by L M Lacee
But it appeared luck was indeed on Peyton’s side. There appeared no one had been trained in either the troopers or army, in fact it seemed these women did not even have a basic understanding of warfare. It wasn’t even ten minutes later, and they opened the gates and six people rushed out with a flatbed sled. Then, with a lot of struggling and cursing in loud voices, they finally managed to get the three bodies onto the sled.
Peyton shook her head, wondering how they could be so stupid. If her intention was to kill everyone, they would all be dead. The women on the walkway didn’t even have a weapon or self-preservation, it seemed.
Once the people with their burdens returned inside the fort, the gates were shut and Peyton’s three companions returned.
‘No one left through any secret door or was on the walkway on my side.’ Adam told her, the other two said the same thing.
Peyton nodded as she whispered. ‘So it seems they are either unaware of the bolthole, or they are confident of their fortifications.’
Tim asked. ‘Well, which is it?’
Adam smiled tightly as he asked. ‘Does it matter, we go in.’
Peyton grinned. ‘Yes we do, are you ready?’
They all nodded, each of them had a bag filled with the small balls that contained the sleeping agent. ‘Okay, we are good to go then.’
Naya said. ‘Just one question Peyton.’
‘Sure, what?’
‘How did you select your targets, then hit them in the dark?’
‘Technically that is two questions but I digress.’ She said as Naya raised both eyebrows. ‘I modified my arrows with nanos, so they would hit anything that was there. Whether it was day or night, they would have hit someone.’
‘It was random?’ Asked a startled Adam.
Peyton shrugged. ‘Sure, how else could I do it?’
‘Of course, how else?’ He said faintly as he looked at his wife. She shrugged, unable to answer his unasked question, she had no idea who this strange girl was.
‘Let’s do this.’ Peyton said as she moved into the dark with Tim.
Naya hissed to Adam as he was about to speak while she scrambled after the two others. ‘I do not care, worry about it later.’
‘If there is a later.’ He murmured as he followed behind her.
Peyton led them around the walls that had to be thirty feet high, when they came to the back of the fort. She notched an arrow as she nodded to the three people. Instantly they started tapping softly on the panels, looking for the panel that would sound different, exposing a way in.
She stepped onto her back foot and aimed at the top of the wall, in case someone looked over. She shouldn’t have worried, no one appeared. Within minutes of searching, Tim had located the panel. Peyton slipped the bow into her boot and the arrow into her pocket. Then she took Tim’s place in front of the panel and moved her hands over and around the edge, feeling for the trigger she knew had to be there.
When she could feel the other’s restlessness, she wanted to hurry but knew she had to go slowly. The trigger would be hard to find, that was what made it so secure. Otherwise, it would not be a secret.
Finally, she felt a slight dent on the edge of the panel; it was so small she thought it was just a flaw at first. Smiling when she pressed hard against the indent with her fingertip and felt the panel move slightly. She nodded to Adam, who had his gun in his hand as Tim aimed upwards with his rifle. She stepped back as she retrieved her bow and arrows. They did not really want to shoot anyone with a gun, arrows were quieter.
Adam slid the panel open, revealing a large doorway big enough for a magbike to ride through. Peyton stepped through the hole first with an arrow notched ready to fire, the others following close behind. Once inside, they saw they were in some kind of stable.
Peyton thought as she looked around, the person who built this fort really loved history, right down to stables for horses that had never seen the inside of these stalls. Tim nudged her, indicating a magbike sitting in the corner. She smiled and hurried over to it, relieved to see her boxes were still there. She opened one and withdrew several items along with her extra guns. Armed, she tucked her arrows and bow away and looked around for her bag, which was nowhere to be seen, and that just annoyed her all over again.
Ready, she took her share of the balls from Tim, who had carried them in his pack as Adam led them from the stables. They had discussed earlier who was going with whom. She and Tim were together, which suited her. He told her he was happy to follow her directions.
The inside of the fort was, as she expected, shaped in a square. A walkway surrounded the second level, and the ground floor boasted a swimming pool in the middle of a courtyard. It appeared all the rooms led off the walkways. The teams split up, taking either side of the fort. It was only a matter of flicking the balls inside the rooms and making sure they hit a wall or the floor or anything really making them explode. Then the compound mixed, and a gas permeated the room causing immediate unconsciousness.
Once they had completed their side, they met Adam on the second level. He dragged them both into a small room that Naya was waiting in. There was a dim light so Peyton could see the shelves lining three walls. ‘What is this place?’
Adam replied. ‘A closet, why?’
She shrugged. ‘No reason, it is small.’
Naya explained. ‘They probably use it for storage.’
Peyton nodded. ‘That seems reasonable.’
Adam sighed. ‘If I may continue.’
Peyton looked at the ceiling and hid her grin as Adam growled. ‘I was saying…’
Peyton opened her mouth to say he had not been speaking, but thought better of it when Tim nudged her.
‘There is no one on the walkways it seems they are all in a room that appears to be a conference room.’
Tim asked. ‘Where is it?’
Naya answered. ‘Down a short hallway, there are three doors opening into it. We cannot open a door and throw the balls without being seen or shot at, even as fast as we are.’
Peyton smiled. ‘I have a solution.’
Adam apprehensively asked her. ‘What?’
‘I will cause a diversion, then you three crash in and throw the balls.’
Naya said. ‘It is a good plan.’
Peyton grinned at her as the two brothers said nothing for a minute then frowning Adam protested. ‘It is a good plan, but we cannot ask that of you. It could be dangerous.’
Peyton smiled. ‘That is why it has to be me. Adam, you are needed if something goes wrong. Not that it will.’ She hurriedly assured Naya, who had drawn in a sharp breath. ‘But if it does, you would be missed. I, on the other hand, won’t be missed. I have no one waiting at home for me. Logic says I should do it. Adam, you know I’m right.’ When it looked as though she had not persuaded him, she growled. ‘Don’t make me hurt you.’
He smiled as the others chuckled at the short blonde woman with amazing green eyes, who looked like she could barely lift her own weight. Threatening big tall Adam.
He nodded, then said. ‘All right, but know this Peyton, we would miss you.’
A little glow spread through her body at his words as the other two agreed with him. ‘Well okay.’
They slipped from the closet and carefully made their way along the short hallway. When the three were in position Peyton stood in front of the furthest door, the plan was for her to shoot the lock and then rush into the room. She waved, then breathed out slowly, preparing to do her part, until she remembered her lock-pick.
From a pocket she pulled out her palm E.L.P or electronic lock pick, which she had retrieved from her traveling box.
She placed it against the lock and after three seconds heard the door unlock. Leaning down, she slid the lock-pick toward Adam. Standing once more, she waited until the brothers had both used the pick, then at Adam’s nod, she pushed the door open and walked in. No one seemed to notice she was there, which she found rude.
The women were gathered around an
enormous center table which held the bodies of a male and two females. Some women were weeping, others were stone faced, and more still were armed and bristling with anger. She saw two of the girls that had ambushed her standing at the side of the table, tears flowing freely. It seemed she had killed their sisters.
Peyton felt no sympathy for them, although her conscience niggled at her when she saw the older woman standing by them looking pale and weeping. Three women stood at the head of the table she assumed these were the Warren sisters.
With her guns drawn, she yelled. ‘Where is my stuff?’
The teenager who had first confronted her at the grove, looked up and gasped just as the other two doors were kicked opened and balls sailed into the room. Instantly the twelve women dropped to the floor, unconscious. Naya laughed as Tim grabbed Peyton in a hug while he crowed. ‘That was priceless.’
‘Thanks, now let me down.’
He swirled her around once more, then dropped her on to her feet. She walked to the teenager and retrieved her guns.
Adam handed out ties from his pack. ‘Splendid job, Peyton. Now you and Tim do one more walk through to make sure we didn’t miss anyone. We will tie these up and Tim, bring that sled back, we can use it to transport the ladies to the courtyard.’
Naya asked him. ‘We still doing that?’
He looked at Peyton’s face and said. ‘Yes, we have to, this must stop.’
Naya nodded, an unhappy look on her face. Peyton thought she probably just wanted to grab her sisters and leave, but there was more at stake here than her sisters.
Adam barked. ‘What are you two waiting for?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Peyton threw him a cocky salute which made his lips twitch as he bent to tie the hands of a woman on the floor. They all heard him say. ‘Smartass.’
Tim said. ‘We are going.’ He grabbed her hand and dragged a laughing Peyton from the room.
Adam smiled as he muttered to Naya. ‘She is crazy, you know that?’
Naya, who was rolling a woman over so she could tie her hands, replied. ‘Yes, but isn’t the quote, there is a fine line between crazy and genius.’
Adam rolled over another woman who turned out to be Odette Warren and reluctantly agreed. ‘True.’
Naya smiled as she told him. ‘She is also honest, sweet, and reliable.’
Adam stood and moved to another woman as he quietly said. ‘She won’t stay my love. She has something she deems important to do.’
‘We could ask her?’
‘Yes, we can, but I do not think her nature will allow her to stay. I don’t want you to be sad when she declines.’
‘I won’t be, I just want her to know she has options.’
He looked up from what he was doing and saw the sadness in her eyes. ‘We are not the family she needs.’
Naya looked into his beloved blue eyes and said. ‘We could be.’
Adam walked to her and drew her into his arms, saying. ‘You know we cannot be, she is destined for much more than our corner of the world. That young woman has greatness within her. You and I have rubbed up against enough of it, in our lifetimes to recognize it when we see it.’
Naya sighed as she hugged him to her. ‘Yes, we have, she will reach the stars, I think.’
‘Yes, I have no doubt she will try.’ He kissed her, then unhurriedly released her as they heard the young ones returning.
TWELVE:
It took the four of them an hour and a half to search every room, cellar and storage room, in case they had missed anyone. Then tie every unconscious person up and cart them all to the courtyard.
Apparently, it was not permissible to just roll them off the sled and onto the ground; they had to be placed on their sides so they did not smother or vomit and choke to death, which Peyton found slightly disgusting. After the lecture on the proper care of unconscious patients, given by Adam in tones that were very hard to dismiss. Peyton did as he ordered, but not without a lot of grumbling.
Except for the man and two dead sisters who had ambushed Peyton, they had everyone in the courtyard. There were fifteen adult women, a man in his twenties who was obviously related to the dead man and five teenaged girls. And the thirty kidnapped girls ranging in ages, Naya guessed between five and sixteen years old. She said her sisters were among the ones who had been held in locked bedrooms. They took all the captured girls into a large dining room. At Adam’s request, the girls remained tied until they knew where their allegiance lay.
Naya was not happy about that, especially regarding her sisters, she and Adam were in the stables arguing now. It was almost five o’clock in the morning, and Peyton still felt pumped with adrenaline coursing through her veins. She found herself a seat at one of the tables in the courtyard, Tim made them coffee and then sat with her.
He was explaining how Adam persuaded a friend in the troopers to give him an identity scanner. Which is what he used to identify the Warren sisters, and the others in their gang. Peyton watched him speak and knew he lied. She assumed Adam had stolen the scanner and thought maybe Tim was covering for his brother; she understood that.
Odette Warren started to wake up. She groaned and rolled around a little. Peyton said. ‘That was fast, I thought Adam said two hours.’
‘Metabolism is different for everyone.’ Was his only reply as he drank his coffee, his rifle resting on his lap.
Peyton sucked her cheeks in as she thought about that for a minute while she watched the women’s eyelids flicker. ‘Can’t they compensate for that?’
Tim scoffed as he shook his head. ‘In a cave. I don’t think so.’
‘Oh, yeah, forgot about that.’
Tim chuckled as Peyton pouted, then said. ‘My mind is busy all the time.’
He outright laughed at that pronouncement, causing Peyton to growl. ‘Oh, shut up.’
‘Who are you?’ Demanded a groggy voice from the floor.
Peyton replied. ‘Your worst nightmare.’ She grinned at Tim, who gave her a confused look. ‘What I heard it on a vid, it sounded great. I wanted to use it.’
He grunted, then said. ‘Well, I suppose it is true.’
Peyton grinned and said. ‘Again, I say shut up.’
‘Who are you people?’ The woman’s voice sounded stronger, and she seemed not so disorientated now.
Peyton observed. ‘No long-lasting effects, I see.’
Tim grinned at Peyton’s obvious glee at ignoring the woman. ‘My brother- and sister-in-law are fantastic at what they do.’
‘So it would seem.’
‘Who are you?’ Yelled the woman.
She made to stand, Peyton pointed her gun at her. ‘Don’t, I will kill you where you stand.’
At the woman’s smirk, Peyton said without emotion. ‘Don’t think I won’t, I have killed before. Your death will mean little to me, so sit or die… your choice.’
And the eyes that stared unflinchingly at Odette were hard chips of jade. Odette took one look into those green eyes and subsided. With a jerky nod, she grumbled. ‘Okay… okay, no need to get uppity.’
‘Oh, I like that word.’
Tim eased his finger off the trigger of his gun and asked. ‘Do you know what it means?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Well then, I gift it to you.’
‘Why thank you, kind sir.’
THIRTEEN:
Adam and Naya arrived and took a seat at the table. Tim handed them each a cup of tea. Several more women were rousing as they sipped their drinks.
By the time Adam had finished his tea, the three Warren sisters and at least half of the remaining women were awake. He opened his tablet and stated. ‘You are Odette Warren, you and Fiona and Rhea Warren, are responsible…’ He looked down at his open tablet, as though he could not face what he had to say next. Peyton thought maybe it was about Naya and her sisters and felt sorry for him.
It turned out she was wrong because his next words were delivered in a crisp voice and made her lose all her hard won self-control
. ‘You are responsible for the deaths of one hundred and twenty-two adults and children. You were tried in absentia and convicted, a warrant for your deaths was issued in accordance with the law.’
Peyton felt the ever present anger rise from the soles of her feet, it swamped her senses making her blind and deaf. Fear for what she could do overtook her. She stood abruptly, launching herself away from the table, kicking her chair into a glass door. Once moving she ran, hoping to outdistance the feelings of anger and disbelief. When she came to a stop, she found herself in the stables. She almost giggled hysterically as she saw that someone had found her bag and placed it on her magbike. She grabbed it with both hands and placed her face in the soft fabric and screamed, releasing all the tension and emotions that crowded within her chest.
After several minutes she came back to herself and slowly straightened, wiping her face with a cloth she found in her pocket. From the corner of her eye she saw Naya and Adam standing a little away from her, he said. ‘I am sorry.’
Hoarsely, she said. ‘Troopers kill people.’
Adam quietly told her. ‘We are not troopers.’
‘Who are you then?’
Naya replied softly. ‘We have been searching for these sisters for two long hard years, they always seemed to be one step ahead of us. When we came upon the town, days after they had raided it, we finally had our break, so we followed them here to their home base. This was as close as we have ever been to them, but we were afraid to raid the fort in case they killed the children, which they have done before. We were working on a plan when you fell into our lives. With your knowledge and weapons, you achieved something that may have taken months and cost many lives.’
Peyton straightened her clothes and smoothed her hair from her face. She said without looking at either of them. ‘You are good, I will give you that, I never knew you were lying and I always know. Guess I cannot say that anymore.’
‘I am sorry but it is what we do and we are very good at it. This is not a reflection on you Peyton.’ Naya went to place her hand on her shoulder but stopped when Peyton backed away.
