Child of Recklessness (Trials of Strength Book 2) (20 page)

After finally filling my lungs,
I started to move. I couldn
’
t
explain the array of emotions inside me as I took one step after
another, only that it felt like an eternity of walking. There was
nothing that distinguished the corridor, and I had to blink to stop
it from continuing to stretch in front of me, like a never ending
walkway. The end finally came into sight, and my mind flashed back
to a similar walk I
’
d taken under the town of Greystone
to see my father.

I turned right, and into a
densely cluttered room. It was expansive, with only one wall taking
up half the space, making the shape of the room the letter U.
Scientific equipment such as microscopes and vials were laid on
several small tables. The room was filled with them and other
machinery I couldn
’
t name, and
where
the wall stopped, across from where I stood in the middle
of the space, the floor dipped down. It was a circular pit, and in
it, Richard Bishop stood with his menacing grin.

Just do it!

I moved forward with meaning,
and my hand wrapped around the gun at my waist. I took deep
breaths, in and out, in and out. My father
’
s
expression didn
’
t change at my apparent actions, but
he stepped aside, and the blood raced from my head. There was a
chair behind him, a girl who looked startlingly like me sat
immobile. Her green eyes were closed and her blonde hair had been
tied up out of her face. A hospital monitor showed her vital signs
and all the energy I
’
d built evaporated.

There was my sister. What was wrong
with her!?

‘
She
’
s in a
coma, son,
’
my father spoke into the heavy
silence.
‘
Unlike you she failed to overcome my
creation, so I put her to sleep.
’

I blinked stupidly and
couldn
’
t muster a reply.

‘
I know why
you
’
re here,
’
Richard said,
nodding his head.
‘
I understand. Before you do that,
however, what if I told you there was a chance to save your
sister?
’

My eyes met his and I narrowed them.
Was he playing me again?

‘
Before you question my
sincerity, realise that so far I have never lied to
you,
’
my father spat, he had always had a bit of a
temper.

‘
And the twenty years of my life
I thought you were a surgeon?
’
I
growled.

He shrugged nonchalant and started to
pace behind my sister. I reached for my gun again before hearing
steps behind me. Two men in black body armour took up position just
behind me.

‘
To warn you, any movement
against me and they will stop you,
’
Richard said.
‘
They won
’
t kill you of course, I
can
’
t have that happen, but they will stop
you.
’

They won
’
t
kill me?

It didn
’
t
matter, they wouldn
’
t get the chance. I turned, faster
than the men could have anticipated. They were frozen and
undecided; they
’
d been ordered only to harm me if I
attacked my father, but what about
them?
I kicked the gun from the one on my left, moved in
with my elbow and smashed it into his face. The distinct sound of a
nose breaking filled my ears, and the guard hit the ground like a
ton of bricks.

The other man had regained his senses.
He rushed forward, and instead of firing his weapon, he lifted it,
and brought it down through the air. I blocked and pushed his arm
away, fired my fist into his stomach, and as he doubled over in
pain, I brought my knee up against his face. That was him
down.

‘
Excellent!!
’
my
father screamed with delight.
‘
You
have improved immensely! You
’
re all
I hoped.
’

I growled at the sentiment.
He
’
d said the same thing in Greystone. What the fuck
was my father
’
s plan?

‘
My sister,
’
I
whispered.

‘
Come here,
’
my
father beckoned to me.

I pushed my murderous thoughts
from my brain in hope for my sister
’
s life.
When I reached the monitor beside her, my father grabbed a needle
and inserted it into her arm. It didn
’
t draw
blood, but at the other end of the tube was another sharp point.
Without any hesitation, Richard pierced the needle into my arm and
stood back as blood slid from me into my sister.

‘
What are you
doing?
’
I asked.

‘
You and your sister are
described as twins,
’
he started,
‘
but
even though you both are strikingly similar in looks, it has more
to do with coincidence, being related that is, than the fact you
are twins. There are two types of twins…
’

I was agitated. I
didn
’
t want a lecture.

‘
Yeah I know,
’
I
seethed.
‘
There are fraternal and identical twins.
Identical twins come from the same egg, and have almost identical
DNA. Whereas fraternal twins are two different eggs that are
fertilised at the same time, but have completely different DNA.
Identical ones cannot be of two different genders because they come
from the very same egg.
’

‘
Very good!
’
Richard feigned shock.

‘
What exactly has that got to do
with this?
’
I spat.

‘
I was getting to that when you
interrupted,
’
Richard replied.
‘
While
you aren
’
t identical twins, the both of you are
still related, and share genetic markers in common. Think of this
as another test before you kill me.
’

I growled.

‘
Another
test!?
’
I shouted, but remained still.
‘
You mean this might not help? Whatever it
is?
’

‘
Your DNA has been altered. Think
of the idea like a flu vaccine. The vaccine contains the virus, so
that the developing antibodies know what to fight.
I
’
m trying the same with your blood, hoping that
with similar genetics and the same blood type,
Hazel
’
s DNA will learn from yours. It
’
s a
long shot, and a bone marrow transplant would be more ideal, but
we
’
ve seen long shots work before now,
haven
’
t we?
’

‘
Why are you doing all
this?
’
I whispered, overcome with emotion.

‘
I
’
ve told
you,
’
my father cocked his head, confused and
agitated,
‘
I
’
m doing
it for you. Oh, how the future is going to be ironic. If this works
you
’
ll have an effective ally.
’

Ironic? Ally?

‘
What?
’
I
gasped.

I couldn
’
t
comprehend what I was hearing.

‘
Before I kill
you,
’
I said uncertainly,
‘
where
are the video files from your notes?
’

‘
Ah,
’
my
father smiled,
‘
is my old employer giving you a hard
time? I hoped they would. It meant I could stay under the radar,
but you
’
re here now, so here.
’

My father
’
s hand
slipped into his pocket and returned with a DVD. He slid it into my
jumper and retreated.

Did he just help
me?

‘
I apologis
e for all the running around
I’ve had you do,’ Richard continued without an ounce of regret. ‘It
was necessary. I had to keep you busy while your sister went
through her experiment, so I could effectively collect data. Giving
you scraps here and there, and then Anna’s brother, well,
predictability as I’ve said is your weakness, son; always charging
into things without all the facts.’

A commotion suddenly erupted out
in the corridor, and both my head and my father
’
s
snapped in that direction. Guards must have appeared once
I
’
d reached the floor, and there were shots echoing
into the room. A beautiful redheaded woman and a battered but tough
man turned the corner and advanced with guns raised. I saw that
they were only tranquilizers, so the men outside
hadn
’
t been harmed badly.

I felt my heart warm up and
tears rim my eyes as Anna and Chris stopped not far from where I
stood. They looked furious, and although I hadn
’
t
wanted them to come, they had. Why I was surprised I had no
idea.

‘
Wait,
’
I said
as Chris aimed at Richard.
‘
He says
he can help my sister.
’

Nobody moved but Richard as he
unplugged the needle from my arm, and then did the same for the
sleeping woman.

‘
How long?
’
I
asked.

Richard shrugged and
replied,
‘
Seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months,
years, decades, never.
’

I freed the gun I had brought
and aimed at my father. I let the tears that had built up when my
family had come to help fall, as the emotions I felt around my
father finally overwhelmed me. I was shocked at how much
I
’
d held in, and I gasped and choked before I broke
into a tirade of screams.

‘
I loved you,
’
I
shouted at Richard.
‘
You
’
re
supposed to be my Dad! You
’
re
supposed to protect me!
’

‘
I am protecting
you,
’
Richard returned with a growl.

‘
Really!?
’
I
cried incredulous.

‘
Look at what you have
now,
’
Richard replied, but he had started to sweat with
panic.
‘
Abilities you couldn
’
t dream
of, strength in other ways you couldn
’
t
understand. If I told you everything you wouldn
’
t
believe me, I am doing my best.
’

My hand itched on the trigger as I
scrutinised my father.

Just pull it!!

I was on the edge of a metaphorical
cliff. The choice I had in front of me a defining moment in my
life. Was I a murderer?

Before I made my choice however, a rattled
cough erupted from my sister. Hazel’s eyes fluttered open and
scanned the room dazed. We all waited without breathing, we waited
for the guttural screams the changed made. Instead, my sister’s
eyes fell on me, and they widened.

‘
You,’ she
gasped.

Did she
recognis
e me?
Know who I was?

For a second she looked faint and
weak, her eyelids drooped as she struggled to keep them open. I
remembered that feeling; right after I’d finally came back to my
senses once my body had changed. For me it had left almost
instantly, and by the look of triumph on Hazel’s face, it had
passed her too.

Quickly and deftly, she slid from the
chair and pulled the monitoring equipment from her hand. She kept
her eyes trained on me, wide with wonder, and her lips pulled up at
the sides.

‘
You,’ Hazel repeated more
evenly.

‘
It’s me,’ I whispered, smiling,
‘it’s your brother, Hazel.’

‘
You came to me,’ she
replied.

I nodded.

‘
Of course I did,’ I laughed.
‘I’m here to save you, to take you away from our
father.’