‘Females are far more capable hunters than the males,’ her commander had told her, ‘and that is why we are giving you the more interesting of the two tasks.’ She remembered thinking at the time that it was a great honor to be given the more difficult task, as that told her the commander considered her to be the more capable of the pair. She also remembered thanking her commander for his faith in her abilities.
‘Before you leave here, you will be surgically enhanced. It will be easier for you to get closer to the Herbaht leadership if they think you are Herbaht yourselves. You’ll be altered to look like them, and your scent will be similarly altered—no point changing your appearance if they can just smell straight through you. Some of this will be cosmetic only. We will be taking the opportunity to enhance a few things, though. One thing we will be equipping you with is the Alpha Serum. We are now supplying this to all of our field agents. A single dose will be placed within a breakable tooth and fitted to the back of your mouth. Remember that this drug could kill you if you take it, so only use it if absolutely necessary.’
She remembered thinking that her partner Iashuggent had been anxious to try out the drug. It was like a wonder drug, increasing your strength and speed tenfold for about five seconds. To the imbiber, everything else would seem to be moving in slow motion. The imbiber would seem to have about a minute’s freedom in the five seconds the drug would actually work.
That was it, straight out of the briefing and straight into surgery. Iashuggent left later that same day, heading for his quarry in Florida. She, on the other hand, had to find out where her target was living first. She had the more interesting target of the Lesser Matriarch in or about the city of London.
Then she came across the snag. The Lesser Matriarch and her husband were apparently so paranoid that only a very small number of their closest friends and relatives actually knew where they resided. Others only ever got to meet them when they deigned to visit one of the many regional headquarters that littered the area. Khosi didn’t think it was a good idea to stake out one of these places in the hope that they might eventually show up—better to try and find someone who knew where they lived and pay them a home visit. They wouldn’t be expecting a home visit.
Her search hadn’t taken long. The Elite had taken a prisoner just a day earlier who matched exactly the description of the one known as Lara. She was the daughter of Khosi’s target and almost certainly would have her mother’s address. She remembered how the excitement had filled her being at the discovery and how amazed she was when she realized that the so-called Elite didn’t even know whom they had taken.
She sighed to herself in the cell and wandered over to the cell door. It was solid wood, and from the few times she had seen it opened she knew it was three or four inches thick. She turned round to face the others in the cell and sneered at them, resting on the door. Lara glanced quickly in her direction and might have sneered back. She moved too quickly to really tell, and then she seemed to be whispering to Amba. Khosi didn’t care what they might be talking about. They could talk about her for all she cared. She knew she was the one with the upper hand. Her tongue quickly found the serum-filled tooth. When it had first been fitted it had taken her a few attempts to find it each time, being so close in design to her real teeth, but after six days in this cell her tongue found it instantly.
She had started having second thoughts before the shuttlecraft had even dropped her off. They had flown over the Cattery on their way to the closest suitable landing place, and she had seen no less than twenty cell blocks in the confines of the place. What were the chances that she would actually get a chance to see Lara, let alone get placed in the same cell or even cellblock as her?
As luck would have it, the odds weren’t as bad as they had seemed. The Elite kept all the wild Herbaht in one cell block, males on one side and females on the other. And since Khosi was assumed to be a wild Herbaht, in the end the chances of being put in the same cell as Lara were only five to one. Nevertheless, she considered herself very lucky to be in the same cell and not next door, or even down at the far end of the block. Finding that the Elite were so pressed for space that they had also taken to dumping domesticated Herbaht into these cells had been a bit of a shock for her. Having to mingle so closely with so many of these hated creatures was more than she had been prepared for. It had shown in her expression whenever one of them had tried to talk to her on that first day in the cell. Now, of course, they all tended to give her as wide a berth as they could and do their best to ignore her.
She pressed the door gently with just a finger, testing the strength. It was a strong door. Not strong enough to stop her if she decided to make a break for it, but how far would she get if she had to drag Lara with her? At least they had stopped taking people from this cell for execution. That had been nasty. Khosi could easily have lost her chance to question Lara if Lara had been taken away for destruction. The idea that they might’ve come for her didn’t even occur to her; there was always the serum.
Then there had been the questioning. They had taken her to a small room and injected her with something to make her tell the truth. Supposedly it also had an effect of wiping the memory of the prisoner; the idea seemed to be to attack the prisoner’s morale rather than get any real answers. With Khosi things had been a little different. They had wanted to know where she had gotten the shuttle she had landed in. Maybe they should have used a more effective drug on her, but they were working with what they had, and Khosi’s metabolism was sufficiently different than that of the Herbaht that the drug didn’t have the full desired effect. She was well aware of what she had told them, and she had been quite capable of lying had she felt the need. The Elite had learned nothing from her. The only real effect the drug had had on her had been to make her drowsy and eventually send her to sleep.
She brushed some of the dust that had attached itself to her while she had been sleeping from her body and then brushed the dust from her hands. She wished there was enough room to do some exercises, but the cell was so cramped, and the Herbaht seemed to occupy every spare inch of floor space. How had the Elite managed to fit nearly thirty in here just the other day?
Already her partner must’ve completed his mission and was probably at home with his feet up, awaiting her return so they could be given their next assignment together. He had a much easier mission than she. She was surprised that the soldiers who guarded this place hadn’t announced the death of the Greater Matriarch. It was the sort of thing they would have loved to share with the inmates, as it would help to demoralize their charges further. Not that they intended to be sadistic so much, but depressed prisoners were easier to manage. It was also known that many of the guards had lost relatives to the Herbaht, so it seemed strange that they wouldn’t take every opportunity to hurt their charges in some way. In a way, it seemed strange that they weren’t more sadistic.
Once again her tongue found the small artificial tooth that carried a very small dose of serum. As powerful as it was, it did have a very nasty side effect. She would have to make sure that she was clear of danger by the time it wore off, because almost immediately it would make her feel very tired—so tired that even resisting the desire to sleep as strongly as she could, she might still find herself in the arms of Morpheus no more than five minutes after she had imbibed the thing. The second and more dangerous side effect was that the drug was such a jolt to the body that there was at least a twenty-seven percent chance it would immediately induce a heart attack. That twenty-seven percent chance had been calculated based on a healthy body that had had the proper food and plenty of exercise for the last five days, which Khosi hadn’t. It was better than the original version of the drug. The very first variant had induced about sixty-three percent fatalities in those who took it. That had been made for emergencies only, and with the current version still having a twenty-seven percent chance of death, it still took a lot of soul searching before most would risk it. Khosi didn’t think she was likely to have a choice
. One-on-one or even one-on-two she knew she could handle these Elite. But if she had to fight against the entire Cattery…!
She spared a moment or two’s thought for Myajes. He had come to this cell to rescue Lara from her captivity and had been captured himself. She grinned to herself at the thought that Myajes was probably considered the Matriarch’s best and that he should be caught so easily! Nevertheless, he must also know where to find the Lesser Matriarch, and it would be useful to try and find out what had happened to him, if the opportunity presented itself. He was a second lead on her primary target.
She didn’t like to listen to the rumors the Herbaht tended to bandy around, but being stuck in a cell with ten of the beasts made them hard to ignore. Rumors of every sort were discussed, from the idea that the humans had simply forgotten about them (the fact that they were still being fed tended to negate this one) to rumors that they were all being kept away from the others in the Cattery for some special purpose. If the humans had found out whom the Herbaht calling herself Roberta really was, that might make this last rumor true. It might also make getting away from the Cattery with her a lot more awkward, as she would be carefully watched.
She moved away from the wooden cell door at the sound of footsteps approaching along the corridor towards them. It must be breakfast already, and though she didn’t care if the others in the cell should starve to death, she needed to keep her own strength up if she was going to get the chance to escape. Besides, blocking the door from opening would cause her problems, not just with the soldiers but also with the ten hungry Herbaht she was sharing the cell with.
The door opened wide, and there stood before them three soldiers of the Elite Guard. That was all, no sign of any breakfast. What sort of contempt did the humans have for the Herbaht that they felt comfortable just bringing three soldiers to the cell? She could crush them in less than a second with her serum. Once again her tongue found the tooth. She hesitated to use it. It was still a long way to the main gates, and that side effect of the serum would make her chances of success negligible.
There was a gasp around the rest of the cell. It was Ruby who first said anything: ‘They haven’t brought our breakfast with them.’ The feeling in the cell seemed to be that if soldiers hadn’t brought food with them, then they had probably come to take some of them for destruction. After three days of not having anyone taken away for that purpose, the idea brought a wave of different emotions. A couple started sobbing, while another stood up and fixed the soldiers with a glare as if challenging them to take her. Starlight remained where she sat with her head resting on her knees. She seemed to have resigned herself to her fate. Khosi would have preferred if they took both her and Lara. Her chances of escaping with her quarry were bound to improve if they were led from this cell to anywhere else in the compound closer towards the main gates.
The leader of the three soldiers whose name badge claimed he was Johnson seemed attuned to what those in the cell were thinking and quickly tried to settle them down. ‘Don’t panic. Please, don’t panic. We haven’t come to end your lives.’
‘That’s what they all say,’ Amba hissed at him.
‘You eleven are going on a nice little ride to another Cattery where you will be allowed to live for a while longer,’ Johnson continued unabatedly. ‘So long as you continue to be of use to us, we will keep you alive.’
‘Of use to you?’ asked Jewel. ‘How are we of use to you?’
Johnson just smiled at her and winked. Then he stepped to one side, clearing a path through the door, and continued, ‘So if you’d like to make your way out to the courtyard, there you’ll find a truck. Don’t board the truck yet. We shall want to check that we have everyone we’re supposed to have before we leave. We aren’t going to take responsibility for someone we haven’t got.’
One of the other soldiers whispered something in Johnson’s ear, and Johnson nodded and whispered something back. Khosi didn’t hear what the first soldier said, but her surgically enhanced hearing picked up the reply: ‘Locked? Well, I guess they won’t be able to get aboard yet, then.’
‘Red tape,’ Amba muttered under her breath.
‘Indeed,’ agreed Johnson, turning his attention back to the cell with another wink. ‘Everything must be recorded properly, you know.’
Khosi wondered if the soldier was really winking or if perhaps he had a nervous twitch that was triggered whenever he spoke. She could understand if he was nervous, especially around the Herbaht. She didn’t like them either. Nevertheless, he did seem to be fairly willing to answer their questions and comments. Perhaps she should hazard one herself. She quickly ran through how she would phrase the question in her mind and held back as the others in the cell were led out in single file. One of the soldiers, his nametag reading Evans, led the entourage.
Other than Khosi, the last to leave the cell was Amba. She gave Khosi a dirty look as she stepped out into the corridor. That angered Khosi, just because she was waiting to be last out so she could ask this Johnson a question. She decided then that she would settle with Amba later. Khosi would settle with all of them later.
‘Can I ask, what will happen to that devilishly handsome man who came to the cell the other day?’ she asked of Johnson. The words made her feel like cringing. A Herbaht handsome!
‘The cat, you mean?’ was Johnson’s reply.
Khosi nodded emphatically. The others were a fair way down the corridor already, but she was in no hurry. It was still raining out there, as she could see through the cell window.
Johnson laughed at her, ‘Oh, you don’t want to worry about him. You should be far more worried about yourself!’
‘But what’s going to happen to him?’ She tried to sound pathetic.
He looked her straight in the eye, gazing at her menacingly. ‘Why do you ask? Do you really think I’m likely to tell you? ’
‘What harm can telling me do?’ She kept her voice sounding pathetic.
The third soldier (this one’s nametag told her he was Hughes) rested a hand on Johnson’s shoulder and shook his head. ‘Just ignore her; let’s go.’
Johnson nodded and waved for Khosi to lead the way down the corridor. She felt a little nervous that they were following right behind, but then again she knew she could handle them any time she wanted. With that thought, her tongue again found the tooth with the serum. She would have to stop doing that; it would be too easy to accidentally break the tooth and ingest the serum at the wrong time.
A quick look at the truck they were going to be traveling in told her that the doors and sides of the vehicle were made of metal, and though metal was harder than the cell door, it was a lot thinner, being less than a full inch thick. She should have no trouble breaking out of this vehicle if she got the chance. Indeed, since Lara was going to be traveling with them on this journey, maybe she should take the opportunity the second it presented itself. To be honest, she’d like to try now, but those towers on either side of the courtyard looked nasty, and though they were supposed to be concentrating on the surrounding tree line, the activity in the courtyard had attracted their attention. Besides, it was still quite a fair way to the main gates. She would have tried to make her escape now if she wasn’t so sure that a better opportunity would show itself a little later.
She shivered a little, more with the cold than the rain. It was worse out here than the cell had been, but not much. The amount of protection that the cell walls had given them from the cold was negated by the way that they had actually seemed to hold the cold for longer. Once they got in the vehicle, maybe the soldiers would be good enough to send some heating into the back and warm her up a little.
She stood about, looking around the inner courtyard of the Cattery. She loved the smell of the fresh air, even if it was cold. She was glad to be away from the stink of Herbaht in the cell, the memory of which was still strong in her nostrils. She liked that she was able to stretch her legs properly, after five days of confinement, and not have to worry about tripping over a
nother inmate in that very small cell. The way Lara and Amba had sat almost constantly, with their legs jutting halfway across the cell floor, and Starlight joining them from time to time had only exemplified the problem.
She wondered what they were waiting for. She was glad that they had a bit of time before getting loaded in a cramped-looking vehicle with these still stinking creatures. Couldn’t they at least get a wash before they went anywhere else? Yes, she realized as she considered how much the others stank, she too was to blame for the smell all eleven of them were generating. It had been six days without a wash and without a change of clothes.
Then the reason for the apparent delay appeared. Lieutenant Colonel Norton, clipboard computer in hand, marched across the courtyard and stood before Johnson. They exchanged salutes, and then the Colonel did a quick head count of the prisoners.
Then the one called Hughes suddenly made a precision turn and commanded, ‘Answer your names when they are called out.’ He then began the roll call: ‘Roberta, Amba, Jewel, Mazaline, Ruby, Khosi, Stripy, Starlight, Mary, Stripy and Juno.’
Khosi didn’t feel like causing trouble just yet and obediently responded to her name. It seemed Lara also wasn’t in the mood for making waves that day, as she responded when the name Roberta was called out. The others, well, they were all domesticated stock and wouldn’t know how to resist if their lives depended on it. The only real problem was the two who shared the name Stripy, as both had tried to answer each time their name was called out.
Hughes then marched over to the waiting Colonel and said in a voice loud enough for Khosi to easily overhear, ‘All present and correct, sir.’ He saluted and walked back to the waiting Herbaht.
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