“Are you okay?” Garrick asked, his voice full of concern.
“Yeah, you?”
“Be good if my head stopped spinning.” He gave a little smile as he tried to joke. Except nothing about our situation was funny. “They didn’t hurt you at all? I was worried.”
I shook my head, instantly wishing I didn’t when my temples started pounding again. “They just left me in the cell. I woke up and went a little crazy.”
“I know what you mean.” We fell into silence again, every little noise I thought I heard making me jump. I dreaded Rob opening the door but I knew it was going to be the only way out of the complex. He was our best shot.
Garrick’s voice brought me back again. “Can we trust him?” He nodded toward the door, no doubt having the same concerns as me.
“I trust him more than anyone else in the complex,” I replied honestly. As least I knew Rob. And unless he was lying only a few moments earlier, then we were bound by more than just a mutual obligation.
“If you trust him, then it’s good enough for me.” His words almost made me laugh, he didn’t think that way about Lochie. Garrick had been nothing but intent on not trusting him. I didn’t say anything though, I didn’t want to start an argument in the middle of the complex when our lives hung in the balance.
We watched the handle on the door start to move. My heart stopped for a moment, this was it. We were going to be on the move again and in danger of being found. It was do or die.
Rob’s head peered in seconds later. “Hurry, we don’t have much time.”
We didn’t need to be told twice. We stepped into a corridor, one I didn’t recognize. I had never been in that part of the complex before. How big was this place?
Rob kept a swift pace, walking confidently down the hallway. It could have been any large office building in the country. Nothing betrayed the horrors that happened under their feet. The normalcy seemed so bizarre after what we had just left behind.
Rob’s arm shot out in front of us, stopping us in our tracks. Garrick bumped into me, unable to stop his forward projection with no warning.
My ears strained to hear what Rob did. There were faint voices in the distance, some footsteps, rustling of papers. It was impossible to tell where they were or how close they were from us. It would only take one person to raise the alarm. Just one to sign our death warrant.
Rob put a finger to his lips, making sure we didn’t say anything. It wasn’t going to be a problem, I didn’t have any breath to be able to form words anyway.
The sound grew fainter, so much so it blended into all the other sounds of the building. Rob started moving again, with Garrick and I close behind. I wanted to grab the back of his jacket and trail after him like a two year old so he couldn’t get away from me. I didn’t think it would be appropriate.
We turned the corner after Rob cleared it. We picked up the pace as we headed for a door at the end of the corridor. Sunlight peeked underneath, a little ray of hope stabbing through me. We might just make it after all.
Rob stopped with his hand on the knob. “Once we go outside, you need to run. Don’t stop for anything. I mean it, soda pop. Run and don’t look back. I can’t control what happens after we go through this door. There’s no turning back. Got it?”
“Will you get in trouble for helping us?” I asked. I didn’t want our freedom to come at the sacrifice of his own. He loved the Department, he loved working there. It was his entire life, I didn’t want to be the reason he threw it all away.
“Hopefully nobody will ever know,” Rob replied with a smile, the same one I had seen beamed back at me across his desk every year for seventeen years. “Ready?”
I nodded and Garrick shuffled closer. Putting his weight into it, Rob pulled open the door. I had to blink several times before I could see anything in the bright sun. It had only been noon when we were put into the cell, I wondered if it was still the same day or whether we’d lost twenty-four hours in the meantime. I guess it depended on how strong the drugs were they gave us.
“Go, straight ahead,” Rob ordered, pushing me out the door. The three of us started running – straight ahead like we were told. Garrick overtook me, grabbing my arm to spur me along faster.
I chanced a look around, we weren’t at the complex at all. I recognized everything like it was home. We were still at the Department, they hadn’t taken us anywhere.
My hopes lifted. If we were still at the Department and if we weren’t in the cell for too long, then we had a real shot at making it out of there. Garrick and I had planned for this, we knew exactly what to do and where to go. And with any luck, Hayden would still be waiting for us.
I put every bit of energy I could in speeding up. We just needed to get out of the gates. That’s all we needed. Once outside, we weren’t trapped anymore, we could follow our path and make it to safety. We could do this.
“Stop! Everybody!” The commotion of voices echoed around, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. One glance around told me we were surrounded. We couldn’t do this after all.
CHAPTER 26
“Don’t stop! Go!” Rob yelled at us. His expression was a mash up of concern and urgency. He waved us on, his face red from the exertion as he stopped running.
“I can’t leave you,” I screamed back. My legs were telling me to run but my heart refused to listen. Leaving Rob there was sentencing him to death. For us. I was tired of those around me being hurt because of me.
“I’ll be okay, go. It’s your only chance.”
Garrick pulled at my arm. “Come on, Amery. We don’t have a choice here.”
“But, Rob-”
“I’ll be fine. You have to go. Now!” Rob yelled.
Garrick tugged at my arm so hard my shoulder almost popped out of its socket. I allowed myself to be pulled away, as much as it hurt to leave Rob. He waited there until the guards had him pinned on the ground.
I pushed back the tears as I focused on the fence. We had to get out of there, it was our only option. Somehow, that didn’t seem to make it right though. I knew I had to forget about Rob for the time being otherwise his sacrifice would be for nothing.
“Faster, Amery,” Garrick urged, looking back at me. The sound of pounding footsteps behind helped to reiterate his point. I summoned what little energy I had left and willed my feet to go faster.
I could hear Rob speaking to the guards. With any luck, he would have a good excuse ready for helping us to escape. Perhaps he could say we forced him to do it or something? I hoped he lied his butt off to save himself. I wouldn’t care what he said to them about me, just as long as it worked.
The fence loomed ahead, the security guard already in place and waiting for us to reach him. Just as we planned, Garrick and I split up. I took the boom gate that let cars in, he took the gate that let cars out. With just one guard on duty, he couldn’t take out both of us.
I put my head down and ran, determined to make it through. I didn’t want to be the one that got us captured again. I had to make it out both for Garrick and Rob now too. I had to make it.
Cries for us to stop and halt kept bouncing off my ears. I tried to drown them out, I was on a mission. Nothing could stop me getting through that fence. Absolutely nothing.
“Amery, watch out!” Garrick yelled. I snapped my head around just in time to see the boom gate moving. It was being lowered right in front of me. I changed course at the last minute and swung my hips around to graze the edge.
I was out. The security guard was chasing after Garrick, deciding he would be the bigger prize of the two of us. I crossed the road and headed deep into the forest.
I refused to slow my pace, certain the Department wouldn’t give up so easily. We wouldn’t have long before they called in the dog squad and we had them tracing our scent. I needed to put as much distance between us and them as possible.
Looking for the landmarks we had planned, I tried to get my bearings. I had to push all thoughts of Garrick and Rob out of
my mind. They were big boys, they could look after themselves. I had to believe that or I wasn’t going to be able to keep going. Everything already screamed at me to turn around and check they were okay.
I ran for miles before I allowed myself to slow down a little. I stopped, gasping for air and clutching my burning ribs. I strained to hear any noise. As far as I could tell, there were no footsteps. Only the sounds of birds in the trees and the faint rustling of the leaves above could be heard.
There was another noise too – the trickling of a stream. Hopefully it was the one I needed. I headed for the bed of water and dived in. It was shallow, the cold water only reaching my thigh. I ducked under, trying to change my scent. I knew it wouldn’t entirely fool the sniffer dogs, but it might confuse them for a moment. Sometimes a moment was all it took to get away.
I waded through the stream and followed it along. A few subtly marked trees told me I was headed in the right direction. I was grateful for the work Garrick and I had done to plan for our escape. We always hoped we were being paranoid but we both knew we weren’t.
The stream ran under a bridge, the road sitting so low it wasn’t an option to go underneath it. I waded over to the side and looked around. The road seemed deserted but that could change at any moment. I took a chance and dashed across, not slowing for anything.
Safely on the other side, the sound of a vehicle rumbled along. I ducked down, bracing myself against the bridge pillar. I didn’t move until the sound had gone.
I started again, sticking close to the stream but not quite in it. My splashing was too noisy and it only slowed me down. I needed to gain some speed again. My ears were still playing tricks on me and hearing footsteps behind every tree.
I hoped Garrick was making his way up the same stream further ahead. If he wasn’t waiting for me at the end, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I couldn’t leave him behind but I was no match for the Department either.
The wind rustled through the trees to my left, making me jump with the noise. My head snapped around, expecting to see guards in black uniforms and holding long guns coming for me. Thankfully, it was just the wind and nothing further.
Spurred on by my fast beating heart, I willed my legs to pick up the pace to match. I put everything I had in it. A vehicle came into my vision in the distance. The same matte black van that Hayden had rescued us in before.
With the last of my energy, I hurried for it. I was so close to escaping, all I had to do was make it for another half mile.
My foot caught on a rock, making me trip. I caught my balance before I completely tumbled but I was done with my shoes. I hopped out of them, picking up the pair before running barefoot. Nothing was going to stop me from getting in that van.
“Stop where you are.” The deep male voice came from the left. I glanced around to see guards hurrying toward me. There were too many of them to count. I wasn’t going to stop, halt, or slow down. Not for a million dollars and certainly not for a guard. They would have to shoot me first.
I dived for the van, Hayden already gunning the engine. I scrambled in and closed the door, slamming it behind me. Without any delay, Hayden hit the accelerator. The tires squealed as we sped away.
In the next moment, I panicked. “Garrick! We can’t go, he’s still coming. We’ve got to go back.” Tears started to sting my eyes with thoughts of abandoning him. I had to convince Hayden to turn around, it wasn’t an option. “Hayden, stop. We have to go back.”
“I’m in here,” Garrick said, his voice sounding like heaven to my ears. I turned around to see him hunched over in the back of the van. It felt like I was just imagining it. He was cradling his nose.
“Are you okay?” I breathed, fighting back the lump in my throat and scrambling to get to him.
“Yeah. I slammed into a tree branch. It’s just a nosebleed, nothing major. Are you in one piece?” His eyes scanned me, doing a visual check of my body for wounds.
I relaxed a little, a nosebleed, I could handle that.
“My legs are like jelly but otherwise good. They’re going to follow us.”
Garrick nodded. “I know.”
I turned my attention back to Hayden, never being happier to see him. “Thank God you waited for us. Thank you so much, Hayden. Seriously, you’re a lifesaver.”
He shrugged like it was no big deal. “If you were any longer, we might not have waited around. Good going, Beckle21.”
I didn’t want to think about what would have happened if I didn’t reach the van before the guards did. “What’s the date?” I asked, trying to figure out how much time we had lost in the Department dungeons.
“The seventh.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as I glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost five o’clock in the evening, we couldn’t have been in the cell for more than a few hours at the most. That was a relief, the drugs they had given us couldn’t have been too powerful. I needed all my wits about me, I didn’t want to have any lasting effects.
I rubbed my side, still tender from my earlier stitch. If I survived all this, I made a vow to start exercising more often. I needed to be in better shape if I was going to make running for my life a habit.
Hayden drove us for just over two hours before handing us across to his friend. From there, we were passed over another five times. We drove through the night and the next morning. I lost track of all the people we were introduced to, they all started merging into one. I would contact Hayden later on so I could thank them as much as I wanted to.
Early the next morning as we barreled along the highway, I turned on my cell phone. It had been in the bag Garrick and I hid for our escape. Planning doing us well once again.
There were eight missed calls, six from Lochie’s number and two from Kyle’s. No doubt both men wanted to know where we were and when they could see us again – for two very different reasons. I turned the phone off again, unable to deal with either of them yet.
I closed my eyes, resting my head on the window. All I could think of was Lochie. His face swam in front of my eyes, remembering the night we spent together. I was sure it wasn’t supposed to be like this. We should have awoken together in each other’s arms and able to enjoy our time together. Leaving like I did, it marred the special time we shared. He was never going to forgive me.
If we made it back to Portview, I had to make it up to him. I didn’t want him remembering his first time as ending with nothing but an apologetic, stupid note. I didn’t want him living with that for the rest of his life. Hopefully he would listen to me.
“Where do you want to go?” The question brought me crashing back down to the car as our latest driver stared at me expectantly, waiting on an answer.
“135 Rio Grande,” Garrick answered from the backseat. I didn’t even realize we had crossed back into the city limits. We had travelled a twisty and woven path back from the Department, going hundreds of miles out of our way to try to avoid capture.
I called Lochie as we started to wind through familiar streets. I only got his voicemail. I gave him Kyle’s address and said I would be there for the rest of the day. If he was ready to hear everything, then he was to meet me there.
I had reached a decision and that was to come clean to Lochie. If we were going to continue on together, I didn’t want to lie anymore. I wanted him to know everything about me, including my biggest secret. I was going to tell him I was an alien and just hope he didn’t freak out about it. After spending the night together, I couldn’t take it if he rejected me now.
Plus, it wasn’t like we had to live by the Department’s rules anymore. The last little hope I had that the project might continue on like nothing happened was completely shot to bits. There was no chance now, the only way forward was going to be if our leaders took charge.
Our driver dropped us off at Kyle’s house and left after we thanked him profusely. Hayden had a huge network of likeminded people, all willing to help us break the law. That’s what you called true friends.
He stared at us with his nostrils flaring, his hands on his hips. I got the feeling he was probably that angry all night long. I doubted whether he had slept any since we last saw him.
“Calm down,” Garrick started. It only seemed to make him angrier.
“Will you at least sit down?” I asked. His constant glare was starting to creep me out. I nodded toward the chairs, indicating we should all take a seat.
Kyle shook his head fervently. “Not here, in the communication room. You can tell our leaders at the same time, they’ve got the line permanently open until they hear from you.”
Great, speaking directly to the leaders of our home planet wasn’t scary or anything. Right, who was I kidding? We followed him into the spare bedroom like puppies, about to talk to the most important people on Trucon.
CHAPTER 27
“So they completely broke every agreement we made?” The voice boomed from the speakers. Garrick and I had spent half an hour going through our meeting step by step. Just like we were trained, we didn’t leave anything out. Ours was a full report, like good little project members.
Our leaders had listened to everything before asking any questions. They seemed to know the Department’s rules just as well as we did. I guess they probably helped to devise them all those years ago.
“They threw us in a prison cell and were planning on killing us,” I replied solemnly. “They made it quite clear they had no intention of resuming the project.”
“Satellite, in your opinion, have we exhausted all our options with the Department?”
The question lingered in the silence before Kyle managed to answer. “In my opinion, I believe we have. All the project members are compromised, we don’t know of their condition. The Department has cancelled the project and will not entertain the idea of negotiations. If we want to ensure the survival of our people, let alone our project members, we have exhausted all our options. I also believe it is now a matter of urgency that we act swiftly. We need to get our project members to safety.”
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 42