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As the next minute turned on the clock, our bindings suddenly opened with a soft hiss. I barely managed to suppress the victorious roar that burned my throat. In my hurry to jump off the stretcher, I scraped my skin against the edges of the open bindings. But that pain was nothing in comparison to what I’d been enduring of late. However, my ravaged innards didn’t approve of the sudden movement.
I clenched my teeth at the sensation of having glass shards scattered throughout my gut and chest. For a second, I considered going into Berserker mode, but thought better of it. With the painkiller Jaek had given me, I’d be able to function well enough. I needed to remain clear-minded and would only resort to my Berserker abilities if we ended up in combat.
Baldur hopped off his own stretcher at the same time I did. Thankfully, Jaek had been treating him with healing nanobots for the past two days. While his body still bore the round scars where the larvae had exited his flesh, he didn’t seem to be in any type of noticeable pain.
I made a beeline for the cupboard Jaek had indicated and found the biohazard container. Blood rose from my throat and into my mouth when I bent down to retrieve it. I swallowed it back and tried to ignore the horrible sensation of the parasites still moving through me. If ‘only’ four larvae could mess me up like this, I couldn’t begin to imagine what it must have been like to have had at least twenty simultaneously eating you from within. Then again, at least forty to forty-five larvae had wormed their way out of me since my capture.
“How are you feeling, Jakar?” Baldur asked in a hushed but worried tone.
“Like killing some Sarenians,” I replied in a similarly whispered voice. “We must get to our men quickly.”
Although I had not responded to his actual question, he understood my words to mean I could handle it.
At least for now…
After placing the container on the counter, I opened the lid. The latch clicked then the pressurized air hissed as it was released. The sight of a bag filled with clear liquid—which I assumed to be our serotonin—took me aback. I lifted it, finding a second bag beneath it, which I also removed. Then only did I see a much larger plastic bag with clothes inside. I quickly removed them, handing a pair of pants and t-shirt to Baldur before donning the other set.
Although I couldn’t detect Jaek’s scent on them, I assumed those were his clothes. Thankfully, their stretchy fabric didn’t fit too badly on our bigger frames. As he had mentioned, there were no shoes or weapons to be found inside. While I consulted the map left at the bottom of the container, Baldur quickly checked through the drawers and cupboards for something that we could use as weapons with no luck.
It didn’t matter. When it came to combat, with or without weapons, a Braxian could wreck most opponents, even if he ended up also dying in the process. And there could be no greater glory than dying in battle while destroying the enemy.
We opened the door, bracing for what could await us on the other side. As Jaek had predicted, we couldn’t see a single soul in sight. I wished I could have questioned him about the size of the crew that we would have to contend with. Fate willing, most of them would be too busy setting up the meeting to be traipsing around the hallways.
And we had many of them to cross.
Without the map provided by Jaek, it would have taken us hours to find our destination. We advanced quietly, keeping an eye out for any signs of cameras or motion detector as we crossed an entire wing visibly dedicated to research. On more than one occasion, I silenced the urge to enter one of the rooms along the way to search for a com system or weapon. But so far, Jaek’s word had been good. I wouldn’t risk jeopardizing our escape by going off-script.
Despite the coolness of the gridded plates covering the floor beneath our feet, us walking barefoot had the advantage of keeping our steps even quieter.
When we approached a first set of doors marking the entrance of a different section, my heart seized at the sight of a biometric lock on the wall. As we couldn’t turn back, we moved forward, ready to bash the lock to pieces. However, as soon as we came within range of the motion sensors, the doors automatically slid open before us.
How the fuck had Jaek managed all this?
He’d had me so convinced that he had turned on us! But then, had he not, Deimos would have never lowered his guard enough to allow Jaek to do this. After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the corridor to the hold. As we closed the distance, the muffled sound of voices reached us through the heavy doors.
Baldur and I exchanged a look before breaking into a run. The pain in my stomach and chest flared at that basic effort. Without slowing down, I summoned my Berserker powers. This time, I didn’t struggle to activate it. Between the painkillers and pre-battle anticipation at the thought of crushing one of those who had wronged us, I easily entered battle rage.
Here again, the doors automatically parted upon our approach.
The spectacle that awaited us within further fueled my anger. All fifteen of my men were lined up in front of a single Sarenian. Shock collars around their necks kept them in check. Half of them were kneeling, including Orin, hatred burning in their eyes. The other half, including Tagar and Nowik, were visibly fighting the compulsion and attempting to remain upright.
“I said kneel!”the Sarenian named Kalal—according to Jaek—said in that foul vibrating voice.
As he was standing four meters in front of us and slightly to the right, Kalal had not noticed our entrance. The pained growls of my men trying to resist his thrall had buried the discreet sound of the doors parting. With the legendary discipline that had earned each of them a place in my father’s crew, my men didn’t blink or even remotely give away our presence as they noticed Baldur and me.
The fury boiling in my veins only bolstered my Berserker aura. One by one, the growls from the men still standing lost its pained edge to be fully replaced by anger, as my aura dampened the stabbing sensation fighting the compulsion inflicted to them. The serum was also likely on the verge of losing its effects. Those standing straightened, while the ones kneeling slowly rose to their feet. The fear followed by panic that settled on Kalal’s face was the biggest turn on.
“Kneel! All of you, kneel! I command it!”the Sarenian shouted in his vibrating voice.
When that failed to make them comply he started backing away from them while fumbling with a remote to activate their shock collar. A savage war cry rose from my throat at the same time he pressed the button. While the collars would’ve normally had my men on the floor writhing in pain, my aura merely had them grimacing as they continued to surge forward.
But alerted by my shout, Kalal spun around to see Baldur and me charging him. The sheer terror on his face had blood rushing straight to my cock. There was something orgasmic about seeing an enemy trembling with dread as you brought death to them.
“Stop! Stop!”he shouted in a desperate loop, even as it sank in that his compulsion held no sway over us.
He backed away, almost stumbling backward in the process, before remembering my men were coming at him from the other side. In one last ditch effort, the Sarenian started running towards the wall, likely hoping to circle around me to dash for the door. Simultaneously, he reached for his armband, undoubtedly to call for help on his com.
Kalal only managed a few steps before I was on him. I grabbed him by the nape with one hand, lifting him effortlessly. He kicked and struggled, reaching back with his right arm to force me to release him. But his frightened shout turned into a high-pitched screech when I grabbed his left arm with my free hand and tore it right out of its socket. The delicious scent of blood filled my nose as I tossed the severed limb at my men.
