Unwrapped: A Fated Realms Novel - 1

by M J Sherlock

  When Zoe glanced at me, out came, 'To boldly go where no-one has gone before.' My fellow Guardians cracked up laughing at the Star Trek reference but the Cloaken appreciated it. I returned to leaning against a wall with the others.

  Taine flicked my ponytail. 'Trust you,' he whispered.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets. 'My brain went blank, what would you have said?'

  'May the force be with you.’

  ‘Star Wars nerd.’

  'Come on you two, we need to get a move on,' said India.

  I needed no reminding and collected gadgets and weaponry from Arkwright. Some to conceal, others to sacrifice so our capture appeared legit. We had to leave the smoke bombs but at least we were going. Three days earlier than Zoe originally suggested. A singsong voice echoed in my head: coming ready or not.

  Stella gave me one last hug. 'Make sure you all come back. I can’t bear to lose any of you.’

  I joined Alex and the others in the entrance hall as we prepared to leave. ‘Why can’t we portal straight to my parents’ cell and out again?’

  ‘Weren’t you listening earlier?’

  I looked away guiltily.

  ‘They have a scanner that detects cloaks but not people invisible without them. The closest the Cloaken have been able to get is fifty metres away.’ Alex carried a backpack full of gadgets. He hoped to disable the Venator computer systems and mine their data. Others would smuggle Alex and Taine inside.

  We travelled in groups through a giant, blue-rimmed portal. Travelling through cost us five minutes. On the square outside LZ One, we formed a circle with our backs to one another. Titus and Annie were invisible at the centre.

  Did we have the wrong place? No one fired. Within seconds that changed. A hail of darts and tasers suggested alive was the order rather than dead. I snickered as two or three Venator fired their tasers. Cloaken suits deflected the electricity and flung the Venator backward. Their bodies vibrated with each burst of electricity. Thin trails of black smoke coiled from where the prongs entered their bodies.

  Seeing the smoke shocked me into action. These were no ordinary tasers. With my back to my teammates, I fired at an approaching Venator. He was familiar from the two previous missions. A leader? My shot missed him as he weaved his body out of range. My comrades fell rapidly, barely getting off three blasts before a drugged dart dropped them. My neck stung as a Venator took me out from behind.

  I awoke to a cloying sickly smell that made me retch. Gulping, my head thick and fuzzy, I forced my eyelids apart. Harsh white light spiked my eyes leaving spots to obscure my vision. The room swirled before becoming still. I lay in a glass-fronted, sterile, white tiled room. My eyes scanned for a door but did not find one. Blue florescent lights buzzed overhead. I whimpered as I fought back rising horror. What if the rescuers never came? How would I escape?

  The nape of my neck throbbed where a dart had entered my system. I tried to move my wrists but couldn’t. They chafed where they were confined. I tried to see how but couldn’t move my head far enough. Must be straps. I bucked my body but there was no give. Not when I tried to move my wrists, arms, legs or even my hips. I could move my neck. Only my neck. My heart raced as adrenaline spiked. All my straining amount to nothing. I was trapped.

  I hadn't expected to be so confined. I couldn’t get to the concealed weapons in my special suit. I thrashed again without success. Heat flooded me. Dots danced in front of my eyes and my vision blurred. I was in danger of having a major panic attack. Breathe you idiot. Calm down. Pretend you are in one of Pierre's tunnels. Just an obstacle course. Soon be over. Focus on the goal. Get my parents, escape. Get my parents, escape. I repeated it like a mantra until the dizziness faded.

  I tried again to move my body, testing the strength of multiple straps, which bound me to a reclining chair. It reminded me of visiting the dentist. Not that he strapped me down but still. The spikes of injections and hum of drilling always made me shudder. Whenever the dental assistant sprayed water I felt as if I were being water boarded. I hated the sensation of water leaking out from between rubbery lips. Please don’t let this experience be like that.

  A colossal monitor in front of me showed CCTV images of my captured comrades including my parents. Were they taunting me? Mum and Dad looked drugged out their skulls. India, Pierre and François were immobilised in chairs like mine. I took comfort in the fact that there was no sign of Janero, Annie or Titus.

  A green light flashed as the front of my cell rose to allow in a couple of black uniformed Venator and Janero, his overweight frame wider than the other two combined. A musky odour stung my nostrils and made me heave. I fought to control it, not wanting to choke on my own vomit.

  'Surprised to see me?' Janero faked a wicked grin.

  'You led us into a trap,’ I spat, ‘when we get out of here, I’ll-'

  '-Save it.’ A short, muscular Venator bared his teeth in a rictus impression of a smile. ‘Janero here double-crossed us and now you get a front row seat to his execution.'

  He and a tall stocky man from earlier missions grabbed Janero who was now wide-eyed and shaking. They yanked his arms behind his back, zip tying them. Then they shoved him to kneel to the side of me. The shorter man flicked a switch on my chair and it drew me into an upright position so I could see everything.

  Kneeling, Janero resembled a squashed stack of hoops. His head bobbed above the rings, out of proportion with the rest of him. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead. A gun grazed Janero’s temple. My mouth dried up and it became hard to swallow or even breathe. Why had I ever thought this would work? If he died...

  ‘You are wrong, Orev, I am no traitor.’ Janero struggled to free himself but had no hope. His gaze darted around the room, feverishly searching for a way out.

  I froze, unable to look away, hoping Janero got a reprieve.

  The gun clicked as Orev removed the safety. 'Morgan filled us in.'

  'She’s the traitor.' I strained at my restraints, trying to buy precious seconds for rescuers to save us.

  'We hate abominations. Morgan will experience my whip soon enough. If you behave, I’ll let you watch.' Orev’s lip curled as he sneered at me.

  'You're a monster,' I cried out.

  'Believe it.' He forced Janero’s head down and fired a single shot into the back of his skull. The coppery smell of blood and acrid urine filled the room as Janero toppled sideways.

  Blood and brain matter splattered me, its warmth dripping down my face. Grossed out, I gave a half sob, unable to move. Orev stalked over to me and stroked his gun down my cheek. A tight knot formed in my stomach, as my body clenched and shied away from him.

  'So, the question is who do I torture first? You or your friends? You’ll all die, the only question is how?' He gave a cold, high laugh and twisted to fiddle with the CCTV.

  Trapped in the chair, I could only hiss and squirm. How was I to get free?

  ‘I enjoyed torturing your father. The fact he was clueless made it all the more delicious.’

  ‘How could you-’

  ‘-Easily. Screams are like sweet music. My scalpel is my conductor’s baton.’ Orev pulled open a drawer and took out a leather roll of tools.

  I blinked rapidly. My heart plummeted painfully when I saw what was inside the roll. Scalpels, drills, a bradawl… I shredded the inside of my cheek as I chewed on it, anything to avoid crying out in fear.

  ‘Your mother was even more clueless. She is not from a Guardian bloodline. Galden here drugged her-’

  An alarm blared and a thin, stringy man ran in. '-We’re under attack.' He was the man who tried to snatch my bag on the River Cruise.

  'Only to be expected, Dax. Let’s bring her with us. She may yet prove useful.' Orev spun towards me.

  On the monitors behind him, my fellow captives perked up. A blur of movement. One moment my parents were on screen, the next they were gone. I hoped that was their rescue but couldn’t be sure.

  ‘Galden go and check on the other prisoners.’ />
  He ran off to do Orev’s bidding.

  As I was unstrapped, I elbowed Dax in the eye. He gave a cry of rage and a stinging slap knocked me to my knees. Dax’s eye purpled. He wouldn't forget me.

  Any hope I had of darting off ended when Orev leapt forward. He twisted my arms behind my back and pulled me up against his hard body. Orev slapped on zip ties in a frightening echo of what he had done to Janero. 'Try that again and I’ll sever your fingers and toes and play your screams live to your loved ones.' Orev jerked me forward.

  I swallowed hard and bit my lip, drawing blood. Foolishly, I’d not expected the Venator to take us out so quickly or to split us up. I hated being so helpless. Please God let us succeed. Don’t let Janero’s death be in vain. The pops of guns firing and flashes and smoke from Cloaken blasters and firebombs drew closer and I felt hope stir.

  Orev tightened his grip, scraping the cool metal of the gun on my right temple. He yanked me in front of him. ‘Surrender or Ellie-Grace dies. Throw down your weapons.’

  I silently screamed, don’t or we’ll lose. Orev would kill us all. I cringed, closing my eyes, not wanting to see the smirk on his face as they surrendered. A tear streaked my face as I heard first one blaster clatter across the floor and then another. Surely, they weren’t so gullible. Better, I die than all of them too.

  ‘Let her go,’ shouted Pierre, sounding closer.

  ‘We meet again.’ Orev twisted the gun barrel so it bit into my skin.

  My breathing hitched. A shout came from my right and I shied away, opening my eyes. Distracted, Orev loosened his grip. I pulled myself to the floor, over-balancing him. A blaster flashed and Orev fell across me, gasping as he clutched his blackened leg. He dropped his gun. Black boots kicked it away while rough hands manhandled him and pulled me free.

  Titus cut through my bonds before hurrying off to help others.

  Annie helped me to my feet. 'Janero?'

  'Dead. Sorry.'

  Her hands quivered a moment before passing me a Cloaken blaster. 'Honour him.' The blaster was set to stun.

  I twirled and dropped to the floor, getting off three shots, each hitting a different Venator and putting them down. More Venator appeared. Chaos reigned. I attacked with lassoes of energy, blasters and firebombs. Forced to re-energise my weapons, I felt the burn of each attack. For each Venator that fell, another sent a hail of bullets our way. We erected shields over injured comrades and ourselves.

  Titus and François trussed up Venator prisoners.

  Pierre toyed with Orev. Did they know each other? It sounded like it. A bullet missed my head by millimetres. I encased Pierre and myself in a force field. Crouching, I fired the blaster, drawing on the roaring anger inside to fuel it. My energy was depleting fast.

  I nudged Pierre with my foot. ‘Move or we’re dead.’

  India called from behind me. Zoe was with her supporting my parents. Their eyes stirred with life when they saw me. I scurried across to them, keeping low to avoid bullets. I passed my blaster to India and hugged my parents.

  The noise level dropped as many of the Venator retreated.

  Some Cloaken elite forces ran in from outside. They hurdled strewn bodies and ushered my parents towards the main foyer.

  'Ellie,’ Zoe called me over. She was dirty but lacked obvious injuries. ‘Where’s Janero?'

  'Orev killed him.’ I pushed my hands through my hair as the incident replayed in my head. Orev forcing Janero to his knees and shooting him in one quick motion.

  Pierre caught up with us and encouraged us to keep moving. 'We need to get out of here.’ He did a headcount. ‘Where’s Hope?'

  India gestured upwards. 'Searching for Wyatt and Morgan.' Like Zoe, India was flushed with exertion and had dirt streaks on her face, but the nightmare bullet had not materialised.

  ‘Why would she risk that?' I asked.

  'To save them from Venator experiments.' India shuddered. ‘Apparently they want to find out how to kill Cloaken more easily.’

  My mouth twisted. ‘Orev offered to let me watch her torture.’

  ‘Tempting.’

  Pierre yelled, 'Extraction in ten minutes. Move out now.'

  Titus stripped guns from the prone bodies of the stunned Venator. 'Why let this filth live?'

  'Don’t become them,' said Pierre. 'Besides Orev will bleed out within ten minutes if he doesn’t get help. No need to hurry it along, he should suffer.'

  'Go to hell,' cried Orev, as the blood pooled around him.

  'No but you will.' I kicked him on the way past. Orev’s howl was satisfying.

  India and Zoe looked appalled, but they had not witnessed Orev kill Janero in cold blood. I felt hyper, disconnected, nothing felt real.

  Chapter 30: Out of Chaos

  We ducked and dived, avoiding cameras as we made our escape.

  ‘Shouldn’t Taine and Alex be back?’ I asked India.

  ‘Yes, they're stuck in the East Wing.’

  I followed her towards the foyer in the middle of the two wings. ‘Should we- ‘

  ‘Grenade,’ yelled Titus as a small missile headed towards us.

  I threw my hands over my head and dropped to the floor. A cacophony of sound then silence. Stuff of nightmares. India lay beside me, both of us dazed by the blast. Rubble, glass and dust rained through the air. My ears rang. I coughed repeatedly, unable to clear my throat. My dusty fingers muffled my mouth as I tried in vain to drag clean air into my lungs. I was either deaf or vibrating like a tuning fork unable to hear anything else.

  Thick dust and grit coated my eyelashes. My eyeballs felt like a cat had clawed them. It took several seconds for my vision to clear. Tiny pieces of debris from the explosion marred my skin with red welts. My hands were sticky with blood. The prized Cloaken suit was shredded as if pricked by a thousand shards and my body armour hung by threads over my t-shirt. Pain had yet to seep through the shock.

  I’d forgotten to shield. How could I have been so careless? Or maybe, given the devastation, shields didn’t work against grenades. My eyes searched for my parents and the rest of the team. India sat up, only to jerk down as a stream of bullets passed within inches of her head. I fed energy into a flickering shield above us. India had a gash on her arm, but blood welled up rather than spurting. She gave me a thumbs-up. Titus and François had not been so lucky. The explosion threw them backwards and falling debris or grenade fragments had impaled them.

  Cloaken elite troops poured through the haze to engage the Venator allowing me to focus on the injured. François lay unconscious in danger of bleeding out from multiple wounds to his chest. I was no healer. He needed the professionals. A jagged piece of glass impaled Titus’ leg. Crimson arterial blood pumped out, soaking his clothes. Fallen beams pinned him. He had less than twenty minutes left to live unless we saved him.

  I crawled over to Titus, picking my way across sharp glass and rubble. The debris cut the soft skin of my hands. No sound penetrated. I unzipped the tattered remains of my Cloaken suit and felt for the concealed knife in my bra. Then I pulled my t-shirt to one side and cut my bra straps, unhooked it, yanked it free and wrapped it around his leg. I twisted it for extra strength and tied it off above the point where he was impaled. The tourniquet slowed the rush of blood and bought him time.

  India worked alongside me to shift the rubble while maintaining our shield. We heaved and grabbed hold of Titus to manoeuvre him up to his feet. We ignored his agonised yell. We began the awkward shuffle to the gaping hole at the front of the building. We looped his arms around our shoulders, but he was barely conscious. His weight bore down on us like a loaded barbell begging for release.

  Pierre returned with some of the Cloaken elders. Pierre and Arkwright ferried Titus out of the building. Cloaken elite forces poured in behind them, firing at any Venator who encroached on the space. Wordless, I took Xavier and Worth over to François. They formed a stretcher out of energy and carried him out. A couple of Cloaken I didn’t know stared up at me with unseeing eyes. To
o late for them.

  Zoe returned and zeroed in on Annie crawling forward over to my right. Annie cradled her arm. I angled back as India dashed towards the West Wing, gashing herself on obstacles in her way. She was going to find Alex and Taine. I picked my way over rubble, shooting targeted fire balls at any Venator stupid enough to get in my way as I followed her.

  Still deaf, I fed my remaining energy into my shield. I wished I had paid more attention to the battle briefing. My focus had been on my parents and I had ignored the rest. No use crying over that now. My legs protested as I broke into a run, but I pushed through the pain. Taine and Alex should have been back. Why weren't they?

  I reached for my blaster and came up empty. Thank God for Sofia’s energy lessons. I would be dead already if I had not learned to use energy to protect myself. The room spun. I felt sick and shaky. My shield wavered and then failed. I scanned for Venator, but they were far behind, caught up in the foyer battle. India was about thirty metres ahead of me along a grey empty corridor. I jogged forward. My feet left grey splodges of dust on the white tiled floor. A trail anyone could follow. I shuddered to a stop, pulled out a knife, a trio of throwing rings and the Étoile. I put the latter away.

  ‘Where are they?’ I mouthed.

  ‘In there.’ India pointed to a crack in a nearby door. She pulled her concealed knife from her bodice and tossed it to me.

  Nudging her to one side, I peered in. A trio of armed Venator surrounded Taine and Alex. One was the female from the train who haunted my dreams. The second Galden. Flabby lips was unknown. I regretted the lack of smoke bombs. I handed India my throwing rings, as she was more accurate.

  ‘Let’s distract them,’ I mouthed. She nodded. I held up my fingers, three, two, one…

  We banged the door open as we went in low, splitting left and right. India threw her rings. I held onto the knives, I needed to be closer. Taine and Alex broke free and grabbed their gear as their attackers swivelled in our direction. India’s ring caught the blonde Venator by the neck and she pulled it tight. She was unflinching as the blonde choked and fell to the ground. The second ring caught the arm of flabby lips, pulled tight and made him drop his gun with a clatter. Alex and Taine leapt on him, overpowering him while he scrambled for his gun.