by Serena Zane
No one watched the tunnel entrance. The posted guard had his back to them as he viewed the fight going on in the area directly in front of them. They must be using this as a training room. Several other men were lined up waiting for their turn and watching the match intently.
Jack moved with stealth and dispatched the man on guard without a sound. He started to move forward to the last man in the line, and was just behind him when one of the men in the ring noticed him.
“Behind you! Look out!” The man yelled from his position on the ground. The man in front of Jack turned, but not in time. Jack buried his knife in the man’s chest cavity, and he dropped to the floor like a dead weight.
Everything happened quickly then. The men in the room tried to rush Jack. The team moved in behind him and joined the fight.
Cindy was glad for all the hours she had spent with Lucy and Kevin training in hand to hand. Obviously these men had done their homework on the tunnel, none of them pulled a gun, though many of them had military issue combat knives out and ready to dice them up.
The two men in the “ring” jumped out. The big one started to advance toward her. He really was ugly with a scar running down the length of one cheek and sweat dripping from his face despite the cold. They obviously took their training seriously.
Cindy smiled, cocked her head to the side and got in her stance as she waited for him to advance. Her knife braced against her forearm. She leveled her gaze at the man, and his combat-ready expression wavered. Cindy learned a long time ago that personal confidence often threw off your opponent.
The man rushed her, relying on his physical strength to bring her down. She sidestepped and let him run into the wall behind her. Turning as she did so, she plunged the knife in to his side. He roared in outrage and shoved back.
Cindy stumbled. Her knife still buried in his side, he advanced toward her again, stalking her across the open space of the sand gardens.
She tried desperately not to trip over the small cones formed by thousands of years of dripping water, but it was difficult.
The man extracted the blade from his side, his grin pure evil. He rushed again, this time with the knife in his hand. Cindy tried to dodge, but a cone got in the way and she fell. The man followed her down, and she grabbed the hand holding her knife. She struggled to keep the blade away from her, but the man was strong, and he kept inching it toward her throat.
She felt the cold of the metal start to slide against her skin, but he didn’t have the right angle, the flat of the blade pressed onto her neck. All he would have to do is turn the blade. She locked her eyes on his and all she saw reflected there was pure hatred. This man was a fanatic.
A shadow move behind him and his full weight suddenly dropped on her, roughly shoved to the side. Jack stood over her, his handsome face alight with adrenaline and the rush you can only get from a good fight.
“That’s the last of them in this section.” He looked around. “I’m almost positive they heard us further down the tunnel, but since this is obviously the training area, the noises may be normal to them. Especially since no weapons were fired. We may be in luck.”
Cindy nodded and accepted the hand up. She turned and glanced at the man that had almost killed her. She really needed to stop picking the biggest of the bunch.
“That’s twice now I’ve saved your life,” Jack came up behind her and placed his arms on her shoulders.
She turned. “Well then, I guess I’ll just have to find some way to pay you back.” She tilted her head to the side, “Later.” She whispered.
Someone close by made a coughing sound.
“Will you two stop already, not all of us have a girl to kiss on.”
Cindy and Jack grinned at Patrick.
“Same pattern. The next section should be the electronics division. That will be where we need to go.” Jack gave orders like he was born to it.
Cindy cleared her throat and Jack turned to look at her.
She motioned to her USB pouch, “I’ll need some time on the equipment if we can swing it. I need to find out if they have shared any of the information. I’m sure they have had time by now to download anything they needed from the box.”
The men nodded as one understanding.
“Right then, Halverson, Patrick, and I’ll take out anyone in the way, and you head for the equipment.” Jack motioned with his hand, and Cindy agreed. They formed up again against the side of the next tunnel.
By this time, Cindy practically shivered from the cold and damp. Rolling around in the sand with the big guy didn’t help matters any either. She was dreadfully uncomfortable.
Perhaps the van wasn’t such a bad place after all, she mused as they moved down to the next cell area. At least it was warm.
The tunnel darkened again and stayed that way for some time, what was only minutes seemed to stretch on in the dark, cold interior of the lava tube. The chill deepened the further down they got. Cindy tried to keep her teeth from chattering together. She pushed her thoughts further into the mission, the claustrophobia pressed down on her.
This might be fun for some people to come visit, but it wouldn’t be her first choice. Slowly, a light formed ahead. It brightened in the pitch dark that surrounded it, and the team all turned off their flashlights with a gesture from Jack who had taken the lead. They approached as before against the wall, relying on the people inside the occupied area being distracted with whatever nefarious plans they worked on.
Cindy hoped they had not sent the information on to another base yet, and her part in the mission would be done. She placed a hand on Jack’s arm stilling him. She signaled to indicate that they should listen for a moment. She wanted to know if they had sent the information already.
The tall, lanky man standing next to the computer terminal gestured towards the tunnel where they stood, “Don’t you think we should check things out?”
The other man, who was short and round, reminded Cindy of a weasel as he replied, “No, that’s the training field, it is bound to get noisy. We have to expect things like that. This isn’t the lab back at home base, not everything is as cut and dried here. Without the boss present, there isn’t as much order. We don’t have to like it, that’s just the way it is.” He hissed and turned back to the computer screen.
The lanky man stood behind him looking over his shoulder. “How’s it coming? You’ve been working at it for hours now.” the whine in his voice obvious.
“Patience... I almost have it, and…there.” He motioned toward the screen, “Done! All that’s left is to transmit the codes.”
Cindy tapped Jack’s arm and he nodded. As one they entered the small cavern.
“Stop right there.” The rat man’s hand froze over the keyboard, his other hand on the mouse. He turned an evil grin at Cindy, and she could see the yellowing on his teeth from one too many cigarettes.
EEEWWWW!! She glanced to Jack who began to move forward.
Rat man let his finger descend on the left mouse button.
The computer screen made a ding sound and stated loudly in a monochromatic voice like a death knoll to her career, “Your message has been sent.”
Rat man’s smile grew and Cindy went to move forward. She felt herself restrained from the back. A knife pressed into her side.
“Not so fast Hawke, these men need some information.” Halverson’s voice was loud in the confined space.
Anger started to burn in her as she realized what was happening.
“Jack…” She breathed, almost a whisper of a sound.
Jack turned around and his eyes got wide. He took in the knife at her side and who held it. He began a step toward Halverson.
“I wouldn’t.”
The knife pressed closer to her side, she could feel the point through the thick material of her uniform.
“We’re just going to borrow her for a little
while. I’m sure you won’t mind.”
Dawning suddenly turned on like a light bulb in her head, now Cindy knew why she never felt quite comfortable around Halverson.
“Drop your weapons over there.” Halverson gestured with his head indicating the far wall of the cavern. “Tie them up.” He must have been speaking to lanky man, because he jumped to do Halverson’s bidding.
“We aren’t going to kill you. Nature can take its own course. You’ll starve to death before anyone will find you down here.” Halverson stood back holding Cindy.
After Jack was tied and placed against to wall opposite his weapons, Halverson moved closer with her.
“And just for your entertainment, you can imagine all the fun little Hawke and I are going to have together…”
She felt his hot breath on her neck his wet tongue licked her from collarbone to her face. She tried to wiggle away and he laughed.
“Lots of fun.”
Jack made to stand up his face a mask of anger.
“I wouldn’t.” The knife came around to her front and pressed between her breasts. “It would be such a waste.”
He laughed again and backed up with Cindy in tow.
“Let’s go,” he said to the other two, “We don’t have much time.”
Halverson waited until the other two left the room, went over and retrieved the knives on the far wall. His grip never left Cindy’s arm, he turned toward Jack.
“Hope you have a vivid imagination, I do.”
She felt the knife slide up under the uniform shirt and before she knew what he was up to, the rip of material and the sound of buttons flying bounced off the cavern walls. She felt the cool air on her skin.
“Hmmm, nice. This is going to be a lot of fun.”
Cindy struggled as the knife pressed again against her bare breast.
“Don’t move.”
The knife trailed down to the clasp of her bra, and she sucked in a breath as he played.
“You fucking bastard! Leave her alone!” Jack yelled, almost on his feet in spite of the restraints.
“Careful Jack, I might slip.” The knife just scraped the side of her breast scratching the surface. “She might look good in red.” Halverson started to back out of the tunnel smiling at Jack. “Have a nice death.”
Jack’s angry face seared into her memory as Halverson pulled her down the tunnel. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that Halverson was so twisted as to enjoy messing with her. She felt nothing but revulsion at his touch, and couldn’t help but think of Montgomery’s experience, when she was violated. Montgomery pulled through, and so could she. She just had to hold onto that thought.
The other men had waited down the tunnel a ways, and rat man leered at her when he noticed her shirt hanging open.
“Well, this is a nice surprise. Do we all get to play?”
Halverson pulled her against himself. “No, that was just for Jack’s benefit. We need information from her, that’s it. Then she becomes useless.” He glared at Hawke with disgust. “The boss doesn’t want her abused any more than needed. We need to go.” Halverson dragged her down the tunnel. Her feet slipped several times, and the cold got to her with the shirt hanging open.
She felt like she walked through a freezer, the depths of the lava tubes created a chill you couldn’t get away from. They finally made it out the entrance and Cindy noted several men waiting for them on the path. She tried not to be embarrassed at her open shirt. She wished she could pull the edges together, but Halverson still had her hands clasped behind her back. She struggled against his hold as he led her down the path to the parking lot grateful he’d left her bra on.
SUV’s waited for them and Halverson shoved her into the backseat of the nearest one.
“Settle in, we're taking a little trip.” He leered at her as he placed himself in the opposite seat, exchanging his knife in favor of the gun he’d strapped to his side.
Chapter 15Jack moved until he was positioned next to Patrick, “There’s a knife strapped to my calf, try reaching for it.” He pulled his legs so they bumped Patrick’s hands. Jack ground his teeth together as he waited for his friend to retrieve the blade.
Finally, Patrick’s hand grasped the handle and awkwardly lifted it from the sheath. Jack didn’t have to instruct Patrick what to do next.
His friend swore a blue streak when he accidently cut himself, “Careful, its sharp.”
“No shit Jack, just hold on a minute will you!” Patrick twisted and the knife sliced through the rope holding his hands tied. Jack turned to give him access to the ties on his own hands, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the binding give.
“There’s no time to lose. If we’re going to follow them, we’ll have to contact her Agency. It’s my bet they don’t know that Halverson has turned, and if I know anything about secret ops she’s going to have a tracking device somewhere on her person. She gave me an emergency contact number when we were at the station just in case.”
They cautiously made their way out of the tunnel. It wasn’t easy picking over the rough ground and the dead bodies laying in the dark. Halverson had taken their flashlights and disengaged the generators. After an indeterminate amount of time, what seemed like forever to Jack, they emerged into the darkness that descended outside.
Making their way to the trailhead where the ATV’s were stashed, Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the all terrain vehicles sitting right where they’d left them. Their packs still strapped to the backs. Jack dug into his and got out the cell phone. He’d memorized the number and dialed.
“Agent Montgomery, can I help you?” The female voice on the other end of the line sounded distinctly put out.
“Cindy’s in trouble.” No point wasting time, he cut right to the chase. He heard a sharp intake of breath.
“What happened?”
Jack gave her a quick rundown of the events in the tunnel, and told her about Halverson. He was glad she didn’t mince words.
“Wait a moment. I have to discuss with my colleague what approach we are going to take. We never leave one of ours behind.”
“Good, neither do I.” Patrick gave him an odd look, while he waited for Montgomery to finish briefing her partner. Jack signaled for another moment.
Patrick nodded in understanding, went over to a log, and took a seat. They didn’t have to wait long before Montgomery came back on the line.
“Listen Jack, we agreed to bring you onto the team, so you get to help us now. Agent Garrett’s activated her tracking chip. It looks like they’re headed to the airport there in Bend. You most likely won’t be able to get to them before they take off. Do you have contacts with security there at the airport?”
“Yes.” He ran a hand through his hair.
“Good. See if you can use them to acquire the destination of the plane they’re taking. We can follow her tracking chip, but it’ll be easier if we can get to the landing destination before they do.”
Cindy may not have long to live after the plane landed. He couldn’t think of her without needing to punch the nearest tree. He should’ve seen the signs when Halverson had so casually approached that guard. The guard would never have turned his back on the double crossing agent if he didn’t know him.
“What if we don’t get there first?” Jack paced.
“Don’t worry we are very good at what we do. We’ll get her out. You just do what you can from your end, and let us do our job.” The frustration in Montgomery’s voice came over loud and clear. She didn’t like being questioned, well, neither did he.
“I’ll talk to my contacts, and then I’m hopping the first charter out of here to wherever they’re taking her. Patrick and I are with you all the way. And that sick bastard’s going to pay for what he did to her.”
He heard another sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line and a soft,
“Kevin” in almost a plea. He heard the phone change hands.
“This is Agent Garrett. Make the call,” his voice was brisk and businesslike with a hard edge, “once you’re done call us back. We’ll be waiting with further instructions. We know you and your friend are capable. That’s why we’re letting you in on this, now’s your time to prove it.
“On a personal note, Cindy’s my wife’s best friend, if anything were to happen to her, I’m not quite sure what Lucy would do, but I don’t envy Brett Halverson right now. That’s a walking dead man. Call soon.” There was a decisive click as Garrett hung up the phone.
Jack gave a glance to his friend that spoke volumes. Anyone who laid a hand on Cindy was in for a lot of trouble.
Jack dialed the number for the local airport. His contact informed him the private jet flew out not more than twenty minutes before. They could charter a plane and be in the air in less than an hour. The jet was headed to New Mexico, just outside of the White Sands Missile Range area.
Jack relayed the information to Patrick, “He says there’s an airstrip just to the outside of the small town of Truth or Consequences.” Patrick smirked and Jack waved him off, “I know, but it’s a real town evidently. Let’s get going, the faster we can get to the airport the faster we can get air born.”
Patrick loaded up on the ATV closest to him and fired the engine. “You can call the team on the way.”
Jack followed suit and dialed the number. Cindy better not be harmed.
Chapter 16Cindy was groggy as she came to. Her hands and feet were past sore. She didn’t think she could feel her extremities any longer. As she became aware of her surroundings she realized that she was tied to a study steel chair in the middle of a bare cell. Her shirt still hung open, but nothing else seemed to be out of place.
Damn, her lip hurt where Halverson had cocked her. Brett, that bastard! Selling out his country, his team, and for what? She wouldn’t believe that he could fall for the stupid theory that these fanatics prescribed to. Yet here she sat, because one of their own betrayed them.
