Heart's Prisoner (Dark World Mates Book 1) Read online

  Ben explained everything while Lana watched as the officers finally ordered the guards to shut the door to the saferoom for good.

  "Did they at least hit any of them?" Dahlia asked as Ben told her Galger and his men had bombed the facility.

  "Everything happened too quickly..." Sarah replied. " I think the giant ones didn't make it for sure but the others," she tried to wipe her tears away but it was futile, "they got out through the vents."

  Dahlia closed her eyes.

  "But it's okay, we are safe," Ben said. "We are in the saferoom now and they just closed the doors."

  "You really think so?" Dahlia asked.

  "What?"

  "That we are safe?"

  Ben glanced at Lana as if looking for reassurance. Lana tried to give them a hopeful smile despite the panic beginning to fester inside. "I'm sure we are."

  As everyone began to settle in and blankets and food were distributed. Lana made a place for herself beside her coworkers on the wall. As Ben tended to Dahlia and Sarah lay sleeping in a curled position nearby, Lana watched in silence, trying to choke back the terror that was building in her.

  With the specimens out of their cells, there was no telling how long they might be stuck inside the room. Along with the fear of one of them somehow getting in disturbing her thoughts, her mind also turned to even more depressing matters. With the facility bombed it meant everything would have been destroyed. Even what was left of Xerus' body. It shouldn't have bothered her, but it did.

  Hours seemed to pass. The officers and guards had grouped together and had been talking for some time. They had managed to bring in a Scibot into the saferoom with them and so were able to use its computer interface to gain access to each level's status. They brought over an engineer from level five to deactivate certain security parameters in hopes that they could also gain access to live video feed. Something he had been working on for a couple of hours now.

  With no clocks in the room, most relied on their watches and phones. Around 1 AM the officers dimmed the lights just enough so that some could hopefully sleep while still being able to see everything. Many laid out on the sleeping mats on the floor while those who knew they would get no kind of sleep stuck to the wall.

  Lana was one of these and so she watched the others around her instead. Her eyes fell several times on the men at the door and those working on the Scibot then around to the ceiling and the walls. She noticed one vent by the wall. Though blocked by one of the crates, it still gave her anxiety.

  When her gaze happened to shift over to check on Dahlia, she noticed Ben staring at her. He looked pale still and had been oddly silent for the past couple hours. She tried to smile at him and he looked away. She thought nothing of it until a few moments later she caught him eyeing her again.

  "Everything okay?" she asked in a low voice.

  Ben frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "There's something...I don't know."

  "What?"

  Ben let out a deep, shaky, breath and combed fingers through his hair. "There's something I need to show you. I didn't say anything at first because I didn't want you to freak out. Or any of the others for that matter. But especially you."

  Lana's brows furrowed. "What is it?"

  Ben rubbed his forehead as if thinking. "Fuck it," he whispered, and from a bag next to him, he took out a small pocket laptop and turned it on. "Officer Torrence wanted to keep this under wraps but there doesn't seem much point now." He tapped his fingers along the keyboard, bringing up a single file.

  "Before everything basically hit the shitter I was just about to get off shift when...this happened." Ben brought up a video recording of the lab. Before he hit the play button he looked at her seriously. "Please try not to scream."

  He hit the button and Lana watched closely. There was no sound, just an image of the lab from above. Torrence wasn't at his desk and only a few guards were at the door. Dr. Yanlin and two other techs were working in the lab along with Ben as the lone engineer who she could see working on his computer in the far right corner. This was no surprise as the night shift was usually pretty scarce of people, and even the great Officer Torrence had to sleep sometime.

  Dr. Yanlin moved away from his desk and gestured for the techs to follow him. They moved over to the station of medical equipment where Xerus' body was still resting on the table. They had removed the sheet and, with gloved hands, they carefully prodded him and moved his head. One of the techs picked up a metal rod and placed it under Xerus' tail. Dr. Yanlin and the third tech moved to each side of the table getting ready to move it.

  Lana knew what they were doing. They were getting ready to place his body in a cleansing chamber, to wash down his body before the autopsy. Then, if she remembered correctly, he would have then been placed in an isolation pod to keep him staying fresh until the surgery. She stared down at Xerus' lifeless body and a hard lump grew in her throat. She wished it wasn't so hard to look at him.

  The team moved the rolling table around and started to make their way to the cleansing chamber. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until they stopped in front of the chamber and were about to drop him in.

  They seemed to hesitate dropping him in. As Dr. Yanlin bent forward to examine his body again they all simultaneously leaped back as if struck by a bolt of lightning. One tech slammed into a cart of equipment knocking it over and the other fell to the ground and crawled away. Dr. Yanlin was waving his arms frantically for the guards.

  Their panic was justified. Because Xerus had moved.

  Lana grew as still as a shadow as she watched Xerus rise from the table. His movements were slow at first as if he were just waking up, but as soon as the guards had their guns drawn and pointed at him, he leaped from the table and bolted away. Brilliant white light burst over the screen as shots fired in his direction. But, from what could be seen, it was already too late. Xerus had slipped into the ventilation system.

  Ben started to say something but Lana didn't hear it. She didn't scream. Just like he asked. Instead, she felt herself falling forward and her vision going black.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Stand back and let me see her," came a muffled voice in the darkness. A hand cupped Lana's jaw, tilting her head back. She groaned as something was pressed into her left nostril and a puff of air followed by a strong bitter scent stung her nose. Lana opened her eyes and the fuzzy, black vision began to clear. She felt hands on her shoulders as she was laid out on her side with her knees to her chest. "She'll be fine, just a little faint. Keep watch and give her some water." Lana saw the nurse step around her and leave to check on others. She blinked several times and swallowed, her throat dry. A heavier hand gently landed on her arm and her eyes rolled upward to see Ben looking down at her.

  "Lana, fuck, I'm sorry, I honestly didn't realize it would mess you up that bad."

  Lana licked her lips and tried to lift her head. There was a brief instance of lightheadedness but nothing more severe. Slowly she lifted the rest of her body until she was sitting hunched over. A water bottle came into her field of vision and she took it gladly, taking large gulps until the bottle was half empty. She exhaled and gave the bottle back to Ben who placed it on the ground. "Thank you," she mumbled.

  "Hey, no problem. You okay?"

  Lana closed her eyes and forced a nod even though she was far from okay. As soon as the fog cleared and her mind was back up to speed she had to fight down the panic that was dangerously close to spilling over and making her lose control. She took a few deep breaths, trying to keep from being sick.

  "Where, um...where did you get the footage at?" It really didn't matter but Lana needed something to focus while trying to calm her nerves.

  Ben shifted beside her. "I transferred the video files from the recording program. I had the password to access it in case something needed a fix. Figured in case I get called in for questioning I'd have something to bargain with."

  "And you said...that Torrence wanted it kept secret?"

  "Yea. I
t was fucked up but he forced us to keep quiet. Officer Galger and his team went out in secret looking for it. Asset X I mean. They were so focused on that for those several hours they didn't think about anything else. Which was probably why this all happened. I don't know if I can still believe it was Dr. Kingsley who did it though. Just seems too crazy to believe, but, shit, I don't know." He coughed a little and cleared his throat. "I saw the team briefly when I went to leave and they came back empty-handed so it's probably good to assume that, you know, the alien is still..."

  Lana opened her eyes and her gaze immediately fell on the vent behind the crate at the back wall. Why did all the vents have to be so large?

  Her body began to tremble. "I have to get out of here," she whispered.

  "Why?" Ben asked.

  Because if they all knew what she knew they would be trying to escape the base, not sitting locked up in a room that would barely keep them secure. Lana looked over at him. "We aren't safe."

  Before he could say anything, Lana got to her feet and began heading toward the officers and guards stationed near the door. They were all huddled together, nine in total–four officers and five guards, still conversing softly as she stumbled past mats of sleeping people.

  One of the officers, a tall, dark-complected man, saw her and signaled for the others to be quiet. "Maam, is there an issue?"

  "We have to get out," she said.

  They all went still and gave her an odd look.

  "No, ma'am, I think you are confused–"

  "I'm not confused. We are in danger here," Lana said loud enough for others to catch notice. A few turned their heads in her direction while some sat up on their mats. "We need to get off base. The elevators must still be working, if we are quick we can make it to the ships and–"

  "Maam, we are under strict orders not to leave this room."

  "Do you even know what's happening?" Lana snapped.

  The guards shifted and looked away. The officer held her gaze. "We are acquiring information and will have a report soon."

  "It's unnecessary because I can already tell you. We are in serious danger," Lana said.

  "What sort of danger?" Lana looked around and saw a warehouse employee and a few technicians sitting up, listening with interest. The one who spoke looked young and was clearly a new recruit with a shaved head and slightly unkempt uniform.

  "Everything is fine, please go back to sleep," the officer said to them then looked back at her. "I think you need to go back over to the wall now."

  Lana clenched her jaw then turned fully around to the dozen or so pairs of eyes watching. "Please, listen. I come from level twelve. There has been an accident and there are specimens that have escaped and some are very smart and they will find a way in."

  The officer gestured to the guards to grab her. "Maam, do not spout false accusations."

  "They aren't false!" She tore her arm from one of the guards trying to take hold of her.

  "What sort of specimens?" one of the technicians asked.

  "Like animals?" asked another.

  More and more people were beginning to stir and listen in. Lana saw Ben standing up by the wall and Sarah watching with wild eyes.

  "They aren't human but they are more advanced than the animals you know. And some are...hunters. They see us as prey and will come looking for us."

  The crowd murmured and a few shook their heads. Some looked confused. Others, frightened.

  "Enough. Restrain her," the officer commanded.

  Lana felt herself being grabbed from behind. She looked again at her colleagues. "Ben, tell them. Show them the footage."

  Ben stood there, pale and dumbfounded. He opened his mouth as if to form words as heads turned in his direction. "I, uh, I don't know..."

  The officer stepped in front of her. "Sir." He gestured for Ben to come forward. Reluctantly Ben made his way through the groups of people. "If you have information that concerns this situation," the officer said to him in a low voice, "we need to look it over."

  Ben glanced at Lana then turned back to the officer. "Yea, alright." He went back to his bag and brought it over.

  The guards released Lana momentarily as Ben showed the officers the footage. The officers' expressions varied but they did well to keep their emotions hidden from the others.

  "I think we should call the heads," one of them whispered.

  "We are supposed to wait for their response on what to do next," hissed another.

  "The others need to know."

  They each glanced back at Ben and Lana. The tall officer spoke to Ben, "Can you send this file to us?"

  Ben nodded and began working on his laptop.

  "So do you understand now?" Lana said.

  The tall officer glared back at her. "We aren't leaving this room. Not until we have confirmation that it is safe to move."

  Lana shook her head in angry disbelief. "Then we are just waiting for the slaughter. You see those vents over there?" Lana pointed. "They can get through those."

  The officers looked at each other and the tall one nodded. "Everyone please go back to sleep, everything is fine," the tall officer announced to those listening.

  "You can't be serious," Lana seethed.

  "Maam, we don't need panic. Go back to the wall," he said to her. The officer commanded the guards to take up heavy equipment and stash it over to the other side of the room to hide the vent.

  A few grumbled but didn't argue as they were forced to move. Some looked at her with curiosity but remained silent. They did as the officers ordered and no one asked any more questions.

  "Come on, Lana, just give them time. Some are still in shock, you know?" Ben said trying to gently coax her back over to their sitting spot by the wall. "And the officer is right, we really don't need panic right now."

  Lana allowed him to lead her back to the wall, but she still wasn't happy. Far from it. With the revelation that Xerus was somehow alive, the words he spoke in their final moments together rang out like a death toll. He would come for her. She knew. And he would decimate anything and everything in his way. Forget the other specimens lurking around. If Xerus found out where she was, the others were goners. And even then it might not matter. He had said himself he would kill every human. She didn't want to believe it then and she didn't want to now.

  But if she got away from everyone and they could make their way to the loading docks, they might have a chance.

  Lana slumped down next to Dahlia who opened her eyes and gazed at her.

  "What's going on?" she asked.

  Lana fixed her eyes up at Ben who met her stare. She looked down at Dahlia. "I tried to warn people about what happened on twelve but the officers won't move us."

  Dahlia groaned as she shifted herself into a seating position. "Why do we need to move? Aren't we safe here?"

  "Not anymore."

  "Lana–"

  "They need to know, Ben," Lana snapped. Then said more softly, "I'm sorry but we can't afford any more secrets. People's lives are at stake."

  Ben cursed softly. He took a seat nearby, putting his back to them and eyeing the officers while sneaking a hit from his e-cigarette. Lana turned back to Dahlia.

  "Asset X is alive," she said in a low voice.

  Dahlia's eyes widened. "That's not possible," she whispered.

  "I know."

  "He had no vitals, he wasn't breathing, how could he...?"

  Lana shook her head. "I don't know, I don't..." she frowned and a thought came to her. A memory of her and Xerus' sessions. Of them talking about his physical traits.

  And then she knew.

  "His pores. Oh god, he had told me straight to my face and I didn't even think..." Lana breathed. Dahlia gave her a confused look. "He has this way of absorbing oxygen into his skin. He must have absorbed enough to slow his heart rate so low our machines couldn't detect it. And he didn't need his lungs for breath with the oxygen already stored in his body."

  "He could do that?"

  "He said
his kind used it to traverse through water and low oxygen environments." Lana rubbed her temples. "I would have never believed though that he could use the trait to such extreme measures."

  "Well," Dahlia said. "We know now. Too bad we hadn't figured it out in time. Not that it would have mattered. He would have just been let out like the others. But guess one thing he can't do is predict the future."

  Lana couldn't help laughing. "Yea. One thing."

  "Do you think he can somehow get in here?"

  "I don't think. I know. He will find a way. We need to get out of the base entirely if we want to avoid any encounters and remain unscathed."

  "But they aren't letting anyone leave, correct?"

  Lana shook her head. "No.

  "Even though you've told them about what happened?"

  "Pretty much."

  Dahlia closed her eyes and sighed. "It's no surprise. They have to stick to the mandatory procedures. Emergency or no." She slid back down and curled up on the mat given to her. "All we can do is wait."

  Lana pursed her lips but decidedly said nothing, letting Dahlia fall back to sleep. But inside she was on the edge of erupting. She was done with waiting.

  ***

  Everything was quiet for some time after and somehow Lana was able to gain an hour of sleep, albeit not deep by any means. When she opened her eyes she noticed the officers grouped tightly around the Scibot, watching its screen. They must have finally accessed the live video feeds.

  Quietly, Lana unlatched from the wall and crept over, pretending to grab water at one of the food supply crates. From her vantage point, she could see they were flipping through different screens showing different hallways, corridors, and rooms. Most were completely vacant. Some of the rooms had been destroyed, with debris scattered all over the floor but no one was in sight. She couldn't quite follow which levels they were observing until they switched the feed to that of an entrance hall and she recognized it immediately.

  "The warning call was from here I think," said one of the officers. "Shit. Looks like we aren't taking any of the injured to medical..."

  Lana watched with horror as several of the blue raptors from unit five traversed the main foyer and halls of level six. The sliding door was ripped open and hanging off the door frame behind them. The officers flipped through other sections of the facility to discover some parts destroyed and others still intact but with raptors slipping in and out of view. Broken lights flickered and a few pipes, torn from the walls, belted out steam. They flipped to another view and Lana saw the door to Nicole's study wrenched open, showing darkness within.