by Ladew, Lisa
***
Sometime later, she had no way of knowing how long but it felt like at least an hour, Dylan returned. His eyes were bright and he had a new sense of purpose.
“No checks tonight. Something’s up. There’s been a security breach somewhere,” he said, making her heart leap in her chest.
He stretched his good hand towards her door. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Chapter 15
West reached his hand towards Raven, biting his fingers cruelly in the man’s flesh. “Shut up. Don’t make a sound,” he admonished the man once again. Raven had taken to whimpering, and West’s warnings only lasted twenty minutes or so before he had to do it again to stem the quiet noises of pain coming from deep in the man’s throat.
The two of them lay in the back of the Humvee, still inside the airplane as far as West could tell. They hadn’t moved since the plane had stopped taxiing, and every noise he could hear had a kind of echo, like they were inside a large building.
He felt awful for what he was doing to Raven. The man was sick, dying maybe, and it was all West’s fault - it had to be. The man was bleeding from both nostrils and drops of watery blood dripped from his eyes. West hadn’t seen any blood come from his ears yet, but he was afraid that was next. West felt his gut roil at the thought of what he had done to the man by controlling him for so long, but what choice did he have? It was this guy, for Katerina. He would choose to do it all over again if he had to. Besides, the man would have killed him.
West looked out the back of the Humvee again, seeing nothing but dark shapes, and decided it was time to make his move.
He leaned close to Raven’s ear, grabbing him again on the upper arm, and whispered, “This is your final instruction. Listen good and do exactly as I tell you. Lay in here for four hours, then get up and find a doctor. Do not remember me. Say you have amnesia. No, get amnesia. Don’t remember any of this.”
West didn’t know if the man would live for four hours, but it was the shortest time he dared tell him. In four hours, West would either be dead, escaped, or captured and Raven seeking help would no longer matter.
An idea seized him and he leaned over to share it. “Never kill anyone again. In fact, never be a government agent again. Quit your job. Go live a peaceful life as a farmer somewhere. Be happy.” He didn’t know if that instruction would take or not, but he had to try. In fact, he didn’t know if any of these instructions would last, but he couldn’t bring himself to bind and gag the already weak man.
“Nod once if you understand and you are going to follow my instructions.”
Raven nodded, bloodied tears slipping out from beneath his eyes.
West looked away quickly and raised up to his knees. It had to be good enough. He had one more thing to do before he could make his move. He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned it on, praying he had a bit of battery left and a signal. Yes to both. He hadn’t dared text Blaise before now, fearing Blaise would go right to the authorities and someone would inadvertently inform the wrong branch of government what he was doing. But he had to now, if he were caught, Blaise would be the only chance that he and Katerina had. Not much of a chance, he knew. What could Blaise do against the United States government?
West had two dozen text messages from Blaise and his brother and his father, but he ignored them all. He had a message to send and then had to get moving.
In Nevada. Under area 51. Katerina kidnapped by the government. I’m trying to save her. Fly out here asap. Don’t tell the cops for at least a few hours, in case we can get away clean. I don’t want somebody informing these guys I’m coming. I’m going in now.
West stared at the message long and hard before adding one more line.
Pray for us.
West pressed send and turned the phone off before shoving it in his pocket, trying to preserve his last bit of battery. He shuffled forward and flipped himself over the tailgate of the Humvee, dropping silently to the ground. He still had Raven’s gun, but he didn’t take it out. Stealth was his only weapon for now.
He had been right. The Humvee was still inside the large airplane. He could see the opening at the far end of a massive corridor and he crept slowly that way. When he finally reached the end, he dropped to the ground and looked out. The plane was in a huge building, big enough to fit a small city inside, but instead filled with supplies and vehicles.
West saw no movement, no lights, no indication that anyone was around, so he snuck into the open hangar area. He tiptoed from one pallet to another, not knowing if he was heading towards the front of the building or the back.
Anxious thoughts began to coax their way into his head. What if Katerina were somewhere miles away from here? How would he find her? West bit back the thoughts and focused on the task at hand. He would find her. He knew he would.
When he came within twenty feet of the far wall, he heard whistling. It sounded so out of place in the massive room that West came to a dead stop. He looked around slowly trying to place where it was coming from. A soldier walked past the crate West was hiding behind and West bit back a hapless gasp of surprise. The man was so close West could have reached out and touched him. If the soldier hadn’t chosen that moment to carelessly whistle, West would have walked right into him.
West crouched behind the crate and tried to still his racing heart. The soldier wore a black armband on his left shoulder, the letters MP emblazoned there. A firearm was strapped to his right side. Military Police.
The soldier pulled something out of his pocket and West craned his neck to see what it was. A screen glowed lightly. His phone. The soldier laughed at something on the screen and focused all his attention on it. West crept up behind him, his muscles as tight as rock. He didn’t dare breathe as he reached out a hand and held it an inch from the man’s back.
He timed it so he began speaking the second he touched the man, but still the soldier whirled around and almost took his head off. “Don’t move. Don’t touch your gun. Put your hands at your sides!” West hissed, making sure his voice was clear but not loud.
The soldier did what he was told, his face taking over the now familiar robotic look.
“The woman they brought in today. Where is she?” West forced out, praying he would get an answer.
The man blinked once but didn’t say anything and West had to fight back bitter disappointment. His eyes dropped to the name embroidered above the soldiers pocket. Darden. And his rank. Corporal.
“Corporal Darden, answer me,” West said in a low, dangerous voice, remembering that he had to give this specific order.
“She was taken to Operation Arma.”
“Where’s that? Show me.”
The soldier turned and headed to the other side of the massive room. West followed, kicking himself for doing this again. He would have to let this guy go before the bleeding started. He couldn’t take hurting an innocent person, even to save his own skin. If Darden was innocent.
When they reached the far wall, West gave the corporal a booster. He grasped his elbow and said, “Don’t touch your gun no matter what. Do exactly as I tell you. Take me to the woman they brought in today.”
The soldier reached out his hand and pressed a button on the wall. Part of the wall slid upward without even a whisper of sound and West gaped. It was an elevator. An elevator massive enough to fit a double wide trailer and he had never seen such a thing before. They stepped inside and the soldier pressed another button. The door closed and West’s stomach dropped, as if they were moving quickly. He couldn’t tell in what direction.
Too late, West realized that he had no idea what would be waiting for them when the monster door slid back open. He was being careless already in his desire to get to Katerina quickly. He couldn’t stand the thought of what evil might be happening to her. He couldn’t stand the thought of her being scared and alone and wondering if she would ever get out of this place.
He dug his fingers into Darden’s arm. “Will there be more soldiers whereve
r we are going?”
“Yes.”
West’s eyes rolled in his head and he almost slammed the red emergency button on the side of the elevator. “How many?” he hissed.
“One,” the soldier answered as West felt the tiniest of bumps, indicating they had arrived at their destination.
The door opened and Darden stepped out into the crisp, white hallway beyond. Still, West could not tell exactly where they were, only that they were in a windowless enclosure that had a slightly antiseptic smell.
A man sat in a chair across the hallway and shot to his feet as soon as he saw West. The new guy looked at Darden, his eyebrows creased. He also had a gun on his hip and an MP armband on his shoulder. “Who is this?” He fired at Darden. “Why are you down here?”
Darden didn’t respond, only turned around and faced West, his face still a strange blank.
West scrambled for an idea. He was ten feet away from the man and knew he would be shot if he tried to approach too fast. Instead he placed a haughty look on his face. “I’m Colonel Murphy, your new boss. This is a surprise inspection soldier, and so far you’re failing.”
The new guy snapped to attention and West tried to think of what to do next. He had to touch the guy. He should have said Sgt. Murphy. Then they could have shaken hands.
“At ease,” he barked out, walking slowly out of the elevator. The new guy’s nametag said Nelson. A sergeant. West tried to remember every tiny shred of army lore he had ever picked up from movies and TV. “Sgt Nelson, just what in the hell is wrong with your uniform?”
“Sir?”
West strode forward, a scowl on his face, lifting his right hand at chest level, his fingers poised to pluck an imaginary thread. He hoped he wasn’t going to end up on the ground in a headlock.
He reached Nelson and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t move. Don’t say a word. Don’t touch your gun. Do what I tell you to do. Answer all of my questions.”
Sergeant Nelson’s face relaxed and he stood placidly. West breathed a sigh of relief. He walked to Corporal Darden and pulled him over next to Sergeant Nelson. “Anyone else likely to come this way in the next thirty minutes?” he asked, looking at both men.
Nelson shook his head. “Not until two a.m. checks.”
“Where’s the woman who was brought in today?” he asked Nelson.
“Cell 2B.”
West thought seriously. He had a cell number and he was apparently in the right location. Now he just had to get to his Katerina without setting off any alarms. “Can you take me to her without anyone else knowing?”
Nelson shook his head. “No, the guys in the camera room will see us.”
West felt acid-lined fear run through his veins. He looked up on the wall and saw a camera pointed right at them. “Can they see us now?”
Nelson spoke and the robotic sound of his voice just about drove West crazy, but at the same time he welcomed it. It meant the man was still under his control. “Yeah, if they are looking. The screen for this camera is on the back wall. They don’t look at it much since there is always a guard here.”
West prayed to a God he doubted was listening. Please let them not be looking. “Take me to the closest area where there are no cameras.”
Nelson turned and walked swiftly down the hallway. West grabbed Darden by the sleeve and pulled him along. Not even ten feet down the hall, Nelson indicated a door. West pushed it open and saw a supply closet. He pulled both men inside.
“How can I get to the woman without security seeing me?”
The men stared at the wall behind him blankly. West touched both their forearms. “Give me suggestions. Good ones that will work.”
Nelson spoke up. “You could wear a uniform. Do two o’clock checks. The cameras don’t show faces very well.”
“But what about the other soldiers doing two o’clock checks?” West asked.
Nelson didn’t say anything. His mouth opened slightly as he looked far away.
“You could kill them,” Darden said.
West shook his head. “Absolutely not. Next suggestion.”
The two men didn’t say anything for a while and West began to think his only option would be to steal one of their uniforms and try the two o’clock checks idea. But how would he get her out of there once he got to her? He hoped the only answer he could come up with wouldn’t be to wing it.
A thought struck him. He looked at Nelson. “What did the woman do, anyway? Why is she here?”
“She’s a terrorist – a spy for terrorists,” Nelson said blankly.
West’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not true. She’s innocent. She doesn’t know any terrorists,” he sneered. “The government, your bosses, kidnapped her because she can do things with her mind, like hurt people. Things she doesn’t even want to do.”
The two men stared blankly, not meeting his eyes, their expressions not changing.
West grabbed both their forearms, his anger boiling over. “Believe me!” he screamed.
Both men winced and pulled away from him. West sighed and dropped their arms, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. “Okay, say I can get her out of her cell and out of here. How do we get away from this base?”
Corporal Darden spoke first. “Take a car from the motor pool. Drive out the front gate.”
Sergeant Nelson shook his head. “Thisbe scans all vehicles exiting the gate. She’ll know and keep the gates shut. They won’t be able to get out.”
“Thisbe?”
“The computer.”
West twitched, wondering if he had heard correctly. Was this some sort of sci-fi nightmare he was caught up in?
Nelson spoke. “She doesn’t scan the aircraft. He could take a helicopter.”
“Can you fly a helicopter?” West asked both men.
They both shook their heads.
“Can anyone down here fly a helicopter?”
“No,” Nelson said. “I don’t think so. But I know where the pilot’s barracks are.”
“Good enough. West looked at the watch on Darden’s arm. 2:00 was coming for him. He needed to make a decision, and fast.
Chapter 16
Katerina gaped openly at Dylan. Adrenaline rushed through her veins and her heart sang in her chest. Get out of here? That was the best thing she had heard all day. But how? This place had to be guarded better than the White House.
“Can you really get me out of here?” she whispered.
Dylan shrugged with only one shoulder. His right shoulder didn’t move at all. “I can try,” he said.
“But why?”
Dylan pressed his mangled lips together. “It’s my fault you’re here in the first place isn’t it? The least I can do is try to make that right.”
Katerina’s mouth went dry. “But … but earlier …”
“Earlier I was an idiot. Earlier I fucked up. But I’m pretty sure I’m going to die within the next two or three hours, and since I’m not God … Well, maybe this is my last chance to get things right. Maybe I can make up, just a little bit, for all the things I’ve done wrong.”
Katerina searched his face. Could he possibly be telling the truth?
Dylan raised his good hand to her door. Katerina watched him closely. There was no lock or even a closing mechanism as far as she could see. He splayed his fingers out dramatically and screwed up his face in an effort. A tiny spark jumped from one finger to the other and fizzled out immediately. His face fell. “Oh well. That was just for show anyway,” he said. He reached in a pocket on his chair and pulled out a tiny silver cylinder then held it to his mouth. “Thisbe, open her cell.”
With no fanfare, Katerina’s door slid open, as if separating two sheets of glass. Katerina stepped out into the hallway quickly, not allowing anyone a chance to change their minds. If Dylan backed down, she would run.
But he didn’t back down. “This way,” he said and left her standing there. She followed through a long, sterile hallway, not looking back.
“It’s probably be
tter if we don’t speak,” Dylan said quietly and Katerina nodded, jogging a little to catch up with his chair. She glanced at his right shoulder and saw the black streaks had advanced even farther onto his chest. She could see them easily without him pulling his shirt back. His right shoulder seemed sunken into his chest like a cave. She grimaced and looked away.
He led her through what must have been a mile of empty, bleak corridor. The silver cylinder in his hand beeped and he held it to his ear, then swore lightly. “Soldiers coming in this direction, we will have to head to a different exit.”
Katerina felt her heart clench in fear. Was it a fool’s game she was playing? Would she really ever make it out of this place alive?
Katerina’s breath stopped in her throat as she heard yelling coming from a nearby corridor. Gunshots sounded, scaring her deeply. Her hands clenched into fists and she looked up and down the hallway, not sure which way to run. Dylan raised the cylinder to his lips. “Thisbe, turn off all the lights.” The hallway plunged into darkness but emergency lights clicked on in an instant. “Cut the emergency lights too,” he hissed.
Again, they were in total darkness. A harsh, masculine voice sounded nearby. “Drop the guns, get on the ground. Don’t move!”
Katerina felt faint, like she might pass out right there. She fought it with every cell in her body. No way was she passing out and missing this. “West!” she screamed.
“Katerina?” West’s voice called, sounding like a beacon from heaven.
Lights speared the darkness and Katerina realized they were coming from Dylan’s wheelchair. She heard footsteps pounding towards them and she began to run in their direction, her emotions overflowing.
A man in military fatigues carrying two guns rounded the corner and Katerina let out a sharp scream before she realized it was West.
“West!” she cried, joy at seeing his face causing tears to fall from her eyes as she flung herself into his arms. He squeezed her tight, whispering her name into her neck, his voice low and needy.
