They removed the twisted cabinet and found the scientist groaning, on the brink of consciousness. His emerald eyes focused on them and he startled back, his backpack grinding against the wall.
Sam bent down and held the man by his shirt collar.
“No no, wait, wait,” the scientist pleaded in a strained breath, backing further away. The fear colouring his voice seemed to strengthen his heavy accent.
“Now listen,” Sam said. “We aren’t going to hurt you. In fact, we may have just saved your life. All we want is some answers. Let’s start with what you and your itchy friend were up to here.”
“Please, my superiors—”
“Are the least of your concerns right now. You’re bleeding internally. I can help you, but not if you don’t help us first. You won’t last much longer if you don’t cooperate.”
With an effort, the scientist sighed and grimaced in pain. “It was… a genetic procedure. We were tasked with formulating a compliance serum, suitable for human activation. For… for military applications, is all we knew.”
“You’re talking about mind control?”
The scientist reluctantly nodded. “The subjects would be resistant to pain. Able… able to follow orders without question. Without thought…”
“You’re creating monsters.” Sam’s contempt was evident.
“No—” the scientist coughed, blood splattering from his mouth. “Our intentions were… pure. My colleague, in his haste, injected the entirety of the serum into the subject, causing an adverse reaction we could have only feared. It was not my intention…” his eyes fell on the crushed beast and he leaned his head back, defeated.
“You have the burden of this man’s soul on you,” Sam said gravely. “And the countless others you have tortured. Forever to haunt you. That’s a fate I don’t envy. But that’ll be your eternal punishment for the travesties you’ve contributed to.”
“Please…” the scientist gasped. He jerked up and grabbed Sam’s arm. “Our department head. He is meeting a new supplier, in Riondon, this next day.”
“Who is the new supplier?” Sam asked.
“A representative of Codo Industries is what I know. I heard no name. This man, however, contributed a sample of his own. Our superior, Dr. Arkay Velome, ordered us to include this new specimen to the serum. We were unaware of how its properties would react. I… I could never have imagined…” He gulped shallow breaths; eyes fixed on the giant corpse. “People said Dr. Velome was a monster, but I couldn’t see to what extent this was so. It is known that he has many other projects. Dangerous. Beyond the realm of science that some whispered and called psychotic. Some even referred to him as a warlock.”
“Where is this Dr. Velome now?” Evan asked over Sam’s shoulder.
“He left here this afternoon. A Voarn?” The scientist’s voice rose, observing Evan for the first time with curious, wide eyes.
Evan shied back.
“My apologies. A curious coincidence, perhaps. I just recalled, I saw another of your kind, only yesterday.”
“Another Voarn?” Evan asked.
“Yes. Now the memory returns to me. An older Voarn, with a beard. A beggar. I saw him speaking with Dr. Velome yesterday morning. I could not hear their talk from my distance.”
Evan frowned in thought, looking disturbed. “And this was the first and only time you saw him? This beggar?”
“Yes.” The scientist winced in pain, clutching his side.
“Can you say what the beggar wanted?” Evan asked.
“I cannot. Though it was a strange sight indeed, because Dr. Velome conversed with the beggar, where he would otherwise have shunned him away.”
Sam looked thoughtful with a furrowed brow. “Where can we find Dr. Velome now?”
Struggling to keep control of his breath, the scientist said, “He will leave through Tammin Pass, to seek air clearance from the city.
“What vehicle is he driving?”
“His personal transport is a black Hesseidan; single craft. Please, you must understand, we meant no harm with our tests. Our intentions were good. But, Dr. Velome, he has… tendencies. Dark intentions. I know not of who his superiors are, though they are what I fear most in this world.”
“You’ve done a good thing,” Sam assured him. “We’ll intercept Dr. Velome before he reaches the pass.”
Another coughing spasm keeled the scientist over. “Please… you said you would help me.”
Sam’s expression hardened. “I’m sorry… I can’t help you.”
The man gripped Sam’s jacket with a weak hand. “You promised. You said you would…” The force of his pleading brought another stab of pain and the strongest coughing fit yet.
“There’s nothing I can do for you. This is beyond me. I’m sorry.” Sam let the scientist’s hand drop.
James gave Evan a questioning look, but it was clear the Voarn was also unable to help the man.
Mechanisms shifted within the main door behind them as it began the unlocking process. Several helmeted heads could be seen through the small window.
“Go,” the scientist commanded. He gestured to the door next to them.
They had no choice but to leave the scientist to his fate.
When the large front door opened and several armoured security guards burst in, the back door closed with James, Sam and Evan on the other side.
A sudden silence fell over them as they entered a large stairwell. Looking over the railing, James figured they were on the third or fourth floor, with three levels above them. Sam led the way down the metal steps without a word.
Their stomping footsteps and harsh breaths echoed throughout the stairwell as they descended. The usually sure-footed Evan stumbled twice, which worried James, though it was understandable after what he’d just been through. No other doors connected to the stairs, and James guessed they were on an emergency staircase off the science lab.
Sam stopped as they rounded the next level, looking down between staircases. The problem was immediately evident. A thick cloud of smoke was forming below them, rapidly rising.
“They’ve cut us off.” Sam sighed harshly. He leaned back against the wall, taking a moment, before moving again. “Looks like our way leads up now.”
When they headed up and passed the laboratory door again, they could hear the sound of electrical equipment and muffled voices from the other side. James wondered if the guards knew the door code, and the scientist was unwilling to give it to them.
Past the next landing, the railing beside them exploded in a shock of electricity. The sharp vibrations numbed James and threw him back, the energy charging the railing and narrowly missing his hand.
Heavy footsteps thundered above them. They looked up to see a group of armoured security guards rushing down to meet them.
“We go through them,” Sam called out, drawing his sword.
James’s heart raced at the coming confrontation with the armed guards. He reminded himself to be strong and gripped his knife tight. A sound from behind told him that Evan had released his mighty sword.
The guards were above them on the opposite stairwell now, and James could see there were three of them. Their silver chromed chest and shoulder armour was over dark clothing, with visored helmets strapped on. Two were armed with batons, while the third held a Lawman-style bolt rifle in his gauntleted hand.
The bolt rifle fired again. This time the electric blast narrowly missed Sam’s head as he dove forward and grabbed the railing for support. James felt the surging heat of electricity pass him and crash into the wall, throwing out chips of concrete and dust, leaving a smoking hole.
James turned to see Evan’s sword had been knocked down the stairs, and the Voarn was running back to retrieve it.
Before Sam could engage the leading bolt rifle guard, another blast tore through the air directly at them. Sam’s sword met the electric bolt, which charged into the blade and vented around it. Sam held on with both hands until the energy defused, leaving a smoking blade that looked undamaged.
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A baton wielding guard jumped the remaining few steps and swung out. Sam caught the swinging arm with one hand and butted the guard’s visor with his sword hilt. He lifted the guard and shoved him over the railing. The guard landed on the railing below with a loud crack and splayed over the stairs.
A second guard passed Sam and met James; thankfully one that held a baton. The swinging baton struck the wall over James’s ducking head, and he threw himself forward so his shoulder collided with the guard’s mid-section. From his lowered position, James wrapped both arms around the guard and found the leverage to lift him up and over, throwing him to the steps below. He managed to grab the railing before the momentum also pulled him back.
James turned to face the barrel of the bolt gun, inches from his face. A miniscule of a moment felt like a lifetime as he stared at the barrel, frozen, waiting for the inevitable. The gun fired just as Sam shoved James into the wall, and the blast sailed past their heads with a deafening force.
Regaining his senses, James tried to clear the ringing in his ears when something large flew over and landed with a booted thud a few steps above.
Evan struck the forearm of the final guard, penetrating his metal gauntlet, and sent the rifle falling down the centre of the stairwell with loud clatters. Before Evan could strike again in the confined space, Sam brought the stunned guard onto his shoulder and threw him over the staircase, where he crumpled onto the landing below.
James’s shoulders sagged with relief when he saw there were no other guards posing a threat.
“We keep moving,” Sam said sternly.
“Do you have a plan?” James asked as they rounded the next landing.
“Not exactly. But we’ll have a better view of things if we can reach the roof.”
James was relieved to see there was a door at the top of the stairs. A silver plaque on the door read roof access.
“Which is here,” Sam finished.
James took the moment to catch his breath, noticing that Evan also strained to breathe with a pained look on his dirt-smeared face.
Sam pulled the door and found it locked. He gripped the handle with a grimace of concentration, before pulling firmly and snapping the door open. Hinges and locks shattered as a wispy smoke wavered out into the open air beyond the door. James thought he could smell burning metal as he looked at Sam in awe.
“Stay on guard,” Sam said over his shoulder. “There’s already been too many surprises.” He gave them an assured yet frustrated nod before stepping through.
The afternoon sky was filled with dark blues and swathes of orange as they surveyed the area, the sun hiding behind one of the Quarter’s towers in the distance. No other structure was on the flat roof other than the block housing the staircase doorway. The top of the nearest building was at least a hundred feet behind them.
Sam turned back to the door and ran a hand along the edges. James looked on in wonder as the doorframe somehow melted in the wake of Sam’s palm. Sam called Evan over as his hand continued up the side and along the top. When he stepped back, the entire doorframe glowed like hot coal embers. With a flourish, Evan moved his hands over the door and a sharp gust of air blew from his gestures, rippling their clothing and cooling the sweat on James’s face. The strong air soon hardened the melted doorframe, fusing the metals firmly together.
Footsteps and thuds came from the other side of the sealed door.
“That should hold for now,” Sam said, yet James didn’t think he sounded so sure.
They stepped away and each searched for a solution to their problem.
“Any suggestions?” James asked.
Sam looked thoughtful for a moment, before James realised that he’d paused with hesitation. James studied the man before he heard what Sam had. A sound was carrying across the wind; a kind of thrumming which grew louder. The whirling chopping sound told James what his eyes saw a moment later. A silver helicopter came into view and filled the sky with the thrum of blades as it hovered above them. It wasn’t a Lawman craft—which didn’t use propellers—but an older, bulkier design James hadn’t often seen in town.
Before they could react, standing there with their clothes whipping around them, dark figures disembarked from the helicopter and swiftly rappelled from thick ropes. Four guards landed close to them, with the same silver chromed armour as the ones on the staircase. The guards held short staffs which immediately extended to three times their length with a flick as they charged towards them.
Evan sprinted forward, waving an arm as though deflecting a thrown object. The nearest guard was swept off his feet, caught in an invisible wind, and the Voarn continued his charge to the next guard. Sam darted off while James fumbled for the knife he’d forgotten to draw.
As a thick pole swung at James’s head, he ducked and fell to his knees. From his lowered position, he lunged forward and brought the knife up, aiming for the chest armour, but a gloved hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. The hand squeezed hard and caused James to drop the knife. The guard released his hold and swung the staff with both hands. James jumped back in time for the staff to pass by his chest. He instinctively reached out and grabbed the staff before the guard could bring it around again. He grappled close to the guard, giving him no room to put the long staff to lethal use. When the guard’s helmet closed in, James saw his own strained face reflected in the black visor.
Someone darted past them, and James saw the red jacket of Sam in a blur as he dashed toward a guard ahead. Sam slammed a hand into the guard’s chest and a small fire burst forth at the collision point, sending the guard spinning backward with a smoking chest.
James lost his hold on the staff at the sight of Sam’s attack and the guard he fought struck the staff against the bridge of his nose. James fell to the ground, dazed with watering eyes, blood pouring from the open gash on his nose while the world darkened briefly. The guard towered over him and raised the staff, ready to strike.
Evan appeared as the staff swung down, blocking the blow and heaving his sword across the guard’s shoulder. The blade penetrated the shoulder armour, almost severing the joint in an explosion of blood. The guard collapsed in a stunned heap, clutching his shoulder.
James rose to his feet, pushing aside a rope still hanging from the helicopter, and gingerly felt his bloody nose. He tasted metal and spat out a glob of dark blood. He found himself beside Evan. A staff guard swung at them in a downward arc. Evan shoved James and in the same motion dove sideways as the staff came crashing between them.
Evan caught the next strike with the flat of his blade, pushing the guard back and increasing the ground between them, his half cape billowing in his wake.
The guard advanced on Evan, putting his back to James. Without a chance to grab his fallen knife, James took the opportunity to lock his arms around the guard. He pinned the guard’s arms to his sides, forcing the guard to lose his grip on the staff.
Before Evan could strike, the guard managed to break free from James’s hold, grabbing him and throwing him over his shoulder. The air rushed out of James as he hit the ground hard. Through dazed vision he saw Evan come upon the unarmed guard and attack with two deft strikes. The guard spun around, revealing long gashes across his chest armour, and fell to the ground.
Fighting through the pain and the dizziness, James scrambled to his feet, ready for the next guard. His relief was audible as he saw all the guards had been dealt with. Sam stood over two of the guards who lay in twisted heaps.
Before they could regroup, something large disturbed the air and landed in front of them.
Another guard had made a free-fall jump from the helicopter. This one wore heavier armour, unlike the others. The dwindling sun reflected off his large shoulder guards and chest pads, and the close-fitting black suit under the bulky armour showed a strong build. His sleek visored helmet turned to them as he rose, as did the rifle he carried; a much larger version and a different make than the bolt rifles.
Sam and Evan were soon upon him.
They swung and struck in unison while the guard blocked with his massive gauntlets, using the rifle as a staff. Sparks flew from the powerful collisions. Evan ducked low and Sam struck high, their attacks gaining momentum.
James stood amazed at watching these two fighters; seeing them as the seasoned warriors they were. While they prepared for another strike, the guard managed to fire his rifle, so close to them that James was sure Sam and Evan would be disintegrated on impact. But the blast ripped through the air past them and the missile exploded on the roof further away.
The guard battled with Sam while Evan stepped back and prepared a strike. He waited for Sam to unleash a flurry of attacks before he shot forward with a fierce velocity, as if propelled by a great wind, and plunged his sword through the guard’s armour. Evan released the broadsword in a bloody extraction, causing the guard to stagger and falter, but he remained on his feet.
Sam seized the large rifle as it aimed towards Evan. James hated feeling so helpless, watching his companions do all the work. But he knew he would only get in their way if he tried to join the fight.
As Sam and the guard fought for the rifle’s possession and Evan prepared for another strike, the rifle fired again. This time it was aimed high and the missile shot directly up along the lines of the ropes to strike the hovering helicopter. The underside exploded in a powerful burst of metal and fire, throwing out sparks like a great firework.
James reeled back from the brilliant fire in the sky. Under his protective arm, he saw Evan moving his hands in a way that told him the Voarn was conjuring another magical wind. Several of the larger chunks of debris appeared to alter their course and headed toward the final guard. Sam dove out the way of the falling pieces that slammed into the guard and knocked him off his feet. Soon the guard was lost beneath a mound of smouldering helicopter chunks.
The next moments happened in a blur.
James looked up to see the remains of the helicopter carcass falling toward them. Sam ran with Evan in tow, sheathing their swords.
As Sam ran, he gathered the ropes still attached to the falling helicopter. He grabbed James’s arm when he reached him, and they were all running now; running toward the roof edge. Sam called out as he thrust one of the ropes into James’s hand. James would have stopped but the momentum of Sam and Evan running alongside him, and the flaming helicopter about to reach them, pushed him forward. Sam urged them on as they reached the building edge.
As one they jumped over the edge into empty air, just as the helicopter met the roof in an explosion that shook the entire building. James’s stomach lurched when he went over the side, feeling the force of the explosion and the flames lapping around him. The wind rushed through him and he closed his eyes, gripping the rope tighter than he’d ever held anything, and felt the helplessness of falling.
The ground came up fast. Their ropes fully extended with a jerk and they suddenly stopped, hanging a floor above the ground. James held on, his forearms burning, thankful he hadn’t lost his grip. The dripping blood from his nose had splattered into his eyes and he fought through the stinging pain.
Suddenly the world shifted, and with a jolt they began falling again. James shot a blurry look up at the grating sound of metal and fire, and saw the helicopter rolling over the roof edge. The remaining floor flew by and they soon met the ground hard. The force flattened James and he cracked his knee on impact. A protective hand scraped along the gravel in a bloody smear.
He lay there, spread on the ground, pain shooting through his body. But Sam moved again, grabbing his arm and lifting him to his feet. James let Sam push him forward, fighting to keep himself from passing out. He realised why he was being shoved and found what little strength he had left in his legs to pick up his pace.
Another step and the remainder of the helicopter crashed down behind them, erupting powerfully and throwing them off their feet.
The world dimmed and returned to James in a maelstrom of pain and darkness. The dull ringing in his head was all he could hear for a moment.
A part of him waited for Sam to pick him up again as he laid there. When no one came to rescue him, he felt himself give up, and his remaining senses faded away along with everything else.