Even the architect had pretended to turn sides and be an alley. If any others were within the organization, Neil would find them. He would help them.
At least, he promised himself he would. What if he was subconsciously doing this for Colonel Kronston Taer?
No. I would know, wouldn't I? I'm thinking clearly now.
What do you do when you yourself are a potential threat? Can you dare to trust yourself?
Neil—Why was he still thinking of himself as Neil? He wasn’t Neil. But was he truly Nathaniel again? How could he be after what he had done? A person was the sum of their experiences and their memories. He had so few memories, and the ones he did have were of himself committing terrible, despicable, repulsive acts.
If I am not Neil or Nathaniel, then who am I?
>>><<<
Vervin came with some names that night. Honestly, it seemed to Neil that they were merely the names of those he had personal vendetta against. Neil thanked him profusely and assured him that he would handle things if that proved necessary. Vervin promised to find more "rats" if there were more possible traitors among them.
Neil walked him out of his room and into the hallway.
Vervin did not leave immediately and instead said, "You are a true Hidden Serpent."
Neil grinned. "Thank you. Pleasant dreams."
Vervin bowed and rushed away. The way he ran reminded Neil of a drunk crab scurrying along the beach.
Now, Neil had to deal with those two guards. They stared at him unblinkingly.
"Gentleman," he said easily.
They said nothing.
"Cat got your tongue?" he asked.
At once, they both opened their mouths to reveal their lack of tongues. They had been cut out.
Repulsed, Neil retreated a step. He and Vervin had spoken in hushed tones, and Neil had hoped that the guards wouldn't be able to overhear them. Now, he still hoped the guards hadn't eavesdropped and learned the names of potential villains to their cause. At least he didn't have to worry about them telling anyone else about it. Namely, Colonel Kronston Taer.
"Ah. My apologies," Neil said. "I have not been able to sleep. I was hoping to talk to someone. Oh, well. I'll just have some coffee. Do you two drink? I know it seems stupid to drink coffee when trying to rest, but it helps to relax me. And you two need to stay awake anyhow…"
The guards glanced at each other. The one on the right hesitated but then nodded.
Neil returned to his room. "I can't carry all three out. Why not drink in here?"
They followed. He handed them their cups and pretended to drink from his.
They drank. Neil's reflexes allowed him to grab their mugs before they could shatter against the stone floor. The two guards fell down, asleep.
Somehow, maybe because of the doctor, Neil was able to recognize plants and herbs. He knew which were poisonous from which were safe to consume.
And he knew which caused a man to fall asleep instantly.
Now, given their height and weight, they would most likely only be asleep for two hours. To be certain he returned in time, Neil would only have an hour. Hopefully, this venture would be worthwhile because this opportunity might be viable a second time.
Neil peeked up and down the hallway. No one was there. Swiftly, Neil walked through the base. So far, he saw no one, but then, he wasn't trying to leave. He had business inside the place.
Alejandro had said other Marines had been captured when Neil had been. When Nathaniel had been.
I was a Marine. I was engaged to Shauna. Why hadn't we married? How long ago had I proposed?
None of that matter now. The agony and sorrow in his heart felt too real. Although he physically felt no pain, this mental anguish threatened to overwhelm him.
No. He must focus. He must not give in. Not to emotions. Not to the brainwashing. Not to anything but his task.
Find the marines. Save them if possible even if it required dying in the process.
Maybe then Shauna would be able to forgive him for the terrible crimes against humanity he'd committed.
I doubt I'll ever be able to forgive myself.
But that wasn't a concern at the moment.
It had been a long while since Neil had last seen Doctor Despair. Only a few of the Hidden Serpents he'd returned with had been injured. Had any died? Had they left bodies behind?
Focus.
The wounded had not been severely injured. The doctor would've treated them all by now. What else was he working on? Or was it not a what but a who?
Neil returned to the hallway that contained the room where he had been operated on. That room was empty, but there were several others. None had windows, and the doors were all locked. He heard nothing from within the rooms, nothing to suggest someone being operated on, although someone could be peacefully sleeping.
Peace is our objective.
He squeezed shut his eyes and then opened them. What was he doing? Why?
The Marines.
The next door, the handle turned. Neil hesitated and then threw the door open.
The empty room was identical to the first. He entered and eyed the table. All of the instruments were bloodstained. There was an impression of a body on the table, sweat outlining it.
On another table, Neil discovered not one but several dog tags. N. Strongarm. L. Barker. J. Sullivan. S. Putman.
He clutched the dog tags to his chest and tried desperately to remember them. L. Leo? Logan? Lucas? Lucy? J could be Jack or Jill or Jason or Julia. S. Sara or Steve or Sam or Sean.
But he couldn’t remember them. Only Shauna. No one else.
Did he have parents? Siblings?
Focus!
He could feel himself grow panicky. His chest grew tight, and he couldn't breathe. What was happening to him? Why couldn't he breathe?
Should he find the doctor?
No! Better he should die than be subjected to more tests or operations.
Neil tried to calm down. Maybe if he sat down that would help.
He did so and placed his hand on the bottom shelf of the table. His hand brushed against small metal and glass pieces. In the small pile, he spotted two metal hands from a watch.
For whatever ridiculous reason, Neil felt calmer when he touched it. Carefully, he seized all of the pieces along with the dog tags. Then he left the room behind.
By now, he didn't have much time to return to his room. Along the way, he passed two soldiers.
"One of them died. I guess he just wasn't made of stern enough stuff. Once it's perfect, I'm signing up. Can you imagine me as a super soldier?"
"You? Bah. They'd never accept you. Now, me? I'm already a super soldier."
Neil whirled around. "Neither of you is super," he said coldly. "Who was it that died?"
One of the soldiers narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why do you want to know, Neil Soto?"
"Call me Venom's Vengeance and treat me with respect," Neil commanded.
The soldier swallowed hard.
His comrade was the one who offered, "Sullivan. I think."
"Have they commenced the process with another?" Neil asked, trying desperately not to appear anxious or worried.
"Not yet. They need to run more tests. They only have so many bodies to try. They don't want to kill them all off."
"Certainly. Well, then, they need more Americans, yes?" Neil asked.
The two shrugged, but then one nodded.
"Very well. Go back to bed, soldiers. Do not dally."
They rushed off.
Neil waited for them to turn the corner before marching himself back to his room. He only had to wait fifteen minutes for the guards to stir.
He'd climbed into bed and pretended to stir himself. Then he blinked in surprise. "You two fell asleep too?" he asked. "I told you that coffee settles me. I went right to sleep."
The two glanced at each other in confusion.
"Oh," Neil said. "You weren't supposed to sleep. Don't worry. I will not say a word. I feel res
ted enough that I am going to get my assignment for the day. I know it's not morning yet, but… Walk me to the front?"
The two nodded and brought him straight to Colonel Kronston Taer.
"Good morning, Colonel," Neil said.
"It's not morning." The Colonel looked weary. He drank some coffee and eyed Neil suspiciously. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I would like permission to complete my mission. I know how important it is for you to have those Americans brought in and—"
"No. Absolutely not."
"Why not?"
The Colonel straightened and eyed Neil. After a long hesitation, he said, "I have reason to suspect that we will be under attack soon. I need you here. Actually, it is good you have come. The three of you are to be my bodyguards."
Neil nodded, even though frustration and worry filled him. Shauna and her unit wouldn't attack the base, right?
No, but they would try to infiltrate it to find those Marines. With Neil now supposed to be the Colonel's bodyguard, how was he going to be able to find those Marines to help them?
There must be another way he could help.
Neil stared at the Colonel's neck. One of the veins throbbed. He could visibly see it pulse with Taer's heartbeat. If he snapped the Colonel's neck, everyone would descend on him. He might be able to survive. He might not.
Not now. When the Green Berets came. To cause a distraction so that they might succeed, Neil was willing to kill again.
At least, he was willing. Time would tell if he could control his body enough to perform the act.
Chapter 30
Shauna's body gave out, and she slept. When she woke, Captain Jones and Lieutenant Colonel Arnold Padilla were whispering loudly. Several Marines were in their cave. It seemed the two units were working together now.
William Hardy lifted his chin in her direction as she sat up. She nodded, and he walked over.
"I'm sorry about Nathaniel," Bill said.
"I'm sorry we haven't been able to rescue him and the other yet," she said bitterly. "It's not for lack of trying."
Bill rubbed the back of his neck. "We've lost too many. You've lost too many. This has only just started. I know it has. We got reports from back home. In the States, Canada, Mexico, England, Russia, China, Japan, and a few other places, Hidden Serpents have set off bombs. Thousands are dead worldwide. They told the world it's because we're here. No other nation has sent troops here. We're acting alone. Normally, we're not the first ones into the fray."
"Yes, but they assassinated civilians worldwide for us all to see, they assassinated our president. We had to react. We had to counter. We want to stop this before it blows up even more."
"It may be too late for that," he said. "We should pull out and nuke the place and be done with it."
Shauna laughed and wiped away a stray tear. "You sound like Alejandro."
"Then Alejandro has a lot of sense."
"Had," she corrected sadly.
"I know. I misspoke. I'm sorry."
"We can't risk it," Lela said. She was leaning against the wall of the cave, arms crossed. The lines around the corner of her lips couldn’t be deeper. "They can create sandstorms. That's all the more reason to be afraid that a nuke's radiation could enter the jet stream and doom the entire globe."
"That's possible?" Bill asked.
Lela nodded. "Theoretically."
"And they can create sandstorms?" He shook his head in shocked disbelief. "That strange one that looked like a swarming black cloud? The Lieutenant Colonel had us tucked away in a cave for the duration. I hated it. Never felt more worthless in my entire life. Man, who the hell are these Hidden Serpents anyway?"
Lela's scowl deepened. "Geniuses."
"Evil geniuses," Bill amended.
Leaving the two to continue their talk, Shauna stood and stretched. Before she could walk over to the leaders, Evelyn McBride approached.
"Shauna. I'm sorry."
She swallowed hard. Why did people have to tell her that? Words wouldn't change anything, only actions.
"They have Leon too." Evelyn swallowed hard. "I ran ahead. It's what I do. I'm fast. Too fast. If I hadn't been, I would've gotten captured, and—"
"Don't feel guilty," Shauna urged, even though she knew her words, just like Evelyn's, were pointless.
"We danced around dating for so long. I didn't want a guy in the military. That seems so stupid now."
"We'll find and save them both, save all of the Marines."
Evelyn nodded and walked away, head down.
Feeling even more determined but also sorrowful, Shauna approached the Captain and Lieutenant Colonel.
"If only we could figure out their location," Padilla was saying.
Shauna cleared her throat. "I can help with that."
Captain Jones stared her down suspiciously. "You can? Why are you only telling me now?"
"With everything…" She swallowed hard and did her best to stifle her worry, her fears, and her doubts. She had so many misgivings about Nathaniel and his alter ego, but there was one thing she could count on him for. "He went back to his base. It's nighttime yet, so he'll still be there."
"How does that help us?" Padilla asked.
Shauna grinned at Mack. "You can turn that mini comms unit you gave me into a tracking device, right?"
"You bet I can!" Mack rubbed his hands furiously and cracked his knuckles. "Let me get right to work."
When she had begged for Nathaniel to come with, she had caved. She'd touched him, and she'd dropped the unit into his boot. She knew he wouldn't come, but that he had hesitated gave her hope that the man she loved still lived in him somehow.
The Captain jerked his head toward the back of the cave where no one else was. She followed, knowing he was about to erupt on her.
"It will take him time to track him," he said angrily. "You should've told me this before!"
"I know, sir. I'm sorry, sir. I have no excuses."
"If your head isn't on right, I'm going to leave your sorry ass here! I will not tolerate having someone who is distracted on my team. No one else will die."
"Everything has been happening so fast. We've all experienced so much evil already. I'm better now. Seeing him was a shock, but… I… My head is on straight. I'm not a distraction or a liability. No one else is more motivated to save those Marines than I am."
"I know just how motivated you are," he said critically. "But are you willing to listen to me and do exactly what I say? Will you not question me?"
"I respect your authority," she said. "It is my job to listen and obey. I won't ever dare question you. That isn't my place."
He nodded slowly, but the anger did not leave his eyes and twisted frown. "Is there anything else you neglected to tell me?"
"No, sir."
"Nothing at all?" he pressed.
"No."
"I don't know if I can trust you, West. And that's a serious issue out in the field."
She hung her head. "I understand if you would prefer I sit it out."
He snorted. "As if you would stay here in this cave by yourself. I wouldn't be able to trust you stay alone, and we have too few to go to spare one to babysit you. You'll come along, but if you dare mess up again, I'll have you dishonorably discharged and court-martialed."
She swallowed hard. "Sir, yes, sir."
"All right then." Captain Jones cleared his throat and raised his voice. "All right then. All of you. Huddle up. No, not you two, Mack and Coral. Work on the tracking. As for the rest of you…"
Chapter 31
Who knew how long Colonel Kronston Taer had been awake, but shortly before dawn, he yawned. "I can only go so long without sleep. What about you?"
The question was geared to the tongue-less guards. Stricken, they looked at each other and then Neil.
Neil shrugged. "They never sleep. I didn't get much myself last night," he admitted. "I was too anxious to get on with my mission."
"Then we all need to sleep. Come."
>
The Colonel led the way. The room they eventually halted in Neil suspected was not the Colonel's normal room. He had the guards bring in other beds and then had other guards watch over the room.
Neil lay down. There was no pillow, and the sheet was paper thin. He felt a strange coldness that he suspected had nothing to do with the room's temperature.
He had been brainwashed. Surely, the effects had not been banished away for good. Could the Colonel reactivate it? A certain word or phrase like that damnable one about peace?
Peace is our objective.
Sleep came unbidden. Even worse were the dreams that came. Fighting insurgents. Staring down a man who was pointing a rifle at him. One of his fellow Marines gunning that man down as he shot another.
Another Marine. Jacob Sullivan.
This wasn’t a nightmare meant to train him to be callous and unfeeling toward the brutal, hostile environment of war. No, this was a memory.
He could see the others in his unit. Almost as if experiencing an out of body encounter, he watched as he and the Marines carefully moved up that fateful street. He listened to himself ask the Lieutenant Colonel if he should fire at the snipers. He watched the explosions. He watched until the sand covered his vision.
The scene shifted, and he was talking to Alejandro. Shauna’s best friend was having no luck in the love department at all.
“I feel like not everyone has a someone, man. Like I’m not meant to get married and have kids. My brother, he loves his wife, but I don’t know. I think she might be double-crossing him. He doesn’t want to hear it. He’s blind. It’s too bad Shauna doesn’t have a sister.”
Neil watched as Nathaniel laughed. “Yeah, there’s not many like her, are there?”
“No.”
“Listen to me,” Nathaniel said seriously. “If anything happens to me ever…”
“I’m her best friend.” Alejandro sounded indifferent. “I don’t want her like that.”
Not on Her Watch Page 16
