by Loki Renard
“Yes,” Martin Holt said as his eyes became glassy. “I will.”
“Okay, so. We're going to go for a little drive and you're going to tell the perimeter guards that we're going out on a rehabilitative exercise, understand?”
“I do understand,” Martin Holt agreed.
Zora felt a little guilty about turning Martin Holt into her own personal zombie slave, but he'd brought it on himself really. Scopolamine was a hell of a drug, and she didn't like the fact he'd tried to slip it to her under the guise of a sedative.
She felt the familiar old thrill of freedom as they drove out of Fort Thistle. It was no small thing, to once again be on the open road. If it weren't for the omnipresent concern she felt for Savage, she would have very much enjoyed the drive. There was a lot of amber and umber in the surrounding hues. All was hot and dry and sometimes green and spiny, if you took the cacti into account.
“I'm going to let you sober up,” she informed Martin Holt. “I don't think this stuff is much fun to be on, personally. Plus, we have someone to meet. I think you'll like her. You seem to like most people.”
Martin Holt wasn't saying much. She understood why, he was zonked. Zoned. Completely and utterly out of it. To give him a chance to recover, Zora stopped in at a Motel 99 and booked into a room. Martin Holt had a couple hundred dollars cash on him, enough for her to secure a twin double. It was not a nice room. It smelled of cigarettes and despair.
Whilst Martin Holt laid flat out on one of the twin beds, Zora got to rallying the troops. Or troop, rather. Once she'd made the call, she took the liberty of tying Martin Holt up. He'd snap out of the scopolamine daze sooner or later and she didn't want him running away when he did.
Before the drug completely wore off the next morning, she fed him some toast and tea, and then managed to get him into the backseat of the car. He was starting to come back to proper consciousness, and he was starting to look annoyed.
“You've gone too far this time, Zora,” he said as she put the car in gear. “You drugged me.”
“You tried to drug me,” Zora pointed out. “Fair's fair, right?”
“What do you think will happen when this is over? What do you think will happen when Captain Savage realizes what you've done? Zora, if you have any sense at all, you'll turn this car around and take me back to Fort Thistle immediately.”
Zora stopped the car by the side of the road. “I'm really pretty sick of hearing what you think is best for me, Martin Holt. I have a mission of my own to complete here, so if you don't mind too much, I'm going to gag you.”
Martin Holt indicated that he'd rather she didn't gag him, but his desires were not the priority for Zora. Her priority was getting to Savage. They'd already wasted half a day sleeping, but she couldn't just dump Martin Holt, just in case he did have some kind of reaction to the drug. No, she'd have to keep Martin Holt with her until she'd successfully reached Savage and warned him about the trap he was walking into.
She had already placed a call to her one remaining ally and as she drove along the highway, Martin Holt neatly contained in the back of the car, she spotted Anja waiting for them by the side of the road, her junked out car steaming gently in the hot sun. She still had her go bag with her, the one Savage had originally picked and stocked. Zora wasn't sure why she noticed that. Perhaps old jealousies never really did die. Even dressed in faded jeans and a sweatshirt that had seen better days, Anja remained stunning in appearance. Before Zora got to her, several other cars had already slowed down to see if they could assist the beauty. Zora watched them crawling along in front of her and cursed silently under her breath.
“I'm driving.”
There was no hello as Anja got into the car, just a demand for Zora to scoot over. Zora did, only because she didn't want to fight with Anja. Anja was her ally, but Anja was still crazy.
“Who is this?” Anja jerked her head towards the trussed Martin Holt.
“That's Martin Holt. He's a military shrink. We'll need him.”
“Need him for what?”
“One, not telling on me,” Zora said. “He knows way too much. Two, he might be useful. Three, he's always been interested in more field work.”
“Not like this, I bet,” Anja said. “Ungag him.”
“Why?”
Anja slid ice blue eyes over at Zora. “Just do it.”
“Okay,” Zora said, leaning over the passenger seat. She tugged the gag down out of Martin Holt's mouth, somewhat avoiding his hazel gaze. She was feeling rather guilty at having kidnapped him. It wasn't a nice thing to have done. She'd never enjoyed it when it was done to her.
“Holt.” Anja said. “Your name is Holt, right?”
“It is,” Martin Holt said, speaking as mildly as ever.
“Zora has a way of fucking things up. Has she fucked them up again by taking you?”
Martin Holt's response was a surprise. “Actually, I'd say she didn't really have a choice,” Martin Holt said. “I was aware of her plans and I certainly would have reported them. In addition, I think Zora fancies I might be sympathetic to her goal, if not her method.”
“Are you going to help us, Mr Holt?”
“Do you think I would tell you if I wasn't?”
Anja pulled the car over sharply to the side of the road, so quickly that the only thing keeping them all from slamming into the objects in front of them was the judicious preapplication of seat belts.
“Fuck, Anja! You drive like a mental patient,” Zora swore.
Anja wasn't listening. She was leaning over the front seat with a gun out, pointed right between Martin Holt's eyes.
“I don't have time to fuck around,” she was growling. “The man after Captain Savage is ruthless, so I have to be too.”
Martin Holt looked at Anja with a clear gaze. “I don't understand.”
“What don't you understand?”
“You're beautiful. Exceptionally so. You could have any man you liked. And yet you've devoted your life to a man who has devoted his life to the woman sitting to your right. I don't understand that.”
Anja cocked the pistol. “You think I'm beautiful?”
Zora didn't know what was happening, but she didn't like it. Anja was erratic, mentally unstable and dangerous. She did not need Martin Holt putting Anja off her game.
“Of course you are,” Martin Holt said. “That's just a fact.”
“I'm going in to get Savage because he came for me,” Anja said. “Because I believe in a thing called loyalty. This is about something a lot more important than romance or sex.”
“I see,” Martin Holt nodded. “Well, now I understand.”
“So can I trust you? Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
Anja stared into Martin Holt's eyes for a long moment, nodded, then uncocked the pistol. “Untie him, Zora.”
“I don't think that's a good idea,” Zora objected.
“Untie him. He's not going anywhere.”
“Anja...”
“Un. Tie. Him.”
Zora unclipped her restraint and climbed into the back seat where she began untying Martin Holt.
“You just can't catch a break, can you Ms Matthews?” he observed as she worked on his bindings.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean even on your own mad dash to save Savage you're outranked and outgunned.”
“Shut up, Martin Holt,” Zora snapped as she freed him.
“Actually, it's a very good thing,” Martin Holt said. “It's a talent to recognize when you need help and to seek out those best suited to give it. Quite the leadership quality.”
“Please don't patronize me,” Zora frowned. “I don't need my head patted.”
Anja put the car in gear and got them moving again.
“No,” Martin Holt said. “It's usually the other end of the body with you, isn't it?”
Scowling furiously, Zora belted herself in as Anja performed a ridiculously sharp lane change. It left her sitting next to Martin Holt, feeling ver
y much as if the mission had been taken entirely out of her hands.
“Is there a plan?” Martin Holt inquired.
“Yeah,” Anja replied. “Go shoot Tex. Again. Get Savage.”
“That's more an objective than a plan.”
“I know where Savage is holed up,” Zora said. “I just need to get to him and warn him.”
Anja slammed on the brakes again and pulled over to the side of the road. “So he's not actually taken?”
“Well... no,” Zora said. “He's tracking Tex, but Tex is just waiting for him, see? He's in danger.”
Chapter Eleven
Anja slammed her palm against the top of the steering wheel. “Zora! That's not what you told me.”
“I know,” Zora said. “But I figured by the time you got to us he might actually be in Tex's hands. So I exaggerated. Just a little bit.”
“This isn't....” Anja swore under her breath. “That's it. I'm not taking you anywhere but back to your base.”
“If you do that, and he dies, you know you'll never forgive yourself,” Zora replied quickly. “He's in danger, Anja. Real danger. And he doesn't know it. You know who we're dealing with. Tex was extreme before he got shot. I can't even imagine what he is like now. If he gets his hands on Savage...” Zora trailed off, her eyes growing hard as her mind began to kick into overdrive, picturing all sorts of things that turned out to be quite imaginable, if unspeakable.
Anja made a growling sound under her breath. “You're fucking this up, Zora,” she said. “I can feel it.”
“I'm not! This is serious!”
“If this is a fuck up, I'm going to kick your ass. Not smack it like Savage does, I'm going to beat the shit out of you, you understand me?”
Zora bit her lip and nodded. “Fine. If I'm wrong, you can beat me up.”
“I'm not sure this is an auspicious start to this little crusade, Ms Matthews,” Martin Holt interjected. “Perhaps it would be best if we did return now. We can send Savage a message to any effect you like.”
“No!” Zora's voice rose high and strained. She was severely regretting having roped Martin Holt and Anja into the affair. They were doing nothing but arguing with her and getting in the damn way. “Every minute we waste is another minute Tex gets closer to Savage.”
“Well, I suppose that's as good a reason as any to go running off half-cocked after committing a fairly serious crime,” Martin Holt mused.
“Everyone else is going around kidnapping people. I figured I'd see what the big deal was,” Zora snapped at him.
“And how are you finding it?” he asked the question with quiet amusement, infuriating her further with his completely inappropriate calm.
“A lot of responsibility, honestly.” Zora leaned forward toward Anja. “What are we going to feed this guy? I used most of the cash on the shitty motel room.”
“We're fine,” Anja said. “I still have access to the emergency fund.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” Anja said. “I have a card to the account.”
“Ah,” Zora said.
“You don't, I take it, Ms Matthews?” Martin Holt spoke again. She wished he wouldn't. She wished she could gag him again, but as he now had the use of his hands he'd only take it off anyhow.
“Savage probably didn't want me to have access to any money so I wouldn't run away,” Zora hypothesized. “Because he trusts me about as much as a wet rat in a sack of shit.”
“What does that even mean?” Anja asked the question.
“It means that there is some tension and resentment between Ms Matthews and Captain Savage, most notably in the way the roles of commanding officer and love interest collide.”
“You can stop shrinking me now,” Zora said, turning to glower at him.
“And Zora is particularly irritated to learn that you have access to what appears to be a three way account, because it strongly implies that Captain Savage trusts you a great deal more than he trusts her. In fact, he is protecting you.”
“Savage protects everyone in his unit.”
“Does he?”
“Shut the hell up, Martin Holt,” Zora said menacingly.
“Well, I suppose he and I have always had a special bond,” Anja admitted. “But it's not romantic. He made that very clear. He only has eyes for Zora.”
“See?” Zora glared at Martin Holt. “So you can stop trying to pick at that scab, it's not going to work.”
“I'm not trying to pick at any scabs, Ms Matthews. I'm simply ascertaining the state of affairs as they stand. I must say,” he said, turning his gaze on Anja. “You are a very impressive woman, Ms...”
“Just call me Anja,” Anja said. “I prefer it.”
“Anja,” Martin Holt nodded. “Well, you are very impressive. There aren't many women who would do what you are doing.”
“There aren't many people who would do what she's doing,” Zora interrupted him. “Your sexism is showing. Again. If she were a man off to save her best friend you wouldn't be sitting there practically sucking her clit over it.”
“Zora, shut the hell up.” It was Anja who spoke.
“What? Why are you telling me to shut up?”
“Because Mr Holt...”
“Please,” Martin Holt interjected, “just call me Martin.”
“Because Martin is going to help us and you're being your usual self. Just cut the shit out. Nobody needs it.”
Zora rolled her eyes, but shut up as Anja had requested. It was pretty obvious Martin Holt was getting a serious boner for Anja. Of course. Anja was stunning. Who wouldn't want her? The only problem with her was that she was actually certifiably crazy. Then again, Martin Holt was a shrink, so maybe that just made her all the more attractive to him.
Matters took a further turn for the worse at their first stop. Martin Holt sprang out of the vehicle in order to open the driver's door for Anja. Anja sort of gawped at the man in a fairly silly way, before saying thank you. Or rather, mumbling it all red-faced.
“Do we really need to stop?”
“We need to eat,” Anja said. “And drink and pee.”
“You're always so practical,” Zora said, somewhat snippy as she followed Martin and Anja into the diner. She didn't want to go into the diner at all, she'd had a bad run of luck in roadside restaurants and she was much more keen to just get to Savage. But Anja insisted on eating and Martin Holt was just coasting with the mild manner of a man who has either never seen danger and can't imagine what it might be like, or has seen so very much of it he no longer cares.
“Tell me about yourself, Anja,” Martin Holt was saying as they sat down. “What is it you're doing now on the outside?”
“Well,” Anja said, smiling in a way Zora hadn't actually seen her smile before. “I'm a janitor.”
“It hasn't occurred to you to try and get by on your looks then,” Zora observed blandly. Whilst Martin Holt and Anja flirted, she was using the laptop she'd swiped along with Martin Holt to check in on the status of Savage's mission. Prior to leaving Fort Thistle, she had managed to intercept a bunch of communications from Tex's organization. Having worked there once before made that a rather easy task. What was interesting about the communications was the sheer volume of them. His organization was clearly right back up to speed.
“Getting shot barely put a dent in this guy's day,” she murmured, mostly to herself. “He's a fucking machine.”
She cast her memory back to the days she had spent with Tex. He'd been not so bad sometimes, outright impressive others. Of course, in the end he'd come over all homicidally controlling and Anja had shot him.
Lost in thought, Zora barely paid any attention to the conversation going on between Martin Holt and Anja. If Tex did have Savage, and she was pretty damn sure he soon would, then it was imperative she reach him as quickly as possible. They didn't have time to sit around chatting with one another about their respective mental issues.
“Let's get going,” she said. “We need to get to Savage quickly.”
“Relax,” Martin Holt said. “I think we should review the evidence you have that Captain Savage is, in fact, in trouble.”
“Well I haven't heard from him in weeks,” Zora said. “And there are lots of communications still coming out of what seems to be Tex's base. What does that tell you?”
“That Captain Savage is busy,” Martin Holt said. “And that he is not yet ready to make his move. It is not wise to disturb a mission in progress, even if you think you know what is going on.”
“I do know what is going on,” Zora scowled. “I know these things. I've seen the data.”
“Is there any actual evidence?”
“I've seen the fucking data,” Zora swore. “I know what data means. I don't need to justify myself to either of you.”
“She's grumpy,” Martin Holt observed.
Anja snorted. “Zora isn't exactly a leader,” she said. “She's not happy unless she's got someone to rebel against.”
“That's a very insightful observation,” Martin Holt said, clearly impressed.
“Why don't you two just make out and leave me to do the actual work on this thing,” Zora snapped. “It's not that hard. All I need to do is get word to Savage that Tex knows he's coming.”
“If it was that simple, you could just have sent him an email,” Anja said.
“I could have, but then I wouldn't get to see him,” Zora admitted. “And he probably wouldn't believe me – and dammit, I'm going to help.”
“You see, Anja,” Martin Holt said. “This isn't about Captain Savage so much as it is about Zora's insatiable need for the man.”
“Stop talking about me as if I'm not here,” Zora growled. “Look, I'm pretty sure I know where he is. I'll just sneak on over, tell him Tex knows he's being positioned for a take down.”
Martin Holt and Anja did not seem overly interested in her plan. They did not seem overly interested in anything besides one another. They were smitten kittens rolling around in pancakes and syrup and she was on her own. She stood up and slammed out of the diner, then turned around and slammed back in.
