Free HASH: Human Alien Species Hybrid by April M. Reign Page B

injuries and yelling them out to Aric. I looked up to see if Dr. Stevens was okay, but four more tranquilizer darts whizzed past our heads and stuck into various items, including boxes and crates.
    “Wait here,” Aric whispered in my ear.
    “Don’t go. Please,” I begged.
    Aric reached up and pulled a whole section of shelving over as effortlessly as if it were made of cardboard. Crates clattered to the ground in front of us, some of their contents spilling out, creating the closest thing to a barricade that we could get.
    In my panic, I crawled over to Dr. Stevens and grabbed her hand. She moved her head slowly to the side to look at me and she smiled, a slow forced smile. She had her right hand pressed down on her wound and dark blood was seeping through her fingers and spreading over her lab coat.
    “You’re hurt. You’re hurt bad. Do something, Em.”
    “What can I do? I can’t do anything.” Em kneeled beside Dr. Stevens on the other side.
    Dr. Stevens kept her eyes on me. “It’s okay,” she said, breathless, swallowing back tears and emotion. “I need you to listen to me.”
    “Okay.” I quickly glanced back to make sure Aric was okay and I could see he was grabbing those nasty darts out of the air and throwing them back at the guards with such force that a few guards were hit and were now on the ground. I returned my attention to Dr. Stevens.
    “Jade, you have to promise me you’ll do whatever you have to do to get out of here. When you do, you need to get to a small town called Rutherford. There’s a man there, a teacher by the name of Dieter Copeland. He’ll help you both.”
    “You’re talking…” I swallowed. “You’re talking like you won’t be coming with us.”
    “Do whatever you need to do, Jade.” Dr. Stevens closed her eyes. “And that includes leaving me behind, if you have to. Em, I know you can hear me. Can you get the door?”
    Em looked over at us. The tears in her eyes mirrored mine. I hadn’t known that she could cry. “I will try.”
    Dr. Stevens closed her eyes and with small catches in her breath, she didn’t say anything else.
    Em stared at Dr. Stevens and tried to run her hand over her forehead, but it went through her.
    I felt the panic in my throat grow thicker. “Em, the door!” I nearly yelled.
    Before Em took off, Professor Ahern had stopped her guards and called out to us, “Miriam, this is foolish. Are any of you hurt?”
    Dr. Stevens didn’t answer, so I had to. “Dr. Stevens has been shot. She’s hurt.”
    “Then let us help her, Jade. Let us come through there and get her to the medic.”
    Aric shook his head. He didn’t need to.
    “I might have lived all my life in one room, but that doesn’t mean I’m stupid,” I shouted back. “We’re not letting you through, just so you can hurt us more. We know your plans. We know it all.”
    “I’m trying to avoid hurting you. You heard me tell security to stop firing.”
    “If we die, the metal dies. You want us alive so you can rip it from us and use it on your clone once you’ve cloned Aric. I’ve read your computer files.”
    There was a pause, obviously, as Professor Ahern considered her options.
    “Yes, Startech wants the metal so we can research things that will help people, Jade. Imagine what it will do, if we can use metal that is smart in order to help those who have lost limbs and give them the chance to walk again, or hold their kids again. Imagine the good we can do for those who are dying because of some crippling disease.”
    “Why do you have to kill us to help others?”
    “Luck of the draw, Jade. Sacrifice yourself in order to help millions. It’s a beautiful thing. We’ve kept you safe here for all these years; don’t you think you should give back to the world?”
    Aric narrowed his eyes at me. “She’s trying to play on your human emotions. Block her out, Jade.”
    Professor Ahern took a step toward us. “How’s Miriam? She’s a great doctor and you’re letting