Jack looked over at his mom. She was listening to what the Colonel was saying and waiting for him to go on.
“You have something that most people never experience in their life, at least not in any more than the most fleeting, brief moments. I see the way you look at each other, the way you care for each other! It’s complicated, and heavy, and unorthodox, but it’s love, and passion.”
This is sick. Why is he saying this?
“She’s your mother, and you’re her son, and the both of you are fucking idiots.” The Colonel chuckled and shook his head. “There is no society out there to judge you. There are no upstanding citizens or concerned neighbors for you to displease. There is only you, and her, and a bunch of silly rules that you still hold as sacrosanct in your head.”
The Colonel turned and started walking away from them. Jack couldn’t look over at his mom. The words of the old man still echoed in his head, like a church sermon that hit a little too close to home.
“Hey.” Rebecca spoke quietly in his ear, bringing her head in close enough to let Jack smell her soft, sweet scent. “Let’s go find Molly, and try to…”
Try to forget about this? Try to move on? Can we do that, at this point?
Jack nodded and swallowed doubt.
The door at the end of the hallway was open, and nobody stopped Jack and Rebecca as they stepped out into the main operations room. The entire facility had a different ambiance to it. Jack wasn’t sure if he could go back to seeing it as the slice of underground salvation that it had been to him at first.
Jessica was standing on the staging platform in the main room. When Jack looked up at her and caught her eye, she blushed slightly, and then cleared her throat.
“Uh, hey.” Her voice was laden with nerves and uncertainty. “Jack, I’m sorry. I went along with the Colonel’s plan, and I know how betrayed you must feel.”
Jack shrugged.
It’s not like she’s to blame, here. At least not entirely.
“He ordered you,” said Jack. “Your his subordinate, it’s not like you could have refused.”
“Jack, that’s not it.” Jessica turned her eyes up to the ceiling for a moment before looking back at him. “I went along with it because I genuinely thought that it was the right thing to do. And I still do.”
Jack didn’t say anything. Rebecca watched him expectantly, as though waiting for an outburst or concession.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” he finally managed. “I didn’t have a choice in it, Jessica. Neither did my mom.”
“None of us had a choice in any of this,” she replied. “We’re all just doing the best we can, even if sometimes it means treading water in the mud.”
She stepped down from the platform and nodded towards the mess hall.
“Come on. Your friend is waiting for you. I prepared an early dinner. Maybe you’ll feel better after you eat?”
Jack brought his fingers to his head and softly rubbed his temples.
“She’s right, Jack,” whispered Rebecca. “About dinner, at least. We still have to eat.”
True enough.
Molly was sitting at the end of one of the tables in the mess hall, an untouched plate of food sitting in front of her. When she saw Jack and Rebecca walking over she immediately stood up and ran to them.
“Are you both okay?” She pulled them both into a tight group hug. “They told me that you were both working on an important project, but they refused to let me go see you!”
“We’re fine,” said Rebecca. “No harm done.”
Molly pulled back and examined both of their faces. Jack wasn’t sure what she saw in them, but it was apparently enough to kindle anger in her own expression.
“We need to get out of here!” Molly’s voice was a hissing whisper. “As soon as we can! We need to make a break for it and get back to-“
“What’s done is done,” said Jack. “The Colonel… Yes, he did have us do something for him. Something that we wouldn’t have done normally. But…”
But what?
“Jack’s right,” said Rebecca. “I’m not opposed to heading back to Eden, but I don’t think we have to be concerned for our safety here. Despite what’s happened.”
Molly looked as though it was taking all of her effort to hold herself back from asking more. She slowly nodded and then turned back towards the table.
“Okay,” she said. “I trust both of you. For now, let’s just eat, and wait for things to-“
A low rumbling began in the ground underneath them. Jack looked around and saw a stack of plates on the counter across the mess hall begin to shake and inch towards the edge. The stack fell just as the shaking began to intensify, most of the plates smashing to pieces on the tile floor.
“What the hell?” asked Jack. “Another earthquake?”
Jessica came up behind the group. She was smiling and looked totally unconcerned.
“It’s fine, don’t worry,” she said. “JENSEV is practically invulnerable to natural disasters. We’ve experienced worse than this over the past few weeks and made it through just fine.”
She walked over to the kitchen area while the other three sat down at the table, the ground still dancing subtly underneath their feet. A moment later, Jessica returned with a full plate in each hand and set one down in front of Jack and his mom.
“Thank you,” said Rebecca. Jack nodded to the Private, still unable to completely forgive her for what had happened.
“No problem,” said Jessica. “I’ll be right back, I’m just going to get my own plate.”
She started making her way across the mess hall, and a sudden crackle from the radio strapped to her waist caused her to stop mid-step. She pulled it out and spoke into it quietly, alternating between sending messages and holding the speaker up to her ear.
“What is it?” asked Jack. “Should we be concerned?”
Jessica bit her lip slightly, and then smiled and shook her head.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “The Colonel is taking care of it.”
She disappeared into the kitchen, and Jack, Molly, and Rebecca shared nervous glances.
A couple of seconds went by, stacking together until Jessica had been out of the room for at least a minute.
Something isn’t right…
Jack stood up, shaking his head and looking at his mom and Molly seriously.
“We need to see what’s going on,” he said. “I have a bad feeling about this…”
CHAPTER 14
“Wait!”
Jessica came running out of the kitchen just as Jack began to reach his hand out for the door’s handle. Her face was pale and worried, and she held up her arms as though trying to soothe a group of frightened livestock.
“Please, just hold on,” she said. “We’re having a little bit of a situation, but everything is fine.”
“Either you explain to us what’s going on, or we’re getting the fuck out of here,” replied Jack.
“There is a small fire in the engine room.” Jessica’s voice was calm, and a little forced. “We have a fire suppression system in place that should be able to take care of it, however.”
“We need to get outside!” Molly was shaking her head. “Jessica, think about the smoke! We’ll suffocate if we don’t start moving soon.”
“It should be fine,” said Jessica. “We have a ventilation system, and… and…”
Jessica’s radio crackled to life, and this time the voice on the other end was loud enough for Jack to hear clearly.
“Private Bradford, the fire is spreading through the electrical system.” Colonel Taylor’s voice sounded more dire and serious than Jack had ever heard before. “I repeat, the fire is spreading through the electrical system.”
Jessica fumbled with the button on her radio.
“What about the fire suppression system? Shouldn’t that be-“
“It’s down. We turned it off without realizing it when we went through the emergency energy rationing protocols.”
Nobody said a thing.
This is very bad…
“Wherever you are, keep all of the guests there,” said the Colonel. “The hallway leading to the outside has caught fire. Unless we can fight this fire, we’re trapped.”
Jessica didn’t respond. She was shaking her head softly from side to side, in disbelief. Jack reached over and pulled the radio out of her hand.
“Colonel, this is Jack. I take it you have a plan?”
The radio was silent for a moment, and then Jack heard the Colonel sigh on the other end.
“I do. We can switch the system over to manual, but it’s going to take a bit of finesse.”
“Just tell me what to do,” said Jack.
“You’re not going to do anything. Private Bradford?”
Jessica looked shaky as she leaned over to Jack and spoke into the radio.
“…Sir?”
“Trigger the fire alarm in the mess hall, along with the one in the dormitories. The main operations room is partially inflamed, but if you stay low to the ground, you should be able to make it across.”
Jessica’s face was a mask of terror. She slowly nodded and then answered her commanding officer.
“O-okay.”
“I’m heading down into the engine room as we speak,” he said. “Once I’ve switched the system over, the fire alarms should be enough to put out this blaze.”
“Colonel Taylor.” Jack brought the radio to his mouth and spoke into solemnly. “I know what kind of plan this is.”
“Then we don’t need to rehash it over the radio, do we?”
“No… I guess we don’t.” Jack forced a smile through his sadness. “Thank you. I won’t forget what you said.”
“Alright. Private Bradford, get moving!”
The radio went silent. Jack took one look at Jessica, along with his mom and Molly, and then shook his head.
“Stay here,” he said, slipping the radio into his pocket. “I can do this.”
“What?” Jessica took a step forward, her shoulders shaking visibly. “These are my orders. I can-“
“No, you can’t.” Jack rolled up his sleeves and turned started turning the handle on the door. “Your hands are shaking. Besides, there are some customs from the old world that I think we should hang onto. Chivalry, bravery, and a couple of others.”
Molly and his mom both approached behind him, hugging him tightly, as though they were sure it would be for the last time.
“Please, honey, don’t do this,” said Rebecca. “Just let Jessica.”
“I can’t.”
His mom kissed him softly on the forehead and then held his face against her breast for a moment. Molly poked him in the ribs and glared at him.
“Come back alive, Jack,” she said. “I know it’s cliché to say this, but don’t do anything stupid.”
Jack grinned at her. He took a deep breath and prepared to open the door.
“Don’t panic if it takes me longer than it should. I don’t know what the situation is like out there.” Jack looked them each seriously in the eyes. “Just stay put. The second I get on the other side of this door, pull the fire alarm in here. If the Colonel does his part, it should help clear the flames on this side of the facility.”
All of the women nodded. Jack steeled his nerves, and without saying another goodbye, he pulled the heavy metal door open and slipped out through it.
The main operations room was on fire. The flames had reached the staging platform and pushed all the way into the exit hallway, essentially cutting the room in half. Smoke stung Jack’s eyes, and he suppressed a coughing fit as he crouched low and pushed forward.
Trial by fire it is, then.
He cut across the room, feeling the heat of the fire long before he actually got close to it. The desks and computers served as the fuel that helped the flames spread, and Jack watched as a lucky ember landed on an untouched workstation near him and transformed it into an inferno.
“I can do this,” whispered Jack. “I just need to move fast.”
He stared at the orange, menacing wall of fire in front of him and felt his heart begin to beat out of his chest. There was a single opening in it, right where the stairs leading up to the staging platform provided a tiny gap in the flames.
“I can do this!” Jack let out an animalistic roar as he tensed up his muscles.
This is going to hurt, but I don’t have a choice!
He charged forward. The heat from the fire felt like a warning, trying to turn him away before he passed the point of ignition. Jack ignored his fear and pressed on. Right as he reached the stairs, he launched up into a jump, diving over the waist high railing.
Flames licked at his legs as he passed over the fire. Smoke made it hard for him to see the ground on the other side, and his landing was messy. Jack was screaming even before he’d looked down at his leg and seen the flames crawling up it.
“Fuck!” He rolled on the floor like a madman and managed to put the blaze out after a second or two that dragged on for an eternity. His leg hurt, but he could still stand, and still move around on it.
That’s all that matters.
“Private Bradford? Come on, Private Bradford. Do you copy?”
Jack hurried forward down the hallway into the bunkroom as he pulled the radio out of his pocket.
“Colonel, it’s me,” said Jack. “Private Bradford was indisposed, so I took her orders on.”
“You fucking moron.” The Colonel let out a frustrated growl. “Get to the fire alarm immediately, and then…”
He sounds defeated…
“And then what, Colonel?”
Jack heard the sound of half the sprinklers in the main room coming online. The flames were dying down behind him, but only on the side of the room closest to the mess hall.
“And then get out of here,” said the Colonel. “The fuel is on fire, along with the engines. The fuse has been lit. JENSEV is a ticking time bomb.”
What…?
Jack saw the fire alarm directly ahead of him as he stepped through the door of the bunk room. He rushed over to it, feeling his burned leg crying out in pain, and pulled it down forcefully.
“Colonel, can you make it back up to the main operations-“
“Get out of here Jack! Take Jessica and your loved ones with you and get the fuck out!”
“Colonel!”
There was no response on the other end, and Jack didn’t have time to wait for one. He sprinted back out into the main operations room. The fire was still active, but it was contained enough to allow for him to maneuver around it. Molly, Jessica, and Rebecca were already on the way down the hall when he reached the other side.
“Come on!” yelled Jack. “We have to get out of here!”
Jessica shook her head.
“Wait, what about-“
“There’s no time!”
Jack took up the rear of the group, pushing them forward and down the entrance hallway. Smoke was still thick in the air, and the floor felt hot on his feet, even through his shoes. When they finally reached the door to the outside, Jack moved to the front and began pushing it open.
“What… the fuck?” He pushed again, feeling the door refusing to give on its hinges. “It’s stuck!”
“The earthquake must have warped the frame!” yelled Jessica.
“Come on, everybody push with me!” Jack leaned into the door, feeling the women lending their strength on either side. Behind them, the flames had started building up again, and the fire suppression system had dwindled to a trickle.
“It’s not working!” cried Molly
“It has to!”
The four of them continued to push. A loud crash sounded far off behind them, and hot smoke began to fill the hallway, spilling in from the main operations room behind them.
Is this really the end?
The door began to give, slowly at first, and then to the point where the women could potentially begin to get through. Surprisingly, a face that Jack
recognized peered in from the other side.
“Eve!”
The lithe, tanned woman was pulling on the handle with all her strength. The door slipped open another inch, and that was all they needed.
“Go, go!” Jack screamed the words and then broke into a fit of coughing as the smoke wrenched its way into his lungs.
Molly slipped through, followed by Jessica and his mother. Jack was the last out, and his ribcage caught in the tiny gap of the doorframe, both refusing to give way.
“Come on Jack, hurry!” yelled Rebecca.
Another loud crash came from the inside of JENSEV, much closer this time. Jack let out a scream and forced himself forward.
I can’t die! Not yet!
He forced himself out through the crack just as the explosions began to thicken on the air, shaking the ground and the door. Jack rushed forward to join the women, getting clear of the final blast just in time. The outer door to the facility was blown off its hinges and flew through the air just over his head.
“Jesus Christ…”
The group stood a few hundred feet away from the underground fortress, in the middle of the barren wasteland that Jack had almost managed to forget about. Flames were licking their way out of the entrance to JENSEV, and a trail of smoke disappeared up into the sky, like a beacon announcing the destruction that had taken place.
“It’s over,” said Jessica. Jack shook his head.
“It’s not over,” he said. “It’s just time for us to go home.”
CHAPTER 15
“Pass me the thicker one. Second from the left.”
Jack watched as Eve walked over to the pile of cut branches and thin tree trunks and slowly ran her hand across it. She watched his eyes carefully, but Jack did his best to not make it too easy for her. Her fingers wrapped around the branch he’d indicated, and he couldn’t resist smiling.
She might not speak English, but at least now we’re starting to get on the same wavelength.
She brought the piece of wood over to him, and Jack tied it to the rest of the ones he’d carefully leaned up against the cliff wall, forming the roof of yet another lean-to. It was the first additional structure he’d built since they’d arrived back in Eden three days prior.
After the Fall: Human Underground (Taboo Erotica) (Eden Harem Book 3) Page 11
