by Jade White
The whole compound shook with dirt falling from the ceiling. “Sir, we have the east wing down,” one man told him as he pressed a towel against Alexia’s chest to control the bleeding.
“Seal it up,” Leopold quickly said. His chest ached for the destruction of the only home that all of them had ever known. One by one, the units had to be sealed off, and he knew that it would get to this part of the facility eventually. The important thing was, the rest of the community had gotten away.
Alexia was propped against a concrete wall, her face contorted in pain, but her mind was with Ryker the whole time. She had to get to him. He had to shift; he had to protect himself. All of a sudden, she heard muffled gunshots. Three of the tribe’s soldiers slumped at their stations. She looked up to see someone she thought had already drowned…
It was her father.
Her words were caught up in her throat. Leopold heard her sharp intake of breath, and he quickly stood up to see Magnus Caledon limping his way down to the station, his eyes ablaze with purpose and determination.
“Step away from my daughter, you treacherous animal,” Magnus breathed, the gun pointed at Leopold’s forehead.
“Don’t!” Alexia cried out. “Don’t hurt him-”
Bang! A shot ran out, and Leopold staggered to the ground, his head hitting the thick slab of concrete behind him. Alexia gasped, seeing Leopold’s bloody stomach. Magnus walked closer to them, his eyes fixated on Leopold alone.
“Please, please,” she begged, her hands reaching out to stop him. “Leave him alone. I’ll go with you, I’ll-”
Magnus stopped in place, towering over them. “It was supposed to be as easy as you taking a step forward, and none of this would have happened. This country has already lost enough lives, Alexandra.”
She was fighting back tears as she nodded. “I’ll go with you, I’ll go-” she stopped, looking around for Ryker. He wasn’t there.
“Stephen must have killed him already,” Magnus told her, as if knowing what she was thinking about.
Had he always been like this? She had always seen him cool and calculated on televised screenings, but today, he was on a murderous rampage. This was the Magnus Caledon that people rarely saw, the Magnus that JJ knew, the Magnus that she and her siblings had forgotten.
“There’s no one left to scare any longer,” Leopold suddenly spoke up with wheezing breaths. “They will no longer bow to you. No one will fear you. Even your own men, even your own son has deserted you.”
“That’s why he’s dead. It took me so long to figure it out, that he was funneling information to their kind, the kind that tore our family apart,” Magnus said in a far-off voice. He sighed, remembering those happier days, even when he had barely shown his emotions to his children or to his wife. “And as for you, Leopold, self-proclaimed leader of this derelict city and forever a slave to the Auberon memory…” He cocked his gun once more, pointing it at Leopold’s head.
“Please, don’t!” Alexia screamed.
In the blink of an eye, Magnus was knocked down, his gun flying across the room. Stunned, he sat up and saw Ryker, bleeding all over, yet clearly alive and rearing to fight. Magnus realized that Stephen was probably dead. For a moment, he didn’t move, observing Ryker, who had limped a few steps closer to him. He noticed Alexia inching for Leopold, holding onto the older man’s abdomen.
“I’d stop moving if I were you,” Ryker told him in a dangerous voice. “I can break every bone in your body before you can scream for me to stop.”
Magnus smiled, his gaze lingering on his daughter. “Is this what you want to show my child? How violent your tendencies can be? There was a reason my own grandfather had that president ousted and killed, and it was because his sentiments for your kind were running too high. He was one, you know. The public voted without knowing of Alfred Auberon’s true nature. He was a killer, Ryker, just like what you’re about to become.”
Ryker shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what he was. What matters is that we’ll be free of you and your dictatorship.”
“It’s only a dictatorship if the entire country says it is, Ryker. As far as I know, I’m doing what I do with the country’s best interests at heart.”
“And that includes Alexia?”
“Alexandra,” Magnus corrected. “The circumstances of our separation weren’t ideal, but now, the country is ready to see its first daughter return to the light. You see, Ryker, my Alexandra was well taken care of inside Sector 12-”
“You and the rest of your generals sentenced for her to die,” Ryker spat out. “Dr. Delaney-”
“Was full of personal sentiment, without thinking about the effects it would have on the nation,” Magnus finished. “We planned to have her cryogenically treated, to reverse the years of incessant but useful testing. Alexandra was merely playing her part as a citizen and setting an example as the president’s daughter.”
“You kept me away for years. I thought I had no one,” Alexia spoke up.
“But I’m here, aren’t I?” Magnus said, looking at her as he slowly stood up. Magnus was glad that Dr. Wallace had given him a serum identical to the steroids that his soldiers needed. It needed further testing, but Magnus knew there was no other perfect moment but now. “Alexandra, there are many things that need explaining, but this isn’t the time. We must return to the capital to have you treated,” he said, eyeing the bullet wound on her chest. He turned to face Ryker again, seeing the boy’s fists curl up. “Are you going to let her die here, Ryker Auberon?”
“She isn’t dying,” Ryker told him. “But you just might.”
“By your own hands?” Magnus scoffed and then he gave a smile. “Come now. I’d like for you to try, though.”
In a second, Magnus injected a vial into his neck, and he fell to the ground, gasping and clawing at his throat as they all watched in horror and confusion. With a ragged breath, Magnus clambered to stand, and when he stood, Ryker saw the change in his eyes first as the irises turned red. His veins popped out, straining against skin, and his muscles grew larger. Ryker heard a few bones break as they did.
He looked human, but Ryker could smell something else. “What the-” Ryker gasped, staring at a hybrid of man and werebeing. He heard Alexia whimper, and he heard Leopold gasp as well.
“Tell me, young man,” Magnus said in a raspy, beastly voice. “How do you plan to end this? Take over the country with your expertise in governance? Let these wretched werebeings like yourself lose control?”
Ryker couldn’t say anything. How in the hell had that happened? He looked at Alexia, and then he knew. That was why they wanted her back—that was why they wanted to keep her alive. Even humans could shift into something close to their abilities now. Alexia was a catalyst for the face of a new America, and he could use her to completely control everyone.
With every breath, it seemed that Magnus grew taller, nearly matching his human height, and Ryker quickly scanned the area, seeing the military sector crumbling from the bombardment of missiles from what jets remained under Caledon’s command. There was no escaping with Leopold and Alexia unless he killed Caledon…
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Ryker began.
Magnus smiled and gave a hollow, quiet laugh. “Such is the curse of your kind, feigning innocence until the feral animal in you takes over. You grandfather was good at that.”
With a growl, Ryker flung himself at Caledon, pinning the president to the ground with blow after blow, until his knuckles began to bleed. But Caledon was laughing soon, and Ryker realized that his punches meant nothing.
Caledon’s face was bleeding, but still, he pushed Ryker away with sudden force and ferocity, sending Ryker flying twenty feet away.
Magnus roared, walking toward Ryker. Upon reaching where the boy lay, he grabbed Ryker by the collar and slammed him down to the ground. He wrestled against Ryker’s arms with one hand as the other arm choked him at the same time, locking his neck in between his bicep. Ryker gagged and struggled for air,
and with one heave, he flung Magnus over him.
With one swift move, Ryker leaped and landed onto Magnus as he lay, fracturing his ribs on impact. Alexia heard the bones crunch, and she closed her eyes, shaking as she held onto Leopold’s stomach wound.
The force of the impact made Magnus rasp. It had felt like a concrete hitting his chest. He kicked the boy, sending Ryker tumbling once more. Magnus set his knee against Ryker’s chest, bringing in hit after hit, tearing skin on Ryker’s cheek as Ryker desperately tried to parry the blows. Caledon’s nails lengthened, sharpened like a tiger’s claws, as he aimed for Ryker’s throat.
Ryker felt the sharp sting of the claws on his forearms, and they dug onto his skin, tearing out flesh. Blood poured from the wounds.
“Ryker, shift!” Alexia cried out. “Shift!”
Ryker refused to do so. Instead, he gathered what strength he had left, and he kicked Caledon away with both feet. Caledon shook his head, as if to regain his senses. Then Caledon stood up, running at break neck speed for Ryker. Ryker grappled Caledon’s body as Caledon slammed into him, and Caledon heaved Ryker over his head, slamming the boy’s entire body on the concrete.
“What’s the matter, Ryker?” Magnus taunted him with a quiet breath. “Is your due sagacity preventing you from shifting? Afraid I still won’t become your equal? Shift, boy!”
Ryker looked at Magnus’ eyes, confused at what kind of a werebeing Magnus truly was. There was only one way to bring it out, and that was to fight him until near death.
“Even if you completely shift, you still won’t kill me,” Ryker breathed, feeling a sharp pain on his side. That had to be something broken… He eyed Magnus and saw the president’s eyes turn a deeper shade of red.
“I’m taking Alexandra with me, and all you’ll ever be to her is nothing,” Caledon told him.
Ryker roared, meeting Caledon’s blows with his own fists. He wasn’t going to shift; it was something he would never do to Alexia, not until they had gotten out of here and he could take them somewhere safe. He saw Caledon’s back growing, and he heard more bones breaking from Magnus’ form. The entire underground city rumbled from the missiles and bombs, and Ryker knew they wouldn’t have long.
Alexia stood up, aiding Leopold against the wall. There was no way out, save for that single flight of stairs that led to where the jets were supposed to dock, and Ryker and her father were fighting close to it, close to where a crumbling steel precipice was.
“Leave me,” Leopold told her.
“No.” She shook her head. “Ryker will pull through…”
Ryker’s head was halfway through the edge of a hundred foot drop as Caledon’s shifting had begun to complete. He was a bear, a haphazard bear! But Ryker was the only one left, she thought. Then she realized that those tests had been to clone Ryker’s werebeing genetic material.
“Ryker, shift!” she cried out again, wanting him to escape from the clutches of her father. Caledon was swiping at him left and right as Ryker hit back, the loss of blood further weakening his own blows.
“Alexandra is telling you to shift,” Magnus told him, staring at the young werebear’s eyes. “I say do whatever the hell you want.”
Ryker shook his head, sputtering blood from his mouth and nose. Without a sound, Alexia reached out for her father’s arm, clutching onto his fur. The moment Caledon noticed her, he quickly flung her away, and Alexia landed in a heap. Leopold began to crawl toward Alexia’s unmoving body.
“What-” Magnus began, shaking all over. He felt his strength leaving him, and he felt himself shrink back. As he began to wretch blood, Ryker slipped sideways, watching Magnus suffer. Magnus was trembling violently, overcome by muscle spasms and what seemed like an epileptic fit. He forced himself to stand as his entire body limped.
Alexia forced herself to move up with Leopold’s help, staring at her father, the man who had once adored her…
“Alexandra, what have you done to me?” he cried out hoarsely. “I only wanted-” he stopped, choking from his own blood and spit. He was struggling, and he clutched onto his throat, as if trying to grasp for air.
She felt tears mingle with blood as she looked at him, stopping herself from calling out his name.
Magnus took a step back, unknowingly teetering on the edge of the sector. With his eyes bulging out, one hand reached out for Alexia’s figure, hoping against hope that his own daughter would help him. Alexia gasped aloud, her hand outstretched as she saw him flail.
Ryker’s hand shot out, his eyes in shock as Magnus fell over the edge. He stared at the brink for a full minute, unable to believe that the Caledon rule had ended with a plummet to the death.
*
Two years later…
The afternoon sun was shining happily outside as Ryker was seated on a couch, staring at the state-sponsored news channel. Despite the initial misgivings of the citizens of the country, there was Leopold, giving his first State of the Nation Address. The White House was being rebuilt behind him, and the people watching him gave a rallying cry. The capital was in a state of disrepair, but still, the people wanted him there, werebeings and humans alike.
He was cheering for Leopold as well. It had been no easy feat, and it felt just like yesterday when the three of them had escaped the crumbling underground city that had been built by his own grandfather. The safe haven had become a tomb for the last Caledon president, but it had become a memorial as well – a memorial for freedom regained and the tyranny that was now lost forever.
Would it be difficult to safeguard this democracy? Only Leopold would know. Ryker still thought he was no politician, as he had only turned twenty years old last fall, finally knowing his real birthday. The rebuilding of the nation was an arduous task, something he took part in, but only behind the scenes.
All those who had served Caledon were tried and convicted of crimes against humanity and the state. The werebeing soldiers were given the option to undergo ‘cleansing’ from all the steroids given during their tenure under Caledon and to continue serving the new democracy, or to completely return to their normal, non-military lives and prove themselves proper citizens once more.
Stephen Caledon had been found in a delirious state hours later, and he had been placed under the care of the state hospital, where he was provided every comfort possible, with minimal stressors and excellent medication. Alexia had only seen him once at Ryker’s suggestion, and Stephen had grown mad once more, murmuring how he was going to fix their family back to the way they were, just like his arm. Ryker never asked Alexia to visit Stephen, ever again.
The innocent, especially the children who had been tested, were given proper medical and psychological aid, and Ryker made Leopold swear that nothing like Sectors 1-13 would ever happen again. A center where the werebeing amnesty program had resulted in mass murder had also become a memorial, with the names of every werebeing victim inscribed onto granite. Ryker had only been there twice since the two years had gone by, and each time had not been easy.
In fact, nothing had been smooth transitioning, even after they had escaped with their limbs attached. Ryker still walked with a slight limp, a reminder of his refusal to shift despite the circumstances with Magnus. Sometimes, it pained him, and he wondered if it was a psychological limp. There were moments when he had bad dreams, and he would wake up and take a walk, enjoying the cool air where he lived, unless Alexia woke up as well. They both had nightmares from what had happened and did their best to comfort each other.
It was something he felt he was lucky to have, that she was still there, close to him, and it made him happy knowing that he had fulfilled his promise to protect her and keep her safe. He had once asked her if she wanted to revert back to her old name, the name she had been christened. She refused.
“I know I’m Alexia. You call me Alexia. The moment you freed me, my name was already Alexia, and you were the first person to say it aloud,” she had told him. “So Alexia stays.”
Leopold had been kind enough to help
them have a fresh start in life. The story of an Auberon’s return filled headlines for months on end, even until now, with the news currently asking “Where is Caleb Auberon?” or “Daughter of Fallen Dictator Missing for over a Year.”
Ryker was right here, with Alexia, in a place he’d once told her they’d have.
He just wanted to read a book while she was there beside him, reading her choice of literature, too. They would be on some mountaintop, with a crystal-clear lake in front of them, and there… there he could see her smile more than often. Always, he could see her smile always.
Her tears were rare—only when she remembered the viciousness of what had occurred to them. She refused medications to soothe her trauma, pointing out she was going to heal with him around. Ryker opted for the same thing, knowing it was better to heal together than alone in some hospital.
Their days weren’t totally idle, but he enjoyed the calmness his new life gave him. It was something he had eased into because she was there. He no longer heard gunshots and didn’t feel the need to shift. He hadn’t shifted at all, not since the fall of Caledon. He had thought that Alexia would be too hurt to speak to him, seeing as how he couldn’t get to her father in time, but she had said that it was how things were meant to be, that Magnus had fallen of his own accord, a panic for his werebeing state had taken over.
He saw people break into thunderous applause for Leopold, and Ryker couldn’t help but smile. Leopold would make a great president. The new president had once asked Ryker if they wanted to stay in the capital, but Ryker demurred, knowing they would be happy somewhere else. A position in Leopold’s cabinet was still open, but Ryker said he needed to study for it.
And study he did, as did Alexia. His interest in politics was a start, but he needed to finish his high school diploma first. They would start their high school education in a few months’ time; Alexia wanted to become a doctor soon.