Cascade box set 2, p.65
Cascade Box Set 2, page 65
“He’s well secured right?”
Brad hesitated then understood whom she was referring to. “He’s in one of new cells outside, with an armed guard. We also have a soldier keeping an eye on his pet, and we have Cascaders patrolling the perimeter night and day if he manages to snag any of the other E.L.F’s from afar. We got him Abbey. He’s done.”
She shook her head. “I just feel as if there’s something I’m missing, but I just can’t—”
“What do you make of all of this stuff about Zach’s daughter?”
“I don’t know. Tinley was the one that killed Zach’s family—” She swallowed uneasily. “Maybe it’s possible he passed on something to Clovis, but for what reason I don’t know. I doubt it’s anything good.”
“I think it’s just a ploy to avoid being pushed up against a wall and shot.”
“If it is, it’s not going to work. He’ll probably be shot either way.”
“Did he say anything to you during your journey down here?” He puffed out his cheeks. “That must have been something.”
Abbey smiled. “It was strange. But no, I think he said maybe ten words since we left Boston.”
Brad went to reply when Major Hoxted appeared walking down the steps towards them. She stood near the entrance and Abbey realized that there was a soldier standing just behind her.
“What’s going on?” said Brad.
“Abbey needs to be debriefed, she might have valuable information that we need to know,” said the Major.
Brad went to talk again but Abbey stood holding her hand up towards Brad. “It’s okay, she’s right.”
She followed the soldier and Major out and into another building on the compound. An hour later she was walking back out into the afternoon sun. Around her were faces she hardly knew and she felt as if she was in an entirely new location from the one she and Zach stumbled upon some months before.
The main house remained the same though, and as she walked back towards it, she stopped, looking up and smiled remembering herself teetering on the roof edge and then falling.
Brad appeared in the doorway, slightly out of breath. He waved her towards him. “There’s a C-130 that’s just left the camp. Will be with us in a few hours if it makes the journey.”
Abbey nodded and went to walk inside when something stopped her. She looked at Brad. “Which is these buildings contains the prison cells?”
Brad walked forward. “Now Abbey I don’t think—”
“I need to do this. Which one?”
He frowned. “Follow me.”
They walked around the back of the building she had just left and immediately up to another. A guard was at the door, whom opened it for both of them. After following a series of narrow corridors, each with its own secured door and guard they finally arrived at a large room, with cells along both sides. A soldier opened the final door. Before walking inside Brad turned to Abbey. “There’s no reason for you to do this.”
“Maybe, but for the first time since I left Boston I feel I can be free with him. Ask him what I want, without fear of reprisals.”
The soldier walked inside and slid open a small panel in the cell door, he then turned back to Abbey. “You can talk to him through there. You got five minutes.”
Abbey nodded and she walked inside. The door behind her was closed and locked.
“Come to see how I’m doing eh, girly,” said Clovis from the cell.
A flash of surprise crossed Abbey’s mind, then was quickly replaced with the realization that he must know her signature now as a Cascader.
“Zach has changed his mind, he doesn’t want to see you.” It was a lie, but she wanted to see how he would react.
“What?!” The door to his cell shuddered as he slammed into it. “I was told he would see me! I have to see him!” The door shook again, this time making Abbey stand back. The door to the cellblock opened and Brad and the soldier entered.
“Settle down prisoner!” Shouted the soldier.
Abbey watched as the man that had been as calm as a lamb for the past two days was now an image of rage.
With each new impact he made against his side of the door, a memory from the last few days flashed through her mind, like her brain was naturally putting together a puzzle she didn’t even know existed. Finally she was back in the Cascaders living quarters, getting to her feet, then walking towards the end of the room, towards the source of the blast, and looking down at Erin.
She walked back towards the door. “Clovis?”
The charging at the door stopped.
“Yes?”
“If you tell me what you need to say to Zach about his daughter, I can tell him. It will be the same.”
“No!” he bellowed. “I have to see him in person.”
“But why?”
“I… I… don’t know. I just have to.”
The image of Erin lying on the ground forced its way into her mind once more, and the final pin of the lock that was holding the secret which she had carried with her from Boston finally fell into place.
“Erin told you to come with me, didn’t he?”
There was silence on the other side of the door.
“Erin told—”
“I heard you the first time Abbey.”
Abbey staggered back for the voice which came from the other side of the cell door was not entirely Clovis’s, but was similar to the man she thought had been injured in the bomb blast.
A slow clap came from the cell. Brad and the soldier looked at each other. The soldier went to open the cell, when Abbey raised her hand to stop him.
“Who am I talking to?”
“Oh I think you know who this is.”
“Erin?…” Her legs felt weak and her breathing labored.
“Si, it is I. I must admit I’m surprised it has taking you this long to figure it out.”
She knew Cascaders could see through the eyes of E.L.F’s, Wyatt had supposedly managed to do this when he was hypnotized, but she had no idea one could do it to another Cascader, let alone take control of that person.
“But I don’t understand… why do this? Why—”
The big man sighed. “Because I have no choice. At first I left your mind alone. I resisted the urge to control you, I wanted you to be mine by choice. I said to myself, ‘Give it time Erin’, she will come around. See you for what you are. A man to unite all Cascaders. And she will want to join and be part of what I’m trying to build! And for once I will not have to use my abilities on a woman. You were going to be different. You were worth waiting for. But despite all the evidence, you would not see things like I do! Like real Cascaders do! So—”
“So you tried to control me.” Abbey’s stomach gurgled and she leaned back on the small table which rested in the center of the room.
“Yes, I tried. Oh boy did I try, and you know what I found? That the connection you had with Zach was stronger. I did hope that once he left the bunker, it would fade. But even then it was not possible to get what I wanted. So instead I came up with a new plan.”
Abbey looked at the plain gray door as a realization struck her. “You were going to kill him! It was a lie, to get to Zach!” She wanted to grab the soldiers sidearm, throw the cell door open and shoot dead the man within. But then she knew the monster just a few yards away from her, was not the monster she would be killing.
“Abbey. Zach is not one of us. You and I are Gods compared to the likes of him. We will rule this planet, and there is nothing the humans can do to stop us.”
“What about the aliens?” Interjected Brad.
“The aliens will leave at some point, or when your kind have bloodied their nose. I know about the toxin. I have always known about it. Clovis wasn’t just meant to kill the man you love Abbey, but also to protect you and to help to get you to the outpost. Now though, things have changed…”
“What do you mean?” said Abbey.
“Now, I think it’s time I paid a visit to the outpost in person.”
Abbey stood upright. “You’re coming here?”
Brad straightened his back.
“Of course. Now, Clovis. Do you wish to kill him? Or do you want me to do it for you?” A crunch sound came from the door.
Abbey’s eyes grew wide. She looked at the soldier. “Open the door!”
Another crunch pounded against the inside metal frame.
Brad put his hand up. “No. Let him kill him! I’m not having that thing out here!”
She shook her head. Brad was right. What did it matter if Erin killed Clovis, but there was something about what Erin was doing, that she couldn’t live with.
The door shuddered again, but this time was quickly followed by the sound of Clovis dropping to the floor.
Abbey looked at Brad, with pleading eyes.
“Okay fine!” He took his own rifle from his shoulder then clicked on his radio, asking for backup. He then looked at the soldier who produced a set of keys and quickly unlocked the cell door.
A stream of blood ran down the inside of it and Clovis was lying in a heap on the floor.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“How badly do you want to hold on to whatever that black cube is?” said General Trow to Zach, as he stood in main operations.
“Why?” he whispered to a nearby soldier to bring up the feeds from the cameras that were still at the dam. The perfect geometric dark shape sat in the sky, in contrast against the setting sun.
“Because we got three bogey’s coming in real hot towards it, in fact they are probably—”
Three other black shapes zipped into view, alongside the first one.
“— Are already there. This time though they are going to be in for a shock.”
A series of small explosions heralded the launch of multiple rockets from mobile launchers placed all around the local area. Two of the flaming projectiles missed their targets completely as the black craft dodged to the side, but another three hit home, causing a wave of energy to emanate across the surface of the alien hovering objects. Gunfire then started as well and streams of red neon streaks flew from the ground to the craft, that were just a few hundred feet away.
“I don’t know how long they will be able to hold out!” said Trow, also talking to people around her. “So do we send more people and equipment out there to try and hold on to this thing, or do we give up on it?”
Zach paused in thought. Just as he was about to reply, the door to the main operations opened and Fiona and Sam appeared.
“There’s action at the dam again?” said Sam.
“Looks like they want their ship back,” said Zach.
Fiona stood closer to Zach, looking directly at him. “This is our chance Zach. They obviously give a shit about whatever that thing is, if we make it difficult for them…”
He nodded, then looked back at Trow. “Yes. Send more units. I’ll coordinate others at this end.”
She nodded and the communication ended.
Zach looked at Fiona who smiled and nodded. She then turned and with Sam quickly left.
A short while after, while the battle raged around the powerhouse, Fiona was driving a turreted Humvee, with Sam, Sean and two soldiers next to her, while behind were two other vehicles each with a similar accompaniment.
As the light dwindled, the convoy sped around the winding dusty lanes.
“Look,” said Sean. They all looked at the explosions and streaks of light which were lighting the early evening sky a few miles off.
Fiona clicked on her radio to address the commander on the ground. “Captain Fowler. We are just a few minutes out. What’s the sitrep? Over.”
The clatter of automatic gunfire and booms burst from her radio.
“We are currently engaging three Hulathen. We’re taking losses. Can’t hold out much longer. Over.”
“We’ll be there soon. Over.”
Fiona passed the radio to Sam sitting next to her. He went to speak but was drowned out by the sound of helicopters roaring past overhead.
“Looks like the general is going all in,” he said.
“If we can hold on to that craft, it might be a game changer,” said Fiona.
Her Humvee bumped onto a wider road, which led up to one of the hills which overlooked the dam. The sky above was full of kinetic light, a reflection of the crackles and explosions taking place on the ground. In her rear view mirror more headlights appeared.
“Looks like we are all arriving at the same time,” she said.
The road dipped downwards and the convoy descended quickly towards the parking lot at the back of the damn. The battle was neatly laid out in front of them. Each of the Hulathen was being engaged by a group of soldiers, using what cover they could nearby. Two of the choppers let go a volley of missiles, all converging on one of the aliens, which was lost within a wall of flame. Another of the Hulathen saw the danger and fired his weapon skywards, slicing the tail off the first helicopter which exploded, and then it pivoted and fired again, this time hitting the blades. Both aircraft spiraled to the ground.
Fiona Humvee’s skipped onto the flat concrete of the parking lot. “I’ll get us as close as possible! Get ready!”
Driving at speed she suddenly slammed on the breaks, and the Humvee skidded to a stop just fifty feet short of the closest alien. The soldier in the turret started firing with the .50 Cal and everyone jumped out, keeping the doors open and using them as cover to fire from.
The vehicles behind, including two lumbering light tanks, spread out bringing even more fire down upon the first Hulathen. Its armor, usually a bright purple started to flicker and dim.
“I think that one is on its way out!” Shouted Sam.
The alien directed its weapon at the source of the artillery shells that were exploding against it, and a burst of focused energy streamed across the parking lot, shearing the light tank in half, which promptly exploded. Everyone within a fifty-foot radius was knocked off their feet, and the windscreens of the nearby cars shattered.
The other alien on the opposite side of the lot, charged into one of the Humvee’s, toppling it onto its side. It then turned towards the other that was now taking most of the fire. It sprinted across the ground, moving past its friend and headed straight for Fiona and the others.
“We might have a problem!” She shouted, as she changed direction to target the oncoming alien. Sam unhooked a grenade, pulled the pin then threw it as hard as he could, it bounced a few times then exploded. The first alien was knocked onto its back, its armor now a dull gray-blue, but the other kept on coming. Just as it reached the Humvee, Fiona and the others scattered, and it grabbed under the front of the vehicle flipping it front over back, sending the soldier on the turret tumbling through the air.
Fiona looked back over her shoulder not being sure of where the huge being was, but heard screams as its particle beam weapon scythed through the air, killing indiscriminately.
The other light tank trundled forward, firing on the Hulathen, knocking it back, but as the vehicle was reloading the Hulathen sprang into the air, landing on top of the turret, pointed its weapon directly down and blasted a hole clean through the center of tank. The alien’s head then whipped around, targeting the closest soldier to it.
Fiona made it to a pickup whose front end was lying separate from it, and crouched down behind it. She then stood back up, her attention being drawn to the first Hulathen that was scrambling back to its feet.
This is not going well.
She scanned the scene in front of her, trying to make sense of what human forces were still alive and fighting, but the smoke and dust filling the air made it impossible to know what was happening.
She clicked on her radio. “Captain, what’s your status? Over.” She held the speaker close to her ear to be able to hear any response. There wasn’t any.
Fuck.
A noise made her turn quickly.
“Don’t shoot!” said Sam jogging towards her. “I think it might be time to turn tail and run!” He shouted standing with her behind the pickup.
She looked to her left. The powerhouse building was about fifty yards away. “We need to get in there!”
The second alien, tore into the vehicles that were still being used as cover by countless soldiers, tearing them apart with its laser weapon.
She clicked on her radio. “If anyone can hear this, try and make it to the powerhouse. We’ll make a stand inside there! Over.”
Fiona and Sam set off across the concrete moving as fast as they could, glancing over their shoulders at the Hulathen. Out of the corner of her eye, other soldiers ran towards them, all trying to get to the haven of the concrete walled building.
As she got to the door, she pushed then held it open as other soldiers ran towards her, all running into the gloom of the narrow corridor. She went to follow Sam inside, but heard someone shouting in the distance.
She strained her eyes to see through the smoke. Sean was running towards her.
Come on Sean.
She then noticed one of the Hulathen at the end of the lot. Bullets and other projectiles had stopped raining down on it, and its head flicked towards the figure of the former coastguard lieutenant, sprinting towards salvation. It got up and surged forward, bounding over burning cars and the bodies of soldiers.
He's not going to make it...
Sam appeared from the doorway and started firing at the alien bearing down on Sean, but Fiona wasn't watching that, for her attention was drawn to a ring of pulsating lights that had suddenly appeared in the sky over the distant hills. It was coming towards them.
What is that?
She walked forward transfixed by the lights which had now taken on the form of a saucer.
Sam looked across to her and was shouting something, but as in a dream, his words were muffled. Distant.
The Hulathen sprang high into the air then landed in front of Sean, who skidded to a stop. Seeing he had nowhere else to run, Sean held his hand out in front of him, towards the towering alien and closed his eyes.
The sound of laughter drifted on the fumes, and the alien lunged forward, grabbing him across his chest and lifted into the air like a doll.
