As soon as they’d stepped inside the mountain, Eve made her presence known. Austin sensed her as if she was walking along side him, guiding him and bending him to her will. He realized the control he had privileged to her and wondered why he’d allowed it to happen. She’d demanded his focus, taking his mind off of Roxanne and his son, to the extent of seeming purposeful.
Shrugging his shoulders, Austin put his mind to the task at hand. He glanced at Chase who appeared calm, yet determined, and who had no idea that overhead Madison and Luke rode the elevator down with them.
This part of the plan had required Madison and Luke to descend by cable to reach the elevator’s roof, as he had done. However, for him it had been easy. If they would find it the same simple task had been a potential hitch in the plan’s success. He was relieved to see the black string hanging from the ceiling when he stepped in the elevator indicating they were safe and in place.
On the roof of the elevator Austin left an arsenal for Madison and Luke. His first order of business was to take out the cameras. Once this was accomplished, he would contact Luke and Madison via radio. They would exit the elevator and meet up with him outside the command center. If they didn’t hear from him by a certain time they were to leave the mountain without delay.
Their orders were to shoot on sight. Austin had made this clear, demanding they say it out loud and say they understood the necessity of doing so. Madison hadn’t waivered in her conviction. Luke said the words, but his eyes told Austin he wasn’t ready. This was the second potential hitch in the plan. He hoped Madison found the right words to motivate Luke, to convince him to pull the trigger. If not, Luke was going to die, an outcome Austin couldn’t live with if it came to pass.
The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. Austin and Chase walked out down the hall under the cameras. It would take approximately four minutes to reach the command center where they would go to the general with their story. Austin would disable the surveillance cameras and sensors later that night.
This delay meant Madison and Luke would be stuck on top of the elevator for a quite a while, but it couldn’t be helped. He was an army of one against almost fifty trained soldiers, some veterans. Charging the gates was a sure way to be handed a quick death. He’d seen it happen before and knew he had to be smarter than his enemy.
The rules changed when the players were no longer on the reservation, making the general a major concern. Austin followed Chase into Roth’s office with a feeling of trepidation. If Chase’s acting skills weren’t up to par, if he couldn’t sell their story to Roth, Austin would revert to plan B. He hoped this wasn’t how things played out, but killing Roth would be a pleasure long overdue.
The general stood at the sight of Chase, whose bruises and bandaged hand demanded to be noticed.
“Disciple Morgan what happened?” He came from around the desk.
“Father, please forgive me?” Chase lowered his head.
“Forgive you? For what insult am I to grant this forgiveness?”
“I let her get away father. I found the girl, but she was on an ATV. I chased her into the trees, but she knew where she was going. She knew what lie ahead. It was dark and I didn’t see the fallen tree until it was too late.” Chase choked back a sob.
“And where were you Brother Austin?” Roth’s eyes came to rest on Austin.
Austin met his gaze. “Father we’d split up to cover more territory before it got dark. The tracks went in several directions. We had no idea which might be hers.”
“Father, if not for Brother Austin’s superb survival skills, I would have bled to death. I owe him my life.”
Chase’s sincerity was as close to the real thing as any Austin ever heard. Roth looked down upon Chase with the concerned eyes of a father on his son.
“I am sorry you suffered so in doing my bidding.” The general placed his arm around Chase. “And the girl?”
“If you allow it father, I would like to go out again. I think I know where she might be staying, but she must have found help. The ATV was not one of ours.” Chase hammed it up, improvising to the planned dialogue. He knew the general admired someone who put others above self, who showed no fear.
“Don’t you wish to rest?” The general asked.
“Only for tonight father. If I wait past the morning daylight, her trail will get cold and she could be lost forever.”
The general considered this for only a short moment. “You’ll leave in the morning, before the first light. This time you’ll take five men. How does that sit with you?”
“Perfect father. And I won’t let you down this time.” Chase gushed.
“Brother Austin you will stay here. I have something I wish to discuss with you this evening concerning your son.” He announced this without ceremony, his expression never wavering.
The general’s words worked the same on Austin’s ability to breathe as if he’d been hit in the stomach. “My son sir?” he managed to get out without gasping for air.
“Yes. I believe a negotiation is possible, but we’ll talk it over after dinner. I’ll send someone for you.” He replied, returning to his desk where he sat down and pulled out his journal.
Austin and Chase waited to be dismissed, but the general was lost in his writing and seemed to have forgotten they were standing there.
A few minutes went by before he looked up. “It’s time Brother Austin became a member of the Program. Disciple Morgan, please inform him about the Program and what it means to be chosen.”
“Yes father.” Chase replied.
“There will be no drawing tonight. The honor will be yours Brother Austin.”
“The honor?” Austin played along, feigning confusion.
“Disciple Morgan will explain.” Roth smiled. “You’ll enjoy the evening.”
“Yes father.” Austin bowed his head. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask about his son, but he stopped short of doing so.
“We’ll discuss your son tomorrow. Tonight is much more important.” Roth went back to scribbling in his journal. “You may leave.”
Austin walked out with Chase on his heels. Chase babbled on about the Program as they walked by several armed soldiers on their way out of the command center. Austin pretended to listen and asked questions, but his mind was on his son. He rubbed his hand through his hair, calculating the risks of postponing the rescue until he heard Roth’s latest scheme. He would be risking their lives on a gamble, on a madman’s fantasies. The answer should have been obvious, but the lure of finding his son near overwhelmed his ability to remain objective.
“He’s lying you know.” Chase warned in a low voice, and then continued right on in a normal voice. “And the Program has two successes on the way. Sister Anne and Sister Grace have been blessed with child. He can’t bargain with the Sundogs.” He said, integrating this last sentence seamlessly into the conversation. “They are both due in three months. And if that isn’t good enough news, Sister Anne is having twin girls. We always welcome more females. They are our future.”
“What about the boys? My boy?” Austin asked.
“Boys serve a higher purpose. Sometimes we don’t know what that might be, but we do know they thrive in the community for as long as they are useful.” Chase stopped in front of Austin’s room. “Now, if you will put on your robe, I will take you to room sixteen so that you may choose a sister.”
Before dressing, Austin excused himself to use the bathroom. Closing the door on the tiny lavatory, he turned on the water and grabbed a towel. He bent over pretending to clean his shoes, while he fished the radio out of his inside pocket. Still bent over, and in a low voice, he told Madison to hold until she heard back from him. He waited for her two click response before sticking the radio back inside his shirt and standing up.
Closing his eyes, he mentally went through the plan. Not having to worry about gaining access to room sixteen was an unexpected plus. He opened his eyes and stared at his image in the mirror. You got this man. He
told the image staring back at him. Walk in the park. The image responded.
Out in the hall, Chase patiently waited on Captain Reynolds. He considered calling the guards to have him arrested right then, but decided he would wait to see how things went. So far they were looking good for him, but option B was waiting in the wings just in case events took a bad turn.
In either outcome he was going to win, but Reynolds had to remain focused on the plan. He silently cursed Roth for bringing up the man’s son. The Father had no bargaining power with the aliens. No one did. They were a barbaric race, whose only purpose for human beings was harvesting their organs and draining them dry.
At least this was what he had concluded through his observations. But right or wrong in his assessment didn’t make a difference. And, he’d decided, Reynolds couldn’t take on the aliens with all the world’s armies let alone by himself, so what would be the point in telling him where the aliens were keeping people. He’d want to search for his wife and son, rather than taking care of his obligations here on Earth. Chase shook his head. No, he thought, he would hold on to that information for now.
“What are you shaking your head about?” Austin asked, joining Chase out in the hallway.
“Oh nothing.” Chase smiled. “Are you ready to meet your entertainment for the evening?”
Austin cast a look Chase’s way, but kept walking. “You know what to do?”
“Don’t you worry. I have it under control.” Chase beamed.
They continued on in silence. Chase punched in the code to enter the first door of the command center and then passed through the retinal scan opening the second door. Two soldiers stood at alert, not lowering their weapons until Chase gave them the all clear signal. They ignored Austin as usual.
Austin walked hands folded in front of him. Under his robe he carried his AK 47, a hand gun and his knife. In his pocket he had the mini taser Zack had given him weeks ago. He was ready. And as long as Chase kept up his end of the bargain bloodshed could be kept at a minimum.
“Brother Austin.” Roth called to him from his office.
Austin glanced at Chase, who shook his head and shrugged.
“Brother Austin.” Roth called out louder this time.
“On my way father.” Austin frowned, and headed for Roth’s office. “Yes father.” He paused inside the doorway.
“Come in. Come in. You join us as well Disciple Morgan.” Roth waved them inside.
“Is there a problem father?” Chase asked, hoping this wasn’t going to be about Reynolds’ damn kid.
“Yes there actually is a problem.” Roth stood and walked around to the front of the desk. “The problem is trust. Or rather the lack there of. It is so very important that a leader be surrounded by those he can trust. Not just trust, but those who are undeniably loyal to him and his beliefs. Do you understand this Brother Austin?”
“Of course father. Trust is paramount to the success in any relationship.” Austin replied. “Loyalty compliments trust. One without the other is impossible.”
“Yes that is what I believe and it pains me to know one of my disciples dishonored me, dishonored my beliefs through his lies and deceits.” Roth’s gaze shifted from Chase to Austin. “Alas,” Roth suddenly smiled, “that messy business is over with, but I’m still in a quandary.”
“What can we do to help Father?” Chase asked, hoping his voice didn’t give away his shaky nerves.
“I’m so glad you asked Disciple Morgan. For it seems Thomas’s act of treason has handicapped my inner circle. I cannot carry out our Lord’s will with only eleven disciples.”
Chase’s eyes lit up. “I beg your pardon for speaking out of turn Father, but perhaps you would consider Brother Michael to fill the vacancy. He’s a most loyal servant and would serve you well. I’ve personally...”
Roth held up his hand. “Brother Michael would make an excellent choice, but I’ve selected another.” His gaze moved over onto Austin. “Brother Austin I would like you to join my inner circle making it complete once again.”
“Father I’m honored, but won’t this upset those who have been here longer than myself?” Austin replied, but didn’t give a damn. He’d play Roth’s game, for everything Roth did was a game or test.
“Selfless. This is why I chose you. I know you will always put the cause before your own desires. Even those for your own son.” Roth smiled at him.
“Your purpose is my purpose Father. If you wish me to know about my son I will wait for the time you see fit. If my son does not serve your purpose I will honor your decision as I honor you.” Austin bowed his head.
Roth clasped his hands together. “Excellent!” He proclaimed. “I am an excellent judge of character and I judged you as a man of virtue from the moment I laid eyes on you. Welcome to new world order my son.” He held his arms open and Austin had no choice but to accept his show of affection.
“Congratulations Disciple Austin.” Chase gave him a brief hug. “We will prepare for the formal ceremony.”
“Yes. Yes. We will have it three days from now, on Saturday.” Roth returned to sit behind his desk. “You may carry on with your business.” He dismissed them with a wave of his hand.
Austin departed from the office, and wasted no time heading for room sixteen. They’d been underground for three hours. Each second that ticked by increased the odds of Luke and Madison being discovered. Each second increased the odds of Chase losing his nerve and pulling the plug, or worse turning on Austin and blowing his cover. He hoped the latter didn’t happen. He didn’t want to kill Chase, not yet, not until he gained access to the portal. The portal was going to be the key to finding his family.
Chase punched in a code on the key pad next to the door to room sixteen, placed his thumb in the fingerprint reader and turned his eye to be scanned by the retinal scanner. The locking mechanisms turned with a single click and the door’s hydraulic system swung it open. Chase waved Austin inside following behind him after a short delay. The door closed with a solid thud locking them inside.
***
The door swung open. Having heard them coming, Eve was already standing at the front of her enclosure. She’d waited over a year for this moment, for Austin to arrive, the man who would provide the answer to her question. She watched with her normal passive interest, not breaking from routine. The general was watching as well. He was very interested in seeing the captain’s reaction to her.
Statuesque, she waited for the captain to look her way. When he finally turned his gaze upon her she held her breath. He walked towards her. Never before had she felt this fever of anticipation. He stopped in front of her. His eyes never leaving her face. For a long moment they stared at one another. The corner of his mouth turned up for a split second.
A strange feeling emanating from Austin rushed through her body. He was happy to see her, to finally have found her. She forced her mind still, her twitching muscles to relax, her hand to remain limp at her side rather than making a fist and breaking through the glass. The general was watching, she repeated over and over until her insides were again as passive as her outer appearance exhibited.
Uncertain of what was to happen next, she turned away and went to sit on her bed. The captain planned to save the prisoners. It was a good plan and many were going to die. This mattered not, for she’d decided she was leaving her glass prison. And she would do so with or without the captain’s assistance. He was just a human. Although an exceptional specimen, one of the finest she’d come across ever, she did not need him for her escape.
Images of the frozen, uninhabited landscape that awaited her above ground filtered into her thoughts. By all accounts her food source had been annihilated by the Sundogs and without this she would eventually starve to death. A slower more agonizing way to die was unimaginable. When in Siberia, she’d gone three months without feeding. The pain it had rendered upon her every nerve was excruciating, but even then she’d known death was far from being hers to claim. These thoughts of wandering t
he Earth, dying a slow death caused her to reconsider leaving the mountain. At least down here there was no immediate shortage of food.
She lay on her bed counting air bubbles in the glass. Soon the chaos in her mind dissipated, allowing her to focus. She turned her attention not on the captain, whose thoughts were hard to read, but on the sniveler, who with his inferior brain was easy to follow.
Surprising to her was that Chase’s thoughts were not on the usual depraved path, or the various ways he could degrade the girls, but rather they were on the captain. Interested to know more, she went deeper into his mind. As the sniveler’s thoughts became her own, an animalistic growl threatened to escape from her throat. The muscles in her hands twitched as she envisioned sinking her nails into his neck and ripping his head off.
The sniveler was about to breathe his last breath of air. There wasn’t time to think only to react. She flipped her legs over the side of the bed and strolled to the door of her enclosure. The men were coming. The general was coming. And she was hungry, but not starving. For the first time since being captured, she allowed herself to smile.
Across the room Austin felt the hairs on his neck rise. He turned and looked at Eve. She was smiling. Her head moved towards the door. Looking in that direction, he saw a brief view of the pandemonium about to take place. Armed soldiers were going to come through the door in less than thirty seconds.
Austin pulled off his robe and pulled out the radio. “Do you read? Do you read?”
“Loud and clear.” Madison’s voice came over the mic.
“Were in. Head for the command center. Shoot on sight. Do you copy?”
“Copy that. On our way. Over.”
Chase rushed over to Austin’s side, glancing at the door as he approached. “What are you doing? Have you gone mad? This was not the plan.”
The Harvest Page 28
