Chapter 12: Escape

The sixth day dawned under a heavy, gray sky, as if nature itself sensed the storm about to break. Vykhor sat in the medical room, his mind on high alert. The whispers he'd overheard among the soldiers in the past few hours had confirmed his suspicions: he was no longer their only target. Evelyn, this human whose intelligence and kindness had intrigued him, was now also in danger. He could feel the growing tension in the air, a tension that had been building for days and was inevitably about to explode.

When the door opened, Vykhor turned his head and saw Evelyn enter. She was trying to hide her worry and fatigue, but he wasn't fooled. Her movements were a bit more hurried, her eyes slightly shadowed. Something was off. Even though she tried to maintain her usual calm, Vykhor could sense her inner turmoil.

Without wasting any time, Evelyn got to work, pulling out her tools and leaning over Vykhor's prosthetic. Her hands trembled slightly, but she fought to maintain control. Vykhor watched her every move, every expression on her face. He knew time was running out; they were both walking a razor’s edge.

The more she worked, the more Vykhor felt the systems in his prosthetic come back to life. The controls responded more fluidly, and the circuits hummed with an energy he hadn't felt in a long time. It wasn’t functioning at 100%, but it was enough. He knew he couldn’t wait any longer. The moment had come to act.

Using his mental link with the prosthetic, Vykhor sent a discreet signal to his ship, the Narak’Tharr, still in orbit around Earth since his crash. These human military idiots thought they’d captured a Kael’tarian ship, but all they had was an insignificant shuttle. The systems on the Narak’Tharr responded immediately, and he received confirmation: a rescue craft was on its way, ready to extract him. Moreover, a strike on the base could be launched at any moment, at his command. He clenched his jaw. Everything had to be timed perfectly.

Just then, the door to the medical room swung open abruptly, making Evelyn jump. Colonel Kane entered with a triumphant smile, looking like a man who’d just scored a major victory. Evelyn stepped back, tools still in hand, her gaze flicking between Kane and Vykhor, desperately trying to make sense of what was happening.

“Well, Dr. Ashcroft, you’ve done exactly what we wanted you to,” Kane said, his tone dripping with cold satisfaction. “You’ve gotten our dear Vykhor back on his feet, just as planned. But you see, Vykhor was never our main objective.”

Evelyn felt her heart tighten, a wave of panic threatening to overwhelm her. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Kane’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with a cruel glint. “You. You were our real target, Evelyn. Your skills, your exceptional intelligence, particularly in nanotechnology, are of immense interest to us. This was all a trap. Vykhor played his role as bait perfectly. We needed to make sure you were worth the effort. And you’ve proven yourself.”

Evelyn felt the ground fall away beneath her. She had anticipated so many scenarios, foresaw countless dangers, but she had never imagined she was the true target. Over the years, she had convinced herself that Dr. Griffin had successfully erased all traces of her. This was a total betrayal, a manipulation that left her speechless. All those days spent tending to Vykhor had been a test, a trial to reveal what she was truly capable of. And now she realized Kane had never intended to let her go.

“Why?” she whispered, still in shock, trying to understand what had driven this relentless pursuit.

Kane, ever the strategist, wasted no time offering a neatly packaged response designed to hide the deeper truth. “Because your skills are unique, Evelyn. We’ve been watching your work for a long time, and we knew you could be useful. Very useful. Now you understand why we couldn’t let you leave. Your work here isn’t finished.”

Evelyn felt a wave of despair mixed with anger. But at the same time, there was a strange sense of relief. This wasn’t a personal vendetta, nor a darker secret motivating this manipulation. It was her skills, her knowledge, that were being sought. But that didn’t lessen the gravity of the situation. Kane saw her as an asset, a tool to use as he saw fit, and she couldn’t accept that.

She quickly glanced at Vykhor. She knew they had to escape, but she wasn’t built for direct confrontation. Everything she had planned needed to happen under the cover of night, silently, discreetly, far from Kane’s suspicious gaze. But now, she had no choice. Events had caught up with her, and she had to act, here and now.

“You’ll never force me to work for you,” she said, her voice more confident than she felt. She hoped Vykhor understood that she was willing to do whatever it took to prevent that.

Kane shrugged, as if the detail was of no concern to him. “You don’t have a choice, Evelyn.”

Vykhor, who had remained silent until now, sensed the decisive moment approaching. The tension was at its peak, and he knew it was now or never. His prosthetic, though not fully restored, was functional enough for him to use effectively. He had already mapped out his movements in his mind, and the rescue craft was rapidly approaching.

There was no more time to lose. Everything would change in an instant, and they had to be ready to act. Evelyn, despite her intelligence and courage, wasn’t built for the brutal confrontation that was about to unfold. Vykhor knew he had to take the lead, and quickly.

Kane stepped forward, approaching Evelyn with a calm authority, confident he had everything under control. But Vykhor knew war, and he understood that overconfidence could be fatal. The time had come to turn the tables.

Vykhor’s ship strike hit the base like a storm of fire and metal. The first explosions rocked the structures violently, sending tremors through the ground and shattering glass and debris in all directions. The harsh light from the explosions flickered through the windows, while shrill alarms tore through the air, mixing with the panicked cries of soldiers and base personnel.

Kane, up until now so sure of himself, was suddenly overwhelmed by panic. He immediately understood what was happening: Vykhor had managed to contact a ship, and this attack was only the beginning of a violent extraction. His eyes widened in shock and rage as he realized his entire plan had just crumbled in an instant. He turned to Vykhor and Evelyn, but before he could react, Vykhor moved with lightning speed.

With a swift motion, Vykhor shoved Kane with brutal force, sending him crashing into the wall with a sickening crack. The colonel crumpled to the ground, his face contorted in pain and fury. Without wasting a second, Vykhor turned to Evelyn, his yellow eyes burning with fierce determination. He grabbed her arm with a firm grip, pulling her behind him as he headed for the exit.

“We’re leaving, now!” he barked, his voice cutting through the chaos of explosions.

Evelyn, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, almost stumbled as Vykhor dragged her forward. Her heart raced, her thoughts swirling in a whirlwind of fear and adrenaline. She had anticipated many outcomes, but certainly not an escape this sudden and violent. Yet, despite the panic threatening to consume her, a part of her knew she had no choice but to follow Vykhor. He was her only hope of surviving this nightmare.

They ran through the crumbling hallways, the walls shaking under the impact of successive strikes. The soldiers who tried to stop them were swiftly taken down by Vykhor with devastating efficiency. His prosthetic, though still partially repaired, was functional enough to neutralize anyone who got in their way. Evelyn kept close by his side, her mind struggling to maintain control amidst the violence and chaos surrounding them. She wasn’t built for this kind of situation, but she knew she had to stay strong.

As they neared the exit, the explosions grew more intense, the walls collapsing under the barrage from the orbiting ship. The military base was turning into a battlefield, a place of death and destruction where every second counted. The ground cracked, ceilings crumbled, and the entire world seemed to be falling apart around them.

Finally, they reached the outside, where the rescue craft awaited, its engines roaring in the deafening chaos. Vykhor didn’t slow down, dragging Evelyn with him up the access ramp. Without hesitation, he pulled her aboard, his eyes constantly scanning the sky for any potential threats. Evelyn, breathless, almost collapsed onto the metallic floor of the craft, her mind trying to catch up with the whirlwind of events that had just unfolded.

Vykhor entered behind her, casting one last look over his shoulder to ensure they weren’t being followed. Then, in a commanding voice, he barked an order in Kael’tarian. The doors of the craft slammed shut, and within moments, it lifted off the ground, speeding away from the burning base.

Inside the craft, the noise from outside grew distant, replaced by the steady hum of the engines and the electronic controls. Evelyn tried to calm her breathing, her trembling hands gripping the armrests of the seat she had collapsed into. It all felt unreal, as if she’d been thrust into a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.

Vykhor, now calm but still vigilant, approached her, his penetrating gaze softening slightly. “We’re heading to my ship,” he said firmly, but with a gentleness she hadn’t heard from him before. “You helped me, and I won’t let those bastards harm you. You’re safe, for now.”

Evelyn nodded, unable to form a coherent response. She knew the danger was far from over, but for the first time since the mission began, she felt a glimmer of hope. Vykhor, despite his intimidating appearance and brutal strength, had just proven he had a sense of honor that the human military seemed to have lost. Maybe, together, they could find a way to survive what was coming.

For now, all she could do was cling to that fragile thread of hope as they left Earth behind, heading into the unknown.