Evolutionize

Chapter X

                Faster. Faster. Run FASTER!  Lena’s leg muscles rippled with sweat and over-exertion. She ran, crashing through the forest as fast as she could. Her sensitive ears could detect her hunter, large, clumsy and undeniably fatal play buddy. She didn’t know exactly what it was but she didn’t want to find out. She could feel the vibrations of its hooves, grinding the already trampled plants to a gooey mess, its heavy breathing, snorting like a pig, and its gnashing teeth, as the monster opened and closed his mouth, panting heavily. Its teeth slid against each other with a sound like nails on a blackboard.

Lena flinched at the noise. She had been living like this for a week at least. Her mutations had increased to a tail, retractable claws and for a short time, whiskers. But they tickled so she cut them off and they hadn’t grown back. The dense, humid rainforest seemed interminable, although she new she was probably being watched on all sides by power-driven excuses for scientists.

Fire spat out behind her, singeing the soft black hair on the tip of her tail and torching the leafy foliage behind her, giving her a clear view of her monster.

She hissed involuntarily at the ugly mutated beast and scrambled up nearby tree, digging her claws in the bark.

The monster barreled past her with a grunt and scrambled to an ungainly stop by slamming its brutish body into a hidden rock wall before squealing like a stuck pig and righting itself with difficulty.

Lena crept slowly down the tree, and slipped unnoticed into the undergrowth, her heart racing with diminishing fear and increasing alacrity, proud of herself, just for surviving another round.

~

“Wake up, asshole.” Will’s cheek stung as Lillian slapped him briskly, out of oblivion. She pulled on a tank top over her sports bra, singed from multiple fires already. Will blinked, blushing faintly at being woken with such an image. Lillian obviously could care less; she threw on her matte leather jacket and glared at Will’s wandering eyes.

“We’re late for breakfast.” She said, tossing clothes at Will’s face and jogging out of the tent without a backwards glance.

Will struggled to his feet and watched Lillian disappear behind the row of tents.

~

Lillian was surprised to see James take charge of breakfast. He slammed his clenched fist down the makeshift table as he got his breakfast from the small pot sitting next to the fire.

“Alright, slackers!” he shouted, calling everyone’s attention. The teens looked up from their quiet chatter with mild astonishment at the tall technician. “This is where we are right now-” he pointed to a flashing red dot on his GPS screen. “And this-” he pointed to similar black dot “is the main Evolutionist research facility. The whole thing is about 24 square acres. So, basically; it’s gigantic. We’ll infiltrate it exactly 3 hours from now, get ready. We need to advance a.s.a.p.”

Will joined the onlookers with an annoyed expression. He pushed James aside with a glare to usurp any dictator, “This is the battle plan,” he said passing out papers to the agents around the campfire. “But first, I need to see who specializes in what?”

Lillian spoke up, “Tracking.”

Will looked at her, his expression ineffable. Then he nodded and jotted down something in his notebook.

By the end, the list in his book looked like this-

Lillian: Tracking

Will: Tracking

Corey: Weaponry

Lena: Medicine

Daisy: Combat

Lucas: Combat

Momo: Technician

James: Technician

Noelle: Weaponry

Seth: Medicine

Sera: Stealth

“Okay then.” Will said, looking up from his notebook. “Let’s do this.”

~

“For the thousandth time, Lillian, you simply cannot wear a purple leather uniform. a; we don’t have purple leather uniforms. B; it’s not camouflage and c; it’s just gaudy!” Sera sighed. “Just hold still will you?”

“Never!” Lillian said, dodging the makeup brush when someone randomly grabbed her from behind, wrapping lightly freckled muscled arms around her waist and pinning her to the chair. The girl looked up in surprise, to find Will smirking down at her.

“Piss off!” She yelled, jabbing her heel into Will’s groin. He loosened his grip and groaned, bucking down and making no effort to to restrain his cursing. Lillian smiled delightedly at Sera, like a child that had earned a candy. She stayed still after that.