Chameleon by Otto Gramm (free ereaders .txt) 📖

– You stop now, fellow! – Someone pealed hoarsely from behind.

He grabbed the wrist of the unknown and kicked it with all his might. There was a crunching sound, muffled shouting and swearing in an unfamiliar language. As he neutralized the enemy, One-one-four ran to the exit without looking back. Just two moments to his freedom, two heartbeats, let it be his last two heartbeats, but he will never return! Hell no!

– HELL! WHAT?!!! – Runaway growled, shocked, when his feet suddenly took off and his body hung in the air.

“Holy...! What is this devilry?”

– There is no reason to be worried. And this “devilry” is an antigravity shield.

The uttered voice was so soft and deep that even the brutal word repeated by it, caressed the ear. Completely confused, One-one-four began to wonder if it was a continuation of his dream.

– No, it is not a dream. – The voice replied.

The suspended prisoner could not understand, where it was coming from, or it sounded only in his head. And how the hell it read his thoughts?

In the next moment, the darkness in one of the doorways stirred and a silhouette came through.

A man. High stature, broad shoulders, hands clasped behind. One-one-four could not see any more detail in the darkness.

“I’ve never seen you either,” he made a mental conclusion.

Then the silhouette stepped forward. A man of thirty-five or forty came in sight of the fugitive. Black wavy hair was neatly trimmed and combed. His face was as ordinary as unusual. Even the most experienced physiognomist could not memorize it at once: rough features on his cheekbones and chin were smoothly combined with elegant lines of a slightly curved nose and thin lips, a little compressed and without clear contours, as most people have. Black thick eyebrows looked contrasting over the burning eyes of azure blue. Their glare made the fugitive feel some chill in his stomach. In addition, he was surprised with a perfect combination of athletic built and flexible movements even though the man took only a step (One-one-four had sharp eye). However, the man’s height was the thing the fugitive could not identify sine he was hung in the air.

“Local leader”, was the prisoner’s conclusion after a one-second scan. Was he probably to be the behind-the-scenes initiator of all those experiments? He looked quite representative and smart. Moreover, this “poker face” suited perfectly to some sadistic maniac, ready to split a living person into atoms. Although, it was a little strange that he talked to him in such intonation – not as to a scientific material, but as to a...

– Oh, Kyle! You still caught him. – Someone from behind interrupted the thoughts of One-one-four. The new voice was also soft and quiet, slightly rough. The suspended guest glanced back and saw the young man he wanted to stab with something sharp half a minute ago. The corridor illumination sparkled in his blond hair with golden flare. – My fault, he woke up too quickly, and I... I got a bit lost in reading! – Guiltily continued the boy.

– Don’t worry, Shad. – The leader replied. – Everything’s under control now.

This phrase sobered up the runaway like an ice-cold shower. Sparkle of a ghost hope for the slightest improvement was totally crushed. The innovations neither in the situation, nor among the people did not change a thing. He was still a prisoner of scientific tortures, but obviously, after his last trick with escape, he was assigned to these strange, outstanding people. They were harder to delude. He glanced back to Kyle’s face then glared at Shad. Much harder.

“Where is that rat Warren?”

– So, you are a telepath? – He turned to the leader. Scarcely the man wanted to reply, when another, slightly familiar voice growled from behind:

– Cap, let me kick hell out of him!

One-one-four remembered he had just beat someone in the corridor. He turned around.

Grabbing his sick hand, a burly fellow stood in front of him, about the same height and build as Kyle, but with a rougher outline. His half-ponytail of long blond curls was a bit disheveled, two or three locks fell on a sharp, angular face. Wide cheekbones, a thick beard, an aquiline nose with high nose bridge, steel eyes sparkling from under low brows suggested to the suspended prisoner that he was facing either a Scandinavian or a Scotsman. Then something else in this man drew his attention – clothes. Gray trousers tucked into shoes, a white shirt and a brown waistcoat. Utterly weird! Where were the gowns, uniforms, masks? He looked down. Where the booties? He almost spoke out his last thought. He glanced at the other men: Shad was in an oriental kimono-alike shirt and in pants of sand color. In addition, he had a belt with several road pockets (very odd shape). Kyle was in black! Why did not One-one-four immediately notice that, as soon as he saw him? With his sharp eye!

“Where the hell have I been transferred to?!!”

The last black clothes he ever saw was the Vietcong uniform. The “leader’s” tunic with side fastening looked strictly and even sublimely. The strangers’ appearance brought the fugitive into such a stupor that he instantly forgot the phrase spit out by the tall blond. However, the melodious voice of Kyle brought him back to reality again.

– Calm down, Will. Don’t ruin the first good impression after a long searching.

– Searching, huh? – One-one-four began to boil. That telepath did not only hang him somehow and answer his thoughts, but he also treated him like his full-fledged master. The fact that One-one-four was absolutely helpless only added fuel to the flame. Unable to reach any of his opponents, he could only flounder in the air until he was exhausted.

– I know why! – The prisoner’s voice grew louder. – Come on, cut me, slice me into pieces, shred me! Let’s see how poor your imagination is! If I had a tool, I’d do much better things to you! Scums! Creeps! Lab rats!!!

– What’s that noise, amigos...? – To his right came a man, a little drowsy... and he was close.

– DIEGO, MOVE BACK!!! – Three voices shouted simultaneously, but it was late: in one sharp twist, the fugitive snatched the man by the throat, pulled him up and within half a second Diego was inside of the antigravity shield too. Strong arms and legs wrapped the body of the victim like snake rings; scratched fingers seized his neck with a dead grip.

– Oh, hell! – Will was about to intervene, but was stopped by Kyle’s arm that laid on his shoulder.

– Stop! – He commanded. – Let’s try to avoid victims.

– I hate to disappoint you. – One-one-four hissed. – But your friend is in hands of an insane.

– Cap...! – Diego gasped, groaning. – I think he means that... A little help...!

One-one-four squeezed his neck harder and Diego fell silent. After a few seconds, he rolled his eyes and his body shuddered.

– He blocks the blood flow to his brain! – Will got worried. – Cap, knock him out!

The Spaniard gave a stifled wheeze.

– As soon as I bend my little finger, he’ll die from the migraine that none of you has ever imagined! – The lab fugitive muttered with a smug grin. – I know hundreds of ways how to kill with my bare hands and I’ll do it to each of you!

– I’m sure you will. – Kyle said dryly, as he looked into his eyes. – But after a long chase, your exhausted body might let you down.

– You think I’m an idiot? – The fugitive growled. – Call Warren! I’ve been looking to strangle that rat for long... What the...?! – He roared, amazed, as his hand involuntarily let go of Spaniard’s neck and hung in the air.

Diego winced and woke up.

– There is no Warren here and you’re not in the lab. – Kyle slowly approached. – You are certain now that we are not a dream. You know how to define it. Even how to control it.

– I also know how to define windbags! – The captive maliciously mimicked Kyle, while his other hand clutched the neck of the victim. – Their tongues fall out to their throats when you strangle them. Shall we check?

However, Kyle calmly made one more step forward.

– Even if I now bring you Dr. Wolfgang Warren, what will you tell him? – The fiery gaze of the fugitive changed to puzzled for an instant. – Will you lay out everything you think about him in verbal form, while he will contemplate your helpless floundering?

– Now you listen...!

– Turn on your logic for a second. – Kyle interrupted him. – You are suspended and surrounded by three men that you can’t reach. Any of us can easily shoot you with a tranquilizer.

One-one-four paused, pondering. The man in black had a point. Both blond rookie and loser with a broken arm could easily knock him out at this distance. Some even really wanted to... What did they want then?

– Just let our friend go and I will put you down. Then we’ll talk. No one here will commit any violence against you. You have my word. Please, let him go, Alex.

As Kyle had said that, he approached right up to the fugitive. The next moment the latter was lifted a bid higher till the men’s faces met at the same level. However, One-one-four did not pay attention to this, as he did not even notice that Kyle was too close. Enough to take a strike.

Nevertheless, the man in black did not move. He waited.

For a few seconds the suspended prisoner was playing back in his head the uttered words. Especially one of them, which hit the target and destroyed the wall of aggression at once.

Alex.

His name. How long had he not heard it! Scraped hands loosened the grip, allowing Diego to make a long-awaited breath. The fugitive and his captive were smoothly turned to a vertical position, but their feet still did not reach to the ground.

“Come what may,” Alex thought and unclasped his hands...

Diego flopped to the floor. Coughing and spitting, he immediately crawled away to a safer distance. Alex also was on the ground. His numb hand woke up surprisingly. He stretched his fingers and looked around the people, then gazed at Kyle. That man was still next to him, his hands behind his back.

“Two meters and two, no, three... Why the hell do I care about his height?”

In the laboratories, Alex had honed his eyes perfectly, since every millimeter and every second had a huge, one might say, a crucial value for escape estimation. Now he couldn’t stop measuring any detail.

Kyle seemed to have read that thought, as a slight hint of smile touched the corner of his lips. That calmed down a bit the fugitive.

– So, what do you want to talk to me about?

– Shall we walk? – Kyle stepped aside. The prisoner did not move, suspiciously gazing then at him then at the doorway behind his back.

Kyle shrugged his shoulders, turned around and slowly headed for the way out. Alex glanced at the others: no one even stirred. The tall blond gave a slight nod and then the fugitive hesitantly paced behind the man in black.

– Will, go to the aid post. Lin is there now. – Kyle said, before he and Alex disappeared behind the corner of the corridor.

They walked in silence for quite a while. The lab fugitive did not take his eyes off his companion, studying each of his movements, facial expression and gait, trying to catch any hidden motive. However, Kyle’s defense was impenetrable. He either was the most powerful psychologist Alex had ever seen, or... “Stop! He’s a mind reader!” Alex decided to switch to something else. He began to peer into the forest, trying to figure out where they were going to, but he didn’t see any road or path. “We can’t be just two dolts walking around the