The Deep Beneath

by Natalie Wright

  Jack didn’t ask questions and grabbed for the doctor from behind. The aging doctor scuffled with Jack only enough to look as though he tried to break free. Jack was easily able to hold the doctor’s arms behind him.

  Erika brandished the full needle so that the guards could see her holding it against the doctor’s neck. “Listen up, turd blossoms. This liquid death is going into the good doctor’s veins unless you cooperate.”

  The three soldiers stood motionless, but their guns were still trained on them. Freeman’s mouth worked itself into a condescending smile.

  “We just want to leave here and never have anything to do with you or this place ever again. I don’t want to kill anybody to do it, but I will if I have to. And I don’t really think that you want the deaths of three innocent kids on your conscience.”

  They didn’t lower their weapons, but Erika thought their eyes softened a bit.

  Freeman’s smug smile was gone. “We may not like it, but we’ve got orders.”

  “Screw orders! Look around you. You know this is wrong and it’s not what you signed up for.”

  “Orders are orders,” said Freeman. “We’ve done worse.”

  Erika tried to ignore him. She may die yet, but she wasn’t going to willingly lie down like a lamb goes to slaughter. “Doc, do you keep a sedative here?” asked Erika.

  “Yes.”

  “Tell my friend Ian here where it is.”

  The doctor did not immediately answer. Erika pressed the needle to the skin of his neck. A small droplet of blood instantly bloomed there.

  “Patience! I’m thinking. I do not frequently have need of a sedative for humans.”

  “Think faster,” Erika said.

  “Look over there, in the refrigerator. There should be a small bottle that looks like milk. It says Diprivan.”

  Ian ran to the small refrigerator under the counter. Bottles clanked against each other as he searched for the right one. “Got it.” He held the bottle out for Erika to take.

  “No, you’ve got to do it. I’ve got my hands full.”

  “Okay. Wait, do what?” asked Ian.

  “You’re going to give some of that to our friends in black here so they can take a little nap,” said Erika.

  “We are not takin’ a nap,” said Freeman.

  “Yes, you are, or so help me, I’m going to plunge this needle into his neck and push down on the plunger,” said Erika. Sweat dripped down the sides of her face and her hand shook from the effort of holding the needle steady against the doctor’s skin.

  “I would listen to her,” Dr. Dolan said. “She has been held against her will and sentenced to death. She’s quite unstable at this time and sees no way out. I implore you to cooperate with her for now. You may sleep, but I am sure that they won’t make it far before Commander Sturgis takes care of them.”

  “Can’t do that, Doc. If we fail, Commander Sturgis will terminate us,” Freeman said.

  “I’ll cover for you,” Dr. Dolan pled. His voice came out squeaky and trembling slightly. “I’ll take the blame. Please, just do as she asks. Look at her eyes. They’re crazed. She’s going to do this. If she gets even a small amount of that poison in my system …”

  It was like a stalemate at the OK Corral. Silence fell over the room as Erika, Ian, Jack and the doctor stared at the soldiers. Erika’s hand cramped, and she feared she’d drop the needle and the whole effort would be for nothing. She took a deep breath and focused on steadying her hand.

  “Young man, go. Grab three needles from the first drawer to the right,” the doctor said.

  Ian did as he was told.

  “Doc, we can’t let you knock us out and screw this up,” said Freeman.

  “Sergeant Freeman, consider the alternative. You make a move to restrain them and this young lady administers a lethal injection and I die. Then it will be your fault that the only doctor left for this project is dead. With Dr. Randall gone, I’m the only one qualified to keep Commander Sturgis’ project going. How will you explain my death and your failure to terminate them in the manner she ordered?”

  Erika wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep up the façade of courage that she’d mustered when what she really wanted to do was fall into a heap on the floor. She had to hold her right arm steady with her left hand to keep herself from either accidentally poking Dr. Dolan or from dropping the needle.

  Erika looked up into Freeman’s eyes. A bead of sweat rolled from his temple down his cheek. One of the soldiers behind him wiped his brow with his left hand while his right still held the rifle pointed at Jack.

  It was that soldier that spoke. “Sergeant Freeman, maybe we oughta do what the doc said. I mean, he’s the only doc left down here to take care of the H.A.L.F.s. And if we’re responsible for her killing him –”

  “I know,” Freeman barked.

  Erika looked directly into Freeman’s eyes and did the best she could to plead with him. She remembered the way she could tug on her dad’s emotions with a wide-eyed sad look. As she thought of her dad, it took little effort to conjure forth a fat tear to fall from her lid onto her cheek.

  Freeman’s face softened. His shoulders fell and his body relaxed.

  “Dammit,” he said. “Damn it all. You win, Dolan. But, Doc, if you don’t take 100% of the blame for this, so help me I’ll kill you myself. And it won’t be by needle either.”

  Erika let out a sigh of relief but didn’t let up on the needle she had pressed against Dr. Dolan’s neck.

  “Understood,” Dr. Dolan said. “You’ll have to loose my arms so I can administer the sedative.”

  Jack nodded and was about to release the doctor, but Erika stopped him.

  “Nope, Ian can do it,” Erika said.

  “But, Erika, I don’t know how –”

  “Just poke the needle into the bottle, suck up the medicine and then jab it into their ass.”

  “That’s not how it’s done,” said Dr. Dolan.

  “Then tell him,” said Erika.

  “Well, you need to find a vein and inject it intravenously,” said Dr. Dolan. “Really, you can trust me. Release me and I’ll administer the sedative.”

  “No can do, Doc. This needle against your neck is our insurance policy. Ian, do it already.”

  Ian still held the needle in one hand and the bottle of sedative in the other. He stared blankly at the doctor.

  Dr. Dolan nodded. “Do what she said, then. Jab him with the needle and inject it. Just make sure you only fill it to the line that says thirty on the syringe.”

  “Thirty. Got it,” said Ian. He thrust the needle into the bottle, his hands shaking, and watched the syringe as it filled with liquid. He went to Freeman first. Freeman’s wide shoulders made Ian look puny. “Where do you want it?” Ian asked.

  The muscles in Freeman’s jaw twitched but he didn’t answer.

  Ian shrugged and plunged the needle into Freeman’s burly upper arm and pushed down. Ian grabbed Freeman as he began to fall, and he helped him to the ground. He repeated the procedure with the other two. Within minutes, all three were laying on the ground, out cold.

  “Your turn, Doc,” said Erika. She pulled the needle away from Dr. Dolan’s neck. Her arm was wobbly gelatin and her fingers were still cramped, but she was relieved to be able to give her arm a rest.

  “It’s not necessary. I’m on your side, you know. Who do you think helped 9 escape?”

  “Sorry, but we can’t take any chances,” said Erika.

  “You can trust him,” Jack said. “That’s what I tried to tell you back when we were at that meeting room with Sturgis. Dolan is on Tex’s side.”

  “Look, we don’t have much time before Commander Sturgis figures this out,” said Dr. Dolan

  “Let’s get the hell out of here,” said Ian. He walked toward the door.

  “Ian, wait. Before we go, which way do we go to find Tex?”

  “Tex?” asked Dr. Dolan.

  “H.A.L.F. 9. We call him Tex.”

  Dr.
Dolan’s eyebrows raised and he shook his head. He looked like he was going to say something, but Erika interrupted him before he could begin speaking.

  “Why that name? Long story. Anyway, how do we find him?”

  “Let’s get out of here before the doctor changes his mind or these goons wake up and off us,” said Ian.

  “It doesn’t feel right leaving Tex here. Besides, if we’re going to make it out of here, we could use his help. He’s at least done it before.”

  “But they’ll look for him even harder than they’ll look for us,” said Ian.

  “We’ll part ways with him as soon as we’re in the desert. I promise,” said Erika.

  “Besides, she will have her mercenaries hunt you down just as much if you go alone as if you take 9 with you,” said Dr. Dolan.

  Jack was silent on the issue. Erika didn’t know if he agreed with her or not, but if he disagreed, he kept it to himself.

  Ian seethed, his face pulled tight in anger. But he gave up the fight. “Fine, we’ll pick up Tex first. How do we get to him, Doc?”

  “When you leave this room, turn left. Go to the end of the hall then make another left. Go down that hallway, and 9 is in the first room on the left. But you won’t be able to get in without a magnetic strip card to run through the security panel.”

  “Easy. We’ll take Freeman’s.”

  “Not so easy. You also need an authorized thumbprint.”

  “Do you have an authorized thumb?” asked Jack.

  “I do.”

  “Okay then. Change of plans. Dr. Dolan, you’re coming with,” said Erika

  22

  SEALED OFF

  “I know Jack said I could trust you. But less than five minutes ago you had me convinced that you were going to kill me. So I’ll take this with me, just in case.” Erika held up the syringe full of lethal chemical. “A toe out of line, Doc. Understand?” Erika hoped she wouldn’t have to use it on the doctor. She also hoped that she’d have the cojones to use it if the situation required it.

  “I understand but you won’t need it. As I told you, I’m the one that helped 9 escape. If you are willing to help him get out of this place, then I am willing to help you.”

  “Call him Tex,” Erika said.

  The doctor nodded. Dr. Dolan went to the refrigerator and retrieved another bottle of Diprivan. His hands shook as he opened a drawer and removed a handful of syringes. He shoved the bottle and the syringes into his lab coat pocket.

  “Just in case,” he said. Dr. Dolan opened his office door and pulled another white lab coat off of the hook. “Here, put this on,” he said as he handed the coat to Erika. It was at least two sizes too big for her, but it covered her clothes nicely. “You’ll stand out less if we’re seen.”

  “What about coats for Ian and Jack?”

  “They should stay here and guard the guards,” Dr. Dolan said. “They’re not likely to wake, but if they do, inject them again.”

  Ian nodded, bent and picked up one of the rifles off of the floor. “Just in case.”

  A vein in Jack’s neck pulsed and he shook his head. “I don’t like it. Splitting up, I mean. We should stick together.”

  “We’ll move more quickly just the two of us and are less likely to cause suspicion. If we run into anyone, I’ll say Erika is my new assistant. I won’t be able to explain all three of you. We’ll have to come back this way to get you all out of here. You can rendezvous after we’ve retrieved Tex.”

  Jack didn’t look any more at ease but picked up one of the rifles and handed it to Erika. “You should take one of these,” he said. He looked back at Ian and said, “Just in case.”

  Ian nodded.

  Erika took the rifle and was surprised at its weight. Her dad had been a border patrol agent until the job he loved killed him. He carried a gun to work every day but kept it and his rifles locked in a gun safe. He’d taught her how to shoot a pistol, not a rifle. And as much as she’d thrilled at the feel of the power in her hand, firing bullets at a target, she dreaded the possibility of firing at a living thing. “I don’t know, Ian.”

  “You don’t know what?”

  “If I can shoot someone.”

  “You’re carrying a needle full of poison in your pants pocket, willing to shove it in someone’s ass, but you’re telling me you can’t shoot someone?”

  “Shooting is different.”

  Jack picked up the last rifle off of the floor and held it gingerly, examining it. “How’s it different?” he asked.

  “Bloody.”

  Erika held the rifle with both hands. “Not exactly blending in, am I, Doc?”

  “Tuck the gun inside the jacket as best you can. Now come. We must act quickly,” Dr. Dolan said. He walked toward the door.

  “What should we do if anyone comes in?” Ian asked.

  Dr. Dolan answered without hesitation. “Use that thing in your hands.”

  Ian and Jack both looked down at the guns then exchanged looks. Neither of them looked any more relaxed now than when the soldiers had their guns trained on them.

  “Before you go, come ’ere,” Jack said.

  Erika was reluctant to move away from the door and delay her attempt to liberate Tex. But she could see Jack’s worry for her written on his face. His eyes were watery and he looked as though he might cry at any minute. Seeing Jack so near to tears made her realize that she didn’t know what was lurking in the halls of A.H.D.N.A. She may never see him again.

  She walked to Jack and moved herself as close as she could without them bumping their guns into each other. Erika looked up into Jack’s stormy grey-blue eyes, and he met her gaze. They were so close she could feel the heat of his body. And smell him. None of them had showered in days, and Jack’s pits threw off a pungent odor. But when he bent his head and kissed her full on the lips, she momentarily forgot how bad he smelled. She liked the feel of his scruffy chin against her smooth skin. For a brief moment, all that existed in the world was Jack and his warm, soft lips. The feel of his hand on her back. And then his lips were gone and she was again holding a gun in a room where she had almost met her death.

  “Until you come back,” he said in a whisper.

  Erika turned slowly and walked away without looking back. If it was to be the last time she saw him, she wanted to hold the moment in her mind unspoiled, the beauty of Jack’s eyes held tightly in her heart.

  Dr. Dolan opened the metal doors and peeked his head out into the hallway before exiting the room. He motioned for her, and they followed the long corridor to its end. Dolan then used his key card to open another set of doors on the left.

  The new corridor was muggier than the last. Beads of sweat formed on Erika’s forehead, and she felt sticky and uncomfortable.

  “You feel that?” Dr. Dolan asked. “She’s not taking any chances with him.”

  It took them about five minutes to walk the maze of corridors from Dr. Dolan’s office to Tex’s quarters. They did not come across anyone else in the halls. Dr. Dolan stopped in front of a door that had a metal plaque above it that said “H-009”. Dr. Dolan swiped his card through the reader, but nothing happened.

  “Oh no,” he said. “It won’t open. Dammit, she changed the access.”

  “What? You’re their doctor. Why would she do that?”

  “She must have figured out that I was the one who helped him escape. Why didn’t I see it before?” Dr. Dolan smacked his head lightly. “That’s why she put me on death duty. Punishment for helping him.”

  “What do we do now?”

  Dr. Dolan didn’t answer. His eyes were set on the card reader beside the door as if he could somehow will it to work for him. Erika considered using her gun to shoot the door open but quickly dismissed the thought. If the door to Tex was the same six-inch thick steel as the door to her prison cell, it was unlikely a few bullets could open it. It was just as likely that the bullets would ricochet off and end up in her flesh.

  As they stood thinking of their next move, Erika heard
someone whistling. She turned in the direction they had come and saw a young, heavyset man, probably in his mid-thirties, dressed in white and walking toward them. Erika froze, her breath shallow, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Please don’t come this way. Please don’t make me have to shoot you.

  “It’s Frank, one of the attendants,” Dr. Dolan whispered. “Keep the gun hidden and act like you belong here. He may be the answer to our dilemma.”

  Frank stopped whistling when he noticed Dr. Dolan. “Hey, Doc. Is there a problem?”

  “Ah, Frank. Just the man I wanted to see. It seems that my magnetic strip is not working properly on this lock. 9 is scheduled for an examination. Can you run your card and print for me?”

  “I didn’t see anything on the schedule for him. I was told to leave this one in lockdown for a few days. Meals only was what she said.” Frank leaned to look around Dr. Dolan to see Erika. He eyed her suspiciously but didn’t say anything to her.

  “This is my new assistant, Ms. Connor.”

  Erika gave Frank a nod and tried her best to look normal and not like she was hiding a rifle in her coat.

  “Newbie, hey? Pretty weird stuff we got going on down here, huh?”

  Erika nodded again and pasted a congenial smile on her face. She was afraid to speak for fear that she’d say the wrong thing.

  “Look, Frank, I’m in a bit of a hurry to check on him. You’ll have to get to know Ms. Connor another time. The order for the examination was given to me directly. The humidity is quite high, and she wanted me to do an unscheduled wellness check to make sure he’s not suffering permanent damage from the sedation.”

  Frank returned his gaze to Dr. Dolan. He looked at the door to Tex’s room then back the way he’d come. Finally he said, “Let me see your card. Maybe you just need to clean it off.”

  Dr. Dolan handed his card to Frank. Frank wiped the card on his white button-up shirt then turned and swiped it in the reader. When his back was to them, Dr. Dolan motioned at Frank with his head so that only Erika could see.