“This is what we’re going to do,” Apollo announced.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Apollo
His conversation with Rocko had gone to hell, but now he had no time to remedy the situation.Their new boat glided effortlessly across the lake in the pitch black, with only the faintest of moonlight spotlighting their way through dark clouds.He couldn’t do anything about the moon— that was something he’d have to adjust for.Thanks to Jagger and his affinity for anything mechanical, the boat’s engines were barely audible.Apollo hadn’t asked him what he’d done to make them so silent, as long as the speed for their getaway wasn’t compromised.
They were headed to the GPS coordinates that Rocko had first given them.A bit of reconnaissance was in order as the mission’s scope and complexity increased.They had to find out what they were up against before they could make any plan to rescue Tom or any others.
All identifying marks on their boat had been covered, and all members of the team were armed and wearing black tactical gear, night vision, and masks to hide their identities.They weren’t taking any chances.Ace was back at the compound, keeping their comms alive and ready to be their eye in the skies once they released the drone.Jagger and Hendrix were going to protect the boat as it was their only means of escape.
Griffin, Rocko, Apollo, Damon, and Blade would be doing the actual on-site recon.They didn’t know what they were heading into, so they’d take their time and cautiously get a lay of the land for a possible return visit.
As they neared land, Jagger slowed the engines and carefully maneuvered through obstacles his keen eyesight picked up on.There was a specific outcropping that appeared on the map that would provide the easiest landing without pulling straight up to a dock.They didn’t need to announce their arrival.
“Sensors aren’t picking up any heat signatures or sensors in this area,” Ace said through their bone mics.“We should be good to go.”
Every word spoken had to be in the less-than-audible range so that they weren’t overheard.That’s when the hypersensitive bone mics came in handy.
“Be ready to move,” Apollo ordered as they neared land.“Stay to the trees.”
Hendrix lifted his arms into the air, and the drone came to life, then lifted off into the darkness.He looked at his team; they were all ready to do what was necessary to protect and rescue survivors.Apollo couldn’t have been prouder, but when he looked at Rocko, he felt the first tinges of fear.An emotion he wasn’t comfortable dealing with.
“Ten feet, eight, five, three, one, go.”
The team swept into the darkness, blending into the trees, heading straight toward the coordinates, unsure what they would find but needing to know one way or another.They fanned out, moving in from different directions to avoid being discovered in a group.Ace was still monitoring for movement as his drone rushed ahead of them, making sure the coast was clear.
The ground was still hard-packed, frozen, which kept them from leaving tracks for unfriendly forces to stumble upon.Apollo wasn’t sure about the numbers of the enemy, so he’d worked under the assumption this location was highly hostile.Until he had confirmation of why this was a place of interest, they were essentially going in blind.Not the most ideal situation, but one Apollo had been in on more than one occasion.
Talking of blind, as they moved forward the clouds shifted and the moon shone brightly above, outlining the terrain in shadows of dark and light.Apollo looked up and his mind couldn’t help but cast back to another time, the night that had changed everything.
He was back in the facility, preparing to run for his life and freedom.Apollo didn’t know what was beyond the fence and line of trees, but he did know what waited for him downstairs if he was returned to his cell.His entire life had been spent inside this facility; he’d known nothing else.Were there more people like him out there, and if so, how would he find them?Questions attacked from all angles, but the only truth he knew for sure was simple.If he didn’t run, if he didn’t at least try to make it to the trees, he might as well lie down and die.Whether the scientists decided one day to dissect him or they left him to rot in his cell for the rest of his existence, Apollo was already a dead man walking.His life was not his own, and he had no agency over himself or his body.His life meant nothing other than a few notes jotted down in a medical file somewhere likely never destined to see the light of day.
One turn determined his fate and his legacy.He’d be damned if he allowed the Noah Group to determine his worth.His life and future were his own to decide and it was high time he started making those decisions.
Apollo took a deep breath and made his decision.
It all began with the same sweet scent wafting into his room, indicating they soon expected him to be unconscious.Little did they know that the sedative no longer worked on him; it hadn’t in a while.
Minutes later, he heard the locks on his doors being disengaged, and soon after, his door opened.Apollo kept his eyes closed and remained still.It gave him immense satisfaction as three goons struggled to lift his weight onto the waiting gurney.He’d grown into an extremely large man over the years of his imprisonment.
“This fucker keeps getting heavier.What the hell did they mutate this guy with, a rhino?”
As they continued to bitch, Apollo counted the clicks of the wheels as they passed from one surface to the other.There were three.The first was smooth concrete, like his room; a couple of hundred feet down the hall, the flooring turned rougher, bumping the gurney around before becoming smooth again just before entering the surgery.
Apollo discreetly maneuvered a single finger onto the metal buckle holding his wrists to the gurney and waited for the bumping to begin.As soon as the wheels hit the uneven pavement, he sent a pulse through the metal restraints, melting them away.Without warning, Apollo sprang from the gurney, reached for the two nearest guards, and easily sent them crashing into the wall.The third attempted to raise his gun, but Apollo grabbed the barrel and melted it around the guard’s hand before knocking him out with a single punch.
He grabbed a second gun that had been dropped and quickly glanced around, looking for the door he knew was there from the numerous times he’d been brought down this hall.He’d done his homework, and he knew every squeak, every waft of air, every click of a door handle while he’d feigned being unconscious.He didn’t stop to think when he saw it and opened the door to check what was behind it, finding a stairwell leading upward.He took the stairs two at a time until he reached what appeared to be a security door with a thin window.
When he looked through it, he saw the most amazing thing— the moon.Apollo had never seen the moon in real life, and it was brighter than he’d imagined.Decision made.Apollo readied himself for the run of his life.The second he opened this door, alarms would sound, and the facility would go into lockdown.He knew his time was short before someone found the men he’d taken out.He looked again to see a tall fence in the distance and beyond that, trees.He had to make it to the trees.
His past was interrupted by the present.
“We have lights up ahead,” Ace announced.“Moving higher to get a better view.”
“Hold your positions until we have confirmation,” Apollo ordered.
Minutes ticked by as they waited to hear what Ace had found.Apollo glanced to his left and, with the help of his night vision, he saw Rocko crouched low behind a group of trees.With his ability, Apollo could sense where mutants that he’d met were located, and even now, he could pinpoint all four other members of the team spread out in the darkness, but for some reason, being able to see Rocko felt a whole lot more comforting.
