Escape from Helmira: The Great Civil War Prison Escape (Dyna-Tyme Genetics Time Travel Series Book 2)

by Fred Holmes

  “I don’t have that.”

  “I don’t believe you! You were going to get the swabs, Erik already hacked the PIN, and you were going to go directly to Dyna-Tyme and break into the ancient DNA storage with Mike’s DNA and PIN tonight.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because that’s what I’m going to do. Except I won’t have to break into the building. I have a keycard. Now, hand it over.”

  He reached into his pocket and produced a piece of paper. His face was stoic, but he was seething internally.

  “Thank you, Dee. Vinnie, you and Bruno take these two over to Legacy Woods and put them in one of the suites. Ask for Tim. He’ll take care of the details.

  “Dee and Bunny, you’re no longer of value to us. So don’t try anything funny. I’ll see you at the Woods in a couple of hours.”

  Lida sauntered to the door, stopped, and turned around. “Vinnie, I’ll take care of the rooms here with a sizable, mouth-shutting tip.”

  Lida left for Dyna-Tyme, and the rest headed for The Woods.

  * * * * *

  It was a short trip home for Mike Beasley. By the time he got there, he had decided on the whole truth.

  He opened the door and said, “Lorna honey, I’m home, and do I have a tale to tell you!” He threw the photos on the table and got a cold, untampered Bitter out of the fridge. He sat down at the table as he heard her feet pad across the kitchen floor and her voice echo from the hallway.

  “Now what’s this story you have to tell me?”

  Chapter 6

  AFTER they arrested Traweek and marched him away, Maul, Putegnat, and Rummy were all a bit stunned. They covered the entrance to the tunnel and then sat down to mull their options.

  “Do you think he’ll talk?” Rummy asked.

  “Nope,” Maul said. “He’ll die before he talks. He figures, as I do, that we’re dead in any case if we don’t get out of here. I’m going to headquarters and see what I can find out.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Rummy said.

  “No, you need to stay here and stink up the place. Keep their noses in place. Putegnat and I will be back.”

  Rummy was getting nervous, and time seemed to drag as he waited for some news. He felt it would be a good idea to become familiar with the camp while he lingered around.

  Fortunately, they had pitched their tents in the southeast corner of the camp near the south wall. The wall abutted the city streets, with the closest being West Water Street. The tunnel needed to be dug sixty-eight feet to exit near a stairway just a few yards from the street. If they were able to cross the street, it was only a short distance to the Chemung River. Once they swam or waded the river, they’d head for the mountains south of town and continue in a southerly direction until they got home or back to their units.

  The camp covered thirty acres. The entrance, officers’ quarters, and the main camp boulevard were located more toward the southwest corner of the camp, well away from their digging activities. The guard house, privies, and mess halls were all on the other side of camp, quite a distance from them. They attracted little attention as long as they kept quiet and didn’t make trouble. Maul and Putegnat returned and reported that Major Colt was questioning Traweek. Apparently, the Major was unsuccessful as he ordered Traweek into a sweatbox. Three minutes in the box could seem like three hours. But as far as they could tell, Traweek didn’t break.

  After Traweek regained his breath, Major Colt said, “Now, you have to tell me where you were tunneling and who was with you.”

  “I’m not going to do that,” Traweek said, “and I don’t know anything about anyone else tunneling.”

  Apparently, that angered Colt, because he put Traweek back in the box and turned up the crank to raise the temperature.

  After the second session, Traweek saw that a third trip through the sweatbox would be his death. So he pointed the finger at Colt and told him, “I’ll see you in hell as far as a bluebird can fly in a year, because I cannot tell you something I don’t know anything about. You could kill me, but you and your comrades are too cowardly to do it.”

  Colt ordered his guards to come around, which they did.

  “No brave soldier would treat a man as you’ve treated me,” Traweek said, “with my hands bound behind my back.”

  At this time, an officer spoke up. “Major Colt, I know this boy,” he said. “If you turn him over to me, he’ll tell me all about this tunneling.”

  “Okay, Captain; but he’s one sassy son-of-a-bitch, and he deserves shooting.”

  The captain dragged him in front of the headquarters’ tents. “Wash, they have you,” he said. “You might as well tell it all.”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Captain Munger, the officer of the day. I heard you lie to Colt about the tunnel, saying that you don’t even know what a tunnel is. Now, I know that you know what a tunnel is, because you went to school with me. Remember? I taught at Summerfield, near Selma, Alabama, before this war began. What I’m telling you is for your own good.”

  “Thank you, Captain Munger,” said Traweek. “I remember who you are, and I thank you for your kind intercession. But I don’t know anything about a tunnel.”

  “You know, Wash, we know about your tunnel under the hospital.”

  There was nothing left to gain by denying it. Traweek pulled out a list of men who were tunneling alongside him. He realized that the Union officers hadn’t discovered the tunnel under Rummy’s tent, but were referring to the one under the hospital that they had already found.

  “You should have told Colt about this,” Munger said.

  “It wasn’t a tunnel,” said Traweek. “But a ditch.”

  Traweek finally confessed that he was a participant in the tunnel dug beneath the hospital, and Munger marched him back to headquarters. The tunnel under Rummy’s tent was safe for the time being.

  After Traweek confessed that he had been a participant, Captain Munger told Colt that Traweek had acknowledged and showed him a list of tunnelers. Colt asked who else was involved in the tunnel, and Traweek told him that they did most of the work at night, and he couldn’t tell who they were in the dark.

  Colt then ordered Captain Munger to take him in front of the court of federal officers who, after several inquiries, sentenced him to “the dungeon.” The Federals had modified an old military barracks into cells. The diamond holes in the cells doors were left open so Traweek might see the faces of the other prisoners. As a gesture of kindness, Captain Munger had promised Traweek his choice of cellmates. As he went down the line, Traweek asked each man why he was in. Some said for stealing rations, others for fighting. One asked Traweek what he was in for, and Traweek told him it had been for tunneling. Another man on the end called out, “I’m a tunneler on number one. Come in with me.”

  At Traweek’s assent, they opened the cell door and put him in with the tunneler, John Crawford, and then Captain Munger closed all the diamond holes. He left Traweek’s open and told him that they were going to have a general inspection and break up all the tunneling. He said that he would be off the next day, but would check in on him the day after. Wash figured that Munger was giving him information because of their past friendship.

  In the meantime, no one in Traweek’s group of tunnelers knew why the guards had him imprisoned, but they probably suspected it was for tunneling. Traweek knew he had to get word to his tentmates that there was to be an inspection, and that they needed to close and hide the tunnel.

  He managed to send the info just as it was getting dark. Scruggs, one of his tent mates, was chosen to bring his rations. Scruggs handed the soup and light bread to him through the hole. Traweek dug a piece of candle out of his pocket, lit it, and followed it with a memorandum from the same pocket. He had written all he knew of the inspection the next day.

  Traweek finished his note by telling Maul to close down the tunnel. Then he folded the memorandum and put it in the bottom of his soup, crumbled his bread on it and gave it back to
the guard. He explained that he was sick and wished either Scruggs or Maul to have his rations because they were hearty eaters and would want the food. The guard gave Scruggs the soup.

  The next morning, Traweek received a note, delivered in the same fashion, that said the tunnel had been safely closed. He ate about half the soup and then sent Maul a note telling him simply that he would keep in touch.

  When Captain Munger came by the next day, he told Traweek that they had corralled the tunnelers at last, and found twenty-eight tunnels. Traweek asked him how number two, his tent, had come out. Munger replied that the inspectors had complimented Traweek on his tent being kept so clean.

  Traweek then wrote Maul a note saying that he could proceed with the work.

  A week went by and, by this time, Crawford, Traweek’s cellmate, became very inquisitive and wanted to know what Traweek was writing about so much. In holding the candle for Traweek, Crawford saw the word tunnel and knew they were tunneling somewhere. He wanted to know about it, but Traweek told him that he would let him know in due time.

  About this time, Maul wrote to Traweek that he was making fine progress and they’d complete the tunnel in a few days.

  Traweek wrote back about Crawford’s suspicions and explained that he could not escape without assistance. He asked Maul if he could swear him into their tunneling organization individually. Maul replied that it would be alright. But that left the problem of how to swear Crawford in without a Bible. Finally, he simply asked Captain Munger to get him one on his next visit.

  “My God, boy,” said Munger. “What use have you for a Bible there, where you can’t see your hands in front of your face? Particularly, after giving Major Colt the cussing you gave him.”

  “If you were in my fix,” Traweek replied, “You’d be glad to have a Bible to rest your head on to sleep.”

  “Well,” Munger said eventually, “there’s no harm in the Bible, so I’ll step out and try to get you one.”

  On his next visit, he brought Traweek a small gilt-edged Bible. Traweek promptly swore Crawford in and made him a member of the tunnel organization.

  After examining the cell’s trapdoor overhead, Traweek found two rods with taps on the ends. He needed a file to remove the taps, so he notified Maul, who sneaked off to where the prisoners were making rings out of buttons and bones. Maul sat around for a while, slipped one of the files, and sent it to Traweek in a loaf of bread. He got past the guard by telling him that, because Traweek had divided his rations with him when he was sick, he would divide his with Traweek now that Traweek had fallen ill.

  That day, a heavy downpour fell, which was in their favor. Traweek sat astride Crawford’s neck and filed off the taps. At about eleven o’clock, he got one of the rods loose and continued filing until four o’clock when he finished the other rod. Then, he raised the trapdoor and pulled himself into the upper story. There were glass windows on that floor, through which he could see his fellow tunnelers at work on their escape tunnel. Traweek looked down and saw Maul, who signaled his readiness, and Traweek did the same.

  It was Captain Munger’s day on duty. Traweek told Crawford that he’d make one more effort through Munger to get out. He told Munger to tell Colt that he thought Colt had punished him enough for what Colt would surely have done himself under similar circumstances. Captain Munger took the message to Colt. About a half hour later, he returned and said he would take Traweek and Crawford to Major Colt’s headquarters. Traweek insisted that Crawford talk to Colt when they arrived there. Traweek figured Colt would have a prejudice against him because of the way Traweek had talked to him earlier. Unfortunately, Crawford refused, and Traweek had to face the Major.

  Traweek apologized, explaining that what he had said was in the heat of passion. He told Colt that he wasn’t any more dangerous than the other forty-five thousand men in prison. He didn’t even have a pocket knife. Colt thought for a while and finally agreed to release them, but wanted to give Traweek some advice.

  “My lad, you were too hasty,” said Colt. “If you had been more cautious and taken more time, you would have made your escape. Next time, don’t be so hasty, and you might just get away.”

  Traweek told him that he felt too despondent to undertake to tunnel again. He’d had enough of it. He thanked Colt for the advice, bid him goodbye, and returned to his tent.

  Traweek had been confined in the dungeon for three weeks before he was released. There was no doubt that he was the leader, and the first thing he did when he returned was to inspect the tunnel. Maul and Putegnat were in charge while he was gone, and they thought that they were close to breaking through the wall. Unfortunately, Traweek found a bend in the tunnel. They went to work and corrected it. The part of the tunnel that was not usable made a good place to deposit the dirt from the new, corrected part of the tunnel. Two nights after Traweek returned from the dungeon, the tunnel was complete to the outside of the wall.

  They were ready to escape.

  Chapter 7

  THE SUITES at Legacy Woods were spacious, with first-class accommodations at the luxury convention center. Lida checked the rooms for security and then locked DeWayne Sixkiller and Bunny Grimaldi’s cell phones in one of the oak desks.

  Lida left Bruno to watch Bunny with the stipulation that if either he or Vinnie needed a break, they’d spell each other.

  Satisfied with Bunny’s security, she continued to the adjoining room where Vinnie had DeWayne securely cuffed to his chair. When Lida was satisfied all was secure there, she pulled up a chair and tried to turn her charms on Dee. She soon realized that, short of undressing, she was not going to get anywhere with him. So, she switched to her alternate motivator: Money.

  “I’m not going to kid you, Dee. The system you’ve been hacking is one of the most important scientific breakthroughs in recent years. Let me explain how this came about and why it’s important that we work together.”

  She stood and waved her arms in a grand gesture.

  “All this. The Legacy Woods convention center with comprehensive features. Beautiful rooms, five-star restaurants, golf, tennis, and swimming, all belong to Dyna-Tyme. Even a remuda, with ten horses carefully picked for gentleness from the Venable Stables, owned by Carleton Venable, is available at the Woods. Fifty acres have been set aside for Civil War re-enactments, if that’s your passion. Everything Dyna-Tyme touches turns to gold. But this isn’t where the real fortune was produced. The big money resulted from the genius of one person, Rumfeld Dixon.

  “Rumfeld ‘Rummy’ Dixon founded Dyna-Tyme. His geneticists concentrated on using genetic overlays to remove damaged DNA. They either cured or stopped the progression of diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS and many other neurological diseases.

  “Ralph Bailey, at that time strictly a scientist, discovered a segment of junk DNA among the millions of unallocated bits of genetic material that recorded the lifeline and location of the host. This discovery led to the invention of RTSL that overlaid one person’s DNA with someone else’s. Labeled RTSL-232 in honor of the mouse Herkimer, who had been the first to travel back in time and return.

  “Rummy seized this scientific breakthrough and convinced Carleton Venable to go back in time and make some changes that would alter history. Unknown to Carleton, it would also give Rummy absolute power. Corrupted absolutely, Rummy nearly succeeded in his diabolical plan and was foiled at the last minute by Carleton and Ralph Bailey. Rummy’s wife, Ginger, convinced Ralph that Rummy would always be a threat. Ralph programmed a special RTSL capsule that sent him back to 1864 and kept him in the Elmira Federal prison for captured Confederate soldiers. You need to understand that Rummy is my lover, and I also need him to help me sell RTSL, so I want him back.”

  “What’s this got to do with me?” Dee asked.

  “As well as hacking the RTSL system for us, notice that I said us. I need to send you back to 1864 so you can rescue Rummy and return him to help us.”

  Dee laughed. “What makes you think I’d do that?
I’m not going to be part of your plan.”

  “Oh, I think you will. If money won’t sway you, that cute little Italian in the other room has everything we need to convince you to play ball. Bruno, you see, is a sociopathic hoodlum and just loves to inflict pain and demoralization on cute little girls.”

  With some swagger left, Dee said, “I don’t believe you.”

  “How about a sample, Bruno?” Lida called to the adjoining room. “Introduce my boy Dee here to some of what he can expect if he doesn’t do what we want. Just a little taster.”

  Bunny screamed. “You no-good—” Her curses were choked off by another scream.

  “Okay, you can stop now!” Dee said. “What do I have to do?”

  “It’s quite simple, really. I’m going to send you to 1864. You’ll arrive at the Elmira Federal Prison with two capsules, you’ll give one to Rummy, and you take the other to bring yourself back. Then, your job is done.”

  “But why us?”

  “For one thing, we know you won’t be going to the cops, because SS&G is dirty. We’ll pick up Stenson shortly and have SS&G rounded up.”

  “How did you find out about us?”

  “Oh, come on, now. We’ve been watching you hack into Dyna-Tyme for ages. You must have thought you were stealing good information. Your problem is Mike Beasley. He’s just way better than Stenson, and when the bad formulas and faulty instructions get back to your client, your three-some will disappear, quietly.”

  Dee didn’t have anything to say. He just kept quiet and thought, clearly weighing all his options.

  Lida continued. “But it doesn’t have to happen this way. I never use force when cooperation obtains much better results. That make sense to you, DeWayne?”

  From the other room, a squeaky voice said, “Do what she wants, Dee, please.”

  “I guess we don’t have much choice.”

  “So we have your complete cooperation. Right, Dee?”

  Bunny squealed from the other room. “Yes, say yes, Dee, and take me away from this … this … animal.”