In his uniform Donovan stood third in line, feet shoulder length apart, hands behind his back, at ease. The drill instructor was walking around them, barking out commands, and running through the skeleton overview of what had already been given during the debriefing. Donovan saw no need to pay attention as the plan of execution was still fresh in his mind. Instead he let his mind wonder onto other things.
He wondered how the other team was doing. This was the first time he had been separated from Eden on an operation and he didn't know if that was good or bad, but either way he wanted to make her proud. Any moment now, if their mission was successful, Ty, Eden and the others would be returning.
As though his thoughts had cued it, there was a slight rustling in the bushes. They all kept their heads straight, but turned their eyes towards the noise. It was loud enough to interrupt the instructor's speech, much too loud for team alpha to be making even if their objective was complete. They were all taught that completing the mission was not the end, and that the journey home could be fraught with peril.
After another twitch of the leaves Ty slowly stepped out carrying someone in his arms. Only when he turned was Eden's face revealed. The delicate pale color of her face was replaced with black and blue, blood oozing from her lip and a wound above her brow. Her normally vibrant eyes, were shut tight, and from the way she shook, still in shock, Donovan knew she was in great pain.
He was the first to approach, startling them all with his speed. "Eden?! Ty, what happened to her?" The fight must have been recent because the scent of the assailant still lingered on her body. He should have recognized the odor instantly…should have, but didn't.
"Someone attacked her in the woods. It had to have been an X series in order to do this to her."
"Why would another X hurt her?"
"I…I don't know, Donovan." The others had caught up now and they all surrounded Eden, expressing their concern, Ty trying his best to answer their questions. Donovan said no more and instead studied Eden's battered face. There was nothing sweet Eden could have done to deserve an assault like this, especially not on a mock operation. Donovan reached down to hold her limp hand, and when their skin made contact he could see a small smile on her lips. It quickly faded as the pain overtook her senses once more and her body cringed with the ache.
Whoever did this…will not leave this compound alive Donovan silently vowed to himself. Such actions against any of the X-6, his family, would not go unpunished. He stepped backward as the promise he made to Eden filled his mind with vengeful thoughts. If Eden couldn't take her revenge, he would do it for her.
His breathing deepened, as he looked towards the woods. Each intake of air was like taking in pure rage that forged his heart in a blaze of hatred. A malicious smile came to his face as he sprinted off towards the woods.
Now, his hunt would begin.
*****
Kat stumbled and fell to her knees scrapping them on some stray rocks that lay on the forest floor. Her breathing was harsh and ragged and her face shined with a thin layer of sweat. Deep within her chest her heart pounded with a speed she had only experienced a few times before, all of which were within the bowels of Manticore. Taking only a moment to look over her shoulder she forced herself back on her feet and continued her frenzied sprint. She had not been running for long and normally her body would have been able to handle the effort. It must have been that last injection Ty had given her.
She could not remember much of what had happened in the past hour. And every image that did come to mind was vague. Ty had entered her room while she was taking a light nap. Though she slept like her namesake, able to wake at any sound, he had approached with such stealth she did not come to awaken until he was at her side with a needle jabbed into her arm. Before she could do anything, her body became numb and her muscles fell limp, her mind clouded until everything around her was black.
Next thing she knew she lay, cold and alone, on the uneven ground of the forest, a root of a nearby tree jutting into her side. The prospect of freedom was what first drew her to her feet. She did not care to know how she was out of her cubic prison, nor did she question why. But as she ran away from the shadow of Manticore, the huge building whose bulk was ever present in the forest, something else urged her forward. Her skin crawled with anxiety.
Nervously looking side to side, it seemed the trees were grabbing out at her and she could have sworn that thousands of glowing red eyes watched her progress. As dusk set the sky aflame with red, and darkness threatened the land, dread itched in her brain though she knew there was nothing to fear. A hallucinogen…
And that is why she ran now. She knew what her eyes saw were fake, she knew the sounds of nameless creatures in the brush were figments of her own imagination, but terror gripped her heart and she could think of nothing else to do but flee. The urgency was so great that it seemed her senses reached beyond the hysteria and found a true threat not made of insubstantial hallucinations, but of flesh and bone. The drugs only peaked her fever and she sprinted away.
*****
Donovan crouched low to the ground studying the prints of his prey. He raised his nose up to the air and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. His eyes opened as he caught the whiff of whoever had injured Eden. The scent was strong with sweat and adrenaline. Again a smile curled the edges of his lips as he was closing in on his prey. The thrill of the hunt replaced his blood, coursing through his veins. His blood lust was so strong he could almost roll it around with his tongue.
Soon his family would be avenged.
*****
Kat leaned against the rough bark of a tree. She was breathing so hard her throat was dry and she could taste the metallic tang of blood. Her eyes frantically searched around her, there was no mistake that something was hunting her. Her body had already done away with most of the hallucinogen, a process ironically sped up by the effects of the hallucinogen itself.
So this time the threat was real. She had caught glimpses of what ever was stalking her through the dense wood. The first time she dismissed it as a stray predator that made its way past the gate. Each time she stopped, though she couldn't see or hear the threat, her instincts moved her to run again. Her gut feeling was one of the few things she thanked Manticore had instilled in her.
She pushed off the tree and began her run again, hoping to gain distance from whatever followed her now.
*****
Donovan could see the back of his prey now as she leaned against a tree, her shoulders heaving as she gasped for air. Her scalp was recently shaved, and he could only tell that she was female by the distinct scent she gave off. He crouched behind a bush, like a tiger waiting to pounce. His vision blurred at the edges as adrenaline filled his blood. He did not see the features of his target, and he did not care as all the world fell away and all that remained was his goal.
Before he pounced she pushed away from the tree and sprinted off again. Every muscle in his body wanted to lunge after her, he could easily close the gap with his superhuman speed.
No, he whispered to the blood lust that sang within him, let her run.
He would feast on her fear before taking her life.
*****
After running for so long her legs were numb and she could have run forever, but her lungs burned with protest. Sweat dropped in her eyes blurring her vision and she tripped over a stray root. She tried to stand but her legs refused to move any further. When she looked up she found herself in the middle of a natural clearing in the woods. Everything was tinted green as her eyes began to adjust to the dying of the light and it gave the trees a haunting glow.
They stood up tall around her like sentinels waiting for some final battle.
*****
He had chased her long enough. If she tired any more there would be no fight to enjoy. And the clearing in the woods where she stumbled would serve as a perfect arena. If his family wouldn't watch, let the trees of his home lay witness.
In one leap he landed in the middle of the clearing, absorbing with his legs he landed in a crouched position. And on steady legs he stood before his prey. His rage so great he couldn't even recognize her face, all that mattered now was his thirst for revenge.
*****
There was barely a sound but she could feel another presence enter the clearing. Lifting her head a gust of wind blew some dust into her eyes and they watered. She tried to identify who stood before her, from the outline it was clearly human, but through the tears all details were blurred.
"Who…who are you?" She groped at the ground, trying to find a weapon of any sort because she knew that whatever this creature was that Manticore had spawned would be too strong for her to battle with her bare hands. But all her fingertips found was loose dirt and fallen leaves.
*****
Before him she scratched pitifully at the ground. It seemed he had chased her too long and her legs were to exhausted to move. A pity, he thought to himself, a good fight would have fed the fury within him, but he would take the kill regardless. A simple question left her lips and he stepped forward to answer her, only a few steps separated them now. She should know the name of her death. "My name is, Donovan."
His target perked up at the sound of his voice. "It can't be…" she whispered faintly to no one in particular. She wiped at her eyes, tears forming to flush out whatever irritated them. Opening her eyes wide she studied his face.
*****
She heard his voice. He called himself Donovan. Yet something about his voice. It may have been more mature but a mother would know her son's voice no matter what age. She found her mouth quietly forming the words, "It can't be." She didn't want to believe it. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, desperately hoping what her ears had informed her of could be proven false with her sight.
When she opened her eyes she felt a strange mix of elation and horror. There was no mistake about it. He may have grown a foot, but his feline features and striped hair betrayed his true heritage.
Before her stood the body of her son, Cole. But she knew Cole had been changed and warped by this last week at Manticore and the son she loved with all her heart was no more. Only the creature that Manticore spawned, who identified himself as Donovan, remained.
Her body froze as this stranger stalked toward her, his eyes crying murder.
*****
His mind struggled at the sight. Her features were so familiar and combined with her scent his thoughts darted back and forth trying to remember. She had beautiful hair before, and her features were softer. Stepping closer, he saw her quiver with fear. As was right for her to do since he could kill her with any number of simple moves.
Something in his mind fought the thirst for revenge. It screamed at him from some hollow of his brain that he rarely visited. Why couldn't he remember? It was as though a barrier had been raised and he couldn't call upon anything before his life at Manticore. Until this point he never thought that there was anything before Manticore, but now stray thoughts of his past life tried to slip under the barricade.
He somehow recalled that she was kind to him, and that her arms were a safe haven. Now with in reach he could see her face was dirty from the chase. Rather unknowingly he said aloud a word that came to mind, "Mother?" He held out a hand to wipe away some of the dirt, maybe that would help to clear her face and boost his memory.
*****
He did recognize her! Could it be Cole still clung to life amidst the darkness that was Donovan? Cole had reached a hand out to her and almost lovingly caressed her cheek, Yes, my baby, I'm here, let's run away from this hell she thought to her self too physically and emotionally drained to make her mouth speak the words.
Then fear once again sapped the blood from her face as he pulled his hand away, his fingers covered in blood… She was not injured, it was not her blood. At first she feared the blood came from her son, but then she remembered: in that cushioned cube of a room, when Eden had hugged her…
*****
It was then he saw that it was not dirt that smeared across her cheek and stained her clothes. It was blood. She had no cuts upon her face, so where did this blood come from?
Lifting his fingertips, now stained red, he inhaled the iron scent. Immediately, with no doubt, he identified it as Eden's, and once again the blood lust engulfed him. All other thoughts were pushed out of his mind and words he had learned while among his peers flashed before his eyes.
Rogue.
Betrayal.
Treachery.
Abandonment.
However one word pounded against his skull with every beat of his heart.
Revenge.
It was rage that now guided his body and with a speed so quick she did not see, he was behind her.
The normally covert sound of a neck snapping echoed loudly in the empty woods.
He wondered how the other team was doing. This was the first time he had been separated from Eden on an operation and he didn't know if that was good or bad, but either way he wanted to make her proud. Any moment now, if their mission was successful, Ty, Eden and the others would be returning.
As though his thoughts had cued it, there was a slight rustling in the bushes. They all kept their heads straight, but turned their eyes towards the noise. It was loud enough to interrupt the instructor's speech, much too loud for team alpha to be making even if their objective was complete. They were all taught that completing the mission was not the end, and that the journey home could be fraught with peril.
After another twitch of the leaves Ty slowly stepped out carrying someone in his arms. Only when he turned was Eden's face revealed. The delicate pale color of her face was replaced with black and blue, blood oozing from her lip and a wound above her brow. Her normally vibrant eyes, were shut tight, and from the way she shook, still in shock, Donovan knew she was in great pain.
He was the first to approach, startling them all with his speed. "Eden?! Ty, what happened to her?" The fight must have been recent because the scent of the assailant still lingered on her body. He should have recognized the odor instantly…should have, but didn't.
"Someone attacked her in the woods. It had to have been an X series in order to do this to her."
"Why would another X hurt her?"
"I…I don't know, Donovan." The others had caught up now and they all surrounded Eden, expressing their concern, Ty trying his best to answer their questions. Donovan said no more and instead studied Eden's battered face. There was nothing sweet Eden could have done to deserve an assault like this, especially not on a mock operation. Donovan reached down to hold her limp hand, and when their skin made contact he could see a small smile on her lips. It quickly faded as the pain overtook her senses once more and her body cringed with the ache.
Whoever did this…will not leave this compound alive Donovan silently vowed to himself. Such actions against any of the X-6, his family, would not go unpunished. He stepped backward as the promise he made to Eden filled his mind with vengeful thoughts. If Eden couldn't take her revenge, he would do it for her.
His breathing deepened, as he looked towards the woods. Each intake of air was like taking in pure rage that forged his heart in a blaze of hatred. A malicious smile came to his face as he sprinted off towards the woods.
Now, his hunt would begin.
*****
Kat stumbled and fell to her knees scrapping them on some stray rocks that lay on the forest floor. Her breathing was harsh and ragged and her face shined with a thin layer of sweat. Deep within her chest her heart pounded with a speed she had only experienced a few times before, all of which were within the bowels of Manticore. Taking only a moment to look over her shoulder she forced herself back on her feet and continued her frenzied sprint. She had not been running for long and normally her body would have been able to handle the effort. It must have been that last injection Ty had given her.
She could not remember much of what had happened in the past hour. And every image that did come to mind was vague. Ty had entered her room while she was taking a light nap. Though she slept like her namesake, able to wake at any sound, he had approached with such stealth she did not come to awaken until he was at her side with a needle jabbed into her arm. Before she could do anything, her body became numb and her muscles fell limp, her mind clouded until everything around her was black.
Next thing she knew she lay, cold and alone, on the uneven ground of the forest, a root of a nearby tree jutting into her side. The prospect of freedom was what first drew her to her feet. She did not care to know how she was out of her cubic prison, nor did she question why. But as she ran away from the shadow of Manticore, the huge building whose bulk was ever present in the forest, something else urged her forward. Her skin crawled with anxiety.
Nervously looking side to side, it seemed the trees were grabbing out at her and she could have sworn that thousands of glowing red eyes watched her progress. As dusk set the sky aflame with red, and darkness threatened the land, dread itched in her brain though she knew there was nothing to fear. A hallucinogen…
And that is why she ran now. She knew what her eyes saw were fake, she knew the sounds of nameless creatures in the brush were figments of her own imagination, but terror gripped her heart and she could think of nothing else to do but flee. The urgency was so great that it seemed her senses reached beyond the hysteria and found a true threat not made of insubstantial hallucinations, but of flesh and bone. The drugs only peaked her fever and she sprinted away.
*****
Donovan crouched low to the ground studying the prints of his prey. He raised his nose up to the air and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. His eyes opened as he caught the whiff of whoever had injured Eden. The scent was strong with sweat and adrenaline. Again a smile curled the edges of his lips as he was closing in on his prey. The thrill of the hunt replaced his blood, coursing through his veins. His blood lust was so strong he could almost roll it around with his tongue.
Soon his family would be avenged.
*****
Kat leaned against the rough bark of a tree. She was breathing so hard her throat was dry and she could taste the metallic tang of blood. Her eyes frantically searched around her, there was no mistake that something was hunting her. Her body had already done away with most of the hallucinogen, a process ironically sped up by the effects of the hallucinogen itself.
So this time the threat was real. She had caught glimpses of what ever was stalking her through the dense wood. The first time she dismissed it as a stray predator that made its way past the gate. Each time she stopped, though she couldn't see or hear the threat, her instincts moved her to run again. Her gut feeling was one of the few things she thanked Manticore had instilled in her.
She pushed off the tree and began her run again, hoping to gain distance from whatever followed her now.
*****
Donovan could see the back of his prey now as she leaned against a tree, her shoulders heaving as she gasped for air. Her scalp was recently shaved, and he could only tell that she was female by the distinct scent she gave off. He crouched behind a bush, like a tiger waiting to pounce. His vision blurred at the edges as adrenaline filled his blood. He did not see the features of his target, and he did not care as all the world fell away and all that remained was his goal.
Before he pounced she pushed away from the tree and sprinted off again. Every muscle in his body wanted to lunge after her, he could easily close the gap with his superhuman speed.
No, he whispered to the blood lust that sang within him, let her run.
He would feast on her fear before taking her life.
*****
After running for so long her legs were numb and she could have run forever, but her lungs burned with protest. Sweat dropped in her eyes blurring her vision and she tripped over a stray root. She tried to stand but her legs refused to move any further. When she looked up she found herself in the middle of a natural clearing in the woods. Everything was tinted green as her eyes began to adjust to the dying of the light and it gave the trees a haunting glow.
They stood up tall around her like sentinels waiting for some final battle.
*****
He had chased her long enough. If she tired any more there would be no fight to enjoy. And the clearing in the woods where she stumbled would serve as a perfect arena. If his family wouldn't watch, let the trees of his home lay witness.
In one leap he landed in the middle of the clearing, absorbing with his legs he landed in a crouched position. And on steady legs he stood before his prey. His rage so great he couldn't even recognize her face, all that mattered now was his thirst for revenge.
*****
There was barely a sound but she could feel another presence enter the clearing. Lifting her head a gust of wind blew some dust into her eyes and they watered. She tried to identify who stood before her, from the outline it was clearly human, but through the tears all details were blurred.
"Who…who are you?" She groped at the ground, trying to find a weapon of any sort because she knew that whatever this creature was that Manticore had spawned would be too strong for her to battle with her bare hands. But all her fingertips found was loose dirt and fallen leaves.
*****
Before him she scratched pitifully at the ground. It seemed he had chased her too long and her legs were to exhausted to move. A pity, he thought to himself, a good fight would have fed the fury within him, but he would take the kill regardless. A simple question left her lips and he stepped forward to answer her, only a few steps separated them now. She should know the name of her death. "My name is, Donovan."
His target perked up at the sound of his voice. "It can't be…" she whispered faintly to no one in particular. She wiped at her eyes, tears forming to flush out whatever irritated them. Opening her eyes wide she studied his face.
*****
She heard his voice. He called himself Donovan. Yet something about his voice. It may have been more mature but a mother would know her son's voice no matter what age. She found her mouth quietly forming the words, "It can't be." She didn't want to believe it. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, desperately hoping what her ears had informed her of could be proven false with her sight.
When she opened her eyes she felt a strange mix of elation and horror. There was no mistake about it. He may have grown a foot, but his feline features and striped hair betrayed his true heritage.
Before her stood the body of her son, Cole. But she knew Cole had been changed and warped by this last week at Manticore and the son she loved with all her heart was no more. Only the creature that Manticore spawned, who identified himself as Donovan, remained.
Her body froze as this stranger stalked toward her, his eyes crying murder.
*****
His mind struggled at the sight. Her features were so familiar and combined with her scent his thoughts darted back and forth trying to remember. She had beautiful hair before, and her features were softer. Stepping closer, he saw her quiver with fear. As was right for her to do since he could kill her with any number of simple moves.
Something in his mind fought the thirst for revenge. It screamed at him from some hollow of his brain that he rarely visited. Why couldn't he remember? It was as though a barrier had been raised and he couldn't call upon anything before his life at Manticore. Until this point he never thought that there was anything before Manticore, but now stray thoughts of his past life tried to slip under the barricade.
He somehow recalled that she was kind to him, and that her arms were a safe haven. Now with in reach he could see her face was dirty from the chase. Rather unknowingly he said aloud a word that came to mind, "Mother?" He held out a hand to wipe away some of the dirt, maybe that would help to clear her face and boost his memory.
*****
He did recognize her! Could it be Cole still clung to life amidst the darkness that was Donovan? Cole had reached a hand out to her and almost lovingly caressed her cheek, Yes, my baby, I'm here, let's run away from this hell she thought to her self too physically and emotionally drained to make her mouth speak the words.
Then fear once again sapped the blood from her face as he pulled his hand away, his fingers covered in blood… She was not injured, it was not her blood. At first she feared the blood came from her son, but then she remembered: in that cushioned cube of a room, when Eden had hugged her…
*****
It was then he saw that it was not dirt that smeared across her cheek and stained her clothes. It was blood. She had no cuts upon her face, so where did this blood come from?
Lifting his fingertips, now stained red, he inhaled the iron scent. Immediately, with no doubt, he identified it as Eden's, and once again the blood lust engulfed him. All other thoughts were pushed out of his mind and words he had learned while among his peers flashed before his eyes.
Rogue.
Betrayal.
Treachery.
Abandonment.
However one word pounded against his skull with every beat of his heart.
Revenge.
It was rage that now guided his body and with a speed so quick she did not see, he was behind her.
The normally covert sound of a neck snapping echoed loudly in the empty woods.