After they were on the road for a while and confident that H.I.V.E wasn’t coming after them, Arica asked about Finn. “Did they hurt him?”
Tessa sniffled before responding, “They hit him before they cuffed him and drug him away, but I don’t think they killed him, but I really don’t know. There was so much blood…” She added some sobbing for dramatic effect.
“They’ll likely interrogate him for information,” Sam responded.
Melody scolded him, “Too soon, Sam. Tessa doesn’t need to hear that right now.”
“It’s okay. I know it's true. That’s reality.” Tessa pretended to swallow that hard pill. “We have to unite in the hopes of saving him.”
Stonewell looked at her in the rearview mirror, “What do you have in mind? Your base is deserted.”
“We go back to Chicago and rally the gangs. This time I want blood.”
Arica seemed excited to restart their group, “Should we plan to gather the humans again too?”
Tessa shook her head, “No. Only Evos this time. We need to get as much power together as we can.” She stared out the window, watching the desolate countryside pass by. “We need an army. All hope of peace is gone; we are at war.”
Stonewell seemed on board with building an Evo army, but Sam and Arica seemed apprehensive. Being human, they hesitated to agree with waging war. They feared that the military would turn on humans who weren’t in line with H.I.V.E. They feared innocent collateral damage.
Tessa didn’t care. If the humans got in the way, she would remove them. They were meaningless pawns in this war with no power. This fight was between Evos and H.I.V.E, and Tessa’s job was to set them up. She needed to gather as many Evos into one spot so that H.I.V.E could wipe them out. Or at least deplete their number significantly to diminish the threat.
The team took turns driving on their way back to Chicago. They took a different route using more rural roads. If H.I.V.E discovered they escaped with the SUV they might search the major roadways for them. Better to cling to the shadows. Along the way, they passed through several small towns, and Tessa learned more about how society lived outside the H.I.V.E base.
The human life out in this world was bleak. Most performed menial labor tasks for H.I.V.E growing and harvesting food or building and scavenging. This existence wasn’t much of a life, but humans lacked the increased abilities that Evos possessed. They were less evolved and doomed to fail. H.I.V.E human elite scientists were geniuses to see the failures of humanity.
The one thing that could stop them from escaping earth and reaching their utopia on another planet were Evos. Out in the world, Evos viewed themselves as gods. They held power out here but squandered it on frivolous things. They were genetically advanced but focused on the wrong issues and their own selfish desires.
The Evos would die here on Earth along with the non-essential humans. H.I.V.E would grant only those chosen to populate the new world the chance to leave this hell hole. Tessa thought there might be a possibility that they might include her. Although H.I.V.E wanted to eliminate Evos, she was different. H.I.V.E made her, and she did their bidding. Her service might earn her a spot on the arc; if it didn’t, then she would stay here and prevent Evos from following to the stars.
Please check out other books by Rey Clark:
The Path of Ascension Trilogy
Flames of Valor
Fire Forged
Inferno Rising
Titan Code Series
Dawn of Genesis
Age of Redemption
Final Legacy (May 2021)
Legends Chronicles
Legends of the Vale
Legends of the Weirded Ways (October 2020)
Legends of the Phoenix Flame (January 2022)
Runemaster Saga (TBD)
Dusk, Fate & Glory
The Realm of Thraul (TBD)
The Dragon Dynasty
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