Marie Harte: The Perfect Creation

“What the fuck?” He heard Catam shout through his headset, guns roaring in the background. Catam and the others now stood somewhere in this chaos.

More guards poured into the lab, the sight of so much firepower against the giant, Erin and Anin almost comical. The giant had to be Erin’s brother. And as Ryen continued to mow down his opponents, seemingly oblivious to his many wounds, Rafe thought Blue Rim’s precautions justified.

“Erin, look out,” he shouted as a guard tried to shove a knife between her ribs. What the hell happened to protecting their valuable commodity?

“Not her, you fool!” Canunn screeched, and everyone seemed to turn to watch Erin deflect her attacker. She twisted his wrist and shoved the blade back through the guard’s throat in a movement filled with surprising grace.

The dead guard slumped to the ground just as Erin reached Anin. She yanked her sister back, tumbling them both to the floor. While they wrestled with more guards, the Fas brothers raced down a set of stairs from the landing above and joined Erin and Anin just as Rafe reached them.

“ Rafe .” Erin smiled, and despite the bruises and blood on her face, her hair all askew, Rafe thought she’d never looked more beautiful. “I missed you.”

“You’re trouble, you know that?” He dragged her from the tangle of arms and legs on the ground while the Fas brothers helped Anin. Unable to stop himself, Rafe hugged her tight, needing to feel her safe and healthy in his arms. Flor, but she felt good.

“Rafe, love her later. We need to go,” Drekk shouted as he shot at several guards coming at them.

“About time you showed up.” Erin kissed Rafe on the cheek, grinned at Drekk, and looked for her sister, only to see her gone. “Anin!”

“Don’t worry, Erin. The Fas brothers took her. Look.” Drekk pointed to the Raggas racing for the eastern exit. Nu had Anin over his shoulder while Set cleared a path. “Let’s follow them—” A blast took the three of them off their feet.

A moment later, Drekk groaned. “Shit. Stun grenade.” Erin shook her head and wobbled on her feet with Drekk while Rafe regained his feet and his focus. He turned to see Ryen rip the arm off a guard readying to throw another grenade. Like lightning, Erin’s brother took on a half dozen guards and shook them off of him as easily as a threll shaking off water. He ignored any hits he suffered, and as he took another step towards Erin, Rafe wondered if they’d have to put him down after they escaped this hell hole. Because as Flor was his witness, Rafe had never seen a man so ready and so capable of destroying the life around him. Ryen’s dark grin didn’t help matters. He seemed to be enjoying the carnage.

“Ryen, come on,” Erin yelled. “We have to go. Anin’s gone.” The giant’s satisfied grin faded, and Rafe felt a press of menace push through him, if that were possible.

Drekk yelled. “She’s safe, Ryen. If you want to see her, follow me.” Ryen glared at Drekk, but as he stared, an odd look passed between the two. Drekk turned to Erin. “Which way is out?”

“Follow me.” Erin shoved the crumpled guards out of her way and turned to a barred door covered with steel rods. She looked hurriedly for the control on the wall panel by the door. Ryen, however, simply walked over to the metal bars and pulled. His muscles bunched and flexed, like steel cords covered with blood, as he ripped the bars apart and kicked the door open.

“Nice,” Erin said with a grin.

Ryen grunted and they moved out, but not before the giant took a hit to his back that nearly knocked Rafe and Drekk down with him.

“Go,” he muttered. “Get Erin to safety. Find Anin.”

“Keep moving,” Drekk ordered Rafe over the pressing gunfire. “I’ll take him out with me.”

“You can’t—”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Rafe cursed but followed Erin, firing to his left and right as they tore down another corridor. “You do know where you’re going, right?” If only the lab wasn’t guarded against teleporters. They could have been out of here by now. He glanced behind him and saw no hint of Drekk or Ryen. Shit.

“That door,” Erin called over her shoulder, pointing straight ahead. Before they reached it, a scrawny, naked male stepped out from a hidden passageway adjacent to them, pointing a handheld laser directly at Erin’s chest.

“Hold. You’re not going anywhere, you bitch.”

“Synster—”

Rafe saw red. Without pausing to consider his actions, he shoved the laser away a second before Synster fired, hitting the wall instead of Erin. The blast mark would have put a hole through her heart, and Rafe reacted predictably.

Breaking Synster’s neck wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it should have been, but they were pressed for time. Tossing the piece of filth away, Rafe hurried Erin towards the exit just within reach. He felt a sharp sting in his side as he shoved Erin out of the oppressive labs into the bright, crisp sunny day.

“Where to now?” she asked.

“That way.” He pointed at two ships sitting side by side. Mara’s Light and Drekk’s weapons ship, The Found .

“ The Found ?” Erin asked as they ran unnaturally fast through the open clearing at the ships and the Fas brothers, though he didn’t see Anin.

“Don’t ask.” Pain burned as Rafe ran, and he found it more and more difficult to breathe. They reached the ships just as Drekk and the giant suddenly appeared before Mara’s Light . Apparently, Blue Rim’s anti-teleporation protection only extended to artificial means of transport. Well, at least Erin had her brother back. Rafe glanced around. And her sister as well. Anin huddled on the ground between the Fas brothers. Rafe could hear them talking softly, telling her not to be afraid.

Ryen groaned and regained his feet with Drekk’s help, but when he spotted Anin looking terrified, he let out a roar of rage and charged Nu and Set.

Nu turned as Set stepped in front of Anin to protect her from the oncoming threat. Erin, of course, had to join the fray, and she left Rafe’s side to try to intercept her brother.

“Ryen, they’re protecting her,” she shouted. “Look.” Ryen reached Nu and tossed him aside. Stunned, Rafe stared, having never seen anyone defeat the Fas brothers so easily. They were Ragga and stood heads above most men.

Yet Ryen topped them both , and despite his injuries, he looked mad enough, and mean enough, to kill.

“Don’t Ryen,” Anin said softly, surprising everyone. She stood shakily and wouldn’t let anyone touch her, but she lifted a hand, her palm out. “These men saved my life. We owe them our thanks.”

Ryen stopped, glaring at Set. Erin grabbed his arm as well, as if to hold him back. The anger seemed to leave him, however. Rafe wondered if he’d ceased his threats because he finally noticed how protectively Set stood in front of Anin, or because Erin really was as strong as she looked. The thought made him grin. And then he laughed, feeling a bit dopey about the entire situation. He’d raced to her rescue only to watch her decimate her opponents. Pride warred with anger that she’d had to defend herself, but humour won out.

He chuckled, and when he saw Catam, Lurin and Mara racing out of the building to join them, he thought their expressions of irritation amusing as well.

“Listen up, everyone.” Drekk said in a loud, calming voice. “We need to get out of here so I can blow Blue Rim to hell. Not to mention the peacekeepers are on their way. Blue Rim called them the minute Mara’s Light began hassling them.”

“So we have what, a few minutes at most?” That was enough to kill Rafe’s mirth.