Chapter 108 Government Interest
Sage woke to white walls and the antiseptic smell of a medical facility, but this was no ordinary hospital. The ceiling was lined with cameras, the single window showed only sky, and the door had no handle on the inside. She was wearing a hospital gown, and all her personal effects were gone.
"Mason?" she called out, her voice hoarse.
"He's in the adjacent cell," came Director Chen's voice through an intercom. "And before you ask, yes, your children are here. Three floors down, perfectly safe and being well cared for."
"I want to see them."
"I'm sure you do. But first, we need to talk."
The door opened, and Chen entered accompanied by two guards who moved with that same inhuman grace Sage had noticed before. Chen pulled up a chair, settling across from Sage with a tablet in her hands.
"Do you know what you are, Alpha Steele?" Chen asked conversationally.
"I know exactly what I am," Sage replied coldly.
"Do you? Because according to our research, your kind has been telling yourselves fairy tales for so long, you've forgotten the truth." Chen tapped her tablet, and a holographic display projected between them—DNA sequences, brain scans, biological data.
"Three hundred years ago," Chen began, "the British government conducted a series of experiments. The goal was to create superior soldiers—stronger, faster, with enhanced senses and healing. The project was deemed a failure when the subjects proved uncontrollable and escaped into the general population."
Sage remained silent, processing this information.
"Those test subjects integrated into society, had children, spread their altered genetics across the globe. They created elaborate mythologies about ancient bloodlines and pack hierarchies to explain their differences. But the truth is, you're not magical. You're not supernatural. You're the descendants of a government experiment that got out of control."
"You're lying," Sage said, though uncertainty crept into her voice.
"Am I?" Chen showed her more data—historical documents, research notes, genetic comparisons. "Every major government has known about your kind for at least a century. We've been monitoring, occasionally intervening, but mostly letting you police yourselves. It was easier than revealing the truth."
"Then why reveal it now?"
"Because of your children." Chen pulled up new files—brain scans of the triplets that made Sage's breath catch. "Their neural activity is unlike anything we've ever seen. They're not just intelligent—their brains are forming connections that shouldn't be possible. And your adopted daughter..." She showed Rory's scans. "She's developing similar patterns, despite not sharing your genetics. It suggests the traits might be transmissible through prolonged exposure."
"Where is Rory?" Sage demanded.
"With her siblings. She's been quite protective of them, actually. Tried to bite one of my researchers when they attempted to take blood samples." Chen almost smiled. "We sedated her for everyone's safety."
"You drugged a sixteen-year-old girl?"
"We sedated a potential security threat who's been running an international intelligence network." Chen's expression hardened. "Don't play the innocent mother, Alpha Steele. You knew your children were different. You just didn't know why."
The door opened again, and Mason was escorted in, his hands bound with the same high-tech restraints. He looked exhausted but unharmed, his eyes immediately finding Sage.
"Touching reunion aside," Chen said, "we need to discuss your future. The secret is out—at least among world governments. Every pack leader at that trial is currently in custody in their respective nations. The age of hidden packs is over."
"What do you want from us?" Mason asked.
"Cooperation," Chen replied simply. "Your children represent a potential leap in human evolution. We need to understand them, guide their development, ensure they're not a threat to the species."
"You mean control them," Sage corrected.
"If necessary." Chen's tone was matter-of-fact. "But ideally, we'd prefer partnership. Your business model—the economic integration, the corporate structure—it's actually quite brilliant. We'd like to expand it, bring your kind fully into society, but under government oversight."
"And if we refuse?"
Chen sighed. "Then you'll spend the rest of your lives in facilities like this, and your children will be raised by people who view them as test subjects rather than family. Is that really what you want?"
Before either could respond, alarms began blaring. The lights flickered, and Chen's guards immediately moved to defensive positions.
"What's happening?" Chen demanded into her communicator.
"Security breach in Sector 7," came the response. "Unknown hostiles have penetrated the perimeter."
Chen stood, her expression grim. "It seems your people have found you." She turned to her guards. "Move them to the secure bunker. Now."
But before anyone could move, the window exploded inward. Figures in black tactical gear swung through, moving with inhuman speed and precision. Not government operatives—pack members.
The fight was brief but vicious. Chen's enhanced guards were strong, but they were outnumbered. Within minutes, the government forces were down, and Sage found herself face-to-face with someone she never expected to see.
"Hello, sister," Thomas Steele said, removing his tactical mask. Her older brother, who'd left the pack years ago after a dispute with their father, stood before her in full combat gear.
"Thomas? How—"
"No time for reunions," he interrupted, breaking her restraints with bolt cutters. "We have three minutes before their reinforcements arrive. Marcus sent us the location. We're getting you out."
"Our children—"
"Already secured," another figure said, removing their mask to reveal Alexei Volkov. "My team extracted them two minutes ago. Your daughter Rory is quite impressive—she'd already disabled two guards despite being sedated."
As they moved through the facility, Sage saw unconscious government personnel everywhere. This wasn't just a rescue—it was a complete operational takedown.
"How did you escape?" Mason asked Alexei as they ran.
"Not all of Chen's people are loyal to her agenda," Alexei replied. "Some believe forcing our kind into the open will cause more harm than good. They helped us escape, provided intel on this facility."
They reached the roof where three helicopters waited, rotors already spinning. Sage's heart leaped when she saw Rory in the first helicopter, holding Lily while the boys pressed against the windows, waving frantically.
"Mama! Dada!" they chorused as Sage and Mason climbed aboard.
"This isn't over," Thomas warned as the helicopters lifted off. "Chen wasn't lying about governments knowing. Every major power is mobilizing. The old world is ending, whether we like it or not."
"Where are we going?" Sage asked, holding her children close.
"International waters," Alexei answered. "There's a ship waiting—officially registered to a shell company that doesn't exist. From there, we regroup, figure out our next move."
As London fell away beneath them, Sage saw military vehicles converging on the facility they'd just escaped. Chen stood on the roof, watching them flee, speaking rapidly into a phone.
"She's not pursuing," Mason observed.
"She doesn't need to," Thomas said grimly. "She knows something we don't. This feels too easy."
He was right. As they approached the coast, Sage noticed Lily had gone very still in her arms, her blue eyes unfocused.
"Lily? Baby, what's wrong?"
"The bad lady," Lily said quietly. "She wanted us to escape."
"What do you mean, sweetheart?"
"She's not done playing," Lily said, then buried her face in Sage's chest. "The game gets bigger now."
Rory, still groggy from sedation, managed to pull out a phone she'd somehow hidden. "Mom, Dad, you need to see this."
The screen showed a news broadcast. The BBC anchor looked shaken as she read from a teleprompter:
"In an unprecedented announcement, the Prime Minister has confirmed the existence of genetically enhanced individuals living among the general population. The government assures citizens there is no immediate danger, but asks anyone with knowledge of these individuals to contact authorities immediately..."
"My God," Mason breathed. "They've gone public."
"Not just Britain," Alexei said, checking his own phone. "Similar announcements in France, Germany, the United States. It's coordinated. They're outing us globally."
The helicopter banked sharply as they approached the ship—a converted cargo vessel that looked unremarkable from the outside but Sage could see was equipped with sophisticated defensive systems.
As they landed on the deck, more pack members emerged from below—Isabella, Marcus, even some faces Sage didn't recognize. It was an international coalition of those who'd escaped the government roundups.
"Welcome to the resistance," Isabella said with a grim smile. "Such as it is."
"This is everyone who escaped?" Sage asked, looking at the few dozen individuals.
"Everyone so far," Marcus corrected, pulling Sage and Mason aside. "But we're getting reports from around the world. Some packs are cooperating with governments, others are going into hiding, and some..." He hesitated. "Some are preparing for war."
"War?" Mason repeated.
"Chen was right about one thing," Thomas interjected. "The secret is out. The question now is whether we integrate on their terms or fight for our own."
A commotion from below deck interrupted them. Someone was shouting, sounds of a struggle. Then Viktor Volkov emerged, bloodied but walking under his own power, dragged by two guards.
"Found him in a life raft, trying to signal shore," one guard reported.
Viktor looked at them all with contempt. "You fools. You think you've won something? Chen played you perfectly. This was always the plan—use the chaos to justify martial law, mandatory genetic testing, registration of all enhanced individuals."
"You were working with her," Sage accused.
"I was trying to prevent this!" Viktor snarled. "Keep us hidden, maintain the old ways. But you and your progressive alliance forced their hand. And now..." He laughed bitterly. "Now we're all exposed."
Before anyone could respond, every phone and communication device on the ship activated simultaneously, displaying the same message:
"Attention enhanced individuals. This is Director Sarah Chen. You have 48 hours to surrender yourselves for registration and integration. After that, you will be considered terrorists and hunted accordingly. Your children will be taken regardless. Choose wisely."
The message ended with coordinates—locations around the world where they could turn themselves in.
Sage looked at her children, at Rory who was trying to be brave, at the triplets who didn't understand why everyone was scared. Then she looked at Mason, seeing her own determination reflected in his eyes.
"We're not surrendering," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "And we're not hiding. If they want to make us public, then we go public on our terms. We tell our side of the story."
"That's suicide," Viktor said.
"No," Rory said, standing despite her lingering weakness. "It's revolution. And revolutions are won in the hearts and minds of the people, not through force."
As the ship headed into international waters, Sage couldn't shake Lily's words. Chen had wanted them to escape. This was all part of some larger plan, and they were still playing by rules they didn't fully understand.
But one thing was certain—the world had changed forever. And whatever came next, they would face it as they always had: together, as a family, as a pack.
In her pocket, Sage's phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number: "The children are the key. Protect them at all costs. A friend."
She showed it to Mason, who frowned. "Friend or enemy trying to manipulate us?"
Before Sage could respond, Ethan tugged on her sleeve. "Mama, the sky looks wrong."
She looked up to see military aircraft on the horizon, closing fast.
"They found us," Thomas said grimly. "Everyone below deck. Now!"
As chaos erupted around them, Sage grabbed her children and ran for cover, one thought echoing in her mind: The game had indeed gotten bigger, and they were running out of places to hide.