The Unleashed Read online

  “It’s gunnae be all right, Ange.”

  “It’ll be a piece of piss, love,” one of the Blemished chimed in.

  No matter what they said to make her feel better, the sense of dread grew with each mile closer. The trucks slowed down as the afternoon changed to evening, and the realisation that they’d reached their destination caused her skin to grow cold. An ache gnawed at her stomach. She heard the cranking noise of the handbrake being applied, and her heart hammered against her chest. Cam had to help her down from the back of the truck.

  They stepped out into a sparse wood, and the pleasant scent of dewy grass hit her nostrils. On any other day she would have appreciated the fresh smell of pine.

  “He’d better arm us proper,” Ginge grumbled. “If we’re going in and takin’ over an Area, ah want te have protection.”

  “He’ll give us ammo,” Cam said as they strode through the dark woods. “It’d be effin’ suicide not te.”

  “He needs all the guns he can get. And Ginge is worth five of them,” Sebastian said, gesturing to some of the Blemished. Luckily they didn’t overhear.

  “Alfred,” Angela called out. “We need ammo.”

  Alfred tossed each of them a packet of bullets. “Listen you four. We’re going into Area 13 to take over the headquarters. They are the nearest and easiest because like in Area 14, things are stirring. Their Commander isn’t even here. He’s run for the hills.” He eyed us all, his eyebrows raised halfway up his forehead, like a teacher delivering an important lesson. “But that don’t mean it won’t be hard. Not all the Enforcers have gone. There’s still some of them in the headquarters, and it’s there we’re headin’. This is a lot for young kids to deal with, and that’s what you are.”

  “We’re not,” Angela said, jutting out her chin. She reached deep inside for the confidence she knew she had. “We’ve been through more than most people in a lifetime and we want to fight. I’m coming with you.”

  “Aye, me too.” Cam took her hand and squeezed it.

  “I have a debt to pay,” Sebastian said. “The wrongs my father did––”

  “Are not your wrongs,” Alfred reminded him.

  “There’s no one else left to repay them.” He shrugged. “It’s something I need to do.”

  “Ah’ve never backed off from a fight in ma life,” Ginge said. Her words were strong, but she gripped Sebastian’s hand tightly. “Ah’m not about te nae.”

  Alfred nodded. “Well, now I’ve said my piece.” He shook his head. “It’s a sorry state of things when there’s no parents left for the lot of you. Be careful in there. I can’t protect you and lead an army.”

  His words hit Angela hard. Not having adults around seemed fun at first. She remembered the exhilaration she felt the night they snuck out of the house to the Slums with Mina and Sebastian. Back then her mum had been suffering from dementia and didn’t know what was going on. She’d thought it cool to be able to do what she wanted. Now she remembered that moment, and realised just how immature she’d been.

  Alfred left, and Angela shook the memories away. She busied herself with loading her gun, and stocking bullets in her pockets for easy reloading. She was surprised to see her fingers shaking. It all made her a little weak at the knees. As the Blemished army began to move out of the woods towards the Area border, Angela pulled Cam away from the group.

  “What if I have a fit?” she whispered.

  “You won’t, Ange––”

  “You don’t know that. I could have one any time.”

  Cam put his hand on her shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. “Ye stay close te me, okay? An’ if ye have any kind o’seizure, ah’ll take care of ye. Trust me?”

  Angela pressed her lips against his. A few of the Blemished men wolf-whistled in their direction, but she didn’t care. When she broke away she said, “The one thing I know in this messed up world is that I trust you. And I love you.”

  His blue eyes – shadowed by the darkness – seemed to shine despite the lack of light. “I love you, too.”

  They pressed on through the woods. Alfred directed his men with whistles, hoots, and other strange noises. When did they get so organised? She’d missed a lot when in the Compound.

  Angela saw the main road leading into Area 13, manned by Enforcers in their usual bobble-headed attire. A few floodlights highlighted the guards, their shadows morphing into elongated aliens.

  The men pressed themselves against the large trunks of the forest trees, and Angela did the same, sticking next to Cam. Sebastian and Ginge remained close by.

  Alfred moved up to Angela. “You four. You follow us. Stay close and don’t get involved. This is for the adults now.”

  Angela opened her mouth to argue, then realised she didn’t really want to get involved in a shootout, so she stayed silent. Ginge shot him a glare.

  Alfred whistled and the men lurched onward. He’d picked a clever time to attack: waiting until the guards had their backs to the forest. Swift like cats, the men knocked the guards to the ground and pulled away the helmets. Angela and the others moved nearer to watch them work.

  “Take their Plan-Its,” Alfred instructed.

  The men pocketed the tiny rectangles of plastic the GEM used to communicate.

  “Onward,” Alfred commanded, waving them on.

  34 ~ Daniel ~

  Daniel paced the basement. He clenched and unclenched his fists, thinking of Mina and the haunted look in her eyes. How could one person go from psychotic and evil to vulnerable and grief-stricken in just a few hours? He didn’t know what to feel anymore.

  “Pack it in.” Ali seized his shoulders and forced him still.

  “Why?”

  “Because yer making everyone nervous, an’ nervous people make bad decisions.”

  Daniel raked his fingers through his hair. “Why aren’t we doing anything?”

  “Because ye lass needs time with her dad. Listen to me, Daniel. That man is going to die, and she needs to be by his side.”

  “No,” Daniel’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “But I need to––”

  “Ye need te give them time te talk.”

  “What if I never get to say goodbye?” he said. “He’s a… a dad to me.” Daniel sniffed and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, suddenly aware of every single person in the basement.

  “She needs it more than you, lad,” Ali said, his brown eyes softening.

  Of course she did.

  Someone made a scoffing noise, and Daniel saw Luce lounging in one of the chairs nearby. “It’s all about her, isn’t it? What she wants and needs. I don’t understand it. She’s a bad person. She went psycho and tried to kill you all. Yet you still defend her. What’s the matter with you people? How long are you going to let her trample all over you?”

  Just as Daniel was about to open his mouth, a furious Elena spoke up. “Have you any idea what’s happened to that girl? She grew up thinking her mother was in the Resistance. She even thought she’d died. She idolised the memory of her; thought about her every time she went to sleep. Flash forward ten years and the same woman comes back from the dead. She’s got a second chance. But that second chance comes with a side-effect – an evil ‘I’m going to get you hooked on drugs, turn you against everyone, and use you as a weapon’ side-effect. I don’t know who you are, Blondie, but you don’t know shit about that girl in there.” Elena’s voice quietened. “And now she has to watch her father die, knowing she killed him.”

  The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. Kitty appeared by Daniel’s side and put an arm around his shoulder. “She’ll get through this.”

  “What if she doesn’t?” he said.

  Dale entered, oblivious to the tension. “Elena’s filled me in on the details from the Ministry and it isn’t good. I need Daniel and Luce.”

  “Why?” Daniel asked. He didn’t really care what Dale wanted. Not now.

  “I need to send a broadcast to the Areas. Word from K is that the Ble
mished are moving South. They saw you and Luce save the girl in the rubble, and it inspired an uprising. K wants your help to gather our own army.”

  “You’re recruiting the Blemished from the Areas?” said Daniel.

  Dale nodded. “There are plenty of able-bodied fighters out there.”

  Daniel had a bad taste in his mouth. They weren’t soldiers. He’d worked with many Blemished men in Area 14, and he’d never thought of them as fighters.

  “What’s the intel on Murgatroyd’s army?” Ali asked.

  “Tens of thousands,” Elena answered. “They’re cloned teenagers with modified bodies to make them stronger. They share the same consciousness and work together as one. Think of them a little bit like ants who know what to do – just not why they do it. They rely on pheromones to work together. Murgatroyd is the leader. The clones identify her by smell. These soldiers have no concept of death. I don’t think they’re even human, not like you or me. They don’t think for themselves, they just follow orders. They’d die for their leader.”

  “That’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard,” Kitty said.

  “Don’t you track by taste?” asked Elena.

  “I don’t mean the smell thing, I mean the theory behind it. It’s just… evil.”

  “Yeah well, the Ministry don’t half like their experiments,” Elena said. “And their weapons.”

  “I’ll do it,” Daniel said. “Whatever it takes to win the fight. We can’t live under the GEM anymore. They need taking down.”

  “I’ll do it too,” Luce said. She tried to catch his eye but he turned away. Her words about Mina still stung.

  “An’ I’m going te contact Mary in the Compound. There’s not many of us left, but we can still help.”

  “Thank you, Ali. Thank you everyone,” Dale said, with complete sincerity. “Your efforts will not go unrewarded.”

  *

  Daniel stood with Luce against the cold wall and repeated his memorised plea to arms. Dale filmed it with a webcam, and used his hacking skills to broadcast the message to the screens throughout the Country. He thought of Angela as he repeated the speech. She seemed a million miles away, stuck in Area 14. He just hoped she’d made it to Theresa and found safety. He hoped the nursing home looked after them both. He couldn’t cope with the idea of losing both the Professor and Angela. Fear gripped him with cold fingers. He would be alone.

  And if he went to Angela now he’d desert the cause. Without the uprising there’d be no war and no way to tear down the Ministry. He knew what the GEM would do if they survived – round up the Blemished like cattle. He had to fight for his future. He had to fight for everyone’s future.

  “Listen, Daniel,” Luce said as Dale packed away the camera. “I’m so sorry about what I said. After watching what Mina did… I admit it, I was angry. I tended to the Professor’s wounds and saw what she did to him. So I lost it for a moment. I know this isn’t her fault – or your fault – or anyone’s fault, really. It’s just all the circumstances building up. Sometimes I find myself losing faith.” She shuffled her feet awkwardly, and stared away from Daniel. “I lashed out. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Daniel replied. She seemed so upset that he placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “I felt like that too, when I saw it happen. The way she attacked everyone in that room… it was horrible.”

  “You deserve better.” Luce stepped towards him. Her large, oval shaped eyes shone out from the darkness of the basement – wet and glassy with emotion. She lurched forward, and before Daniel could stop her, she kissed him clumsily on the mouth – her teeth bumping his.

  Daniel took a pace back and pushed her away. “Woah… I…. um…”

  Luce wrapped her arms around her body, and her face paled. “It’s okay. I get it.” She disappeared around the corner.

  Dale cleared his throat and Daniel started. He’d forgotten all about Dale. “I kinda need the microphone back.”

  He pulled the tiny piece of plastic from around his ear and handed it over.

  “Good thing it wasn’t on,” Dale said.

  “I need air.” Daniel walked away from Dale and back towards the main basement, avoiding eye contact with anyone. He didn’t dare look at Luce, and instead concentrated on the stairs ahead.

  “Daniel wait.” Elena jogged over to him.

  He paused on the first step, wondering if he should just keep going.

  “I have something for you,” she said. “I wanted to give it to Mina first, but she’s in a bad way right now. I think you deserve to know.” She handed him a small notebook with a blue leather cover.

  Daniel read the title page The Gestalt Project. “What is this?”

  “Read it.”

  He took the steps two at a time, and hurried into the empty congregation hall of the church. Trying to avoid staring at the altar, he took a space on one of the pews and stared down at the notebook in his hands. The hard wood reminded him of visits to church with his mother. He tried to shake the memories, and instead opened the first page…

  Anna Hart – Notations:

  Today I start my work on the Gestalt Project. I take over from where Derek Murgatroyd left off. I shall keep his notes in a separate file. Considering that he never took the project to the first step – it’s all mainly theory.

  Daniel struggled with the first few lines. What did Gestalt mean? He recognised the name Derek Murgatroyd – Mrs Murgatroyd’s husband. But he tripped over the other words. His lips mouthed the letters. Some didn’t even make sense. Why hadn’t he learnt to read properly? Why hadn’t he made the Prof sit him down and teach him this stuff? Hot tears filled his eyes and he threw the book to the floor. The sound echoed around the hall.

  “Can I help?”

  Daniel hastily wiped away his tears and saw the priest smiling down at him. Why did the guy always have to look so kind and calm?

  “No,” said Daniel.

  The priest couldn’t take a hint. He sat down next to him. “You don’t like me very much, do you?”

  Daniel stared straight ahead, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of admitting it.

  Without saying anything else, the priest leaned down to pick up the notebook and started reading:

  “Using Derek Murgatroyd’s theories, I propose to create a Gestalt being from the five senses. Each sense shall be heightened to a ‘super human’ degree. Together, they shall make the greatest weapon the world has ever known. Apart, they are incredible human beings in their own right.

  In order to do this I have decided on a leftfield approach. I’ve decided to add my own child to the experiment. This is the beginning of the new world – the new generation – and it feels right.”

  35 ~ Mina ~

  I wiped away tears with one hand and wiped blood away from Dad’s face with the other. He drifted in and out of consciousness.

  I’d begged Luce to take him to a hospital, but it was too late. He’d lost too much blood from the stomach wound, and broken too many bones from the crashing furniture in my terrible tornado. Even if we went to a hospital they’d arrest and execute us all… It just wasn’t fair or right. Another sob wracked my body and my hands shook as I washed the cuts on his face. What had I done?

  They gave him painkillers to ease the pain before he…

  I dropped the cold flannel and covered my face. I couldn’t even clean his wounds. I was such a mess.

  “Mina,” he said.

  “Shh, rest. Rest now.” I wiped away my tears and tried to clear my throat. I needed to pull myself together and face what I’d done.

  “No,” he croaked. “There are things that I need to say. Your mother is not what she seems.”

  “I know,” I said. “I didn’t see it. I’m such an idiot.”

  He reached out and took my hand in his. “No, you aren’t. And you’re not the first person she’s tricked.” He wheezed between sentences. “Let me tell you, Mina. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.”

  “Shh, Dad, you n
eed to rest.” I was terrified that the effort of each word took seconds from the time he had left. I just wanted to slow time down, to keep him with me forever.

  “No, I need to tell you,” he said. “You need to know. At first I kept it from you for your safety. Then you met the others, and I needed to break it to you all, gently. I just didn’t know when to do it.”

  His hand closed over mine, squeezing it tight, and I worried that arguing took him closer to death, and away from me. So I nodded.

  “I did meet Anna at Leeds University. That part is true. I was a doctorate student there, but it wasn’t history I taught. It was biology. Your mother wasn’t a history student – she studied genetics and she was very bright – gifted in fact. You remind me of her in some ways. Not a lot. You’re not ambitious like she is. Nor are you arrogant and cocky. There is a sense of curiosity that you both share––”

  “I’m nothing like her.”

  “You don’t want to be because of what’s happened, that’s to be expected. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. As long as we are human, there is always something to redeem. Something to save. Your mother is no different, Mina.

  “We became serious very quickly. It’s safe to say that I never loved anyone as much as your mother – or at least I didn’t until you came along. The funny thing is that we never married. With the Fracture going on we just didn’t see the point. Anna changed her name, I don’t remember when. We never had a ceremony though. You never met your grandparents because they died very young. You know we don’t have a large extended family. There was no point. Matthew was still young then, headstrong and angry at the Ministry. He didn’t agree with Anna’s views so we didn’t spend much time with him.