Hybrid Zone Recognition

by C. E. Glines

  “Rogers. Altman.” Two men approached Adam. “Escort Ms. Langston to the brig.”

  Adam stood and backed away as the other two grabbed her under the arms and hauled her up. A look of pure hatred scarred her otherwise pretty face as she began to struggle. It seemed unnatural on her. The effort with which she was struggling seemed over the top, too.

  She almost succeeded in dislodging her captors. Adam stepped forward, and with one swift punch, he rendered her unconscious. Rogers and Altman carried her out of the bay.

  “Everyone else, on board,” Adam commanded while striding a few paces away. He retrieved a communications device from one of his pockets and contacted Cedars.

  I remained where I was while Adam updated Cedars. But I was cognizant of the wary looks I was receiving from the others as they filed past me onto the plane.

  Adam completed his call and walked towards me. He stopped when the toe of his boots touched mine. “Alright?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Let’s go then.” He walked around me and stepped onto the ramp leading into the plane.

  I heaved a silent sigh of relief at having averted a confrontation with him. Turning towards the ramp, my steps faltered as he called over his shoulder, “We’ll have to have a conversation about your vigilante behavior later.”

  Dang it, I moaned inwardly.

  Once on board, Adam was in the cockpit, and I was seated with the rest of the crew in the back. The only noise was from Adam and the copilot talking back and forth. Was it always this quiet before a mission?

  The avoided eye contact from the rest of the crew and the two next to me sitting as far away as their seats would allow, led me to believe they were afraid of me. Which was ridiculous.

  You didn’t see your face when you tackled her.

  But aren’t they all hybrids? Couldn’t any one of them whip my butt?

  I don’t think you fully grasp the situation. You carry the blood of an alpha. You attacked without permission, and you were fully intent on finishing the kill. They are just responding to that. Not to mention the fact that you saw what everyone else, including me, did not. It’s a little intimidating, Mace.

  Not the greatest of team building exercises?

  Hardly, he agreed with laughter in his tone. Try talking to them. Let them get to know you a little.

  That’ll help? I asked skeptically.

  Try showing them that you’re not just a crotchety old woman, he snorted.

  Great. Try to make everyone more comfortable with the unpredictable wild cat on board.

  I looked around at their faces. They all appeared young, but so did I, and apparently, I was sixty-seven. I cleared my throat loudly. A few eyes darted my way before quickly retreating.

  “Look, I think I should address what happened earlier.” Even though they were already quiet, I felt them still at my words. What had happened? I took a breath to explain and then said, “I have no idea what happened earlier?” Oh, that was going to inspire confidence.

  My words were ringed with frustration as I attempted to explain again. “I sensed a threat. I followed that thread to…” I couldn’t recall her name.

  “Langston,” someone supplied.

  “Langston,” I repeated, nodding my head. “I know that all of you are wondering what is going on. Adam’s going to address that when we get back.” I played with the Velcro on one of my pockets. “I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to rescue my kids.” I took a deep breath as I tried to think of something else to say.

  “Are they really your kids?”

  The bright eyed boy seated directly across from me had asked the question. “Biologically?”

  He nodded.

  “No, but I’ve been a substitute parent…” I stopped. I had failed them in so many ways. I hadn’t been prepared for the responsibilities associated with the job. I wasn’t even that much older than them, not including this new age that I supposedly was. “Actually, I guess I’ve behaved more like an older sister not prepared for the responsibility of parenting. They’ve had a hard go of it. I wish I’d done better by them.”

  Silence reigned again until a girl, on the end of the row I was sitting on, asked another question. “Did you really kill Pike?”

  Just how much did they know already? I asked Adam how much was okay for me to say. I got the go ahead for complete disclosure regarding Pike.

  “I defended myself against Pike. Adam’s the one who finished him off.”

  “I never would have thought Pike was capable of betraying us,” said another cadet at the far end of the plane.

  Murmurs of assent filled the compartment. I understood their doubt. I hadn’t wanted to believe it either. But that had quickly faded when I’d had to face it head on.

  It didn’t take long for others to start asking questions. Our time in the air was filled with me reliving the whole last week, up to and including Granny. Surprisingly, they all knew and were equally afraid of Granny.

  They seemed especially concerned with Olivia’s well-being. I gathered that she was some sort of mother figure to them. They’d also taken a liking to Juarez’s designation for me, and I was now officially dubbed, MK. I was okay with that as long as they let me call them cadets.

  We arrived at an air strip and switched our mode of transportation to military troop transport trucks. I’d seen plenty of them before in my lifetime, so we presented nothing unusual to the public.

  Our drive ended at a spot I was also familiar with, the edge of the woods where I’d parked my truck for the stakeout. I could still see the tire marks in the gravel where I’d made the U-turn.

  As soon as the truck stopped, everyone quickly hopped out and melted into the woods. I followed after them and stopped when they did. When I looked back, the trucks were already gone.

  Adam joined us and began to assemble the teams. He was going to be on the team inspecting the Colony compound. Though this was not news to me, my heart filled with anxiety at the thought of separating from him. None of the previous times we’d been separated had been very pleasant.

  As the teams divided up and began to move in their respective directions, Adam came to stand before me again. Spearing me with his emerald gaze, he said, “You are not to get yourself killed, or kidnapped, or hurt in any way.”

  The force behind his words was worthy of an alpha. It reached all the way inside me. I couldn’t think of what to say in response.

  “Not a scratch. You hear me, Macy Greer?”

  He didn’t move a muscle as I rose onto my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ll do my best.”

  “You’d better,” he said as I withdrew. Then he slapped me on the butt like he was a football coach sending me into the game. “Get moving, Greer.”

  I saluted him and jogged off in the direction my team had gone.

  My arrival was met by the glares of a bunch of angry teen hybrids. Until they realized who I was. As soon as that happened, I was engulfed in hugs by the clearly distraught girls. The boys remained close but didn’t give way to all the hysterics. Most of them just offered a quick hug or pat on the back and then backed away. Last of all, Kenny came forward. The others stepped aside to make room for him.

  “Kenny,” I said carefully, recognizing that his eyes held suspicion and accusation.

  “Doc.” He seemed reluctant to accept my new persona. “You smell different.”

  “I am different,” I agreed.

  “I thought you were dead or that you’d abandoned us.”

  There was the accusation. “Well, I’m not dead, and I didn’t abandon you. Not by choice. The fact that I’m standing here now involves a couple of small miracles.” I didn’t look away from his eyes. I wanted him to witness the sincerity behind my words.

  He walked a few steps towards me, sniffing the air as he came. “You were always strong before. Now, you’re more.” He stopped, still regarding me with uncertainty. “A predator.”

  “You are not my prey.”

 
That was all the assurance he needed. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. “Glad to have you back, even if you stink.”

  I laughed at his jab. I wished I could convey how sorry I was. “I’m so sorry about everything. About Crystal,” I said softly.

  He squeezed tighter for a second then pulled away from my grasp.

  “I have a lot to make up for,” I told him.

  He simply nodded in acknowledgment of both my apology and my pledge.

  “We ready to proceed, Ma’am?”

  I looked at the cadet who had asked. I recognized him as the one that Adam had said was in charge on this side of the road.

  “Reynolds, is it?” I asked him.

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he nodded.

  “Let’s get everyone out of here.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Reynolds said.

  With that, the work of the mission got underway.

  The kids were divided into small groups of four or five and led off in different directions at various intervals. There were a lot more here than the original estimate of fifty. Kenny was truly amazing.

  During the time it took to lead the groups out, Kenny filled me in on what he’d observed at the Colony. The tale he wove was gruesome and filled with danger. He also gave me a list of the dead and missing. Crystal wasn’t the last name on the list. I tucked it away in one of my pockets.

  When Kenny wasn’t talking to me, I sat with one or more teenage girls wrapped around me. I listened to their stories while trying to pick up from Adam what I could. The images I was harvesting from him matched the descriptions in their stories.

  The next to last group had just left, when I felt Adam disappear.

  Adam? There was no response. Adam!

  I stood up from the fallen log I was using for a seat. Spotting Reynolds talking quietly with another cadet, I approached him. “Can I talk to you a sec?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” he said, and then he dismissed the cadet in front of him.

  “Can you establish contact with Adam?”

  I waited impatiently as he tried to contact Adam or anyone from Adam’s team. As his calls became more insistent, so did my fear. Something had happened to Adam to disrupt our bond, or he’d shoved me out intentionally. Either one was not an option I liked.

  Reynolds turned to me with fear in his eyes. “I can’t reach him or the team.”

  Looking at the uncertainty on Reynolds’ face, I knew in that moment that I was the veteran on this team. Adam must have chosen all new recruits in an attempt to avoid having any trust issues. I couldn’t panic now. The whole operation might fall apart.

  “Reynolds,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to need you to lead the other cadets and the last of the teens to transport.”

  He didn’t answer me. Instead, he just kept staring at me. I thought he was trying to decide if he should listen to me or not. I looked over my shoulder as the rest of the cadets began to ready the last remaining teenagers for the trip to safety.

  Kenny, who was one of those remaining, had been watching the interchange between me and Reynolds. He walked over and stood next to me. “Adam’s gone?” he asked.

  Not wanting to frighten him as well, I carefully guarded my expression. “We can’t reach him.”

  “You are going after him?”

  I met Kenny’s gaze. That was exactly what I intended to do. Then I understood his reason for asking. “You have to stay with your group,” I told him.

  A look of defiance crept over his face.

  “They need you. You’re their leader,” I implored. Whether officially recognized or not, he’d been acting in that capacity for as long as I’d known him. The Colony hybrids knew it, he knew it, and so did I.

  “Which is why I have to go,” he insisted. “I trusted Adam to do the job for me, but if he’s gone…” He let his words trail off into silence.

  I looked down at the ground. He meant he was going to assume the task of looking for any remaining survivors now that something had displaced Adam. I didn’t want him going back into danger. I wanted him safe—away from the Colony.

  I looked back up prepared to argue and saw the remaining five teenagers surrounding him in a show of support. They looked like seasoned warriors standing there with the light of determination shining in their eyes. Each of the ones he’d chosen to accompany him was more than capable, probably more so than me.

  I breathed a sigh of resignation. Shy of incapacitating him, there would be no stopping him. That made the decision to include him relatively easy.

  “You follow my lead,” I said.

  He sharply nodded once, and I turned back to Reynolds.

  “I’m going to find Adam,” I told him. “The remaining teens are coming with me. Take the rest of the cadets to the rendezvous point and lead everyone safely home.”

  I turned abruptly, my thoughts already on reaching the Colony.

  “My orders were to shadow you in the event of unforeseen circumstances.”

  I froze, an arc of pain lancing through me at the memory of the origin of those words. I slowly turned, meeting Reynolds’ eyes once more. The fear was gone. In its place was the same determination written on Kenny’s face.

  I took a breath and sighed deeply. It seemed all my efforts to free myself from being responsible for the lives of young people were for naught. I figured, at this point, I was pretty much waist deep in the whole. You’d think I’d put the shovel down.

  “Welcome to unforeseen circumstances,” I said quietly.

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Without further discussion, I pivoted for the Colony. I heard Reynolds behind me quietly informing transport of our change of plans. Kenny, who knew the area better than I did, took point. His team flanked him, enclosing me in their center. Reynolds and two other cadets—I knew them as Smiley and Flash—joined our band as we sped to the Colony.

  I leaned into the leopard part of me, letting it guide my body. The others were pulling on their hybrid DNA as well, and we ran faster than I thought possible.

  The gravel road came into view, and I watched Kenny clear it in a single leap. He was quickly followed by several of the others doing the same. I’d never tried leaping before, but driven by my need to find Adam, I gave it a try. To my surprise, I overshot the road and landed in a crouch on the other side.

  I looked back at the road. That had to be twenty, maybe thirty feet across, and yet, it felt like no more than three feet. I could get used to this, I thought before springing up and into a sprint again.

  As I ran, I discovered that I could do all sorts of things that I never could before. It seemed that my body knew what to do without me having to think about it. Clearing obstacles with a single leap, weaving through the darkened woods, anticipating the movements of the others around me, it was as simple as breathing.

  And, it was exhilarating. It was freedom in a way I’d never experienced before. I felt stretched, enlarged somehow. Like the moment just after you jump off the diving board, when you’re sort of suspended in midair, weightless. Only, there was no falling to the water below.

  The leopard part of me was thrilled to be hunting. My desire to protect Adam battled with my desire to destroy anyone responsible for harming him. I wasn’t sure which one would win, but I transferred every bit of those needs into helping me find him.

  We arrived at the fence that surrounded the compound. Kenny had led us to the one place where the woods met the fence. As a result, we remained hidden as we surveyed the sight before us.

  Lights were out all over, and the guards were gone. There was no noise or movement of any kind. Not even the wind was blowing. The darkness and unnatural stillness only added to the feeling of dread building within me. I didn’t need the leopard to tell me something wasn’t right.

  Kneeling next to me, Kenny leaned over and whispered, “The quickest way in is through here.” He indicated the way before us with a wave of his hand.

  It also provided no cover whatsoever. “We
need cover,” I said, shaking my head no. I didn’t want to walk straight into an ambush.

  “Follow me,” he said.

  He ran parallel to the fence, then turned away from the compound and headed back into the woods. I frowned at his decision, but didn’t question him. I knew I could depend on Kenny.

  He halted in front of a man whole cover attached to a slight raised piece of ground. I wondered who thought that wouldn’t be suspicious in the middle of the woods.

  With Reynolds’s help, Kenny pried the cover loose and slipped inside. The members of his team quickly followed, leaving me and the Organization cadets standing there. I gave Reynolds an apologetic look then lowered myself into the hole.

  It was a long drop to the floor, but my stomach didn’t produce those little butterflies like it normally would have. I landed gracefully, yet another surprise, and looked up at Kenny. He smiled knowingly at me and then turned and ran down the tunnel.

  Catching up to Kenny, I asked, “What is this?”

  “It used to be an escape tunnel for people like you.”

  “You mean scientists?” I clarified.

  “Yeah. A few years ago, me and some friends disguised it.” He shrugged at the look I gave him. “I thought I should have an escape route of my own, should I need it.”

  I had to hand it to him. His instincts at self-preservation were impressive. “Where does it lead?”

  “Everywhere. I figure the safest entry point is through the kitchen.”

  The kitchen was how they referred to the cafeteria. Normally, it was always crowded. What teenager didn’t like to hang out around food? It would probably camouflage our smell for a while, too.

  When we reached a vertical shaft, Kenny leapt straight up and grabbed ahold of a ladder attached to the wall. I didn’t hesitate to follow Kenny this time.

  The ladder terminated into a narrow crawl space. It was lit with some sort of weird blue lights. I watched the shadow that was Kenny pop open a panel and crawl through. I followed him and exited into the actual kitchen of the cafeteria.

  The kitchen was empty of the normal hub bub that usually filled it, which made it seem extra creepy. I went to stand in the doorway that faced the dining hall. My heart sank as I observed the tables and chairs strewn haphazardly around.