Project Starfall (Completed)

Chapter 6

Over the course of the next two days Pierce trained the hybrids the best she could, not with the mission in mind, but escape. For the most part she had them focus on shooting and developing their hybrid abilities. When they had gone to the lab for testing, the scientists had taught each hybrid about their new skills, and Pierce was interested to see what they could do.

Of course she already knew the full extent of their abilities from the file, but it was still amazing to witness what they were capable of. Madigan could jump close to twelve feet in the air as a result of her tiger DNA. According to Knox and the file, the sandy-haired guy could detect vibrations when in water, along with the electrical fields of living things. Pierce had no idea how it worked, but was convinced it was true after making him find the other hybrids in the pool while blindfolded—Knox had quickly located each of them without running into anything. Pierce had been surprised when Grey had confided that he could sense vibrations like Knox, though was a little disappointed when he said nothing about his venom.

Even with the others' many talents, Elliot had impressed Pierce the most. The kid had a quiet stubbornness to him that she liked. After only four days he could fly impressively well, and Pierce had no doubt he would be able to take off from the ground soon. Along with flying, he had also discovered he could use echolocation, and Pierce and the others had watched anxiously as he'd flown around with his eyes closed. With her sharp hearing, Pierce could pick up the high-pitched squeaks he made. When she'd asked him about how echolocation worked, he had described it as letting out sharp clicks, then judging where an object was based on how the sound waves bounced back.

Before long it was the night before the mission. Pierce sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at glass across from her. Madigan was pacing anxiously. "Relax," Pierce said.

Madigan stopped pacing and scowled at her. "Relax? How can I relax? The red-head waved a hand at the cell. "I'm being held against my will. I'm part tiger. I'm surrounded by strangers. And tomorrow we're going on a dangerous mission that will likely get us killed." Madigan punched a wall, then yelped and shook out her clawed hand.

"Everything will be all right," Pierce promised. "I'll make sure of it."

"Doubtful," Madigan muttered.

A guard banged his fist against the glass. "Keep it down, will ya?" he grumbled.

"Get some rest," Pierce told Madigan in a whisper. "Whatever happens tomorrow, being tired isn't going to help." The tiger hybrid sighed and curled up in ball on her bed. After a few minutes she was snoring softly.

Pierce didn't follow her own advice. As the night drug on she stayed seated on her bed, watching the glass. Her eyelids had begun to droop when Darius appeared. By his side was a girl. She had her arms crossed, and her forehead was creased in a frown. Both of them had pistols strapped to their hips. "Wake up your friend," Darius said as he punched in the code that unlocked the cell. The glass shuddered and slid upwards.

"Madigan," Pierce whispered, nudging the girl with her hand.

The tiger hybrid bolted upright and bared her fangs. "What is it?" Madigan hissed. Then she noticed Darius and the girl. "It's you," she said, staring wide-eyed at Darius. "The one who was talking to Pierce the other night. I thought I dreamed that."

"Nope. We're very real." Darius flashed a smile. He and the girl unlocked the cells of the other hybrids next.

"What's going on?" Grey asked as he stumbled from his cell. "Are we heading out this early?"

"Can we at least have breakfast?" Knox added.

"Who are you?" Elliot asked Darius and the girl.

"I'm Darius. This is my comrade, Terra." Terra gave them all an unfriendly glare. "We're here to help you escape. I'll explain everything later. For now, let's get these collars off of you." Darius pulled a numbered remote from his pocket. He pressed several buttons Pierce couldn't see, then there was a click, and each of the hybrid's collars fell to the floor.

Pierce touched a hand to her scarred neck, marveling at how strange it felt to be free of the metal collar after five years. "Come," Darius urged. "It won't be long before someone figures out what we're doing."

Pierce unbuttoned her trench coat and tied it around her waist. Her pale wings stood out even in the dim light. Then Darius, Terra, and the five hybrids began walking away from the cells. Pierce tripped over a mass on the floor. Under closer inspections she discovered it was the body of a guard. Next to him was a broken flashlight. "Did you kill him?" she asked Darius.

"No. He's just been drugged. He'll be fine a few hours from now."

They passed several more sleeping guards, and Pierce was careful to step over them. Elliot walked close beside her, trembling. Pierce patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. "It'll be all right," she whispered.

Pierce expanded her hearing. There were no guards heading toward them, but she could hear them patrolling nearby. She sucked in a deep breath as a familiar voice reached her: the director. "Darius," Pierce whispered, and he stopped walking.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"I-I have something I need to take care of," Pierce stammered. "Where are you headed? I'll meet you there."

"Pierce. Whatever it is, we don't have the time," Darius argued.

"I can't leave until I do this first," Pierce retorted. "I'll be quick."

Darius sighed. "Okay, but if you don't make it back to us within ten minutes, we're going to have to leave without you."

"I understand," Pierce said. "Now. Can I borrow your gun?"

"My gun? Why do you need-"

"Here," Terra interrupted, handing over her own. "I have an extra." She tugged on Darius' sleeve. "Stop wasting time."

"Okay," Darius agreed. He quickly gave Pierce directions on how to find them, then he, Terra, and the other hybrids hurried on without her.

Without looking back, Pierce sprinted toward the sound of the director's voice. Ready to finally meet the real me, Director? Her yellow eyes glittered.