by S. S. Segran
“You love all the kids who come through here,” the man said.
“Someone has to. So many of them were alone before they were picked up. Did you read the files on last month’s batch? That was a sad group.”
“I get that I’m the new guy compared to you, Hayley, but I feel like I should probably remind you not to get attached. There’s still more to do and if any one of them can’t be fully repurposed, then…”
“Yeah. I know. But while they’re here, I’m gonna watch over them.”
They left a minute later, and Lance sprinted to the door to slide his paper in before the lock clicked into place. “Kenny-boy, we need to go.”
“Would you knock it off?” Kenzo snapped. “I’m not leaving without Ren. Besides, it’d be better if we waited till nighttime. It should be easier to sneak out then.”
Lance looked torn. “Okay. But if your cousin isn’t up by then, I’m leaving. Whether or not you come along is up to you.”
“Fine.” Kenzo roamed around the infirmary, searching through drawers and cupboards for anything that would help bring Ren back to consciousness. Coming up emptyhanded, he slammed the last cupboard shut and flopped onto the floor in the middle of the room, sitting hunched. Lance took a seat across from him, head tilted sympathetically.
Kenzo glared at the ground. “Two days. That’s what you heard, right?”
“Oh no.” Lance waved his hands. “No, no, no. I’m not gonna push my luck by waiting until the rest of these kids wake up. Buddy, how many times do I have to tell you? We’re the lucky ones. We can’t waste this opportunity.”
Kenzo hated that he was starting to agree with the other teenager. Lance pressed two fingers to Kenzo’s forehead and pushed it back until they were looking at each other. The Texan had a firm set to his narrow jaw. “Listen, when we get out of here, we can get help. And then your cousin and everyone else will be safe.”
Too drained to push away Lance’s hand, Kenzo resigned himself to simply nodding. Lance got to his feet, pulled his paper free from the door, and went back to his gurney. “Get some rest, man. We’re leaving tonight.”
The redheaded monitors returned thrice more; once to hook up another needle to the abductees and fill them with the unknown solution, the second to unhook them, and another for a check-in. Before they left, the woman called softly, “Good night, little phoenixes. You will rise soon.”
Kenzo didn’t watch as Lance did his trick with the door, and instead found himself at Ren’s side once again. He gazed down at her, fingers carding through her hair, then hooked his pinkie around hers, a piece of childhood they never outgrew.
“I’ll be back,” he murmured. “I promise.”
“Kenny-boy,” Lance said from the door, “time to go.”
Kenzo squeezed Ren’s hand before tailing the other boy into the hallway, now dimmed, and racing up the steps. Lance darted out into the cavern and Kenzo, hot on his heels, paused to tear off his socks and use them to hold the door ajar. Just in case, he thought.
The sounds of construction had ceased, though a few people in hardhats and coveralls milled about, chatting and leaning against machinery and vehicles. The boys gave the workers a wide berth and again kept to the dark reaches of the cavern. They opted to stay as far away as possible from the single steel building, and nearly tripped over their own feet when a roar exploded from inside the structure.
Lance spat out a colorful oath. “Is that a bear or a tiger or something?”
“Don’t know, don’t wanna find out.” Kenzo nudged him. “Go!”
They skittered and wove their way toward the sloping tunnel and stared out at the long passageway. How deep underground are we? Kenzo wondered.
Lance cupped a hand over his ear. “I don’t hear any trucks rumbling down. I think we’re clear.”
Before they could take a step into the tunnel, a raucous round of laughter swelled from the other side of the cavern where the workers were.
“Tyrone!” a man shouted. “Welcome!”
“Hey, y’all!” a deep voice called back. “I’d suggest making yourselves scarce. I’m about to let the Marauders out for the evening.”
The merriment subsided instantly. Kenzo braved a few steps out of the shadows to find the workers scrambling into their vehicles. Engines roared to life and one by one, the trucks and vans trundled along the dirt road toward the tunnel. The boys crouched behind some sandbags, avoiding headlight after headlight until a stark silence permeated the cavern once the workers were gone.
“Marauders?” Kenzo whispered. “Lance, that doesn’t sound good. We should go back.”
“Are you crazy?” The anger in Lance’s tone was palpable. “We’re this close to getting out of here and you want to turn around now?”
The creaking of a heavy door opening echoed in the empty cavern, followed by long rumbles—drawn-out growls that sounded like they came from several creatures. A feeling like a blade of ice sliding down his throat made Kenzo struggle and heave for breath.
Hyperventilating. He was hyperventilating.
A hand rested on his back and the ice melted just slightly. He drew in a long inhale, then glanced up at Lance. The Texan kept his hand in place but he was gaping blankly at something out of Kenzo’s sight.
“Maybe we should’ve gone back,” he finally said, words barely audible. His green eyes were dark, and a vein pulsed and jumped in the side of his neck.
Kenzo carefully peeped over the sandbags. Black beasts standing four feet at the shoulder and six feet from snout to cropped tail stalked around the center of the cavern, stretching their powerful limbs and muscled bodies. Their lips were pulled back, exposing ivory incisors that gleamed under the floodlights.
Lance choked. “What in God’s name are those?”
One of the creatures lifted its muzzle, elongated jaws parted, and scented the place. Its hackles slowly rose, then its head snapped directly toward where the boys were hidden. It barked, a guttural sound that was more like a roar. The other beasts looked at it, then followed its line of sight toward the stack of sandbags.
“They know we’re here,” Lance started to inch toward the tunnel. “Kenzo, c’mon.”
“They’ll see us for sure if we leave,” Kenzo argued in a whisper. “Look at those things. I doubt we’ll be able to outrun them.”
“They’re heading this way anyway! Are you coming or not?”
Kenzo looked at the other teenager helplessly, then leaned back against the sandbags. He pointed his eyes elsewhere, feeling like a coward. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Lance’s face fell, then he gathered himself. “Alright. I’ll get the cops over here as soon as I can. Best of luck, Kenny-boy.”
“You too, Lance.”
They clasped hands briefly, gazes locking in a solemn moment of solidarity. Then Kenzo turned and slunk back the way they’d come, keeping his footfalls as featherlike as possible. He’d just drawn level with the steel building past the center of the cavern when manic braying deafened him. He spun around. Five dark streaks tore into the tunnel, followed more slowly by a burly black man.
Several heartbeats later, screams ricocheted against the stone walls. Kenzo’s blood curdled and he covered his mouth.
Oh, God. Lance.
The screaming cut off sharply, and the faint sound of feverish feeding carried through the cavern. Still covering his mouth, Kenzo forced himself to put one foot in front of the other until he was at the door to the infirmary building. He leaned against the metal, skin prickling. Bile crawled up his throat, threatening to empty his stomach. He swallowed it down with a cracking breath and pushed through the entrance to collect his socks. With misty eyes he stumbled down the steps, nearly falling in the process.
When he arrived at the infirmary room, he found a yellow paper keeping the door from shutting all the way. He didn’t want to touch it; the person who’d cleverly put it there was long gone. But it was evidence and that couldn’t stay.
Kenzo pushed into the room,
paper clenched in his hand. The door closed with a note of finality and he rested against it.
He’s dead. I met that kid just hours ago and he’s…
The bile returned. Kenzo ran to the sink with barely enough time to spare and retched. His nose dripped and tears spilled out of his eyes. As he turned on the tap to wash away the mess, he sagged against the counter, trembling.
He twisted the tap shut some minutes later, suddenly exhausted. When he passed Ren, he took her hand, trying to find a way to ground himself, then dragged his feet toward his gurney and climbed on. He fought against another swell of shock before numbness overtook him and he went limp.
I’m screwed.
A day and a half later, the rest of the teenagers started to rouse from their stupor. The two monitors stood by the door, clipboards in hand, and greeted them like it was their first day of orientation and nothing had happened. Kenzo noticed that there were only nine gurneys in the room now.
“Welcome!” the woman hailed. “Just a quick check before we move on: everyone nod your head if you can understand me.”
Kenzo watched out of the corner of his eye as the teenagers obliged, and tiredly followed suit.
The woman bounced on her toes excitedly. “Awesome! Okay, little phoenixes, we’ll soon be taking you into stage two of your recalibrating program. We’ll be back in a few minutes, so feel free to stretch your legs in the meantime.”
Kenzo observed the teenagers as they shuffled around, seemingly without purpose. They really are half-zombies. But why didn’t the helmet work on Lance and me?
He pinpointed Ren staring fixedly at a corner of the room. He went to join her. “Hey, itoko.”
She turned her head toward him without moving her body. Her eyes were glazed; it was though she was looking through him instead of at him. And he knew right then that he’d lost her.
“No,” he begged. “Ren, don’t look at me like that. Please. I can’t lose you.”
She reached out to slide a finger along the length of his nose, then dropped her hand to her side and glided away from him. He was glad when the monitors entered the room a moment later. It gave his mind something else to focus on rather than his looming breakdown. The monitors instructed the abductees to lie back on their gurneys. Kenzo went along with it even as a needle pushed a sedative into his system.
The drug worked its way through him, spreading with it a cold sensation. And as exhaustion took hold of him, he fell asleep to the sound of a dead boy’s screams ringing in his ears.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading the three complimentary Aegis Chronicles. If you wish the download more short stories you can find them by following this link to Amazon: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CGD6W6Q
Acknowledgments
Aegis Rising went from being a simple manuscript to an intricate novel in the span of four years. I must say, writing this book has been quite an adventure in itself. The unforgettable field trips, excursions and countless hours of exploring the landscape of the internet in researching this novel have enriched my experience as a writer.
This book would not have seen the light of day if not for the incredible support and encouragement that I received throughout this journey. There are several wonderful people whom I would like to take this time to express my gratitude to. First and foremost my amazing parents: My mother for her patience, her love, and her edifying counsel; my father for his countless hours of reviewing the manuscript, designing the cover and illustrations and being a great sounding board for my ideas, as well as persevering through my sometimes willful ways; my editor Gordon Williams for his expert advice, thoughtful methods and being a great coach; my grandparents for their amazing and infectious enthusiasm; Jennifer and Dan for being there from the beginning and for their enduring support; my family for their love and zeal; my advance readers for their helpful feedback and to my teachers for their encouragement. Finally a special thank you, to you the reader, for picking up this novel—I look forward to continuing this exciting journey with you.
It really has been an experience that I am not bound to forget anytime soon, and the great thing is, we are just getting started!
S.S.Segran,
Vancouver, British Columbia
October 2013
There are so many people to thank for accompanying me in the creation of Aegis Incursion. This book was nothing short of a marathon and I will never be able to fully express my gratitude to those who encouraged me onward.
It goes without saying that had it not been for the support of my beloved parents, neither this novel nor Aegis Rising would have left the confined premises of my laptop. My mother’s keen eye and insightfulness, as well as her unremitting love, and my father’s help in research, editing and being the perfect partner for bouncing ideas are simply invaluable.
As well, I am deeply grateful for my wonderful friends, teachers and family who imparted both wisdom and encouragement. A particularly heartfelt thanks to my dear uncle Mark and aunt Renu for their amazing support and who seem to be able to conjure a copy of the book from thin air whenever an opportunity to publicize my work presents itself. Sincere appreciation and an earnest salute to my editor, Gordon Williams, for his expertise and counsel, and whose steady support fortifies my effort to bring my readers a worthy read. To the wonderful souls at the Baha’i World Centre in Haifa; you have my deepest gratitude and love for your encouragement and friendship. You are an inspiration!
Special cheers to the Aegis Advance Reader team—Marco, Stefanie, Nancy, Renu and Shayda—for their astute observations and valuable feedback. You’re the best! I would like to give a shout out to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google for making the collective knowledge of humanity available at our fingertips; an outstanding achievement of historic significance often taken for granted. The number of places I’ve visited and information I’ve acquired whilst researching for my books without leaving the couch is nothing short of a miracle, thanks to these visionaries.
The plot of this story would not have lifted off the ground if not for the remarkable advice from Dr. John Foster whose infectious enthusiasm and depth of knowledge makes a complex subject seem like a walk-in-the-park, even for me! I cannot thank him enough for helping me render the story as believable as possible. Any errors due to creative wanderings from the actual science of nanotechnology are solely mine. And yes, the delectable artichoke and baked swordfish lunch mentioned in the story is true and was expertly prepared by John and his lovely wife Kimberly, an accomplished scientist herself.
This list of amazing people would not be complete without acknowledging the one who is holding this novel; you, the reader. Whether you’ve been following the adventure from the beginning or just joined in, thank you for being a part of this journey. I’d suggest buckling up, because we’re not done yet. Not by a long shot.
Shirin S. Segran
Haifa, Israel. March 21, 2015
To say that Aegis Evolution is a monster of a book would be an understatement. This novel challenged me in many ways and showed me that my capacity is not fixed, and that the more we push ourselves, the more resilient we become.
I began working on this manuscript in March 2016 and completed the first draft around the spring of 2017, if memory serves. Then it went through a couple of edits to slim down, but this story refused to be corralled into fewer pages. It openly defied its creator, who spent countless nights engaging in bleary-eyed staring contests with it while her tea went cold beside her. Guess who won.
There are many wonderful people to thank for getting this book ready for you, the reader. First and foremost, my mom and dad as always, though I’m not sure where to begin. There’s just no way to fully encompass how much their support and love was crucial to this novel.
A HUGE thank you to my amazing beta readers! Oluwatobi Martins, Julie Kuhn, Marco den Ouden, Kathrynne Creecy, Danny Coons, Don Simpson, Judith Avent, Dr. Michael Higgins, Linda Barnett, and Dr. Anthony Zehetner (who was also my medical and scientific adv
isor)—I have no words to properly express my deepest gratitude to all of you. Your insights, sharp eyes and friendship helped make Aegis Evolution what it is. You stuck by me for longer than I’d promised you needed to, and your kindness and patience during all these months have truly humbled me.
Thank you also to my dear editor, Gordon Williams, for cleaning up the frazzled messes I sometimes left in my wake. We’ve been working together for about four years now, and I’m so thankful for all he’s done to help shape and polish this series. (Two more books and a few short stories, then you’re free, definitely... maybe.)
Lastly, I’d like to give my appreciation to Jim Tang, my Aviation Technical Advisor who was a remarkable resource and guide for chapters dealing with things that fly!
2018 will be a period of hustling hard. With plans to wrap up this journey next year, I hope you will stick around for the big conclusion of the Aegis League Series, and perhaps even begin a new adventure with me. I’m excited for the future, and am looking forward to sharing in this voyage with you.
Shirin S. Segran
March 2018
The Aegis Chronicles are my first real dive into the world of short stories… unless you count some of the assignments from English classes when I was still in high school! It’s certainly been an interesting experience, not to mention a bit challenging, to dig a little deeper into a single character’s mind and stay there for the length of a plot. It has allowed me to try a slightly different style of writing which I hope you, the reader, have enjoyed!
Thank you to the Beta Readers who volunteered their time to share their thoughts and opinions on these stories—your input is always invaluable, not to mention heartening. Thank you also to my editor, Gordon, for being such a great sport about editing despite the time constraints! And last but not least, thank you to my parents for encouraging me onward when creative frustration would sometimes settle in.