Learning to Stand

by Claudia Hall Christian

  Alex pointed to Raz and Troy. The men moved forward with bright flashlights. Searching in every dark corner outside of the mine office, they shook their heads.

  Nothing.

  Uneasy, the men retreated to her side. They had expected to meet the captors here.

  So far, they saw only dust and silence. Alex crept to the mine office. Pressing herself against the wall, she counted down.

  Three – Two – One.

  Troy kicked open the office door. The door swung back and forth on its hinges.

  Squeak. The door swung into the office.

  Squawk. The door swung toward them.

  Nothing.

  Hearing movement inside the office, Troy and Raz dropped to their stomachs.

  Nothing.

  Alex pulled her handguns to firing position. In one quick movement, she caught the door with her knee. Troy flipped to standing and drew his weapon to stand behind her. Raz belly crawled forward to cover them from the behind. She waited until the men were in place before stepping into the doorway.

  Sensing movement to her right, she turned to fire.

  Two-year-old Cory Joiner ran straight toward them. Alex stepped to the side. Troy caught the toddler before he ran into the mine. Alex swept to her left.

  Nothing.

  Where were the captors?

  The child in Troy’s arms screeched in terror. Too young for real words, he flailed at Troy. As if he had done it every day of his life, Troy holstered his weapons, found a Snicker’s bar in his back pocket, unwrapped the candy and held it out all while holding the writhing child. Still screaming, the boy grabbed the candy with both hands.

  Raz flicked on the office lights.

  They were standing in a makeshift bedroom. Three boys were tucked into fouled blankets toward the edges of the room. Raz bent to the child closest to him then shook his head.

  Five-year-old Marvin Joiner was dead.

  Kneeling next to a boy, whose face was pressed into the wall, Alex pressed her fingers into his neck. The boy was alive! When she rolled him onto his back, he groaned.

  Tristan Joiner’s eyes fluttered. Slits of blue showed through purple, swollen eyes. Dropping to her knees, Alex held her water bottle near his mouth. His broken and bruised lips opened and she poured a tiny amount of water in his mouth.

  “I knew you’d come,” Tristan whispered.

  He slipped back into unconsciousness.

  With care, Alex set his head back onto the ground. Looking up, she saw Raz pull a filthy blanket over ten-year-old Daniel Joiner’s face. They found four boys. Two dead. Two alive.

  No captors.

  Alex looked up at the sound of a low whistle. Colin and White Boy were close. When White Boy appeared in the door, Alex pointed to Cory. White Boy took Cory from Troy and ran from the mine.

  “What did you find?” Using American Sign Language, Alex asked to Colin.

  “David Joiner.” Colin signed back. His face was lined with sorrow. “He’s been dead for at least a week, maybe two.”

  Alex held up two fingers. They were missing two boys: Kyle and Cody. Colin and Troy nodded.

  Raz stood with his hands on his hips in front of what looked like a solid wall. Raz shook his head. He pointed toward the wall. Troy pressed his head against the wall. They had expected a small room there. But there was no sign of a door.

  There were quick footfalls moving toward them in the mine. Nudging the door closed, Colin switched off the overhead light. They shut off their headlamps and drew their weapons.

  Crouching in the dark of the putrid office, Alex vowed to find the men responsible for this horror. Her rage for Cee Cee Joiner burned in her belly.

  The footsteps slowed to walking. The men braced to respond.

  The door creaked open.

  A flapping white cowboy hat appeared in the doorway. The Texas Rangers moved into the office. Their bright faces broadcast their success. The men in the trailer were neutralized.

  Alex pointed to Tristan. The leader of the Rangers nodded his head and pointed his directions to his men. The four men, two on each side, thread their forearms under Tristan. With gentle care, they lifted the boy from the ground and carried him from the office.

  While the Rangers worked, Raz ran his hands over the wood panel until he found the edges of a door. Stepping to the side, Raz signaled for Alex, Troy and Colin to move away from the door. He gave swift press and the latch of the door opened. The door swung about half open. Troy, Colin and Alex held their positions.

  Nothing.

  Alex pointing Troy and Raz to the wall. With Colin at her back, she pulled the door open.

  Shock registering on her body. She stopped moving. Colin gasped.

  Unconscious, but alive, Cody and Kyle Joiner were duct taped to wooden chairs. The undercarriage of each chair was filled with Tovex 800 explosives. The Tovex sausages were wired and set for explosion. The wires from the explosives went toward a computer, hooked on the opposite wall, for remote detonation. There was enough Tovex to bury them forever in this mine.

  Alex held Colin back. She pointed to a corner where a webcam broadcast the children to the Internet. Colin moved again to rescue the children. Alex leaned into him to keep him in one place. She let go of the door and it swung shut.

  Alex signaled for Troy, Raz and the two remaining Texas Rangers to follow her into the mine. Once there, she closed the door to the office. She held up one finger for them to wait. Turning on her pocket computer, she weighed her options in her mind.

  There was no way to know when they would detonate. Keeping everyone underground was a terrible risk. They would definitely detonate if they thought Alex or her men were inside the room.

  “The boys are alive, Alexandra,” Jesse said in Spanish. “The computer is counting down.”

  “How long?” she signed to Jesse.

  “Eleven minutes. Give or take.”

  “Do you know where they are?” Alex set her watch to mark down eleven minutes.

  “I’ve been with you,” Jesse said. “If you shut the power it will go off immediately. If you remove the boys, you have two minutes before it blows. There’s also a battery charge... I can’t tell what it will do.”

  “More bombs,” Alex signed to Jesse.

  Colin pressed passed Troy and Raz. Signing to Alex he asked, “Who the fuck are you talking to?”

  Alex made Jesse’s angel sign.

  “Oh, you can talk,” Jesse said.

  “What about cell phones?” Alex asked out loud in Spanish.

  “Ma’am, you will have to go to the surface for a signal,” the leader of the Texas Rangers said.

  “What he said,” Jesse said. “I’m going back to the kids. Get going lazy butt.”

  “Ok, we have a little less than nine minutes before this blows,” Alex said. “The children are alive. If we cut the power, the bombs will blow. If we move the boys, it blows.”

  While her eyes watched the men react, the wheels in her head kept moving.

  “Colin, Raz and you guys,” she pointed to the Rangers. “I need you to go to the door – just to the door. Wait for my signal.”

  The men started to move.

  “Before you go, you should know there’s a risk of explosion.”

  “There’s a risk now,” Colin said. “Plus, you’ll get us out of here.”

  Alex wished she had his confidence. Nodding to Colin, she looked down at her pocket computer.

  “Troy, I need you to get this pocket computer to the top. When there, click the icon marked ‘pulse’ twice. That’s an electromagnetic pulse so be sure to put the cover back on the computer.” Looking at her watch, she said, “You have seven and a half minutes to get there and get to Trece. He’ll know what to do.”

  Troy took her pocket computer and sprinted the half mile to the mine entrance. Letting out a breath, Alex entered the mine office.

  “We can speak but softly. We aren’t sure what the webcam will pick up,” she said. “We are going to pulse the ar
ea. The pulse will disable all electronic equipment including anything you have on your person.”

  “We didn’t bring any,” Raz said.

  “Good,” she said. “The boys are hooked to the Internet. My guess is they planned to blow them with Joiner watching. I have a lead shielded electromagnetic pulse safe satellite blocker. Raz, you will have to disconnect the children from the battery in the computer.”

  “Got it.”

  “Colin, grab the boys.”

  “Sure,” Colin said.

  “Sirs,” Alex addressed the Texas Rangers. “I need you to get in the room. Fast and dirty then help Colin get the children out of the room.”

  “Consider it done,” the Rangers gave her a two finger salute.

  “This is the order of things, electromagnetic pulse, disable satellite, grab the boys, and hope for the best. I will wait in the tunnel for the signal.”

  Alex stood facing the entrance of the mine. The eerie silence and damp wind sent shivers up her spine. The dark seemed to surround her.

  “Don’t go there,” Jesse said. He appeared at her side. “You’re not in the room.”

  “I’m in a mine in Texas. My name is Alexandra Hargreaves.” She began the technique she used to keep herself from going into PTSD flashbacks. “I’m a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army.”

  A loud catcall echoed through the tunnel. Trece’s signal. She flicked the satellite blocker and ran into the office.

  “GO!”

  The Rangers smashed the door. Raz ran to the computer and Colin rushed to the boys. Dropping to her knees, Alex grabbed the wires which connected the boys to the computer and cut through them with her Leatherman Freestyle knife. By the time she had cut the last wire, Colin and the men were lifting the boys from the chairs. The Texas Ranger’s carried the boys out of the mine. Colin helped Alex to her feet.

  “Got it,” Raz said.

  “Let’s get out of here,” Alex said. “We have three minutes until original detonation. I don’t want to risk it blowing.”

  They raced through the mine. With Colin ahead, and Raz in the middle, Alex followed as fast as her grinding hip would allow. They were almost to the second mine shaft when Raz turned, as if to catch a football, to look for her.

  A large explosion rocked the mine shaft.

  F

  CHAPTER TWENTY-five

  The force of the explosion blew her forward. Out of training and experience, more than thought, Alex landed in a plank position on her hands and the balls of her feet. Her ears rang in an eerie silence of explosion induced deafness. Falling to her stomach, she belly crawled forward to where Raz lay in a crumpled ball. Colin crawled toward her.

  Colin pointed to his ears. Confirming she couldn’t hear either, Alex pointed to her ears. She pointed to Raz then leaned back. A Special Forces trained medic, Colin began looking over Raz. He pointed to Raz’s legs. Raz’s legs pointed in opposite direction.

  Raz’s back had gone out.

  Using American Sign Language, Alex instructed Colin to help her turn over Raz. Colin was clearing Raz’s mouth when Jesse flew toward them.

  “Another bomb! Right here! Go, go, go!”

  When Alex grabbed Raz’s arm, Colin looked up at her. She pointed to the side tunnel. Colin shook his head. He didn’t want to move Raz.

  “Another bomb!” Alex signed.

  Colin’s face registered shock. He grabbed Raz’s other arm. They half carried and half dragged Raz’s body into the side tunnel. They were twenty yards into the tunnel when they were blown off their feet by another bomb.

  Alex, Raz and Colin fell forward together. Alex managed to catch herself with her arm cast and elbow. Colin landed on his right shoulder. Raz landed on top of Alex and Colin. They skid forward along the dirt floor until they came to a halt.

  Debris rained down on them. The air choked with dust. Alex counted to sixty before daring to look up. Raz groaned when she moved out from under him. Rolling to her side, she saw Colin was checking Raz from his side.

  Another earth shattering boom and everything went dark.

  FFF

  Forty-five minutes later

  Saturday morning

  March 29 - 3:12 A.M. CDT

  Inside the Mariscal Mine

  Not quite unconscious, and not awake, Alex groaned. Breathing, she lay face down.

  One breath in.

  One breath out.

  She heard nothing more than the ringing in her ears. Rolling onto her side, she felt a small hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Zack’s girlfriend Bestat Behur.

  “Do not move quite yet,” purred Bestat.

  Alex pointed to her ears.

  “Yes, Alexandra, you cannot hear. We don’t need to speak out loud.” Bestat smiled.

  “Did you transport through all this dirt?” Alex asked.

  “I am not able to do that,” Bestat said. “There is an opening up ahead. Small, but enough for me to get through. I thought you’d rather see me in my more… familiar form.”

  Alex nodded. She had only seen Bestat in her ‘other form’ one time. They were flying fast over Egypt when a ray of sunlight sparkled off this gorgeous purple and yellow flying serpent gliding next to the chopper. The vision was a gift, a thank you, for rescuing someone Bestat cared about deeply. Usually, Alex saw Bestat as she appeared now, a golden skinned beautiful woman with waist length dark hair and large almond-shaped, rust-colored eyes. She was dressed in stylish linen pants and a silk blouse.

  “I always thought this shape was an illusion,” Alex said. “Your clothes are never wrinkled.”

  “That is an illusion,” Bestat laughed. “I spend most of my time in this form now. Zackery can be so frisky. This form is such fun.”

  Alex smiled. Remembering Raz and Colin, Alex jerked up to look. Unconscious, Raz was face down with his right arm underneath him. Colin lay next to him on his side. They were both breathing.

  “Your Rasmussen’s vertebrae has compressed his spine. I’ve been able to strengthen him and protect his spine. He will survive. And probably walk. His right arm is also broken near the wrist. He will need your brother’s help.”

  Alex moved to get up then groaned.

  “Give yourself a moment. I have healed your bleeding.”

  “Thank you,” Alex said.

  “Your arm is...”

  Bestat shook her head. Alex lifted her left arm to look at it. Her fiberglass cast had collapsed near the break. Looking into the cast, she saw her arm had a two inch divot where her ulna had collapsed toward her radius. So much for her simple fracture.

  “I don’t think the cast was made for all of this.” Bestat gestured to the tunnel. “I’ve blocked your pain. I am happy to fix this little break but how will you explain it?”

  “Better leave it.”

  “Alexandra, your brother...”

  “Colin? What?” Alex asked. She reached over to touch Colin. He groaned.

  “His mind... He will not tolerate being down here,” Bestat said. “I cannot overcome all of the grief... “

  “He’s never dealt with being a hostage,” Alex said.

  “You will have to watch him. I’m sorry. I wish...”

  “I wish I could too,” Alex said.

  “Yes, the dragon and the fairy. We are useless against human grief.” Bestat touched Colin and he dropped unconscious. “You have your pills?”

  “The ones John always makes me bring?” Alex asked.

  Bestat nodded. Alex patted her pockets until she felt the packet of pills.

  “You will need them for the men,” Bestat said.

  “My arm?” Alex asked.

  “As I have before, I will block your pain from a distance,” Bestat said. “There is enough air for fire. After your brother helps your Rasmussen, get him to find water. That will help keep his mind busy.”

  “Then what?”

  “Use your pills to put him to sleep. He will take them because he doesn’t want to feel.”

  Alex nodded.
/>
  “They are working to free you,” Bestat said. “But it will be a number of hours. Your little band of men were able to get out with the children. They are very anxious without you.”

  Alex nodded.

  “I must go,” Bestat said. “Will you be all right here? Can your mind handle the dark? Your Jesse was unsure.”

  “I think so,” Alex said.

  “Alexandra, this cloud that surrounds you,” Bestat said. “You know what it is, don’t you?”

  Alex shook her head.

  “Your fairy instincts inform you that you’ve been tragically betrayed.”

  “By everyone.” Alex’s smile dropped and her face clouded with sorrow.

  “This is your error,” Bestat said. “Yes, your friends have been… human. The betrayal is deeper, bigger. Somewhere inside, you know who. You knew this before, and you’ll know it again.”

  “You won’t tell me?”

  “I will not tell you what you’ve purposely forgotten,” Bestat said. “You will have time, while you wait, to think on this.”

  “On what?”

  “On the reason you feel powerless to deal directly with this betrayal.”

  “I don’t feel powerless. I’ve spoken to every single person. I dealt with John, my parents, Ben. I... Oh.” Alex closed her eyes. Pushing out a frustrated breath, her eyes popped open. “You’re saying the betrayal is someone other than the people around me.”

  Bestat smiled. Leaning over, her dark hair brushing Alex’s face, she kissed Alex’s cheek.

  ”Zackery will come to get you. Look for him. I will keep your brother and your Rasmussen asleep for a while so you may get set up.”

  “Can you fix our hearing?” Alex asked.

  “It’s done,” Bestat said out loud. Like a loving elder, her dark eyes caressed Alex’s face. Her hand cupped Alex’s chin. “I am saddened that you must suffer all of this.”

  “But I must?”

  “Yes.”

  Bestat stood. Alex watched her walk a few feet away. In a flash, she transformed into her gleaming serpent shape. Bestat laughed and fire jumped onto a tidy stack of wooden boxes. Alex leapt to tend the fire. When the fire burned steady, Alex looked up. The woman who was a dragon was gone.