Chaos

By K.A. Finn

Twenty-five years ago, two futures were changed.

Before becoming a Nomad and a Hunter, brothers Daegan and Brayden Sawyer were like everybody else on Foundation Earth. Then Daegan leaves for a school trip, a decision that would lead them to travel very different paths.

With his older sibling decl

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cooper Publishing
• Release date: Oct 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781914177026

Book preview

Also by K. A. Finn

Ares

Nemesis

Perses

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Mania

Cronus

K.A. Finn grew up in Co. Wicklow, Ireland and now lives in Co. Meath, Ireland with her long-suffering husband, bossy children, crazy dog, slightly bad-tempered cat, and stick insects.

After working as a veterinary nurse for many years, she was forced to change career as she ran out of room for any more strays. She spent the next few years in banking before moving to Herefordshire, then back to Ireland.

When not looking after the demanding two, four, and six-legged residents, she writes and works as a freelance proofreader.

Visit me online:

Website

(trailers, excerpts, artwork, playlists etc)

Twitter @K_A_Finn

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Coming next

Mania

Nomad Series Book 5

Copyright © 2020 by Karyn Finnegan.

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotation in a book review or critical articles

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

Cover design by Deranged Doctor Design

Published by Cooper Publishing

C:\Users\karyn_000\Desktop\Cooper Pub\p19f51mp13hrgfi410ff1h9u1josj.jpg

ISBN: 978-1-914177-03-3

First Edition: October 2020

To my girls and the endless, fun filled chaos they bring to my life

Part 1

Daegan/Gryffin – 10 years old

Bray – 5 years old

Prologue

EARTH

Maggie Sawyer closes the small bag and places it on the bed beside her. She watches Daegan pack his wash bag as Brayden plays on the floor. She smiles when he ignores the hairbrush by the sink and closes the bag. She’s not surprised he didn’t pack it. Brushing his unruly locks is a daily battle - one she will miss for the next week. The school trip to the planetarium wasn’t mandatory, but against her better judgement, she caved and signed the permission note.

‘Brush, Daegan.’

He gives her his best stern glare. ‘But Mom-’

‘Not another word.’

He sighs dramatically and slams his bag back on the sink.

‘Hairbrush again.’

She smiles at her brother Morgan as he steps into the room. He bends down and ruffles Bray’s hair. ‘How did you guess?’

‘It’ll pass. In a few years, he’ll be chasing the ladies. He’ll want to look his best for that.’

‘He’s only ten. Can we please keep ladies off his radar for the moment?’

Morgan laughs and gestures to the bag on the floor. ‘You finished with your bag, Daegan?’

Daegan throws his wash bag into the backpack and fastens it. ‘Yep. All done.’

Morgan takes the bag and Maggie holds out her hands. Bray eagerly grabs her fingers while Daegan looks at her for a few seconds before giving in. She keeps hold of her sons’ hands as they walk down the path to the waiting transport. As soon as Daegan sees the transport he tries to pull his hand out of her grip, but she keeps a firm hold. Morgan packs his bag into the cargo compartment then comes back to stop Bray from running into the waiting vehicle.

Maggie crouches down and pushes a particularly stubborn lock of hair from Daegan’s eyes. ‘Best behaviour, Daegan. Do as you’re told, finish your meals and go to bed on time. No messing. Do you hear me?’

‘I already said I’d behave.’

‘I know you did, but you don’t always listen to me.’ She nearly adds that he’s as stubborn as his father but stops herself in time. He knows he has a different father to Bray, but she hasn’t found the right time to tell him about Roman. Admitting the truth to Daegan would force her to have a similar discussion with Roman. She’s not quite ready to explain why she had kept his son a secret for a decade. Pushing thoughts of the dark haired Foundation officer from her mind is easier said than done. Daegan is so much like his father, and not just in his looks. His obsession with getting among the stars could only have come from Roman. She pushes Roman to the back of her mind and smiles at his son. ‘I’m your Mom. It’s my job to repeat myself.’

He glances at the transport then back at her. ‘Can I go now?’

‘In a minute.’ She unclips the pendant from around her neck and holds it out to him. The small platinum griffin sways in the breeze, the sun glinting off the small creature. Roman had given it to her a few weeks before she broke his heart and he left Earth for a new life. ‘I want you to wear this.’

‘Mom...’

‘Humour me, okay.’ She fastens it around his neck and he quickly buries it under his t-shirt. ‘You leave that on. It’ll keep an eye on you until you come home to me. Promise me you won’t take it off, Daegan.’

He sighs dramatically, his attention on the transport and his friends. ‘I promise. Can I go now?’

She nods, knowing he’s more interested in the transport than anything she has to say. ‘Of course. Say goodbye to your brother.’

He gives Bray a brief hug, pushing his younger brother away when he tries to latch on. Before he can escape, Maggie embraces him, holding him tightly. He hugs her back then squirms out of her arms. He grabs his backpack, races down the driveway, and disappears into the transport. He sits at the back with one of his friends and waves out the window as the transport pulls away.

Morgan drapes his arms over her shoulder while keeping a wriggling Bray secure in his other arm. ‘Hey, you okay?’

‘I know Dean and I leave them every few weeks, but this time is different. He’s leaving, not us.’

‘Daegan is ten going on twenty. He’s well overdue a few nights away from home.’

‘He’s going off-world Morgan, not camping in the woods.’

‘On a highly organised school trip. Stop worrying. He’ll have a ball and come back in a week with loads of stories. Now, I’m going to get this little man some lunch. You coming?’

‘I’ll be there in a minute.’ Bray waves at her over Morgan’s shoulder as he’s taken into the house. Maggie looks back down the drive. She knows Morgan is right. The school has visited the planetarium numerous times without any issues. That doesn’t help to quell her uneasiness. She can’t explain why, but all she wants to do is chase after the transport and bring Daegan back home. She pulls herself away from the driveway and follows Morgan into the house. It’s going to be a long week. She knows she won’t relax until she holds Daegan in her arms again.

Part 2

5 years later

Gryffin – 15 years old

Bray – 10 years old

1

ARES

Rayde, Captain of the Nomad flagship, Ares, rises from his seat and looks out the front of the ship. ‘Well? Where the hell is he?’

His first officer, Creed, shakes his head. The young man had been on board Ares since he was fifteen-years-old. Even at that young age, he had proved himself time and time again. When Rayde’s old first officer was killed in a slaver attack, it made sense to promote Creed to the position even though he was a mere twenty-five-years-old. It was a decision he had never regretted. ‘No idea, sir.’

Their contact had a habit of being late. ‘Check the coordinates again.’

Creed taps at the screen then curses. ‘The fucking idiot. He’s about an hour away. Gave us the wrong coordinates.’

‘Tell him we’re on the way but I’m knocking ten thousand credits from our payment.’

‘Sir, I’m picking up a faint signal. There’s something out here.’

‘Might as well check it out. I’d prefer this wasn’t a wasted trip.’

Creed moves Ares towards the signal and ten minutes later they find the source. Rayde zooms in on the image on the viewscreen. ‘What the hell is a station doing out here? Any ID codes?’

‘Nothing, sir. Minimal life support in some areas but apart from that, she’s dead.’

Rayde considers passing by. The station barely looks like it would withstand a boarding party, let alone hold anything of value to them. He is about to issue the order to move on when he has second thoughts. The last few weeks have been one dog-fight after another with Rogue groups. The ship needed repairs as did the crew. If they could salvage parts and, although highly unlikely, provisions, it was worth a look. ‘I want three teams suited up and ready to go in five minutes. Let’s see what she has to offer.’

He makes his way down to the airlock and widens his stance to balance himself as Ares locks into position at one of the station’s docking bays. He checks the oxygen levels on his mask then looks at the rest of the team for confirmation their masks are working before he opens the airlock. Taking the lead, Rayde steps through the hatch and onto the station. His skin immediately chills. He can’t explain it but there’s something seriously off with the station. He looks down at his levels and, seeing the air is breathable, removes his mask for a few seconds. After a lungful of rancid air he changes his mind. Life support may be working in this area but the foul-smelling air is enough to turn his stomach. ‘Keep your masks on and your eyes open, men. There are corpses around here somewhere.’

The teams split up and Rayde follows the main corridor to the centre of the station. They check every room they pass but each one is empty. Not even any scrap metal worth taking. Finally, he enters a large, circular room in the centre of the station. Rayde has witnessed many battles in his career, but the scene in front of him is too much even for him. He hears one of his men emptying his stomach behind him and he can’t blame him.

Blinking lights in the ceiling cast an eerie glow on a room he knows will haunt his nightmares. A row of large rusted cages lines the far wall, each one with a decomposing corpse chained inside. Bloodstained restraints hang from the metal table sitting in the centre over a foul-smelling drain. As much as he wants to turn tail and run back to Ares, he convinces his legs to move him further into the room past half a dozen tables laden with medical instruments and other unrecognisable metal components. As with the operating table, everything is stained with dried blood. Behind the tables, an empty desk is covered with trailing wires and a cracked screen. ‘Looks like someone left in a hurry. Took the units with them.’

‘I could do with leaving in a hurry,’ Creed says. ‘Something seriously wrong went on here.’

‘Agreed. Check there’s nothing of value left then get the hell out of here. This place gives me the creeps.’

He leaves Creed to search the far side of the room with his team and goes over to examine some of the cages. Fifteen of the twenty cages are occupied. Judging by the state of the bodies, they’ve been dead for anywhere from a few weeks to a few years. The light on his gun passes over each of the bodies in turn. They’re small. Too damn small to have found their end in this place. ‘We’re too late to help these poor creatures.’

‘I know,’ Creed replies. ‘I can smell them. There’s nothing worth taking either.’

‘Clear out.’ He turns back towards the door, eager to get back to Ares and a stiff drink. His torchlight catches something on the floor near the far wall. He moves closer and finds another body. A heavy chain connects the metal collar around the boy’s neck to a sturdy bolt on the wall. Unlike the others, this one is a recent fatality. The boy is young, early teens at the most. Rayde crouches down to get a better look and frowns. ‘This body has metal attached to it.’

Creed appears at his side and looks down at the boy. ‘That’s wrong. What the hell went on in this place?’

‘Nothing good.’ Rayde pushes to his feet and turns away from the body. He takes a step towards the door and stumbles, catching himself before he lands on the filthy floor.

‘Sir?’

‘Tripped on something.’ He directs his torch at the floor and frowns when he sees what caught his foot. The boy’s arm is stretched out in front of him. ‘His arm wasn’t there a second ago, right?’

Creed shrugs.

Rayde crouches down again and touches the boy’s shoulder. He gently rolls him onto his back and freezes. The boy is looking at him. As he stares, the boy blinks slowly. ‘Creed!’

Creed looks down and curses. ‘He’s alive?’

‘Get something to cut this chain off him.’

Creed hurries over to one of the tables of instruments and returns with a large cutter. He cuts the chain attached to the boy’s collar as Rayde removes his coat. He drapes it over the boy, tucking it around his skeletal body. ‘Time to get you out of here, son. I’m going to lift you, okay?’

He gets no response so he directs his torch at the boy again. Rayde frowns as something catches his torchlight. A pendant has slipped out from under the loose-fitting collar. The creature is unfamiliar to him, it’s wings, claws and beak those of a bird but clearly there are other beasts mixed with it. Dismissing it, Rayde slips his arms under the boy and rises to his feet. He’s carried heavier weapons. He adjusts his grip, trying not to hurt him, but the boy is out of it. Creed leads the way out of the room while Rayde follows, checking for yet more unpleasant surprises. He forces himself to walk slowly even though he wants to run off this station. He’s not the most law-abiding of men, but even he knows wrong when he sees it. Everything about this place is wrong. It gives him the creeps and he's not afraid to admit it.

Finally, he turns the corner and sees the airlock leading to safety. Creed picks up the pace. He must want to get off the station as much as Rayde does.

Rayde leaves his mask on as he hurries through Ares’ cramped corridors, never so glad to be back on board as he is right now. He lays the boy on a bed in the med bay and steps back to get a proper look in the light. Ryder, the ships medic, grabs a med kit and freezes when he sees what Rayde’s brought him. ‘What the hell?’

Rayde agrees but can’t find words to describe what’s lying on the bed. The boy is tall but incredibly thin. His dark hair is long and matted and every one of his bones is visible. He can handle that. It’s the metal fixed to him that he’s having trouble understanding. Crude metal components similar to the ones Rayde saw at the station are screwed onto his face, neck, back, chest, and legs. His right arm is missing halfway between the wrist and elbow joint and is tipped with what looks like metal connectors. What isn’t mutilated with metal is badly scarred under layers of filth and dried blood. ‘Can you help him?’

Ryder stares at Rayde. ‘Help him? How? I wouldn’t know where to start. Hell, I don’t even know what I’m looking at. You sure he’s alive?’

‘He grabbed my leg and blinked. His chest is moving too. Don’t think he’ll hang around for long so can you try to do something.’

Ryder blows out a long breath as he stares down at the boy. ‘Is there anything on the station that’ll hint at what was done to him?’

‘I’ll get some teams back to the station to see if we can find anything.’

‘That’d help. For the moment, all I can do is clean him up, see to the wounds I can, and make him comfortable. If he survives we can deal with the rest.’

‘Creed, take a team back to the station. Bring back anything that looks similar to what he has on him.’ Rayde leans closer to the boy’s face. ‘What did you do to deserve this, son, eh?’

Ryder pulls on a pair of gloves.