Cassius

by Stevens, Madison

  Kendra tried not to tremble. There were two freaks against one hybrid, along with a room filled with men with guns. CJ didn’t stand a chance.

  He scoffed. “You’re mind-controlling people at a competition. That’s hardly the plan that leads to you taking over the world. I don’t know if I should be outraged or laugh in your faces.”

  “Whoever said anything about taking over the world?” Helen shook her head. “Ruling the world’s overrated. Influencing it, steering it, that’s useful.” She gestured toward Kendra. “I’m more interested in results than the glories of knowledge. You’ll find that I, unlike Dr. Quinen, can be reasonable. We don’t need to have some pointless confrontation. We can make a deal.”

  Michael glared at Helen, but he didn’t say anything.

  “A deal?” CJ frowned and edged toward Kendra. “I don’t get all of this or why you need Vestals. Quinen and that asshole over there are obviously not Vestals.”

  The comment cured Michael of his glare. He smirked instead at CJ.

  “Most people lack the potential to become NextGens,” Helen said, nodding at Michael. “It’s a rare genotype that can tolerate the procedure, but our evidence points to Vestals being far more likely to survive the process. Until such time as we can make Vestals ourselves, we’ll need to rely on existing stock.”

  CJ shuddered. “Wait, are you a Vestal? You let them turn you into something?”

  “I was once, yes.” Helen gave him a placid look. “Until they cured me of that infernal longing inflicted on all my kind by making me a NextGen.”

  “Don’t you understand what they’ve done to you?” CJ yelled.

  “They’ve given me power.” Helen motioned toward Kendra. “They’ve let me become super-human.”

  “And the only cost was your soul.” CJ shook his head.

  Helen laughed. “Why? Because I’m not waiting around for some hybrid?” Her smile vanished. “Once they came and told me what I was, I understood why my life had been so miserable. I was waiting around for some man who might never come, robbed of my true freedom to be me, forced to be nothing more than a part of someone else.”

  CJ shook his head. “That’s not what it is. We’re two halves of the same whole. For every Vestal missing out, there’s a hybrid missing out. It goes beyond that. You’re talking about messing with fate.”

  “Fate? We control science. We’re not idiots like the Horatius Group.” Helen’s eyes bulged. “We will control this process. We won’t let it control us. All I’ve done is join the reasonable side.”

  “You’re kidnapping men and women and experimenting on them. You just said it yourself, not everyone survives your procedure. That’s reasonable? That’s not evil?”

  “There are losses inevitable with all societal advances.” Helen clucked her tongue. She lifted her palm and flicked her wrist. “Winners and losers. The NextGens are simply moving some of humanity to their next stage of existence, without the ridiculous myth-worshipping baggage of the Horatius Group. At least dying in this project is more meaningful than dying from some other pointless reason that doesn’t help anyone.”

  A shiver ran through Kendra’s body. She couldn’t believe this woman had once been a Vestal, let alone anything human. The laughter and smiles might as well have been coming out of a robot.

  “Helen!” Michael shouted so loudly some of the guards jumped. His voice echoed in the gym. “You’re telling him too much. Enough!”

  “I’m making our position clear,” Helen replied calmly. “He’s unarmed, and we have his Vestal under our control. He won’t be leaving here. And this is why I’m in command. You’re willing to throw away a useful resource because you’re obsessed with fighting.” She gestured toward Kendra. “I know how you think, CJ, even if I never bonded one of your kind. You wouldn’t possibly risk her life. And we’re not going to ask you to. You can be with her. You can be together. You can pop out tons of little babies and be happy and content.”

  “Children for you to experiment on?” CJ snarled. “And where did you take the other Vestal?”

  “Oh.” Helen shook a finger. “She’s long gone from here, but I don’t think you appreciate the situation. You can’t win against this room filled with guards and two NextGens. If you fight, you’ll die in front of your Vestal, and she might end up getting hurt.”

  Kendra kept her breathing shallow even though her heart thundered. Sweat trickled down her brow, and she did her best to stare straight ahead.

  “I’d like him to fight,” Michael said, cracking his knuckles. “I want to show how weak a hybrid is. I can see in on his smug face. He thinks I’m nothing more than a Glycon who can talk.”

  “No. Let’s be reasonable.” Helen smiled at CJ. “Surrender, and neither of you have to feel more pain.”

  CJ scoffed. “You want me to go back to being a lab rat? After tasting freedom? You want me to subject my Vestal to that kind of life?”

  Helen shook her head. “Think of it as contributing to humanity’s future. We won’t be like the people who were developing you before. We have no interest in super-soldiers. Our project is grander in scope.”

  CJ grinned. “You know what I think?”

  “What?”

  “Vestals are important and rare.” CJ inclined his head toward Kendra. “You’re not going to hurt her. Why throw away a perfect resource just to make a point?”

  “Don’t test me, hybrid,” yelled Michael.

  Helen clucked her tongue. “You’re right, a Vestal is a rare resource. You hybrids… are less important to our future plans.” She pointed at CJ. “I think just killing you and harvesting your corpse for useful genetic samples would be the best use of our time.”

  “No!” Kendra shouted. She rushed toward the nearest guard and punched him square in the jaw, letting the collar fall and clatter against the ground. He collapsed to the ground with a groan. Ignoring the pain in her knuckles, she yanked out his gun and pointed it at Helen. “We’re leaving unless you want a bullet in your brain, bitch.”

  Helen raised an eyebrow. “Now this is interesting and more useful data. Apparently bonded Vestals can beat the mind control easier. Good to know.” She raised her hand and smiled. “Go ahead and shoot. If you don’t, I’ll kill your precious hybrid right in front of your eyes.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Kendra fired. CJ expected her to take down the evil bitch. What he didn’t expect was for the bullet to stop in front of Helen and float in the air.

  “This isn’t happening,” Kendra sputtered. “This is impossible.”

  Helen offered a dismissive smile. “You stupid little girl. Did you really think you could kill me?”

  Kendra fired twice more, but the bullets didn’t get any closer than the first. Helen flicked her wrist. The bullets clattered to the ground.

  The scattered guards stared at the display. Knowing they were working for someone unusual and seeing it wasn’t the same thing.

  CJ didn’t have time to be impressed, and he’d already faced everything from monstrous Glycons to the strange powers of Dr. Quinen. At this point, some weird force field didn’t come close to bothering him. He lunged toward the nearest guard to yank the man close for a headbutt.

  The hybrid’s attack snapped the gathered guards out of their stupor. They turned toward CJ and fired off their stun guns. CJ held up the unconscious guard as a shield. The probes from the buzzing guns embedded in his body. The guard shook.

  CJ yanked out the guard’s stun gun before tossing him into another man. He fired off the stun gun and nailed the next closest guard in the neck. The man collapsed to the ground, convulsing. The hybrid was already on the run and charging into the next man.

  Michael scoffed and folded his arms. “See, Helen. I knew this would happen.”

  “Just wait.” Helen smirked at Kendra. “This all could have been avoided.”

  A growling CJ reached his next victim. One solid punch to the face was all it took to knock the man out so he could become another
projectile used to take down a fellow guard. A lightning-fast jump off the ground sent CJ and his hard shoulder smacking into another man’s chest. A throat chop disabled the next man. The enemy numbers were thinning, and the panic grew on their faces.

  Four men gave up on their stun guns and charged CJ as a group, all screaming in a feeble attempt at intimidation. He roared and smashed his fist into one’s man face before jamming his knee into a second.

  Two men managed to get their arms around him, but he brought his elbow down on one man’s head with a loud crack and knocked the other man back with a kick. His quick stomp knocked the man out.

  CJ had already taken out the bulk of the enemy. A handful of guards remained, along with the two NextGens. He was liking his odds.

  “Permission to use lethal force!” shouted one of the few remaining guards. He, along with the others, backed up behind Kendra. They held their pistols out and pointed them at CJ.

  He growled and glanced back and forth. Even a hybrid wasn’t fast enough to dodge bullets, but he didn’t need to. All he needed to do was anticipate where they might fire and not be in the way.

  Michael jogged over to one of the heaps of bodies and snagged a gun. He pointed it at Kendra. “Enough!”

  CJ threw one final elbow into the nose of a nearby guard and sent him to the ground before spinning toward Michael and growling, low and deep. “You hurt her, you’re a dead man.”

  Helen sighed and patted her mouth. “This is becoming dreary.” She rolled her eyes at a nearby unconscious guard, his face battered. “Why did we even bother to bring these useless men?”

  “You won’t hurt me,” Kendra said, swallowing. She looked down at her gun and dropped it with a sigh, putting her hands up. “You need Vestals. You said so yourself.”

  Michael pointed the gun at her legs. “I’ve got medics. Even if I hit an artery, you’ll survive. It’d be enough to distract him.”

  CJ ground his teeth. “You son of a bitch, you leave her alone.”

  “It’s your fault, you stupid dog.” Michael scoffed. “But I’ll make you an offer.” He motioned to a guard near Kendra. “Put a gun to her head. The rest of you get your stun guns out.”

  The guards complied, but cast a nervous glance at CJ, whose growl was now constant. He could roll, grab a gun, and put a bullet in the brain of the man aiming at Kendra with ease, but there were still enough men to make things difficult.

  Helen’s power also presented a problem, and CJ had no idea what Michael could pull off. It was becoming obvious that the NextGens, much like the Alpha Squad hybrids, all had unique abilities.

  “What offer?” CJ asked, his voice low and bestial. “Because right now I like the plan where I gut you all and walk out of here with Kendra.”

  Michael set his gun on the ground and shook out his fists. “If you want to have any chance of taking her, dog, you’re going to need to take me on first. I wanted to test myself against you anyway.”

  “CJ, don’t!” Kendra shouted. “Just run. I couldn’t even hit Helen with a gun. You don’t have a chance.”

  Helen’s gaze flicked between Michael and CJ. A hint of displeasure marred her face, but she remained quiet.

  Michael grinned. “I’ll even give you a handicap. You can use a gun.” He inclined his head toward Helen. “I don’t have the same ability if you’re wondering, but I will kill you.”

  CJ snatched a gun and pointed it at Michael. “You think you can win against me when I have a gun, and you don’t, you cocky, soon-to-be-dead son of a bitch?”

  Michael sauntered forward, grinning. “I know I can win. Let me make this easy for you and give you a little motivation. If you don’t kill me, we’re going to take that pretty little Vestal of yours and make her into a NextGen. I’ll tell you what, even if she survives, she’ll die, and then we’ll track down the rest of you miserable mutts and finish you of—”

  CJ’s loud gunshot resounded, but Michael’s head seemed like it was moving before the hybrid had even pulled the trigger. The bullet whizzed by, and Michael charged.

  Two more follow-up shots missed due to millisecond-perfect dodging. Michael closed the distance and knocked the gun out of CJ’s hand.

  CJ swung. Michael ducked. Punch after punch failed to land. Michael bobbed and weaved, his grin growing with each miss. He jabbed at CJ, landing a few solid blows and forcing the hybrid back.

  “This is the great super-soldier?” Michael laughed, jumping back with perfect timing to avoid a kick. “Vestals are wasted on you dogs.”

  CJ grunted and backed away, keeping his fists up. Super-agility? Some sort of limited precognition? Without knowing the exact mechanics of Michael’s ability, it’d be hard to counter.

  Michael rushed forward again. He threw strong punches, but now more accustomed to his attacks, CJ was able to block them without much trouble. The man had good training and decent size, but he wasn’t as strong as a hybrid. All CJ needed to do was get past the strange ability and connect with one solid punch.

  The dance continued, Michael getting in the occasional jab or kick to CJ’s side or legs, but CJ missing every time. Sweat beaded down Michael’s face, but he kept his smug smile.

  “Please, CJ!” Kendra called out. “Just run. You can’t win against these people. Don’t die for me.”

  Defeating Michael didn’t guarantee anything. Kendra still had a gun to her head and was surrounded by guards. Helen obviously had some sort of shield power. CJ’s heart pounded harder. It was like the bastards were taunting him and his Vestal.

  A loud gunshot rang out. The guard holding a gun on Kendra slumped to the ground. More shots followed, guards screaming and falling, clutching new bullet wounds in their chests. Michael jerked his head in that direction.

  Julius had sneaked in through a back door. CJ had no idea where Julius got the gun, but he didn’t care. His partner had backed him up.

  CJ didn’t waste time with taunts. Instead, he rushed the distracted Michael and smashed his fist into the side of the man’s head. Michael’s head snapped back, and the man groaned and dropped to his knees. A few more savage punches sent him to the ground, his face battered, and his nose broken.

  Helen knelt and picked up a gun. “This is unfortunate.”

  Julius jogged closer, aiming his gun at Helen. “Looks like I got here right in time.”

  “Earlier would have been better,” CJ replied. “Guns don’t work on her.”

  With the guards all dead or unconscious, Kendra ran toward CJ, moving behind him. She flipped off Helen. “You’re such a bitch.”

  Helen edged toward a door. “You’re interfering with the progress of humanity for your own selfish reasons.”

  “I don’t care about humanity,” CJ said. “I care about protecting my woman.”

  Helen backed away. “I won’t allow you to capture me.”

  “I don’t care.” CJ shrugged. “We and the government will get what we need from Mikey-Boy. We’ll be seeing you soon.”

  “Not likely.” Helen sneered. She shot Michael three times in the head and tossed her gun on the ground. “I never liked him.”

  Julius fired at her, but the bullet stopped in front of her just like Kendra’s. He tried firing at her legs to no greater success. “That’s annoying.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Kendra said.

  CJ circled around the downed men heading toward Helen’s side. Julius wiped his gun with his shirt before dropping it to the ground and then jogged to flank Helen on the opposite side.

  “I’m guessing your power has limits,” CJ said, glaring at her. “All we need to do is get close to you and knock you out.”

  Helen lifted her hand. “I think you’re going to be busy.”

  Kendra gasped and clawed at her throat. It was like an invisible hand was choking her. She kicked her feet as her body left the ground, lifted into the air by the same unseen force.

  Julius stared at Kendra. “Shit.”

  “Let her go!” CJ bellowed.


  “Oh, I intend to… when she’s high enough,” Helen replied.

  Kendra kept floating higher and higher until she was near the ceiling. Tears ran down her throat, and she flailed trying to break away from the NextGen’s power.

  Helen cut through the air with her hand. Kendra jerked to the other side of the gym and fell. CJ and Julius both sprinted toward her.

  CJ’s heart thundered. He was fast, but she was now on the other side of the room, rushing toward the hard wood. There was no way he could get there in time.

  His entire body grew hot. It looked like Kendra’s fall had slowed, but he could see Julius out of the corner of his eye, his running almost in slow motion. Either CJ had sped up, both body and mind, or the entire world had slowed down. In either event, it was just what he needed.

  CJ continued forward, outpacing Julius and closing in on the descending Kendra. With the power accelerating him, it was a simple matter to line up for a catch, grab her, and then turn to disperse her momentum.

  The normal speed of the world returned. Sweat covered his body, and weariness soaked his muscles.

  “That’s two times,” CJ said. “You really need to stop falling from high places.”

  Kendra sighed and draped her arm in front of her face. “I’ll try and do that. But… but what did you do? How did you do that?”

  “I needed to protect you.” CJ kissed her forehead. “Fate made it happen.”

  Stone-faced, Julius turned around and rushed toward the door, but Helen had already stepped through. A loud crash sounded from the hallway beyond. When he reached the doors and flung them open, furniture from a nearby office jammed the hallway.

  “We should get out of here before the cops get here,” he called back. “Somebody’s got to have heard those shots, and I doubt any of the disposable survivors know anything. We’ll contact Maximus, and he can let the government do their thing.”

  He showed no sign of being surprised by CJ’s burst of superspeed.

  CJ nodded, Kendra still in his arms. “Are you okay?”