by Peter Hoole
Murphy saw her paramour’s response and turned back to Dunleavy.
“I don’t know. The Captain said to meet Walker and the others at the Nest. And I don’t like going against him.”
Dunleavy shook his head.
“Look…” he said, annoyance in his voice, “We’re here now. The Captains back in Australia. We need to make the call. This virus… it could be unleashed any minute. The more time we lose, the….”
Dunleavy was unable to finish his sentence before Murphy cut him off.
“Ok…” she said.
Her response surprised Dunleavy. While he thought he’d be able to convince her, he thought it would take a little longer.
“Good…” he said, a bit flustered.
Dunleavy grabbed the headset that had been next to him and handed it to Murphy.
“Make the call.”
Chapter Forty
It happened so fast. Caleb squeezed the trigger of his rifle. He expected a hail of bullets to fly out the barrel. At least one of them would have hit William, and at the very least, he would have had some measure of revenge for Darcy’s death.
He also would have been able to stop William from whatever he and the other Colonials had planned.
But, in an almost serendipitous way, it did not happen as Caleb expected.
There was a hail of bullets, but it did not come from his weapon Just as he nearly completed the trigger squeeze, a loud noise erupted from his left.
There were three men there, led by Brett. They had scurried there after the cabin exploded.
They were there as Williams back up, and one of the main reasons he could be so cocky when addressing Caleb.
But the noise now emanating from behind them was enough to change both Caleb and Williams focus.
Caleb swung around, and what he saw caused him a mix of surprise and joy.
He saw her.
As beautiful as the day they met. The love of his life was alive.
Not only was Darcy’s heart still beating, it seemed her trigger finger was operating appropriately as well.
As she fired, Caleb flung himself forward, getting to the ground as quick as he could. As he jumped, the bullets that were going around him began flying above him. On the ground, he turned to his left, and saw Brett and his compatriots fall to the ground.
The bullets fired by Darcy, and whoever was with her, had had their desired effect.
Now, all that was left was William.
Caleb looked up to where William had been standing.
But the Englishman was gone.
At that moment, however, Caleb’s training failed to assert itself. The only thing on his mind was getting to Darcy as quickly as he could. He thrust his hands into the dirt track and propelled himself to his feet.
Still holding the gun, Darcy was scanning the surrounds, focusing on what threats may appear.
Caleb ran towards her, knowing that his movement may interfere with their safety.
But, after a few steps, he was able to run with more freedom. He spied Adam, who had also survived. Adam was next to Darcy, his taller, larger frame making him seem imposing over the slighter frame of Caleb’s love. As Caleb drew closer, and his concentration returned, Caleb made out a third figure.
Adam, standing to Darcy’s left, had a weapon drawn, pointing towards where Caleb had been. With his left arm, he was restraining the third member of their small group.
From the distance Caleb was from the trio, Caleb was unable to determine who the third figure was.
As he drew closer still, the situation became more evident.
The first clue was Adam.
There was a rage inside him, as though no thought or emotion could be worse than the anger he was feeling at that moment. He was fired up, and he wanted cause pain. As Caleb paid heed, he noticed Adam looked a little disappointed when all of William’s men had been slain.
It was evident that the cabin’s explosion had wiped out most, if not all, of his team.
Adam had a tear running down his face, and his right arm was firmly clenched around whom Caleb presumed to be his prisoner.
But Caleb was distracted momentarily, for he had to hold Darcy. He continued towards her; his arms outstretched. As he approached, Darcy reflected his posture. They wrapped their arms around each other, embracing as though they had spent years apart.
Though it had only been a few minutes, Caleb was grateful to once again be holding Darcy.
Every time over the past few days that he had thought the worst, and there had been a few, Caleb realised just how much he needed her, and how lost he would be without her.
After their embrace came to its all-too-soon conclusion, Caleb stepped back.
He turned to Adam, who was still hold on tightly to Zach.
Caleb was immediately concerned, and there were several reasons why, not in the least because William was no doubt lurking nearby.
Caleb grabbed Darcy by her spare hand and led her into the bush.
Adam quickly followed, his vice-like grip around Zach impeding their movement. But it was a price that needed to be paid. To give Zach any leeway would be a mistake,
It could even be a fatal one.
Caleb knew that the Colonials, for all their faults, were well organised. The proof of that was how quickly they were able to amass a strike team in the middle of country Australia.
Whatever they had planned as a contingency, Caleb knew that he, Darcy and Adam didn’t have much time to take advantage of the small window they had.
And the window would be getting smaller, with William no doubt in communication with his people.
The best offence at that time was defence. In order to keep fighting, they had to run.
So, they moved through the bushland.
While Caleb had often spent times in various climates – the snow of Russia, the jungles of South America, and the vast desert of Africa, there was something surprisingly, and refreshingly, unique about the Australian bush. The vast forest-like environment was both wet and dry at the same time, with the rich smells of Australian fauna and flora enough to soothe most people.
Unfortunately, this was not the time for Caleb to enjoy the idyllic setting he was in. He needed to get them all to safety, to a quiet place where they could plan their next move.
They moved through the bush for several minutes, with only one idea in mind – to get as far from the cabin as they could. But it was not an idea that could last.
At that moment, they were blind.
It was a foreign environment, in a foreign land.
“Adam…” Caleb gestured for the tall, strong indigenous man to come to him.
Adam moved towards Caleb, wrenching Zach forward.
Caleb let go of Darcy’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
He then grabbed onto Zach’s free arm and pointed at Adam.
“Your home…” Caleb said, “You lead.”
Adam nodded and moved in front of Darcy. Wasting little time, Adam led them through the bush.
Caleb was relieved. As they moved, Caleb could sense Adam had a plan.
Rather than running in a straight line (or as straight as far as Caleb could tell), Adam moved between the bushes, shrubs and trees with ease. It was clear he was the most comfortable in the surroundings.
Darting through the bush, Caleb at times found it difficult to hold onto Zach, as the senior Colonial was doing what he could to thwart the group’s progress. For every turn Caleb would attempt, Zach would struggle into opposite direction.
But this did not slow Caleb as Zach would have hoped. The strong Marine was more than capable of resisting anything Zach was able to dish out. And with Adam leading the way, Caleb was hopeful they may be able to make it out of their current predicament.
Adam strode through the bush with confidence, able to adapt to the conditions like a man that had spent his life growing up in them.
They walked, ran and jogged for about ten more minutes, getting further and fur
ther into the dense bushland.
After a while, they came to a small opening in the trees.
Adam put up his hand, indicating that is where they would take pause.
Caleb thrust Zach forward, causing him to fall onto the dry, leafy ground.
As he dropped, Zach let out an audible sigh. The fall had obviously caused him some discomfort.
Not that it bothered Caleb. Not for the first time in the past few days, Zach’s people had tried to kill both him and Darcy. It was all he could do to stop himself from further injuring the man.
As Zach regained his composure, Caleb spoke to Adam.
“Did any more of your people get out?” Caleb asked. He was unsure as to why he asked, as the look on Adam’s face earlier had already answered the question.
But, rather than a verbal response, Adam lifted his gun.
He pointed it straight at Zach and moved forward. By the time he stopped moving, the gun was mere inches from his targets face.
Adams hands shook with rage. And Caleb could only empathise with him. He too felt angry. Angry that there had been even more killing to assist the Colonials with their motives.
But, now was not the time to act on the anger.
Adam knew that, Caleb figured. He knew because he would have killed the Englishman already, as there had been several chances to do so.
Not that the realisation seemed to calm Adam.
Caleb could feel the delicacy of the situation. He knew that Adam, while measured, could lose his control at any moment.
“Adam…” Caleb began, speaking as calmly as he could, “You know we need him.”
Caleb’s rationality had no apparent effect on Adam’s façade. He kept his gaze directed at Zach.
And then, as she always seemed to be able to do, Darcy stepped in. Placing her hand on his shoulder, Darcy used the trust they had established.
“It’s ok.” She softly whispered to Adam as she lightly rubbed his shoulder.
And then she said something that surprised Caleb.
“You’ll get your chance… But not now.”
Chapter Forty-One
As soon as the fighting had started, Adam had grabbed Darcy and guided her through to the room with Zach. As they entered the room, Zach’s guard had run out to the front to assist those firing at Williams men.
As she entered the room, Darcy saw Adam wrench Zach from his chair.
Almost immediately, they had run back to the front room, where Adam grabbed a weapon for Darcy.
Handing it to her, Darcy assumed they would also head to the windows to start firing.
But, rather than head to the window, Adam grabbed her and Zach, and they proceeded out the side of the cabin.
They had jumped over the wooden balcony, onto the ground that was three feet lower than the floor.
While the initial jolt had caused Darcy to fall, Adam had bounced up like a well-trained athlete.
As soon as Adam had leapt up, he had grabbed Zach by the arm, and led them down the side of the cabin.
And then, the explosion happened.
They had only been a few yards from the wall of the cabin, but it had been enough. Not to completely escape the shockwave, but enough that they were able to walk away.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for those inside.
Judging by how far she and Adam had been thrown, Darcy knew the others could not have survived.
As they stood, Darcy could sense Adam knew as well.
With a quickly regained composure, Adam had grabbed Zach and pulled him up. With one arm around the Colonials neck, Darcy figured it was only a short time before he would kill him.
But Darcy knew they still needed Zach alive.
He was the only one that could unlock the tablet and give them the information they needed.
Darcy looked for a way to distract Adam.
Without thinking, she placed her hand on his shoulder. It had worked before, and might work again, Darcy had thought to herself.
And so, it did.
Adam seemed to snap out of his anger, and focus.
It was at that point they had joined Caleb around the front of the cabin.
Following their short getaway from the Colonials, they had reached the small clearing.
Adam was furious. There was only one thing on his mind – revenge.
So, Darcy did the only thing that came to her mind. She knew she needed to keep him calm… to get his focus where it should be.
She put her hand on his shoulder, and softly told him it was ok. As she said the words, she figured they may not be enough. And she followed them with another reassurance, that he would get his chance.
As she spoke, Adam seemed to calm down.
Darcy was relieved and thought about what should happen next.
But it seemed Adam was not so easy to calm down.
He violently shrugged her arm away. Darcy was taken aback. Her calming demeanour had no effect on him.
“No!” he said forcefully, “This is the time. None of them deserve to live any longer.”
Adam raised his weapon with more purpose, and again pointed it at Zach.
Darcy saw the intent change in his eyes and knew that it would only be a few moments before he pulled the trigger.
Caleb, after seeing Darcy’s face, knew exactly what she was thinking. He ran towards Adam and lunged toward him. He knew it was a risk to take his eyes off Zach, but he knew he needed to keep the Colonial leader alive.
Caleb took a few small steps, then dived towards Adam, his arms reached out. He knew he didn’t have much time, and that his technique would not guarantee the shot would not be fired.
But, considering Adam had his gun pointed towards Zach’s head, any other outcome was acceptable.
As Caleb leapt, Darcy moved away from Adam to move out of the way of any unintended damage by Caleb.
Caleb encountered Adam; his outstretched arm able to land on Adam’s left bicep. The force of Caleb’s body colliding with the similar frame of the Aboriginal man was enough to cause an audible thud.
Tit was not enough to stop the shot.
The loud bang was enough to disorientate Caleb as he and Adam became entangled in each other.
Soon after the bang, Zach let out a roar of pain.
Which Caleb took as a good sign – if he had been shot dead, Zach would have made no noise at all.
Caleb stood, pressing his hands into the bulk of Adam. As he leveraged himself off the ground, Adam reached up and struck Caleb.
Adam was clearly angry, not only with Zach, but it would seem now that he had a heightened level of disdain for Caleb as well.
Caleb was taken back by the blow.
While he had received punches with more power than this one, he was still smarting.
But Caleb did not want to fight Adam. He knew Adam had just suffered a great loss, and that his need to hurt, even kill, others was something Caleb could relate to.
But, as much as Caleb wanted to allow Adam to follow through with his emotion, he knew that it would be more hindering than helpful.
So, instead of parrying away Adam’s next attempted strike, Caleb simply grabbed him as he lunged forward.
Though they were a similar size, Caleb was able to use a small element of surprise in his tactics. Caleb use this to his advantage.
As he grabbed Adam, he swung him around, threw his left arm around his neck and his right around his chest.
Adam struggled beneath the power of the choke hold, flailing his arms and legs in a hope to break free.
While Adam did land a few blows, they were far below Caleb’s threshold, and he was able to absorb them easily.
Caleb had Adam under control.
As such, he was able to assess the situation.
As Adam struggled, Caleb looked around the clearing. His first thought was of Darcy. He looked quickly to his right and saw her. While looking a little on edge, she appeared otherwise unharmed.
When he was satisfied, Caleb
turned to Zach.
He was hobbled over in pain, clutching his leg. Adam’s shot had hit its target, but fortunately, the wound was not fatal. Caleb had seen enough injuries in his time and given the extraordinary healing abilities the serum provided the Colonials; Caleb was relieved when he saw the bullet wound in the leg.
Zach writhed in pain on the ground, something that brought a smile to Caleb’s face. He too felt what Adam did – a burning desire to see the Colonials get what they deserved.
But, now was not the time.
“Darcy?” Caleb began.
Darcy took her eyes away from Zach and turned to Caleb.
“Go check on him.” Caleb continued, motioning with his eyes towards the man on the ground.
Darcy did as she was asked. She knew Caleb would not have asked unless he felt it would be ok.
Not that she needed his approval for such things.
Not any more at least.
Just a few days earlier, she was living as normal a life as she could think of.
Back then, back in her apartment, she knew she had to rely on Caleb.
But now, after what she had seen, she had grown not only in confidence, but awareness as well.
Still, it was nice to get the backing of Caleb before she took any real risks. And now that he had control of Adam, the Colonial leader could be tended to.
Darcy made her way to Zach, still writhing in pain.
Even as she approached, his screams became less and less, as the serum seemingly began working.
Adam struggled against Caleb, but it was all in vain. Such was Caleb’s strength and technique, even the strongest person would have difficulty escaping.
After several moments, Adam seemed to realise his predicament, and slowed his resistance.
As he relaxed, Caleb tried to talk to him.
“Adam,” Caleb said, straining against the movements of the burly Australian, “You need to focus. You need to calm down.”
Adam didn’t respond, merely grunted his disdain for the situation.
Again, Caleb tried to reason with him, but it was to no avail. Adam clearly only had one outcome in mind, and it was not the outcome that would best suit the mission.
Caleb was sure that Adam, if released, was likely to attack Zach again. If he did, it may have a more lasting impact.