by Ella Storm
My mud-soaked clothes clung to my shaking body, and I couldn’t stop the tremors rocking my body. Maverick gathered me in his arms, and we lay spooned in a fetal position to keep warm.
Too many questions about him rushed to my mind. He was fit. Not just the “I want to be buff” kind of fit. The way his body moved, expertly maneuvering his environment, how he jumped and climbed the bolder, his speed and rapidity when he lunged to strike at the Doberman. Put together, it didn’t fit in with the image of the lab geek I had. Jason and I were computer geeks, and we lived our fantasies of bravery and action-packed lives through video games. I was fairly certain Maverick had some training. I needed to pry information out of him.
“Maverick?” my voice echoed in the cave even though I had whispered.
“Hmm?”
“How did you know about the mud pit?”
“I told you, I used to come fishing here with my grandfather when I was a kid. At the time the ozone layer was intact so you could run around and play in the sun all day. I don’t think I left one stone of this place unturned.”
His arms tightened around me, and he pulled me closer. His body emitted a wonderful heat against my shivering frame and I snuggled deeper into his embrace.
“When this is all over, I’m coming back here…” I waited in vain for the rest of the sentence. A shallow breath against my neck told me he had fallen asleep.
I amused myself by finishing his sentence for him, “I’m coming back here and I want you to come with me,” or “I’m coming back here with you so we can finish making love,” or— The conversation our pursuer had on his phone hit me. He had said “I don’t care about your bitch.” Your Bitch! That meant whoever was at the other end of the conversation knew me and thought I belonged to them. I ran the list of all the people I knew through my mind and proceeded by elimination. I couldn’t come up with one person who could stake a claim on me. Certainly not a lover! Those thoughts preoccupied me and I didn’t sleep much.
When Maverick woke, he stretched to his full length and wrapped me tighter in the folds of his muscular body. I felt safe. This was home. At that moment I was driven to do everything in my power to ensure we got through this alive so we could return to the cabin.
We had to get back to the city and put our plan into action. My tablet was ruined and contacting Jason was impossible. I suggested we make our way to Geraldine’s house. I didn’t think the authorities would find us there. Besides, we needed her to contact her ex-husband Lionel, an independent journalist who wasn’t under the purview of the government and what they were feeding the public as gospel every day.
Twelve hours later, we were breaking and entering Geraldine’s house through the basement. It so happened that Maverick was also an expert at picking locks. A filter of light came from under the door up the stairs. It flew open. Geraldine, dressed in a pristine white bathrobe, pointed a shotgun at my head.
“Come into the light where I can see you.”
I stepped into the light coming from behind Geraldine, while Maverick slipped into the shadows.
“Goddamn it. I should have known you would come to me. Jason was asking too many questions not to go unnoticed. Next time knock on the door. I could have blown your head off with this shotgun.”
“He should have been more discreet.” I ran up the stairs to hug her, but she jumped back.
“No, you don’t, my dear. Not in those you don’t.” She waved the gun around, showing the state of my clothes.
“You have no idea what we have been through.” That slip of my tongue had announced that I didn’t come alone. I motioned for Maverick to come out into the light and he followed me up the stairs.
“You know how I feel about trusting men. Are you sure about him?”
I ignored her question and took hold of Maverick’s hand. She cocked her eyebrow, then lowered the shotgun. I breathed a sigh of relief. Geraldine was too unpredictable to know how she would react.
We came out into her kitchen. Stainless steel appliances complimented the eggshell paint of the cabinets, which accented the black marble countertops. The elegance and luxury of her home surprised me. The inside looked nothing like the outside appearance of her house, where the paint was peeling on purpose to give anybody walking by the wrong idea.
“This is my humble abode.” The look of awe on my face must have given me away. “Let’s just say business has been booming.”
Geraldine was a household name for the rich. She designed the best blinds money could buy to keep the sun’s damaging rays from getting inside while providing soft light.
I knew she would want some answers to the reason the government was hunting us like animals. So I dived right into it.
“I’m afraid I have some news that might affect your business model.” I took a deep breath and launched into a monologue, recounting everything that had happened since Maverick broke into my house. Geraldine didn’t interrupt me. As soon as the last words spewed out of my mouth, I sat on the counter stool, too depleted to do anything else. Her stunned silence weighed heavily in the kitchen.
She went to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of wine, chilled to perfection. I drank in deep swallows from a glass almost as big as my head. She turned to Maverick, her eyes asking for confirmation.
“I have proof of everything she has said. Give me access to a computer and I’ll show you.”
She walked to her office and came back with her laptop. “I suppose something good like this couldn’t last forever.” She waved toward her luxurious belongings. “It makes sense, why they are hell-bent on finding you. They don’t want to lose the power they have over the public if you reveal your information.”
Maverick spun the laptop to face her. Images of Dr. Stephen Fleming strolling outdoors without the protective gear and bathing in the sun rolled across the screen. He played a video of Fleming presenting scientific data demonstrating that the ozone layer was restored, and that it was safe to venture outdoors and resume a normal life. Fleming also explained that the government knew and kept this information secret.
Geraldine was livid. It appalled her that society was being kept in the dark to remain under the elite’s yoke. The travesty of the injustice was revolting. She had the same reaction I did.
“These are very disturbing images. Those in power will claim this evidence is fabricated by conspiracy theorists.”
“But the scientific data can’t be refuted. Mother has conducted tests around the globe confirming it’s safe to go outside again. The question that remains is why are we still living under the artificial protective domes.”
“Jason and his crew are working on infiltrating their database to get information proving that those domes are useless.” I added.
“I’m guessing you are here because you want me to get in touch with Lionel.”
I swallowed and fumbled through my speech, uncomfortable with my request. “He’s like a ghost and doesn’t come out of hiding for anyone. I know you two—”
She clasped my hand and squeezed. “Relax, Helios, our marriage might have ended badly, and I swore off all men since Lionel but we still speak. He’ll take my call on video chat. I’ll send him a one-word code to a number he gave me for emergencies and he’ll reach out on a secure site.”
She scurried off into the other room and closed the doors behind her. Through the glass sliding doors, we could see she was pacing and biting her nails while waiting for the call.
In the kitchen, Maverick was doing his own pacing with his fingers interlocked behind his head.
“I know things are tense but you need to relax.”
He grabbed one of the leather stools and pressed his hands into it, making a temporary indentation. “I suppose now that we are so close to getting the public’s attention all I can do is wait. I’m not used to not taking action, and it’s making me nervous. If we succeed, I still fear they’ll want to make me an example just for spite, and you might be on the chopping block with me.”
&nbs
p; His words instilled fear down my spine. I took his hand, and we shared a moment frozen in time where we connected.
A red laser light coming through the window behind me settled on Maverick. I knew what it was from using such hardware in my games.
They had somehow found us.
Chapter Thirteen
Not a sound was made. They must have used a subsonic bullet. Before I could react, Maverick was propelled backward and fell from the stool between the cabinets and the island. I dove to the floor and crawled behind the island to take cover. He used his legs to push himself to a sitting position, every movement making him wince in pain.
A red dot appeared on his shoulder and spread rapidly. In a matter of seconds, blood covered half his shirt. I ripped it open. The bullet had pierced his shoulder, leaving a small, clean hole. No bone was struck, only flesh. I exhaled my relief and pressed a kitchen towel to his shoulder, then put his hand over it and crawled to the edge of the island. When I stuck my head from behind cover to warn Geraldine, a second shot whistled past my head and lodged into the cabinet
The door busted open and a colossal man wearing protective gear stormed in. Each step he took shook the ground. He moved with a determination that stated he was focused on his mission to kill.
“I told you I would make you pay for what you did to Rex.” He slammed the butt of his gun into Maverick’s shoulder.
Maverick emitted a growl of pain through clenched teeth. Sweat formed on his forehead, and his breath came in short panting exhales. My insides knotted; I felt helpless and could only watch his suffering.
The man tapped the top of his helmet and the visor went up, revealing a deep white scar from his right eyebrow to his chin. “My dog is blind in one eye.” He pointed his gun at Maverick’s knee and took aim.
“No, please.” I begged, throwing my body across Maverick’s. He tried to push me away, but losing blood left him weak. From the corner of my eye, I saw Geraldine beneath her desk. She was typing frantically on her laptop and gestured that she needed more time by tapping the imaginary watch on her wrist to let me know that I should keep talking.
“The government is lying to you. You no longer need to wear the protective gear you have on, it’s all a ru—”
“He isn’t working for the government.” From behind the gigantic man, my best friend strolled in.
“Jason, thank God! I couldn’t communicate with you, and I thought you were in danger when they found us… and… and… I was so scared they found you too.” The words rushed out of my mouth. I was so relieved to see him alive, my tears spilled.
He pulled me up by the elbows. “Hush, my darling, you’re safe now.”
The endearment took me by surprise. But before I could reply, he dug his fingers into my hair and held my head still while he planted a wet, sloppy kiss on my mouth. My stomach churned as nausea washed over me in successive waves. When he pushed his tongue into my mouth, it felt like a slimy eel swimming in my cavity, wanting to find its way down my throat. Shock and revulsion paralyzed me. Jason and I have always been best of friends and nothing more.
I remained calm, willing myself to think and behave like my alter ego from Battlefield Glory. I needed to appraise the situation and think like a strategist. This behavior was uncharacteristic for Jason. He must have taken my unresponsiveness for consent because he crushed my body to his, and I felt the bulge in his pants push against my belly.
In the far distance of my mind, I heard Maverick grunt and swear. I leaned back as if I wanted to look at him, while in fact, I needed to put some distance between us so I wouldn’t feel his body parts. I affected bashfulness and glanced at him from beneath my lashes. It jumped at me that he wasn’t wearing protective gear.
“Jason, what’s going on?” I used the softest voice I could muster while my mind was in complete chaos.
“This is our chance to be together.” He pulled me in for another embrace and filled his lungs with the smell of my dirty hair.
His words made no sense, but my head was clear enough to understand we weren’t playing on the same team. He must have been the man “hiding behind the computer” our pursuer had called. His betrayal felt like a stab to my gut, but I peered at him longingly, encouraging him to go on. Every second I kept him distracted counted for Geraldine to transmit the data to Lionel.
“You can come out, Geraldine. What you are doing is useless. I’ve scrambled the communication channels.” Jason threw the words over his shoulder, not even worried about her presence. He always said I was never any good at concealing my thoughts.
Furniture smashed, and Geraldine cursed. “Damn it, Jason, you’ve better have an excellent reason for tearing my house apart.”
The man with the scar grabbed Geraldine by her dreadlocks and shoved her to the floor where she landed next to Maverick. His ashen complexion worried me. The kitchen towel he used as a bandage was soaked. The flow of blood had slowed, but he was still bleeding.
I made a mental note to avoid looking at him so as not to reveal any emotion and make the situation worse for him.
“Hurry, we don’t have all night.” The man spat at Jason.
Jason sent him an irritated look. It was clear there was a power struggle between the two. Even as a child, Jason couldn’t assert his authority on anyone. In all our games, I was the leader, and he was the follower.
Jason knelt in front of Maverick and Geraldine and said, “Just give us what we came for and nobody gets hurt.”
“That is hard to believe, seeing as how your man put a bullet through me.”
Jason shrugged. “That seems fair since you blinded his dog.”
At the mention of the dog, the man went crazy with rage and smashed his foot into Maverick’s shoulder, causing a gut-hurling howl that shook the house. I wanted to intervene, to stop this torture, but he grabbed hold of my hair and yanked me back.
“You’re already too late.” Maverick panted between words; his breathing heavy like a woman in labor. “I can give you what you want, but I’m not the only one who has it.”
“Give me what you stole from Sentos Technologies, and they will forgive all.”
The brute shoved me out of his way and was about to land another kick when I shouted, “Wait, I’ll get it for you.”
Jason rose and faced me. I’d say anything to get them away from Maverick. “You said, we’ll be together?”
“Yes, I made a deal. I would return the stolen information in exchange for your immunity and a few million dollars.”
I moved closer and linked my arms around his neck, positioning us so his back was to Maverick and Geraldine.
“I don’t understand. What about your rebellion?”
“Oh, my darling, you really are clueless, aren’t you?” Jason stroked my cheek, and shivers crawled down my spine. “I’ve been working for Mother since high school. I positioned myself as a conspiracy theorist to infiltrate the underground movement to spy on the rebels. I then passed the information I gathered to the military who would snuff out any budding rebellion.”
Behind Jason, Geraldine gave an imperceptible nod of her head towards the kitchen counter, and Maverick inched closer to the mercenary.
“And who is this guy?” I motioned with my head.
“This is Bill. I call him Bull. I hired him to find you in the woods and bring you back to me. It should have been a straightforward mission, but things didn’t go as planned.”
Geraldine was staring at me; her eyes insistent. We had played Battlefield Glory often enough; I tried to pick up on the subtle cues in her body language, all the while keeping my features blank. She was trying to relay a message.
A spasm of coughing got hold of her. She bent forward, covering her mouth with her index and middle fingers, her ring and little finger folded into her palm and she cocked her thumb. She was giving me the hand signal for a gun.
Bill—Bull grunted, his impatience showing in the way he clenched and unclenched his fingers on the handle of his weapon. “Come
on, I said. Get what you need and let’s get this over with. They said not to leave any witnesses.”
Maverick’s eyes rolled back in his head, the whites showing. His body convulsed. He was having a seizure. His shaking legs toppled the stool over, sending it crashing to the mercenary’s feet who leaped out of the way just as Geraldine lurched forward and pulled her shotgun from under the counter.
Chapter Fourteen
One shot. That’s all it took for the massive wall of a man to come tumbling down. No one dared to breathe. Bull sagged to his knees in slow motion, his hands covering the hole in his stomach. He looked bewildered, not understanding what had happened. He tried to say something, but only a gurgle came out of his mouth. His blood spattered across Maverick and Geraldine. Maverick scrambled out of the way as Bull’s body fell forward, his face turned towards me.
No one spoke. The full realization of what had just happened slowly making its way into our consciousness. I pulled my gaze away from Bull’s vacant eyes. This did not feel like the video game. I did not feel indifferent by the killing of this man. Nor did I feel superior for outwitting the enemy. I wanted to weep.
Maverick struggled to his feet, using the counter for support as he pushed himself up.
Geraldine was already on her feet, pointing her shotgun at Jason. “I ought to kill you too,” she hissed.
But there was no need. Jason wasn’t a threat. His complexion had turned pale and his stare blank. He had withdrawn inside his cocoon like I’d seen him do when he was bullied in school. It didn’t surprise me though. Of the two of us, Jason was the weaker one. He was a favorite prey because he would freeze up while I fought back.
No matter what he’d done, I couldn’t hate him. He had been my faithful friend when my parents died. He watched over me while I relived that night in my nightmares. For weeks, he slept on the floor in my room so I wouldn’t be frightened when I woke up.
“Geraldine, don’t. It’s Jason.”
