Read Evolver: Apex Predator for Free Online

at the scientist and narrowed his eyes. " You killed him!"
    Thorn tried to recover some poise as he got his breath back. "No," he said with a cough, "I did not." He rubbed his neck.
    A roar came from behind Jackson and he turned but not in time to avoid being plowed into by the monster that had taken him from Thorn's office. The two enormous bodies crashed across the lab, throwing punches and kicks at each other with no regard for property damage. The armored thing got free of Jackson and turned to face him, crouched, its tail moving slowly like a pitcher in his windup.
    Jackson was confident he could beat the thing. He was faster, smarter and more agile than the monster thug. He was better.
    The thing came straight at Jackson and he grabbed at its chest, turning it to his left with a judo-style throw and heaving it to the ground. He showed his teeth and stomped on the thing's arm, breaking it with a terrible crunch then twisting his own size twenty foot to ensure it stayed down, grinding the broken bones to powder. It howled in pain and Jackson threw a heavy kick at its face, ending the noise.
    "You killed my father," Jackson said again, turning to Thorn.
    Thorn was standing straight and smoothing out his suit. "The police will never connect poor Sebastian there with me. They only have you on video coming on campus, entering your father's lab and then disappearing. Perhaps you were distraught over the divorce, or perhaps college was just too much for you and you snapped, unable to live up to the expectations of your father. Either explanation would be more believable than any monster under my command."
    "You're insane," Jackson said.
    "I'm the sanest man you'll ever meet," Thorn said. He was walking around and through the lab. "I am the only person who has enough resources and knowledge to keep you from killing yourself. Your DNA holds the key to the next stage of human evolution." He looked around at the damaged laboratory.
    "Despite the losses here," he said, "there is no one else who can help you. The police will only put you away, turn you over to morons who think they are scientists. Only I can unlock the secrets inside you." The old man paused, then smiled as his eyes narrowed. "Or I could destroy your father's legacy, your mother, your entire life if you resist me."
    Jackson looked around, sniffed the air.
    "Choose me, Jackson. There's no other way." Thorn shivered from the cold. Snow was still blowing out of the environment chamber.
    "I'll make you pay for what you've done," Jackson said.
    Thorn picked up the tablet computer and tapped twice then set it down, an evil smile creeping across his lips. Jackson felt a sudden cruel pain at his wrists, at the top of his chest, his shoulders, everywhere the phage discs were on his suit. Invisible knives stabbed all the way to the bone, withdrew then stabbed again harder. Jackson felt himself change back to human and as he did so, the pain increased tenfold. He screamed in anguish and was unable to fight when Thorn grabbed him, wrapping his arms around Jackson's ribs, lifting him off the floor.
    "I know a thing or two about genetic modifications," Thorn said. "Your father was little better than a high school chemistry teacher in the lab. The only thing he was good at was cleaning Petri dishes and you are not even as good as he."
    The old man was preternaturally strong and squeezing the breath from Jackson's lungs, the very life from his body. Jackson was reeling from the torment and ready to give in.
    "NO!" He put his hands on the old man's forehead and pushed. They slipped off Thorn's sweaty skin so Jackson punched at the old man's ears, his throat. His arms felt like rubber, but he kept pounding at Thorn's left temple. He focused on that one spot and punched as hard as he could, once, twice, as many as he could.
    Thorn staggered under the blows, fell backwards a little and dragged Jackson across the top of a lab table, where the tablet computer slid off and crashed to the