by Amy Cross
“Annie,” Adam says cautiously, “I think that's a -”
Before he can finish, the grenade explodes. As the entrance to the cave collapses, I'm sent crashing down against the floor, and then I start rolling down the muddied ground until I slam hard into a tree. Letting out a cry of pain, I try to get up, but my whole body feels broken. I look up toward the cave's entrance, but the rocks seem to have completely collapsed and there's no sign of Adam.
A moment later, hearing voices, I turn to see several soldiers rushing this way.
“Get around to the exit,” someone yells. “When they try to escape, finish them off. We've got orders from the top. The girl's the only one we have to take back!”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Grabbed from behind, I'm hauled up off the ground. I feel a sharp pain in my side, but I'm quickly dragged past some men and thrown onto some kind of stretcher.
“Annie Mackenzie,” a man's voice says, and I look up to see that I'm being watched by a tall man wearing a jet-black uniform, “I think it's safe to say that this latest test is over, and you've passed with flying colors. Even if you did skip out on the end of your witchcraft trial. It's time to take you back to the facility.”
“No!” I yell, but I'm already being tied to the stretcher, and a moment later thick metal cuffs are placed around my wrist and ankles.
Suddenly another explosion rocks the caves, and I turn to see that more and more soldiers are rushing in that direction.
“Your friends won't get very far,” the man says as the stretcher is turned around and I'm carried away. “Did they seriously think we wouldn't find them eventually? We're everywhere. Not just in Middlewych, but in the surrounding area too. We just waited until it was a convenient time for us to come and mop up the rest of the gang.”
“Don't hurt them!” I shout, still struggling against the cuffs but finding that they're far too tight. “Please, leave them -”
Before I can finish, another loud explosion rings out in the distance, followed by another. The whole world seems to shake for a moment, and then I'm loaded into the back of some kind of vehicle. Bright lights are shone directly into my eyes, and then the stretcher is attached to some kind of rig on the wall. I struggle as hard as I can, causing the rig to shake loudly, but I succeed only in chafing my wrists and hurting my already-injured chest.
“Simmer down,” the man says as he sits next to me. He's grinning, and a moment later I hear the vehicle's back doors being slammed shut. “At least we managed to avoid any unpleasantness. Not like last time, huh? A lot of good men died trying to subdue you before you destroyed everything. Fortunately, we learned our lesson. There's a little inhibitor chip in your body, to stop you destroying the entire town again.” He leans closer. “How does it feel to be so special, Annie?”
I look around and see that we're the only two people in the back of the vehicle. A moment later, the stretcher shudders slightly as the wheels start turning, and we start bumping away from the base of the caves.
“Where are you taking me?” I gasp, turning back to the man.
“We're taking you home, Annie. And by that, I don't mean the fake home you've been living in for the past few days, with a fake family. We're taking you to your real home, so you can be debriefed. Then Doctor Crawford will decide whether or not you need another round of tests. To be honest, in my report I'm going to recommend that you're all done in that regard. I think it's soon time to unleash you upon the world. All our hard work, not to mention billions and billions of dollars, will soon be paying off big-time!”
“I don't know what you're talking about!” I hiss. “You've got the wrong person!”
“Nice try,” he replies, getting to his feet. “Now, I'm going upfront to radio ahead and let everyone know that you're coming. Hold on tight, Annie. Things are about to get very interesting.”
With that, he turns and heads along to the far end, and I turn just in time to see him climbing through a small doorway that leads into the driver's cab. Once he's gone, I look back down at my wrists and try to figure out how I'm going to get out of here, but for a moment there seems to be no hope.
And then I pull on my right wrist, and the metal bar on the stretcher starts to come loose.
I double-check that there's still nobody else around, and then I get to work on the bar, furiously trying to pull it all the way from the wall. If I can just get that done, I might be able to pull the cuff away, and then my right hand will be free. I'm not sure what I'll do after that, but at least I'll have some kind of chance. As I continue to try to get the cuff loose, I tell myself that the shoddy workmanship of the rebuilt town must have even extended to the vehicle. Finally, as the bar moves again, I try to pull the cuff loose, only to find that it's also attached to a secondary bar that runs along the stretcher's underside.
“No!” I snap, trying to pull the other bar loose, but then I hear a door opening and I turn just as the guy comes back through.
“Trying something, huh?” he says with a grin, as he comes over and takes a closer look. “Not bad, although I'm not sure it was going to work anyway.”
He grabs another set of cuffs and attaches them to both bars, and then he slips the other end over a separate bar on the wall. I pull harder, but this time it's clear that he's got me well and truly trapped.
“I've got to hand it to you, Annie,” he continues with a sigh, as he sits near the foot of the stretcher, “you don't give up. That's gonna be mighty useful once we've pressed you into service. I very much looking forward to helping develop your stubbornness further.”
“Leave me alone!” I yell. “I wouldn't work with you if my life depended on it!”
“Is that right? Well, fortunately you won't have a choice.” He pauses. “Don't you get it yet, Annie? It's not about working with us, it's about the fact that you belong to us. We've invested so much time and money in your and all the others. Now, after decades of painstaking work, you're the first of our subjects to reach the full maturation point. You're proof that the whole concept works. And as for being left alone... I'm afraid that's never going to happen, not now. You're Chaos Gear property, Annie. Your friends are gone, they can't help you anymore.”
Still desperately trying to get free, I strain harder than ever as I pull on the cuffs. The stretcher's too strong, however, and finally I let out a breathless gasp as I lean back and try to come up with some other plan. The vehicle is rushing along a road now, and all I can think about is all the explosions at the cave system. I want to believe that Adam and the others made it out alive, but I'm not sure how they could possibly have survived. I don't know what's waiting for me at the Chaos Gear facility, but based on my admittedly shaky memories I'm pretty sure that there's going to be a lot of pain. Clenching my teeth, I tell myself that somehow I'll get through this, and that eventually I'll find a way to fight back.
And then, slowly, I become aware of a squeezing sensation on left hand. Looking down, I realize that an invisible hand is squeezing harder and harder, as if to let me know that it's here. I feel a flicker of hope in my chest as I realize that maybe, just maybe, I'm not as alone as I thought.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Annie Mackenzie, welcome back to Chaos Gear,” the man from the vehicle says as my stretcher – attached to a trolley – is wheeled along a darkened corridor. “Doesn't it at least feel slightly good to have made it back?”
I can hear voices in the distance, and what sounds like metal doors slamming shut. This place seems like a prison, but a moment later I spot Chaos Gear stenciled once again on the wall, and then the trolley comes to a halt. I hear a beep, and then a door opens and the trolley is pushed through.
“Sorry about the slow progress,” the man says as the trolley stops again. “We can't be too careful with security down here.”
I look back and see the door swinging shut, and then I watch as the man goes to the next scanner. As a beam analyzes his iris patterns, I turn the other way. There's not much room here in this
holding area, but I can't help wondering whether the invisible guy might be lurking nearby. After he squeezed my hand in the vehicle, there's be no hint of his presence, but he has to be around somewhere.
Hearing another beep, I turn just as the guy pulls my trolley through into the next area. I look back, watching as the door swings shut. If he was quick, the invisible man would have been able to sneak through, but then why would he want to be here at all? He escaped with everyone else, and Adam told me he was one of the main ringleaders in planning to find a way out for us all. Shouldn't he have gone far away by now.
Suddenly I feel the cuffs loose around my ankles, and I realize that the guy's letting me loose.
“Randall Carver will see you soon,” he says with a faint smile. “Not many people get a chance to see him. Some even think he's dead, but I figure he likes it that way. It brings an air of mystery.” He pulls the cuffs from my wrists, and I immediately sit up. “You should listen to what he has to say. His methods might be a little rough, but he genuinely wants to make the world a better place. He's put a lot of effort into this project, and it looks like you're going to be his first proper success story.”
Clambering off the trolley, I turn just as the guy steps out of the room.
“No!” I yell, hurrying after him, but he slams the door shut and I hear another beeping sound.
I grab the handles and try to pull the door open, but it's already firmly closed. I try a couple more times, but then I take a step back as I realize that it's completely futile. I turn and look around, and I see that I'm in a large, windowless room that's empty save for a long table at the far end. Taking a couple of steps forward, I try to figure out exactly what this place is for, but there really are no clues. I make my way over to the table, where I see that there are strange, circular markings all over the wood.
Reaching out, I touch the surface, and I immediately feel a strange kind of warmth flooding up into my arm and through to my chest. At the same time, I hear distant, echoing cries, and I start to smell smoke, but somehow I can't take my hand away from the table. Now there's another smell in the air too, and deep down I'm starting to think that it's the stench of burning flesh. I try again to pull my hand away, but some kind of force is holding it close and it takes a moment before I'm able to break the contact.
Gasping, I step back as the sounds and smells fade.
“The Maverstock table,” a voice says suddenly, and I turn to see that an elderly man has come limping out from another door that I hadn't even noticed at the far end of the room. “It was made from wood that was used in the burning of witches. Or the ash, at least. It's all mixed in, the process was quite complicated and expensive, but I was rather insistent.” He comes closer. “Did you pick something up from it, Annie? I thought that you might. The deaths of many witches are linked to that table. Their souls linger.”
“Who are you?” I ask.
“We haven't met before,” he replies with a smile, “except when you were asleep.” Reaching me, he holds a hand out for me to shake. “My name is Randall Crawford, and this entire facility was my idea. I thought I'd get the Maverstock table out of storage for you to see, I thought you might be interested. It's from my collection of items connected to the arcane and the supernatural. You see, there were witches once, but they were wiped out. The same, I believe, is true of many of the creatures I've created here. That's why people are wrong when they say my work is unnatural. On the contrary, I'm restoring natural things that should never have been wiped out.”
I take a step back, not wanting to shake his hand.
“You're different, Annie,” he continues. “More so than I intended. You were supposed to be a witch, but you're more than that.”
“I don't know what you're talking about,” I stammer.
“Then let me show you.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small metal crucifix and holds it up. “When you -”
Suddenly I scream and pull away, and I inadvertently let out a shocking hissing sound. It's as if my entire body has suddenly been filled with fury, and after a moment I drop to my knees. Short of breath, I close my eyes and try to forget the image of that crucifix, but at the same time I don't even understand why I reacted so strongly. I can hear Randall Crawford coming up behind me, but I don't dare look at him in case I see the crucifix again.
“Relax,” he says calmly, “I put it away. I just wanted to demonstrate one of your new aspects. Joseph bit you in the forest, didn't he? How is Joseph, by the way? Out of all the escapees, he's perhaps the one I'd most like to have back. After yourself and Mr. Graves, that is.”
I get to my feet, but still I don't quite dare turn to look at him.
“Have you heard from Mr. Graves, by the way?” he asks, stepping around me so that I can't help but see his face. “You and he were such a pair of agitators, I can't help but wonder where he went. Did he simply race off into the night, or does he have some other plan? Keeping track of an invisible man was always difficult, even when we had him in his cell. Sometimes I wonder whether the whole break-out was part of some other, grander plan that he was concocting.”
“I don't know anything,” I tell him.
“So you haven't had any contact with him?”
I hesitate, as Crawford stares at me, and after a moment I realize that perhaps he knows the truth already.
“I don't even know who or what I am anymore,” I say finally. “Where's my mother? Where's my brother?”
“I have no idea who your real parents were, Annie. Their identities weren't important, so we kept no record of any of the children we acquired. Most of our intake came from orphanages, and from the streets. Most likely, your biological parents were drug addicts or other criminals. As such, they're almost certainly dead by now.”
“I want to go home!” I say firmly.
“You are home. The facility has been your home since you were just a few months old. We had to wipe your memories of that time, in order to test you properly.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “And you passed your tests with flying colors, Annie. We wanted a witch, but you're so much more than that now. You're a combination of witch, vampire and werewolf DNA, and more besides. You're going to be the most powerful weapon for peace, and you're also going to be the first in a long line of extremely powerful individuals. We can finally say that the Middlewych experiment has been a roaring success.”
“I'm not an experiment!” I snap, pulling away.
“There's no shame in it, Annie,” he replies, still smiling. “You should be happy that you're going to be useful. So many people live pointless lives, but you're going to change the world.”
“I don't want to change the world,” I tell him.
“It's too late to be shy,” he says, as a beeping sound rings out and I hear the door swing open at the far end of the room. “It's time to show you off, Annie. I'm sure Mr. Donovan will be very pleased to see the results of our work.”
“Donovan?”
“Is this her?” a voice asks, and I turn to see that several men in dark suits have entered the room. I open my mouth to ask who they are, but then I realize that I've seen one of them on the news.
“Annie Mackenzie,” Crawford says, “I'd like you to meet Andrew Donovan. You recognize the President of the United States, don't you?”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“One hundred billion dollars,” President Donovan say as he approaches me. “Forty years. Countless lives. Lots of headache and arguments. And this is the result?”
Stopping, he conspicuously looks me up and down, as if he's not terribly impressed.
“No offense, young lady,” he adds, “but I was expecting something... taller.”
Not knowing what to say, I simply stare at him in shock and disbelief.
“Her abilities have been inhibited for now,” Crawford explains, “but I've already provided more than enough proof to back up my claims. Annie Mackenzie is the culmination of my work's first stage. She's proof that the Chaos Gear concept work
s. Indeed, as I've already indicated, she's far more than just a witch.”
“Can she fly on a broomstick?” he asks.
“No,” I reply.
“She can levitate,” Crawford says.
I turn to him.
“Oh, I have no doubt about that,” he tells me. “You still have so many powers to unlock.”
“I don't have any powers!” I say firmly.
“Really? Then how did you obliterate the first version of our Middlewych testing site? The entire town was destroyed, we had to rebuild it all in a great hurry. Even the forest.” He turns to the president. “Her memory is very unreliable,” he explains. “I'm afraid that's necessary. We wanted to shield her from the processes that led to her development. Bad memories can create unfortunate side-effects, as I'm sure you'll appreciate.”
“Show me your teeth,” he says, peering at my mouth.
“Why?”
“I want to see your fangs.”
“I don't have fangs!”
“She doesn't,” Crawford says. “Not yet, at least. Her body is still changing, still incorporating the new abilities that she gained a few months ago. I'm confident that fangs will appear eventually, although they might be retractable.”
I turn and glare at him.
“They might!” he adds.
“And she's stable?” President Donovan asks. “There's no chance of her... I don't know, suddenly turning into a kind of gray goop and falling apart? Because apparently that happened to similar specimens in the past.”
“She's completely stable,” Crawford says, stepping around and staring at me with a hint of awe in his expression. “My whole life, I've dreamed of this moment. As a child, I was obsessed with all the old horror stories. Once I grew up and entered the field of microbiology, I began to imagine how it would feel to create those creatures. My early work was enough to attract some funding, and then at each step along the way I was lucky enough to demonstrate progress. I've dedicated my life to this project, but there's still so much to do. The possibilities are endless.”