by LeVar Burton
He left the Enhancer inside.
Hope surged through her. The Neuro-Enhancer was in the very next building. So close, yet impossibly far. If she could only get free, she could grab the Enhancer and get away. If all else failed, she would destroy the device so Dr. Sinclair could not have it.
Rene was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t hear the door open. As it was, she barely had time to drop back down into a sitting position as a guard entered the building. With the guard came the realization of just how hopeless her situation really was. She was a prisoner, chained to a wall like an animal. There was no way she could get loose or get to the Neuro-Enhancer, no chance of getting free.
Rene started to cry. Freedom: the word meant so much to those who didn’t have it.
Chapter 29
Darkness came on leathery wings, draping the night sky in ebony velvet, filling the air with the cries of crickets and frogs. There was no moon; the only light came from the twinkling of a million stars. Beneath those stars Leon Cane made his way cautiously across an open field. Armed with only a .45 automatic, he moved like a shadow, a ghost in the night, silent in his passing. Reaching the razor-wire fence, he paused to study the farm beyond.
Here there were lights, set on poles and fastened to the sides of buildings, places where he could easily be seen. There were also guards. Not nearly as many as he had seen earlier in the day, but guards nonetheless. He counted four, but knew there were probably more. Kneeling in the darkness, Leon watched the guards until he became familiar with their movements and then focused his attention on the six livestock buildings.
Four of the barnlike structures lay in darkness. Lights burned in the other two. The woman he sought would probably be in one of the darkened buildings, but which one? There was no way of telling without searching each and every one of them. Maybe he would get lucky and find her in the first one he checked. Maybe not. If only there was some way to narrow down the search a little. He smiled. Perhaps there was.
He had come all the way from Atlanta, drawn to a woman he did not know, following a voice that he could not explain. Though the voice was now silent, he still felt a tingling in the very fibers of his being, like the caress of invisible fingers along the inside of his spine. He could still feel her.
But where?
Leon focused his attention on the closest of the buildings, but felt nothing to make him believe she was in that one. He studied the second building. Again nothing. He concentrated on the third livestock building for a minute and was about to pass over it when something touched him. Call it a feeling, a hunch, the voice of his consciousness, whatever, he was certain the woman he sought was somewhere inside the third building.
Now that he found the woman there was still the problem of getting to her. Could he make it past the guards without getting caught? He didn’t want to think about what would happen to him if he was discovered; it was not a pretty picture. And what if the building was locked, or if there were alarms? Leon forced such thoughts from his head, for they brought the metallic taste of fear to his mouth. He was scared enough as it was.
Waiting until the area was temporarily free of guards, Leon moved closer to the fence. A quick check for transformers and insulators turned up negative. The fence was not electrified, but it was topped with three strands of razor wire, which would rip him to shreds if he attempted to climb over it. Even if he wore protective clothing, which he didn’t, there was still the danger of being seen as he climbed the fence. Such an unwelcome intrusion would probably be greeted with a hail of gunfire. So if he couldn’t climb over the fence, he would have to crawl under it.
Leon moved along the fence until he found a natural depression in the ground. He looked to be sure no guards were in the area, and then tore away the weeds and began digging handfuls of dirt from under the bottom of the fence. Luckily, the ground was soft from years of farming so it took only a few minutes to scoop a hole large enough to squeeze beneath the fence. Checking again for guards, he crawled under.
Once under the fence, he ran for the closest of the white buildings, hiding in the deep shadows along an unlit wall. His heart pounding in fear, his mouth dry, Leon waited for sirens or alarm bells to sound. None did; he had not been seen.
Breathing a sigh of relief, he crept along the wall to the corner. He was about to peek around the building when footsteps alerted him that someone was coming. He barely had time to press himself flat against the side of the building as a guard walked past. Had the guard looked to his right he would have spotted Leon, for he was half in and half out of the shadows. But the man was more interested in the cigarette he smoked than any intruder, never once turning his head to either side as he walked away. Leon waited until the guard passed by, then slipped around the corner to the other side of the building.
From the first building he ran to the second, again hiding in the shadows until he was certain that the coast was clear. Even with no guards in sight Leon was reluctant to leave the shadows of the second building, for the area between the second building and the third was brightly lit by a floodlight sitting high atop a telephone pole. Once he stepped out into the open he would be in the light, easily seen by anyone looking his way.
The light on top of the pole was also positioned in such a way that it reflected off the side of the third building. There were no shadows on the side of the building that faced him, no place to hide if a guard happened to wander by. Once he stepped into the open, Leon would be exposed until he made it inside the third building. And if the door happened to be locked he was doomed, for there would not be time to retrace his steps back to the safety of the shadows before another guard showed up.
Here goes nothing. Mystery lady, I hope you’re in there.
Leon pulled the .45 from his belt and switched off the safety. He took one final look around and sprinted toward the third building. He reached it without being seen, but he wasn’t out of danger yet. Framed against the brightly lit wall, he hurried to the end of the building and peeked around the corner. No one was between him and the door. He made a run for it.
He had just reached the door when he heard voices approaching from the other side of the building. Someone was coming!
There was no time to make it back to the safety of the shadows along the second building. He didn’t even have time to make it to the corner. The voices came closer. Two men. Any second they would appear from around the opposite corner. He was caught!
Terror nearly tore a scream from Leon’s lips. He clenched his teeth, cutting the cry off in his throat. He grabbed the handle of the door and twisted.
Please open … please open … please …
The handle turned; the door was unlocked. Frantic, he pushed open the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him.
He stood in semidarkness facing the door, afraid to move, afraid to even breathe. He was certain that he was caught. Someone must have heard him when he closed the door, nearly slamming it. He waited for the handle to turn, waited for the guards to enter after him to investigate the cause of the noise. He would kill the first man that stepped through the door and likely be killed by the second. He faced the door, waiting for death.
But to his surprise the men kept walking. He heard their footsteps and snippets of their conversation as they passed the door, and then they were gone.
Leon’s legs trembled so badly it took a tremendous effort just to remain standing. He wanted to sit down, but didn’t. Instead he stood motionless, taking deep breaths to steady his nerves and slow his racing heart. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t been caught. Either he was terribly lucky, or the guards were terribly inefficient. Maybe they were just overconfident in their own security. Whatever the reason, he was grateful. His composure somewhat recovered, Leon lowered his gun and turned around, shocked by what he saw.
Oh, my God.
The interior of the building lay cloaked in shadows, lit only by two amber lightbulbs at opposite ends. Still, it was not dark enough to
hide the horrors that lay before him. Once a home for horses and cattle, the livestock building now housed people. Lots of people.
About a hundred men, women and children—most of them black—were scattered along the length of the building’s interior. Half-naked, dressed in filthy rags, they were shackled and chained to the walls like slaveship cargo. Some of them slept on the dirt floor, their bodies cushioned by only a thin layer of straw; others sat around in silence, their backs to the wall, appearing to be almost oblivious to their plight. Leon stared at the prisoners, sickened by the sight
Slaves! Oh, dear God, they’re slaves!
He remembered images he had seen in history books, black and white photographs that captured the suffering of his ancestors. But these were no photographs; the people were real. Slavery had again reared its ugly head in America.
Horrified, Leon moved through the building, carefully stepping over and around the people in his way. Some of the ones that were awake turned their heads in his direction, but most looked off into space with glassy, wide-eyed stares. He had seen such stares before, on the streets of Atlanta, among those who lived their lives in the haze of drugs and alcohol.
No wonder the guards are so careless. There’s nothing to guard. Prisoners that have been drugged and chained are no threat, no threat at all.
He was almost to the end of the building when he felt a familiar tingling at the nape of his neck. Turning, he noticed a woman watching him with keen interest.
Leon felt his breath catch. Even in the shadows there was no mistaking her. She was the woman from the alley, the one whose voice had led him here. He had found her. She must have recognized him too, for her eyes widened in surprise.
Chapter 30
They stood in darkness by the pickup truck, looking toward the farm, expecting at any moment to hear gunfire or the wail of alarms. But the night remained strangely quiet, the silence weighing heavily upon each of them.
Jacob Fire Cloud pulled his pipe from his shirt pocket and placed it in his mouth, but did not light it. Even the tiny flame of a match could give their hiding place away. Instead he puffed on the unlit pipe to calm his mind and give his hands something to do.
“Do you think he made it?” Danny Santos whispered. Jacob could barely see the young man in the darkness. Danny stood in front of the pickup, while Amy sat on the ground next to him.
“I do not know,” Jacob answered. “There have been no shots, so I do not think they caught him.”
“Isn’t there something we can do to help?” Danny asked. “This waiting is starting to get to me.”
“Yes. You can pray.” Jacob slipped his pipe back into his pocket and walked around to the back of the pickup truck. Lowering the tailgate, he climbed up and rolled his bicycle toward the rear of the truck. Seeing what he was doing, Danny hurried around behind the truck.
“What are you doing?” Danny asked.
Jacob lowered the bike to the ground and then climbed down. “I am going for a ride.”
“What? Are you nuts?”
Jacob smiled. “My son thinks so.”
“You can’t go riding around out here. It’s too dangerous. What if someone sees you? What if Leon comes back?”
“You ask too many questions,” Jacob said, climbing onto his bicycle. “Do not worry, I will be back soon. Here, you may need these.” He handed Danny the bullets he had taken out of the assault rifle. “Take care of the girl while I am gone.”
Jacob pushed off and started pedaling down the narrow dirt lane, leaving Danny to stand by the truck and stare after him. It wasn’t until the old man disappeared into the darkness that he mumbled, “You could have at least told me where you were going.”
Closing the tailgate, Danny grabbed the assault rifle off the seat and loaded it. Feeling a little less vulnerable armed, he walked back over to where he had left Amy. The little girl was gone.
“Oh, dear Jesus.”
Panic surged through him. If Amy had decided to take off, he would never find her in the dark. Worse yet, if she had decided to follow Leon, then her life was in danger.
“Amy,” he whispered.
No reply.
He tried again, a little louder. “Amy!”
Only the crickets and the tree frogs answered his call.
“Damn … damn … damn.” Danny circled the truck, straining his eyes to see in the darkness. He didn’t know what to do. What could he do? What would he do if one of his sons was missing? He stopped, the thought bringing a painful lump to his throat
He was a father, it was his job to protect his children. He would die before allowing anything bad to happen to either one of his sons. But Amy had no father, no one to look out for her.
You do now.
Danny knew what he had to do. He had to go after Amy, try to find her before someone else did. That meant leaving the truck. What if Leon returned before he got back? He might have found the woman he was looking for. Jacob said the woman was very important, a savior of some kind. It was vital that she be taken to safety.
He pulled the truck’s keys out of his pocket and tossed them on the seat. Let Leon and Jacob take the woman to safety; he was not about to leave Amy behind. He would find her if it took all night.
Luckily, it wasn’t necessary that he search for her. As he turned away from the truck, he spotted a tiny shadow standing not too far away. He hurried to where Amy stood.
“You gave me quite a scare, young lady,” Danny said, controlling his anger. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
She nodded.
He stepped closer. “Then why …”
Even in the darkness he could see that she was crying. Tears glistened like diamonds on the little girl’s cheeks, and her body shook with tiny sobs. Concerned, he kneeled down in front of her.
“What’s the matter, Amy?” he asked. “Why the tears? Are you scared?”
She shook her head.
“What then?”
Her lower lip trembled. “I thought I heard my mother’s voice; I thought she had found me. But Leon was right, it’s not my mother. It’s some other lady.”
“You’ll find your mother,” Danny said, trying to comfort her.
She shook her head. “No. I’ve looked everywhere, but I still can’t find her. I don’t know where she is … I don’t have anybody.”
Danny felt a great sadness squeeze his heart. He looked into Amy’s eyes, moved deeply by what he heard, touched by the spirit of a lonely little girl. No one should be so alone, especially not a child.
“Amy, honey …” He faltered and started again, trying to find the right words to say. “Amy, I know my wife and I can’t possibly take the place of your real parents, but if you want you can come live with us—at least until you find your mother. I have two sons you can play with …”
Amy sniffed. “Sons?”
“That’s right,” he said. “Two boys, ages five and six. They could be your brothers, and you could be their older sister. How about it, Amy? My wife and I have always wanted a daughter …”
“Brothers?”
Danny nodded.
Amy was silent for a moment, perhaps thinking over the offer. “Will you take care of me?” she asked.
“We’ll take good care of you.”
“And will you love me too?”
Danny felt tears well up in his eyes. “We will love you with all our hearts. That’s a promise,” he said. “Amy, will you be a part of our family?”
Amy looked at him, searching for the answer to a question only she knew. She must have found what she was looking for. “Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll come live with you.”
Danny Santos felt his heart break. He grabbed Amy in his arms, hugging the little girl tight against his body, feeling her soft breath upon his face, feeling her tears running warm and wet down his neck. Amy hugged him back, accepting the offer that he made, accepting his love. They were family now, father and daughter, brought together by the mysterious calling of one woman’s voice.
Danny smiled. Jacob Fire Cloud was right; the woman was magical. Strong medicine.
Chapter 31
“You. You’ve found me,” Rene Reynolds said, surprised. “But how?”
Leon placed an index finger against his temple. “You tell me. I’ve been hearing your voice all the way from Atlanta.”
Her mouth dropped open. “You heard me? That’s incredible. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it did.”
“What did?” Leon asked.
“The Neuro-Enhancer. It’s a—” She shook her head. “Never mind, I’ll explain later. Do you still have the disks I gave you?”
Leon tapped his shirt pocket. “Yes, but we can exchange gifts after we get out of here.”
She rattled the manacle chained to her leg. “I can’t.”
Kneeling in front of her, Loon quickly examined the iron ring that encircled Rene’s ankle. The manacle was held closed with a simple padlock, which wouldn’t be too hard to pick provided he had the time and the right tool to do so. Unfortunately, he had neither. The opposite end of the chain was anchored to the wall with a heavy metal bolt. Again he would need a tool that he didn’t have.
“I’ve got to find something I can use to pick this lock,” he said. “A piece of wire. A screwdriver. Something small.”
“There isn’t time,” Rene argued. “The guards might return at any moment. We’re both dead if they catch you in here.”
Leon threw a glance toward the front door. “How often do they come?”
“I don’t have a watch so I’m not sure.” She was trembling. “Maybe once every twenty minutes.”
“How long since they’ve been in here?”