In one swift movement, a sturdy hand grabbed my arm, yanking me inside. There was no time to yell and no time to resist. I’d been taken hostage again, but this time things would be different. Eric and I had already escaped our captors once. This time, they were sure to be more aggressive.
At the same time I was captured, a bag was placed over my head and my hands were tied with rope. The rope was tied so tight that I could feel my hands going numb.
“Are you certain the boy will come after her?” A voice came from right next to me.
“Do you have doubts, brother?” I recognized the voice that came from the front. It sounded like it was coming from the driver’s seat. It was the same voice that had given Eric a hard time back at the abandoned house.
“Yeah man, you saw the way he looked at her.” I bit my lip from under the bag. The way he looked at me? If they were talking about Eric’s worried look when saw me being held by the throat, I think anyone would’ve looked horrified by that. I was firmly nudged and a random bump on the road almost made me fall over.
“Keep quiet!” Another voice yelled. I’d already been kidnapped by these people once, and the second time around felt different. I wasn’t as panicked because I knew Eric would find me. Was it a good idea to open my mouth? Probably not.
“You want me to keep quiet? You idiots are the ones talking, not me,” I replied. The van was silent for a minute before it exploded with laughter. The van bounced up and down as we sped towards our destination.
“She’s got a mouth on her! What’s your name, gringa?”
“You don’t know?” I gulped before finishing my sentence. I was starting to regret being mouthy but I couldn’t help it. I always got more sarcastic when I was sleep deprived. “You’d think you would know the name of the person you’re trying to kidnap. It’s Elle.”
My comment made them all laugh again. For a while it broke the tension and helped me calm down, but it turned out to be the wrong choice.
“Elle huh? You got a last name?” I stayed silent for only a minute and it cost me a punch in the gut. I coughed to regain my breath and squeezed in my stomach. It felt like it was on fire.
“Abott! My last name is Abott.” The van was silent again but this time the silence felt odd. I felt like there was a silent conversation going on without me.
“Well, Elle Abott,” the driver said smugly. “It appears that you’re a long way from home. I’m sure your father would love to hear what you’ve been up to.” My jaw dropped. How did they know about my father? Maybe it was just a lucky guess.
“No comment?” I decided to keep my mouth shut. I was clear that I’d already said too much. When I spat out my last name, it didn’t occur to me that my father was a recognizable New York businessman. Now they would never let me go until they collected ransom. Nice going moron!
I closed my eyes and visualized Eric’s face. It was the only thing that kept me from hyperventilating or puking all over the van. We finally came to a stop and my heart roared in my chest. It was time to face more pain. The taste I’d already gotten was awful. I didn’t want to find out what it was like to really be tortured.
“Rule number one,” the driver yelled. His voice gave me chills. “No talking unless you’re asked a question. Rule two: don’t even think about trying to escape again. If you try, we’ll shoot this time. And rule three: you do what we say or . . .” I was nudged again for an answer.
“. . . I’ll get shot?”
“Very good. See, she gets it.” I was yanked again out of the van. My feet hit something squishy that felt like muddy grass. Through the bag on my head, I could smell manure. It reminded me of a farm.
A door creaked open and boots scuffled inside. The room was lit and I was shoved into a corner. The bag was lifted from my head and what I saw made me scream.
The chipping wall next to me had been fixed with metal restraints. There was a place for each hand and foot to be locked against the wall. In one of the locked restraints was a hand. It was lifeless and moist. Deep, red blood dripped from it making a pool on the floor.
“That’s right,” said the big, bulky guy who’d caught sight of my disgusted face. “Some of your friends have already been here.”
I would’ve been more afraid of the mutilated hand dangling above me if I didn’t know of the existence of M.E.R. soldiers. I slumped down in the corner and tugged at the rope around my hands. The small room I’d been thrown in was dumpy and it reeked like a dirty stable. My captors paced the room and talked in hushed tones. The shortest one was covered in tattoos and he seemed to look confused. The other three were all tall and bulky. The leader had a bald, shiny head and permanent smirk on his face.
“Julien, relax. We got this under control.” Julien stumbled at the mention of his name. He scratched his sweaty chest and took off his shirt to reveal a cluster of more tattoos.
“I told you, man. Call me Skull!” The guys laughed and passed around a pack of cigarettes. There were no windows and all I could tell about our location was that we were outside of the city. The noise outside was too quiet to be close to downtown. I kept looking around hoping to see a glimpse of Eric. If he didn’t come soon, I don’t know how much torture I’d be able to stand.
The leader looked at me and pulled out his handgun. He ran his fingers along the barrel as he walked in my direction. I looked away. I knew what came next – the questions, money talk, and eventually the crying call I’d be forced to make to my father.
“So Elle, I have a few questions for you.”
“I’m sure you do,” I muttered.
“Then I assume you know how this works. You tell me everything I want to know, and no one gets hurt.” I looked up at the bloody hand above me.
“Who are you people?” My voice was starting to quiver but I couldn’t act scared. That would just fuel these guys even more.
“That’s not important. You should be more concerned about the company you keep. How did you come to meet . . . one of them?” It took me a second to realize that he was referring to Eric.
“One of what?”
“The guy you’ve been hanging around is very dangerous, Elle.”
“And you’re telling me this why?” It was strange to me that these guys were all of a sudden concerned about my safety when they were the ones threatening to shoot me.
“Because it’s important that we find him. Now, what has he told you?” Tons of memories flashed through my head. Everything from when we first met in William’s office down to an hour ago. What hadn’t we talked about?
“What exactly do you want to know?” I asked. I spoke softly, pretending to cooperate. I figured the longer I played along, the more time it would give Eric to find me.
“I want to know everything.” I felt overwhelmed. It was time for me to start bluffing – I had a talent for it. It would be interesting to see what type of things I could make up on the spot.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” I replied. “It’s been a rough couple of days, you know.”
“Let’s start with how you got here.” Julien, a.k.a Skull, dragged a chair over from across the room for his boss to sit in.
“What’s your name?” I asked. I was trying to waste time. The best way I knew how to do that was with loads of questions.
“My name? Is that because you’re planning on thanking me for taking you away from that . . . freak? You can thank me later.” He laughed and his forehead glistened as he looked at his colleagues. Okay, tough guy. If you don’t tell me your name, I’ll call you Baldy.
“Well, there’s not much to tell. I caught Eric in my dad’s office, and then I blacked out. When I woke up, I was running around Brazil.”
“What a convenient story,” Baldy said as he placed his gun on his lap. I eyed his gun. The thought of being shot terrified me. I couldn’t take the pain like Eric could. “I know he talked to you. Now tell me, what did he say about the Triton?”
“The what?” Now I was really confused.
&n
bsp; “Don’t lie to me!” Baldy smacked his hand against the wall and it made me jump. “That’s the whole reason they’re here. Now where is it?”
“I’m serious,” I replied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Baldy stood up and turned his back. At the same time, Julien ran over and kicked my side. The sudden pain was so excruciating that my breath was completely knocked out of my body. I yelled in pain and tried not to cry but a tear ran down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away.
“Now, let’s try this again. Have they located the Triton?” I took a deep breath and thought about what to say. Baldy obviously wasn’t going to believe I’d never heard about this Triton thing.
“I’m being honest. I don’t know anything about it. Why would they tell me?” Julien waited for Baldy’s reaction. He ignored Julien and looked up at the ceiling.
“Alright,” he replied. “Next question. Have they said anything about Atlantis?” I was wildly confused again. Triton? Atlantis? Were these names all code for something, I hope?
“If I told you the truth, would you believe me?” Baldy nodded. “I don’t know anything about that either.” I cringed and waited for Julien to kick me again, but he didn’t.
A shadow rushed by out of the corner of my eye. I did my best to avoid smiling. Eric had to be here somewhere. Soon this would all be over. I casually looked at the ground as Baldy thought of another question.
“Look, they didn’t tell me anything. Anyone would be stupid to let a complete stranger in on their plans. Just let me go. You’ll never catch Eric if you keep me locked up.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” Baldy replied. I sighed. It all came back to the ransom thing. Baldy had to know who my dad was. “Your father won’t appreciate that.”
“Just so you know, my father probably already has men looking for me,” I replied. Baldy and his men looked at each other and chuckled. “What?”
“You really are a helpless, little girl!” Once again I was out of the loop. I caught another shadow moving behind Baldy but I couldn’t see a face. Baldy and his crew hadn’t even noticed the movement around them. They were too busy laughing at my expense. I waited and waited for something to happen. I couldn’t sit here looking helpless anymore. My wrists needed some circulation.
“Okay,” I muttered. “Go ahead and laugh. I guess you guys have nothing better to do.”
“Tell her, man,” Julien muttered. “Tell her what a cheapskate her pop is.” I raised my eyebrows and sat up. They knew something important – now I was interested. “You stupid girl, we were hired by your father!”
The sound of his voice sent shock waves through my body. Was he telling the truth or having another laugh? Why would William hire these men to chase us around the city?
“Wait a minute! What did he hire you for? I don’t understand.”
A shot fired and Julien fell to the floor. I gulped, having no courage to look at his limp body lying on the ground. Just thinking about sitting next to a dead body and a bloody hand freaked me out. I had to get out here and quick! Blood trickled in streams on the ground. I caught a sight of it in the corner of my eye and it made me feel queasy. He’s not dead. He’s not dead. He’s not dead.
I kept repeating things to myself as Baldy jumped up and shot his gun into the dark. The two remaining members of his team scattered. I could hear grunts and groans coming from every direction. I tugged at the rope around my wrists and stood up. My body stayed stiff against the wall. Staring at the ground was what kept me sane.
A hand touched my shoulder and I was so nervous that a bead of sweat fell off my forehead, adding to the puddle on the floor.
“It’s me, Mariella.” Eric’s voice was like a fresh breeze against my face.
“Where have you been?”
Eric grinned and pointed towards the open door. Baldy was distracted with the random gunshots coming from all corners of the room. He crouched behind a table and tried to make a clear pathway for the rest of his team.
“Next time I say run . . .”
“Yeah, yeah,” I interrupted. “I’ll run.” Eric stood in front of me as we moved closer to the doorway. The sky outside was starting to brighten and the sticky air was getting even warmer. Day was approaching and I hadn’t gotten an ounce of sleep all night.
“I got her!” Eric yelled. I jogged out the door, finally getting a good look at the farmhouse I’d been stashed in. It stood alone in the middle of a dense forest. There were no other houses in sight. Eric ran towards a small black car parked in the grass.
“How are we all going to fit?” I commented. “That looks like a mini clown car!”
ERIC
11
Intercepted
The distractions in my head cost me. I should have yelled at Mariella to run a lot sooner. But there was only one word on my mind as I ran down the street. SERUM. I was about to discover a whole new level of panic if I didn’t find my teammates soon. The countdown had begun. I only had a week’s worth of doses in my backpack. And that was for one person only.
I could smell fuel and the sound of a van turning its tires. Mariella was far behind me, dragging her feet down the sidewalk. We didn’t have much time to hide.
“What are you doing? RUN!” I yelled. Mariella looked annoyed rather than worried. Her chest rose up and down as she leaned over to catch her breath. I understood what it was like to feel tired. I used to be bound by those feeling once too. But Neptune House had prepared me for that. I’d had countless sleepless nights in that place. Nights where I was required to problem solve.
“Eric, if this is a joke, it isn’t funny!” The van got closer and I desperately waved my hands for her to hurry. The van was hard to see in the dark but it was definitely noisy. How did Mariella not notice that?
“Mariella! They’re right behind you!” I swiftly turned and sprinted towards her but I was too late. A thick arm shot out of the side door, grabbing her before she realized what was happening. The side door slid shut and the van sped down the cobblestone street.
A wave of rage came over me. My first instinct was to chase after them, but that would just make things worse. They would most likely corner me or stop the van and threaten to hurt Mariella. I just hoped they didn’t figure out who her father was. Clark was really angry about his lack of funding. He would take advantage of the situation and use her as leverage.
I crept from shadow to shadow and watched the van speed out of town and down a dirt road leading to a little village. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and closed my eyes. There were too many things on my mind. It was hard to concentrate. But I had to prepare for every possible scenario. It was the smart thing to do.
I pushed aside the timer in my head, my serum timer, and instead thought about Mariella. She had followed me all this way. And she was just human, not a fellow soldier. She could be seriously injured or even killed.
I felt panicked again. My forehead started to sweat more vigorously and my breathing was off rhythm. I was afraid for her – an emotion that was new to me. I had never worried about anyone else before. Frankie and I were close, but in the back of my head, I always knew he was healthy and breathing.
This type of fear was different. In a way, I felt responsible for Mariella. The thought of finding her dead put a crushing pain in my chest. I would blame myself forever. This whole ordeal was my doing. I should have just knocked her out the moment we met. At least she would be safe now.
I immediately opened my eyes, hearing scuffling feet. My hand slowly reached for the loaded handgun in my pocket. Besides the usual bustling noise from downtown, this sound was out of the ordinary. The footsteps got closer until they were right beside me. I held my gun still and waited patiently.
“Are we too late?” It was a relief to hear Frankie’s voice. I lowered my gun, grinning. I knew my team couldn’t be too far away. Anchovy trailed behind Frankie holding an open water bottle from his backpack. Both of them had moist faces and sweat stains on their shirts.
“W
here’s Brian?” I asked. Frankie shook his head.
“I had a feeling he’d take off,” I added. “Let’s hope he doesn’t turn us all in.”
“At least now we know what his problem was,” Frankie replied. As true as that was, I still wished I hadn’t parted with Brian on such awful terms. He blamed us for not trusting him. But how else would the Commander have known about Davis’s bunk? Brian knew more than he let on. He wasn’t being honest.
“Commander Z gets his way again I guess,” I commented.
“So they took her huh?” Frankie didn’t look surprised. But he could see the concern on my face.
“Yeah but who knows where,” I replied.
“Oh, we know where.” Frankie and Anchovy looked at each other.
“Yeah, we were just there,” Anchovy chimed in. “But you don’t want to know how we got free.” Frankie chuckled.
“Self sacrifice,” Frankie laughed. “That method is still new to Chovy. You should have seen his face, man. It was classic!” Self sacrifice was something learned on the job. Being regenerators presented us with escape options that would normally come with permanent consequences – like breaking the bones in my hands to slip out of my handcuffs. I’d considered worse options than that before.
“We have to get the girl!” Anchovy yelled. “She’s not like us! She can’t heal herself if she’s shot! What if she dies?” Frankie held up a finger, looking to me.
“Now wait a second,” he interjected. “Eric, you have a choice to make here.”
“You want to leave her don’t you?” This didn’t shock me at all. All our lives we’d only been responsible for ourselves. Frankie was right. If I wanted to get rid of Mariella, this was my chance. A year ago I would have, but I felt immensely guilty. I had to make sure she returned home alive.
“From the moment you saw her, you’ve been different. You’ve been . . . well, a little off your game, man. There’s a reason we have rules against outside contact. This is why!” Frankie threw his arms in the air and looked around.
Mutiny (M.E.R. Series) Page 9
