BIRTHRIGHT Book One: The First Key

Chapter 24

Marines flood the corridors like ants pouring out from a hive. From the General's office to the Demolitions room and down toward the barracks, their formation stops briefly at each doorway as a solider is left to guard every possible room.

Making his way toward the helipad, Isaac hears the sound of boots behind him before the soldiers round the corner.

Too late. He's been spotted.

"Great." Isaac mutters under his breath as he catches the eye of the captain leading at least a dozen troops his way. He ducks into a doorway casually as the sound of marching gets louder and louder.

But the Professor is already hiding there. The look of guilt on his bearded face turns to terror in an instant as Isaac stares him down.

For a brief moment, he enjoys the fear he can instill in these humans. His life now really is a world away from the man he was on Zek'Hasa. Back home his only desire was to engender comfort and calm in the children he would tend to. In some, small way, to bring to an injured child the warmth that his foster father could. And now, when the war-torn children back home are worse off than ever, where is he? On some alien world. Hunting. Killing. Contradicting his oath to respect life in every way.

'But it's all for a greater good,' Isaac reminds himself 'What does life on this planet matter when I can save all of Zek'Hasa with but one death?'

At least, that's what Isaac has been telling himself since he interrogated the Protector and ripped the information from his unwilling mind.

'Tia's death.' he laments, trying to put it out of his mind as the sound of the soldiers boots gets closer. There are more pressing issues at the moment. Like escape.

The Professor's bulging eyes have yet to look away from Isaac. He won't even blink. He knows how fast Isaac can move and if there's going to be another fight, he's planning to be ready for it.

But Isaac just flashes a sad smile and pushes a button on his chrome glove. With a green pixelated shimmer, he disappears into the shadow of the doorframe. The Professor wears a look of complete shock, having just watched a man vanish into thin air.

And that's when the sound of marching finally stops.

"See ya later, Bow-tie." Isaac whispers.

Six marines converge on the doorway, wordlessly apprehending the beguiled Professor. As the Professor is dragged away, he continues to stare back at the doorway where Isaac disappeared with incredulity. Either unwilling to believe what he just saw, or unwilling to take his eyes off where he knows Isaac must be.

The marine wearing captain's bars looks the doorway up and down with scrutiny, wondering what had captivated their prisoner's attention. He looks Isaac directly in the eye.

But sees nothing but a doorway.

Finally satisfied that the Professor must be mad, the captain leaves a marine to guard the door and moves on.

Isaac's sad smile broadens into one of self-satisfaction.

Deep beneath the compound, Leo wades through clouds of dust, massed of tangled wires and twisted metal debris. His blue shield effortlessly protecting him from falling metallic tools, concrete boulders, metal rebar and even the smoke.

"Priest! I'm pinned!" Kala calls, unable to move, she's been trapped beneath the some of the fallen equipment from the operating room. "Get this human wreckage off my lap."

But Leo seems amused.

One of the pieces of debris is the round operating table from the cylindrical room. With an unconscious Alex still restrained to it. Leo has started to giggle as blue flame flies from his fingers. Instantly, the huge metal inhibitors bonding Alex to the table liquify and fall to the floor like water. By the time Alex slides off the table and collapses into Leo's arms, the giggle has become an uncontrollable belly laugh.