set for Wolf Island. Aroooooo!
PREY
WE manage to squeeze into the Farrier Harrier, even though it isn’t meant to hold more than twelve. We fly all day, Shark and James taking turns to pilot. We set down a couple of times to refuel, eat, and stretch our legs. Stop at dusk for dinner at an army base, then continue through the night. I catch a few hours of sleep, using a sleeping spell to drop off.
We make our final stop shortly after nine in the morning. Breakfast, a walk, exercise. Then Shark talks us through our plans. We scour maps of the compound, Shark highlighting our route and alternatives in case we run into problems. It’s pretty simple — break in, grab Prae Athim, secure the area around her office and interrogate her there, or else abduct her and make a quick getaway.
Meera doesn’t suggest a polite approach this time. Prae Athim is way out of control. Subtlety won’t work on Wolf Island.
Shark finishes by asking for any last-minute comments or inquiries. Antoine sheepishly raises a hand. “Will you try not to cause unnecessary damage? Some of the equipment is very expensive. If we can recycle it later, we can recoup some of the costs of this debacle.”
Shark glares at Antoine. “If we come through this and I receive an invoice for wreckages, I’ll find you, string you upside down, and make you eat your own brains before I kill you. Understand?”
Antoine flushes. “I was only —”
“Be quiet,” Meera snaps.
Antoine pouts, but shuts up. Shark casts an eye around. “Last chance to back out. Anyone?” Seven of the nine soldiers promptly raise their hands. “You should be in a sitcom,” Shark jeers, then claps his hands together loudly and stands. “Let’s go!”
Back on the helicopter. Within minutes we’re over open wa
ter. No retreating now. We’re in this to the bitter, bloody end.
The island is one of many in the area, all deserted, most uninhabitable. This is one of the largest. A lot of grass, wildflowers, trees. We spot the werewolves as we skim the treetops. Spread across the island in small groups, most relaxing, some eating (I don’t think much of the natural wildlife exists there anymore), a few fighting. Mutated, vicious, hairy monstrosities, all fangs, claws, and muscles. Some howl at us as we pass overhead, though we can’t hear them over the roar of the blades.
The wolf within me tries to force its way to the surface, howling silently in reply to its warped brethren. I’m one of the cursed Gradys. I should have turned into a werewolf. I only survived because I’m a magician. My magic self wrestled with my wolfen side and triumphed. But I’ve never rid myself of the wolf, only driven it down deep inside.
I don’t have any difficulty keeping my wolfish instincts in check, but I’m surprised to find that a part of me doesn’t want to remain in control. I’m excited by the creatures running free beneath us. Life would be much simpler if I abandoned my humanity and ran wild with them, gave myself over to animalistic pleasures, free of the burdens of duty and responsibility.
I’m envious of my twisted relatives, but sad for them too. Because I know their freedom is temporary. If it all goes wrong and Prae Athim turns the tables on us, she’ll use these specimens for her own sick ends. But life won’t be much better for them if we succeed. Antoine Horwitzer will take over, pick the werewolves off one by one, slice them open, and carry out all manner of unpleasant experiments.
I’m so glad Gret and Bill-E aren’t down there. In a weird way I’d rather they were dead than captive on this island. Better to be out of life entirely than struggle through it as a tormented, hopeless, inhuman victim.
The others are studying the werewolves with a mixture of curiosity and loathing. They have no ties to these unfortunate mutants. They view them simply as enemies. If our plan works, we should have no dealings with the werewolves. But if complications set in, the soliders might find themselves up against the killer beasts, and in that case they’ll have to be ruthless.
Antoine is the only one not awed by the spectacle. He stole a quick glance at the werewolves when we hit the island’s edge, then closed his eyes, dug rosary beads out of a pocket, and began to pray. I hadn’t pegged him as a religious type, but when I think about it, it makes sense. After all, the Lambs named themselves after a biblical quote.
My stomach clenches and I almost throw up. It’s the werewolf, fighting to free itself. I stop staring at Antoine and focus on driving the wolf back inside. It retreats reluctantly and I feel sorry for it. If I could let it loose for a while, somewhere it couldn’t cause damage, I would, just to give it a taste of freedom.
The compound walls come into sight. I was expecting a fence, but there isn’t one, only a long wall of high, thick, metal panels. Lots of werewolves are gathered by the wall, hurling themselves at it, clawing its smooth grey surface, howling at those inside, the stench of human flesh thick in their nostrils. (The stench is also thick in mine. My lips tremble and I am careful not to drool.)
As we approach the wall I catch my first glimpse of the compound. It’s built on the extended tip of the island, surrounded on three sides by cliffs and water. The werewolves have only one route of attack. Even if they could swim (Antoine told us they can’t), they’d struggle to climb the sheer cliffs, despite their claws.
The compound’s nothing special. A series of grey, drab buildings with flat aluminium roofs. There are lots of grooves in the ground, which Timas points out, speaking through the microphone on his headset.
“They use the grooves to slot the walls into place,” he explains. “An ingenious system. Just lay the grooves, then slide the panels around and click them together. Makes it easy to shuffle the rooms and alter the layout.”
“Those walls can’t be sturdy,” Shark grunts.
“They are,” Timas insists. “Designed to withstand anything nature can throw at them. The architects couldn’t take chances, not with hundreds of werewolves lying in wait on the other side.”
There’s a landing pad inside the main wall, to the left. A single helicopter stands idle. There are several motorboats stored under tarpaulins at either side of the crag, rope ladders stacked beside them. In the event of an evacuation, that’s how the staff would leave, lowering the boats and climbing down into them.
Guards spill out of the nearest building as we touch down, cocking rifles and pistols. One roars through a megaphone, commanding us to come out unarmed.
“This is it!” Shark yells, brandishing his handguns. “Don’t kill if you can help it, but don’t show too much mercy either. These guys knew what they were signing up for. They’ve already murdered seventeen people. They’ll rip us to shreds if we give them the chance.”
He rolls out and across the ground, leaps to his feet, and opens fire, supported instantly by his team, even Timas, wielding a high-tech weapon that provides him with all sorts of fascinating feedback.
Meera and I share a worried glance, then slide out after the others onto the bullet-riddled Tarmac, leaving James and Marian to guard the helicopter. Antoine stumbles out after us, still praying, crouched low, sweat staining the collar of his otherwise spotless shirt.
The air is ablaze with gunfire. A number of guards are already lying wounded or dead. Others are firing wildly. It’s a simple matter for the well-trained members of Shark’s squad to pick them off.
The last few, realizing the futility of their position, discard their weapons and thrust their hands into the air. The gunfire ceases. Leo darts forward and makes them lie down, then handcuffs their wrists and ankles. While he’s doing that, the other soldiers advance to the open door and surround it. When Leo joins them, Shark holds up three fingers and counts down. Liam and Terry burst through, laying down a spray of advance fire. In pairs, the rest of the team follow them in. Meera and I bring up the rear, Antoine and Pip ahead of us. The bloodshed sickens me. I don’t mind slaughtering demons, but these are people. It’s not right. I know we have no choice, that these guys are murderers, but still…
Cool inside. Air-conditioned. Brightly lit. Liam and Terry are already at the end of the room and halfway through the door to the next room or corridor. No sign of anybody else. These are living quarters. Bunks, cabinets, racks for clothes, photos of models and relatives pinned to the walls. Those we hit outside must have been relaxing. They wouldn’t have been expecting an attack. I wish they hadn’t reacted so swiftly. If we’d caught them in here, we wouldn’t have had to kill so many.
“You OK?” Meera asks as we wait for the call to advance.
“Not really,” I groan.
“I know it’s hard,” she says quietly. “Try not to think of them as humans but as demonic assistants.”
“But they probably know nothing about the Demonata,” I protest.
“They knew about the seventeen Lambs they killed,” Meera snaps. “These aren’t innocents.”
“But they’re still people. I don’t feel comfortable killing like this.”
Meera smiles wanly. “That’s a good thing. Try and hold on to that attitude. The world’s packed with too many trigger-happy goons.”
“Like Shark?” I grin shakily.
Meera’s face puckers into something between a scowl and a smirk. Before she can answer, one of the soldiers — I think it’s Spenser — shouts affirmatively, and we’re moving forward again, farther into the heart of the compound.
We don’t encounter much resistance. The occasional guard or two. We’re able to overpower most of them and leave them handcuffed, alive. We only face one real obstacle, when several guards block a long corridor and fill it with furniture. They have a great vantage point. If we try to rush them, we’ll be cut down before we get halfway. But Shark isn’t fazed. He calls Pip forward. She studies the piled-up furniture, makes a few calculations, then takes off her backpack and roots through
it. Produces a small round object. It looks like a thick CD.
“Who’s good with Frisbees?” Pip asks.
“Here,” Liam says. He takes the disc, aims, then glances at Pip. “Do I need to press anything?”
“No. But if you don’t throw it quickly, you’ll lose an arm.”
Liam yelps, then sends the disc skimming down the corridor. It hits the mound of furniture near the base and explodes on contact. The desks, chairs, and cabinets fly backwards, obliterating the guards behind them. We’re on the scene seconds later, Shark’s troops handcuffing any survivors. Stephen bends over a seriously wounded man. Starts to cuff him, then pauses, studies his injuries, sets him down, and presses the barrel of his gun to the man’s head. I look away but I can’t drown out the retort of the muffled shot.
We push on, the air thick with the stench of scorched wood, blood, and whatever was in Pip’s bomb. Antoine’s still praying. I almost feel like joining in.
The corridors and rooms all look the same to me, but the soldiers know exactly where they’re going. A couple of minutes later, we’re at the door of Prae Athim’s office. There are no markings to confirm that, but Timas is certain. He steps ahead of us and raps softly. “Knock, knock,” he calls. “Anybody home?”
He pushes the door open and we spill in.
A large room. Grey walls. Harsh fluorescent lights. A single bed. A black, high-backed leather chair in the center of the floor. Someone’s sitting in it, facing away from us. I can only see the person’s lower legs, but I’m sure it’s Prae Athim.
“Hey!” Shark barks. No answer. He looks at us. Nods at Pip to advance and check for explosives. She creeps forward, skirting the chair, pistol trained on the person in it. As she angles to the front, she pauses, face crinkling. Shaking her head, she stoops, checks the chair for wires and devices, then puts her hand on one of the arms and swivels it around.
I was right. It’s Prae Athim. But, to my bewilderment, she’s strapped down, a strip of tape across her mouth, incapable of movement or sound.
We gape at the sight. Prae Athim glares at us. Shark gulps, then strides forward and grabs hold of one end of the tape over her mouth. Before he can tear it free, somebody shouts a weird word. Whipping round, I spot Antoine Horwitzer, arms wide, grinning crazily. He yells a couple more words and the air shimmers behind him. Too late, I realize the nature of the trap we’ve walked into. I start to roar a warning, but the window opens before I can.
It’s an enormous dark window. As I stare at it, horrified, a