“Sir, how many are to be stationed on guard?” someone asks.
Towley doesn’t turn his attention from me. “Two outside of this door at all times. She is not permitted to move freely, yet. Transfers from bed to wheelchair only, and toilet breaks must be carried out with two nurses and three soldiers. Tranq guns only in this room. There is to be no camera activity under any circumstance. We don’t want a repeat performance of the rally where she is concerned.”
The soldiers salute their understanding and disappear into the corridor. Two nurses replace them. They bustle about me, not talking, but sneaking long glances at the infamous EVO.
“I see no point in transferring her to her wheelchair tonight,” the taller nurse tells Towley. “It is better that she falls into our routine here quickly. If she requires food, we can sit her up using the bed.” She changes the rain-wetted sheets, and then marks something on the chart hanging on the back of my door.
“She can wait until breakfast. Please, ensure the other EVO are settled for the night. I shall give Theyda some water.”
The nurses leave, and it is just Towley and I once again. He pours out a glass of water and sticks a straw in it. Then, using the control panel, lifts the head end of the bed a little. I’m thirsty, so I drink greedily. I’ll regret it in an hour of so when I need to use the toilet with spectators watching my every move.
“Well, that couldn’t have gone any better,” he says, perching on the edge of the bed. “Are you comfortable?” I close my eyes and attempt to drown his voice out. He doesn’t take the hint. “I’ll take that as a yes. Breakfast is served at—”
“Eight o’clock,” I interrupt. He smiles and nods. “Is it still porridge or eggs?”
“What would you prefer?”
“Either. I’ve been eating those disgusting pellets.”
“I can do better than porridge and eggs for my best EVO.”
I’m praying that I won’t be needing breakfast in the morning, but I doubt that Adam and the others will have a solid extraction plan in place by then. I need Towley to leave, so I can link with him and find out what is happening.
“I’ll be back in the morning,” Towley says, waving over his shoulder as he leaves.
“I’m in my old cell,” I blurt to Adam. “It’s the same. Everything is the same.”
Adam’s voice floods my mind almost instantly. “You need to tell me everything that you know, Baby. Is the layout the same? How did they get you inside?”
“Where are you?” I ask. “How long are you going to be?”
“Teds, we need to know everything. Focus, okay? We’re coming, but we need you to help us.”
I tell him everything I know, which isn’t much, and he assures me that they are working with Towley’s Technokins on my extraction. Surprise surprise, I just have to sit tight.
“Two of the Techs are currently in the air, due to land any minute. Towley likes to keep them close. Keep Towley on side. If they’re only allowed to take tranq guns into your cell, that’s a good sign.”
“I hate this. I hate him. I hate being back here. I hate having to see their cells.”
Adam shushes me, trying to calm me down. “It won’t be for long. You’re exhausted, I can feel it. You’re letting tiredness and memories drag you away from the mission. Do you want me to read to you? I brought the book especially.”
“I don’t want to distract you from the planning.”
“I’m sat in the back of a truck, waiting to arrive at the check point.”
“I’m glad that my TORO is still here with me,” I say.
“Forever with you.” He starts to read, and after a few chapters, the lull of his soft tones in my mind send me to sleep.
CHAPTER FORTY- SEVEN
The stark lighting flickers on as the morning shift starts. This time of day used to be my best time of day, because it was when Adam would come back on duty. I blink the dryness from my eyes and attempt to stretch out my limbs despite the restraints.
Before anyone realises I’m awake, there is one voice I want to hear. “Adam?”
“That was a good sleep, Baby,” he replies. “Five hours.”
“Did you get any?”
He snorts a little. “With you in there, not a chance. Besides, we’ve been finalising plans.”
“How much longer?”
“Today, when it is feasible. The Technokins say that the orders are to keep you in your cell at all times. We’re working with that, and it’ll make your extraction easier.”
“There are loads of EVO here.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “We know.”
“What does this mean for them?”
More silence. “I don’t know, Teds. We’re crossing bridges as we come to them.”
“Does that mean that we may have to leave them behind?”
“It means we will do what we can.” It’s not what I wanted to hear, but what can I do? “Once you and those helping us are out, we can take control. We can’t give the game away until the last minute.”
“I understand.”
He sighs. “This whole situation is shit, but it’s working. Not only that, the Techs have informed us that three out of the five stealth planes are at Facility One. We really stand a chance now. You were right about this mission.”
I scoff. “Why does everyone seem so surprised by that?”
“Because we’re block-heads.” His aura changes a little, gets more erratic. “They’re coming to your cell, right now. Keep your head in the game.. I love you.”
He cuts out of our connection before I have a chance to respond. The tell-tale clunk of the inner locking system on the door proves he was on the ball with the information. The Techs really must know everything. A marine enters the cell followed by his back up. The two nurses start pulling me about without so much as a grunt of acknowledgement.
“Does she need to piss?” I recognise the harsh tones of Mangard.
“Yes, she does,” I retort.
He looks set to reply, but Towley clears his throat behind him and strides into the room. It is the same routine as before to get me washed, dressed, and on the toilet. Flexing my wrist earns me a crack with a baton across my upper arm.
“I was stretching,” I say, groaning in pain. “Just stretching.”
Towley tilts his head. “This is how it must be, Theyda. You’ve proven yourself untrustworthy after your last stay in our custody.”
“Whatever.” I allow them to manhandle me back into the wheelchair. “Do you think I care what you do to me?”
The soldiers and nurses act as if nothing has been said, continuing to strap me into the restrains of the chair. Towley sucks his teeth, watching me intently, then turns to a nurse and speaks quietly. She gives me a disapproving glare, but nods her head and leaves the room.
“Theyda is to remain in her room at all times.”
“Will she not be included in the research experiments?” the other nurse asks, clearly shocked.
“I think it best that this individual be kept individual. The last thing we need is those lot getting ideas of grandeur. Theyda may have one arm free to eat. Eyes and tranq guns remain on her throughout.”
The nurse sighs, undoing the restraint on my right wrist that she had so purposefully pulled taut.
“I’m just going to stretch my arm,” I warn the baton-happy soldier.
The first nurse returns carrying a tray of pancakes, syrup, and bacon. The smell is divine, and I practically salivate all over myself as she chucks it down on the table in front of me.
“Adam, can I eat the pancakes?” I ask, praying for a positive reply.
“Pancakes? Seriously?” There’s a pause as he is probably barking orders at the Technokins. “We’re not sure. Worst case scenario, they’re spiked, but if you refuse to eat them, Towley may get suspicious.”
“To hell with it. I’m eating them,” I admit.
“Do we trust her with a fork?” the nurse asks Towley, snapping my attention back to the ro
om.
“I don’t need a fork,” I interrupt. Hell, I’d stick my face in it and snuffle it up like a hog if need be.
Towley readjusts his tie. “A plastic spoon should suffice. Ensure she eats,” he orders the soldiers before leaving.
“I hope you choke on it,” Mangard says. The other soldier smothers a laugh in his sleeve. “This is a piss-take,” he continues. “Did we have pancakes and bacon for breakfast this morning? Did we hell. I got cremated toast and a cup of tea as weak as gnat’s piss.”
“Instant coffee with those little cartons of milk that don’t need to be kept in the fridge,” the other soldier recounts. “Nasty stuff.”
I make sure I look Mangard in the eye as I stuff another spoonful of pancake into my mouth. “You like the sound of your own voice,” I say, tucking into some bacon. I’m sure I see the edge of his mouth turn up in a smirk. “He’s aware of you. You don’t want Towley’s attention. Believe me.”
“Did I say you could talk?” he spits at me. I shrug, turning my attention back to my plate. He whips the remaining pancake out from under my nose and stuffs it in his mouth. “I think you’re done,” he mumbles through his mouthful of food. “She’s done, right, Bale?”
Bale laughs. “I reckon so.”
It’s hard to keep the disappointment from my face, but I allow Bale to restrain my wrist once more whilst Mangard stuffs his face. “Have you ever been hungry enough to eat something, despite your worry that it could be have been spiked?” I ask him. Mangard looks down at the plate, fear gracing his pock-marked face. “Desperate times and all that,” I say, staring at the wall.
“Spit it out, man!” Bale shouts, smacking Mangard on the back.
Mangard makes a gagging noise and spits the sticky pancake mess onto the plate.
“I think you’re good,” I state. “The last time I ate Towley’s mash potatoes, I was unconscious within minutes.”
The pair of them exchange glances and return to pointing their tranq guns at me.
***
It was probably for the best that Mangard relieved me of that final pancake. My stomach cramps from being full, and after a few dicey moments of swallowing back the lump in my throat, I can finally relax and not worry that I will lose the contents of my stomach.
Maybe I spoke too soon. Towley swans into the room bringing with him that feeling of nausea once again. The two marines enter the room with him, standing at the doorway as he takes a seat on my bed.
“There is a meeting that we need to get over and done with,” he announces. “Someone who you are familiar with, but I feel you may hold a lot of resentment toward. I think it best for all concerned that it happens now and assurances made.”
Dr Hollister steps into the room, thick lensed glasses perched on his nose, and that brilliant white lab coat.
“Always a pleasure, Theyda.”
Towley looks at the tablet, and then up at my face. My heart-rate has given me away. I fear Towley, of course I do, but Hollister is the face of my memories and agony. Seeing him again for the first time is a shot of terror to the system.
Hollister takes my head in his hands and manoeuvres my skull, eyeing the white scar through my regrown hair. “How is Jonah?” he asks, nonchalantly.
Towley awaits my reply, allowing Hollister his freedom to speak.
“Right now, I have no idea. In hiding with the rest, I hope. Like I said, we disbanded after the bombs wiped out our food supply.”
“But he was a member of Shift?”
I nod. “Yes. I’m privileged to call Jonah a good friend of mine.”
Towley makes a tsk noise at my admission. “I have always had a nagging curiosity about something. How did Jonah get the codes for the Scrambler?” he asks.
He doesn’t know.
“You think Jonah had the codes? Jonah took the Scrambler out, nothing more. My grandfather read you to get the codes.”
Towley’s back straightens. “Grandfather? Sorry, I don’t follow.”
Holy shit. He has no idea. How could he not?
“Yes, my grandfather, Rafe Lloyd. The leader of Shift. Who did you think I—”
Towley furrows his brow. “Rafe Lloyd is the leader of Shift, not Ian Fletcher?”
Despite the new revelation, I choose to further my ‘resigned EVO’ act that little more. “Was. He was the leader of Shift. I told you already, there is nothing left of the rebellion.”
“Let me get this perfectly straight in my head. You’re telling me that Rafe Lloyd has not only come back from the dead, but he is leading the rebellion?” I don’t reply. Surely, he sees the panic that shadows my face. Towley stands, pressing a button on his watch. “Security detail to move from red to black. Imminent threat to the facility.”
Hollister shoves my head forward and pulls my top away from my back to admire the art work he left on my skin. “Everything alright, Ray?”
Towley shakes his head. “If Rafe Lloyd is alive, then he is coming for her.”
“He isn’t coming. He doesn’t know I’m here,” I say.
“If Rafe Lloyd has managed to lay low for decades, head a rebellion against the country, and survive the process without rearing his ugly head once, then he will sure as hell know where to find his granddaughter.” He points to the screen. “Your heart-rate appears to agree with me.”
“My heart-rate is reacting to your temper. It remembers.”
Towley stops his tirade and takes a deep breath. “I’m not angry at you, Theyda,” he says, softly. “I won’t hurt you.”
“I have re-fused bones that would disagree.”
Something bristles in him, causing his nose to crease. “Again… I won’t hurt you again.” My eye roll isn’t appreciated. “You came back, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t come back for you,” I say on an out breath. My exhaustion isn’t part of the act, it’s too true. Mentally, I think I’ve gone above and beyond exhaustion limitations. “I came back for them.” That couldn’t be truer. I came back for them all. “Do you still hold your promise?”
“There will be no more bombings of civilians. I will, however, kill anyone who tries to break you out of this facility.” His emotionless stare eats into my soul.
“How many times do I have to say it?” I sigh, shrugging off Hollister’s hold on my shoulder. “No one is coming, because no one knows I’m here. No one knows this facility still exists.”
Hollister squirts alcohol gel onto his hands and rubs frantically as if EVO is a contagious disease. “She has a point, Ray.”
Towley chews his lip, but then shakes his head violently. “Rafe Lloyd is coming for her. We’re on a code black.” He throws the door open and barks orders at the soldiers outside. “An attack on this facility for the extraction of Theyda Leason is definite.”
“Adam, he knows. He knows.”
“Whoa, what?”
“He knows there is going to be an attack?”
“How?”
“They had no idea that Rafe was still alive, let alone heading Shift. They believed it to be Crow. He knows that whilst Rafe is breathing, he’ll do everything he can to rescue me.”
“The Techs have just contacted us. The Facility is on a code black alert.”
“That’s bad, right? Oh, God, I can’t breathe.”
“Okay, deep breaths. We’ll… I’ll…Shit!”
“Adam, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m sorry, don’t be scared. We’re on it. I’m getting you out. I promise that I will come for you.”
The quiver in his voice reverberates through my body. He means what he says, but that doesn’t mean that we’re getting out alive.
“What about the other EVO?”
“Teds, we can only do so much. There are seventeen EVO in there with you in five cells spread throughout the entire facility.”
I know it’s unfeasible to attempt extraction for all seventeen without casualties. It’s barely feasible to get me and the Techs out. I’m not sure I can leave this place with a clear
conscience if we don’t at least try to take them with us. Yet again, we’re scraping the bottom of the options barrel, but this is where the mission comes together or crashes and burns. Let’s jump in with both feet.
“Give the game away,” I tell Adam. “We have to take control and let him know it. Just wait for my cue before you act.”
“Teds, just sit—
“If you tell me to sit tight one more time…” I let my frustration fizzle out before it affects my mindset. “What did we say about people underestimating me? Don’t be a block-head and just do what I say.”
He laughs a little despite his apprehension. “Yes, Ma’am.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Two new soldiers take over guard duty outside of my door. I can hear them talking to each other, explaining the situation up-top in regards to the code black alert. It must be nearly evening, but without Towley’s presence to enforce my meals, lunch has been forgotten and my stomach growls angrily. Where is Towley when you need him? I never thought I’d say that.
“Hey?” I shout, rattling my chair. “Hey? Is anybody there?”
Two tranquiliser guns are trained on me.
“What’s your noise about?” one soldier asks.
“I need a drink. I haven’t had anything since breakfast.”
The second soldier strides into the room, picks up the jug and tips its contents over my head. “There you go. Now, shut up.”
I gasp against the cool water drenching through my scrubs. “Feel better now?” I ask.
“Not even close.”
“You people are full of so much hate,” I say, shaking the water from my head.
His cheek twitches in annoyance. “We have a lot to hate.”
“Well, it’s misdirected. Just a heads up, the bombings of the civilians were not sanctioned by the E.N.C, Shift, or TORO Squad. We haven’t heard of any other EVO organisation claiming responsibility, so if my people didn’t bomb the hospitals and apartments? Who did?
“Why should we believe anything out of your mouth?”
EVO Nation Series Trilogy Box Set Page 85
