The Hive (Rasper Book 2)

by Kathleen Groger

  “We would be better than the super soldiers they are trying to create.” Carter pointed his chin at Kalis and the others. “They still have a part of their humanity left. Where we were never human.”

  “Can we tweak the programming so they have the ability to only kill Raspers? I mean the Raspers are technically dead, right?” Adam directed the question to his uncle.

  “Since they don’t register as the person anymore, I might be able to add a code to allow for eliminating things with a lower heat level than humans register.” The director tilted his head back and forth. “It would be easy to adjust Carter, but there’s no time for all the AI.”

  Taylor vacated his seat behind the computer.

  The director took his place. “Carter, can you plug in?”

  It took about twenty minutes of the director feverously typing and sporadically cursing, and a few strange beeping noises, but he declared Carter able to dispose of lower body temperature creatures.

  “Okay, let’s go in two teams. Rollins, take Bowie and Adam to the Alpha entrance. Val, Carter, and I will tackle Delta. Zombie will stand guard here. Nobody goes out. Or in.” Kalis gave the order that was most likely the director’s place to give.

  “Val and I can go together as a third team,” Adam offered.

  I didn’t like being separated either.

  “Look, kid, I told you before. The both of you are immune. We need one of you with each team. Quit being difficult or you’ll stay here.” Kalis’s tone was deep and mean.

  “It’s okay. We’re cooperating.” I didn’t need Kalis freaking out and making us stay locked in the lab.

  Adam gave Kalis a look that bordered on disgust, but it was gone before anyone but me noticed.

  “Let’s move out.” Kalis swung his gun in front of him.

  I crept down the hall almost on my tippy-toes trying to make myself as stealthy as Carter. A low buzzing guided me. I gave Carter a sideways glance. He held a gun in his right hand, and it struck me that he was mirroring Kalis’s stance as he moved next to us like a ninja.

  At the corner, Kalis stopped and peeked around. He held three fingers up. Three Raspers. Three of us. No problem. I nodded. Carter held his gun at the ready.

  The three of us rounded the corner, and both of them froze. I paused for a second staring at the crazy scene in front of me. The Raspers all had bloody, severed arms tied with rope to their belts. The female Rasper lifted her hand and aimed her finger at Kalis. I shot her as she let her venom loose. It arced toward Kalis but blasted the floor as she fell. Without a pause, I aimed and shot the other two.

  “What are you two doing? Why didn’t you shoot? She would have got you.” I kept my gaze on the bodies, waiting for the Bugs to emerge. “Why do they have arms on their belts? Is that a new trophy system or something?”

  Carter looked from the bodies to me. “Neither the soldiers nor the AI are able to kill Level Five personnel. It’s part of our directive.”

  “What happens if you go against the directive?”

  “It’s not physically possible. It was built in as a fail-safe. So the AI couldn’t take over the humans and the soldiers were unable to go rouge.” Carter sounded like a bored newscaster reporting the same story for the tenth time in one day.

  “Who has Level Five status?” The Bugs crawled to the floor, and I blew them all to bits. I pulled a new magazine from my pocket and reloaded Dirk’s gun.

  “The top scientists, my squad, Rollins, and the director,” Kalis said.

  “How many scientists?”

  “Seventeen,” Carter said without a pause.

  I had a horrible thought. “What about Taylor?”

  “He is a Level Four. As you are.”

  I inspected the arms attached to the dead. “We have at the minimum three Level Five personnel dead. Because of the blood, I’m going to say these all came from humans.”

  “Correct.”

  I tried to swallow to ease the dryness coating my throat, but I needed a drink. “Who knew of the fail-safe directive?”

  “The director, the soldiers, the AI, and Dr. Morgenstern.” Carter tilted his head to the side. “What are you thinking?”

  “How did these Raspers find out and then think to hack off the arm of a Level Five so you would recognize the chip in the arm?”

  “Robots can’t be turned into Raspers,” Carter stated.

  I rolled my neck until it cracked. “Can your computers be hacked?”

  “Dr. Tonaka created our program. But he was lost after the Great Discovery. No one but the director has access to his work.”

  “Then what’s the other alternative?”

  Kalis let out a breath. “Dr. Morgenstern or the director shared the information to the Rasper collective or—”

  I finished when he didn’t. “Or one of your team.”

  “No, my guys wouldn’t help the Raspers.”

  “What if they are a Rasper now?” If one of them had been turned, Adam and Taylor might be in trouble.

  Kalis shook his head. “They’re all right-handed. They’d be dead, not a Rasper.”

  Carter’s face clouded over like he realized something. “All Level Five personnel except our two teams should be locked in the lab. Where did they get the arms?”

  Kalis tapped behind his ear. “Team, report.” He shook his head. “All good.”

  “My money is on Dr. Morgenstern.” She seemed like the type to create chaos for spite.

  “We don’t have time to figure out the who or why.” Kalis grumbled.

  Someone must have said something, because Kalis’s spine went more rigid than normal. “Mother effer.” He checked his ammo.

  Something bad had happened. “What?”

  “Zombie said the lab was breached.”

  We fired our way back to the lab, killing two more Raspers.

  I wasn’t sure how long it took to make it back to the lab, but I wasn’t ready for what we found when we got there. We created a wall blocking the glass doors. Zombie wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

  “Zombie, come in.” Kalis roared as he fired. “He’s not answering.”

  The lab was beyond chaos. Black and red blood spattered every surface and living thing. Scorch marks marred the walls. A Rasper fired his venom at a scientist. It missed and landed on a container that exploded into a ball of fire.

  The fire spread quickly, engulfing humans and Raspers.

  The sprinklers rained down a thick black substance with the water. A Rasper with blood dripping from his mouth charged at me. I fired. He kept coming. I shot again. And again. And again. He dropped dead at my feet.

  I kicked him off and searched for Taylor. I didn’t see him or Dr. Morgenstern or the director.

  “Everyone clear out.” Kalis held up a device that resembled a small grenade.

  26

  Only two scientists made it to us, the rest were caught and killed. Kalis pulled the pin and lobbed the small grenade toward the five remaining Raspers as we sprinted out of the double containment doors.

  We didn’t get far enough away. The blast wave hit us like a freight train. I was slammed forward and crashed shoulder first onto the cement floor. My ears rang. Smoke billowed past us. Carter reached down to help me up. Kalis scrambled to his feet and pulled the two scientists to theirs.

  Kalis tapped behind his ear. “Zombie, report.”

  “We’ve got incoming.” I spun and searched for a target.

  Rollins, Bowie, and Adam raced around the corner.

  “What did you do? Blow the lab? What about the viruses?” Bowie asked.

  “It was bad. But the viruses should have remained contained.” Kalis filled them in on what had happened. How Zombie wasn’t responding, and that the director, Dr. Morgenstern, and Taylor were MIA.

  “Did either of you see where they went?” I asked the two scientists, who looked like they were about to go into shock.

  “No. They were there, then when the creatures broke in,” the taller of the two answered, “al
l hell broke out. People were running everywhere. We were told to stay in there, but it was panic. People fled everywhere. I hid behind a wall. When I looked out, almost everyone had gone.”

  Kalis looked at Rollins and Bowie. “The director’s office has full lockdown protocol. Besides the lab, it’s the most secure. What do you think?”

  Bowie tilted his head. “Why can’t we see Zombie’s location? Think his comm and tracker are down?”

  “Maybe.” The look on Kalis’s face told me there was one other option that neither wanted to say out loud.

  A scream tore through the air. We all turned toward the sound.

  “Have either of you fired a gun before?” Kalis asked the two guys, who stood there in what used to be pristine white lab coats but now were just ripped gray rags.

  One nodded. “I used to be in the Air Force ROTC in college.”

  “That will do.” Kalis pulled a pistol out from his vest pocket. “Here, stay alert.”

  We took off to where the scream had originated, and when we reached the main circular room with the big Z, we encountered something so bizarre it was hard to believe it was happening.

  Three Raspers were ripping humans apart. Screams of pain filled the room. They picked up the severed arms and held them like weapons, leaving Adam, Carter, and me the only ones we knew for sure could shoot them.

  I fired at the one I could safely hit without accidently hitting a human.

  “What’s happening?” Adam sounded scared. “What are they doing with the arms?”

  “Everyone to the director’s office,” I called out. “Adam, Carter, and I have this.” I so hoped we had this, but I wasn’t feeling very confident.

  The humans ran to Kalis and the others for cover. Rollins hit a Rasper who didn’t have a Level Five personnel arm to keep him safe.

  “Everyone duck,” I yelled.

  The humans obeyed. The three of us were able to take down the remaining Rasper.

  Adam let out a long breath. “What the hell?”

  “Kalis, does your directive keep you from removing the chips in the severed arms?” I was worried other Raspers would use them as shields.

  “I can neutralize the chips.” Carter picked up the arm closest to him. He held his palm over the wrist, and a yellow beam swiped across the internal chip. He tossed the arm on the ground.

  The rest of us gathered the arms, and Carter rendered them inactive. The arms and bodies formed a disturbing death display.

  “Can you do that to ours too?” Adam asked.

  “No. The process cannot be done on a living being. It would terminate them.”

  Adam bobbed his head. “Okay. Not an option. Good to know. Let’s move then.”

  We made it to the director’s office without meeting any more Raspers. A locked door blocked the entrance.

  Kalis held his wrist to the lock scanner. The light remained red. “Carter, can you override the locking mechanism?”

  Carter attached himself to the lock panel. He moved his hand a number of different ways.

  “No, something in my programming has been altered. I cannot override the lock.” He frowned. An expression I didn’t realize him capable of making.

  Rollins narrowed his eyes. “Can you tell when it was altered?”

  “Today. A little over an hour ago.”

  A little over an hour ago. When the director had changed his directive so he could kill the Raspers.

  “Only the director can alter the AI programming.” The scientist who held Kalis’s other gun frowned as well. “It must have been an accident.”

  I wasn’t so sure. And from the paleness of Adam’s face, he wasn’t either.

  Then a flash of anger flew across Adam’s face. “Let me try.” He put his wrist up to the scanner. It blinked green.

  I tried not to think about what it meant for Adam to have access to open the door.

  “Bowie, stay here with these people.” Kalis pushed the door open while Bowie directed the others to take refuge against the wall out of the way of the door.

  The rest of us stepped inside.

  Taylor and Dr. Morgenstern were seated on the couches. The director stood behind his desk with a gun in his right hand. Zombie wasn’t there.

  “How did you open the door?” The director aimed his question at Kalis. “Carter couldn’t have done it.”

  “I opened it.” Adam strode forward until he was a few feet from the desk separating him from his uncle.

  Kalis, Rollins, and I fanned out making a semicircle enclosing the desk and the couches. Carter took up a place in the corner.

  Tension hung heavy in the air. Something was wrong. My breath caught in my chest at the way the director held the gun. Like we were the enemies.

  “Does this mean you are accepting my offer?” The director turned to Adam and stroked his goatee with his only available hand.

  Offer? What offer? Why hadn’t Adam told me the director had offered him something?

  “And if I am?” Adam kept his gaze on his uncle.

  I needed him to look at me.

  The director grinned a tooth-filled smile. “Then it means you are as smart as I knew you are.”

  “I mean how could anyone not want to be a part of bettering the human race. Making them fulfill their true potential.” Adam’s tone was slightly sarcastic, but no one except me probably heard the inflection.

  “What’s the deal with these two?” Adam pointed two fingers at Taylor and Dr. Morgenstern.

  “I need them for this to work. The doctor is committed, but young Taylor has struggled to meet my expectations.”

  Taylor gave him a withering stare. Dr. Morgenstern looked bored.

  I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “For what to work? What’s going on?”

  “Only the greatest advancement ever. Tell Val, she’ll help, I know it.” Adam turned and tapped his chest right at heart level.

  I didn’t know what he was trying to tell me. “Yeah, sure.”

  Dr. Morgenstern stood and smoothed down her skirt. “Darren, she’s not trustworthy. There’s no way she’ll cooperate.”

  “Director, what is this about?” Kalis kept a ready stance but refused to take his eyes off the gun in the director’s hand.

  “At ease. You two can relax.” The director waved the gun toward the couches.

  Kalis and Rollins didn’t move.

  “Where’s Zombie?” Kalis tapped behind his ear. “Zombie?” His voice was filled with frustration. “Why is he not responding? His tracker isn’t working either.”

  The director laughed. “I can’t say why he’s not answering. He took off when we fled from the lab. Probably trying to save his ass.”

  Kalis didn’t respond, but he narrowed his eyes for a brief moment.

  “You know, on second thought, why don’t you two go find him?” The director waited expectantly for his order to be followed.

  Still Kalis and Rollins didn’t move.

  “I think it would be better if we stayed here,” Kalis said in a flat, even tone, but I could hear the threat in his words.

  “I order you two to go recover Zombie and bring him to me.”

  Both soldiers seemed to struggle with keeping their facial expressions under control and their mouths shut. When they turned to leave, Rollins gave me a deep stare.

  “And close the door behind you.” The director walked out from behind the desk like he thought they might disobey his order.

  They didn’t. But I wished they had.

  The director put his arm around Adam, guiding him to a couch. “Val, sit. Let’s discuss our future.”

  “I’ll stand, thanks.” I still had the gun out and certainly wasn’t putting it away now that the soldiers had left.

  The director crossed his ankle over his knee. He looked relaxed and in charge. “You know it took the invasion by the Raspers for me to understand the true implications of my plan. How different would everything be if we could control them like their queen does? So many useless deaths
could have been avoided. How easy it would be to assign people to their roles in society. There would be balance in everything. So many unnecessary areas could be avoided. We would be more productive, more focused, more environmentally conscious, happier.” The director spread his arms out like he was offering us a great big hug of utopia.

  “You want to control not only the Raspers, but humans?” I couldn’t keep the disbelief out of my voice. “That’s insanity.”

  “No, my dear, it’s genius. What if you were given the perfect job for your abilities? What if you earned the perfect amount of money? What if a precise algorithm matched you to your perfect romantic partner? What if your free time was filled with perfect-for-you activities?” He looked expectantly at me.

  I glanced at Taylor. He repeatedly tapped on his leg like it was a keyboard. He gave a very slight headshake. Dr. Morgenstern gave me a one-eyebrow-raised look. Adam mirrored Taylor’s slight headshake.

  “So, you have an algorithm to do all this?” I tried to keep my question neutral and not laced with doubt.

  “It’s almost perfected. I just need to get one of my chips into the queen.” He wore a self-satisfied smile.

  “How do you propose to do that?” This time a hint of disbelief crept in my tone. The man had slipped into insanity.

  “We’ve come to your role. You will find her for me.”

  I laughed. “I don’t know where she is. If your plan relies on me, I’m sorry but it will fail.”

  The director jumped to his feet. A flash of anger rolled across his face. “You are connected to the Colony. To their hive mind.”

  “No. I’m not.” I gripped my gun tighter.

  “I didn’t believe it when Rollins said you’d controlled the Raspers, but when you were seeing a place you had never been, I knew you were connected. So either you or your friend Megan will tell me where the queen is located.” His voice grew in volume and anger with every word.

  There was no way he was using Megan more than he already had. I glanced between Adam and Taylor. They both gave a slight shrug.