>>>>>>
The next morning came early for Squad A. Before sunrise the doors were thrown open and loud whistles and voices startled Nina from an unusually restful sleep. She sat up and looked around herself, trying to figure out what was happening. She realized that One was standing once again between the cell door and the bunk she slept on. And that certainly took her unease down a notch.
“And here’s yours,” a male voice said, pausing at the open door of One’s cell. “Get dressed. Your breakfast is on its way. Once it’s delivered you have fifteen minutes to eat, then we head out.”
No one answered the male standing in the cell block barking out orders to them. “Am I clear?” he asked.
“Yes,” One answered.
The male, flanked by two other soldiers, all wearing drab green and tan military BDUs, turned and strode from the cell block. He shouted over his shoulder just as he walked through the door and into the corridor. “Fifteen minutes, men!”
“Get dressed,” One ordered his squad, as he shoved his legs through the pants they’d given him, pulled on the teeshirt that hugged his enlarged and sculpted physique, then donned the BDU top that matched the pants he was wearing. He pulled on the socks, then the boots he’d been given, then put on the battle helmet with full face covering just to be sure it fit. When it did, he took it off and set it on the bunk.
He held out his hand to Nina. “Come,” he said.
“You don’t talk much do you?” she asked.
One shrugged. “Isn’t needed.”
Nina swung her legs over the side of the bunk, then got up and walked over to the lone metal toilet mounted in the corner of the cell. “I have to go to the bathroom, first.”
One walked toward her, then stopped halfway to her and turned his back, blocking her.
He thought about it while he did it. Why would he even consider blocking the view of her while she went to the bathroom. It made no sense. His males had all seen her completely naked. They all used the toilet out in plain view of anyone who cared to glance into their cells. It was completely natural. His brows pulled together while he stood there, waiting for her, and tried to figure out what in his past made him think to shield her while she used the toilet.
“I’m done. Don’t you need to go?” she asked, coming to a stop beside him.
“Went earlier,” he answered.
He walked out of his cell and stood there, with his mate beside him, while one by one each of his males realized he was standing relaxed, but at attention, waiting for them to finish, too. They each stepped outside their cells and waited just like he and Nina did.
“What are we waiting on?” Nina asked.
“Food,” One answered.
Moments later the doors opened again and three guards entered the cell block. Two of them held three covered meals each and the last one held a carrier with disposable cups with some kind of drink in them.
They gave One, each of his males, and Nina a covered plate and a cup.
“Fifteen minutes,” a voice commanded from the door.
One glanced up at the doorway, then looked down at Nina. “Inside,” he said, motioning with his head for her to enter the cell.
Nina sat on the edge of the bunk, and One joined her. She ate as quickly as she could while One wolfed down his food, then opened the cup to grin at finding coffee there. He gulped it down and closed his eyes as he savored the flavor. Occasionally they brought the males coffee with breakfast instead of juice, and One much preferred those mornings to the mornings he just got juice.
“You stay here,” he said, looking at Nina.
“If they’ll allow it,” Nina agreed, looking nervously at the door.
“You insist.”
“I’ll try,” she answered.
The double doors were shoved open again and the male One had decided must be the commander practically marched back inside the cell block. “Time’s up, gentlemen! Let’s go!”
One stood and started out of the cell. Once he was standing before the commander waiting while his males rushed to line up beside him, he ventured a glance at Nina.
She stood inside the cell, watching. She understood that her safety and ability to stay with this male that had decided she belonged to him, lay with their performance at whatever they were going to do. If they screwed up, or failed, she’d be sent to wherever they determined she was most needed.
As One and his males followed the commander out of the cell block she now called home, Nina perched on the edge of the bunk she shared with One, and since she was alone for the first time since she’d awakened in this hellhole, she let the tears come. After a few minutes of tears and feeling sorry for herself, she wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist and hand, then looked around the empty cell block as far as she could see from her bunk. She heard the quiet trickle of water at the other end of the room, she heard the creaking and popping of the metal roof as it began to warm with the sun, and she wondered why it had been easier to be one of the many instead of belonging to just one male. It was almost cruel to allow her to start to believe that maybe he’d be able to protect her to some point, because she knew in the back of her mind, the minute he didn’t do exactly what was expected, she’d be used against him. They’d hand her off to whatever male they chose, or a group of them. It was only a matter of time before they gave her back to him smelling of the other males and he lost his mind, killing her in a rage.
She lay back down on the bunk they shared and curled up into a fetal position, to wait for the outcome of this day’s activities. “Please let them do well,” she whispered.
Chapter 11
One and his squad were loaded into a van with no windows and a solid black panel between them and the driver.
There were three armed guards in the back of the van with them to insure they behaved and remained under control. They were driven to a location a little over an hour away, then the van came to a stop. The side door opened and the same male that was in charge back at their cell block stood facing them. They each climbed out of the van and stood at attention, waiting for their instructions.
One couldn’t help but notice key features of the landscape through his peripheral vision. They were in a densely wooded area. The van itself was a drab olive green and would have no problem blending into the copse of trees they’d chosen to shield themselves in.
“Your skills are being tested today. You will perform reconnaissance, gather intel, and prepare to assassinate all who are inside. You will lie in wait until the time is perfect so that none shall escape or have time to signal for help. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” they all answered. Not only were they hyped up on the additional hormones and chemicals they’d been injected with, they were all in a state of excitement as a result of having been allowed outside the testing facility. The thought of assassination meant nothing to them — much of their humanity had been erased. It was a simple mission that they each knew they’d carry out without fail.
“Get to it. Your target is three kilometers north, you will have to traverse a lake you should eventually encounter. You will determine a rendezvous point. Once your assignment is carried out, meet there and return to this spot for retrieval at midnight. If you miss retrieval, the next team will be taking you out.”
“Yes, sir,” they answered in unison.
Nine hours later Squad A lay perfectly still in observance of their target. They’d spent the day gathering information they’d need to make a successful hit. They’d determined the number of men in the camp, the weaponry they’d be up against, the level of training the men had, and while watching them determined the best time to hit.
It was a relatively small group of men, seven in all. And they’d been drinking all day, which meant they’d all be compromised shortly. The group was heavy with certain ideologies that ran rampant amongst some would-be survivalists. There were swastikas carved in the trees surrounding their camp. Most of the men had shaved heads and tattoos that clearly proclaimed their beliefs to a
ny who cared to notice. They were wannabe badasses. It was clear none had any formal training at all. They were all just playing at intimidation of anyone they could. They were not a real threat to One and his squad.
There was one guard left on duty. While the others passed out or continued to drink themselves into a stupor, he sat in an aluminum lawn chair that was so old, half the swaths of cloth that made up the seat were disintegrated beneath his ass, sipping his own bottle of Southern Comfort, with a locked and loaded AK47 across his lap as he gazed glassy eyed out into the darkness.
One glanced to his right where he knew Three and Four lay silently beside him. He gave the signal for the two of them to move around to the opposite side of the shoddy camp their targets had erected. He looked to his left and gave the signal for the others to move halfway around the camp. He waited quietly while his males arrived at their appointed points of entry. Once there, he reached down to the pistol at his hip, preferring it over the assault rifle in his hands, and slowly brought it forward. He aimed it between the eyes of the male sipping whiskey and staring out into the night, and pulled the trigger.
The only sound was the thump of the bullet hitting and penetrating the skull of his target. The silencer took care of making sure no one heard his pistol fire. Slowly he lifted up off the ground and began his slow, silent walk into the camp itself. He watched as his males did the same, matching him pace for pace.
Systematically, they eliminated every man in that camp. Orders carried out, assignment complete, they slipped back into the darkness and made their way back to the appointed pickup area.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The chains on the outside of the doors rattled, letting Nina know someone was entering the cell block. Three times during the day, a guard had been sent to bring her food. He’d left her plate outside the cell she shared with One, and immediately left the cell block. A short time later, he’d come back for her empty plate. The third time he’d lingered for a moment. “My name’s Hal,” he’d said, looking at her for a reaction.
Nina didn’t answer, just stared at him, waiting to see what he had planned. When he didn’t move or speak again, she subconsciously gripped the thin blanket covering her legs and lifted it to her chest. She didn’t take her eyes from his for a single moment.
“Didn’t mean to scare you. Just wanted you to know my name,” he said. He reached over and picked up her cup which had been sitting on the floor beside her plate. “And to know I’m not gonna hurt you. Just trying to make a living.”
Still Nina didn’t answer, and Hal left the cell block without further comment. But now, someone was coming in again, and she was afraid it was Hal. Nina hurriedly got to her feet and went to stand in the far corner of the cell. It was the darkest area of the cell, and from there she could at least get a look at what was coming at her before it got to her. She held her breath as she waited, hands clasped in front of her, pressed against her chin.
Then the doors swung wide as One and his squad entered the cell block. They all seemed on edge and went to their respective cells without a word to each other.
Nina could feel the tension rolling off the males, and her stomach did flip-flops wondering what was wrong. Before she knew it One was standing in front of her. He stared intently at her while he reached out and put his hands on her shoulders to force her to her knees.
“Your male needs,” he growled, as he held her in place with one hand while using the other to unfasten his pants and shove them down his thighs. Then he wrapped both hands in her hair and forced her face toward him.
Nina knew what he wanted and knew the safest way to survive One, or any other male for that matter was to just comply. She opened her mouth and took him as deep as she could. Before she closed her eyes, she saw the guards shove a female into the cell block. She stumbled, then Three caught her and forced her to her hands and knees as he shoved his clothing aside and mounted her from behind. Four walked up in front of her and dropped to his own knees, unbuckled his pants and shoved them down his thighs as he lifted her head and shuffled closer so she could take him in her mouth. Five waited his turn, and Two showed no interest at all.
Hours later after One had taken her in every way he could imagine, they lay side-by-side in his small bunk. She thought he was dozing, finally falling asleep, but when she turned over to her side with her back to him to go to sleep, he spoke. “They feed you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered.
One turned to his side as well, and pulled her in against him.
Nina took a deep breath and prepared to go to sleep. But a sound out in the now quiet common area of the cell block caught her attention. She raised her head to try to see into the darkness.
“Sleep,” One ordered.
“But I heard her cry out. It didn’t sound right. Maybe she’s really hurt,” Nina answered.
One shook his head. “Two is bathing her.”
“What?” Nina asked, confused.
“Always does. Bathes them and sleeps beside them until the guards come for them.”
Nina thought about it for a minute then laid her head on the pillow. “But I heard her shriek,” she finally said.
“Water’s cold,” One said. Then his tone grew surly. “Sleep!”
Nina lay beside One thinking about the biggest male of their squad. The one that could feasibly do the most damage. But instead, he didn’t take part in the rewards. Instead, he waited until the others were finished, then he bathed the reward in the water at the opposite end of the cell block and tucked her into his bunk where he kept her safe until the guards came for her. He must have been a really good male before they’d done whatever they’d done to him and all the others to make them like they were now.
Nina closed her eyes and tried to let sleep come. Today had been okay. She’d had all day alone, and no one was mean to her. No one abused her. Well, other than One, but, he was also the reason all the others were no longer allowed to touch her. And he truly believed he had a right to her since he’d claimed her.
She closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer for herself, for Two, for all the other women trapped in this hell, and even for One and his squad. Without them, she’d be back in with the other females with no chance of reprieve.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
The days ran into more days, and most of the time the only way Nina knew if it was day or night was when they came early in the morning to hustle the squad off to wherever they were going next. Sometimes they’d be back before she’d even had all three meals; other days they’d be gone for several days on end. It would be seven or eight meals before the squad would return. That was how she measured time, how many meals she’d had since One and his squad had left. They always left in the early morning from what she could gather.
This was no kind of life, but it was better than it had been before One decided she was his. When she found herself crying, she quickly reminded herself it could have been a lot worse, it had been worse, and she’d yank herself into the here and now. She’d exercise, running the length of the cell block until she couldn’t move. She’d bathe in the cold water from the ever leaking faucet at the end of the cell block. She’d fold the blankets on the bunk and shake out the pillow she and One shared, and she tried to remember the faces of her parents. The faces of anyone at all who’d ever shown her kindness. She thought of television shows, movies she’d seen, books she’d read. Anything to occupy her mind. And somehow she made it through until Squad A returned. It wasn’t that she missed them, it was that she’d grown accustomed to them. She knew what to expect. And as long as they returned, and had been successful, she’d be allowed to remain here with them. So she waited, relief a palpable thing each time the chains rattled and she saw One striding toward her, the words he always spoke growled from deep inside his chest, “Your male needs,” rumbling at her as he stalked her, determined to take what was his to take. Then settling in behind her to rest until the next time they came for the squad and it started all over again.
<<<<<<<>>>>>>>
One stood at attention on the tarmac, his black and grey BDUs fitting his form as though they were made for him. His squad stood at attention behind him. Dr. Waller walked with a small man in a perfectly tailored pin striped suit. Their voices weren’t audible — a sure sign that something wasn’t right. Normally they could hear any sound even remotely close to them. For the doctor to be taking care not to have his words heard, it should have put One on alert. But it didn’t. One had grown confident in his value to Dr. Waller and the program. He was perfectly content with the way things were and had no doubt that the doctor was, too.
One watched as the doctor and the small man in the suit shook hands. Then amidst smiles and lots of head nodding, they turned and began their walk back toward One and his squad. At the same time, Dr. Waller raised his right hand in the air and signaled to the guards surrounding them at different strategic placements. All guards raised their weapons and almost in unison, fired on One and his squad.
One heard outraged roars and growls mingling with his own. He heard the sounds of his males’ bodies as they fell to the tarmac just as his own did. He fought to maintain control, but no matter how much he struggled, he became more and more paralyzed from the tranquilizer darts still sticking into their flesh. As he lay snarling on the ground, he focused on a pair of shoes that had come into his field of vision.
Dr. Waller squatted before One. He reached out and tilted One’s face toward his. “Great news!” he exclaimed.
“Mr. Montagna has made an offer and I’ve accepted. You are our first officially successful experiment. You’ve been sold and will be accompanying Mr. Montagna back to his home in Columbia,” he said, clasping his hands together joyously.
One was outraged. He was not for fucking sale.
Beginnings Page 9
