YEAR 2030 - PORTON DOWN RESEARCH FACILITY - NEAR SALISBURY
Jake and Mike had swept through the entire central corridor of the abandoned research facility and other than a great deal of damage and lack of care they had come to the conclusion that there were no signs of any useful intelligence on Project Eden here. Had there been any, someone had already gotten to it before them.
They began to filter through the mess in the last two rooms in the corridor finding more discarded documents and damaged equipment. The frustration on their faces was mirrored by Sam and his team who had now emerged into the central section of the facility having checked top to bottom of the west wing.
'Anything at all?' Mike asked his cousin, in hope rather than expectation.
Sam shook his head. 'Just more of what you have found here. It looks like this place has been done over a few times'.
'Well let's hope Lexi and Tank have had more luck because this is starting to look like a dead end' replied Mike tossing the damaged microscope he had found among the wreckage back into the room. 'Come on let's get them and get out of here'.
The two groups had now merged and made their way through the labyrinth of decaying rooms and corridors towards the east wing. Jake remained behind his group leader thankful that he had not had to use his rifle, but he was troubled by the fact that at no point had any of these rooms, corridors or any of the paraphernalia strewn within them, had jarred his memory at all. If Project Eden had anything to do with him, he had no idea how. He was now deep in thought trying to figure it all out until Mike stopped suddenly and turned to him.
'Hey Jake, where's your dog?'
Jake turned to check that Max was still behind him and just maintaining silence, but he had gone.
'I have no idea' he confessed. He was now racking his brain for the last time he had seen his trusty companion.
'Well let's keep heading to the east wing' urged Sam readying his gun for action, 'he can't have gotten far'.
He now took up the lead with Ed, the driver from the breakout and a couple of guys from the rebel ranks that Jake had yet to make any significant bonds with. The taller one was called Simon and the slightly chubby one with blonde hair was Tom. Sam's group headed back through from where Mike and Jake had begun.
'We'll go back through the entrance' Mike called to his cousin, 'we'll double back around the outside and meet you and then we'll get out of here'.
'Okay, we'll get Lexi, Tank, and the others. We'll be there soon' replied Sam now making their way into the eastern wing of the building.
Mike then ushered Jake to follow him towards the entrance and the night sky of the eerie outdoors. Their group of three was now reduced to two and Jake was getting scared, he had not been able to get a read on Max since they had discovered that he was missing. He was either well out of range or worse still he was not responding because he was dead.
Jake and Mike spilled out into the dimly lit grounds outside the front of the facility, which remained deathly silent. Their vehicles remained static in the car park, it was as if they had been sent on a wild goose chase.
'It's too quiet' groaned Jake, still keeping his voice down just in case.
'I was thinking exactly that' confessed Mike still sweeping the area with his rifle ready for a surprise attack.
'You think they tricked us into coming here, just to lure us out' said Jake.
'Why would they do that?' Mike said.
'To leave the base under-equipped' he proposed.
Mike shook his head in disagreement. 'That makes no sense. We still have plenty of people back at base who could hold them off. Besides, how would they even know that we were aware of their discussion'?
A spark of realisation triggered in Jake's head. It was a good question, how the hell would the Empire know they were watching them? Given that they had not stumbled upon Numen and his men, catching them unawares, the more Jake pondered the question he could only come up with two conclusions. Either the Empire had no idea they were being spied on and had already been and gone meaning that whatever was here was now long gone, or more alarmingly, they did know they were here which meant they were in terrible danger.
The look on Mike's face told Jake that he had done some similar calculations of his own and had arrived at the same result.
'We need to find the others and get the hell out of here' he whispered.
The two of them had not taken more than a few steps when Mike grabbed Jake's arm and pulled him to an abrupt halt. Jake looked at him and then was drawn to where Mike was staring off into the distance. He starred and refocused a number of times but couldn't see anything.
'What are we looking at?' Jake enquired still unable to make anything out in the thick darkness above the site.
Mike placed his index finger to his mouth, calling for Jake to stop talking. He then tapped his right ear and pointed up to the north-east of their position behind the main building. Jake listened intently, the faintest of whirring and clicking could be heard in the distance, but it was getting closer. They waited a few moments longer and the whirring was now competing with the roar of an engine coming from a few miles away from them, along the road they had travelled to get into the place. Lights began to flicker in the night sky above and the shape of a helicopter could just be made out, a second one emerged behind it moments after.
'Why do I get the feeling we are about to be ambushed?' Mike said.
'We need to go and get the others' urged Jake.
He went to go after Sam and the others, but Mike pulled him back again. 'Listen' he said.
Among the sound of the helicopters and the vehicle that were closing in on the facility, a more familiar and welcome sound was fighting its way through. A dog was barking from the eastern wing, which could only mean that Max was safe.
On the roof of the building, Max's silhouette could be just about be made out running towards two armed figures. He jumped up at them and soon they could be seen falling from the roof to the ground below. Max now turned back and began barking again towards the position Mike and Jake had taken up.
'Let's get up there' said Mike.
He started to run towards the door that Tank and Lexi had taken earlier on, Jake followed behind trying to decipher Max's message which was difficult to make out under the cacophony caused by the helicopters and the vehicle that was closing in on the compound.
A bright bolt of fire ripped across the back of Jake and Mike and smashed into the building behind them, taking out a window and smashing some of the concrete off of the wall. Behind them, three of four dark hostile figures were closing in and firing at them.
'Get down!' Mike yelled diving to the corner of the eastern horseshoe of the building and turning to return fire.
Jake was now crouched down behind the wall, Mike hanging over him and unleashing fire at the oncoming attackers.
'You wanna do something useful and start firing back' he bellowed under the sudden eruption of noise that had overwhelmed the eerie calm of moments before.
The sounds of screams and gunfire inside the east wing told Jake that they were indeed being ambushed. He flipped his rifle into active mode and turned to fire. His first few shots were way off target and it was incredibly difficult to make out the figures as they were well-camouflaged by the darkness. This indicated that their foes were clearly skilled in covert and clandestine operations of this nature.
'They don't move like the guards from the compound' Jake complained, having not hit a target yet. 'They're so much quicker'.
'That's because they aren't robots. These guys are Chimera' said Mike still taking and returning fire.
A shot exploded just above his head forcing them both to recoil as the concrete from the wall gave way. Mike then swung back around the corner and unleashed a bolt from his gun into the unsuspecting Chimaera agent. Jake watched as the dark figure seemed to just erupt into flames before instantaneously imploding into nothing but dust and a shrill momentary scream that sent shivers down Jake's spine. A second agent followed the same grisly demise just moments later as he was instantly cremated by Mike's gun. The horrific final death call was blood-curdling.
Jake tried to block out the horror and was drawn to the thundering chopper blades from one of the helicopters above him. It had landed on the roof above them, creating a mini whirlwind behind them that sent his hair flailing. He began to return fire on the Chimaera agents with Mike, knowing that if they did not remove the threat of this flank then the rest of the group would be in jeopardy. He just hoped that Sam, Tank and the others were able to stop the agents inside.
With each shot, Jake fired, whilst it missed its intended target it did briefly illuminate the outline of the agents heading towards them. He had counted about seven in total and Mike had used the intermittent illuminations to eviscerate two of the targets leaving just five.
Two bright beams of light now lit up the courtyard and car park, exposing the remaining five figures who seemed to be caught unaware by the vehicle that had now roared into the main grounds of the Porton Down facility. The unexpected distraction had enabled Mike to terminate two of the agents, their bodies sucked into a fiery vacuum leaving the smallest trace of a dust cloud in its wake.
The car screeched to a halt and Isaac emerged unleashing hell on the remaining agents. Where Jake had failed to hit any of the Chimaera henchmen, Isaac and Mike had managed to eliminate them all. Having now abandoned the car with its engine still running, Isaac ran to their position, his arrival a very welcome sight.
'Where are the others' he said breathlessly.
'Inside' said Mike, but Isaac was already on his way.
Mike and Jake charged behind him towards the door that led to the roof above. Isaac took out two agents with quick-fire shots from his gun and their remains created a dust cloud that caught Mike unawares. As he choked and Isaac was just about to pass through the doorway, an agent came around the corner his gun trained on Isaac, who was now entirely at the gunmen's mercy.
In the instant that the hidden agent had emerged, Jake had unloaded his weapon relying entirely on instinct. The death wail and instant implosion startled Isaac. As he watched the final remnants of the agent who would have surely ended his life burn into the darkness, he turned back to see Jake with a stunned and deathly pale expression washed across him.
'Nice shooting' he said before charging into the building, closely followed by Mike who gave a fatherly pat on the back to Jake.
Jake had never taken a life before. He stood rooted to the spot his gun smoking from the shot. He willed his body to go in behind them, but he was in a state of paralysis, the shock taking charge momentarily. It was not that long until it gave way to a deep nauseous ball in his stomach and then Jake was doubled over throwing up his dinner.
With very little time to recover, Jake could now see the second helicopter hovering above the east wing. The Chimaera agents inside were lining it up for a strike on the building and the rear gunner was now aiming the cannon right at him. Jake tried to get into the gunner's head, but nothing was happening, his abilities were failing him right when he needed them most. After another unsuccessful attempt to claim control of the agent, he was now under fire and running for the refuge of the building.
An explosion ripped behind him, destroying the doorway and catapulting into the corridor near the stairs. He landed face down on the dirty floor, whilst the helicopter let rip with its impressive firepower. Jake kept his head firmly down on the ground trying to protect himself from falling debris. For the next few minutes, bolts of thunder and fire tore through the outer shell of the building amidst screams from inside as rebels and agents tried to find refuge from the onslaught. Walls seemed to disintegrate and ceilings collapsed, with debris and wreckage spraying everywhere, flames battling one another for superiority as the helicopter gutted the entire east wing.
After what felt like an eternity, the chopper blades could be heard ascending into the sky, closely followed by the second, until after a few more moments they could barely be heard. It was over.
As Jake finally lifted his head, fragments of dust and broken cement from the wreckage falling from his hair, his eyes were now just a few feet from a body staring blankly back at him. He jumped up in fright, now looking horrified and aghast at the lifeless body of one of the rebels who had been with Lexi and Tank. Jake had never spoken to him before and could not even recall his name. The startled look on the young man's face suggested that he had been caught unawares, the bluish tint to his face indicated asphyxiation, and whilst Jake was glad he had not had to suffer the awful impact of one of the nuclear pulse rifles, this did not look a much better way to die.
Max's bark from the stairs above drew his attention. Even up close he could not manage to draw up a connection to his faithful friend. Max barked at him again and then headed off into what was left of the first floor.
Jake began to clamber up the stairs, disorientated by the explosion and attack on the east wing. He was feeling incredibly weary and had to stop every few steps to take a breath. What was going on here? Could it be the after effects of the memory mapping taking hold or perhaps the trauma of the ambush? Whatever it was Jake was not feeling well and none of his usual faculties was working properly.
The carnage upstairs on the second floor was even worse than downstairs. Max had emerged from a room at the end of the corridor and was charging towards him, angrily barking at him and tugging at his jeans. Still, they were unable to communicate as freely as they had, but Jake was grateful that his old friend seemed to be unharmed from the incident. Max had some dirt marks on his back and a thick coating of dust all over him, but no wounds were apparent. His barking was now beginning to cut straight through Jake's head. How he longed for the chance to hear Max's gruff voice than this searing racket that was assaulting his ears.
Jake now entered the room where Max had been directing him, this was the room in which Lexi had broken into, unbeknown the others, before the cavalry had arrived. The large wall into the corridor had been pierced numerous times by the gunfire and the room was as badly destroyed as any of the others that they had inspected. Jake could make out the chiselled features of Mike and Sam crouched over a body in the corner and they seemed hard at work trying to revive the fallen soul. He was still a little dazed from everything that had happened and was not fully registering the gravity of what was happening.
'She's breathing, but barely' he heard Mike say.
Jake was now drawn to the second huddle where Ed was pumping down on the chest of a familiar face, Isaac cradling the head in his lap, muttering something over and over in a quiet and hushed tone.
'I'm so sorry, please don't leave me' Isaac uttered quietly, repeating the words over and over again desperate for a miracle to occur.
As he got closer, Jake could see the look in Tank's eyes, it was a look he had seen just moments ago downstairs. It was a lot to take in and Jake could not piece it all together just yet. Max was with Mike and Sam who were doing their level best to help Lexi, but he was doing little to help the situation.
'Jake' called Mike, 'do something about him will you, he's been going nuts for ages' he said trying to hold Max off.
'Max!' Jake yelled much more loudly than he realised, clearly still feeling the aftereffects of the blast.
Everyone now looked up at Jake, before returning to tending for the two fallen victims.
'Come here' growled Jake realising the brevity of the occasion, finally.
Simon and Tom were nowhere to be seen, it was clear that Tank was not coming back and Lexi was not looking good at all. Max whimpered and began jumping up at him and now Jake grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pinned him to the ground.
'People are fighting for their lives here you irritating little git. Show some goddamn respect' he bellowed angrily.
Max lay submissively on his back, eyes wide open in fear and his tongue panting whilst he let out a few squeals of frustration and fear. All the eyes in the room fell upon Jake a second time, then darting to Isaac before returning to the floor in what was a defeated acceptance of how true Jake's words were.
Jake let go of his grip of Max who now scarpered out of the door. Just as he realised how harsh and very insensitive his own words had been, a deep and bone-chilling wail of hurt erupted from Isaac's direction. It was an awful sound, the worst that Jake had ever heard, like a bear that had been caught in a trap and it replayed over and over again with each gasp of air that Isaac could muster. It made the hairs on the necks of everyone in the room stand on end and soon tears welled up in their eyes. With another juddering whimper, Isaac gave way to a torrential outpouring of grief, clutching tightly to his beloved son. Tank was gone.
REBEL BASE - WILTSHIRE
A few very long and miserable days had passed since the horrific incident at Porton Down. Jake had felt very isolated, for the first time since arriving here. He could not even fall back on his tried and tested crutch of Max, who had given him a wide berth the past few days, choosing to spend his time with Rosie. Having had time to recover fully, Jake had hoped that his telepathic link with his old friend might re-emerge to allow him a chance to apologise, but his abilities seemed to have disappeared entirely.
Lexi was not herself and had taken to avoiding contact with absolutely everyone, no doubt consumed with guilt for Tank's death and whatever she had seen leading up to that moment. She had been a lot blunter with people than was normally the case. Phoenix had suggested using the memory map programme to help her make sense of what had happened in an effort to support her and allow her to be able to grieve, but Lexi had told her in no uncertain terms that this was entirely not up for discussion. She had not given Jake even a slight glance or word of acknowledgement, which was in stark contrast to where their relationship was just a few nights ago.
Isaac and his wife Serena had not been seen since the group had returned. She had blamed Isaac for the death of their son and had camped herself in their room in the house and Isaac had left the same evening with no one knowing his whereabouts or when he would return.
The rest of the rebels had been entirely crestfallen, having lost four loved ones and with their leader currently abandoning his role, the place was a shadow of its former glory. The children seemed to have lost their spark and no longer played out in the grounds, choosing instead to cling closely to their elders. Mike, Sam, and Ed had very little to say, simply engaging with him and everyone with idle and irrelevant small talk, whilst trying to busy themselves with arrangements for the funerals later today.
Two freshly dug graves were out in the back of the grounds hidden from view, one for Tank and another for the young man whom Jake had discovered in the wreckage. His name was Michael and he was just twenty-two, and like Tank was born into a world of chaos and hidden from the eyes of the Empire so that he might one day live in a free society. Beside the two graves were two crosses decorated with trinkets and wildflowers marking the deaths of Simon and Tom whose bodies had been unable to be recovered, having fallen foul of the impact of a pulse rifle's blast.
The quiet and serene patch of land housed other marked graves from fallen soldiers of the past. It was here that a memorial ceremony would take place later in the day to honour the fallen.
Jake decided to take himself away from the depressing atmosphere that had enveloped the place and returned to the mound at the front of the ground where just a few nights ago he had kissed Lexi. He lay down and looked up into the clear blue sky which was in stark contrast to the darkness that inhabited the camp.
It seemed no matter where he was and no matter who he came into contact with, death and destruction followed. First his mother, then his dad were taken from him. His mentor, and protector during his school-aged years, Shengani, had been murdered when stowing Jake and Max on a shipment to evade capture when their location had been discovered. Now the rebellion that had taken him in and offered him a home for the first time in a couple of years, had taken casualties because of something that he could not even recall from his past. The loss of his bond with Max and the breakdown in communication with Lexi made him wonder whether it was worth fighting on. He now began to ponder the dark reality of his existence should he choose to give up.
Jake lay there for a long while, imagining the Empire crushing the resistance and taking their plans to another level. He imagined the devastation of the all of the rebel hideouts across the globe, the people being slaughtered and captured and subject to the strict and harmful controls within the fortified working compounds. The more he delved into the apocalyptic future playing out in his mind, the worse he felt. The idea of Max being captured or harmed, or Lexi being executed or subject to torture filled him with dread. The truth was whether he liked it or not, giving up had consequences for the others whom he cared deeply about. They were depending on him and he needed to snap out of it and do his best to play his part. He had no idea of where to begin, particularly given the untimely sabbatical of his powers. Lying here on his back, however, was not the answer, so he got to his feet and headed back towards the mansion looking to put himself to some use.
As Jake got half way across the field, he could see the yellow paint of Isaac's car entering the grounds to the mansion. The car ambled slowly along the driveway, leading a train of about six or seven other vehicles, large people carriers filled with strangers. Jake tried to make out the figures inside, but the light from the sun above cast a glare across the windows making it impossible to make out faces. Jake then ran after the convoy which was headed towards the house.
The front of the mansion quickly filled with a makeshift welcome party for the unexpected visitors. The news of Isaac's return having filtered through from the gates was a welcome boost to an otherwise depressing and sombre day. Many of the young children's faces lit up as they saw him emerge from his car and they now ran towards him calling out his name in a cheerful chorus. Isaac's eyes were cold and he could barely muster a fake smile for the swarm of children who now gathered around him, grabbing at him and demanding his attention. It was understandable given the circumstances of the day, he had returned to honour the memory of his son and to face the wife who blamed him for his death.
Serena had joined the gathering crowd and filtered her way through to the front where her eyes and Isaac's met for the first time since his departure. An uncomfortable quiet descended on the gathering, eventually quelling the children's excitement. Isaac now freed from their clutches made his way towards his wife whilst the inhabitants of the other vehicles now dismounted.
'You came back' said Serena, her mouth quivering and her emotions stirring once again.
'Of course, I did' he said soberly, 'I wouldn't leave you here alone to say goodbye to our son'.
She embraced him tightly, crying aloud. 'I thought I had lost you too' she whispered.
'Never' he whispered back.
Behind them, a group of some twenty-or-so men had assembled. They were a very diverse mix of all shapes and sizes, some old, some young and others somewhere in between. They were all dressed in black and carrying gifts, clearly in recognition of the memorial to take place very soon.
Jake had managed to get back in time for when Isaac and Serena had embraced. He was now watching the scene alongside Mike and Sam and from the very relaxed way in which the stranger's entrance had been greeted by his hosts he assumed that they were allies.
'Who are these people?' Jack whispered to Mike.
'They are friends, leaders from other rebel compounds' said Mike. 'They have come to honour the dead'.
'And to figure out a way to reap vengeance on the assholes that did this' added Sam who stepped out of the crowd to embrace one of the new arrivals.
Mike, Ed and a host of others followed Sam's lead, embracing their brothers from the clans with whom they had a much-shared history. Jake watched on entirely bemused by the scene taking place before him. Whilst he felt a little uncomfortable at not knowing any of the new arrivals, he knew that if they had come to support and help Isaac, then that could only mean that they were enemies of the Empire.
Serena and Isaac led the procession into the mansion to prepare for the memorial service. The next stage of the plan to bring down Numen and the others could come later.