Somewhere, the blackness echoed with a thump, a slight flutter, a thump, a thump…..followed by burning warmth.

The slightest vibration within the shattered thoughts…….

Once again, his torn and rent lungs, the burning throat ejected the contents of the sea outward and then gasped a shuddering inhalation.

Somewhere, instinct reacted. A second breath, and then he thrashed like a blue marlin flopping its life out aboard a fishermen’s deck.

Or he tried, arms still bound, unknowning, he twisted, thrashing turning, trying to find a purchase but a vise pressed upon his chest.

Eyelids flashed open, burning even in the moonlight as his genetically manipulated body attempted to heal, to break free, to live.

Whispers at first, slowly growing in decimal. “Brett, Brett, be still. Brett, calm down. Brother, relax, please. Brett…” Over and over, slowly the body lying on the beach calmed as focus brought the sight of his younger brother, and then Titan, leaning over him, Bryce holding him down.

He choked, trying to speak through the ruined throat. “Shawna……..Olivia.”

With an apparent wave of concentration, Titan……William, broke the hold of the titalloy, or whatever Dryce called it. And as somewhere in his damaged brain, memory neurons fired, Brett surged, well staggered to his feet.

Behind him, Bryce called after him before sharing a look with William.

Glancing around, Brett whispered in a very slithery tone, “Where are we?”

Titan answered, “Twenty miles southwest of the port.”

Brett stood there for a second, as if listening to the wind, before sprinting to Alliance Two. Hopping into the cockpict, he began to initiate takeoff, ignoring all attempts at communication, although he was now hearing a very watery echo through his communications piece.

Within thirty seconds, he had taken off, headed for Eighty Mile Beach, feeling more than recognizing when Bryce had clambered in through the passenger hatch.

At the speeds Alliance Two was capable of, it took more time to takeoff, accelerate, decelerate and land than it did to actually get to the location where he had last seen her.

Activating the integral communications device in the retrofitted cockpit, Brett muttered in a very painful, whispering tone. “It was Dryce. He’s worked for English all along. Where is Olivia?”

Bryce responded, “I just took her home.” Somewhere, confusion, home from what? But it didn’t really matter.

He turned a yellow gaze on his youngest brother. “Right, I’ll go get her.” Then he jumped out of the former Sea Dragon prototype.  Then he…..JUMPED.

Brett had landed near the Camaro, a car he had been so happy to see on his return home just a few days ago. It was meaningless now. He stalked around the scene, tasting the currents, sniffing the sand, searching. The evidence made no sense. All of the senses were telling him that it had been at least two days since he and she had been sitting on this beach. He identified five though, all the life that had been here then or recently. His own, his mate’s. Dryce. The creature that had been identified as Black Web and……he tasted the air again with his split tongue. Even less sense…….Brujeria.

Targets had been identified.

He turned, sprinting back to the aircraft. Titan interecepted him…..”Who was here?”

“Dryce, Black Web, Brujeria.”

“Aren’t you going to check the car?”

“ I……can’t. I’m …….I just can’t.  Can you?”

He looked at the shining yellow Camaro…….parked near the beach of his childhood.

Safe places no longer.