An arc of electricity slammed into the wall above Robyn’s head. She ducked as chips of plaster rained over her. The flickering lights illuminated the hallway in a staggered burst of fluorescents. At the other end of the hallway stood a group of convergers wearing the distinctive dark bodysuits of the MRI, including a familiar face. “Shit,” Robyn said.
“Back again?” Mikey asked, reloading his blaster. His lion pawed the ground and snarled.
Blue light flashed over Ariana’s skin. She went to run forward but Eli grabbed her arm. The walkers’ unease sat deep in Robyn’s stomach. She sensed a movement behind her and turned to see a second group of convergers had blocked the other end of the hallway. They were trapped.
“Screw you, asshole,” Sara shouted, dropping to one knee. She flicked off the safety catch, cocked her head, and fired.
The inhibitor sphere collided with the boy beside Mikey. He grimaced and clutched at his torso. Confused, he studied his sticky fingers. “I’m not hurt,” he said.
Robyn began counting down. One.
With a grin, Mikey raised his primed blaster. “Oh dear. It looks like you brought the wrong toys.”
Two.
“Uh-uh,” Sara smirked, balancing her launcher on her shoulder.
It took three seconds for the skin to absorb the inhibitor. Once it entered the bloodstream, the deactivation sequence rapidly cycled through the body, targeting the mitochondria.
Three.
Screaming, the boy stumbled to his knees, clutching his head in agony. His mastiff froze, its eyes filling with fear and confusion.
Mikey’s cockiness wavered. He lowered his blaster. “What the hell did you do to him?”
Electrified, the mastiff surged forward and bit the boy’s calf before hurtling down the hallway.
“Mika,” the boy cried weakly. “She’s gone. I can’t … feel her anymore.”
The temperature plummeted and Fletcher smiled. Dark energy rippled off Eva. Beside the earth walker, Chris grew pale. It was as if Nyx was feeding off the malice and terror.
Fear then rage flashed across Mikey’s face. He fired at Robyn, yellow electricity arcing from his weapon. As the bolt skated through the air, Ariana and Eli pivoted and stood back-to-back. Mikey’s blaster shot ricocheted harmlessly off their combined energy shield and hit the wall, kicking up a shower of dust.
Then the hallway erupted with a deafening barrage as Ariana, Eli and Sara fired on the gathered convergers. Electricity spiked through the air. Chris ducked low to protect Fletcher, Iki beside Eva. As the inhibitor spheres found their marks, screams echoed from either end of the hallway. Convergers dropped in pain, clutching their skulls.
Robyn aimed her launcher. The quartz vibrated under her palm as it lit up. Time to stop these convergers in their tracks. Her first shot clipped a girl in the shoulder. “No,” the girl cried as she fell. Her snow leopard ducked away, its nostrils flaring. Robyn kept firing inhibitor spheres, pivoting as they hit their marks. In her ear, she heard Jacob. “It’s us or them, Robyn.”
Her earbud bled static, despite Poppy’s frantic figure eights. “Shit,” Robyn muttered, pressing a finger to her ear. No response. Without directions from the crew back in the farmhouse, Robyn was flying blind. Squinting through the dust, she tried to gauge their position. They’d been close to the command centre when they were ambushed. Then she spotted it; a heavyset steel door right behind Mikey.
The unharmed convergers formed up behind Mikey and began marching toward Robyn and her team.
“We have to get to that door,” she yelled, pointing to the door. Ariana gave her the thumbs-up and blue light expanded around them in a rush, deflecting a barrage of blaster fire. Most of the electroshocks ricocheted off the energy sphere, all except one. Ariana spun, clutching her shoulder with a hiss of pain.
“… elevator,” Robyn caught as her earbud sparked into life then died again. Poppy buzzed desperately against her earlobe. Robyn gasped as the stainless-steel doors ahead of them slid open: a bank of elevators filled the entire length of the hallway in the space separating them from the MRI convergers. Dozens of convergers poured out into the hallway between them and Mikey. Blasters raised.
“Damn it.”
How the hell did they mobilise this quickly? She had to get her crew out of here and fast. “Change of plan – into the elevators.” Blaster fire rained down on them. Robyn shivered as the temperature continued to plummet and the walkers’ auras flickered in and out. She ducked another blaster shot.
“Watch out,” Chris shouted, pushing Sara out of Mikey’s line of fire in the nick of time.
Then Robyn saw Fletcher. He was walking straight toward the MRI convergers, a beatific grin spread across his face. Eva rolled alongside him, her fur thrumming with dark light. Swearing, Robyn fumbled in her pocket for the electromagnetic receiver that amped up the earth walker’s piezoelectric collar. She pointed it at the earth walker and pressed the button. Nothing. Fletcher kept walking. Somehow Nyx was overriding the quartz inhibitor, growing stronger in the conflict.
Eli and Ariana rushed to grab Fletcher. He simply pushed them aside like toys, their red and blue auras dissipating at his touch. Robyn gasped as sharp pain shot through their energy tethers. Thanks to Eva’s dark energy aura, the electromagnetic blasts ricocheted off the earth walker. Steeling herself, Robyn nodded at Chris and Sara. Chris’ polar bear, Iki, launched herself at Eva, surprising the brown bear who stumbled back toward the elevator. Robyn grabbed Fletcher, hissed in pain. The walker’s skin was like ice, but she didn’t let go. White light flickered on her skin as she dragged Fletcher toward the elevators, Sara and Chris covering them with inhibitor fire. A blast clipped Robyn’s shoulder. She reeled as pain exploded down her arm. Ariana was leaning against the elevator doors to keep them open. As Robyn and Fletcher fell inside, she slapped a sedative patch on his arm. The walker sagged and Eva slumped at his side.
Ariana released the doors and the last thing Robyn saw was Mikey’s grinning face.
“I repeat, do not get into that elevator,” Kara yelled, thumping her monitor. “No, no no! It’s a damn trap.” She turned to Jacob in desperation. “Anything?”
Sweat streaked Jacob’s forehead. “I’m trying.” Poppy flickered in a haze of pixellated light at the crown of his head as the pair struggled to repair the spirit world energy relay that kept their comms working.
Kate peered at his bio readouts, shooting Bohai a worried glance. Aster pulled up the schematics of the MRI compound. “Shit. That elevator only has one destination.”
Kara swore under her breath. “I know.”
Robyn pushed open the elevator doors, launcher primed, and gestured for the walkers and convergers to stay behind her.
The enormous sandstone cavern seemed to go on forever, fluorescent lights and humming fans the only modern intrusions. It felt like a cathedral, a sacred space built in worship of an ancient power. Hundreds of convergers filled the vast room. Row upon row, at least twenty deep. Vulcan’s disciples, his warriors. At their head stood Daniel, his bear by his side. He waved his blaster in greeting. “Welcome. I think this reunion is long overdue, don’t you?”
“Oh hell no,” Sara said.
Ariana stepped in front of Robyn, moving her arms rapidly though the ancient moves to summon her aura. “You have to get to the command centre. We’ll hold them off.”
Robyn shook her head, fear twisting in her gut. “No. There’s too many. I’m not leaving you.”
Derek stopped dead, arms swung wide to halt Catherine and Fang. “Did you hear that?”
Catherine looked up and down the hallway, searching for the direction the sound came from. “It sounds like… gunfire.” Where the hell were Robyn and the walkers.
“Fang?”
“I’m on it,” Fang replied, fingers skimming across her tablet. “The base is definitely under assault. The main skirmish seems to be near the bank of elevators and the command centre.”
A burst of static flared over the emergency intercom and Vulcan’s gravelly voice filled the air. “Attention all staff. Return to your rooms immediately. The radio array is temporarily down. Backup power will be used to maintain essential systems. Direct any questions to your supervisors. Military personnel will be conducting a sweep of the area as a safety precaution.”
Derek took off down the hallway, yelling, “We have to get to the command centre!” Catherine and Fang jogged behind him. “This has to be it. Robyn must be here,” Fang murmured.
As they rounded the corner, they nearly collided with a troop of soldiers.
Immediately, the commander braced her weapon across her chest, the safety catch off. “Dr Smith. Dr Fisher. Kindly return to your rooms and take your associate with you.”
Derek’s eyes darted between the three soldiers and the door that separated them from the main wing of the compound and the command centre.
Fang rolled her shoulders back and straightened to her full height. “We’re required in the command centre to oversee re-activation of the radio array,” she said, glaring at the commander.
“No, you’re not.”
The clack clack of a cane was unmistakeable. Fang turned, her face carefully blank. “With all due respect, sir, if the array is down, we are the most qualified …”
Vulcan thumped his cane on the floor to silence her. “It’s not just the radio array. The compound has been compromised.” Vulcan turned to the commander. “Stand down. These three are coming with me.”
The soldiers snapped to attention and saluted Vulcan, moving aside to let them pass.
Catherine followed behind Derek and Fang, keeping as far away from Vulcan as humanly possible. The closer they got to the main wing, the more evident the damage became. A lingering cloud of dust blurred the fluorescent lights into a dull haze. Outside the command centre, the acrid smell of blaster fire hung in the air. Vulcan pressed his hand to his ear and spoke into the earpiece. “Secure the command centre while we deal with the insurgents. The major video feeds are down, but I’m confident I know who we’re dealing with.”
Catherine risked a glance at Derek and Fang and found the same question written on their faces; did Vulcan already know it was Robyn?
Vulcan palmed open the door. Inside, technicians worked furiously to get systems back online, guarded by a team of convergers. Mikey saluted Vulcan. “I can confirm it is the same group as Bulgaria, sir.”
Vulcan grunted. “As I suspected. Hold this position. No-one comes in or out. And if any of these three try anything, you have my permission to shoot.”
Derek flinched. “Sir?”
Vulcan narrowed his eyes at his former student. “You must think me an idiot. Your little meetings in your quarters? Removing Catherine from her cell? I’ve been watching you.”
At Derek’s shocked expression, Vulcan smiled. “Robyn and her band of rebels will be taken care of.”
Catherine stepped forward, ready to tell Vulcan to stick it, but Fang put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
“We’re loyal to the MRI,” Fang said. “Our work is the foundation of everything you have accomplished. This is utterly ridiculous.”
Vulcan simply looked amused. “The only person you’re loyal to is yourself. I don’t trust any of you.”
Mikey watched Vulcan leave the command centre then turned and sneered down the barrel of his blaster. “Well, doctors, if you’d be so kind as to sit down.”
“Oh, shut the hell up, Mikey,” Fang snapped. “You thick-headed wannabee alpha.”
“Fang,” Catherine cautioned, “please don’t get us all killed.”
“Don’t tempt me,” Mikey snarled.
Derek, Fang and Catherine slowly sat down on the stairs. “Shit,” Derek muttered.
Mikey waved his blaster at Derek. “And no talking.”
Spencer hated the convergers’ gym, hewn deep into the rock like a tomb. She longed for water, for freedom. Standing at the back of the ranks of restless convergers, she went unnoticed. Without Flint, she wasn’t one of them. Spencer recalled sitting with her orca, the pain as Flint exhaled her last breath, torn and bloodied on the destroyed arena floor in Bulgaria. Thanks to her orca’s sacrifice, Ariana and her teammates had escaped, but without Flint, life was empty.
The MRI tried to pair her with another orca by injecting her with their artificial sequences, but it had failed. Spencer was glad. There would never be another Flint. Not that it stopped the MRI trying; new dosages every week, forced visits to the compound aquarium where the poor animals were kept penned in five metres of water. No more. Spencer ran a hand over the bandage at the base of her skull, feeling the rough edges of the new scar she’d carry for life. Derek was no surgeon, but thanks to him, she was one step closer to freedom. Now she was going to give the MRI hell.
Spencer pulled the cobbled-together device from her pocket and twisted it open to standby. The circuits trilled softly. She’d stolen parts from air conditioning panels, tablets and lights around the compound. The convergers around her were completely focused on Daniel, waiting for his signal. No-one noticed her step away and pretend to check her launcher. As the elevator doors dinged open, Ariana and her friends started pouring out. They did notice – too late – when she sprinted toward the rebels.
Despite the circumstances, Ariana smiled when she recognised the familiar blonde ponytail and ferocious expression. Leaving Chris and Sara to support the semi-conscious Fletcher, Ariana unclipped an inhibitor sphere from her belt and hurled it across the gym. Hundreds of convergers watched it sail through the air. Spencer caught it and slammed it into her homemade bomb. Eli whirled his arms through the energy forms, wreathing Robyn and the others in a protective shield of red energy. Daniel turned to bark orders, and the convergers closest to Spencer pivoted toward her, blasters at the ready.
“This is for Flint,” Spencer whispered and lobbed the bomb into the middle of the neat military lines of convergers. It detonated in mid-air, sending a mushroom cloud of pale-white mist cascading over the convergers. She counted her heartbeats as the mist descended. One. Two. Three.
Screams filled the room. Animals backed away from their former partners, shrieking and howling in terror. Some convergers raised their blasters but the weapons were inert in their hands, their energy source gone. Daniel stumbled backwards trying to escape his advancing bear, but he was trapped. The bear snarled, bone crunched and Daniel lay still.
Ariana winced and looked away. She scanned the gym for Spencer and found her on the sidelines, staring at the havoc. Leaving the protective embrace of Eli’s energy sphere, Ariana sprinted toward her old friend. “Spencer.”
The spell broken, Spencer turned and clapped Ariana on the back. “I’ve missed you, rook.” White mist from the inhibitor bomb hung in the air, the veil pierced by unearthly cries.
“Time to go, guys!” Robyn yelled from behind them. “We need to find somewhere safe to keep Fletcher.” Chris and Iki stood beside her, Fletcher’s limp form draped over Chris’ shoulder. Sara stood at the ready with her launcher, covering Chris’ exposed flank.
Ariana scanned the gym, looking for an alternate escape route. The elevators were a no-go; dazed convergers were already swarming toward them.
“There’s an emergency staircase this way,” Spencer said to Ariana, leading her over to a heavy metal door that seemed to blend into the wall itself, partially hidden by a rim of sandstone. Ariana alerted Robyn and Eli, and Sara and Chris followed. Iki shepherded Eva as Chris carried the sedated earth walker.
“Where does it lead?’ asked Robyn.
“It’ll take us out up the top, near the cafeteria. It’s the safest route.”
“I hope you’re right,” Ariana replied.
Vulcan rapped a technician with his cane. “Hurry up,” he commanded. “I want the system fully operational, now.”
There were half a dozen technicians crowded into Vulcan’s office. A harried-looking man typed code on a laptop connected by a bundle of cables to the backup systems generator. Between them and the door, ten soldiers stood guard.
The video feed flickered on Vulcan’s tablet then stabilised. “Show me the convergers’ gym.”
The man nodded and a new screen flashed up, but all Vulcan could see was white mist. “Fix it,” he ordered.
The technician licked his lips and stammered, “That’s the live feed, sir.”
Vulcan pointed his cane at the screen. “The elevators, this floor. Now.”
The tablet flickered again, resolving into a view of the elevator doors and the contingent of waiting soldiers. Vulcan smiled. If the convergers had somehow failed to deal with Robyn and the walkers, the soldiers would crush any resistance. Permanently.
The elevator lights lit up. Except, when the doors slid open, crazed animals sprung free, trampling the surprised soldiers in their desperate flight to safety and leaving their convergers cowering in the rear of the cabin. A bear rose up on its hind legs and hurled a soldier against the wall, shattering the video camera into a million pieces.
The technician cowered at his terminal. “Sir? Your orders?”
Vulcan snatched up his tablet and hurled it at him, howling, “To the hub, you idiot! Hurry!”
Robyn peered into the corridor. Empty. Spencer stuck her head around the doorway and pointed. “This way.”
Human screams and animal howls bounced off the corridor walls, contorting into a symphony of pain and fear.
“Wedge formation,” Robyn murmured, nodding to Sara and Chris. “Protect Fletcher. We need to get to that command centre – together.”
On her order, they bolted down the corridor, toward the growing volume of agonised screams. The floor outside the elevator was covered in blood and the metal walls were etched with claw marks. Robyn had to step over the bodies of the MRI soldiers to reach the door panel. After several long seconds trying to get it open, she beckoned for Eli.
Eli brought his hands to the panel and closed his eyes. Una flickered red on his shoulder as light funnelled down his arm. With a hiss, the door slid open.
Inside, operators hunched over their terminals. They turned and stared at Robyn. “Is there a problem?” one managed, her voice strained.
“Change of ownership,” Robyn snapped. Eli and Ariana surged past her, rippling with red and blue light. The operators froze. “Up against the wall. Don’t move.”
Chris and Sara barricaded the door with the vacated desks. Sara jabbed her launcher into the control panel, frying it. The overhead lights flickered but held.
Robyn took a deep breath and studied the enormous screen. Hundreds of video feeds. Hundreds of enslaved animal-human pairs. A complete aberration of the natural link of convergence.
The door shuddered and sparks arced through the middle of the door. “They’re cutting their way in,” Sara warned. “We don’t have much time.”
“No, you really don’t.”
Robyn spun around. Ariana and Eli quickly moved to flank her.
Out of the shadows emerged dozens of convergers. Mikey slowly descended the stairs. “But you just locked yourself into your worst nightmare.”