Radioactive Evolution

Chapter 6: Hard Lessons

Unfortunately, this person recovered before Jared could reach them. They brought a small pistol to bare and attempted to shoot Jared. He dove to the side and around the corner, away from the line of fire. He heard them scramble for a better position, but before they could fire another round, he heard a wet slap and a crunch of bone as all went quiet.

Quickly, Jared peaked around the corner and saw Scarlet standing over the downed assailant. "Scarlet, is he..."

He is alive, I only used my tail to whip him in the head.

Jared gathered all of their guns, packs, and searched their pockets for any weapons. Once he'd gathered all the gear, he brought each of them into the room and set them against the back wall. All the gear and weapons went in a pile just inside the door and behind Jared.

He had no rope to bind them so he stripped off their belts and cinched their feet together. It wouldn't hold them long, but it would give him more than enough time to shoot anyone that tried to attack. While he searched their bodies, he also ripped off their balaclava's so he could see their faces. One by one, their faces revealed varying ethnicities along with a tattoo on their necks.

The tattoo portrayed a dagger tipped in blood and surrounded by a tribal pattern. A nuclear hazard symbol surrounded the dagger and tribal pattern. "I'm assuming this means they belong to a gang or mercenary outfit." Jared said to himself and finished his search. He crossed the room to sit on the other side of the door across from Scarlet to wait.

While he waited, Jared went through their packs and discovered a dozen boosters. He grew more angry because Iliana in no way needed his supply. He looked at Scarlet and she seemed to look straight through him.

I'm sorry Scarlet, I should have been more careful. Now a gang, with unknown intentions, knows our secret.

Jared felt ashamed and decided that he and Scarlet needed time to know each other better and explore their strengths and weaknesses. I... I assumed. I was wrong.

In the last pack Jared discovered a half depleted power pack for his phase pistol. Immediately, he pulled the gun from his backpack and inserted it into his weapon. He re-holstered his Colt and kept the phase pistol in clear view of the unconscious people. He wanted them to see he meant business and to give them a clear reason not to try anything sneaky.

It took nearly thirty minutes before they stirred, all except the one Scarlet knocked unconscious. Jared worried that she'd underestimated her strength and permanently injured him, but aside from his jaw slightly askew, the only wound he appeared to suffer was a healthy red mark where Scarlet's tail impacted.

After four of them awoke, Jared spoke, "Don't move, try nothing, and you make it out of this alive."

He grabbed their attention and continued, "I offered a nanite injection," he said it with emphasis for Iliana's benefit, "and yet you thought to harm or steal from us. Why?" Jared leveled his phase pistol at them, which earned a few gasps.

"I see all of you know what I'm holding. I've bound your feet and if any of you try to free them, I will shoot first and ask questions of your buddies. Understood?" He received a round of nods from the four of them. "Now, tell me what you're doing here and why you followed me."

Jared looked at each of them, but no one answered.

"Answer me!" Jared shouted and shot the phase pistol into the wall. "Next one goes in someones head." Jared felt sick to his stomach. This wasn't him. He'd never harmed another human being. Creatures were easy for him to dispatch, but his parents made certain he valued human life above all else.

"We were just exploring the city!" Iliana was quick to speak after his display of hostility. "We've been exploring every city from Florida up the East Coast."