Bearing It All (Grizzly Affairs Book 1) (22 page)

“Wake up!” She ordered. “I knew those idiots gave you too much.” She mumbled as she turned from him to walk back to her desk. Her heels clicked annoyingly against the blood stained cement with every step she took.

“Answer me!” He shouted after her. “Where am I?”

Turning her wiry frame to face him, she smirked at him. She very much enjoyed having such a specimen at her mercy—and one with such rage as well.

“You are at my processing facility.” Turning back to her desk she plucked up a large syringe, eyeing it with unnatural eagerness. “Where we bring new test subjects for processing.”

“What does that mean?” he bit out, jerking experimentally on his chains.

Sighing as if she were annoyed, she turned to face him. “It means; you will be processed. I plan to get blood and tissue samples from you, plus anything else useful that I can. After that you will be shipped to a different facility for further testing. Just like all the rest.”

“Like Aria? You kidnapped her off the street and kept her prisoner? Once I am free I plan on ripping your throat out with my teeth.” He hissed out with unrestrained rage. How could she speak about kidnapping people and experimenting on them like it was no big deal?

“Aria? You think I kidnapped Aria?” She snickered while approaching him with the empty syringe in hand. “Is that what she told you?”

“Yes and I will see you in the ground for what you did to her and countless others.” He threatened, jerking his bound hands in promise. Again she laughed at him.

“Here's a history lesson, animal.” Reaching up, she stabbed the syringe into the side of his neck, slowly drawing blood from his jugular vein. “Many years ago there was a military facility in the Thailand, where only the best soldiers were chosen to participate in an undercover assignment. It was there that multiple terrorist cells were regrouping and resurrecting for another chance to bring down the United States government. Unfortunately we didn't perceive that we had a mole within our undercover unit.” Withdrawing the needle, she returned to her desk. “A few days after arriving the unit and a small village that they were hiding amongst were attacked. Not by a gun or bomb; of course, but by chemical warfare. Some of the soldiers survived—for a few weeks after.”

“What's the point?”

“The point is; this new weapon—if used on the American people would have wiped out countless lives. The soldiers died because their bodies were not strong enough. That was when the government devised a plan, to discover a way to push forward the evolution of mankind. But as you can guess; test subjects were hard to come by.”

“So you kidnapped people.”

“Yes.” She replied, pointing a finger at him like a student that had given the correct answer. “The Secretary of Defense offered me unlimited funds, but he left the matter of test subjects to me. We took only people that would not be missed.”

“Like Aria?”

“You are like a dog with a bone—or should I say a bear with a bone. Here's the juicy truth; Aria volunteered.”

Doyle's eyes widened with disbelief. Aria worked for Malca? No, that couldn't be true. Her hatred for Malca ran too deep through her to work for Malca even unwillingly.

“Aria was a one of my soldiers and the best blood thirsty female that you will ever meet. She would help lure in new subjects and bring them to me.”

“Let’s just pretend I believe you. Why would she do that?”

“Because of Tyler; her brother, he led the Thailand undercover mission and was one of the casualties. Filled with so much delicious anger she offered to test out anything that I could come up with. Anything that would give her the strength needed to avenge her beloved brother.” Malca smiled as her mind was caught in a memory. “She was able to push her body further than anyone I met; she could fight against a troupe of soldiers with little difficulty.”

“What went wrong?”

“There were setbacks. The serum wore off eventually and she returned back to an average soldier. After we developed a new drug there were side-effects as well. Subjects suffered from neural overload, memory loss and death. Aria was the first to survive and it made her perfect, but she suffered tremendous memory loss and fought us countless times.”

“So you locked her up and treated her like an animal?” His hissed out. 

“In the name science—yes, however she escaped before we could test the effects of the new drug.” Stepping towards him she narrowed her eyes at him curiously. “Tell me; what did you witness from her? Has she demonstrated any abilities and strengths?”

Glancing away, Doyle held onto his poker face like a lifeline. Giving nothing away that would enable this heartless creature to bury her claws deeper into Aria. Malca clicked her tongue at his silence.

“Don't worry about answering. I'll be finding out first hand anyway. Soon she'll be here right next to you.”

The chains around his wrist tightened as he jerked to free himself. As soon as he was back to his full strength back he planned to render this woman into a pile of bloody ribbons. “I'll kill you if you lay a hand on her.” He growled out menacing.  

Malca laughed low in the back of her throat. “You won't be the last one to say that,” pausing, she held up a finger. “Just for information sake, Aria is not her name. It's Arianna Koski.”

Snapping her latex gloves off her hands she tossed them onto the desk. Pulling her cell phone out, her bony fingers struck a few keys before returning it to her lab coat pocket. Not a moment later, the heavy steel door swung open as two males in lab coats entered the room, one of them carrying an interment tray with them. The tray held an assortment of sharp and deadly looking tools.

“What's this?” He scoffed. “You're going to torture me now?”

Mockingly Malca shook her head in denial. “Of course not; I've already taken what samples I can from you. However these two—” She pointed to the cold looking men, “—are here to finish the job.”

“I'll never tell you were Aria is, so you can forget it.”

Smirking, she moved closer to his bound form, her heels slowly clicking against the floor with every step. Her cold eyes looked up at him as her thin lips quirked upward. “I don't need your help to find her. I will find her with or without your help. Despite what you did to her tracking cuffs.” She said with a knowing look.

Doyle's upper lip curled with smug humor. While Aria had been unconscious he'd made the decision not to chance that Malca could track her. After cutting them off her he had given orders to the pack's metal worker to melt them down and dispose of them. Malca wouldn't be able to get to Aria without help from him and not matter what they did, he wouldn't tell them anything.

“Begin.” Malca stated dispassionately. While one doctor approached him with a collection of open vials another approached with a surgical knife. “Wait.” She lifted a hand, forestalling the two butchers. “He looks too comfortable with the way he’s tied up. I think he needs to understand who hold’s his cards now.”

“What would you like to do about it?” The doctor holding the sample vials asked as he turned to look at her with a grin.

“Unchain him.”

“Dr. Malca, we don't know how long it will be until he's back at full strength.”  The second one stated with a worried look. “He could attack us in the process. He needs to be restrained.”

“And he will.” She hissed out, glaring at the questioning doctor. “Use the meat hooks.”

“Doctor?”

“The meat hooks. Hang him from them.” She replied, pointing at the extra meat hooks that hung from the ceiling.

“The chains aren't that long.” The second argued. Glancing past the two doctors, Doyle's lips thinned as he met her cold look.

“Don't use the chains.” She said with a tilt of her head, “Once you obtain the samples I need, do it. Use the hooks.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned her attention to Doyle as he held his face impassive. “If you're a screamer, please don't disappoint me. After all, we need to make sure Arianna knows where you are.” Lowering herself down into a chair by the desk, smoothly crossing one leg over the other she waved dismissively at the waiting doctors.

“Proceed.”

“Keep up.” Raoul grumbled as Aria ran a few paces behind him.

“Do me a favor,” she huffed out. “Shut up.”

Glaring at his back she resisted the urge to kick the man sprinting in front of her with an abundance of self-satisfaction. They'd been on foot for nearly a full day. After escaping in the dead of the night from the pack's compound Raoul had made it his mission to make her legs fall off from overuse. She was so tired that she could really use a five minute break—hell, she could use a five hour nap. She would rest later. She needed to get to Doyle. He'd been in Malca's clutches for three days already and there was no telling what had been done to him since.

“How much further?”

“Nearly there.” He answered with evident irritation. Every now and then she'd see him reach up to cup at his collar bone with a painful inhale. Coming to a stop, she leaned her back against the rough bark of a tree as Raoul seemed to be looking for something above and all around them.

“What happened to you?” Out of breath, she pointed at his ripped, blood stained shirt. Turning his mistrusting eyes on her, he reached up to rub at the sore area above his heart.

“I got shot.” He answered stonily.

“Did your brother do it?”

“I don't even know if he actually is my brother. Thomas and I are clone soldiers—that's why we look identical.” Crossing to stand beside her, he let out a pent up sigh. “I just wanted to deliver you to Malca and receive my freedom, but Tom wanted to play out some sick game of cat and mouse with you. When I stood in the way of him doing that—he shot me. I only survived because I was wearing some prototype body armor underneath. Since the body armor wasn't properly tested yet, it only managed to slow the bullet down. Luckily it hit my upper chest instead of my heart. After Thomas took off, I dug the bullet out and came after you before he could.”

“So you aren't on Malca's side?”

“I’m not on your side either. I'm on my side. Our deal is that I get you to where I think Malca is and go after Thomas. I won't rest until he is six feet under. After that—I'm a ghost.” Shrugging his shoulders he turned away.

“You could help me.” Aria offered.

“I thought I was.”

“Help me to bring her down. Stop all of this.” Her arm swept out in a wide arch from her side.

Laughing, Raoul turned to look back at her with his arms folded across his chest. “Bring her down? Are you really so stupid to think that you could do anything to Malca? Malca is just the knight and you're the pawn on this chess board. To bring down Malca you would have to attack the figure head of this country, the very people she works for. Besides putting a gun to her head and blowing her brains out across her desk—there's nothing you can do.”

Shoving her freezing hands into her pants pockets she took a slow step towards him. Looking squarely up at him, she whispered softly, “There are others like you and I; others that would fight against her. We could bring her down—but not without your help.”

“What actually do you think I could do?” He asked cynically.

“You're closer to her than anyone on this planet. You could get us her contacts. That has to be the first step to taking her down.”

“Us? Please tell me you're not referring to your big bear boyfriend. He doesn't stand a chance against Malca and her forces—and neither do you.” Moving forward again they began running once more. Running through the woods seemed all too familiar to her, like something from dreams long since past.

Keep up, little mermaid...
A soft male voice echoed in her head making it ache. What was that memory that kept coming back to her? Who did that comforting voice belong to? Part of her worried what it would mean for her present life if her past resurrected it's self. It seemed the closer she got to finding Malca the more diaphanous the fog of her memories was becoming.

Raoul slowed in front of her as the forest opened up onto a ghostly dirt road. Turning to the right Raoul continued running, causing Aria to follow suit. After running for a mile or so more, the road ended at a tall steel gate connected to a long chain linked fence that stretched along both sides. A sign; barely readable, was mounted on a twelve foot high post next to the gate. Most of the sign was erased by years of rust and neglect but Aria could only read the words
'Lumber Co.'

This was where the others had come to ambush Malca? Walking over to the pad lock on the gate, Raoul gripped the lock in hand before snapping it away like it was made of thin plastic instead of steel. Shoving the gate open, he walked ahead of her in slow steps. His eyes swept over the whole area with heavy suspicion. Following with soft steps, Aria could see what Robert had said about this place being abandoned. Towers of cut timber stood rotting and forgotten under blankets of snow.  Beyond several eight foot high mounds of uncut trees, Aria spied a tall warehouse a short distance from them. More than likely it was where all the wood was sent through for processing.

“Why are we here?” She whispered at Raoul's back as she glanced around. It was too quiet here. In this graveyard of a lumber she couldn't shake the eerie chill that hit her to her bones. Pointing toward the back of the warehouse, Raoul indicated to a less dense section of forest.

“A few miles through there is the facility that Malca uses as her processing lab.”

“In the middle of miles of forest land?”

“Think about it, if someone escaped there would be no one around to hear cries for help and plus no one can get very far on foot. You got lucky. No one else has ever escaped from Malca and survived.”

“Let’s get going then.” She urged, ready to rush forward. She found herself jerked to a halt when Raoul's hand shot out, gripping her upper arm. Squeezing her arm tightly, he pulled her back a few steps. Looking up at him, she saw his square jaw tightening with suspicion. Something was wrong.

“What is it?” Slowly looking around the wide open space around them, she saw nothing. Whatever Raoul was sensing—she couldn't.

“We are not alone.” He whispered in warning. Releasing her arm, he took a step forward. With his head lifted high he drew in a deep inhale, similar to what she'd seen Doyle do when picking up a scent. Was Raoul a shifter? Taking a cautious step back to her side, never taking his eyes off the quiet area before them he held out a hand to her.

“Give me your blade.” He ordered with fiercely.

Covering a hand over the pocket against her thigh that held the concealed blade, she narrowed her eyes at him curiously. “How did you know I had a blade?”

“Just give it to me.” He snarled out. When she made no move to trust him with a weapon he urged harshly, “Hurry.”

Not seeing much of a choice, she pulled the knife and sheath from the pocket and laid it in his open palm. Closing his fingers around the blade, he pulled it closer to his body. Pulling the blade from its sheath he tucked the sheath away against the waist band of his pants. Gripping the hard handle of the blade tightly, he turned his attention back to her.

“Alright; now, you need to listen to what I say and do whatever I tell you without question. Got it?” Nodding, she looked back with a hard look nearly equal to his tense expression. Nodding as well, he turned his eyes away. “Malca must have left someone behind in case you came this way. They more than likely are under orders to bring you back alive, same as I was. But that doesn't mean that they won't attack you in the process. Be prepared to use that gun you’ve got hidden when the time comes. If I tell you to go, I want you to leave me and go after Malca on your own. If you are captured your boyfriend's life is worthless. You cannot allow yourself to be taken, got it?”

“I got it. I'll do what I have to.”

He nodded in satisfaction at her reply. “Good. I'm going to step out first. Don't move unless I tell you to. If we're lucky they won't know you're here with me yet and we'll know how many are here exactly.”

Concealing the blade against the side of his leg, Raoul stepped out into the open. There were no towers of cut timber to hide him from view anymore. Nothing happened. Slowly he continued to walk into the open until he stood parallel with the mouth of the warehouse. Out of the stillness, the sound of clapping hands faintly echoed around them.

Striding from out the shadows of the warehouse, stepped a figure clapping his hands mockingly at Raoul. As he stepped outside into the mid-day light, Aria could see from her concealed position that he looked identical to Raoul. The only difference she could tell was a dark shadow of cruelty in his eyes while Raoul's were unreadable and silent.

“Well done, brother.” Letting his clapping hands fall to his sides, Thomas smirked across the space at Raoul. “It's not every day a man rises from the dead.”

“It is if an idiot can't do the job correctly the first time.” Though Thomas's cruel smile never faltered, his eyes held a boiling rage at Raoul's taunting words.

“Well since you're here, why don't we rectify that?”

“Tell the others to come out and I'll kill just you.” Raoul ordered with a point of his sharp blade.

Holding up his hands in false innocence, Thomas looked around him. “Do you see anyone else here? I'm on my own. But I'm sure I can kill you without any help and this time—I'll make sure you stay dead.

Not looking away from his deadly twin, Raoul flicked the handle of his knife toward Aria's hidden position in a silent signal meant for her. If they were the only ones here, he could buy her enough time to slip away while he killed Thomas. They were running out of time. No one ever knew where Malca's home base was, not even her trusted soldiers did. They had a small window to catch her and if Aria thought she could bring Malca down, he would do what he could to give her a chance.

* ~ * ~ *

Palming the small handgun, Aria rose from her crouching position. Without a sound she made her way around the large towers of snow covered timber, making sure to keep low as she moved. After a minute she heard rushing feet across the snow just a few meters away as the two twins locked together in a fight to the death. Glancing around the edge of the shielding timber she watched as Raoul purposely drove Thomas back into the dark warehouse as he slashed out with his blade. Knowing she'd move quicker without holding onto her weapon, quickly she placed it back in its place, against the waist band of her pants. Bolting from her concealed spot she ran on silent feet along the side of the warehouse.

Rushing for the tree line, she was barely past the warehouse when she was suddenly struck from the side before she could react. The iron like punch to her face sent her spiraling into the snow with surprise. A dark shadow overcast her as her attacker drew near. Above her stood a smirking soldier dressed in dark camouflage. He flexed his hand a few times while licking his lip mockingly.

Touching her bruised lip, her fingers came away smeared with blood. The slight of it seemed to make something click within her mind. An instinct deep within her began to resurface. A small grin curved along her lips as she slowly rose to her feet. This guy wanted a fight? She’d give him a fight.

“Want me to kiss it better?” His rough voice teased as he pointed at her bloodied lip. Spitting out some blood that began to leak between her lips, Aria shoved at the few stray hairs that had escaped from her braid.

“Why don't you come over here and try?” She said, challengingly.

Smirking back at her the soldier tilted his head at her challenge. Reaching behind him, he withdrew a thin rod. With a flick through the air the rod lengthened. Pressing the button on the hilt, the soldier held up his weapon threateningly as sparks of electricity shot from the tip. Reassuring herself that her gun was tucked against her stomach, she waited as the cocky soldier approached.

Running at her, his thickly muscled arm swung towards her with the cattle prod in hand. Ducking under the sharp thrust of his weapon and spinning, she ducked under his arm before throwing a sharp kick to the back of his knee. With the satisfying sound of a bone snapping, the soldier fell to his knees with a low groan. However to her surprise the man slowly rose to his feet as the sound of a bone snapping back into place echoed through the air.

Turning around to face her, he rushed at her again. Stabbing the cattle prod towards her, Aria jerked to the side of each thrust his weapon made. Kicking off from the ground, she delivered a high kick across his face; causing him to stagger back as his head snapped back. Before he could react, she swung her fist upward, only to be surprised again at the force that she hit him with. Her punch caused his nose to shatter as his own dark blood spattered across his face.

Kicking the cattle prod out of his hand and out of reach, Aria watched as his eyes narrowed on her. With a yell of rage, he threw all his weight behind his fist before she had time to block it. Hitting her square in the chest, she was thrown off her feet, landing on her back. Hitting the snow covered ground so hard that the wind was knocked out of her.

Still stunned by his quick hit, she gasped as he straddled her, heavily pinning her to the cold ground. His heavy weight crushed her soft form with a bruising force. Wrapping both of his hands around her throat he squeezed the tender column with a crushing strength. Clawing at his thick wrists she drew from her power deep within.

“Let me go.” She gasped out as her air was cut off. Her fingernails claws at his strong hands with desperate effort.