“Lucky me,” Rose quipped, then, looking across at Quinn, “Thanks mister.” She gazed at the others, “I remember pretty much everything until we came down here. I think I passed out—”
“That you did Rose,” Quinn answered. “I’ve been down here a long time, I’ve been able to scavenge some medical supplies. The NSA took a lot from the hospital, but I got my stuff from the veterinary hospital, if it’s good enough for critters it’s good enough for humans.”
They brought Rose up to date with events including Mercy’s rescue by Quinn. Rose moved closer to the light. “So we need to be in position at this well tonight? In case the attack on the compound happens—”
“Yes,” Mercy said, looking at Quinn. “Are you happy to take us to the well Mr Quinn?”
Quinn stared at them, his face unreadable. Finally he spoke, “Yes, I’ll take you to the well, I’ve often thought about poisoning the water to kill the NSA but they use it for the prisoners so I’ve never done it. But I’m coming with you, up the well I mean, I need payback for what those bastards have done.”
Mercy looked into Quinn’s eyes she could see his determination, she was conscious of his age and doubted his use in an all-out fight but she saw his conviction. “Agreed, you should come, you have valuable knowledge.” She pulled out the hand drawn map she had retrieved from Kenny’s pocket, “Can you show us where the well is on this?”
Quinn took the sketch and pointed at the fort’s north east wall, “Here, the well’s situated in a recessed section of the wall. It’ll be dark and slippery, but the engineers who designed the well put hand and footholds into the stonework, so if you know where to look you can climb up. It’ll be dangerous for whoever goes up first though— I’ll bring rope.”
“Put socks on your shoes, it’s supposed to help with grip,” Leo suggested.
“What are we going to do once we get in?” Crimson asked.
“We need to find our friends and any others held captive and free them,” Mercy said.
“With the attack on the compound as a diversion we might get lucky and remain undetected for a while, but that won’t last long, we’re bound to be discovered at some point. We need a secondary diversion inside the fort,” Leo said.
They looked at each other.
“We’ll need to split into two groups,” Mercy said, “one group to capture a 50 cal at the front gate and then hold the gate, we probably won’t be able to use the well to escape, we don’t know what state the prisoners will be in. We need to take the gate by surprise and open it.”
“OK, makes sense,” Tawny said. “Me, Crimson and Quinn will take the gate, you and Leo can go and find the prisoners—”
“What do you mean?” Rose said. “I’m going in too, you’re not leaving me here.”
They looked at Rose, no one spoke.
Tawny broke the silence, “I knew you’d say that killer, I was just giving you an out. OK Rose, you’re with me, Crimson and Quinn.”
Rose nodded, a taught smile on her face, “Damn right, we got some pain to deliver, it’s personal. Rites, Vince, Jude, Kenny we’ve gotta do the right thing by them.”
Mercy looked at her watch. “Well it’s 8:15 pm, if we get our act together we can leave here in thirty minutes. How long will it take us to get to the well Mr Quinn?”
“Ten, fifteen minutes is all,” Quinn replied.
“Right then, check your weapons and ammo, bring torches if you’ve got them. Rose we’ll check your bandage, make sure it’s secure. We got a long night ahead of us, the attack may not even be until tomorrow or may not happen at all. We’ll have to see how it plays out,” Mercy declared.
They readied their gear making sure to pack food and water. Crimson still had her head torch and Leo had a flashlight. Quinn gave Tawny and Mercy a flashlight each, he gave everyone a candle as a back up. They set off fifteen minutes later, Quinn in the lead holding the storm lamp.
Mercy followed Quinn her eyes moving between his back and her feet. The passageway was narrow and in sections they had to take their packs off to squeeze through. The tunnel slanted upwards, then came to an abrupt end. Quinn turned down the flame on the storm lamp and stepped to one side bringing a finger to his lips.
“We’re here,” he whispered to Mercy.
Mercy shuffled past him, in the dim light she saw a well shaft ahead. She went forwards, listened for a few seconds then stuck her head out over the edge and peered down. The water’s surface lay about twenty feet below, the sides of the shaft were slick. She turned her head up and gazed up. It was too dark to see anything, she pulled back into the passage and whispered to Quinn.
“How far are we from the top of the well?”
“About thirty feet,” he answered.
“Are they likely to use the well now?” she asked.
Quinn shrugged. “No idea, it’s late so probably not. You’d hear the door bolt if they were coming in—”
Mercy crept back to Leo, the next in line. “We need someone up top, in the well room in case the attack kicks off, they can help the others up using the rope. It’ll be a lot quicker that way—”
“I’ll go,” Leo said.
Mercy shook her head. “I didn’t mean you, no, I’ll go, you organise the others. Once the attack starts we’re committed, if there’s no attack I can climb back down and we can wait until tomorrow night.”
Leo closed his eyes for a second then nodded. “OK you go, I’ll sort the others out.”
Mercy returned to the well shaft. Quinn gave her the rope, she tied it around her waist then followed Leo’s suggestion and put her socks over her shoes for extra grip. Her watch said 9:05 pm. Another hour, then she would start climbing.
They retreated back into the passage, Quinn lit a candle and they huddled together in silence, there was nothing to say, Mercy thought about Murphy, she had known him for a short time and he had saved her life twice. They had connected, he had chosen to protect her, guide her in some way. Well, here she was, her journey had brought her this far, with these people, to this place. The next few hours would be crucial, she wanted it to be over, her watch said 10:02 pm. She stood up and hugged the others then returned to the well shaft with Quinn.
Mercy tied the rope to her belt then stood at the edge of the tunnel and looked at the shaft’s curved wall using Crimson’s head torch. Quinn pointed up to the right, she saw the first handhold, she looked down to the right and saw a foothold level with the edge of the passage. Quinn gave the thumbs up and nodded. Mercy rubbed her hands and reached for the handhold, she made it, she was committed. She followed with her right foot, her boot scraped the wall and entered the foothold.
Breathe, Mercy, Breathe, you can do this, you know it—
She steadied her breathing, her heart rate came under control. She looked up but was unable to see any more handholds. She directed the head torch left and saw the corresponding foothold. She placed her foot in the hold and transferred her weight, the next hand hold came into view, she relaxed a little.
It’s going to be OK, these engineers knew what they were doing—
The next twenty minutes passed in a blur, Mercy made her way up the well shaft. Towards the end her arms and legs were shaking with exertion. She stopped five feet below the top and cursed, she shouldn’t have taken her rifle and pack, it was too much. She closed her eyes and visualised Vince, Rites, Jude and Kenny.
Do it for them, dig deep—
Mercy grunted finding a last reserve and launched herself up her fingers finding the final handhold but she overshot the foothold by inches. Adrenaline flooded her body, strength ebbed from her right hand, she swung her leg back towards the foothold and found it. She transferred her weight and took the strain off her right arm.
One more, one more, do it now while you still can—
Her right calf tightened, on the verge of cramp, with a surge she reached up and grabbed the lip of the well hauling herself over onto the floor. Relief washed over her, followed by resolve.
; I’m not going down there again, I’m not repeating that climb, once is enough—
She lay on the floor for a few minutes recovering, stretching her legs. Finally her muscles responded and the cramp subsided. It was quiet, her head torch lit the small room. She swung around examining the space, a wooden door lay to the front. She switched off her light, crawled to the door and looked through a crack. Lights were shining in the barracks and on top of the far wall.
I’m inside the fort, I’ve actually done it—
Mercy heard footsteps and froze. A guard walked past the door, feet away, she watched and was relieved to see him heading along the near wall to the far side, he vanished behind the barracks. She peered through the crack and strained to make out details within the fort. Her view was too restricted, she turned her attention to the door bolt. She could see it through the slight gap between the two doors. She edged her knife through the gap and scraped the bolt and was surprised to feel it move, she’d be able to ease it along with her knife. She set to work and minutes later the door opened slightly. She sat back exhausted and hung her head, sweat pouring from her brow. Without warning the door jerked open, a guard stood just outside.
“Who the fuck are you?” the guard exclaimed, his hand reaching for the rifle on his shoulder.
Mercy launched herself up combat knife in hand, thrusting and twisting the blade into the guard’s neck. Its steel destroyed his vocal cords and severed his carotid artery in one go, he slumped to the ground. She pulled his body into the room and closed the doors.
Shit, shit, shit, they’ll come looking for him—
Mercy cursed at her impatience to work on the bolt. She frisked the guard’s body and in addition to his rifle and ammunition she found two grenades, a flashlight and a set of keys. She dragged the body behind the well and tried to think.
If that’s the same guard that passed earlier, it took me five minutes to open the bolt, his circuit is around ten minutes, shit that’s all I’ve got. We’ve got to go, we won’t get another chance—
Mercy leaned over the well and pulled three times on the rope. Quinn knew what to do, she secured the rope to the well’s winch system. She kept one eye on the door, the other on the rope. Quinn shone a flashlight, lighting Tawny’s way as she climbed, Mercy pointed the guard’s flashlight down the well to illuminate the upper section. Ten minutes later Tawny hauled herself over the lip and onto the floor panting.
“Bloody hard climb,” she managed to say between breaths.
Mercy pulled on the rope again, signalling the all clear. A second figure started to climb.
“What the hell happened here?” Tawny said, spotting the guard’s body behind the well.
“Got rumbled, had to take him out, his buddies will be looking for him any minute now,” Mercy said. “Keep an eye on the parade ground, the door’s unlocked.”
Tawny processed the facts and remained calm. “OK, got it.”
Mercy shone her light down the well and saw Leo climbing up the shaft. The next ten minutes were tense but no one came looking for the guard. Next, Crimson, Rose and Quinn made it up the shaft with the help of the rope. Mercy briefed everyone and showed them the guard’s keys.
“We’ll stick to the plan, we’ve still got to get the front gate open to escape. Everyone know what to do?” Mercy said, her voice tense.
They all nodded.
“Here, you’ll need these,” Mercy handed the two grenades to Rose.
“Shit, we’ve got company—” Tawny said, peering through the crack in the door.
Mercy looked through the crack, three figures holding flashlights were striding across the parade ground towards the well.
Chapter 24 Rising
Mercy swore, they’d have to fight their way out. The flashlights grew nearer, the three men were halfway across the square.
So much for the element of—
An explosion ripped through the night, the sky lit up on the fort’s western side. The ground shook and dust fell from the ceiling, two more explosions followed the first, both from different directions.
“Christ, it’s happened, they’ve done it, the families have attacked the compound,” Tawny said.
Mercy looked through the gap in the doors, the three men were running back across the square towards the barracks.
“This is it, go, go, go—” Mercy said, opening the doors.
They filed through and ran along the south eastern wall. Shouts and automatic weapons fire came from above. A 50 calibre heavy machine gun opened up near the gate, searchlights lit up the night reaching far beyond the walls. Armed men burst from the barracks and ran to the battlement steps.
Mercy led the others past the walled building in the south east corner and along the fort’s western wall towards the barracks. They reached the rear of the barracks unchallenged and crouched beside the wall. Mercy gestured for Leo to stay with her then signalled the others to take the front gate as planned. No more soldiers had emerged from the barracks, they were manning positions on the wall and would not expect an attack from within the fort.
Mercy watched as Tawny, Rose, Crimson and Quinn ran across the square towards the gates. She gave them five seconds then made her move, running around to the front of the barracks, she heard gunfire and a grenade exploding. The barrack doors were open, light streamed from the building. She ran into the corridor, Leo followed close behind. A second grenade went off behind them accompanied by more automatic weapons fire.
A dining hall opened up on Mercy’s right, fire burned in the grate at the end of the room, a long table lay strewn with plates and mugs. She snapped her head forwards and spotted a stair case. She remembered what Quinn had said about the fort’s underground levels and she took the stairs leading down. Voices and footsteps came from below, she brought the AR-15 up and stopped.
Mercy shot the first four NSA soldiers with controlled bursts. Other white coated figures retreated down the stairs, screaming and shouting. She took an electronic swipe card from one of the dead soldiers and stepped over the bodies, Leo close behind her. A door slammed below and the stairwell became quiet. Distant gunfire and screams came from the battle outside. Mercy descended the final steps and stood before a steel plate door, an electronic keypad and swipe lock lay to one side. A CCTV camera looked down on the entrance its red LED light flashing.
Use the card before they have a chance to reset the code—
Mercy swiped the card and the light beside the door turned green, the door opened swinging back on its hinges. A white corridor extended beyond the door, glass fronted offices on either side. Mercy reloaded the AR-15 and stepped into the corridor, she checked each room as she passed looking for Flynn, Stevie or Dakota. The place was deserted, she reached the end of the corridor and saw a lift and another set of stairs leading down.
She looked back at Leo. He nodded at the CCTV camera above the lift. Mercy fired a round into the camera destroying it. She pressed the lift call button, pulled Leo towards the stairs and waited. Seconds later the lift arrived and its doors opened.
Mercy crouched and rolled across the floor pointing her rifle into the lift; it was empty. She brought a chair from the nearest office and jammed it between the lift doors. Then she joined Leo in the stairwell, she glanced at her watch and frowned. They descended the stairs reaching the level below. A yellow biohazard symbol was emblazoned across the door at the bottom of the stairs. A CCTV camera stared down on them. Mercy swiped the card through the lock, nothing happened. She tried again, nothing. She cursed.
A noise came from behind followed by a shot. Mercy turned and saw Leo fall to the ground, the back of his skull blown away, his blood and brains splattered on the wall beside her. A tall, white haired man in a military uniform stepped out of the stairwell shadows, a smoking pistol in his hand.
“Amateurs, nothing but bloody amateurs. But still, it’s good to meet you in the flesh, finally… Mercy Dawes. My name is—”
“I know who you are, Colonel Randel. You’re the bast
ard who dreamt up this whole mess,” Mercy spat, bringing up her AR-15.
“I’d think carefully about that,” Randel nodded at the AR-15. “I’ve got your friends behind those doors, very useful they’ve been too.” He lowered his pistol, “Do you mind if I have a cigarette? You’re not supposed to smoke in these facilities but to hell with the rules, you’ve got to live a little sometimes, don’t you agree?” He took out a cigarette packet from his chest pocket and lit a cigarette blowing the smoke towards Mercy.
“Open that door, free my friends and I might just let you live,” Mercy said.
“Steady on girl, I like your spirit. You seem to misunderstand the situation, my staff are secure in there, there’s no way you’re getting in without me. That little diversion above ground will be over soon. We saw the families crossing the Narrows earlier on, difficult to hide that number of people even in darkness, you must remember we’ve got night vision. Still I didn’t expect you to get into the premises, you must tell me how you did that. Later perhaps—” he paused, examining Mercy’s face.
Mercy’s finger hovered over the AR-15’s trigger.
“You might want to look over your shoulder,” Randel gestured towards the door.
Mercy kept her gun trained on the Colonel and turned sideways to glance at the door. A small video screen beside the swipe lock came to life. Flynn’s face stared at her from the screen, he looked worn and battered, but it was him. Mercy’s heart leapt. A pistol was pressed against Flynn’s temple.
“We are close, this close to a solution for this mess as you call it, we just need you. Well, your immune system and genetic code to be precise. We can harness your natural immunity and manufacture antibodies using your blood and maybe even a vaccine in the fullness of time— his life is in your hands,” Randel whispered the last words.
Flynn could not see Mercy, he looked drugged, confused. There was no sign of Stevie or Dakota. Go with it, you’re so close, Flynn’s the other side of this door, you’ll figure it out—
The Survival Chronicles (Book 2): Angel of Mercy Page 20
