HAWK

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: NEST (3/7)

Captain Mack didn't bother reacquainting Kas with the Silo headgear as he led her out of holding. They exited into a long, narrow corridor, affording Kas a brief view of endless rows of white doors before escorting her into a waiting elevator.

Two soldiers were already inside waiting for them, each wearing slick black federal skinsuits complete with modular carbachrome armour and WASP masks. As with the Wraiths, Kas recalled WASP masks from her time at the academy. The acronym stood for Warfare Augmentation and Strategic Perception. Behind their curved veils of nitroglass, the soldiers had enhanced vision which provided an enviable number of combat applications.

Captain Mack slapped his palm on a wall-pad and the twin doors slid shut.

'Level three please, Astrid.'

A soft, female voice spoke from above: 'Please specify a destination.'

'Control.'

The cabin jolted and began to move - not up or down, but sideways. Kas realised this was probably the shuttle that she'd been transported in earlier and recalibrated her memories to match. There were no windows and the ride was so smooth that it was impossible to know how far or fast they were travelling. It might have been several meters or several miles, she had no idea. From time to time, her body swayed as though the shuttle had suddenly changed direction. Kas imagined they were travelling in some kind of tube network, but she couldn't be sure.

The shuttle came to a gentle stop barely a minute later.

'Level three,' Astrid announced.

The doors parted and Captain Mack took Kas's arm and led her out, the two soldiers following hot on their heels.

Kas looked around to find herself in a long, round tunnel which stretched on for a quarter of a mile before curving out of view. She half-wondered if it might eventually loop back on itself, but the thought was interrupted by the sight of three bio-mechs sneaking silently towards them.

Panthers...

She glanced at Captain Mack at her side but his speed didn't falter.

'Relax,' he said. 'They won't hurt you. Unless you run. Don't run.'

But running was the last thing on Kas's mind. The panthers looked plenty fast enough without bionic enhancement. With them, Kas doubted she'd make it five steps before... well, before they did whatever they did when they caught someone.

Kas's brain tried to tell her not to look at them, but as the powerful animals came within twenty-feet, Kas couldn't direct her eyes anywhere else. She found hounds bad enough but these things were beasts. Long tails trailed behind them like armoured snakes, unwinding hypnotically in the air. Unique numbers had been printed on their sides in bold white letters, identifying them as P-227, P-431 and P-138. Gratefully, none of them even glanced at Kas as they strutted past. It was as if she didn't even exist - which was fine by her.

'Here we are,' the captain said. Kas looked back to see they'd arrived outside a tall silver door with the word 'CONTROL' etched onto it. He scanned it open it with his palm, then turned to Kas and nodded her through.

Kas took one last look at the panthers as they padded away from her, then turned and stepped through the door.