by Chandra Ryan
“If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather get started now. The sooner this is over, the sooner I’m back home.” She needed time but too much time was almost as bad as too little. The longer she spent here the more depressed and despondent she’d become. Plus, if he was going to believe she was going to work with him for her release, she was going to have to appear eager.
One of his eyebrows rose slightly but then he nodded and his face became expressionless. “Of course. Just let me know what you need and I’ll make sure you get it.”
“I’ll make up a list.” She walked over to a computer before turning back to face him. “And, of course, some background information would be helpful. To be honest, I was mainly going with hunches before.”
“Your hunches seem good enough. You were successful, after all.” He gestured toward Harlow as proof of his words.
“One success is a fluke in the scientific world. Besides, the first time we tried to wake one up she died just moments later. It’d be a shame if I only have a fifty percent effectiveness rate because I’m operating on hunches.” She shrugged as she turned back to face the monitor. “Especially given that fifty percent is the best-case scenario at this point. There’s no guarantee that once I get in there and start guessing my success rate won’t dip to closer to twenty-five percent—or worse.”
He was quiet for a second before saying, “Ask your questions and I’ll answer what I can.”
“How many models are there?”
“There are six types.”
That went easier than anticipated. “What makes them different from each other?”
“They each have their own special skill sets.”
“Which would be?”
“I can’t tell you that.” He turned and looked at Harlow. “Which number was on her stasis chamber?”
She contemplated telling him she hadn’t noticed but the number four popped into her head and escaped her lips before she could think better of it.
He turned to look at the men who had taken them. “Is that correct?”
“No idea,” one of them said gruffly. “Wasn’t part of the job description to find out, either.”
“You’re no better than trained monkeys. No initiative in the bunch of you. You won’t do anything you aren’t getting paid specifically for.” Antihway growled as he walked over to Harlow. “Is that true? Are you a four?” Harlow whimpered and cowered in front of the man, which seemed to be the reaction he was looking for as he immediately stopped. “Maybe…” He took another step toward her and studied her closely. “It’s so damn hard to tell. I knew I should’ve tattooed serial numbers on them.”
As Harlow started to fidget, Lisa decided it was time to get Antihway’s focus back on her. “I’m done with my list.”
He starred at Harlow for a second longer but then turned and walked back to Lisa. After he’d glanced over her list, he nodded. “I can have most of this prepped in an hour. I’ll have the men show you to your quarters. I’ll send for you when everything is ready.”
“She goes with me.” That bit was nonnegotiable. Though she wasn’t really sure she had the leverage to press it.
“Why?”
“She’s my incentive. Remember?”
He cackled as if she’d told some great joke and then dismissed them with a wave of his hand. “Of course. We wouldn’t want you to lose your incentive, now, would we?” He laughed again. “Show them to their quarters.”
The guards nodded and then gestured toward the door. They surrounded her and Harlow as they stood in front of the opening and then escorted them to what could only be considered a cell—and a small cell at that. The walls were bare metal and there was only one cot, a toilet and a sink in the room. At least it had four walls and a solid door. It might not be much but it offered more privacy than bars would have. “Not much of a host, is he?” she asked after giving the room a once-over.
“I don’t think he gets much company.” The guards stood at the doorway, not taking a step inside the room. “Not of the voluntary sort, at least. The door will lock after we leave but there’s a comm on that wall under a panel if you need anything.” He pointed to one of the walls.
“Good to know.”
“See you in an hour.” The door slid shut abruptly, leaving her and Harlow alone.
Don’t talk to me. I’m not sure if he has the room monitored.
Probably a smart move on the telepath’s part.
He thinks I’m a four. They’re empaths. As far as we go, they’re the least threatening. Harlow moved to sit on the cot.
How had the woman figured out so much in such a short time?
Since he doesn’t know I’m a one, he wasn’t guarding his thoughts.
That explained it. So what now?
When we go back, we’ll have to find a three. They have a form of technokinesis.
Apparently Harlow hadn’t had a hard time navigating the madman’s thoughts. I’m not sure that’s going to help much. As soon as I show him the procedure, I’m dead.
No. He’s going to want to make sure he can replicate your procedure before he terminates you.
Lisa started running her hands over the walls as if she were looking for a weak spot or a catch. If they were being monitored, she didn’t want the guards to wonder why she and Harlow were just sitting around staring at each other. Comforting thought.
It should be. It’s the only chance we’ve got.
And technokinesis will give us a chance?
He’ll be able to talk to the computers the same way I talk to you.
That did sound rather useful. She went over to the cot and sat next to Harlow. He could get us the security codes.
You’re missing the point. He won’t need them. And neither would we if we’re with him. He can just tell the door to open and it will. We’ll follow him out of here.
It sounded too good to be true. She wanted to critique the plan until she found its flaw, but what would be the point? It was the best shot they had at this point. And Harlow had already proven she had a better grasp on their circumstances than Lisa could ever hope to have. Okay, a three it is.
Harlow stood and began pacing around the small room. Rest. You’re going to need it.
Lisa stretched out on the cot but couldn’t force herself to fall asleep. Her mind kept racing through scenarios. And unfortunately each of those scenarios ended in her untimely death.
Rest! Was it her imagination or did Harlow’s thoughts sound irritated? You’re giving me a headache. Yep. She was irritated all right.
Sorry. Lisa might not be able to sleep, but she decided that resting might be achievable. She closed her eyes and took deep, measured breaths as she cleared her mind. The next thing she was aware of was the sound of the door opening. She’d managed to fall asleep after all.
She sat up and stretched as their guards waited for them. “I take it, it’s time.” The words were mumbled around a yawn but the guard still seemed to understand her as he nodded in answer. “Good. Let’s get this over with.”
She got off the cot and then followed them back to the lab. Dr. Antihway was waiting for them as the door slid open. And next to the table where the reptile-man had died there was a stasis chamber. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Dr. Colt.”
She faltered for a second but then caught herself before her stumble became apparent. She should’ve guessed the megalomaniac wouldn’t allow her to pick which life form they woke up. She made a show of examining the chamber but her real goal was to get to the number at the end of it. She nearly cursed when she read the simple six etched into the chamber. What abilities did a six have?
Virtually indestructible.
Oh joy. So the mad scientist had created a superhero throwback from the industrial age. That sounded fun.
We can still use him.
If we can reason with him, Lisa pointed out.
Leave that to me. You focus on fixing him.
“Everything okay, Dr. Colt?”
“Everythin
g is fine, Dr. Antihway.” She punched in the code to open the chamber but paused before entering it. “Just getting my bearings. Everything has to be ready to go as soon as I open the chamber.”
“Of course.”
“Will you be assisting me?”
“There’s no better way to learn.” He was at her side, waiting for her to slide open the hatch.
“Then let’s get this over with.” She said a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening and then entered the sequence.
The chamber slid open with a hiss and for one moment Lisa was powerless to do anything other than stare at the man in the chamber. Virtually indestructible seemed like a lie when presented with the sleeping life form. He was so vulnerable. His life relied on her. That thought pushed her into gear.
“Genome scanner.”
As he handed Lisa the tool, Harlow took a couple steps toward the chamber. Thankfully Dr. Antihway either didn’t notice or didn’t care. “The problem is in the OXTR gene.” When she’d first discovered the oxytocin receptors were the problem, she’d had a hard time believing it. Such a simple problem with such a simple fix causing such a catastrophic failure. But sometimes the simple things were the easiest to overlook in her field.
“They’re weapons. Buyers don’t want their weapons to be warm and fuzzy.”
She typed the sequence that would rewrite the receptor into the scanner. “No. I could see where optimism and good social skills would be a problem for weapons.” She ran the scanner over the life form to reprogram his receptor variant. “But these are life forms. They’re people. And people need to feel hope and love.” She gave the being a shot of mood stabilizer to hold him over until his body could adapt to her changes. “Otherwise, there’s no point in living.”
“One simple miscalculation? That’s all that was wrong?”
“There’s so much wrong here, I don’t know where to start.” The man had started to wake and one quick glance told her that Harlow currently focused exclusively on him. What she could be telling him was a complete mystery but Lisa hoped it would be enough to get the guy on their side. A large, virtually indestructible male would make for a formidable enemy and she already had enough enemies of that type.
“Guard.” The men were at attention immediately. “Open fire on the weapon.”
Lisa tried to dive in front of the man but just as she leapt, something crashed into her and kept her pinned to the floor as the sound of laser bursts buzzed through the lab. He’s indestructible. You are not.
It wasn’t until the lab fell into silence that Harlow let her up again. Only, as Lisa looked around, the people weren’t staring at the man who was not only still alive but also appeared to be completely unsinged. No, they were staring at her.
“This is an interesting development.” Dr. Antihway walked over to them. “How did you know she was going to throw herself in front of the weapon?” He stared at Harlow as he asked the question. “I mean, I deemed it probable. She’s a rather idealistic scientist. But you’re an empath. You should’ve been paralyzed by her anger and fear.”
Shit. They were blown. And Harlow didn’t even seem to care. Her focus had returned to the indestructible man. He seemed to be becoming more and more cognizant of his surroundings with each passing second.
“Unless you aren’t an empath.” He stepped between Harlow and the man. “Are you attempting to communicate with him?”
Harlow looked up at Dr. Antihway and smiled. If Lisa didn’t trust the woman implicitly, the malice expressed in the simple gesture would’ve made her shudder. “I’m catching him up. Making sure he knows who he owes his life and his allegiance to.”
“A type one.” The scientist seemed so stunned by his own revelation that he didn’t appear to understand what Harlow had just said. “You and the type fives were the most theoretical. Your development hinged on pop psychology and pseudoscience.”
“I assure you, there is nothing pseudo about me.” She took one step closer to Lisa before a loud roar filled the room. “And your weapon just came online, doctor. I’d suggest you run.”
The blood drained from Antihway’s face as he seemed to remember the man in the chamber for the first time. “No. You wouldn’t. I’m your father.”
“You must be mistaken. I was created, not born.” Her words contained so much hate that Lisa worried for the first time about what she’d just unleashed on the galaxy. But then there wasn’t time to do anything but dodge lest she become collateral damage.
Chapter Eleven
Ben watched Dixie lead his group of men down the corridor and out of sight. He wished he could go with Dixie more than anything else right now. He didn’t have enhanced warrior genes. He didn’t long for the battle. But he craved Lisa. He needed to know she was okay and hold her in his arms. His responsibilities required him to hack into the computer system and download as much evidence as possible though.
Getting into the system from inside the compound wasn’t much of a challenge. After he emulated a trusted network node and hacked into a vetted account with his reader, he was in. That was when the real challenge started. He discovered that the file names appeared to be randomized symbol strings and most of the data was encrypted. Ben would be able to break it, but it would require more time than he currently had. He would have to transfer as many files as possible and take them back to the Coalition base in order to decipher them.
He started with the most recent files and began working his way backward though the system. He’d managed to get one-third of the way through before the sounds of a battle started echoing down the corridor in front of him.
“Sounds as if the fight’s coming to us, men.” Ben looked at the three guards Dixie had left with him to make sure they were hearing the same thing he was. All of them had their weapons in hand and had widened their stances to brace for whatever was coming their way.
Ben selected the next group of files and began the data transfer before he pulled out his gun and joined them. As adrenaline began to course through his system, his hands trembled ever so slightly and little beads of sweat dampened his brow. But he fought through the nervous energy. “Wait until you have a visual. Remember, our men are out there too.” The guards gave a slight nod to let him know he’d been heard and understood but didn’t break formation. They were there to protect him and whatever data he managed to download.
His reader beeped, telling him that the most current files had been saved, but before he could start the next batch a group of men burst into the corridor. There were only six soldiers and they were obviously fleeing from something or someone but whoever chased them was still too far down the corridor to be seen. Not that Ben needed to see who chased. All he needed was to see the glint of metal on one of the men’s wrists to know what to do.
The space around him came into sharp focus as time stretched to accommodate him. He took aim and then pulled the trigger once. Commander Wallace faltered and then fell to the floor. The men with Ben took that as their sign. They opened fire on the remaining commandos. Being trapped between the two forces, Wallace’s men had nowhere to go. They had become the proverbial lambs led to slaughter. But Ben felt no misguided guilt for his role in the bloodshed. The traitors in front of him had picked their side when they’d taken Lisa. And he wanted each and every one of them to pay the price for that decision.
As the last man fell, the group who’d been giving chase came into view. Or, rather, the man who had been giving chase came into view. He was a large man, but Ben still couldn’t believe he’d been singlehandedly chasing a group of super solders.
Ben held his weapon at the ready and kept the man in its sights, but he didn’t fire. Ben was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It was a benefit he wasn’t prepared to return to Ben however. The first blast of the laser barely missed Ben’s head. It might have missed by inches but it made an impact. Ben wasn’t going to waste any more time. He returned fire.
Three bursts of laser fire hit the man squarely in his che
st but the man didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow. And suddenly Ben knew why a group of super-soldiers were fleeing one man. If his men didn’t come up with something soon, they’d meet a similar fate.
“Wait!” From behind the man, a small woman danced into view. “If I tell him to stop, he will.”
“Then tell him to stop,” Ben yelled back.
“Ben?” This time Lisa ran out in front of the man. “What are you doing here?”
Ben’s heart stopped as he watched her run toward him. Lowering his weapon, he ran to meet her. At that moment he didn’t care that he was in the middle of two forces, both armed. He didn’t care who the man was or why their lasers were ineffective against him. The only thing that mattered was the feel of her body pressed against his as he pulled her into his arms. “We came for you.”
“But how did you find me?”
The woman with Lisa had stopped and was staring at them openly, but Ben didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was she’d managed to keep her word. The man had indeed stopped attacking Ben’s men.
“Dixie is an inventive man when properly motivated.” And getting Lisa back had properly motivated the man. “Dr. Antihway’s assistant knew more than he’d originally let on. Dixie just had to find the right way to ask.” He guessed she’d have more questions and he’d happily answer them. Later. Now he needed to taste her. He needed assurance that she was real. Dropping his mouth to hers, he kissed her.
The world around them faded into unimportance as her soft lips parted under his. She moaned and her hands swept up his back in a light caress. It was enough to drive him over the edge. Days of not knowing where she was or how she was being treated had left him with a light grasp on his control and her willing surrender to his possession shattered what was left.
His tongue swept past her lips to tease hers. He poured every promise and desire into the kiss that he’d ever felt toward her. He hadn’t let her know how much she meant to him before she was taken. And that was his biggest mistake. A mistake he’d never repeat.