Haven- Agent 51 Read online

  Rylan looked over at Zeek, who was already staring back at him. “Ry, they’re crazy! We have to do something. We have to act now before it’s too late!”

  Rylan turned from Zeek, leaned his head back against the wall, and took another deep breath. Maybe Zeek was right, maybe they should intervene before whatever this was got off the ground and they were forced into a war with these bio-wraiths. But then there was the mission—they were there to get in and get out. Demetrius had been very clear about that. “No distractions, stay focused on the objective, and bring home our pilot,” he had said.

  “I'm still unclear about something,” Cyrus said to Nao. “Why don’t you just do this yourself? You're a powerful race, you could have killed the Earthlings a long time ago instead of retreating to some mountain to hide. Why not use these …” Cyrus waved his hand towards the cylinder, “these Wraiths yourself?”

  Nao shrugged. “My race is not compatible with the bio-species. If we were, we would not be talking. And you would be dead.” Cyrus slowly dropped his arms, and his eye began to twitch again.

  “In regards to a full-on assault,” she continued, “our numbers are few, and the enemy’s are vast. In an all-out war against the Earthlings the outcome would be grim at best. It's a far better strategy to align ourselves with others, those that share a common goal, like yourself.”

  Cyrus looked down at the floating cylinder again. “Well, that works for me,” he said.

  Nao leered at Cyrus. “Good, I'm glad we are in agreement.”

  Cyrus stood and leaned over the table. “So, what about this pilot? What are you going to do with him?”

  “He is scheduled to be executed, unless you have something else in mind,” Nao said.

  Zeek moved closer to the edge of the corridor. “Zeek, step back,” Rylan said calmly. Zeek held his ground at first but then inched back into the shadows.

  Cyrus looked down at the remains of his two guards. “No, executing him is fine,” he said. “I just want to make sure you interrogate him first.”

  “I assure you, Aries, the pilot has been interrogated to the fullest extent. It was nothing more than a surveillance mission.”

  “Damned Majesty,” Cyrus scoffed. “Well, they will be looking for the pilot. They’ll send more troops, probably Centurions, or even worse, Keepers.”

  Nao motioned to her warriors with a wave of the hand. They turned and escorted the spinning cylinder back through the doorway.

  “Our work here is almost done,” Nao said. “Once it is complete, we will move to a much larger, more secure facility.”

  “Ry, we have to do something!” Zeek said.

  Rylan stared at Nao. So many things were going through his mind all at once. What was this race, and why were they so adamant about getting rid of Haven's Earthling inhabitants?

  “Ry!” Zeek said again.

  Rylan looked over at Zeek. “We find the pilot first! Then—” he paused, unsure of what to say. If they engaged the enemy now, they might die. He wasn’t as confident as Zeek was in their chances of success.

  No, he finally decided. Trying to kill Cyrus and Nao was not an option. But he would wait to tell that to Zeek; he needed Zeek focused on finding the pilot before Nao and her warriors killed him.

  “Then what?” Zeek asked impatiently.

  “Then we will evaluate our options. If there is a feasible way, then I agree, it might be worth the risk to engage,” Rylan lied.

  Chapter 4

  Rylan hastily glanced down to his gauntlet and programmed the chameleon to come back. This information could prove to be vital, should they indeed be on the brink of war.

  Once the chameleon had returned, Rylan turned off the device and stowed it in his utility belt just as Zeek’s voice broke through the com.

  “Rylan,” he whispered. For a moment, this caught Rylan off guard. Zeek had used his name, his whole name, and he never did that. Most of the time he used a plethora of nicknames to get under Rylan's skin like Mr. Dalcome, my Captain, and Sir, which he said in the most sarcastic way possible. But Ry was the name Zeek used most; he did this because no one else did. Zeek was like that, he wanted to be unique, to stand out in a crowd, and he did, but not always in the best way. As for Rylan, he tolerated Zeek because that was the job.

  Rylan turned to see Zeek looking wearily down the hallway behind them. Rylan slowly shifted his gaze from his partner to the end of the dark corridor. There, amongst the shadows, Rylan thought he saw something move. He strained his eyes and waited to see if it happened again. Suddenly, two eyes appeared, murky yellow, hovering in the darkness.

  “What. The hell. Is. That?” Zeek said.

  Rylan stared until his eyes went dry and began to sting. “Don’t move,” he warned.

  Zeek swallowed hard. “But—”

  “Don’t,” Rylan repeated.

  The creature inched forward and lowered itself to a crouched position, its silhouette becoming more pronounced as it emerged from its shadowy confines.

  But Rylan was no longer focusing just on this strange creature. He had caught a glimpse of something else swaying behind it. He quickly clicked the side of his goggles to intensify the nocturnal view, but nothing changed. The second creature remained cloaked in darkness. He wondered if this was another species he had never encountered before. There was no animal he knew of that could remain hidden from nocturnal view.

  Rylan felt his chest tightening. Strategically, they were in the worst possible position. Cyrus Kan, Nao, and her guards were behind them, and now this unknown creature was blocking their way. Time was running out, and they would need to act now before it was too late.

  “We need to evaporate back to the top of the stairs,” Rylan said as both Keepers withdrew their staffs. “They’ve out-flanked us—we're too vulnerable here.”

  “I’m right with you,” Zeek said, but as he lifted his staff, a black hand with long white nails passed through the wall and grabbed him roughly by the throat.

  “Zeek!” Rylan yelled.

  Nao stepped through the wall like a specter, holding firmly on to Zeek's throat. She shimmered in the light of Gaden’s gemstone as she hoisted Zeek into the air. Rylan watched helplessly as the female warrior jerked her hand to one side with such speed that a loud SNAP rang out.

  “NO!” Rylan cried.

  Zeek’s body immediately went limp, and his staff fell from his hand. Rylan watched in horror as Nao tossed Zeek’s body aside and strode toward him.

  Rylan raised Talus to evaporate, just as Nao vanished from sight. Rylan stopped dead in his tracks and stared into the darkness. A sudden chill struck his core, followed by a flush of adrenaline that shot through his entire body. Where was she?

  But before he could finish the thought, Nao reappeared directly in front of him. A searing pain erupted across Rylan's face from her powerful backhand. He flew into the air and collided with the wall behind him. He fell to the ground and tumbled to a stop at least fifteen feet from where he had previously stood. The room was spinning, and there was a loud ringing in his ears. Rylan rolled over onto his back and looked up to the ceiling. The cave seemed darker than it had before. At first he thought it was from being hit so hard until he realized he was no longer wearing his nocturnal goggles. They were gone, and so was Talus.

  From the corner of his eye he saw the dark creature move from the floor to the wall at the other end of the hallway.

  With his ears still ringing and his vision impaired, Rylan rolled onto his knees and stood up.

  “Talus,” he cried out. His voice was hoarse and it felt scratchy against his throat.

  The staff bounded from the shadows and flew through the air into his outstretched hand. Rylan looked to Nao, who stood in the distance, then turned to the creature at the other end of the corridor. He took a hurried step back when he realized there was no longer just one shadowy figure moving toward him, but several. With astonishing speed, they quickly moved down the hallway, leaping from wall to floor and back again. Ryla
n squinted in the darkness to keep track of them. But without warning they were practically upon him as outstretched claws and barbed tails burst through the darkness.

  Rylan threw himself to the ground with Talus in hand. The creatures flew past him, careened into the wall, and fell to the floor. They quickly regained their footing, claws scraping the ground, and circled around for another attack. Rylan watched in horror as the evil female warrior and her minions charged his position. He had to get out of there. Talus vibrated erratically, warning Rylan of the danger at hand. He stumbled to his feet and fell against the wall. Nao withdrew a large golden dagger from the sheath tied to her thigh. Her crazed look was only intensified by the rage in her savage red eyes. Nao and the creatures leaped into the air to attack, but a flash of emerald green engulfed the corridor as Talus activated an energy shield. Nao plummeted to the ground, temporarily blinded by the light, and the shadowy creatures followed suit. Nao swiftly got to her feet and scoured the corridor for the Keeper, but he was not to be found. The human was gone, vanished into thin air.

  Rylan reappeared on the upper level near the center of the corridor and took in a deep breath, momentarily relieved at his escape. The cobwebs in his head were finally starting to subside as he began to process what had just happened. But he was interrupted by the sound of sharp claws clattering nearby. A painful lump formed in his throat as he turned and looked over his shoulder. Several yellow serpentine eyes were scampering up the stairwell onto the landing.

  Rylan stared with vacant eyes. Again, there was no escape, he surmised. Everywhere he turned was just another dead end.

  He gripped Talus more tightly, and the staff grew bright. He quickly raised his hand and called for the element of Water as veins of ice appeared, spreading rapidly across the floor until they consumed the entire corridor. The advancing creatures slid over the ice, running into one another until they were spinning out of control. Rylan pushed the element of Air toward them, blasting the creatures back across the icy floor and over the side of the stairwell. The animals screeched and thrashed out in pain as their bodies tumbled down the stairs.

  Rylan quickly turned and ran in the opposite direction. The dim corridor lights flashed overhead as he rounded the next corner and slid to a stop. Cyrus's Skull soldiers were emerging from the adjacent stairwell at the end of the hallway. There was no going back. He would have to make his stand here. Rylan spun Talus in one hand, catching it with the other and braced himself for combat. One by one, the soldiers entered the corridor with their weapons drawn, and Talus’s energy shield erupted from its gemstone. Flashes of blue flames burst from the soldier’s muzzles as they cast out a steady stream of suppression fire.

  Rylan braced himself as the curses exploded against the shield at an alarming rate. He knew that in a matter of minutes his shield would be completely shattered. He needed to act quickly.

  Blue streaks exploded around him as Rylan ran as fast as he could toward the guards and the onslaught of fire. He dashed up the left side of the wall and pushed himself out and over the speeding curses. He landed on the opposite wall and lunged forward with his staff outstretched, colliding into as many of the Skull soldiers as he could.

  He managed to make contact with two of them. The men screamed out in agony as the staff’s energy shield incinerated their armor and burned their flesh to the bone, leaving piles of black ash and charred skeletal remains in its wake.

  Rylan rolled onto his back and then got to his feet again as the two remaining soldiers scrambled to their feet. Rylan then called for Earth, and, with one hand, pushed the force of gravity against the soldiers, pinning them to the wall.

  The men were trapped, their heads turned sideways against the stone. Rylan inched closer as the waves of gravity reverberated between the soldiers and his outstretched hand. He stepped forward, and their helmets and armor cracked under the pressure. Rylan could hear them scream out in pain, but it was like white noise against the anger and adrenaline that was swirling around his head. His arms were trembling, and Talus’s gemstone was so bright now, Rylan had to close his eyes against it. Images of Zeek's dead body flashed in front of him, which only intensified his hatred for the men and the power of Earth that flowed through him. Talus was growing brighter, and the Chimera prongs that held the staff’s gemstone in place were beginning to overheat, turning the metal a glowing red. It wasn’t until he heard the sounds of crushing rib cages and skulls collapsing that Rylan’s eye’s shot open to see the two men permanently embedded into the wall.

  Stunned at the carnage, he recoiled as the ceiling crumbled down on top of the guards. Rylan's Calling had been so powerful, not only had he crushed the guards, but he had almost pushed them through solid stone. Trembling, Rylan looked over to Talus. Thin streams of purple vapor wafted from the dark gemstone into the air. The Chimera prongs, made up of a dragon, lion, and a phoenix, had turned a dark crimson as they began to cool.

  What have I done? Rylan thought, looking back to the rubble where the soldiers were buried. For the first time in his life he had lost control of an element.

  “That should never happen, Talus,” he said, gripping the staff in his hand. “You are a Chimera.” Talus vibrated in response, and the gemstone pulsated, casting a dim purple hue around itself.

  “It’s not your fault,” Rylan said in defeat. “The prongs should have been enough.” The Chimera prong set was the highest modulator a Keeper could have placed on their staff to temper the power of a Calling. But this time it wasn’t enough.

  Talus continued to pulsate. “It makes no sense,” Rylan muttered. “No Keeper has ever needed more temperament. How could this have happened? Surely, I’m not more powerful than a Chimera. That would mean—”

  But his train of thought was cut short. There was something still moving, something behind him. Rylan turned just in time to see two creatures scurry across the ceiling. They moved in short bursts, their long barbed tails swaying behind them. They quickly scampered down the wall and onto the floor until they were less than twenty feet away from him. Their sharp claws made an eerie clicking sound as they struck the ground and echoed throughout the corridor. Rylan took a step back and positioned Talus in front of him. The creatures were silver, with small horns and serrated teeth that gleamed when the light struck them. As they grew closer, Rylan thought they looked like snakes or something similar. But unlike snakes, these creatures had moveable eyelids and four small legs.

  Rylan spun Talus in his hands and brought the crystal down on the ground in front of him. An explosion of light and gravity burst from the gemstone, sending the Calling down the corridor with a thunderous roar. The walls of the underground facility shook, and the ceiling and floor cracked in its wake, as the wave of condensed air sped toward the creatures. Within seconds, the full force of the massive wave crashed into them, catapulting their helpless bodies down the corridor. Rylan watched as the flailing creatures careened into the walls and bounced off the floor until finally they tumbled to a stop at the end of the hallway. The lights sparked as they struggled to stay lit.

  Rylan could hear hissing and the sound of moving debris as the creatures stirred. He lifted his hand, Talus grew brighter, and once more Rylan pulled downward with the power of Earth. Small stones and bits of sand fell from the cracks in the ceiling until the entire thing crumbled down around them. A cloud of dust billowed down the hallway, and Talus's purple glow softened and then finally went out.

  Rylan stood, breathing hard. He had done it. The immediate threat was gone, but it had cost Zeek his life. Rylan’s shoulders drooped. There was a heaviness in his chest now. Zeek was really gone. His mind tried to process the Keeper's final moments, but all he could see was the face of his killer, the one called Nao.

  Lights from above continued to flicker, and Rylan cleared his mind. There would be time to grieve later, he told himself. The pilot was the objective; he had to find the pilot. Rylan began to survey the damage around him. The corridor was in ruins; he would have to return
the way he’d come, which would be dangerous, but what choice did he have? Nao and Cyrus knew he was here now, and they would be looking for him. He was running out of time, and he still had no idea where the downed pilot was.

  Rylan turned and headed back down the hallway, but Talus trembled and flashed once more. Before he could react, Rylan felt a sharp pain in his back that traveled through to his chest. He looked down to see a long blade protruding through his armor on the right side of his torso.

  “There is no escape, human,” Nao whispered in his ear. Rylan's breath caught in his throat, his vision became clouded, and everything around him slowly faded to black.

  Chapter 5

  Cold …

  I’m so cold, he thought. His skin felt like it was burning, and his back ached against something cold and hard—the floor maybe?

  Where was he?

  Rylan lay there for a few moments before opening his eyes. The room was dimly lit, and at first it felt like it was spinning. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again the spinning had stopped, but he smelled something foul, like meat left to ferment in high heat for too long. Disgusted, Rylan lifted his head and gazed around the room. The cell was far too dark to find the source of the odor, but he did find something else he thought was odd—a single beam of light that fell to the center of the wet stone floor.

  Still groggy, Rylan slowly sat up and felt a sharp pain in his back and chest.

  “Uuugh,” he gasped and looked down in agony. There was a large gash in his exo-armor, and his skin was clearly visible through it. The wound had been mended, but not by his staff. It had been cauterized. Rylan ran a finger over the raised flesh and winced at its tenderness.

  He lowered his head and waited for the pain to subside. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The wound was still raw; even the slightest movement caused him pain.