We clung to each other for what seemed like minutes, our glowing bodies intertwined with each other. Finally, Drake shouted over the speakers once more.
"We're clear! Get ready to receive Young and Jones!"
I dug my claws deeper into the floor as the vectorjet tilted backwards sharply and began speeding up.
The rear doors opened, and the loud roar of rushing air filled the cargo bay. Claire and Nikki, both still in their Beastforms, tumbled inside.
"They're in!" I screamed, unsure if Drake could hear me.
The cargo bay closed. Then, the vectorjet accelerated suddenly, with more force than any human could possibly stand. The whine of the jet's engines was deafening. I wondered briefly if Drake had melded or not before all seven of us tumbled backwards, landing against the closed cargo bay doors.
After a minute, the engines quieted down and we continued on a steady, smooth flight.
"Can we unmeld?" Nikki asked.
"Not a good idea," Julie said, "until we get the all clear."
We waited. Drake's voice finally crackled over the speaker. "We're deep in friendly skies. We should be safe for now." He made a strange sound. "We lost the Academy."
Nikki unmelded first. She ran over to a display, similar to a command console, but larger, embedded into the wall.
"Defense drone footage," Nikki said in somber tone that didn't suit her. A video appeared on the display. The rest of us unmelded and crowded around it.
We watched in horror as the tree-coated mountain tumbled inward. Dark clouds of dust and smoke into the sky.
"Mother," Stella whispered.
CHAPTER 12
The cargo bay was silent except for the light hum of the engines. A door opened, and Drake stepped inside. He glanced at the video of the crumbling mountain.
"How did you access the—nevermind." Drake slammed a fist into the wall. "Diggers, damn it. They never had diggers before. Until last time."
I put my hand on Stella's shoulder. "Some of them could have escaped."
The words felt hollow. It was my fault, at least partially, wasn't it?
Dustin, they're Mekanics. They want to kill us. That's not because of you. They must have already been on the way when they contacted you.
"Her mom was there?" Claire whispered. No one answered.
Stella stepped away and looked around, as if trying to run away somewhere, but the cargo bay was one large room. Only the small bathroom offered any privacy. She went to the other side of the cargo bay by herself, huddling with her back to the wall, her ferret tight in her embrace.
"How many dead," Julie said softly. "There must have been hundreds, at least."
"Isn't it unusual?" Mia asked. "Attacking this deep within friendly territory?"
Drake shook his head. "They've never had this capability before. We've relied on establishing a perimeter. If they can just bypass our defenses…"
They're adapting. It's what they do. We evolve. They adapt.
What else do they have?
If you can think of it, they can probably build it. If the Chimerics pulled out of the War, it's more than the ground troops. The Mekanics will be free to send more resources. They can establish a fast, simple supply chain without risking losses. Bring in the heavy artillery.
Dr. Hill had said our side was desperate. I hadn't fully appreciated that until this moment.
And now she was probably dead. I shivered as I realized what that meant.
If she really was dead, her program could be gone with her. And no one would be there to block Dr. Preston and his path forward.
Fuck. We were all screwed, one way or another.
Zoe walked over to Stella and sat down in front of her. It's always been an uphill battle. We need to regroup, build on what we do have.
I joined Zoe. None of the others seemed to know about the connection between Dr. Hill and Stella.
"Stella," I said. "We're here for you. I…I'm sorry."
Stella didn't move. Her face was buried between her arms, and I couldn't hear any response over the rumble of the vectorjet.
Zoe lent me her more sensitive ears, sharing what only she could hear: the sound of someone quietly sobbing.
***
It was evening, now. Drake was back in the cockpit, trying to find out more about what had happened back at the Academy. We had eaten rations for dinner, standard military fare, and were now lounging about the cargo bay. Stella seemed mostly back to normal, although she still sat by herself.
"Where do you think we're going?" Claire asked.
"Isn't there another military base a few hours to the west?" Mia asked.
"What if they hit that, too?" I asked.
"Then, we've lost," Julie said. "If they can attack us that deep inside the Union, the War's over."
"But they haven't." Stella shifted so we could hear her. "Not yet. They may not have the resources for anything other than a surgical strike."
"Why did they attack the Academy, though?" Claire asked.
Shit, what am I supposed to say?
The truth? They're your squadmates. They deserve to know.
Dr. Hill said it's classified.
Dr. Hill may be dead.
Zoe had a point. But I couldn't just tell them everything…
"What did Dr. Preston want?" Kayla asked me quietly.
The others looked on, waiting for an answer.
"He…he wants to use me. Me and Zoe. Drain our life force to make new Beastmasters, or something like that." I waved my hands, trying to make it sound as vague as possible.
"We can make new Beastmasters?" Julie asked. "But why would we need to do that? Everyone already wants to be one."
They don't know about the Chimerics stopping the ships.
Oh right. Shit. This was opening a can of classified worms. It was too late to back out, now.
"I'm not supposed to say any of this," I said, taking a deep breath. "No more Chimerics are coming."
"What?" Julie cried out.
"What does he mean?" Nikki asked.
Mia stared at me. "Is that why…" She broke off.
"Dr. Preston had one way to make Beastmasters. Or the closest thing we can." I swallowed, glancing at Stella. She didn't seem surprised at anything I had said. "Dr. Hill had…other plans."
Nikki crawled to my side, giving me a hug. "Oh, you poor thing. They wanted to take your life force?"
"But why you?" Julie asked. "Why not the rest of us?"
Zoe? What am I supposed to tell them?
The cat's already out of the bag, as they say. Might as well. Enough people know already.
I nodded. "Zoe…is different. She's a special kind of Chimeric." I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell them everything right off the bat, though. "She has different genetics or something. It's complicated."
"Zoe, you a special cat?" Nikki cooed and scratched Zoe's chin.
Julie shrugged. "Doesn't look that special to me. But that's ridiculous. Draining your life force?"
"Yeah," Claire said. "I don't like Dr. Preston."
"Me, neither," Nikki said.
"Sacrifice is a part of war," Mia said. The others looked at her in surprise. "What if it's necessary?"
"Draining his life force?" Kayla asked. "Bullshit."
I shook my head. "Mia's right. But there's more." I looked at Zoe. "Dr. Preston worked with both Cody and Staccato. We've seen how that turned out. It's not so…simple. What he's proposing—what if it makes things worse?"
Before anyone could reply, Drake burst into the cargo bay.
"We're landing in ten minutes," he said.
"Where?" I asked.
"We'll still be in the mountains, further south."
"We're not going to another base?" Julie asked.
Drake shook his head. "It's chaos right now, and our network's compromised. We'll camp out and see how things develop."
"Camping? Sounds fun!" Nikki said. "We can sleep under the stars—"