They found 4 more under the two they had managed to kill and luckily somehow missed the kids on their backs.
Six kids were found and 2 were still missing.
The soldiers had pulled the creatures onto the porch and placed guards and flood lights as the rugged man led the helicopter towards where the other parents had located where the chicken coop was to check on the others.
Sometime later the helicopter returned and soldiers repelled down with four kids in hand.
Ignoring their worried parents they rushed to me and saluted like proper soldiers.
"Momma Wolf! We did as instructed! And all are accounted for!" Their small hands trembled in fear and tears threatened to fall from their eyes as I returned their salute.
"Good Job!" I said softly, "You've earned a full day of games! After you act like children to your parents!"
They nodded and tears fell as they ran to their moms and dads who nodded in my direction before turning to where the unconscious kids lay as if they were dead, if not for the very faint breathing they looked like real corpses.
I mosied over to the rugged commander and whispered accusingly, "So~… Which secret experiment got loose?
He stiffened before replying with no emotion, "Classified! It doesn't concern you!"
As he began to walk away I raised my voice slightly, "Doesn't concern me my ass! Y'all attempted and partially succeeded to capture my personal security guards! Without Authorization!"
The fathers who heard me came over unknowing what the argument was about but backed me up either way.
I pulled a legal business card from the closest drawer to me and flung it at the officer, Personal Forest Mercenaries, with a scowl I stared at them.
"Unauthorized Use Of Another Personnel Unit! Without Consultation And Approval Is Criminal In The Military! I Request My People Return Unarmed And Unaltered!" With a change of tone I added with hands crossed, "Or you can forget about receiving the food supply we had agreed on!"
He sighed before tucking the card in a chest pocket, "I will relay your orders to my boss and get back to you within the day!"
As they began to leave I called, "You better or else my pregnant ass is personally going to retrieve them!"
A flashback of her flash stepping to the hulking creature with no hesitation, flashed in the soldiers minds as they shivered to wonder what I could do when angered.
The helicopter left with bodies and the soldiers as the dark returned to the well lit house.
With a sharper breath I yelled with bloodlust into the trees, "You Hear That! You Are Unauthorized! Return Them Now! Or I Will Hunt You Down And Tear You Apart!"
Faint rustling from the darkness told us that they understood.
What would happen, was a different story. The darkness seemed to back away from the house in fear as it stayed silent.
I turned angrily into the house with the fathers following behind me.
"Sooo? Our kids are part of your forest mercenaries?"
Responding nonchalantly, "I did personally train them. They decided on their own call signs. And communicational call outs worked." Going to my pantry for some snacks I began to randomly toss over my shoulder, "Oi!"
The closet kid caught it and began a chain toss of snacks that they distributed to their parents as well.
My head was still in the cupboard, "It was a way for them to learn cooperation, sharing, reading, writing, math, angles, applied physics, and get their energy out by the end of the day while developing the muscles needed." With some snickerdoodles in my mouth and a box in one hand and a cookie in the other I turned and pointed the cookie at the fathers, "Unless you have an issue with them being enlisted under me?"
A smile cracked on the closest father who snatched my cookie out of hand, "Who said I disapproved?"
The atmosphere lightened up a bit as snacks were munched, "Wolf Pack!" All awake little heads snapped to me, "Take your parents upstairs and show them your games!"
Smiles erupted on the faces of the kids ages 9 - 14 as they pulled their parents to their designated gaming spots. The parents of the unconscious 6 stayed still, munching on some snacks quietly.
"You can join them if you want? I'll notify you once they wake up."
"Will they ever wake up?"
"They look so dead!"
With a sigh I walked over and placed my fingers under between their chin and ear. Feeling a stronger pulse than before I replied, "It's probably a strong sedative that is used for transporting over distances… or gives enough time to round up other targets and make it back before they wake?"
The parents nodded like that answer satisfied them. After some time of silently watching their breathing slowly and steadily get stronger over time, they seemed to relax a bit.
Talks about the fake sun and how or when it occurred soon filled the space as a few fathers had come down and watched out each window.
One filled me in on how proud he was of his kids' improved hand-eye coordination, and that the adults are taking turns keeping watch from the windows.
With a nod I grabbed my radio, "Purple Pack? You copy?"
Not even a heartbeat later a girl's voice replied, "Purple 1 here! Everyone is accounted for!"
"Don't let anyone in! If you hear a noise or something like an animal or human breaking in… Hide! As well as possible! Leave a detailed message if possible, if you think your spot is found!"
"Copy!"
Unsure of what this unsettling gut feeling was, I knew it wasn't the baby, but something deeper and more instinctual.
Unseen from below covered by the thick canopy of the trees was a faint loading bar that had barely started to slowly fill with the faint word [Alpha] above it.
Under the mountain scientists gather around the 2 kids strapped to tables barely conscious.
"I thought there would be more?"
"There are multiple kids from the multitude of families living off the grid in the forests. Though we did strike early so we should've gotten more than just 2!"
"We are missing 2 products, so there is a possibility they met with something stronger?"
"We bioengineered them as according to the data sent back from deep space for the apex of human evolution, there is no one alive stronger than them right now!"
A multitude of large cages each housed 1 chimera creature of a human, animal, and unknown alien DNA. One creature did not have a cage, the alpha and leader of the group, the one who was stunned by the pregnant female. He crouched pouting in his corner as his hormones went on a rampage of instinct.
A lady scientist came over to the group leader and handed him a datapad with confusion on her face, "Sir? I can't make sense of these readings!"
The oldest guy in the room grabbed the datapad from her and pulled out his own as he compared the list on his to what was on hers before breaking out in laughter.
"This is great!" His laughter silenced the room but the alpha in question wasn't paying attention, "The closest thing we made to perfection, is in heat! We must find the one that he fancied!" His face twisted in inhuman excitement unaware of the soldiers rushing to his laboratory, "If we can make a Natural Born one! Think of the possibilities! It might be the Key that we are missing! Who cares if the female dies as long as the infant is alive!"
"But what if to complete its transformation is breast milk from the mother after birth?"
The soldiers busted in at the last part of the old scientist's comment and with straight faces stopped the mechanical needles going into the children's arms by force.
The old man got enraged at the interruption, "What is going on?!"
The rugged military man from the forest blocked his path and sternly said with no emotion and dead eyes, "These two are not liable subjects! They are part of a personal military experiment and cross subject experimentation is not allowed in this base! They are being taken back to their proper experimental compound! Do you have an issue with this? Take it up with the Pentagon!"
With a heavy sigh the old man waved his hand and the guard creatures sat back down like trained dogs, "Fine!" He begrudgingly said, "But on the condition you tell me if there was an adult female that had direct contact with that one!" He said pointing to the alpha in the corner that had stood up due to the lingering scent of the pregnant one.
The rigged soldier looked over coldly and just stated, "So it was your experiments that attacked our perimeter? We will exchange the 2 kids for your 2 dead ones… Though it seems that they are sleeping and not fully wounded so you might wanna look into it?"
He tuned as two bodies were carried in by large carts as the kids were hefted over their shoulders like sacks of flour. At the mention of a new discovery the scientists ignored them and flocked to the 2 sleeping creatures.
Unaware that a few of their creatures in the back seemed to have liquified and slowly began to creep and coat their surroundings into living biomass, disintegrating those closest to it to add more distance.
In the hallway the groggy kids stirred.
In a soft tone the rugged man gently said, "Howl wolf howl?"
The closest kid moved his head slightly and let out a weak howl, the other child barely moved and let out a weaker howl, with a pat of their backs they both dozed off to sleep.
One soldier whispered in their coms, "Did you see that corner?"
"It looks like it has started!"
"Sir? Do we evacuate them?"
The rugged soldier poundered while looking at the sleeping kids, "No! Let them reap what they sowed! Going back now is suicide!"
They all nodded before double timing down the long hallway towards the surface.
Passing the gate at an easy jog with a flash of their IDs in a specific order, they loaded up in their Humvee and took off to the adjacent mountain like the hounds of hell were on their heels, as the A.I. of the mountain put a heavy lock down into effect.
With a click of a garage opener the massive chain gate rapidly opened with just enough time for them to barely pass by unscathed before closing again. Skidding to a halt in front of a visible base with a helicopter on roof, they got out and split into 2 groups. One headed for the barracks as the others hauled the sleeping kids to the helicopter where a general awaited with the bird wings warming up.
"Took ya long enough!"
"It's starting! Sir!" They replied as they all got in with the 2 kids, "Already initiated lockdown but I'm not sure how long it will hold before an outbreak!"
WIth a nod the general said while hoping in, "Let's hope it happens after the food supply arrives" Tentatively he asked looking at the 2 sleeping kids, "Are they altered?"