Chapter 34

THIRTY-FOUR

Ihave no way of knowing if the guys are in position.

Today is the day.

Dimitri will bring down the alarms, Jonas will enter through the hole they made, and Isaac will come in after him. Isaac’s job is to get to the kids, while Jonas’s is to clear us a path. Nico will take down the guards and free us, and then we will finish my father. I know how wrong plans can go, though, and as soon as I wake up, I know this one will go wrong.

It’s in the air.

All the guards come in pairs to drop off food, their eyes hard and wary as if they know something. Do they? Or am I simply overthinking all of this? Possibly, but after I shower and dress, doing some quick warm-ups with Louis to prepare for the day, I know I’m not wrong when the door opens and five guards storm in, their weapons pointed at us as if they are expecting trouble.

I share a silent look with Louis, in which we quickly adapt and allow them to take us. Nico will have to find us, but we can easily take these five out. We are led down the corridor once more, this time to the gym. Once inside, the guards spread out before the door, and then I realise they are in full protective gear.

Do they know something is wrong?

My question is answered when the door opens and Joel steps out. Unlike the guards, he’s in simple jeans and a shirt, and he smirks as he comes to a stop a few feet away from us. “Your father asked me to question you while he’s occupied.”

“Occupied with what?” Louis asks.

No doubt he’s worried that one of ours has been caught. I am too, but I have to trust them to look after themselves the way they are trusting me to be ready.

He ignores Louis completely and focuses on me. “Do you know anything about the loss of control over the alarms and cameras?” I just stare at him, waiting. “Nova, your father wants answers, and I have been given free rein to do anything to get those answers. Do you understand me? We both know you cannot survive another beating and round of torture.”

Tilting my chin back, I smile tauntingly. “You want answers? Come and get them.”

Joel smirks. “I was kind of hoping you would say that.”

Louis steps closer, and Joel’s gaze moves to him. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you watch. The guard can hold you. If you feel like giving answers at any point, just let me know.”

He’s trying to use us against each other. Clearly, they have noticed something is wrong, but they aren’t sure if we are behind it or if it’s something else. Father is taking precautions, but he should have taken more. This won’t save him, and instead, he’s given me the perfect opportunity to kill the one man I want to eradicate alongside my father.

Once we are given the signal, all bets are off.

Gone is the compliant prisoner, and in her place will be the super soldier he created.

Me.

I want revenge. I want to bathe in their blood. I want to drown in their bodies and screams, and I will have it. For a moment, my sister flickers in my mind, and I embrace it, letting her screams fill my head. It sends energy vibrating through me, and my fingers twitch at my sides, preparing to fight.

We need time, though, because if I fight now, I won’t stop and the plan will fail. No, I need to be smart one last time, so when he advances on me, I don’t move. I let him smash his fist into my stomach, curling around it for a moment and breathing through the pain before straightening. He meets my eyes, his own narrowing before he slaps me. My head jerks to the side from the force, and I spit out blood as I meet Louis’s enraged gaze.

I silently tell him this one is mine and that I have to wait. I shake my head slightly. He wants to kill the man, but I can take this, and it will buy us the time we need. If they are focused on us, then they aren’t focused on what else is happening, so for now, I accept the pain without fighting back.

Turning to Joel, I straighten and meet his angry gaze. “Fight back,” he hisses in my face.

I simply stare coldly at him, waiting.

Shaking his head, he slaps his hands over my ears. The clap is loud, and my ears ring as I stumble. When his voice comes back, it’s enraged, and he points at Louis. “What? So scared you won’t even defend her? I thought you loved her. Isn’t that why you came here? To protect her? Look at you just standing there. So weak. You won’t even stop me if I do this.” He slams his fist into my wound once more, and I grit my teeth to stop a cry from escaping my lips, narrowing my gaze on Louis who twitches. He’s as still as a statue, but there is death in his eyes, and when he glances at me, his expression warns that he won’t hold back much longer.

Despite the plan, despite the fact that Louis plans every move to the last second, he won’t this time. He would ruin the plan simply to protect me.

If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

Fuck, I hope the guys hurry up or Louis is going to kill everyone before they get near us. When Louis doesn’t answer, giving him what he wants, Joel turns back to me.

“Are you doing this?” he demands once more. Again, I say nothing, and his thumb digs into my wound. I bend inwards slightly, my eyes narrowing as agony spreads through me. He watches me from inches away, noting every expression. “Answer me and I’ll stop. Make this easy on yourself. He doesn’t want you dead just yet. If you answer, I’ll make it quick when it’s time, not like the brutal agony he will make you feel.”

I say nothing, breathing through the pain, and he steps back with a snarl. I straighten despite the pain, and he attacks quickly, slamming his foot into the wound. I stumble back but right myself, knowing if I fall to the ground, it will be much worse. I refuse to fall ever.

“Fight back!” he roars as he grips my hair and throws me onto the mat. I’m just climbing to my feet when our signal comes.

An explosion rocks us, causing us to sprawl on the floor. I quickly leap up and know this is go time, so using their disorientation and confusion to my advantage, I point at the guards, telling Louis to take them.

Joel is mine.

“You want me to fight back?” I grin down at him. “You got it.” I rush him with a silent roar.

He actually falls back as I advance, and I don’t blame him. I let it all loose. All my anger, hurt, and grief. I embrace every dark part of myself. Power courses through my body, and my mind opens completely, making me work faster than ever before. I’m on him before he can even raise his hands.

I slam my fist into his face. “Fight back,” I yell at him, mocking him as I slam my hands onto either side of his head, disorienting him before I bitch-slap him. He flies through the air, and I spare Louis a glance to see him ripping through the guards. He tears out someone’s throat with his teeth before whirling to the next man, and desire and love pulse through me before I turn back to see Joel getting to his feet.

Wiping blood from his lips, he grins. “Finally, a fight.”

I duck his punch and slam my fist up, breaking his ribs. He grunts but grips me and tosses me aside. I whirl, landing on my feet, and lunge at him. I wrap my legs around his neck as I spin upside down and then slam downward, rolling him to the ground. I hammer my fist into his face as he struggles and yells. Releasing him when his hand reaches for my wound once more, I roll back with a grin.

“Come on, is that all you’ve got?” I challenge.

“You’re dead. Fuck what your father said. He doesn’t need you. I’m the better one here,” he spits.

“I’m the better one,” I mock. “Yet you can’t even beat a wounded female.”

His nostrils flare, and he relies on emotion rather than logic as he rushes me. I know he’s going for the face, so I duck, and then his knee comes up, but I was expecting it. I drive my own into his cock and when he stumbles, I leap up and ride him to the floor, hammering into his face. He brings his arms up to try and stop me, but he’s slowing while I am only speeding up.

With a roar, I beat his face in, feeling bones break. Blood coats my split knuckles, but I still don’t stop, not even as he twitches and then stops moving. Heaving, I sit back and take him in. His face is a bloody pulp.

“I think he’s dead, love.” Louis grins, and I look over to see him covered in blood, surrounded by dead guards. He tosses me a baton and a gun from a holster. I catch them and stand, and then I fire at Joel’s face and chest at least five times.

“Now he is.” Gripping the gun and the baton, I walk over to him, scanning for injuries. He does the same to me.

“I say we get out there. Fuck the plan, let’s just hunt these bastards down. The more sides we attack from, the better. Fucking corral them like sheep.” I expect him to turn me down but he nods.

“I say let’s do it. We will meet with the others. Come on. Let’s show them what they created.”

* * *

JONAS

I hurry down the shoot that leads from the outside. I kick the boards Nico placed at the bottom, and then I wait in the cupboard with my eyes on my watch, and just as it hits zero, I whisper, “Boom.”

The explosions I placed up top go off right on time. The gate goes down, and all the cars, entrances, and buildings explode. I spent all night crawling around the base, setting the charges with Isaac while Dimitri watched us and got into the last of the files. Thirty minutes before, he brought down all the cameras and alarms. Soldiers poured outside, looking for the source, but I was already inside.

“Damn, you should see the flames.” Dimitri chuckles. “Okay, all systems are locked out permanently. Isaac and I are coming through the back gate while they flood the front. I’ll be down in the elevator, but don’t wait for us. Nico says Louis and Nova were taken somewhere and he can’t find them. He’s searching levels one and two, so you need to search the others. We will join you.”

“Got it, and kill any I find on the way,” I murmur, already pulling my gun before putting it back and palming two blades instead.

“Open season,” he murmurs down the mic.

Grinning widely, I flip the knives happily and open the door. It’s about time. I step out into the corridor and crack my neck. I plan to find my girl and kiss the everloving shit out of her, but first, it’s time for a little payback.

They touched her.

They took her away from me.

I’ll rip them to pieces until their screams echo through these corridors as a warning to whoever might try that again. Moving silently, I open each door to make sure my girl isn’t in there, frowning in displeasure when I don’t see anyone to kill. I want to give her a pile of hearts. In fact, I grab a bag and sling it over my shoulder just for that purpose, and then I step back into the hallway.

“Yoo-hoo, anyone home? Invader at the door!” When that doesn’t work, I cock my head. “Oh look, I’m about to touch the experiments. Better come stop me!”

Still nothing.

What does a guy have to do to be attacked around here?

I mean, really.

Rolling my eyes, I pull my gun and fire at the wall, busting a pipe.

Whoops.

It does the trick, though, and I holster the gun just as two guards come skidding around the corner. “Only two, really?” I frown and point the knife at one. “Could you call the others on the radio? I’m starting to feel a little insulted. I need to show off for my girl.”

Dimitri sighs. “Jonas.”

“Can you record this for her?” I ask him as one calls into the mic. “Thank you, that was very kind. For that, you can die quickly.”

He blanches and looks at his friend next to him, clearly scared. “Don’t worry, we can wait for your backup. I want this to be fair,” I tell them as I start to pick my nails with my knife, whistling as I wait.

“Erm, if you come with us, we won’t hurt you?” the other offers.

I raise a brow at him, and he swallows.

“I’m sorry, that was stupid.”

“It was, but it’s okay. I bet it’s your first time, right? Everyone is bad their first time. I mean, I wasn’t, but I’m amazing.” I shrug.

“I . . .” They share a look. “Maybe we can figure something out.”

“Sorry, no can do. It’s work, you understand.” I wince as I hear boots before more guards emerge behind them and behind me, surrounding me. Grinning, I roll my neck. “This is more my speed. Don’t shoot and cheat now, boys. Don’t want to ruin the merchandise for my girl. Actually, she might give me head for a few bullet wounds. Feel free, but just avoid the face. She likes to sit on that.”

“Doc says we can kill him,” one calls, smacking his baton against his other hand as he grins at me. “Let’s make it hurt. I’ve always wanted to kill one of these freaks.”

“Oh, tough guy.” I fake shiver. “I’m so scared. Please don’t hurt me.” Cackling, I crook my finger. “Bring it.”

They surge towards me. Laughing, I dodge their weak attempts and slash. I twirl and slice through skin as I do. I hear screams as throats, arms, and legs are cut. I don’t even see it anymore. I just keep moving as I dice them to pieces. Batons hit me, but I barely even feel them as I cut them down for my girl.

I do jerk as a bullet slams into my leg, but when I glance down, I see it’s through and through and it hasn’t hit anything important. It does, however, lodge in the femoral of a guard who goes down with a scream.

“Dummies,” I chastise them. Spinning, I slam my knife into his neck and pull it out. Blood spurts across my face as I laugh crazily. Some are starting to retreat, and I follow them with my bloody knife held out.

“Here, here, scaredy cat,” I call as they back away. “Do you want to know why the doc says you can kill me?”

When no one answers, I cock my head. “They called me damaged. Insane. I guess he wasn’t wrong.” Leaping onto the wall, I kick off it and come down on them. I slam my knife into one, turning my head and ripping my teeth into another. I use everything I have. When I turn back, there are only three left. One’s hand is shaking as he aims a gun at me.

The other two are standing amongst the carnage in shock. Picking the one with the gun as my next target, I get to my feet. He shoots, and I duck under it. His hands are shaking so badly, he keeps missing as I walk calmly towards him, and once I reach him, I pull the pouch from my side, take the gun, and replace it with that.

“Can you hold this?” I ask him. He grabs the bag, his eyes wide as I race down the corridor and dive around the corner as it explodes. Laughing, I roll to my feet to meet the incoming guards.

The more the merrier.

There are ten of them in a pretty little row, all waiting to be killed.

“Duck, duck, goose,” I call, pointing at one. “You’re first.”

I race towards them. They fire, but I manage to avoid being hit too badly, and I slide my knife in a figure eight fashion in the first man. He falls, and I turn to the next, slamming my knife into his thigh as I swivel on my knees and flip up and over him, ripping out the neck of another.

Ducking a punch, I turn and snap the neck of the next one.

I pull his baton and slam it across another’s head, beating him until he falls, then I pluck the knife from the still screaming guard’s thigh and make quick work of the others until they are all either dead or dying.

Crouching, I rip the shirt off the first male and stab him in the chest with my knife. He jerks, and his eyes widen. Oops, still alive. Oh well. Carving into his skin, I break his ribs, carefully extract his heart, and add it to the bag before moving to the next. I work my way through the ten soldiers. The last one is pressed against the wall, covering a bleeding wound on his thigh with his hand. With a grin, I uncover the wound and watch the blood squirt as he dies. Once he is gone, I do the same to him, carving out his heart.

I don’t know which ones hurt my girl, but they are all complicit, so they died and will now be given to her as a sacrifice for their treachery.

Getting to my feet, I frown down at my bleeding leg. It’s bothersome more than anything, so I use some of the ripped shirts to bind the wound. It will heal quickly enough and doesn’t stop me from walking back to the other bodies and taking their hearts. I leave all their chests ripped open, the precious white walls sprayed with blood.

An idea comes to mind, so I move over to one wall and, after dipping my fingers into the closest soldier’s neck wound, I begin to carefully write out words, stepping back once I’m done to check it out.

Perfect.

There’s a gagging noise, and I turn to see a soldier. They rip off their helmet and throw up. It’s a female, her long, sweaty hair stuck to her face. She glances at me and then at the bodies. Her face is pale but determined as she straightens, pulling her weapon.

The woman stops before me, gripping her baton. “Look, I’m not sexist, okay? So I’m going to kill you the exact same way,” I warn her. “I’ll leave your heart though. I don’t want my girl getting worried about me cutting through your shirt.”

Before she can even speak, I slice her throat and watch her fall. I hesitate because I want more hearts for my collection, but I don’t want Nova to be jealous, so I step over her and head off in search of more.

And my girl.