The Praegressus Project: Part One

by Aaron Hodges

  Why else had she been spared?

  She had only truly woken when Chris pushed her from the path of Chead’s charge. Angry flames had lit her stomach, waking her from the fear, restoring her to life.

  Now as she edged sideways around the Chead, she let that anger grow, fed it with every injustice she had ever suffered. It was her only weapon now, her only strength against the sheer ferocity of the creature standing between them. Opposite her, Chris faced the creature, drawing it away, until its back was turned to her. But before she could strike, the Chead leapt for Chris.

  Fear chilled her stomach as blows crashed against flesh. But to her surprise, Chris did not go down. Edging closer, she saw him deflect another blow, his arms moving faster than thought, the crack of fists connecting with bone ringing from the walls.

  Liz stared, mouth wide with disbelief. What she was watching was not possible. Chris was keeping pace with the violent speed of the Chead, matching it blow for blow, punch for punch. Her eyes could barely keep up with their frenzied movements. The air itself seemed to shake with the strength of each blow, and still Chris stood, holding his own.

  What have they done to us?

  Her skin tingled as the question whispered in her mind. But there was no time to contemplate the thought, no time to consider its implications. Instead, she gathered herself and slid closer, searching for an opening.

  Then a blow slid beneath Chris’s guard. It slammed into his stomach and drove him to his knees. The colour fled his face as the Chead stepped in, raising a fist to deliver the final blow.

  Seeing her chance, Liz sprang forward and drove the heel of her foot into the back of the Chead’s knee. Idly she hoped whatever changes had been wrought on the Chead had not removed the cluster of nerve endings located behind the kneecap.

  The bloodcurdling shriek that issued from the boy’s throat answered her question. The Chead’s legs crumbled beneath the force of the blow, sending it crashing to the ground. Clenching her teeth, Liz stepped up behind it as Chris rolled away.

  She swung a kick at its head. But the Chead was already recovering, and quick as a cobra it twisted. Hands flashed out and caught her by the leg. Before she could free herself, it stood, grey eyes glittering. A low growl came from its throat as it lifted her. Gasping, she fought to break its hold, but its hands were like iron. Knowing it was useless, Liz lashed out with a fist, and caught it on the cheek.

  A shock ran up her arm as the blow connected. The fingers around her leg loosened, and suddenly she was falling. Twisting, she landed awkwardly and looked up to see the Chead stumbling backwards, one hand raised to its cheek. With a growl, it straightened, and the grey eyes swept down to find her on the floor.

  Liz felt her courage crumble as her eyes caught in its iron gaze. All semblance of its humanity had fled, melting in the red-hot flames of its rage. Hardly daring to breathe, she backed towards Chris, all thoughts of strategy falling away.

  Snarling, it stepped after her.

  “Now you’ve done it,” Chris panted, his hand reaching for hers.

  She clenched her hand around his, drawing strength from his presence, and then released him. Together they watched the Chead approach.

  With a roar, it leapt.

  Chris sprang forward, screaming his defiance. Stepping in front of Liz, he deflected the first swing of the creature’s fist. But this time the force of the blow sent him reeling, and Liz had to step aside to avoid him. Then the Chead was on them, fists flying, lips drawn back in a snarl, its half-mad screams echoing from the mirrored glass.

  A fist caught Liz in the cheek, staggering her, then the Chead’s shoulder crashed into her chest. The breath rushed from her lungs as she hurtled backwards into the wall. Her head whipped back and struck the padding. Despite the soft surface, her vision spun from the blow. With a groan, she slid down the wall, struggling to catch her winded breath.

  Across the room, Chris fought on. But he was no longer a match for the Chead’s strength. And it was faster now, its speed and ferocity far beyond human capabilities. With contempt it knocked aside his blows. A fist crashed into his face, sending him stumbling backwards, but he refused to yield. Straightening, he launched himself back into the fray.

  Desperate to aid him, Liz struggled back to her feet.

  A shout drew her attention back to the fight. The Chead had caught Chris’s fist in one hand. As she watched Chris screamed again, though this time neither of them had moved. An awful crack came from Chris’s fist as he sank to his knees. The colour fled his face and he gave an awful groan. One handed, he struggled to regain his feet, until the Chead’s free hand smashed into the side of his head. Chris slumped to the side then, his breathing ragged, one hand still caught in the creature’s grip.

  Silently, Liz pulled herself up. The Chead’s back was turned to her, its attention focused on tearing Chris limb from limb. She flinched as another blow thudded into Chris’s head. This time he made no effort to avoid the blow. A low gurgle came from his throat as the Chead lifted its arm, dragging him back to his feet.

  Liz moved quickly, knowing she only had seconds to act. The soft floor made no noise beneath her bare feet. Without pausing to think, Liz hurled herself at the creature’s back. This time she aimed high, sweeping her forearm over its shoulder. Before it could react, she pulled her arm tight against its throat and leaned back. Her feet caught the ground, giving her purchase, and she pulled harder, bending it backwards, dragging it off balance.

  The Chead gave a strangled cry. Releasing Chris, it turned its attention on Liz. Knowing she could not match its strength or weight, Liz allowed herself to fall backwards, taking the Chead with her. The thud as its weight landed on her drove the breath from her lungs, but still she held on, forearm tight across its throat.

  Sensing its plight, the Chead thrashed against her. Its legs kicked out, catching Liz in the shins. Pain lanced from her leg as something went crack, but no force on earth would make her let go now.

  Not even death.

  Long seconds passed, and the creature’s struggles weakened. Its legs no longer beat against the floor, and its relentless strength no longer pressed against her as hard.

  Movement came from beyond the Chead. Chris staggered to his feet, his face already turning purple, one eye so swollen she could barely see his hazel eye. Even so, he stumbled forward and fell to his knees beside her. He raised a fist and drove it into the Chead’s face.

  Liz felt the power of Chris’s blow through the Chead. Its body went limp in her arms, but still she held on, wanting to be sure.

  Finally satisfied, she loosened her grip, and with Chris’s help, heaved the dead weight from her chest.

  Then she was embracing Chris, pulling him to her, clinging desperately at his back. An awful sob built in her chest and escaped in a rush. Chris’s arms tightened around her, and then he was sobbing too, his hot wet tears falling on her shoulder.

  They clung to each other in silence, and let the horror wash over them.

  CHAPTER 24

  Chris looked up as a door clicked open. Halt stood in the doorway, a triumphant grin stretching across his thin lips. His eyes feasted on the two of them, shining with a wild exaltation.

  “It worked,” his voice was raw with emotion. He stepped into the room, two guards following behind him before the door swung shut. “The genomes are expressing – a few at least. Muscle density factor, reaction time, agility, it’s all there…”

  As the man rambled, Chris struggled to pull his mind back to the present. He wrapped his arm around Liz, pulling her tight against him. A shiver went through her and he glanced down, his gaze catching in her crystal eyes.

  Then she turned, facing Halt. “What have you done to us?” She croaked.

  Halt drew to a stop across from them. He blinked, looking almost surprised, as though he had not expected them to speak. His smile faded as he crossed his arms. “We have enhanced you, my dear. Made you better… made you useful,” he almost spat the last word.


  Chris met the man’s iron gaze. “Why?” He gestured to the Chead. “Why would you do this? Send us in here to die?”

  Shaking his head, Halt moved around the room towards the unconscious Chead. “To see if you would survive,” he answered, looking back at them. “To see if we had succeeded.”

  His words whispered around the room. Chris’s chest contracted and he struggled to breathe. Rage boiled through his veins. He clenched his fist, but pain seared from his knuckles where the Chead had held him. Glancing down at his hand, he saw it was already beginning to swell.

  A shiver went through him.

  It would have killed me.

  “You changed us,” Liz was speaking again, her voice barely audible. “Did something to us… while we slept. How?” Her voice cracked at her final question. She trembled in his arms, though whether from rage or some other emotion, he could not tell.

  Chuckling softly, Halt moved back towards them. “It was a simple matter, in the end. A little retrovirus, some genetic mapping of various species – chimpanzees, wolves, felines, eagles, and so on. Isolating the desirable genes took time, as did altering their repetition sequences to be accepted by human cells,” he shrugged. “But, well, the results were worth the effort. And the best is yet to come.” An awful grin spread across the doctor’s face.

  With Halt’s words, Chris mind finally caught up with events. Revulsion twisted in his stomach as he realised the truth – that the Chead had not been weaker than those on the television. No, it was he and Liz who had changed.

  And it was Halt who had changed them.

  A scream built in Chris’s chest as he looked at the doctor. An awful sense of violation wrapped around his throat. He clenched his fist again, felt the pain, but the injury was nothing to the desecration of his body. He felt defiled, like something had been taken from him, stolen by the doctor.

  As the pain built in his hand, he drew back his lips in a snarl.

  Halt watched them, his expression unchanged, but his hand drifted towards his watch. An awful tension hung in the air as Chris’s rage gathered strength.

  Then a groan came from across the room, and Halt’s eyes flickered towards the Chead. Chris followed his gaze and saw the boy had rolled onto his side. He moaned again, then started to cough. His eyes fluttered but did not open.

  “It’s still alive,” Halt sounded surprised. He turned back to Chris. “Kill it.”

  “What?” Chris blinked, staring at the doctor in disbelief.

  “Kill it,” Halt repeated. “That monstrosity is not worthy of this earth. Kill it, Christopher. Prove you are superior.”

  “No.” Chris blinked, surprised by his own resolve. Releasing Liz, he faced Halt, determined to defy him. “I won’t.”

  Halt slowly shook his head. He held up his arm. The watch flashed on his wrist, an unspoken threat. “Do not waste my time, Christopher. Kill the Chead, and we can move on from this unpleasant business.”

  A peal of laughter came from beside Chris. Turning, he saw Liz’s eyes flash as she took a step towards Halt. “No, Halt. We won’t. We’re not your creatures, your slaves to do with as you please. Whatever you’ve done to us, we’re still human.”

  Halt did not move. His eyes flickered for a second to Liz, then back to Chris. “I will give you one last chance. Kill the Chead. Now!”

  “You’re the monstrosity, Halt,” Chris replied.

  “Very well, Christopher.” Halt looked at Liz again. “If that is your decision…”

  Reaching down, he pressed his finger to the watch.

  Chris closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain. Sucking in a breath, he waited for the familiar fire to encircle his throat, to sap the strength from his legs, to lock his muscles in knots of agony.

  But it never came.

  From his right came a high-pitched scream. Chris spun, his eyes snapping open as the breath caught in his throat. Beside him, Liz crumpled to the ground. The colour fled her face as she clutched desperately at her throat. Her feet drummed against the soft floor and a strangled scream escaped her gaping mouth.

  Then she fell silent, her last gasps of air stolen away.

  Chris threw himself forward, desperate to reach her, but strong arms grasped him around the waist and hauled him back. Without thinking he lashed out with his elbow, catching the guard in the face, and the hands released him. He glimpsed the man falling backwards, the other stepping towards him, but he was already at Liz’s side, reaching out a hand, grabbing at her wrist.

  A jolt of electricity flashed between them, and Chris was hurled backwards across the floor.

  Coming to rest a few feet away, Chris groaned and struggled to sit up. Across from him, Liz writhed against the soft floor, her back arching, her mouth wide and gasping for air. Her fingers clawed at the skin of her throat, tearing at the collar’s metal chain. But there would be no dislodging the steel links.

  Halt stepped between them, a grim smile on his serpent lips. “Seventy-five milliamps,” he shook his head. “Enough to cause severe muscle contractions, respiratory failure, death.”

  Behind him, Liz was as pale as a ghost, her throws of agony already growing weaker. Her mouth opened, gasping like a fish out of water. Yet somehow her crystal eyes found his. Shining with tears, they pierced him, conveying her silent command.

  Don’t give in!

  A sob rattled up from Chris’s chest as he closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer. Bowing his head, he cradled his shattered fist. Despair rose within him, threatening to overwhelm him.

  “Please!” His sob rang from the one-way mirror.

  A sudden stillness came over the room. Lying on the ground, Chris did not move, unable to look, to witness the consequence of his defiance. So long as he did not look, he could deny the truth.

  Liz couldn’t be gone, couldn’t be dead.

  But in his heart, Chris knew he had to face the truth. Blinking back tears, he sucked in a breath and lifted his head.

  Liz lay where she had fallen, her limbs splayed out at random angles, the tangles of her hair caught on her face. The collar shone from her neck, the blinking red light unlit.

  Staring at her broken body, a pit opened within Chris, a gulf of despair that threatened to swallow him whole. A desperate sob tore from his throat, a cry of anguish, a plea for life. Lifting himself, he began to crawl towards her. He could feel his strength failing, the last drops of energy falling from him, but with a final lung he reached out and grasped her wrist.

  With barely a whisper, Liz’s chest moved. A soft cough came from the fallen girl as her eyelids shifted, blinked.

  “What?” Halt snarled.

  Behind him, the door clicked again, as Doctor Fallow pushed her way into the room.

  CHAPTER 25

  “Enough, Halt,” Angela almost tripped over the words as she spoke.

  Halt stared back at her, his eyes wide, his surprise already turning to a wild rage. She knew she had crossed a line, defying him now. This time there were no other doctors to back her up – the others were all tending to the surviving candidates from the PERV-A strain of the virus. She shivered, thinking of the room full of candidates, their bodies ravaged by the virus. It had proven far more deadly than the B strain retrovirus the others had been subjected too.

  “Excuse me?” Halt sounded almost bemused.

  “I said, that’s enough,” Angela repeated, mustering her courage.

  A few moments ago, she had been driven to act. Watching Halt’s cruelty, his determination to bend the candidates to his will, had pushed her over the edge. Whatever good she hoped might come from her work, it was not worth this. It was brutal and pointless and wasteful, a display that did nothing more than serve Halt’s ego.

  And she could not bear to watch the girl die. Angela could not shake that feeling of kinship, could not help but see her own youthful self in the girl’s eyes.

  So she had acted. She had superseded Halt’s controller from within the observation room, disabling the colla
rs inside the room. As supervisor of the Praegressus Project, her watch had precedence over every other controller in the building – even Halt’s.

  This isn’t right, the words whispered in Angela’s mind as she glanced at the boy and girl. They’re just kids.

  Biting her lip, she straightened, preparing herself to face Halt’s rage. “There was no point to it, Halt. They passed the test. The project is a success. But this,” she waved a hand to indicate the girl, “this display is pointless. I won’t allow it.”

  Halt shifted on his feet. A strange calm seemed to have come over him. “You won’t allow it?”

  Angela found herself retreating a step, though the doctor had not moved. “No,” she shook her head. “I’ve disabled their collars.”

  “You forget yourself, doctor,” Halt still spoke in a soft voice. “These displays of insolence… are becoming problematic.”

  “They are my candidates, Halt.”

  For a moment, Halt did not reply. His grey eyes studied her, sweeping across her body, cold and calculating. Angela lifted her chin, facing him down.

  At last Halt nodded. He waved to the guards. “Get them up. Return them to their cell.”

  As the guards moved across to Christopher and Elizabeth, Halt turned back to Fallow. He stood deathly still, poised in the centre of the room as the guards shepherded the two experiments from the cells. His eyes did not blink, never left Angela’s face. Finally, as the door clicked shut behind the guard, he stepped towards her.

  Now Fallow found herself retreating from the rage in the man’s eyes. But after two steps she found herself pressed up against the mirror, the cold glass at her back, with nowhere to look but the eyes of the doctor.

  Before she could move, Halt’s hand flashed out and caught her by the throat. His fingers clenched tight as she opened her mouth to scream, stealing away her voice. His lips drew back in a scowl as he leaned in.