Dohi knew exactly where the linear accelerator was and took point, leading the group back into the shadows of the base. Every few minutes they paused to hide from hostiles, progressing slowly toward their target destination. Their trek took them to the outskirts of the laboratories, where the forest once again bordered the streets.
The cover of the trees allowed them to advance without having to stop for patrolling guards, and they reached the northernmost entry to the linear accelerator facility.
A group of four Chimeras stood guard outside the entry, cradling rifles.
Even from where Ghost hid behind rocks and trees across the street from the accelerator facility, Dohi could smell the overwhelming odor of humans forced to live together in close confines.
Fitz gave the order to take the Chimeras down.
Suppressed rounds tore into the fleshy parts of their body unprotected by body armor. Three dropped immediately, but one survived the gunfire and lifted his rifle to fire.
Dohi finished the beast with a shot to the face that cracked through the night.
The team bolted toward the corpses with Corrin handling their prisoner.
It turned out the man wasn’t lying.
As soon as they cleared the entry, Dohi flipped up his NVGs to a ghastly scene.
Sickly yellow lights hung overhead, illuminating red webbing that covered the lengths of wires and pipes stretching further than he could see. Everywhere he looked, he saw bodies cocooned in those webs.
He scanned the vast space for guards. Seeing none, he started to check the closest prisoners.
While some looked like little more than sacks of flesh and bones, many appeared stronger. That was good to see.
The team had brought a few extra bottles of water and nutrition, limited by the weight they could safely dive with, but it wasn’t enough. Not even close.
Mouths that weren’t clogged with red vines called out for help.
Dohi went to the closest one. It was a woman who looked to be in her twenties wearing a soiled ACU. He cut away the vines holding her in place and then caught her when she sagged forward.
“Hold on,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
He helped her down to the ground.
“Water,” she muttered.
Dohi reached to his side and grabbed his bottle, bringing it to her lips.
“Not so fast,” he said. “Easy.”
She looked familiar to him, but he couldn’t quite place her.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
“You… you’re here to save us?”
“Yes,” Dohi said. “What’s your name?”
“Corporal Esparza…” She glared over his shoulder at the collaborator.
As soon as Dohi had freed her, he grabbed the man by his beard.
“Wait, no, you said…” the collaborator started.
Dohi pulled him to the ground and stomped on the side of his face, knocking him out. He looked over at Corrin. “Sling this bastard up in one of those cocoons.”
“With pleasure,” Corrin said.
While the Chimera dealt with the collaborator, the rest of the Team worked on freeing the others. As the group of liberated human prisoners grew, those strong enough started to help. Ghost shared the extra provisions and water they had brought, helping to rejuvenate the prisoners even just a little.
“What’s your plan?” Esparza asked.
Fitz handed her a rifle they had taken from a Chimera. “We fight, and you help us.”
The woman wiped blood and dirt from her face and smiled. But Dohi noticed some of the freed prisoners looking at Corrin skeptically.
“What the fuck is this beast doing with you?” asked one of the men.
“He’s with us,” Fitz said.
“You trust this… thing?”
“He’s the reason we found you all,” Rico said.
“You all owe him your life,” Fitz said.
Esparza turned to the others. “This is Team Ghost. You’ve heard the stories. You know what they’ve done. If they trust this Chimera, we should too.”
A few of the released prisoners grunted their agreement. The man who had initially voiced his concern over Corrin gave a reluctant nod.
“Keep working,” Fitz said. “We need all the help we can get.”
“Are we getting reinforcements?” one of the prisoners asked.
“You’re looking at them,” Dohi said. “Everyone else is fighting for survival in Galveston. There’s barely anything else left of the Allied States except that island and us tonight.”
“Jesus Christ,” another prisoner said. “Do we have more guns than the ones you brought?”
“We’re going to have to get more,” Rico said.
Corrin pointed down the corridor. “There are more weapons in here.”
“An armory?” Fitz asked.
“No, beasts like me,” Corrin said.
“Dohi, go with Corrin to release them,” Fitz said. “Rico and I will organize the others.”
Dohi and Corrin hurried toward the other end of the accelerator. He searched down his scope again to ensure no guards had entered the facility yet.
They stopped when they reached the section where the Fallen Chimeras were secured against the walls. Their scarred bodies were wrapped in even more glue and vines than the normal humans.
The golden eyes of the first prisoner watched. A patch of glue adhered to his sucker lips prevented him from talking.
As soon as Dohi pried off the strip with his knife, the Chimera screamed in his face, forcing Dohi back.
“Quiet,” he said.
“Just kill me!” the creature wailed. “I won’t work for you any longer!”
Corrin jumped over to help. “It’s okay. We’re friends. We’ve come to free you.”
The Chimera glared at him, then back at Dohi. For a moment, Dohi worried he was going to have to kill the beast.
The Chimera’s face remained in a snarl, saliva dripping from his teeth. Other Chimeras covered in webbing watched, their golden eyes studying Corrin and Dohi.
“We’re here to free you.” Dohi turned to speak to all of them. “We need your help to fight back against the New Gods.”
He faced the first Chimera again.
“Join us,” Corrin said. “We might not win against the New Gods, but we will die fighting as free…”
“Men,” Dohi said.
The creature held his gaze and nodded.
Dohi finished cutting him down, and Corrin started on the others, using his claws to tear through the tendrils imprisoning them. Ten minutes later, a growing group of
