Saturday, May 9th, 2015
Day 5
22:45
The Girls
Timothy McNabb shook his head vigorously.
"You will call out and lure them here," Tanya hissed in the boy's ear.
"I will not help you," McNabb replied vehemently.
"Okay," Rylee hissed. "Onto Plan B, then."
Without warning, Rylee pulled out her Walther PK380 and she fired off a round into McNabb's left thigh from four feet away. The results were spectacular as the echo from the gunshot reverberated around the woods, closely followed by the boy screaming out in agony. The Simunition round had left a bright yellow mark on the boy's combat trousers and there would be a very red mark on the skin beneath. As expected, there was a rising crescendo of shouts and yells from the redoubt, just forty yards distant. Then the gates at the east end opened and seven Predators emerged, weapons raised. They made it precisely twenty yards before their world exploded as eight carefully placed flashbang grenades were triggered, bathing the clearing in brilliant white light and splitting the night apart with a succession of deafening explosions of sound.
Four of the Predators went down, their hands over their ears as they lost all sense of up and down. Tanya and Rylee, kneeling at the edge of the clearing, opened fire with their sub-machine guns, dropping three more, before racing forward, each covering the other as they advanced one by one. There was total pandemonium as the night's peace fell apart and the redoubt went on the defensive. Venom and Bane could be heard yelling orders as they attempted to get a hold of the surprise attack. Tanya and Rylee took full advantage of the chaos, racing for the open gates of the redoubt, putting down three of the Predators who were only just clambering back to their feet.
"You!" Venom screamed as the two girls entered the redoubt.
Tanya took a Simunition bullet in her chest armour, halting her for a moment before Rylee fired off a three-round burst into Venom's own armour, putting the bitch down on the ground. As they passed, Rylee kicked Venom in the side for good measure, eliciting a yell of pain from the older girl.
"Get them!" Venom yelled through the pain.
Venom and Bane briefly lost control of their redoubt as two or three younger Predators panicked for a brief moment before gathering themselves together. Rylee was the first to reach the captives and she put Horton down with a vicious punch to the face, blood exploding from a busted nose. Tanya quickly cut the captives' bindings and ripped away the tape from their mouths and eyes. The moment Simon was able to speak, he yelled out a warning.
"It's a trap! Flashbangs!"
"Move!" Lin added as she shoved Turner towards the opposite end of the redoubt.
They had made it just six feet before a ripple of flash-bangs went off all around them, but Simon's warning had been enough for each of them to cover their eyes and ears. The concussive force of the explosions still disoriented the youngsters as they struggled to remain upright. Tanya screamed out as she was struck by two Simunition bullets in the side. Simon had swept up a pistol from the fallen Eva Horton and he fired off three rounds at an apocalyptically angry Bane.
The five youngsters ran hard for the west end of the redoubt and the gates there.
..._...
The gates were a mere twenty feet distant when the five found their route blocked by five Predators.
"Stand down!" fourteen-year-old Guinevere Murdoch growled as she stood her ground with eleven-year-olds Marc Ryan, Shannon Millar, Dylan Page, and Koby Morrow.
"Fuck off, Murdoch," Simon growled. "Stand aside and let us pass."
"No time for chitchat, Si!" Rylee hissed as she lobbed their last flashbang grenade at the five Predators blocking their path.
Five pairs of eyes went very wide as they followed the grenades' flight path before the brains in the heads attached to the eyes suddenly ordered their bodies to dive away from the wildly spinning device. With a loud crump and a dazzling flash, the device detonated leaving all but Shannon Millar struggling on the ground.
"Make it look good," Shannon grinned to Rylee as she held her pistol to the side.
Rylee did not hesitate as she punched Shannon in the stomach and face, putting the older girl down on the ground.
"Good luck!" Shannon whispered through the pain in her stomach and face.
Rylee waved her friends forward, pointing out a direction to run in. She and Tanya covered their escape with short bursts of gunfire. Their available ammunition was low, despite grabbing up a few spare magazines as they left the redoubt. They both knew that there would be angry Predators on their tail within minutes. All they had to do was hideout for one hour. Though they had not been hunted, at first, they were all now prey for their pursuers, and considering how much pain they had caused, they could not expect a painless capture. One more Predator fell to them as they made their escape. The hapless Jake Wistrum found himself viciously punched to the ground by Simon as they passed the boy who was running to assist at the redoubt. They reached their camp after taking a wide track and messing up their trail.
There, they found a scowling and very disgruntled, Charlotte Grey, still gagged and tied to the tree.
23:05
The girl was making noises, so Simon ripped the tape off her mouth.
"What do you want – we're leaving."
"I need to wee."
"So what?" Simon responded.
"Please?" Charlotte begged.
Simon grinned devilishly.
Two minutes later, Charlotte was not so happy with the new arrangements as she found her bare arse sitting on the mud, her trousers and underwear around her ankles in front of her. Simon had pulled everything down then adjusted the girl's bindings to allow her to sit on the ground.
"You can wee now," Simon chuckled.
"Bastard!" Charlotte hissed back, but she peed all the same.
By the time she had finished, she found herself very much alone and sitting bare arsed in a puddle of her own piss.
23:10
"Find the little bastards . . . I want blood!" Venom growled as she moved slowly through the dark woods.
Spread out on either side, eight Predators walked, ten yards apart, line abreast. They were able to cover almost a hundred yards as they strode forwards searching for anything which might give the quarry away. Everybody was angry, very angry. Two three-person hunter-killer groups were working at each end of the line of searchers, ready to dive in and outflank their quarry. Bane led the one to the left while Murdoch AKA Lilith, led the group to the right. The only Predator doing nothing was young Shannon Millar. She could not be trusted, and as such, her hands were bound ahead of her as she hobbled along behind the others, her mouth taped, sobbing quietly to herself. The girl's treachery had been seen and quickly reported back to Bane.
The results of that treachery were readily visible and by daylight the bruising should look spectacular.
23:20
After a brief hug, the friends had separated to hide.
They knew that vengeance would be swift, and they used every skill that each possessed to hide in the undergrowth. All wore camo paint on exposed skin, especially the rescued captives, neither of whom were as well-equipped as Tanya or Rylee. However, they shifted kit around until all five were armed and suitably camouflaged against the attack which they knew was coming. They had but forty minutes to survive, then it would be all over – one way or another. All five knew the rules of the game – there were no actual rules, except two: no killing and no life-threatening or life-altering injuries.
Rylee happily drew her combat knife as she slunk through the undergrowth, moving into a position where she would be both hidden and in a perfect position to ambush any unfortunate individual who came close.
23:30
There was no way that they could miss them, Bane knew.
However, they had to capture Gibson and Swift to win – the captives would simply be icing on the cake but were not the primary targets. Bane had considered the rules which were generally inviolable, but accidents happened . . . a slip of a knife . . . a severed artery . . . two dead bitches! Okay, she would be punished, but it would be worth it to get rid of those two fuckers once and for all. Bane's head snapped up from studying the ground as a voice yelled out to her right.
"Move!" Bane hissed at her team.
Bane ran towards the sound with Ava Carmody AKA Jack-Knife and Sarah Hampton AKA Discord close behind. All three leapt over undergrowth as they closed in on their quarry. They slithered to a halt as they found Dylan Page lying on the ground, blood oozing from a wound to his right thigh. The boy had been stabbed. The wound was being treated by another Predator.
"That way!" Page hissed, indicating the direction in which his attacker had fled. "Fucking Starling!"
Bane ran with her team through the dark wood, searching for the attacker. Bane knew that where Starling was, Gibson would not be far behind. They made a lot of noise as they plunged ahead before stopping dead after a thirty-yard dash. All three listened for any sound nearby, ready to attack at the slightest indication that their quarry was close by. It was Bane who heard it first, her keen hearing latching on to the sound which was too close, far too close.
The fourteen-year-old spun around in desperation, knowing that she was far too late.
23:42
Bane felt the sharp pain of a knife in her right thigh, just as she was struck by a baton across the backs of her knees which buckled, and the fourteen-year-old Phase 3 Predator crumpled to the ground.
"Move a muscle or make a fucking sound and I slit your fucking throat, bitch!"
Bane recognised the angry hiss of Rylee Gibson. Tape was slapped across her mouth and she was hauled into the undergrowth where her ankles and wrists were bound by a smirking Simon Starling. In less than a minute, Jack-Knife and Discord were unceremoniously dumped beside Bane. Both thirteen-year-old girls were very angry and pissed at being taken captive, not to mention that both had received injuries to their thighs. Bane considered that it had been a very expertly executed ambush into which she and her colleagues had fallen, hook, line, and sinker. Bane believed Rylee would probably cause her further injury should she struggle, so she lay still – then it hit her like a train wreck . . . the bitch was going to buy her freedom from Venom, using Bane as collateral.
Damn, Bane thought, that bitch was almost as devious as she and her sister were.
23:57
Their luck finally ran out – it was inevitable really.
"Got you, you little whelp!" Venom exclaimed happily as she grasped Rylee by the arm.
Rylee fought violently, kicking and punching for a moment before ceasing to fight. Venom frowned, surprised at the ease with which Gibson had stopped fighting, but then her sharp mind swiftly figured out why her sister had gone silent along with her group.
"I go free, or your bitch sister gets hurt," Rylee growled.
"You don't have her," Venom responded, her tone full of hope.
"Cut the bitch!" Rylee yelled, receiving a slap to her face for her trouble.
As Venom watched, her sister rose into sight, a combat knife at her throat. The blade was held by a grinning Tanya Swift, and she was surrounded by the three captives. Venom could see the pain in her sister's face as the blade sunk into the soft skin of Bane's neck, drawing blood. Venom released Rylee and stood back from the girl. Rylee had found the twin's single weakness – each other. But had her final plan worked?
Forty seconds later, there were three loud bangs as three white flares exploded into life, high over the woods – the exercise was over.
Sunday, May 10th, 2015
Day 6
00:05
Senior Instructor Ramsey strolled towards Rylee, waving for Tanya to join her friend.
"Against all the odds, you both won. As promised, no further punishment will be endured by either of you and your sentences are cancelled. Take your colleagues and go get some sleep. All five of you have the day off, tomorrow. Enjoy it. We will debrief you all on Monday and advise you of your rewards. Until then, I need to punish those who failed, tonight."
It was with immense relief that the five friends staggered back to their dormitory. For Rylee and Tanya, it was like they had been away for months, instead of days. Both girls simply folded onto the floor in a heap and sobbed with happiness. Rylee especially shook as she sobbed, thankful to be able to sleep in a real bed for the first time in five days. None of the five bothered to shower or wash before dropping onto their beds, still partially dressed.
All five were thoroughly exhausted.
08:15
The morning had started well.
Rylee had awoken first, and she had spent time in the shower, scrubbing off the camo paint and mud from her body and hair. She felt much relieved to be using a proper shower and she relished the hot water on her skin. She was also overjoyed to make use of a soft towel before pulling on her clothing. Before she had finished showering, Tanya and Lin had appeared. Tanya was a little tearful but otherwise just as pleased as Rylee was to be enjoying semi-normality.
Once all five were awake, washed, and dressed, they made for the dining hall. After digging into a large cooked breakfast, they watched as others slunk in for their own breakfast. Many sported visible bruising as well as some cuts from their efforts in the woods. Rylee winced as she saw Shannon – her face was puffed up and the bruising looked very painful. Somebody had gone to town on her with their fists – presumably the twins, Rylee guessed. It was the very first time in days where the five of them could chat amongst themselves and enjoy each other's company. Once or twice, Rylee glanced over at her former home, an involuntary shudder following the glance. Tanya exchanged a glance with Rylee and they both grimaced.
Partway through breakfast, there was a shock in store for all, but mostly for one girl. Shannon was pulled up before everybody and ordered to strip out of her grey joggers and sweatshirt. She followed orders, wincing as she pulled her top over the bruising on her face. As she stood there in just her underwear, Shannon glared at the twins who simply smirked. Instructor Monroe stepped forward, grinning.
"This bitch betrayed her team and will be punished. For the next two weeks, Shannon Millar is no longer a Predator; she will be a Yellow, and I expect her to be treated as such. We will not tolerate any form of betrayal."
With that, Shannon was handed a set of yellow joggers and a yellow sweatshirt. The girl looked thoroughly miserable as she pulled on her new clothing. Instantly, there was jeering as the girl finished dressing and was marched off out of the dining hall without being allowed to finish her breakfast – Yellows were not allowed to eat in the dining hall. That was a first – no Predator had been demoted . . . ever.
Killed, yes, but not demoted.
..._...
After breakfast, the five returned to their dormitory and they went back to bad, dozing, even as their fellow Predators were preparing for the day's activities.
"Thanks for coming for us," Lin said to the room in general.
"Why wouldn't we?" Tanya asked.
"You could have laid low and waited things out," Simon commented.
"And leave you guys to the bitch twins?" Rylee responded.
"You can't keep Rylee down," Turner pointed out with a laugh.
"I have pains in places that I don't care to mention," Rylee commented.
"Me, too," Tanya added.
For the next hour, they chatted lazily as they rested, enjoying their freedom. It was a novelty to be left alone for an entire day. Apart from leaving their accommodation for lunch, they were ignored by everyone – yet another novelty. After an amazing lunch, much enjoyed by Rylee after her starvation diet, the group went for a walk in the fresh air. Both Rylee and Tanya had decided not to mention their extreme punishment . . . ever. Their friends were happy to go along with them and just look forward, rather than back. While they walked, Simon noticed that Rylee spent some of the time looking pensive. He knew his girl well enough to know that she was planning something, and by the expressions which crossed her face, he knew that she was plotting revenge.
On whom, he had no idea, but whoever it was, they were toast!
The next morning
Monday, May 11th, 2015
Rylee was super-pleased to be back to her instructional lessons – she had really missed them, the previous week.
Though, she had some catching up to do, she didn't see that as a major issue. The first lesson was on the range which made Rylee even happier. Simon groused that if Rylee got any happier, he would have to do something bad to stop her grinning so much. Rylee simply ignored her friend and the five of them headed for the range directly after breakfast. That was when things just got even better.
On their arrival at the range, they saw two individuals wearing red boiler suits, indicating that they were on a punishment detail. As they came closer, Rylee felt her grin getting to the point of being painful. Two very unhappy fourteen-year-old Predators were busy laying out weapons for the class. Rylee and Tanya took great pleasure gloating at Christina and Sky Abbott as they worked. However, they were not alone. A very miserable-looking Shannon Millar was stacking boxes of ammunition on a table. Rylee had heard that the girl had been forced to sleep with the other Yellows who had treated Shannon like shit. Rylee gave Shannon a reassuring smile as they passed the miserable girl. Shannon's plight had Rylee's mind working overtime, adding to plans she had already made, while she listened to the instructor drone on and she loaded the magazines for her P90 personal defence weapon.
After a fun lesson shredding targets and learning to use the new weapon, not to mention having fun at the twin's expense, the five friends moved onto their next class.
..._...
The next class was a fun one for them all as they spent an hour racing up and down a climbing wall.
Simon and Tanya loved abseiling down the wall, while Lin, Rylee, and Turner instead preferred the thrill of free-climbing. Rylee enjoyed the risk of falling which boosted the adrenaline in her veins which, in turn, encouraged her to take further risks. Rylee had no problems with the abseiling, nor with heights, but she preferred taking the risks involved with free-climbing. Lin was actually giggling excitedly as she scurried up the vertical section of the wall like a cat before reaching out to climb up the inverted section of the wall where the youngster hung thirty feet above the ground with just her fingertips and toes preventing her from falling to serious injury below.
Just as they were finishing up, the five youngsters were called over by the instructor to where they found Kendra waiting for them.
..._...
Kendra led them down three corridors before stopping at a section of the facility which was normally off limits to all.
"Wait here for Senior Instructor Ramsey," Kendra said.
"Thanks," Rylee replied, shoving Kendra hard into the concrete wall.
Kendra grimaced in pain as her head struck the wall before she stumbled away. The five of them did not have long to wait as Senior Instructor Ramsey appeared. He was smiling. That simply meant that something nice was going to happen . . . or that the man was about to do something very nasty to them.
"Come with me," the man said as he placed his hand on a pad beside the door which then released an electronic lock securing the door.
Rylee was very curious as the followed the man down a corridor which smelt of fresh paint.
"This part of the facility has only just been completed," Ramsey explained. "As of today, your handprints will open the access doors. This area is restricted to only those allowed access. Phase 1 Predators are not normally allowed in, but Yellows are to complete their duties. You five will not have seen the smaller dormitories enjoyed by the Phase 3 Predators and the senior Phase 2 Predators. These areas are along the same lines but updated slightly."
After walking about ten yards down the corridor, the man stopped outside a door labelled with a silver letter 'Z'. Rylee looked up at Ramsey and the man nodded. In response, Rylee pushed open the door and she stepped inside the room, closely followed by her friends. Then they all stopped dead as they found themselves in a surprisingly comfortable recreational space. There was a large screen TV on the wall as well as two computer systems off to one side. Scattered around the carpet-tiled floor were the brightly-coloured large beanbags which Predators appeared to favour over normal seating. Other than the door through which they had entered, there were three other doors.
The door opposite them led to a typical bathroom with six shower cubicles along with the usual facilities, however, it was unisex. The other two doors each led to small bedsits, each of which held six cabin beds. Each black steel-framed bed unit consisted of a compact wooden desk below, along with drawers and a cupboard, with a bed mounted above, about five feet off the ground and accessed by a steel ladder. Each room had a large window looking out onto the surrounding woodland which was a lot better than their current dormitory which simply overlooked the vehicle garage.
"You Sevens have earned this accommodation as a reward for your exceptional behaviour and as such, you need to keep to that behaviour. From this moment on, you five will be known as Zeta Squad. Overtime, other Predators will be selected to become part of your squad to bring your numbers up to twelve. I am placing Zeta Squad under the command of Gibson with Starling as her deputy commander."
Rylee was speechless, but only for a few moments.
"Thank you, Senior Instructor," she responded as Simon grinned happily.
"You can move in directly," Ramsey directed before he left the room.
"This is awesome!" Lin commented as she ran around the place checking everything out.
"Not half!" Turner added.
"I vote we take the left-hand dorm," Tanya decided.
Rylee could not help but grin as she took in their new lair.
That night. . .
It was amazing, just the five of them, all to themselves.
Their new space was also kind of tranquil as they were a long way from anyone else. It was only Lin and Tanya who persisted in keeping the noise levels high while Turner tried to watch the TV. As for Simon and Rylee, the pair of them simply lazed around on the beanbags enjoying one another's company. Eventually, Simon and Rylee both fell asleep where they lay. Tanya grinned as she headed for bed, leaving the two friends where they lay, their hands intertwined.
Tanya found Lin and Turner both fast asleep already after a pleasant but tiring day.
The following morning
Tuesday, May 12th, 2015
It was with trepidation that the so-called Zeta Squad found themselves summoned from their first class to the hospital wing.
Rylee couldn't help but grin as she strolled past the glaring Harper Brown who lay in a bed looking thoroughly miserable. Harper had heard about Gibson's punishment which Harper had deemed just, but then Harper had heard that Gibson had escaped the last of the punishment and been rewarded – that had just depressed Harper who had hoped that Gibson had suffered . . . badly.
"Does it hurt?" Rylee asked.
Harper simply nodded.
"Pleased to hear it!" Rylee smiled as she headed into the next room.
"So, you little shits are Zeta Squad, huh?" the nurse, Hannah Beck observed.
They each nodded, still unsure why they were even there.
"You five are about to be inked," Nurse Beck advised as she produced the small tattoo gun used to mark every qualified Predator.
Fifty minutes later, each child was doing their utmost not to rub their wrists which were now covered up by a thin covering of gauze and medical tape. The reason for the gauze? Each had received a two-inch 'Z' on their left lower arms, about three inches up from the wrist on the underside and aligned to be read with the arm horizontal. Despite the tingling pain and uncomfortable swelling, they were each proud to have been marked as a unique unit within that larger unit which was the bane of their life.
After making a point to grin at Brown on the way out, Zeta Squad headed for their next class.
Three days later
Friday, May 15th, 2015
Zeta Squad Lair
After their evening meal, they were relatively free.
Earlier that afternoon, Rylee had found Shannon and the pair had talked for a few moments. Shannon was very depressed, and Rylee had been the only person to talk to her in almost a week. The past five days had been hell on the girl, and she was not even half way through her demotion, the thought of which made Shannon even more depressed. However, when Rylee had explained what she wanted, Shannon had nodded her ascent. Shannon had no choice but to comply – a point which had been made very clear on her second morning as a Yellow when she had received three swats of the strap before the gloating Yellows – but Shannon was happy to comply with Rylee's directions.
At seven o'clock, there was a knock on their door and in trouped a pair of ill-matched Yellows. One was Shannon and the other was Kendra. Rylee grinned at Kendra like a shark might grin at a helpless fish swimming in the sea, causing Kendra to get very worried. The young girl, who had only just turned nine the previous week, turned to leave but she found her path blocked by Shannon.
"Get out of my way, bitch!" Kendra growled.
"You're not in charge here," Shannon responded, easily kicking Kendra to the ground.
"I am!" Rylee advised Kendra.
"Let me out of here," Kendra demanded, refusing to back down as she got back to her feet.
"Oh, no, little Rhys," Rylee hissed. "Not until we've had some fun."
Rylee was grinning happily as she spun around, her right foot catching Kendra on the side of her head, flipping the youngster over and onto the plastic-covered floor.
..._...
Five minutes later, Kendra Rhys lay on the floor, blood dripping from her nose, her head reeling from the pain.
The kicks and punches from Rylee were nothing hard, but enough to simply cause pain and send Kendra rolling around the floor. The girl was sobbing as she begged for the beating to stop. Rylee was only just getting warmed up, so Kendra was not about to be released anytime soon. At one stage, Kendra bolted for the door, only to find Simon waiting for her.
"Please!" Kendra begged through her tears.
Simon said nothing, simply shoving the unfortunate girl back towards Rylee. The beating continued for a little longer before Rylee paused for a drink of water.
"Let's get her cleaned up," Rylee said. "Fancy a drink, Rhys?"
If Kendra thought it was over, she was so very much mistaken. Hands grabbed the girl and dragged her into he bathroom where she was unceremoniously stripped of her clothing and then thrown into the base of a shower cubicle. Kendra screamed out as she collided with the tiles, badly bruising her right shoulder and right thigh. Then she screamed again as the shower drenched the girl with freezing cold water.
"Did I get the temperature right?" Rylee growled. "I can make it colder if you'd like."
"N . . . no . . . it's . . . f . . . f . . . fine," Kendra stuttered, refusing to give in as she shivered under the water, the blood washing off her face and down the drain.
After a sixty-second drenching, the cold water was shut off and the violently shivering Kendra was dragged out of the shower cubicle by Tanya and dumped onto the bathroom floor. As Kendra lay their shivering, Rylee went to town on her. First, Rylee stomped onto the girl's left hand with her boot, snapping Kendra's third finger at the second knuckle. Kendra screamed out as she tried to cradle her damaged hand, just as Rylee kicked Kendra in the abdomen causing a rib to audibly snap. Red welts began to appear on Kendra's skin to join the existing bruises and scrapes. The young girl was beside herself with the unbelievable pain which wracked her body from head to toe. She simply lay on the tiled floor struggling to breathe. Then Kendra felt her hair being grasped by a hand and her head pulled up off the tiles.
"You are mine, bitch . . . you understand me?"
Kendra tried to nod, but she found herself wrenched to her feet by her hair. She then found herself pinned against the tiled wall of the bathroom with Rylee's face mere inches from her own. Despite her abject misery, the pain, and the tears streaming down her face, she could make out Rylee's grinning face.
"I don't think you do," Rylee hissed. "From this point on, you tell me anything I want to know about what goes on in this shithole. You are my little snitch and I own your arse. If you do not get me the information I desire, we will repeat this evening's beating – you have nine more fingers and many more ribs for me to snap. Now, you had better let Shannon take you to the hospital wing before you collapse. You understand what I have just said?"
Kendra mumbled her acknowledgment.
"Yes."
"I can't hear YOU!"
"YES!" Kendra screamed out through her sobs.
Kendra felt the hands pinning her removed and she fell to her knees, sobbing. Then she regained her feet and stumbled over to her clothing.
"Leave the clothing," Simon growled, and Kendra stumbled out of the bathroom to where Shannon was waiting.
"Oh, by the way," Tanya said. "You had better treat Shannon like she's the goddamn Queen of England, you understand?"
"YES!" Kendra screamed as she lost control. "I UNDERSTAND!"
Shannon seized the naked Kendra and helped her out of the room and down the corridor.
The following week
Monday, May 18th, 2015
For most of the Predators, it was just the beginning of another week.
However, for one Rylee Gibson, it was a major milestone in her short life. Rylee was able to celebrate her tenth birthday – a point in her life, she had never expected to reach. As was usual, Urban Predator could care less about personal celebrations, except for those which were seen as beneficial, such as Predators turning thirteen. Instead, Rylee had to put up with the friendly comments of the other Predators. Naturally, Simon had been the very first to sing Happy Birthday to Rylee as he had risked his life by awakening the coiled cobra from her sleep.
That evening, the five had celebrated properly with some acquired (stolen) cakes and pastries from the kitchen, along with some appropriated (pinched) cans of Pepsi. Rylee thought that it was her best birthday ever – at least better than the previous years birthday, and she could not remember any previous birthdays.
Rylee was the first of Zeta Squad to enter into double figures – Simon would be next, the following month, with Turner the next month, while Tanya and Lin still had four months to go.
Two days later
Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
Rylee had not seen much of Kendra, although Harper had been released from the hospital wing.
Surprisingly, there had not been any repercussions relating to the young Kendra Rhys turning up at the hospital wing, the previous Friday, naked, bruised, along with a broken finger and rib. However, that afternoon, after lunch, Rylee was summoned to an office where she had never been before. She felt foreboding as she was guided by a woman she had not seen before into the basement of the facility and into what appeared to be some for of underground bunker. Once there, Rylee was told to sit on a chair which sat outside an office and she was provided with a hint of what was going on.
"Doctor Hirsch will be with you in few moments."
Rylee recognised the name, but she had no idea where from, but something about the name worried her.
..._...
Doctor Albert Hirsch was a man utterly convinced by his own supremacy.
As he opened the door to welcome Rylee into his office, the youngster felt very unsure of the man. Yes, he was smiling, but she still felt uneasy. She did not have any real idea who he was, to be honest. Rylee was waved towards a chair which stood before the large wooden desk. Once Rylee was seated, Hirsch studied the young girl for a few moments.
"You appear to have had an interesting week, Rylee."
"Was that a question?" Rylee asked.
"No," Hirsch chuckled. "Merely a statement of fact."
"Are you here to punish me for that Yellow?"
"Punish? No. But I am here to understand your motivations. For some, the beating you gave young Kendra Rhys was a little disturbing. For others, such as myself, it is a demonstration of how well your training is progressing. Certain of you have progressed a lot faster . . . you, for example, Rylee. I am very impressed; I have to say."
"Thanks?"
"What motivated you to attack that girl?"
Rylee shrugged.
"Anger, I suppose. She humiliated me. I knew that I could punish her, so I did."
"Yes, yes," Hirsch mused. "How far did you want to take the punishment? Did you want to kill the girl?"
Rylee quickly realised that this question might just be a trap. How should she answer? She had not wanted to kill Kendra – well, back in The Hole she had planned to kill Kendra, but Rylee ultimately had no desire to end the young girl's life once she had been released.
"At one stage, I did, but the girl did not deserve to die."
Hirsch smiled and Rylee felt relief.
"I wanted to meet you, Rylee, just as I like to meet many of you who have excelled in your training. You have turned out to be exactly the sort of girl we need. I will be watching your progress from afar, so keep it up Rylee Gibson."
With that, Rylee's interview was over.
That evening
"Oh, you're alive," Rylee commented.
"No thanks to you," Harper growled back. "You tried to kill me!"
"If I had wanted you dead, you would be dead," Rylee assured the younger girl.
"Just live with it, Brown," another Phase 1 Predator commented.
"She fucking shot me, Ward!" Harper spat.
"Shame she missed that fucking shithole you call a gob – surprising really, considering how fucking enormous it is!"
"Fuck you!" Harper raged as she lunged at Naomi, despite her damaged leg, and their fists flew.
"You causing shit again, Ry?" Simon chuckled as he appeared on the scene.
"I was just walking," Rylee replied, her hands held up defensively.
"Guilty as hell!" Tanya grinned.
"Thanks for your support, Tanya!" Rylee scowled good-naturedly.
Harper and Naomi were punching each other with the odd kick thrown in. Harper was actually doing quite well considering that the young girl was hampered by an injured leg.
"Should we break this up?" Lin asked.
"Nah, this is way too much fun," Turner grinned.
A small crowd was gathering in the corridor as the two eight-year-old girls battled away, drawn to the fight like sharks to blood in the sea. However, their fun was soon brought to an end as Instructor Monroe appeared. The man grinned fiendishly at the grinning Rylee Gibson.
"I think that you, Gibson, should take Brown under your wing to show her how to behave."
"What!" Rylee and Harper explained together.
"Brown will move in with and become a member of Zeta Squad. I expect you all to train her," Monroe said pointedly to Rylee, Simon, Tanya, Lin, and Turner.
"Yes, instructor!" all five dutifully intoned.
Harper did not look very pleased with the turn of events and as the crowd evaporated, she watched Naomi Ward grinning at her. Rylee was not very pleased, either. Before Harper or Rylee could comment on the unhappy change in events, Shannon appeared.
"I've been sent to get Brown and get her gear packed and transferred," Shannon said, her downhearted tone obvious.
Harper grinned at the humiliated girl, enjoying her position of power over the former Predator. Rylee simply nodded and she then stared up at the ceiling, cursing her bad luck to have drawn Brown. However, if she thought that her troubles would just be related to Harper Brown, she was very much mistaken.
The Urban Predator instructors were not finished messing with Rylee Gibson . . . not by a long shot.