by L. S. O'Dea
“Tonight.” Buddy jumped up, knocking over the chair.
He held up his hand, stopping Buddy from further outburst. “Tim is being tortured. We need to act quickly.”
Buddy picked up his chair and sat back down, grumbling under his breath.
He fought back a grin. Buddy hated House Servants and it was killing him to have to work with one to save another.
“I’ll lead you to a passage that goes directly into Conguise’s office,” continued Barney, completely ignoring Buddy’s outburst.
“That passage is a myth. Conguise started that story so we were always expecting him to show up. You know, to keep everyone working, not socializing.”
“Oh, it’s real.” Barney leaned forward. “You may find the truth too many things that you thought were myths.”
“What do you mean by that?” He didn’t have time for this cryptic crap.
Barney handed him a piece of paper. “Keep your eyes open and follow this map and you’ll be fine. It’ll take you to where Tim is. Then follow it back out.”
“How do you know where Tim is? I thought you didn’t have access to the lab?” Buddy’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t. There is no reason for me to have access to the lab.” Barney smiled. “But you don’t think Conguise cleans up after himself, do you?”
“The other House Servants.” He returned Barney’s smile.
“Exactly,” said Barney. “House Servants have access to everything.”
“And Conguise doesn’t even pay attention when they’re around,” he added.
Many of the Almightys considered their House Servants as useful furniture, only existing to make their lives easier. His mother had never allowed him that prejudice. He was always conscious of what he did and said around his Servants, knowing that they often had their own agendas. This was a weakness in Conguise and in his arrogance the professor considered it a strength.
“That still doesn’t explain how you know where Tim is being held,” said Buddy.
“I supervise the other House Servants. I know their schedules and their duties.” Barney picked up the sandwich.
That didn’t quite answer the question. “And?”
“A House Servant that I have known for many years told me that they have Tim. She knows of my relationship to him.”
He and Buddy exchanged glances. Barney was not being completely honest.
“Is she your mate?” he asked.
Barney’s hand shook and he dropped his sandwich. “Wha…”
“The truth. I’m only going to risk my life if I trust you.”
Barney looked down at his plate. The sandwich had fallen apart. His hands trembled as he tried to put it back together. “Yes. She and I are mates. Have been for many years.”
“Why didn’t you want to tell us that? It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m glad for you. Everyone should have someone.” He frowned as Viola’s face flashed in his mind.
“You don’t understand. It’s not the same for us. We have each other, but all our young are taken.” Barney looked at him. “We don’t know where they are or if they still live. All we have is a shared sadness.” He turned to Buddy, who quickly averted his eyes. “You understand.”
Buddy nodded slightly.
He swallowed around a lump in his throat. He’d never considered the pain that the other classes went through when their offspring were taken. He’d been taught by his father and culture that they didn’t care; that they didn’t have the same capacity of feelings as the Almightys. It was Gruntshit. His stomach clenched and he finished his drink.
“Timothy is the only one who I know still lives and he…is being tortured and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Barney covered his face with his hands and sobbed.
He hated crying and hadn’t expected it from the elderly House Servant. He looked to Buddy for help. Buddy, eyes wide, shrugged.
Barney’s shoulders shook with the force of his anguish. He started to stand when Reese walked over and wrapped her arms around the Servant.
He sighed in relief and dropped back into his chair. Barney continued to cry as she patted his back, making unintelligible sounds of comfort. Finally, his crying subsided and he leaned back and wiped his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” said Barney.
“No need to be,” said Reese. “When I was young, they didn’t want me. At night, they’d take my mother and brother into the house and leave me outside, alone. Every evening, my mother’s face would fall, knowing that she’d soon be forced to leave me to fend for myself.” Reese smiled sadly. “Every morning, when I was waiting for her, alive, her face would light with joy.”
“I’m sorry.” Barney squeezed Reese’s arm.
She nodded and wiped at her eyes. “Yeah, me too, but, I ended up with Hugh so my life turned out okay.” She looked over at him.
He added more whiskey to his glass, his hand shaking. He didn’t deserve the adoration that shone in her eyes. All he’d done was let her stay in his home and work for him, but at what price? He ran his hand through his hair. He’d insisted that she be altered so she couldn’t bear offspring. He was a monster. He took a large swallow of the whiskey, taking comfort in the burn as it slid down his throat.
Barney coughed, breaking the silence that had descended over the room. “Where were we?”
Hugh jumped at the chance to change the subject. “I’m to follow this map to Tim.”
“Yes. That’s right. The passage will get you into Conguise’s office,” said Barney.
“How do you know Conguise won’t be there?” asked Buddy.
“He’ll be in surgery.”
Could he be performing the surgery on Jethro already? He hadn’t heard from Jackson, but he hadn’t been back to the house either. “Do you know on whom?”
“No. I don’t,” answered Barney.
It couldn’t be the boy. It was too soon. He tapped the map. “Okay. So, follow the passage to Conguise’s office. Then from there, follow the map to Tim. Is he being guarded?”
“I’ll make sure that he won’t be.”
“How are you going to do that?” asked Buddy.
“I’m going to devise a major power outage. The Guards will be called away to assist,” said Barney.
He and Buddy exchanged glances again.
“That just might work. A power outage will shut down all the cameras. I won’t have to worry about being arrested later.” He leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his drink. “I know it’s not my main concern, but I was a little worried about it. Going to jail is not on my to-do list.”
“Conguise shouldn’t even know you’re in the lab and if he does, he’ll not press charges,” said Barney.
“And how do you know that? You seem to know a lot.” Buddy stood arms akimbo.
“Should I be uninformed? You’d rather that. Then if my plan wasn’t solid you could talk Hugh out of it.” Barney stood and faced Buddy.
“Both of you sit down.” This was the problem with Guards and House Servants. They hated and distrusted each other. “I’m not going to deal with your squabbling.”
They continued to glare at each other.
“Now!” he snapped.
They both grudgingly sat down. He shot them each one more glare.
“Okay,” he continued, “so you’ve taken care of getting inside and the Guards. Do you know anything about where Tim is being held?”
“Besides the location? No, not really. He’s in a room by himself. Matilda hasn’t been allowed inside since he was brought there. She did say that there are cages in the room and other equipment.”
“What kind of equipment?” asked Buddy.
Barney’s nose twitched and he paused before answering. “She was not clear. All she said was large equipment and machines.”
“Well, that’s a lot of help.” Buddy threw up his hands in disgust.
“It’s the best that I have,” snarled Barney.
“It doesn’t matter,” Hugh said.
&n
bsp; “Doesn’t matter,” roared Buddy. “You may not be able to get him out even if you break in. This may all be for nothing.”
“I’m going in, and I will get Tim out.”
“Thank you,” said Barney softly.
“Let’s continue. So, once I’ve freed Tim, do I leave the same way that I entered?”
“Yes. However, you will need to unlock the door to the passage from Conguise’s office.”
“Won’t it be open due to the power failure?” he asked.
“No. Conguise has a back-up generator.” Barney held up his hand when Buddy started to interject. “Let me finish. The generator runs a little power to the lab. Just like I’ll have to enter a code on this end, Hugh will have to enter a code on the other side. There’s a switch under Conguise’s desk. Flip it and then enter 5859 on the keypad behind the picture of Conguise’s late wife.”
“That’s why he keeps that portrait there. They didn’t get along very well, so I always thought it odd that he kept her picture around.”
They all stared at him, even Reese who was once again lounging on the couch.
“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s true. They practically hated each other.”
“Anyway,” continued Barney. “The back-up generators are a good thing. They’ll give you some light in the hallways.”
“What if I can’t get back to Conguise’s office?”
“Turn the paper over,” said Barney. “If you can’t get back through the office, then follow this map. It’s a longer route through more passageways but it will get you out.”
“Where will I end up?” The path twisted and turned. He was familiar with the layout of the lab, but he couldn’t tell where this led.
“In the forest. It’s the sewer system.”
He groaned and glanced down at his pristine white shirt and tan slacks. He was definitely going to change.
“Will the sewer grate be open?” asked Buddy.
“Someone will need to wait there. It will have to be unlatched from the outside.” Barney pulled a key out of his pocket and laid it on the table.
“Unlatch it now,” said Buddy.
“It’s not safe. The Guards patrol that area and check it regularly.”
“Why?” asked Buddy.
Barney hesitated. “I have only heard whispers.”
“And what are they?” He leaned forward.
Barney glanced around the room and spoke in a hushed tone. “That there are things in Conguise’s lab that should never escape.”
“Exactly, what kind of things?” He usually hated this cryptic stuff, but he had to admit Barney had his attention.
“I don’t know. Only a few trusted Guards have access to that section of the lab and they do not speak of it.”
“Then how did you hear whispers?” he asked.
“A Guard, he was almost ready to retire. He worked there, in level five for years. He was frightened. He spoke about experiments that Conguise was performing.”
“What kind of experiments?” His pulse quickened. He may not be able to prove Conguise blew up his house, but with this information, maybe, he could ruin the professor.
Barney shook his head. “I don’t know. Jorge—”
“Did you say Jorge?” He shot a quick glance at Buddy.
“Yes,” said Barney. “Do you know him? He was very close to Viola.”
“He blew up my house.”
“No. That’s not possible. Jorge wouldn’t do that. He loved Viola,” said Barney.
“She was conveniently gone.” Her betrayal tore at him. He leaned back and inhaled deeply through his nose, calming himself.
Barney was silent for a moment. “No. Still not possible. Jorge wouldn’t have done that.”
“He killed my mother.”
“No, you don’t understand. Jorge was not trained in explosives. He couldn’t have done it.”
“He could have delivered it,” he said. “He didn’t need to build it.”
“Still, I don’t believe it,” said Barney. “What would he gain by blowing up your house and killing Sarah?”
That was a good question. “He could have made a deal with Conguise.”
“Perhaps, but he didn’t care for Conguise, and lately he was frightened. Very frightened.”
“He did care for Viola, though,” he said.
“Yes,” said Barney. “You think she arranged the explosion?”
It took everything he had to act like he didn’t care. He shrugged.
“You don’t know her very well then. She would never have anything to do with something so underhanded,” said Barney.
“She is her father’s daughter.” Hugh refilled his glass.
“And you are your father’s son.”
He snapped his head around to glare at Barney.
“But that doesn’t mean that you are not your own man,” continued Barney. “Just as Viola is her own woman. She loves her father, but she’d never hurt Sarah or you. Or anyone else, actually.”
He took a sip. Was Barney right? Had he misjudged Viola? He’d think about that later. “Let’s get back to Tim. So, someone will have to wait at the sewer grate. How will he avoid the Guards?”
“They will be busy with the power issue,” said Barney.
“They can’t all work on the power,” said Buddy, standing and stepping away from the door.
“No. They’ll be patrolling the main perimeter. If there is a power outage, the lab’s primary defense is down. The Guards are pulled from their duties to patrol the yard surrounding the lab. It’s standard operating procedure.”
“Genius,” said Buddy approvingly.
“Won’t this outage affect the surgery that Conguise is performing?” asked Reese, still lounging on the couch.
Buddy’s face fell. “The pup is right. We don’t need Conguise going to his office when—”
“No.” Barney shook his head. “Remember the backup generator. It will allow him to finish his surgery.”
“Okay.” Hugh tapped his finger against the table. “Let’s summarize. You’ll wait at the house entrance, Buddy and I will go—”
“Buddy can’t go inside,” said Barney.
“I’m going in,” growled Buddy, moving to stand directly behind the House Servant.
“No, you can’t.” Barney looked over his shoulder at Buddy. “The Guards will smell you. They won’t notice Hugh because he’s an Almighty.”
“What Guards?” Hugh asked. “You said they would be reassigned to the outside perimeter.”
Barney turned to him. “Not all of them. Most of them. There will be Guards with Conguise, and there will be a few left to protect some of the rooms.”
“Which rooms? The room where Tim is being kept?”
“No, I don’t think he’s that important,” answered Barney.
“Think?” asked Buddy. “That’s not good enough.”
“No. They won’t,” corrected Barney. “Protocol only leaves one Guard, possibly two in level five, not counting the ones with Conguise.”
“And where will they be?” he asked.
“They should be in this area here.” Barney pointed to another section on the map. It was on the opposite side from where Tim was being held. “You shouldn’t encounter them.”
“Then why can’t I go?” asked Buddy.
“They will smell you,” said Barney, exasperation in his voice.
“But they won’t smell me?” This was sounding more and more like a trap. Barney was separating him from his Guards.
“Yes, but you are an Almighty. They won’t pay any attention to your odor.” Barney looked at Buddy expectantly.
“How can you be sure? I’ve never been in that part of the lab before. There would be no reason for my scent to be there.”
Barney turned back to face him. “The Guards who will still be in the lab are the older Guards, the most trusted. I know the three who it could be and none of them are known for their sense of smell. That is not their strong suit. They ar
e picked for their size and ferocity.”
“Wonderful. Now, I have to sneak in alone, rescue Tim and avoid large, ferocious Guards.” This kept getting better and better. He took a large gulp of his whiskey.
“They won’t be able to distinguish between your smell and any other Almighty,” said Barney.
“But they can recognize a strange Guard? Wouldn’t it be the same? One Guard smells the same as another.”
Buddy cleared his throat. “I hate to agree with the House Servant, but he’s right. We distinguish our own scents better.”
“Plus, any Guard who would be in the lab would have already been introduced to the others. They would know his scent,” said Barney. “Almightys are not introduced to the Guards.”
Hugh stood and began to pace. “Then Buddy and Reese wait at the sewer grate.” He grabbed the key off the table and handed it to Buddy.
Buddy frowned but nodded.
“Let’s go through this one more time. Barney cuts the power. I enter and find Tim. If the power comes back on, we take exit B. If not, we go to the office. Buddy waits—”
“No,” said Barney. “Even if the power comes back on, you can exit through the office.”
He stopped pacing. “What? How? Won’t the other security measures turn back on?”
“You’ll have to avoid the cameras in the hall but you’ll have some time. When the power comes back on the cameras will slowly power up. When the red light stops flashing, they are active. Other-than-that, Conguise doesn’t have security set on leaving the lab only entering.”
“He never fixed that? I told him years ago that it was a security threat. You need to know who enters and who leaves your facilities.” He shook his head. “Unbelievable.”
“Conguise disagreed. He didn’t want to spend the money on unnecessary expenses.”
“I can’t believe he didn’t listen to me,” he muttered.
“Did he ever?” asked Barney.
“Ye…” Had he? Conguise had praised him on his accomplishments but only the ones that aligned with the professor’s studies or beliefs. Every time that he succeeded in a different area, he was met with silence by Conguise. He’d yearned for that paternal praise so badly that at one point he’d stopped looking into his own areas of interest and focused solely on Conguise’s. The man was a brilliant manipulator, he’d give him that.
