The Taken

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Chapter One

Sarah pressed her face against the window of her cell door and strained to see down the corridor, but it was useless she could see no further than three doors down. With a sigh of disgust, she stepped back and dropped to her cot, the only piece of furniture in her small cell, and dropped her head to her hands. The guards had taken Maggie, her best friend and the only other woman to survive the testing, away at least thirty minutes ago. It wasn’t a normal testing or checkup day, so the guards’ taking Maggie was odd. A wave of nausea swept over her and she was glad the guards hadn’t brought her breakfast. There was no denying she was pregnant, what was scary was she didn’t know who the father was, he like her was a prisoner in this freakish hell hole. By her best guess, she’d been a prisoner for five months, she couldn’t be sure as there were no windows in the facility so she couldn’t accurately keep track of the days. In addition, when it was so-called night they only dimmed the lights slightly, the windowless existence had thrown off her body rhythms and left her tired and depressed. Like being a prisoner to mad man wasn’t depressing enough.

She and Maggie had been best friends and classmates at Wesley’s Woman’s College when they’d been taken. Sarah had been working on her doctorate in Physics and Maggie her doctorate in Astronomy. They and about fifteen classmates had gone to the med center to donate blood for a classmate who was supposedly in the hospital undergoing Leukemia treatments. The nurse had asked her a host of embarrassing questions about her sex life, or rather the lack of it as part of her screening process. When Sarah finally confessed she was a virgin, two men appeared and held her down while the nurse who had taken her blood stabbed her with a hypo. Sarah had blacked out and awakened in the first of her four cells, clothed in only her underwear. There had been other women then, a hundred of them, all prisoners of the sick bastards who ran the facility. Sarah had used her gift then, as weak as it was, to unlock her cell door and several of the other women’s, but they’d been quickly recaptured by the guards and thrown back in their cells. Sarah’s main ability was telekinesis, she couldn’t do much with it beyond lifting small objects, but it was useful for opening locked doors. Her other ability was sensing evil in people, and it didn’t always work or she wouldn’t have been captured. Over the months Sarah had used her telekinesis to open several cell and room doors in her quest to escape. Her attempts had always been thwarted and she’d been recaptured and locked in harder to escape from cells. Her present cell had a magnetic lock which she wasn’t able to budge. She looked back at the door again wondering where Maggie was and what they were doing to her. Maggie was also pregnant by one of the other prisoners. One of the times Sarah had gotten out of her cell, she’d broken into the office of Dr. Renfrew the head torturer, and gone through his files looking for answers and a possible way to escape. Sarah had learned that she and the other women were part of a breeding experiment, with the two male prisoners. She’d ransacked the files there and learned that there were two male prisoners being used as sperm donors. The men were in their early thirties, very tall, and retired military, they were also listed as shifters on their charts. Sarah had also learned their names and nothing else before being recaptured, fitted with a shock collar and locked up again. She’d worn the damn collar for two months; Dr. Renfrew had only removed it when he’d confirmed she was pregnant.

Sarah heard booted footfalls and felt a wave of evil a moment before her cell door opened and Creep One and Creep two, her guards entered her cell.

“Okay Thirty-Five, it’s time to go.” Creep one said, his hands on his gun belt. The guards never used her name, she wasn’t even sure they knew it, she was just a number.

“Go, go where, and where is Maggie? What did you do with her?” Sarah protested backing up till she hit the wall of her cell.

“You’re being transferred, the Master wants to keep an eye on you, as for the other one she’s in the west wing now let’s go, and don’t cause any trouble.” Creep one grabbed her by the arm and propelled her into Creep Two. This was Sarah’s chance to escape; she just had to keep her head, she also wouldn’t leave without Maggie. The west wing was bad news, other girls had gone there never to come back, but she couldn’t escape on her own or rescue Maggie on her own, she’d need help. The only people who could or would help her were the other prisoners. A plan began to form, the guards because of her condition weren’t allowed to hit her or shock her which gave her an advantage. She would just have to look for an opportunity and take it.

Sarah stepped back from the prone guards and took a breath as she tried to calm her jangled nerves. Creep one had tried to rape her before taking her to the holding cell to await transport. He’d shoved her into an exam room and slapped her in the face knocking her backwards into the counter where a metal tray full of surgical instruments and several prefilled hypos of tranquilizer were. She’d grabbed the tray and come out swinging. She’d taken a few nasty knocks but she’d stunned Creep One long enough to be able to stab him with two syringes and inject the contents. When he was out she’d grabbed his stun gun and blasted Creep two when he’d come through the door for his turn with her. Now, what was she to do? She had to find and free the men, but how and then what? She looked down at the two unconscious guards. They had keys and swipe cards as well as weapons and bulletproof vests. Thanks to all her failed escape attempts she had a pretty good idea of where the men were being held, all she had to do was evade the guards and security cameras, find the men, and free them, piece of cake. Then they would all escape together. She crossed to the exam bed and ripped off the cotton sheet, she’d need it to carry things. She turned back to the guards; she’d take their vests, weapon belts, swipe cards, and the contents of their pockets. Hopefully, they had money and car keys, both of which they’d need to complete their escape.

Lucas ran his fingers through his long black hair and thought about all the ways he’d kill the guard the next time he came to take him from his cell. There was a click and the metal door to the guard room outside his Plexiglas cell opened and Chris stumbled into the room followed by one of the loathsome scum bag guards that seemed to make it his life’s work to torment him and Chris. Thing One, as Lucas called the guard, gave Chris another shove before crossing to the control panel for the jail cell door, he placed his palm on the control panel before entering his code and swipe card. The control panel was on a raised console in the center of the room, it controlled the doors and lights to both Lucas’s and Chris’s cells as well as the environmental controls and the sleep gas that could be released if they got out of line.

Chris gave Thing One a look that said I’d rip your head off if I didn’t have on this damn shock collar and made his way to his cell door. The heavy Plexiglas door slid into the ceiling and Chris stepped into the large Plexiglas box that had been his cell for the past six months and gave Lucas a chin wag as the door slid closed behind him with a whoosh. Lucas sent Thing One a hateful look; it was usually his turn next to have blood, skin, and semen samples taken. Lucas was tired of being stuck with needles and having to jerk off into a specimen bottle, tired of being naked except for a bare of tidy whites, the freaks that had captured them kept them naked twenty-four seven their nakedness combined with the shock collars made it almost impossible to escape. Since he and Chris had been captured they’d each given a river of blood and enough sperm to father a couple thousand kids. They didn’t even know where the hell they were, their cell was either underground or deep inside a windowless building, they had no idea what time of day it was or if they were still even in the states. One day had bled into another so that they’d lost track of time; their lives consisted of giving samples and exercising. Their damn captures had them each on a near-starvation diet too, probably to keep them weak, if Lucas ever got his shock collar off there would be hell to pay.

Thing One gave him a stupid grin, which made Lucas ball his hands into tight fists.

“It’s your lucky day fur ball no tests for you today, you’re both being transferred to new digs. Doc R will be by soon to give you a little something for the ride.” Thing One stood behind the console his hands on his belt. “If it was up to me I’d just put both of you mutts down and dissect you, but the boss said your valuable. Can’t see why though you’re nothing special. Just two steroid freaks.” Thing One was perhaps five foot nine and balding with a beer gut, if Lucas and Chris weren’t both wearing shock collars they would have ripped his head off long ago.

“If I didn’t have on this damn collar I’d teach that bastard a lesson.” Chris’s voice sounded loud in Lucas’s head. Chris was a lion shifter, while Lucas was a wolf shifter, but that hadn’t stopped them from being as close as brothers. They had met in basic training over twelve years ago and survived two tours together. They had learned each other’s secret in basic and kept it to themselves. Most of the world didn’t believe in shifters, and the few that did thought shifters were either freaks or things to be studied. Their special abilities, which included super strength, super hearing, fast healing, and telepathy with other shifters had helped Chris and Lucas rise rapidly in the Special Forces, together they had been an unstoppable team winning promotion after promotion. When the option to reenlist had come up Lucas had talked Chris out of it, he’d convinced him it was time to settle down, find a mate and have a normal life. Chris had come home with Lucas, Lucas’s family had embraced Chris like a long-lost son and the men had started their own security business and Lucas had begun building his dream home deep in the forest. They had been on a stakeout; an easy job getting dirt on a potentially dirty politician when their truck had been surrounded and despite a fierce fight Chris and Lucas had been hit with tranquilizer darts and rendered unconscious. They had awakened to find themselves in their present cages, with shock collars on.

“I’m with you; I’d like to rip his damn head off.” Lucas thought back.

“I’m supposed to give you each an injection but I think it would more fun just to gas you. Now which button, sleep gas or death. I’m being transferred too, some shit hole in the tropics, my transport is supposed to leave in an hour, so what are they going to do if I accidentally kill you.”

Lucas tensed and exchanged a look with Chris; he wouldn’t put it past Thing One to do as he said. In addition to the shock collars, something about the place prevented them from shifting or reaching their full strength. Lucas suspected they were being drugged, that there was something in the food or water but there was nothing they could do about it, and without the ability to do even a partial shift they were both as vulnerable as humans.

“Frank you were to return the subject and then go to the woman’s wing and begin transport of subject thirty-five. She is to be picked up in three hours by special transport and transferred to the Facility.” Dr. Renfrew’s voice startled Thing One as well as Lucas.

Lucas heard Chris growl, but he felt a quick sense of relief that Thing One wouldn’t be able to carry out his threat, not that Dr. Renfrew was much better. Dr. Renfrew oversaw most of the sample taking and from time to time he’d give them injections. Dr. Renfrew had also experimented on them both in the first few weeks they had been prisoners. He had cut and burned them repeatedly then watched how long their wounds took to heal. The guy was a sick bastard but at least he wouldn’t kill them.

“Yeah, doc just having a little fun that’s all.” Frank replied stepping away from the console.

“The subjects are valuable and not here for your amusement. Now go and see that thirty-five is prepared and moved to the waiting area, and be sure she isn’t damaged. The Master is taking over her care personally.” Dr. Renfrew said.

“I’ll bet he’s taking over her care, she’s one fine piece of tail,” Frank replied with a grin.

“That is enough; she isn’t for your amusement. See she is moved and be careful if she is damaged and miscarries months of work and millions of dollars will have been wasted.” Dr. Renfrew gave Frank a withering look.

“Fine, fine I’m going the little bitch had better not give me any trouble though.” Frank moved towards the door.

“And how much trouble can a five-foot-two woman be?” Dr. Renfrew demanded.

“The bitch has gotten out of her cell three times as well as out of the locked ward, little bitch clobbered Bill with a food tray and nearly made it out the emergency exit before she was caught, I was fined a month’s salary because of her escapes.” Frank snapped.

“She and the others were selected for their intelligence as well as their youth, it is your fault for not watching her better now go, and remember not a scratch or you will have The Master to answer to.” Dr. Renfrew stated.

“Fine, fine I’m going what about number forty-two?”

“She is having one last test and isn’t your concern, now move thirty-five and then collect your things and report to the transport.” Dr. Renfrew jerked his head towards the door. With a parting shrug, Frank stepped from the room and Dr. Renfrew turned to face both Lucas and Chris.

“As you heard you are both going to be transported to a new facility. I for one voted to have you both terminated and frozen for study but I was overruled, the experiments have met with limited success and you both have fathered viable offspring, even if it took some time. My superiors think fresh tissue donations are better than frozen.” Dr. Renfrew stated stepping up to the center console.

“What the hell are you talking about; we’re going to have kids,” Chris demanded. He looked over at Lucas and shook his head in denial. The only way a woman could become pregnant by either of them was if she was the one, if she was their fated mate, the one and only female that was their perfect match and fated to be theirs.

“All those damn samples you have been taking from us. Is one of those women you were just talking about the mother?” Lucas demanded. He’d been interested the second he’d heard that there were also female prisoners but now the doctor had his full attention.

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter as your never going to meet them your children. The women used for the breeding experiment are all exceptionally intelligent, some even rank as geniuses, they were all selected for their intelligence as well as their overall physical health and brought here. It has taken months and over two hundred subjects before we achieved just two pregnancies, though I don’t understand why. You and the subjects are all healthy and your sperm has exceptional motility. I will eventually figure out why in the meantime, this facility is being closed and you all relocated.” Dr. Renfrew took a swipe card out of his pocket and ran it through the reader on the front of the console.

“Yeah and why is that Doc?” Chris demanded. “Did somebody screw up, one of the women escape perhaps?”

Dr. Renfrew scowled. “Not that it matters but several of the test subjects died, for some reason, your sperm in high dosage was toxic to them, others miscarried early and died because of complications. We needed fresh subjects and mistakes were made in harvesting the women, apparently, people noticed the women were missing and alerted the authorities. We are simply relocating to a more secure and a more remote location.” Dr. Renfrew placed his palm on the console screen, as his phone began to ring loudly. Dr. Renfrew pulled the phone out of his pocket and held it up to his head, accidentally knocking his metal-rimmed glasses askew.

“Yes what is it damn it I’m preparing the subjects for transport, the Master is on the phone now? Yes of course I’ll speak to him. No, no put the call through to my office. I’ll be there in a minute.” Dr. Renfrew stuffed his phone back in his pocket and hurried from the room muttering under his breath.

“Did you hear what he said, and more important do you believe it,” Chris demanded coming to stand at the wall between their cells.

“Yeah I heard him and I believe it. We now know what he’s been doing with all those damn samples; we have to get out of here, if we are going to be fathers that means only one thing.” Lucas stated.

“Our mates are here, but did you hear what they said. Women died and that bastard didn’t care. Who the fuck has us?” Chris snarled before ponding futile on the glass wall. “How do you propose we get out of here? We try anything and shock city.”

“I know I’m thinking about it. Look when he comes back he is going to have to open our doors right and then have us walk out.” Lucas said as his mind raced to form a plan.

“Unless he gases us first then drags our buts out of here,” Chris replied.

“But he can’t, he will need us ambulatory, you heard him he sent most of the guards away and he’s too damn skinny and weak to drag us out, so he will need us mobile,” Lucas said.

“Yeah good point, I’m following,” Chris replied.

“We’ll have to find a way to attack him. I don’t know one of us could pretend to be sick.” Lucas replied. He’d never been much for complicated plans, to him simple was always better; he’d always been the shoot first and ask questions later type.

“Okay, I see where you’re going. You know it might work, he never carries a gun, and if it’s only him. We just have to get the damn shock button away from him, the last time he used it on me I lasted about thirty seconds.” Chris replied.

“I think I lasted a bit longer, then the guard clobbered me.”

“Well that’s better than me, I don’t know about you but I want to meet the woman who’s having my kid, and I sure as hell don’t want the bastards that took us to have my kid. I don’t even want to think what they’d do to it. Whatever it takes we have to bust out of here, so I’m with you.” Chris said.

Lucas nodded; he too wanted to meet the woman that was carrying his child, his potential mate. He’d heard what doctor Renfrew had said, that the women were picked for their intelligence. He wouldn’t mind an intelligent mate, hell a mate he’d never thought to find one, that his potential mate was trapped in this hell hole it was too much to think about. If, no when he escaped how would he find her and rescue her he didn’t know but he did know he’d do whatever it took to get them both out of this place alive. He’d been an army ranger for twelve years; he knew how to fight and kill. He’d killed before and he would again if he had to, to save his mate.

His mate, he liked the sound of that, what did she look like, was she tall, short, thin, curvy. He supposed it didn’t matter; he’d always gone for looks before and been disappointed. He liked tall dark haired women, and his last girlfriend Jesse had been as tall and as beautiful as a supermodel. She’d been a fox shifter and didn’t believe in fated mates. He did, he tried to tell Jesse several times that she wasn’t his mate, that all they could ever be to each other were lovers. He’d known that after they’d been going out for two months, but whenever he tried to break up she’d freak out, and then she’d cry and he’d cave. She would say she didn’t believe in fated mates, that they could always adopt. But Lucas did believe, and he wanted his own kids. He wanted a passel of cubs and he wanted the deep love and commitment his parents had. He and Chris would find a way to escape and then they would rescue their mates and then together they would leave this hell hole, he just had to wait and look for an opening and take it.

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