Part 4

Chapter 10: Caught!

Bowen cursed as he ran his grey eyes over his team.

'One of you is a traitor, but which one?' he muttered.

Dark thoughts of revenge stirred in Bowen's mind, and his brow tightened into a knot. He snarled, and sliced a knife across the palm of his right hand.

Without any emotion, he squeezed his injured hand into a fist, and pumped fresh red blood into a universal bottle. Once filled, he awkwardly tightened the cap, and tied a clean handkerchief around his wound, tying it with his clenched teeth. Throughout the odd ritual Bowen said nothing, he simply glared his hatred for all to see.

"I will take a sample from each of you, in the same way. It is the only way to be sure!" Bowen announced, pronouncing each word with great precision.

Simon dared to speak.

"To be sure of what?"

"Your undying loyalty" replied Bowen sullenly

"But you have that already, Mr Bowen" Ash protested.

"Ah, but do I, do I? I know one of you is an infiltrator," Bowen paused for effect, continually scanning the confused faces before him, "and that one is about to die - to be banished"

Not one flicker of doubt crossed any of the faces; Bowen cursed again, less softly this time.

"So be it, we will do this the hard way, come Simon you first." Bowen ordered.

Simon walked calmly up to Bowen and extended his right hand, palm side up. In a trice it was sliced open, and Simon dutifully filled his pre-labelled universal.

So it continued, as one at a time the team came up to their leader, each one certain of their loyalty to him and the cause. Soon 15 universals were lined up, each full to the brim of Gul'nathan blood. Bowen quickly transformed, and as An'natha stretched out his bandaged claw to grab nine of the bottles.

"Males first this time I think! I trust you less, yesss!" An'natha wheezed, throwing the bottles into the canteen microwave.

His left claw set the time and then hit the square blue button.

"We shall soon know," An'natha grinned an awful smile, "shan't we, Simon."

Simon paled.

"I am loyal, An'natha - I swear" Simon pleaded.

The microwave stopped with a bright 'ping'. An'natha swung to face Simon.

"So you are, so you all are!" An'natha gave away his surprise.

The muscled reptile swung his attention to the females.

"You disappoint me, to think that the resistance would chose a female to undermine me - what treachery - how you will suffer, yesss"

The remaining six bottles were dashed into the waiting oven without ceremony. Once again An'natha pressed the blue button. The oven started to rock, and one of the vials expanded violently then splintered, rivulets of blood streamed around the inside of the oven apparently searching for any refuge.

An'natha bent forward with glee, he howled with cruel laughter.

"Die, you blasted shape-shifter, DIE!"

As An'natha watched, the rivulets fizzed, and spluttered; finally turning to dry, dark, lifeless stains on the steel interior of the oven.

"Simon, loyal Simon, take out each of the remaining bottles and read out the name on it clearly for us all to hear" An'natha ordered regally.

Simon rifled through the hot bottles,

"Erm, Liz, Petunia, Julia, Candice & Linda" read Simon aloud.

"Which, just leaves our infiltrator, our resistance shape-shifter - June, YESSS; June isss the traitoressss!

All 14 pairs of eyes swung, and settled with a grim determination on June.

June screamed and screamed.

Silas stood alone in the deserted bathroom gazing into the mirror.

'What have I become? Who am I? Can I escape?'

The questions flooded through his confused brain; absent-mindedly he noticed some wilting flowers on the shelf near him.

'They need water, shame to let them wilt' Silas thought

As he turned to grasp the flowers he sent a purple hued box flying, the lid flipped off, and chocolates cascaded freely into the bath. Silas bent down carefully retrieving each one; ignoring his rumbling stomach he returned them safely to the correct positions in the box.

Silas straightened up, and was confronted by a strange man staring at him from the bathroom mirror. He froze, as did the man, he moved, as did the man. Then the thought struck home.

'I am that man, I've gone!'

Silas panicked, and his sanity took flight. In an instant he was down the stairs, and out of the front door. He ran, he ran for his life, with Shep in his wake - vainly attempting to keep up with Silas's demented pace.

In the kitchen Georgie was in a deep, passionate embrace with Gerry, revelling in the sensation of her nipples engorging to the pulse of her darting tongue. As she shifted, the hard buds of Gerry's tits dragged evilly against hers. Geo sighed and opened her eyes to check if Gerry's were closed. They were, it must be love! Geo registered something flit across her vision, it was Silas! Where was he going in such a rush?

"Shit Geo, you bit my tongue - I think it's bleeding, damn! Take it easy will you..." Gerry mumbled, though partly closed fingers.

"Silas, wait - where are you going?" Geo called, as she hurtled after him.

Silas looked back over his shoulder, the young girl was gaining on him, and she'd already passed Shep, who limped along gamely. Silas drew another ragged breath and tried to accelerate. He had nothing left, the adrenalin was burning out, and his lifestyle started to take its toll. Puffing loudly he swung around the turn in the lane, and dropped his left foot into a rabbit hole. As Silas flew vertically along the road he had an odd thought.

'This is going to hurt'

Silas was right; the pain hit him like a sledgehammer - the road finally rose up to meet his right shoulder. He fell like a rag doll, and crumpled into an unmoving heap on the roadside.

Geo stood over the tramp's shattered body, struggling to get her breath, and keep the tears at bay. Shep arrived, and snuggled up to his fallen master, his pink tongue flashing against the white stubble of Silas's still cheek.

Panting hard, Geo asked the dog a pointless question.

"Is he OK, Shep, Shep is Silas - dead?"

June heard her own screams, and then she felt something - something moved inside her.

Geraint's offspring moved for the first time, then he bonded with his mother. The world around June grew dark. She could still see the others, but only just. Dimly she could make out the confusion on their faces.

"Where the hell did Geraint come from, he's dead - I know he's dead!" Simon shouted with surprise.

"Kill the shape-shifter, kill it now!!" An'natha roared.

June's vision narrowed; she seemed to be peering down a long shiny pipe. From nowhere, the desire to flee permeated her. Every fibre of her being cried for escape! She rammed hard into the ranks of confused bodies in front of her, sending them scattering. June could see the carnage, the limbs flailing, the bodies flying away from her with startled, bruised faces.

Soon she was out of the room, and then out of the complex - she raced for cover, dashing into a copse of trees. She stopped and stood still, adsorbing her form over the trunk of the largest tree she could find, her shape shifted, and the camouflage was complete.

June watched the search party cover the ground, and felt Ash as he lent on her bark-like skin. For the first time that touch made her aware of the pure evil contained in the soul of a mutant. Then she knew, she knew for sure, these were her enemies; she could never return to their ranks.

She had to find Geraint. Silently she bonded with her offspring once again. She could feel Geraint; feel the very essence of Ger'natha. He was close, but why was his essence so weak? Fear gripped her heart; her offspring's pulse beat in her head. Ger'natha was dying! She dared not move, but staying hidden was torture, she could feel every drop of Ger'natha's essence that was spilt.

An'natha roared his displeasure; he screamed his instructions in a voice bordering on insanity.

"Inside, let her go, we must prepare, and prepare well - she will be back - with others!"

An'natha strode through the building and burst into the main lab. John gasped as his feet left contact with the floor, An'natha held him dangling, and gasping for every badly needed breath.

"No more games, strip out the questionnaire, and make it live - MAKE W.W.W FULLY LIVE NOW! I NEED AN ARMY" An'natha spat.

He dropped the stunned scientist without a second thought, and rushed back, full of venom to berate his unfortunate underlings.

John picked himself up and dusted down his lab coat.

'Maybe I'll remind him about my reward tomorrow' John thought, before scurrying away to the server.

Chapter 11: Family values

June waited, every second etching itself into her memory. Slowly she unwound herself from the tree, she would miss the tree - she had become quite fond of it.

'How can I be fond of a tree? How can I sense its soul? Does it have a soul?'

June's mind reeled with new input, new awareness's - too much information. Panting heavily, she stood beside her beloved tree; her eye's scanned the darkening car park for her Clio. She located it, and moved, no flowed towards it. In a second it was started and June floored the accelerator.

Freedom beckoned; June drove at breakneck speed though the restricted site. As she approached the barrier, a guard appeared from the hut, gun drawn and at the ready. June closed her eyes and pressed down hard on the accelerator for a second time.