Chapter Three
“That’s it,” Carter’s deep baritone was soothing, persuasive. “Let us out so we can all go free. I’ll owe you one.”
The best idea Alex had ever heard. He’d let Carter and Elijah go free. He’d save them himself, because then Carter would owe him a favor.
Gideon’s claws gripped him by the shoulder, stopping him. “Fuck off, Carter.”
“Gideon Spencer.” Carter grinned at him. “Red’s your color.”
“Nice.” Elijah sniffed. “Smells like Pratt. He dead?”
“Unless he can grow a new head, yeah.”
The caged men laughed, and Alex heard madness in the sound. But he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to free Carter. He tried to move, but Gideon held tight.
Not right. I need to get help. Let the team know…
“Quit fucking with Palmer. He’s mine to deal with,” Gideon warned.
“Not yours.” Alex shook his head, confused. “Look, we need to go.”
“What’s going on out there?” Elijah asked.
“Who cares?” Carter shrugged. “They can all kill each other, far as I’m concerned. Let me out, Palmer.”
Gideon glared. “I said leave him alone.”
Carter opened his mouth to say something, but to Alex’s surprise, he clutched his head and fell to his knees, gasping.
“Fuck off, asshole.” Elijah rattled the bars, glaring at Gideon. “Try that with me.” The same thing happened to Elijah, who swore and rubbed his temples.
“Why don’t you fuck off?” Gideon turned to Alex and cocked his head, his eyes completely alien, his claws covered with blood and sharp as razors. He looked inhuman. “What’s going on out there?” Yet he sounded more rational than Alex would have expected considering all the guy had been through. Poisoning, murder, fucking.
“A rescue.” Alex couldn’t help noting Gideon’s rising erection. Christ. He felt his own body responding, against his will, and cleared his throat, raising his gaze above Gideon’s neck and keeping it there. “To get you guys out.”
Gideon leaned close and sniffed him. “Your rescue?”
“I, ah, I’m trying to shut this place down. The guys out there are government. Help for us all.”
“Liar,” Elijah said, his voice hoarse. “You’re part of this.”
“I’m not.”
“He’s one of us, though. Not entirely human,” Carter argued. “I can smell it, can’t you?”
Elijah frowned. “No shit?” He stood, keeping a wary eye on Gideon. “You know…I can. It’s faint though.”
“But it’s there.”
Gideon turned his attention to the pair. He let go of Alex and walked to Carter. They stared at each other before Carter looked away. Then he did the same to Elijah.
Alex felt something important happening, but distracted by the noise outside, he missed whatever Gideon said to Elijah.
Gideon turned to him once more. “Can you get them out?”
“I think so.” He needed to call for reinforcements. “But it would be safer if our rescuers were on hand to help. We were all supposed to meet on the third floor, in the lab. I need to let them know plans changed.”
“No. We get out on our own.” Gideon bared his teeth and curled his claws, feral, angry, and wild. “No help,” he growled. “I don’t trust anyone.”
“On that we agree.” Carter nodded, gave Alex a grim smile, then stepped back from the bars and sat on the lone bench in his cell. “Don’t call anyone, Palmer.”
“But I…” Alex clenched his jaw and struggled against his need to obey. Obviously Carter had some kind of mind mojo to get others to follow his orders. Between him and the dangerous Elijah, Alex knew they all had to escape. Leaving any of them for Lang to experiment on further would be like leaving a loaded gun in the hands of a psycho.
He fiddled with the phone in his pocket, hoping he hit the right speed dial button, and left it on to be located. Walking to each cell, he put his hand on the keypad and concentrated. After envisioning the release codes, he entered them to let each man free then braced himself for their attack.
Elijah hit him first with a punch to the jaw, disorienting him. Then Carter tackled him, busting his chin on the cement floor. Palmer returned a punch, catching Elijah in the face. Carter retaliated, and pain blossomed in his arm, twisted behind his back.
“Enough.”
Before either man could hit him again, or he could strike back, Alex felt a hammer pounding inside his brain and curled in on himself.
“You three done?” Gideon stood above them, still bloodied and naked and not seeming to care in the slightest.
“Again, you bastard? What the fuck was that?” Carter groaned.
Elijah spat, “I knew you were a huge dick the moment I first saw you fight in the ring.”
“Back at you, Ortiz.”
Alex interrupted the lovefest and slowly rose to his feet. “Guys, cut the bullshit. We need to go, now. We’re stronger together than apart.”
Gideon nodded. “Palmer might be wearing a U-Ground uniform, but he helped me, so I’m helping him get out of here. After that, we’ll see.” He paused. “You dickheads get me?” The raw warning in his tone got through to all of them, Alex included.
Strange how he’d felt sorry for Gideon earlier. Nothing in the man suggested he’d experienced any pain, had any give in his will. Gideon acted like a leader. And he…smelled…like one too.
Alex shook his head, bemused at what his instincts tried to tell him. An inner part of him liked following Gideon’s orders, knowing where he fit into the group. But he wasn’t Circ. Just different. Or at least, that’s all he had been before tracking Katie down to this hell hole. Shit.
“Yeah, yeah. Easy, alpha dog.” Elijah had sarcasm down to a science. “How about you get dressed and stop flapping that dick at us? I ain’t impressed.”
“You’re such an asshole.” Gideon flushed and hurried to the cubby Elijah pointed to, then donned a pair of blue scrub pants.
Carter grinned. “I don’t know, Eli. I kind of liked the sight of that big cock. Maybe wonderboy will do more than that mind magic. How about some hard fucking later, stud? I like ‘em big.”
“Shut up.” Gideon, embarrassed, seemed much less threatening.
Alex chuckled.
Gideon, Elijah, and Carter stood together, looking big and badass. Then they turned their attention on him.
A sobering sight. “What?”
“How do we get out of here?” Elijah asked.
“We—”
The door behind them burst open. Automatically allying with the three Circs, he turned to meet the threat.
“Alex Palmer?” A huge, monstrous guy with leather-like skin, claws and fangs, and wearing black fatigues held a strange gun in one hand. In his other he had a knife. Unlike the men with Palmer, this guy looked beast-like from top to bottom. Obviously not human. He looked like a tanned version of that hulk-like cartoon on television.
Holy shit. They’re real. Alex stared, stunned at evidence of the initial EP12 formula’s success. He’d seen photos of these guys from the secret files Katie had sent him. Witnessing the Circs in their actual changed form, in person, was…overwhelming. “I’m Alex Palmer.”
“Circe’s Recruits, at your service.” The guy smiled, and his fangs looked even longer. “I’m Ace. The others are coming. These the guys?”
“Yes.” He swallowed hard. “But there’s a special project on level four we need to get to. A lot of young men and women who have no idea what’s going on.”
“We know.”
Another man joined him, this one with darker skin, perhaps African American under the tough hide of a Circ. He looked meaner, bigger, and just as battle-hardened. “Yo, Ace. Let’s go.”
“Not yet.” Ace stared at them, sniffed, and frowned. “Check it out, Derrick. They don’t look Circ. I mean, they’re big, and those eyes aren’t right. But they don’t—”
Ace and Derrick crumbled under a psychic attack. Elijah and Carter rushed them, taking advantage. Alex glanced at Gideon, knowing he’d once again done damage.
Gideon showed no remorse. “Let’s go.”
“Gideon, no. They’re here to help. They’re like you.” Like us.
Gideon shook his head. “Stash them in the cells,” he told the others.
Elijah raised a brow at the commanding tone, but he and Carter did as ordered. Then they regrouped around Alex.
Crap. Not how this is supposed to go down. Alex couldn’t move away as they carried him in their wake over the floor, down the hall, and toward the exit.
“I have to get something.” He needed to make sure his sister wasn’t on the fourth floor. He tried to leave, but Gideon kept a tight grip on him.
“Not until we’re out.”
“But…” Not smart to mention your sister to these monsters, Alex, he told himself. Katie, you’d better be safe or I’m going to blister your ass. “Fine. Hurry up. This way.”
They ran down an offshoot of the main corridor and up a set of stairs to level one, where civilians working for the company ran around in the chaos, trying to figure out what the hell was happening. Around them, upstairs security tangled with government agents, everyone trying to figure out who had superiority without getting shot.
The side exit Alex took them to should have been a safe bet. Unfortunately, several of the lab’s lower security forces, the real bad asses, waited outside, guns drawn. At sight of their small group, security opened fire.
Drawn into battle mode, Alex acted on instinct and attacked alongside the Circs.
In minutes, the fight ended. Most of the bullets had bounced off them. The few that had damaged Alex felt intrusive, and he managed to eject them from his body. Heat centered around the wounds, and he felt them heal. A glance at the others showed similar healing taking place. An endorphin rush hit him hard, and he felt a bonding with the others, a moment’s companionship that went deeper than defeating an enemy in battle.
He sought Gideon, saw the male staring at him and the others with what looked like satisfaction. Before he could figure out what exactly the hell had just happened, more troops showed up.
But these men didn’t open fire. Alex recognized the last three members of Circe’s Recruits among soldiers wearing nondescript military gear. Ace and Derrick joined them as well, not seeming at all pleased.
“Yeah, that’s them,” Derrick snarled. “Motherfuckers are going to wear my boot print for days.”
“Whatever.” Elijah snorted. “He sure talks a big game for a pussy who got his ass handed to him.”
Alex stepped back, knowing they wouldn’t win this fight. The military force with the special squad would be difficult to beat. But it was Circe’s Recruits who’d prove the real threat. They had impressive records and no problem using deadly force. There were five of them to the four in Alex’s group, and truth be told, he didn’t want to fight anyone. Then there was that large stranger with the yellow eyes standing near the other Circs.
He was a giant among giants, but he didn’t look like Circe’s Recruits. He looked human. Except his eyes were unusual, and he smelled Circ to Alex’s enhanced senses.
“We’re leaving,” Gideon announced.
“No, you’re not,” a commanding Circ disagreed. He stepped forward, his beastly form intimidating, his nature one of command. His dark eyes gleamed with challenge, with confidence. “I’m Roane, leader of this unit.”
The yellow-eyed male next to him sighed.
“Shut up, McKinley,” Roane growled. “We’re taking you back so we can help you adjust to your new abilities.”
“Yeah, right.” Elijah snorted. “More like you want to poke and prod us like Lang. Well fuck that.”
Carter nodded.
“They’re here to help us,” Alex tried again.
“Quiet,” Carter said.
Alex shut his mouth, unable to continue.
Roane narrowed his eyes.
“Carter, tell them to back off,” Gideon ordered.
“Everyone, please stand down,” Carter said.
The human military men, all two dozen of them, lowered their weapons and stepped back. The Circs, however, stood firm. The yellow-eyed one stepped closer to Roane.
“Don’t even think it,” the bastard warned.
Gideon didn’t hesitate. One of the Circs Alex hadn’t met went down. Then a few humans who tried to shake off Carter’s mind manipulation. Roane frowned and rubbed his temples. “Shit. McKinley, he’s yours.”
Ace hit the ground, moaning, even as Derrick, Roane, and a sandy-haired male attacked.
The yellow-eyed giant narrowed his gaze at Elijah, effectively knocking him unconscious.
Gideon stepped in front of Elijah while Carter battled the attacking Circs. They had him down in seconds, and then the sandy-haired Circ forced Alex to the ground.
He didn’t fight back.
“Hale, that’s Palmer,” Derrick said.“I think he’s on our side.”
Alex wanted to tell them he was, but Carter had a hold on his mind, so he nodded.
Carter mumbled something under Roane’s hand, then Roane knocked him out cold. Derrick stayed with him and Elijah, while Roane rose to face Gideon.
“I can talk again.” Alex sighed. “They’re not bad guys,” he said to the Circ on top of him—Hale. “Just not sure who to trust. Dr. Lang’s a psychopath.”
“Shit. We’ve been there,” the Circ on top of him said. He got off Alex and helped him stand. “I’m Hale. That’s Roane, Ace, Derrick and Zack.” He nodded to the other Circs.
Carter and Elijah were out, but Gideon remained on his feet, in a standoff with Roane and the yellow-eyed male.
“Who’s that?” Alex asked.
Hale groaned. “That’s Robbie. I mean, McKinley. He’s a real bastard. Tell your friend to ease up.”
“Gideon, relax.”
Gideon didn’t seem to hear him. Or he didn’t care. He focused on Roane, because Alex saw Roane grimace. Still, the male remained on his feet. Then McKinley must have started a mental attack, because Gideon wavered and stumbled back.
Which must have been the signal the others had been waiting for. Hale, McKinley, and Roane converged on Gideon, who fought back as if his life depended on it. Like a wild animal caught in a trap, he did his best to draw blood, ripping into everyone near.
“Shit. Put him down, McKinley.” Roane narrowly avoided a claw into his jugular as he ducked a punch. Then he returned one, but Gideon kept swinging.
“I’m trying, great leader,” McKinley said back, sounding annoyed. He didn’t stand back anymore, but tackled Gideon, helping Hale hold him down. They gripped Gideon so tightly Alex feared Gideon would break a few ribs.
The battle continued for some time, enough for the remaining Circs to stand on their feet and watch.
“Zack, five bucks he knocks McKinley again,” Ace said.
“You’re on. I say McKinley puts him down…now.” They watched as Gideon socked McKinley in the jaw before Roane grabbed his arm and pinned it down. “Hell.”
“Double or nothing he kicks Roane,” Derrick added, joining the group as they watched the fight.
“A little help here?” Hale yelled before taking a knee to the balls. “Son of a bitch.”
Derrick cringed. “That’s gotta hurt.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Zack agreed.
This time, just as Gideon shrieked in fury and tried to kick Roane, McKinley, and Hale, Roane went for his carotid.
“Hurry. My brain’s about to explode,” Hale said through gritted teeth.
“Yeah,” Roane agreed.
The amount of strength they used to keep Gideon down unnerved Alex, because it spoke to a power he hadn’t witnessed in all of Gideon’s time at the lab. Had the guy been holding back? And if so, what exactly was he capable of?
Gideon, fortunately, ceased moving and slumped under the massive bodies on top of him.
“Tranq him,” Roane ordered. “Use three.” One of the human guards shot Gideon with three darts. “Good. That should hold the bastard. Oh, and do the same to the others. But not Palmer. Alex, you come with us.”
Alex nodded. Elijah and Carter were already out, so they didn’t offer any resistance when tranquilized. Alex joined the Circs, curious to feel a sense of kinship to the larger-than-life creatures. Yet he didn’t belong with them.
He glanced at Gideon and the others being carried to nondescript white vans. A part of him wanted to join them, to watch over them while they lay asleep, vulnerable. But he knew he had more important things to do. His sister, the psychics, the lab. All of it needed his immediate attention.
“I…”
“Come on.” Hale prodded him toward Roane, but not with any aggression. “It’s been a long night, and it’s about to get longer. We found bodies on the fourth floor.”
Alex stopped. “Bodies?”
Hale looked grim. “Yeah. We could use help identifying them.”
“My sister?” Fear made his mouth dry.
“Not sure. Come on.”
He went with them, not surprised to find the lab cleared of all threat. While the Circs and their special teams had been handling them, their remaining response force had cleared out what remained of Dr. Lang’s security.
“There are a few surprises in the lower levels,” Zack told the group as they descended to the fourth floor. “But no Circs that we could find.”
“What?” Alex had a hard time focusing on anything but finding his sister. She didn’t feel present in his mind. Though she’d before been physically absent, he’d sensed the bond that kept them tight. A familiar sibling connection, brain to brain. But now, he felt a void, and it scared him shitless.
When they arrived at the conference room on the fourth floor, he put his hand to the door and knew why they hadn’t found her.
“What did you see?” McKinley asked, his bright yellow eyes unnerving in that rough, human face.
“My sister,” Alex whispered. “Myers and Yates took her and a few others. They weren’t alone.” He swallowed. “Sheer and a few other hybrids are with them.” Sheer—a man known for his unnatural proclivities with the dead and the helpless.
Before Alex could put his feelers out for more information, a commotion drew his attention. Some of the “surprises” Hale had mentioned had found their way to level four. Misshapen, mutant Circs with tar black skin and crooked spines. They had been bred to kill, and they didn’t look happy to be there.
***
Bailey knocked back her coffee as she drove home. She continued to look at herself in the rearview. But she still seemed all in one piece, nothing to indicate she’d suffered any type of rough handling that she’d apparently hallucinated.
Her phone rang, and she answered through the Bluetooth in her car. “Yes?”
“Oh my God. Bailey, it’s me, Katie.”
Bailey frowned. “Katie? What’s going on?” She heard roars and screams in the background. What sounded like gunfire and shouts. “Where are you?”
“I’m in level four, trying to get these files out.” Katie sounded stuffed up. That or she’d decided to talk around a mouthful of marbles. “I’m emailing them to you.”
“Katie?” She’d met Katie Sheridan a few months ago, back when Katie had been working IT for U-Ground. They’d struck up an immediate friendship, but then Katie had quit or gone on a temporary leave. Bailey had never been sure which, because after leaving, they’d had only the occasional phone conversation. And Katie hadn’t wanted to speak about why she’d left the company.
No one at U-Ground mentioned her, so Bailey didn’t ask. Instead, when they did talk, she and Katie swapped funny stories about employees and occasionally gossiped about what they thought went on in the lower levels of U-Ground.
Frankly, Bailey had never imagined there were more than four levels. Katie’s idea that the fourth level employees belonged to a secret psychic lab experiment sounded like homespun science fiction. Bailey loved it, wondering when Katie would finally publish the book she always talked about writing.
“Katie?”
More garbled noise, then growling. Growling?
“I’m in trouble. Tell Alex I’m sorry,” she said in a hurry. “Give the info to Circe’s Recruits,” Katie slurred. “I’m losing blood.”
“Oh my God. Are you alright?”
“No. I’m dying.”
Bailey looked for a place to turn around. But as if Katie had read her mind, the woman said, “Don’t come back. Go home, pack a bag and look up the email I sent you. You have to leave fast. They’ll find you if you don’t.”
Now truly scared, for her friend and herself, Bailey asked, “Who hurt you?”
“Myers and Yates. And the other guy, the one who’s a real monster.”
“What?” Bailey pulled over, too upset to drive. What with everything she’d been imagining, her blackouts and now this, she didn’t know what to think. Was she even now dreaming her conversation with Katie, a woman no one talked to but her?
“Please. Don’t stop. Hurry home and print out the file before they erase it. Take it with you to New Jersey. Drive, don’t fly. Before they come and get it. You have to leave.” Katie screamed.
Bailey heard animal yowls, a deep, dark growl, and what she could too easily imagine to be ripping flesh.
“Who is this?” an evil voice asked.
She quickly disconnected and put her foot on the gas. She didn’t know if she believed what Katie had said, but something was off. After dialing the police to report a threat at work, she hurried home.
Katie hadn’t been kidding. Bailey knew odd things happened at U-Ground. She’d keep alert to what the police found out, and she’d watch the news. She’d also take a sick day or two before returning to U-Ground, to give herself time to look into what had happened to Katie.
That was if she didn’t find anything on her computer. Because if Katie really had sent her something, and Katie really had been hurt, Bailey would know she’d been right to suspect not all was well at U-Ground.
And God help her if she hadn’t dreamed up her last encounter with Myers and Yates.