Page 41 of M.A.Y.A
“We can’t leave this up to chance,” Maya said. “Do we have explosives in the armory?”
“How many are we talking about?” Sergei replied calmly.
“Enough to collapse the Empire State Building.”
ChapterSixteen
Isaiah was floored by the sheer devastation and loss of what was once New York. He’d gone to the city with his parents when he was a child, and what he remembered from the trip was that it was loud, bustling, and crowded with tons of bright lights and excitement. But in this dimension, he was met with rubble and ruin. It was like walking onto the movie set of a superhero film, and he had to work hard to control his facial features. Everything was covered in a layer of cement dust and spray-painted words of doomsday. Overhead, the constant sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air echoed just as loudly as sirens and explosives.
There was no way in hell he was going to let these people into his dimension to take his pack’s resources. They were toxic and had already done damage to their own world. Isaiah knew that they’d ruin his too. He could easily kill all of them now by shifting and slicing their throats before they could have a chance to load their weapons, but Isaiah knew that his tiny warrior needed to close the portal, and if he acted too soon, she might not be able to succeed.
He followed silently with two guards in front and two in the back. They walked through barren streets until they reached a nondescript building that looked like it was a strong wind away from crumbling. He was then shoved into an elevator shaft that descended into a dark cavernous space through another door at the far end of the hall.
How had Maya escaped without getting caught? Even with the scientist who she claimed helped her, she must have been so desperate, so brave to have risked it all. After his escape, he was going to show her in every way he could how incredible she was as a woman and as a survivor. He’d keep her safe and protected and make sure that she would only remember this place as a distant nightmare, as if it was a fleeting moment from a bad dream in childhood.
The man who had struck fear in Maya’s heart stopped in front of a set of double doors made of steel. His voice was irritating, nasally, and filled with a pompous arrogance that spoke of privilege. “Welcome to Dimension Zero,” he said to Isaiah.
“If you’ve raided multiple dimensions already, then why does yours still look like a shithole?” Isaiah asked casually. “What happened to all those precious resources you stole?”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise then narrowed. “I see that Unit 13 spoke about things that don’t concern her.”
“She’s smarter than you think.”
“Not smart enough to ever be rid of us,” the man said, his expression so smug that Isaiah was tempted to throw his plan out the window and tear out his throat.
The man turned to his guards. “Ask the good doctor to begin intake. We’ll start testing tonight.” He turned toward a corridor on the left and walked away without a backward glance.
Moments later, the double doors in front of him opened to a warehouse size room with steel-enforced beams and cement floors. A chill permeated the air. The barrel of a rifle shoved at the small of his back.
“Move it,” one of the guards said.
He cooperated, for now, and stepped into the room. Once the time was right, he’d tear off the cuffs and slice these guards in half.
They descended a zig zag of steel steps onto the ground floor of the cavernous warehouse. That’s when he saw the glass boxes. There were at least twenty of them lined up one by one, next to each other. Inside each of the boxes were a single bed, a toilet, a small square space with a showerhead, and a chair. His heart filled with terror and fury. This was where his mate was forced to stay, was tortured for years. No wonder she had nightmares. No wonder she was worried that her happiness would be stolen from her, and she’d end up in this hellhole again.
Across from the glass boxes was a long desk covered in monitors and medical equipment. Both glass boxes and desk chairs were empty.
“Move it,” one of the guards said behind him, and shoved him forward with the end of his rifle. Isaiah barely suppressed his growl as he was led down a small walkway between the cages and the desk. As they reached the last unit on the left, a short woman with bright red hair and vivid green eyes stepped out from a corridor. She wore a white lab coat, a black uniform and frameless glasses.
“Do we have a new patient?” she said to the guards in front.
“Undetermined,” the one who stood closest to her said. He adjusted his weapon, and the subtle movement was enough to indicate to Isaiah that this woman wasn’t exactly welcome either. “This captive exchanged his life for Unit 13. Darwin has instructed that we lock him in Unit 13’s old cell for now, until they can secure her return. You are to begin intake.”
Isaiah’s senses were on high alert. For the first time since he’d stepped through the portal into this dystopian nightmare, he smelled something that didn’t fit with the emotions of those he’d been surrounded with.
Fear.
The little doctor who stood at barely five feet tall maintained a calm exterior, but her heartbeat had turned erratic, and she was radiating confusion and terror now as she met his gaze.
She knew something.
Was this the woman who protected his mate and who helped her escape?
“Very well,” the doctor said as she adjusted her frames again. “You can lead the patient into the cell. I ask that you take your breaks now, as I’ll need your assistance in two hours for a full physical workup.”
One of the guards behind him spoke up. “I don’t believe that’s necessary. We will wait here with you.”
The doctor cocked her head and looked at Isaiah as if he was a smear on a slide. “He is from the alternate dimension?”
