Roxanne knelt down next to me. “Sorry, Coyle, but be sure to say hi to Jamie for me. And remember, bring her here, it will help, I promise.” She leaned down further and landed a soft kiss on my cheek. “Say hi to Aedan for me,” she said, standing.
A shot rang out from my left or was it right? My brain began to shut down once more. The last thing, I remember, was the sight of Roxanne leaping to the top of the gun range and out of sight.
6 Revelations
My eyes shot open as a frigid rush spread over my body. Dr. Bartnev stood next to me, bucket in hand and grinned from ear to ear.
“Welcome back!” he said. “You are my very favorite patient. You no die!”
“I am glad I can satisfy your doctor needs, Dr. Bartnev,” I said as I sat up. I regretted it instantly. The world began to spin, and my head felt light. I collapsed back down on the cool table and wiped some of the water from my eyes.
“You need recharge. Stay down.” He grabbed four syringes and hooked them up to the multiport connected to the IV in my arm. He infused each one sequentially.
“What is all that?” I had become very wary of anything in a syringe.
“Recharge. Caffeine, creatine, erythropoietin, and ephedrine. You perk up, I promise.”
“Um… I guess you’re the doctor.”
“Sort of. Remember, no license.” Dr. Bartnev winked and held up his hands.
“Yeah…” I tried to speak. I couldn’t continue. My mouth failed to form words due to a growing internal sensation. The muscles in my arms and legs began to tingle. The sensation grew sharper, like little shocks of electricity shooting through each of my muscle fibers. My heart rate picked up and kept rising. I glanced at the heart monitor. 260 bpm. I took a deep breath, a really deep breath, as if I was sucking all the air out of the room. My muscles flexed with the delivery of oxygen and the supplements. It was as if I could feel each molecule being absorbed into each and every cell, giving them strength. I squeezed my hands around the metal base of the bed, bending it inward. Pure power surged through me. I couldn't help but smile. Finally, my heart rate decreased, and the extremity of the sensation washed away, allowing me to speak.
"Holy cow," I said slowly. "That was... freakin' awesome!" I hopped off the table and did a few quick stretches. "I feel amazing."
"Alive is good; most patients would die from mixture."
I glared at him. "So I’m your guinea pig now?"
"C'mon, Coyle," he said, cocking his head slightly. "You, my patient won't die. Why not try new things? I have sedative if you go crazy." He showed me a handful of syringes in his pocket.
"Maybe we should hold off a bit, doctor," I said while throwing on a shirt. "We don't really know who or what I am."
"You are a miracle, as Manuel puts it, you are phoenix," he said while gathering his concoctions.
"Where is Jamie?"
"She is currently in her room. Would you like to speak with her?" said Manuel, as he strolled into the examination area.
"That should be a given, Manuel," I said while tying my shoes.
"I’m not sure I should let you after your failure back there. The covered one escaped even though you had her in your arms.” Dr. Bartnev raised his eyebrows.
“It wasn’t like that, doc. I was about to apprehend her.”
“Right.” Manuel rolled his eyes and grinned at Dr. Bartnev. “Anyway, you will have another chance. We were able to track her to a warehouse district near Longmont.”
“Then why haven’t you grabbed her?”
“Hmmm… think about it Coyle. Should I use my men who can die or my man who cannot die to capture another that probably cannot die as well?” He motioned toward me. “Besides, I need to gather some more men as your backup.”
“Can I see Jamie now?” I asked, growing tired of the current topic of conversation.
Manuel thought for a moment while I stared at him. “Sure, but it would be wise for you not to mention your failure, especially your run-in with the covered one."
"You know she has a name, right? It's Roxanne. And why would I not want to tell Jamie?" I said flexing my biceps in some sort of man-proving action. Manuel didn't notice.
"Our operations do not concern her. Besides, you must report to me first. What did you and the covered one-?"
I glared at him.
He continued, "You and Roxanne talk about? You stood there long enough."
"She called me a monkey for doing your bidding."
"Hmmph," he chuckled and snorted at the same time. "No monkey, just a boy clearing his debt. What else did you discuss? And what was that kiss all about?"
The heat in my cheeks grew so I looked down. "She wouldn't tell me who she worked for but she laughed at my assumption she worked for Somatotech. And, I believe her."
"You would." A grim smile crossed his face. "But in this instance, I agree. If she did work for Somatotech, they would have converged and taken you as she wouldn't have traveled alone. In this way, we have learned many things, including your friend's ability to evade the company and keep us in the dark for a few days, a much harder feat than it seems. It is clear she has skills. The car she left at the scene had no VIN, a fake license plate, and registration. It also had anti-tracking equipment. High-end anti-tracking equipment. Whomever she is working for, they have deep pockets."
I could see the dollar signs twirling through Manuel's mind. His conniving entrepreneurial spirit would find a way to profit from capturing her.
"I need to see Jamie," I said, walking to the closed door. "Now!"
"Yes, I permit it. But remember, no disclosure about you-know-what." He turned to Dr. Bartnev, twirled his finger and the door unlocked with a click.
"Thanks," I said while rolling my eyes.
The Doña waited for me in the hallway.
"I will take you to see her," she said in a monotone.
"Doña, what's up? What's happened here?" I asked, trying to see her eyes as we walked. Her heart rate again picked up and a slight sheen of sweat developed on her skin.
"Things have changed Coyle. I can't discuss it, it is forbidden."
"Manuel doesn't own you. You are not his slave," I said in a hushed tone.
"These days I feel I am. I wish you had never come here, Coyle, for both of our sakes."
I couldn't speak. Doña's friendship carried through my first stay at the hacienda. She had become my Mexican grandmother; someone I trusted. Now she wishes she never met me?
"That's harsh, Doña," I whispered as we passed Tigre in the hallway.
She didn't say another word. We walked outside to an area of the compound I hadn't been before. In the southwest corner tucked against a grove of trees sat a lonely guesthouse.
As we approached the house, one of Manuel's men rounded the corner. The Doña and the man caught each other’s look. Both looked pained and tired. The man nodded his head up and down slightly and then unlocked the front door. The truth of the situation washed over me. We were captives, plain and simple.
The Doña led me through the door and into a quaint front room with a small couch, coffee table, and end tables. The room was otherwise barren. A window air-conditioning unit hung precariously out the side window.
"Jamie, Coyle is here," the Doña called out then turned to leave.
"Help me Doña," I pleaded as she stepped by me.
"No, no one can help you Coyle," she said while closing the door behind me. The familiar sound of keys clanked from the other side.
"Coyle!" Jamie rushed into me, wrapping her arms around my neck.
"Hey sweetie, how ya doin'?" I pulled my head back and swept her hair out of her face to see her misty blue eyes.
"Like a rat in a cage." She chuckled slightly.
"Well now, throwing out Smashing Pumpkins references! You must be feeling OK."
"I’m OK; we just need to get the heck out of here.” She nuzzled into my chest. “When are we leaving this forsaken place?"
"Just as soon as I can figure out ho
w," I said, retreating a bit. "Probably after I finish all of these missions."
"How did your first one go?"
"Manuel says I can't talk about it." I pulled her back and looked into her eyes. "But it has been quite uneventful." I furrowed my brow, looked down and tapped my neck near a disappearing scar, which remained from where Dr. Bartnev had stuck a tube through my throat.
Her eyes widened, but I shook my head slightly urging her to remain quiet. I twirled my finger indicating later.
"I'll get them done and we will be out of here lickety split," I said, shaking my head. I knew it wasn't true. How could Manuel let us go? Not only was I his greatest asset, we knew so much about his operation and the hacienda that there was no way he was letting us go. The only place we would go is in the grave. So, our only option was to escape. My mind was already formulating a plan and, from what I saw, Dr. Bartnev would have to play a key role.
"Good to hear," she said, also shaking her head with her own brow furrowed.
"Have they fed you well?" I said, changing the subject.
"The Doña sure can cook. Lovin' the enchiladas. Frankly, her cooking is about all I like here.”
“Likewise.”
“We need to get out of here, and soon, Coyle. My parents must be totally wigged out by now.”
"I know, my dad probably thinks I am dead.” I went silent with an abruptness that screamed there was something I was holding back. The thought of my dad brought on some serious guilt. Guilt that I still hadn’t told Jamie about her own dad. “Uh, Jamie, there is something I need to, er, I have to tell you.” I had to tell her now or face an even a worse reaction later. “It’s about your family.” I sat down on the side of the couch.
“What do you mean?” She sat down with her legs crossed and brushed her hair out of her face.
“After you were kidnaped I went to your home.” The memory of that fateful night streamed back as I began relating the details to her. “Your parents were there and were understandably pissed off. You left that message saying I had taken you.” I moved closer to her, keeping a few inches between us.
“I thought you had!" she said. "What would you have done? My greatest nightmare had come true. Someone, I trusted and loved, betrayed me, took advantage of me. You, my first love, had become my attacker, my aggressor.”
“You're right; I would have done exactly the same. With um, that perspective you will need to consider what I am about to tell you.” I adjusted on the couch, so my eyes met hers.
“What happened, Coyle?” Her eyes widened.
“Both your mom and dad were freaking out. Again, totally expected, but your mom was especially upset. While your dad was questioning me she, uh, she got your dad’s pistol.”
“What happened?” Tears already began to well in her eyes.
“Your mom, she meant to shoot me, and I kinda wish she had, but your dad―he moved just as she pulled the trigger.” The words fell down in the air like a ton of bricks. Just saying it forced a lump in my throat. I struggled to continue.
Jamie lifted her hands and covered her weeping eyes. “No Coyle, no. Please no, that couldn’t have happened. My dad?” she screamed through clenched teeth.
“I’m so sorry Jamie; it did happen. The bullet went through his chest. I used the first aid I’d learned at Somatotech and he was breathing better when I left.”
“You left?” She retreated from me, scooting back on the couch with her hands crossed over her chest. A heavy glare emanated from her eyes.
“I had to,” I pleaded. “The police were on their way. I could hear them, they were getting close. If they had caught me, Somatotech would have murdered you." I paused. "I chose you. In order to save you, I had to believe your dad would be OK.”
She remained still, contemplating the situation. She looked up with a jerk. “Is my dad OK?” she asked with intensity.
“I... uh, I don’t know,” I muttered.
“And you are just now telling me this!" She yelled. "What if he died, Coyle? What if I missed my own dad’s funeral? Did you ever think of that?”
I hadn’t. The gravity of my distraction and inconsideration hit my chest hard. What if he did die? My actions, at least indirectly, would have caused another person to die. The tally was already too high. Admittance to hell probably only required a few, and add the Pastor’s death to the list, and I was definitely a shoo-in. I could have saved him, but would he have wanted me to stay or would he have wanted me to save his daughter? I had to feel he would’ve wanted the latter.
“Jamie, I’m sorry. I know those should’ve been the first words out of my mouth when we rescued you but everything has been so jacked up I… ”
“Don’t Coyle. Please, just stop, I don’t want to hear it. I need to call my dad now!”
“Manuel won’t permit it. He already told me,” I whispered
“Then you’d better find a way.” She turned away from me. “Please leave.”
“I’m—” I began.
“Stop. Out!” she yelled and ran to the back room.
I stood there, my head low while tears formed in my own eyes. I turned to leave without a glance at her. As I knocked on the door for them to let me out, I noticed the air conditioner unit in the window again. All of the other windows had bars on them, but on this one the bars only went down halfway until they reached the unit. I heard keys jingle near the lock. I jumped into action, and I lifted the edge of the unit slightly. Loose, very loose. I hopped back to the door as they opened it. The Doña led me back without a word. I didn’t mind. My thoughts were on escape.
That night in my room, the same room as my previous stay at la hacienda, I kicked off my shoes, threw off my shirt and quickly brushed my teeth. I wished I could talk to Jamie again or Aedan. I listened to hear if someone was close but came up with nothing. I was alone, completely alone. Jamie and Aedan probably felt this way each night here. This was my doing. I had brought them here; I had brought this on all of them. All I had to do was obey, go along with Somatotech; would that have been so hard? Now all of our families are in danger and would be until the company crashed and burned. But, even if they do, what will the army do? Will they sit back and take it if they are exposed? I seriously doubted it. They probably had a freakin’ army of clones by now. Clones. Could it be that they made more than one copy of me? I dropped my head onto the pillow, closed my eyes and focused. I focused on connecting with my clone, or at least whom I thought was my clone. My mind searched for that familiar feeling but came up empty. Maybe he did die?
The thought of my other reminded me of another aspect of my life that seemed absent. The nearly unconquerable fits of rage, I had experienced before, had seemingly dissolved away. Before, I nearly killed people at any minor provocation. Now, I sensed an emotional control. Could it be that with my other gone, so was my anger?
7 Leader Líder
A clank at the door woke me. I shot up to my feet and prepared for an onslaught. The door remained still.
“Coyle, Manuel is waiting for you in the kitchen. Get up,” the Doña spoke through the door.
“Good morning to you too,” I said as my heart slowed to a normal pace.
“I wish it were,” she said quietly.
I heard her walk away toward the kitchen. Manuel was making this place miserable. The staff was obviously disgruntled but powerless. A thought came to me. Could they be turned against Manuel? Could I use that discontent to my favor? Could I take his place? We needed a hideout away from Somatotech, a central base to operate from, and Manuel needed to be stopped. Maybe an escape isn’t what we needed but an uprising.
I dressed and walked into the kitchen. Manuel and Tigre sat at the island eating their breakfast. Neither of them raised even a brow when I walked in and sat across from them. The Doña dropped a plate of eggs and hash browns in front of me. Her hand rested on my shoulder, and she gave me a slight squeeze. The Doña was on my side, at least I hoped.
“Sounded like you and your girlfriend had quite th
e fight last night.”
“It wasn’t a fight,” I said as I buried my fork in some eggs.
“Personally, I‘d be upset if someone so close to me held back such an important detail.”
“You know?” I put my fork down.
“It was all over the news. ‘Pastor shot by wife after cancer survivor kidnaps daughter.’ It even made national news.”
Dang. So much for being an afterthought, I thought. The media had plastered my face and now my tarnished reputation everywhere. That will be hard to recover.
“He’s alive,” he said fleetingly.
Oh, thank goodness, I thought and breathed a heavy sigh.
Manuel continued, “Only one news source described your heroic efforts to save his life. The rest sensationalized it. I think CNN said it best, ‘Miracle patient goes wild and kidnaps girlfriend.’ That has a better ring, right?”
“I don’t really care. All I care is that he’s alive. I need to tell Jamie.” I stood up.
“Not now. We have work to do. Missions come first. We need to pay Roxanne a little visit at that warehouse.”
I turned to the Doña at the stove, “Will you tell her?”
The Doña didn’t respond and kept her back to me.
“What is going on here, Manuel, did you threaten the Doña? If you did, I'd rip you apart.” I stayed standing and eyed Manuel.
He grinned and returned to his eggs.
“Come on, answer me!” I yelled.
“Sit down, Coyle.” The Doña turned to us with a hot pan in hand. “No one threatened anybody. By you coming here, we all have to bear a greater burden for our way of life to continue. The challenge is twofold. While you are here, we cannot bring others for protection. Also, your friends, who have escaped, threaten the protection we all provide. If we can offer no protection, we can no longer be a family.” She put down the pan and pulled off the oven mitts. “If our family breaks up…” she paused. A single tear slipped down her face. “You must find her, Coyle.” Her eyelids twitched, and her gaze drifted to the ground for a split second. Her demeanor was slightly off from before. Her shoulders stayed straight. They didn’t sag like when she walked with me. She noticed me staring and turned away.
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