Renegades (The Praegressus Project Book 2)

by Aaron Hodges

  And Richard was slowing now. Another dart sprouted from his chest as he staggered backwards from the men, still shielding Jasmine with his body as they retreated behind the sofa.

  The soft squeak of a floorboard reminded Chris of the soldiers near the door. He glanced at Liz, and found her crystal blue eyes watching him in the darkness. He swallowed, and flashed a smile that did not reach his eyes.

  “I’ll take the ones on the right. You get the left,” he whispered.

  Liz nodded, and gripping the edge of the wooden table, she hurled it across the room. The intruders had spread out as they moved to encircle their hiding place, but a group near the door still stood close together. They lifted their guns as Liz moved, but it was already too late. The dark mass of the table crashed into them, crushing them against the far wall.

  Then Chris was charging at the soldiers, taking advantage of their momentary shock to cross the distance separating them. But they were ready for him this time. Two already had their rifles at their shoulders, and the barrels flashed as Chris reached the first of the intruders. He felt a sharp pinch in his side as he leapt and drove his foot into a man’s face.

  The force of his kick sent the man flying back into his comrades. Swearing, Chris reached down and tore the dart from his side. Tensing his fist, he quickly tested his strength, but he couldn’t feel any difference. A dull ache came from his wounded arm, but otherwise the bullet wound had not slowed him. He chalked that up to some increased resistance, and then hurled himself at his next victim.

  In the cramped quarters of the apartment, the men struggled to bring their bulky rifles to bear on the winged teenagers. Guns flashed, but with Chris and Liz amidst their ranks, they were just as likely to hit each other as their prey.

  Wings flaring, Chris leapt at another man, driving both feet into his sternum and hurling him across the room. Beside him, Liz crashed into another man, driving her shoulder straight into his chest. The force of the impact sent the man staggering into the soldier alongside him, and the two went down in a pile of limbs.

  But even as the soldiers fell around them, more poured in through the door and window. On the other side of the room, Chris caught glimpses of Jasmine laying into the men around her. Richard crouched at her feet, head bent, his wings limp, and the beginnings of despair clutched at Chris’s throat. Outnumbered and surrounded, there was no escape now.

  A sharp pain came from his back, and Chris spun to wrench the weapon from the soldier’s arms. Clubbing the man over the head with the heavy rifle, he turned again and hurled it into another soldier. The force behind the projectile sent the man crashing to the ground.

  A scream came from Liz and he turned in time to see her go down under a pile of soldiers. A second later she was up again, hurling the soldiers from her, scattering them like leaves before the wind. Chris moved towards her, and staggered as his leg went numb. His vision whirled and his stomach wrenched as a wave of nausea swept through him.

  Another soldier came at him, gun raised to finish him off. Straightening, he twisted as the gun flashed, but too slow. As the dart caught him in the shoulder, he grasped the barrel of the gun and tried to wrench it from the soldier’s grip. To his surprise, the man held on, and the barrel flashed again, sending a dart straight into Chris’s chest.

  The strength fled his legs and suddenly Chris found himself on his knees. An eerie calm settled over him as he looked up at the soldier, watching the bright flash as the rifle sent another dart into his flesh. This time he did not feel the pain as it struck. A great weariness settled around his shoulders as he swayed.

  “Liz,” he breathed, watching her across the room.

  He looked down at his chest, at the darts protruding from his flesh. He fought to reach up, to tear them out, but his arms refused to obey. They hung limp at his side, dead weights as the soldier drove his boot into his stomach.

  “Chris!” he heard Liz’s voice from a distance.

  He struggled to keep his eyes open, to find her in the growing shadows. But the darkness rose up to swallow him, and he fell away into oblivion.

  24

  “Chris!” Liz screamed as she saw him go down.

  Hurling aside a soldier, she leapt over the bodies scattered across the floor and charged at the man standing over Chris. He looked up as she closed on him, even managed to lift his rifle, before her fist caught him in the face. The force of the blow sent his head whiplashing backwards and he crumpled without a sound.

  But she had turned her back on the other soldiers now, and two raised their guns and opened fire. Her wings cracked open, the long black feathers brushing aside the darts. But she still felt a pinch from her shoulder as one got through. Gritting her teeth, she crouched and hauled Chris up, and then stumbled away from the door.

  She heard the click of guns being reloaded, and ahead she saw Jasmine stumble. The girl still stood over Richard, half a dozen bodies scattered around her. Liz felt a surge of hope, that maybe they could carry the boys to the window, that they might still escape. Then she saw the tips of the darts protruding from Jasmine’s shoulder and arms, saw her wings beginning to slump, and the hope withered in her chest.

  Lowering Chris to the floor beside Richard, Liz drew back her teeth and snarled. Beyond Jasmine, more men poured through the window. Past the shattered glass, a steel cable lead across to a neighbouring building, where a dozen men still waited to join the fight. Ignoring them, she moved to stand beside Jasmine.

  Hissing, Jasmine gathered herself and leapt at a cluster of men, scattering them with her fury. Teeth clenched, Liz followed after her. But already it was clear the darts were having an effect. Even as she joined the other girl, she could see Jasmine slowing, her blows now lacking power. She watched her tear a weapon from a soldier and slam it into his stomach – but a moment later the man straightened and drawing a baton from his belt, he leapt forward to re-join the fight.

  Jasmine staggered as the steel baton caught her in the side of the head. She retreated a step as Liz sprang between them and sent the soldier reeling with a blow to the head. This time he did not get back up. Side by side, they retreated to where Richard and Chris lay.

  “Go, Liz,” Jasmine panted, “Get out of here, before they get you too.”

  Liz shook her head and reached out to steady Jasmine as the girl stumbled. Glancing sideways, Liz forced a smile. “I told you, we’re family. And we’re not finished yet.”

  Baring her teeth, she tore into another intruder as Jasmine slumped to her knees. As her fist crashed into his face, she felt a sharp pinch from her backside. Swearing, she caught the soldier by the shoulder and spun towards the hunters creeping towards them from the door. In one fluid movement, she hurled the man into their midst.

  She grinned as the men scattered, then swore as her leg suddenly went numb. She clenched her fists, fighting back the weakness, as soldiers closed in around them. They must have been running short of ammunition, because they hesitated before firing, waiting to see whether she would collapse.

  Liz swayed on her feet. She glanced across at Jasmine, and her heart clenched as she saw the girl collapsed over Richard. Swallowing, she faced the circle of soldiers, alone now against a dozen men. She sucked in a breath, and then stepped towards the nearest man.

  Crack.

  A gun roared, and another dart tore into Liz’s side. She staggered, the numbness spreading, but she took another step. Gunshots sounded again, and she felt two more stabs of pain from her back. By then she had reached the man, and stretching out an arm she clawed at his weapon. But he only retreated a step, before slamming the butt of his rifle into her face.

  Light flashed across Liz’s vision as the blow struck, driving her to her knees. She looked up at the man, cursing her weakness, struggling to regain her feet. But the tranquiliser pumping through her veins was too much for her now, and with agonising slowness, she toppled backwards to the ground.

  The soldier smiled down at her. Reaching for a radio strapped to his shou
lder, he spoke into the black microphone. “Targets neutralised. We’re ready for you, boss.”

  Liz’s stomach clenched and tears stung her eyes as she looked up at the man. Despair wrapped around her throat and she found herself begging. “Please, just kill us. Don’t let him take us back.”

  Grinning, the man drew back his boot and drove it into her face. The blow slammed her head back into the floor. She tasted blood in her mouth as the man lifted his foot again and hammered the steel-capped boot into her side. The force of the blow lifted her from the ground and sent her sprawling across the ground.

  Laying on her side, she listened as the man’s footsteps retreated. Staring at the open door, she struggled to sit up. But her limbs refused to obey, and she found she could no longer even blink her eyes.

  Around the room, the soldiers were reaching up to pull the night vision goggles from their faces. An instant later, the lights flickered back on, filling the room with blinding white. Pain stabbed through Liz’s eyes, and she willed them to close, without success.

  A moment later, footsteps came from the hallway outside. A man appeared in the doorway, wearing a familiar white lab coat. Liz’s stomach clenched as she looked up at his face, and felt the last traces of courage crumble within her.

  Halt wore a cold smile as he crossed the room. He stood over her and folded his arms. “Well done, Commander. They are all present?”

  Before the soldiers could respond, a wild shriek erupted from the corridor. Mira tore into view, grey wings flashing as she emerged from her hiding place and shot straight at Halt. He staggered backwards as the girl crashed into his chest, her unnatural strength knocking him back.

  Liz’s heart fluttered as Mira tore at Halt’s face, her lips drawn back in an animalistic snarl. Around the room, the soldiers retreated from her fury. Hope tingled in Liz’s chest as she found herself hoping Mira would tear Halt’s head from his shoulders.

  Then Halt straightened, and his arm shot out to catch Mira by the throat. Liz’s heart lurched in sudden fear, before she reminded herself Mira’s augmented strength was more than a match for an ordinary human’s. She would snap Halt’s arm like a twig.

  Mira squirmed in Halt’s grasp, then lifted her hands and brought them down on Halt’s elbow. Liz watched, waiting for the sharp crack of breaking bone, for Halt’s scream and for Mira to slip free.

  Instead, Halt smiled. Snarling, he lifted Mira higher, even as she kicked and tore at him. Then with casual ease, he hurled her head first into the wall. Mira shrieked as she struck, and then slumped unmoving to the ground.

  Turning back to the commander, Halt shook his head. “I suggest you secure the subjects properly, Commander. We wouldn’t want any more… incidents,” he looked around the room, eyes sweeping the shattered remains of the apartment. “When you’re done, take care of the woman and her daughter. They did a great service to this country, reporting the fugitives. But we can’t have any witnesses of this… unfortunate incident.”

  As he spoke, Halt turned and looked down at Liz, the smile still frozen on his thin lips.

  And his cold grey eyes pierced her.

  25

  Agony pulled Chris back from the darkness, dragging him slowly to wakefulness. He made to sit up, but flopped sideways as he found his arms fastened behind his back with steel cuffs. A sharp ache came from the wound in his arm and he bit back a cry. Rolling onto his side, he clenched his teeth, swallowing the pain, before forcing his eyes to open.

  His heart sank as the room shifted into focus. The first thing he saw was a wall of thick wire mesh. A quick glance around confirmed his suspicions – he was lying in a cage. Apparently, someone had decided handcuffs were not enough to hold them.

  He allowed his eyes to roam across the rest of the room, and breathed a sigh of relief as he found the others lying nearby. They had each been given a cage of their own. He spotted Liz lying unconscious on the floor of the next cage, her wings hanging limply around her. Richard, Jasmine and Mira were on her other side, while half a dozen empty cages stood to his left.

  Chris struggled to sit up, cursing the steel cuffs holding his hands fastened behind his back. His wings shifted behind him, stretching out to help steady him. In the narrow confines of the cage he had little room to manoeuvre, but he finally managed to get to his knees.

  A moan came from Liz’s cage, and he scooted across to the wire and peered through. A purple bruise darkened Liz’s forehead, but otherwise she seemed unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes fluttered open.

  “Chris,” she murmured.

  Before he could warn her, she tried to sit up, and promptly fell on her face. A string of curses rolled off the concrete walls as Chris suppressed his laughter. Movement came from the cages beyond her as the others woke.

  Trying a second time, Liz managed to rock back on her haunches. Her blue eyes focused on him and she shot him a look. “You never saw that,” she looked around then, taking in the row of cages and plain concrete walls. “Where are we? Trying to recreate our first date, Chris?” her tone was light, but he could hear the fear behind her attempt at humour.

  Chris looked away, blinking back sudden tears. He strained his wrists against the cuffs, but as pain shot through his arm, he realised it was hopeless. With them locked behind his back, he could leverage the full extent of his strength against them.

  “I don’t know, Liz,” he said finally. He bowed his head. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”

  His voice cracked as guilt swept through him. What had he been thinking, rushing off the way he had? They’d had no business in that alleyway. If not for his stupidity, he would never have been injured, and they would never have found themselves in Daniella’s apartment.

  “Don’t be stupid, Chris,” Liz leaned her head against the wire and closed her eyes. “You couldn’t have known Daniella and her mother would betray us. And besides, do you really think I would have just stood there while those policemen attacked her? You were just a step ahead of the rest of us.”

  “I was reckless,” Chris argued. “I rushed in without thinking, without caring what happened. If I’d been more careful, had listened to you, none of this would have happened.”

  “Maybe,” Liz shrugged, “They had guns though, Chris. If you hadn’t acted so quickly, we would never have gotten close to them. How’s your arm?”

  “It’s a bit sore. Not as bad as last night though,” he replied.

  Liz smiled, but before she could respond, the door on the opposite wall clicked and swung open. Three men stepped through wearing the familiar blue uniform of the guards at the facility. Chris’s heart sank.

  No, we can’t be back.

  His worst suspicions seemed to be confirmed as Doctor Halt followed the guards inside. He wore the same white lab coat and sleek black pants as the last time Chris had seen him. A thin smile on his lips, Halt strode towards them, letting the door slam shut behind him.

  “Awake at last, I see,” his voice was cold as he walked down the row of cages, surveying each of them in turn. Chris noticed Jasmine, Mira and Richard were sitting up now, their eyes plastered to the ground, unwilling to meet Halt’s gaze.

  Reaching the end of the row, Halt turned and marched back, stopping finally in front of the guards.

  “All still in one piece, it seems,” he clenched his arms behind his back, “Fallow’s little escapade did not prove so disastrous after all. We’ll call it as an unplanned test run, I suppose. The President and his Directors will certainly be pleased with the results.”

  Chris stared up at the man, struggling to shake off the clutches of despair. But crouched on the ground, his arms bound behind his back and the wire mesh hemming him in, he could not summon the energy to fight back.

  “This isn’t the end, Halt,” Liz growled from her cage. She struggled to sit up straight, her wings flailing against the wire.

  Halt stepped up to her cage, the smile falling from his lips. “You’re wrong, Elizabeth Flores. This is very much
the end. The President will soon approve the extra funding I need to continue the Praegressus project. Once I have finalised matters here in San Francisco, I will have you shipped back to our primary facility. There I will watch you torn apart, piece by delicate piece, and use what we find to perfect our recombinant DNA. You and your little friends will be consigned to the pages of history; remembered as nothing more than stepping stones in our path to evolutionary perfection.”

  Chris shuddered and looked away. There was an almost fanatical rage in Halt’s grey eyes as he glared down at Liz.

  But shaking her head, Liz laughed in the face of Halt’s fury. “I know what you are, Halt,” she replied. “I saw what you did, before I passed out. You’re Chead!”

  Chris gaped at Liz’s accusation. He stared at Halt, watching for some reaction. The doctor’s grey eyes hardened and his posture seemed to stiffen. He slowly shook his head. “You had best keep such notions to yourself, Elizabeth. Or I may decide to dissect you right here in San Francisco.”

  Liz snorted. “Go ahead. I’d rather die than go back to that place.”

  A long silence stretched out as the two locked eyes. Finally Halt shook his head and smiled. “As invigorating as this conversation is, I am needed elsewhere. When I return, I will introduce you each to fresh new collars – and a lesson in etiquette to go with them. For now, you’ll have to make do with the company of these men here. I’m afraid they’re quite new, but they’ll ensure you don’t have any mishaps.”

  With that, Halt turned and walked from the room. The three guards edged forward to take his place, their weapons held loosely against their chests. Their eyes flickered over the rows of cages, lingering on Liz and her outstretched wings. While Chris had tucked his wings tightly against his back, hers extended across her cage, their black feathers shining in the overhead lights.

  All the fight seemed to have fled Liz with Halt’s dismissal. She sat with her head bowed and shoulders slumped, unaware of the guard’s attention, until one of them spoke. “You think they’re real?”