Intended Extinction (16 page)

Before I could take another breath, Bollis leapt through the door just as a rocket propelled grenade slammed into the balcony. The impact knocked me off balance and I fell through the hole.

For a
moment
there, I thought I had died.

My head wouldn’t hurt that bad if I was dead, though.

I shot up like a springboard and fell off of the couch. Both my skull and the left side of my torso cankered with pain. All around me, dense smoke shrouded everything within five feet. The flames from the fireplace were still flickering away, creating a warm, demonic atmosphere. I rolled onto my back, wincing and feeling debris crunch underneath.

Through the ash I tried to find the broken ceiling, wondering if the others were okay, but my eyes kept burning the longer I held them open. I looked at the couch again, trying to figure out how it had magically broken my fall. It must have been moved by the shockwave of the first explosion.

I got to my feet and found my rifle amongst the wreckage nearby. As my fingertips grazed the edge of the grip, I was tackled headfirst into the couch. The soldier tried to grasp my wrists, but I planted my feet onto the floor and pushed back, flinging us away from the couch and onto the ground. He landed to my right, and I got a glimpse of his tarnished uniform and cracked visor.

He instantly recuperated and grabbed my leg, but was kicked in the face by my other. Recoiling in pain, he rolled back and started to get to his feet. When he looked up again, I had already retrieved my weapon. He started to raise his hands, but my finger pulled the trigger automatically. The silenced bullet drilled his chest and he toppled over.

The smoke finally settled and I saw the other three bodies on the floor, killed from the explosion. I was about to make my way over to the stairs, but remembered the proxy charges Bollis had set.

I went underneath the hole in the ceiling and called, “Are you guys okay?!”

There was silence from upstairs for a moment, but then Bollis’ head emerged. “We’re fine, but they’re storming the building! Here!” He dropped me a small sphere with the indents of a button on the side.

A grenade?

“I have an idea!” I whispered, slinging my rifle over my shoulder, rushing behind one of the couches, and laying down. I was going to wait. If they knew we were on the balcony, they would be going for the stairs.

I heard the crunch of rubble as more soldiers entered the commons. I held my rifle out, just in case they were to see me, but remained quiet. I heard them round the first couch, no doubt stepping over their own comrades. Just as I was about to make my move, a loud voice echoed throughout the commons.

“
Yo, slag-butts!
”

My head shot up to see what kind of crap Justin was about to pull. I watched as two silvery contraptions fell from the hole and landed harshly onto the wooden floor. From the other side of the couch, I poked my head to see two spider-bots, one breaking free from its portable position and skittering along the floor, and the other lying broken and sparking.

Bullets flew everywhere as the soldiers tried to stop the small robot from eating their faces off. The spider scaled a leg and impaled its sharp feelers into his kneecap.

That was my chance. I looked down at the grenade in my hand and hesitated. I pressed the small button and lobbed the grenade over the couch.

A wave of orange flame illuminated the entire room for a split second. The shockwave released dust from every surface.

My ears tingled. My body was shaking. Once the falling pebbles ceased, all was quiet. I found my strength again and rose to my feet, aiming my rifle toward the smoky leftovers.

I found an escaping soldier, limping his way out of the room. I began to stalk him, feeling the anger and depression of five years course through me. As my finger curled around the trigger, my arm started to convulse, causing me to drop my rifle. The metal-head pricked his neck in my direction. I withdrew back to the couch and stared at my writhing hand.

No! Please, not now!

I clutched the Adrenoprene-deprived wrist and closed my eyes. I needed to calm myself. It would pass.

But it didn’t. The convulsions worsened. A sharp pain sliced my forearm and I fell to the side, cringing in silent agony. My hand contracted and became useless. I heard commotion from the door across the room, wondering how long I had left.

I crawled over to the edge of the sofa. My vision waned in and out of focus. I couldn’t think clearly. The pain in my forearm had risen to my shoulder. Other parts of my body started to shake, and I probably looked like some sort of freak, writhing on the floor. Involuntary tears streamed down my face, and my mouth dried up.

Across the room, someone was coming, but all I could think of were the reactions of my group. I didn’t want them to see me like this. No—I didn’t want
Tara
to see me like this. What would she think of me? This wasn’t happening. This was . . .

A soft crunch came from the other side of the couch. Rich, authentic adrenaline started to steadily flow again. In my sorry state, I could still feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand tall. A piece of debris slid across the floor.

My rifle was too far away for me to grab. I was lying on my back, still clutching my arm. There was no way I would have the strength to do anything. I didn’t want Tara to figure out my secret, but I sure as hell didn’t want to die.

Damn it, Bollis! What were they doing up there?!

All of the sudden, large hands gripped my collar from behind and pulled me away from the couch. I squirmed, but it was a pathetic attempt.

“You bastards’re really somethin’, aren’t you?” growled a deep, male voice. The hands on my shirt gripped tighter as he raised me off the ground. He hurled me toward the middle of the commons and I hit the hardwood floor with a nasty thud.

I was in a murky daze. I honestly could not feel any other pain besides the regular surge of needles that rose up my arm every second. I rolled over and tried to gather myself.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” asked the soldier, stepping closer to me.

I was able to push myself onto my knees, shaking my head to rid my eyes of their cloudiness.

He clomped up to me and drove his boot into my ribs, flipping me over onto my back. As I gasped for air, he overshadowed me. I could only make out a thick outline, his helmet removed. I was coming in and out of consciousness, wishing he would just end it. The pain from my addiction was far worse than anything he could do anyways.

“I don’t know why you were so important,” said the soldier. “Or why my whole
team
—” he landed another kick to my ribs. This time I felt something crack. “—had to die because of you.”

I gasped for air and tried to hold on to one last thought.

“Pathetic,” the soldier finished, and withdrew a thick knife from his side. He held it in his hand, looking down upon me with hatred. He spit on the ground and wiped blood from his mouth. Finally, he raised his hand and brought the knife down.

I focused my vision as two holes broke open on the soldier, one in the neck and the other in the belly. His blood spilled over me, and he fell to the side, his knife clanking against the floor.

“Mark!” shouted a ghostly voice. Bodies started to surround me, but I was so cold and demolished that I couldn’t make sense of anything anymore. I started to fade into complete blackness.

“Where are
you going?!”

The female voice spoke above me, but I couldn’t see anything. I was surrounded by pain and tar. It was constant, with no breaks or relief. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but I was thinking. I was alive.

More muffled voices spoke around me.

“He’s not going to live if we stay here,” said a male voice, further away.

“Mark,” continued the female, “can you hear me?”

Yes, I could hear her. For some reason, I couldn’t speak.

“We need to bring him in here,” said the male, “hurry!”

I fell into another gaping abyss. I was being sucked into a giant vacuum. Then I was awake again. Still, I couldn’t see anything. This time I was somewhere else. My surroundings were colder, and I felt like I was lying upon a flat surface.

“Look,” said the familiar male voice, “once I get this thing moving, I can explain everything.”

“This
thing?
” said the female. “What thing?”

“You don’t have
anything
that can help him?” said a third voice, much younger. “I mean, I can always try to fix it.”

“No . . .” said the older male, extremely hesitant at the request, “let me handle this. I do have something, but it could do more bad than good.”

“We have to try!” said the female.

The voices became muddled and silence ensued. I knew the voices, but for some reason my mind wouldn’t register their names. I could also perceive my pain, but it was dulled, almost as if a thick cocoon encased me.

“Hold him,” said the older male.

A long period of reverberating noises began. My mind flashed white, and then became black once more.

“How long do you think this will give him?” asked the female.

I felt pressure on my upper body. Warmth invaded my core and rushed to my legs.

“I’m not sure,” said the older male. “But here we go.”

An icicle drove itself into my thigh. I felt the chill of winter rising through my groin, and into my stomach. I shook and squirmed. In a blast of light, I opened my eyes.

Expecting to see the owners of the voices, I was astonished to find something far different. I was sitting in a vast field of brightly colored flowers. They expanded as far as I could see, grouping together like a yellow blanket. I looked around, trying to find some shred of reality.

Behind me, a colossal tree stood like a majestic monument. It was the only thing for miles. Its branches extended hundreds of feet from the trunk, home to thousands upon thousands of golden, shimmering leaves. The magnificent tree stood upon a gentle knoll, with vivid, green grass rimming the base of the trunk.

As my eyes focused on the bottom of the tree, I noticed a person standing in the shade. All of it was completely absurd . . . but it felt real. Maybe it
was
real. Feeling lightheaded, I started to trudge through the knee-high flowers. I let my fingers dance across the tops of the petals. A soothing wind brushed my bubbling skin. When I came closer, I realized that I was approaching a woman.

Her chestnut hair fell to her shoulders, perfectly straightened. Her blouse, pants, and sandals emanated a white essence, making my eyes hurt as I looked upon her. Her back was turned to me, but there was something I knew about this woman. Something familiar drew me to her, like a faint memory.

I cleared the flowers and stepped on the freshly cut grass. I felt wobbly as I stood there, ten feet away from the strange woman. The tree above us moaned and creaked in the wind. A few leaves fell between us.

“You seem sleepy,” said the woman in a charming manner. I thought I heard her laugh a little.

“Who are you?” I asked. My tongue felt sticky and heavy; it was hard to speak. Still, she kept her back to me.

“Are you ready?” she said, in her gentle voice.

“R-Ready? Ready for what?”

She started to walk forward, gliding closer to the trunk. She wasn’t stopping so I followed her, keeping my distance. We approached the crest of the hill.

“Please,” I tried, “tell me who you are. Where am I?”

She stopped at the top, looking upon the other side.

“I didn’t want this for you,” she said. “You can’t give up, though. Especially now.”

I inched closer to her, curious as to what she was seeing. I knew what she was talking about, though. I couldn’t visualize it at the moment, but it all made sense.

“I’m . . . afraid,” I said.

“I know,” she responded, as gently as a drifting cloud, “but that’s what will make you stronger. Others are counting on you. More people than you realize.”

I couldn’t take it any longer, so I used the rest of my energy to make my way to her side.

“Remember to breathe,” she said, as I came above the crest.

My eyes widened as I viewed the breathtaking scenery. Miles away, a giant basin of water lied before us. Massive waterfalls lined the basin, continuously emptying their contents. The hill we were upon was part of the basin’s edge, dropping down hundreds of feet. I took a few steps back, careful to keep my balance.

Then I turned to see the woman.

“Mark,” she said, raising her voice. “Breathe.
Mark, breathe!”

Before I could make another move, she slammed her hands into my chest and shoved me off of the cliff. It seemed like I was moving in slow motion, falling backwards into the monumental gorge. My horror and confusion could be seen across my face as I looked into the eyes of my own mother.

“Mark! You’re okay!”

My eyes opened once again, but this time I was staring into the face of Tara Tracer. She looked gaunt, but happy. I lapped up the fresh air, feeling like I had been drowning.

“What happened?” I asked. Nausea started to creep upon me and I felt the silver dagger of my broken rib.

“You tell
us
,” said Justin with a bite of sarcasm.

I furrowed my brow at him, but then I remembered. My arm. My addiction. I sighed and noticed my weakness. I could barely lift a muscle.

“Just try to relax,” Tara said.

“How are you feeling?” asked Bollis, dropping the subject.

“I . . . where are we?” I said, starting to notice our surroundings.

“Remember that old ‘garage door’ in the back of the commons?” Bollis quizzed. “Well, we’re inside it.”

I was propped up against a cold, metallic wall, inside a well-lit, decently sized room. Nothing else occupied the interior except the four of us, and some kind of metal box attached to the adjacent wall. The surfaces and lights were all made from advanced materials, convex surfaces protruding from four sections. Things looked newer, cleaner, and intertwined with 2030 technology.

“This place,” I wheezed, “is different. What’s going on?”

“I’ll fill you in once you let me know how you’re feeling,” he retorted, crouching to my level.

“I’m fine,” I said. I was so annoyed at how things had turned out. I guess I was glad to be alive.

“Have you . . . seen anything? Any hallucinations?”

I stared back at him. Hallucinations?

The field of flowers.

The giant tree.

My mother.

“I don’t know,” I said sheepishly, truly confused.

Bollis glanced at Tara and sighed. “Look, I’ve put something called Amorphate into your bloodstream. It will help, but only temporarily. It sometimes causes weird side effects, like hallucinations.”

“Thank you,” I managed to say in between breaths. I caught his eye, and knew that he was definitely aware of what happened. Tara wasn’t saying anything about it, so I figured he had kept it to himself. I was thankful for that.

Tara looked back to Bollis and asked, “Well, don’t we need to get him somewhere then?”

Bollis shifted his attention between the two of us. He stepped away and sighed before saying, “I think we need to talk first.”