Free Earthfall: Retribution by Mark Walden Page B

ran in all directions as their own animal survival instincts kicked in.
    Sam remained on the ground as the soldiers moved towards him and Mag, weapons still raised. Mag sprang to her feet and sprinted in the opposite direction, and Sam watched in horror as one of the soldiers pulled a handgun from the holster on his waist and fired. The round hit Mag squarely between the shoulder blades, and she slammed hard into the ground as her legs gave way beneath her.
    ‘No,’ Sam said, watching her lifeless body fall, his voice little more than a hoarse croak. He staggered to his feet.
    ‘This is Recon Echo,’ the nearest soldier spoke into his mic. ‘Predator strike on target. We’ve found the boy and taken down the hybrid. We’re clear for extraction.’
    ‘Roger that, Echo,’ his radio crackled in response. ‘Helo inbound.’
    A few seconds later Sam could hear the distant thumping drone of helicopter rotors.
    ‘You didn’t have to kill her,’ Sam yelled angrily as the lead soldier advanced towards him.
    ‘I know,’ the soldier replied, before raising the pistol again, levelling it at Sam’s chest and pulling the trigger.

5
    Sam’s eyes flickered open, but the bright overhead light forced him to close them with a wince. He took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes again, giving them time to adjust to the light. He was lying handcuffed to the steel frame of a bed in a bare concrete cell. He pulled fruitlessly at the shackle attached to his still human wrist. It was no good – he wasn’t going anywhere.
    He forced himself up into a sitting position. Now that the adrenalin had worn off he could feel every cut, bruise and scrape that covered his body, but the truth was that he was relieved he could still feel anything at all. His last memory was of the soldier raising his weapon and pulling the trigger. He carefully lifted his T-shirt and looked down at his chest. There, just above his breastbone, was a circular burn, five centimetres across with a tiny puncture wound in the centre. The pistol the soldier had shot him with must have fired some sort of non-lethal round. He realised with a sudden rush of relief that the soldier had used the same weapon on Mag, which meant that there was a chance at least that she was still alive. He lifted the dressing on the wound in his side and saw that it had been cleaned and then closed with a neat row of stitches.
    ‘Hello!’ Sam shouted. ‘Is anyone out there?’ There was no response. He had no idea who had saved and then captured him, but at that point he had a thousand questions that needed answers. If they’d wanted him dead, they could have finished him earlier. The fact that he was still breathing meant they must value their captives a little at least.
    A few minutes later there was the sound of a key turning in the door. A tall, athletic man with short grey hair, wearing urban camouflage fatigues, walked into the room carrying a metal folding chair. Attached to the side of the man’s skull was a small black disc, which flickered with a sickly green light, clearly some form of Voidborn technology. He unfolded the chair and sat down on the opposite side of the room from Sam, studying his face for a moment before speaking.
    ‘My name is Mason,’ the man said, ‘and I have a few questions for you.’
    ‘Where’s Mag?’ Sam demanded.
    ‘Mag? Oh, you mean the hybrid we captured with you. Don’t worry, she’s . . . secure,’ Mason replied.
    ‘What do you mean?’ Sam asked. ‘Where is she?’
    ‘Traditionally the person handcuffed to the bed isn’t the one who asks the questions,’ Mason replied. ‘My turn. Who are you?’
    ‘My name’s Sam,’ he replied after a moment or two. ‘Sam Riley.’
    ‘Well, Sam, there are a couple of things that I really need you to explain to me,’ Mason said, leaning forward in his chair. ‘For a start I’d like you to tell me why you have Voidborn technology replacing a large part of your right arm, and secondly