Elimination (The Mind Breaker Book 1)

by Marina Epley

  The guy shines his flashlight into my face. I squint into the blinding light, keeping a distance.

  “Who’s there?” he asks. “Ah, it’s you. Get the hell on out of here.”

  Seems like he doesn’t care about our confrontation just a few hours earlier. Nobody keeps grudges in this place, I remind myself. He was likely only following Browning’s orders. Now he has nothing against me.

  “Help!” Rebecca cries out again.

  “Quiet,” the inmate growls, slapping her face hard.

  I should leave. It’s really none of my business what’s happening here. I need to save time, and distance myself from those still in pursuit.

  Rebecca sobs, giving me a look of desperation. Kitty had the same expression when we first met. And suddenly I know I can’t allow what’s about to happen and just let it slide. I have to do something.

  “Get moving,” the inmate commands, brandishing a gun. “Now!”

  I’m still holding a gun in my hand, but it’s not loaded. I can’t tell if the guy has bullets in his weapon or not, and I really don’t want to find out the hard way.

  I smile broadly, staring at Rebecca. There are about eight feet separating us. Hopefully I can fool this guy.

  “Let me have a turn with that little screamer,” I say, walking closer. The gun is still pointed at my chest. The inmate looks me over with suspicion. “C’mon,” I say, continuing to smile. “I’ve been locked away in here for weeks, don’t be so selfish.”

  He obviously doesn’t trust me, but appears to at least ponder what I’ve said.

  I take another step. It’s now or never.

  I bum rush the guy, grabbing his gun hand as he pulls the trigger. The bullet whizzes past my ear. I strike the guy squarely in the face. My punch doesn’t seem to have a great effect. He steps in, swinging his free arm around to smash my ribs. I groan, doubling over, but keeping my grip and pulling him down. We fall to the floor, the inmate landing on top of me and throwing bombs. He’s too big and strong. I’m losing down here. Blood sprays from my nose as he slams an elbow into my face. Tasting my own blood, I cover up, partially blocking another hard punch he delivers. The impact smashes my own arm into my face. He’s gonna kill me, I realize, if I don’t do something soon. I’m close to passing out. Unconscious, I’ll be good as dead.

  As the criminal reaches for my throat, I stick my thumb into his eye as hard as I possibly can. He cries out and weakens his grip on my neck. I shove him off, scrambling up to my feet. I punch him in the throat, then ribs, finishing with a kick into his knee as I work my way down. He staggers, grabbing his knee as I land a round kick flush to the side of his head, putting him down.

  I kneel down for a moment to catch my breath and clean the blood off my face.

  Rebecca stands sobbing in front of me, leaning up against a wall. She’s watching the unconscious guy on the floor. I notice his gun lying at her feet.

  “Why didn’t you shoot him?” I ask.

  Rebecca shivers from the sound of my voice. “I don’t know how. I’ve never fired a gun before.”

  I can’t believe that there are still people in the world who have never fired a gun.

  “That’s all right,” I say, getting up.

  Rebecca sobs as I move closer.

  “Come on, don’t do that,” I say, picking up the gun and checking the clip. It’s still got ammo. I tuck it into my pants behind.

  “You won’t hurt me, will you?” Rebecca asks.

  I take a deep breath, “I’ve just saved you, haven’t I?”

  “I still can’t trust you, you’re a breaker.”

  I snort in anger, being sick with hearing nonsense about evil breakers. Then I remember what Chase told me. A breaker killed Rebecca’s family and she survived only because she’s resistant.

  “I just want to get out of this place,” I say. “Can you help?”

  Rebecca shakes her head. “I can’t.”

  “Come on, you work here. You must know how to exit the main doors.”

  “I don’t,” Rebecca sobs. “I only know that they lock automatically in an emergency. You have to input a special code.”

  “What code?”

  “I have no idea. I’m not with security. I’m only Holtzmann’s assistant.”

  I direct a beam of light into her face.

  “Rebecca, are you lying to me?” I ask.

  “I’m not lying,” she cries. “Please, don’t hurt me. I really don’t know anything.”

  “It’s okay,” I say. “I believe you.”

  “Thank you,” Rebecca whispers.

  She appears afraid to move or even to speak too loudly.

  “It’s not safe for me to stick around any longer,” I say. “And you’d best get going as well. You wanna be clear of here when this jerk wakes up.”

  Rebecca remains motionless.

  “Where can I go?” she asks. “The inmates are all over the place. You can’t leave me alone.”

  “What?” I say in surprise. Just a moment ago she thought I was gonna kill her.

  “Please,” she begs. “I’m more afraid of these breakers.”

  “Lest you forget, I’m a breaker last I checked.”

  Rebecca grips my arm, “Please.”

  “All right,” I concede. “It’s dangerous, but you can tag along for a while. Now let’s get moving away from here.”

  I take her hand and we walk down a dark passage, illuminating the way with a flashlight.

  “We need to rescue Egbert,” Rebecca whispers. “Bulldog and his gang attacked the lab. Egbert is still in there. They all hate him and will definitely want to hurt or even kill him.”

  “He’s one of my captors, why should I help rescue him?”

  “He’s my cousin,” she answers defiantly.

  “That’s a really nice thought,” I say. “But I’m not willing to risk my life, attempting to save an Elimination scientist hoping to use me in some stinking experiment.”

  She keeps silent for a few moments and then says, “Egbert is a good man. You can’t be so heartless.”

  “Sorry, but I can,” I answer.

  “Those breakers will kill him. Egbert is sick and isn’t capable of defending himself.”

  “I don’t care one iota.”

  Rebecca sobs again. She must really love her cousin. I owe my life to Holtzmann. He didn’t let Wheeler shoot me and cared for Lena while I was in the infirmary. Holtzmann is part of Elimination, but I can’t hate him. And I don’t wish him dead.

  “Please, Rex,” Rebecca begs.

  I didn’t expect Rebecca to remember my name.

  “Fine,” I say. “I’ll help you, just stop with all the crying. Although I’ve got no idea how we can go about rescuing your cousin from Bulldog’s gang. They probably have guns. And even if they don’t, they still outnumber us.”

  “Maybe we can find some guards to help?”

  “Rebecca, I’m an inmate and a breaker. Guards will probably just shoot me on sight.”

  I hear gunfire and the sound of heavy footsteps somewhere nearby. We slow down, listening carefully. Rebecca shivers, clamping her mouth to suppress a scream. I hold my gun ready. A group of people are moving toward us. No telling if they’re guards or prisoners. In either case, we won’t wait to find out.

  “Let’s go,” I whisper.

  We change direction several times, jogging our way down multiple passages and climbing up stairs. I’m completely lost, but Rebecca must know the place well enough to remain oriented even in the dark. She tells me where to turn and in which direction to go. We pass several empty cells and I notice somebody hiding in a chamber. I shine the flashlight into the dark room. It’s Jimmy, crouching in the corner. He covers his head and mumbles something incoherent.

  “Hey, take it easy,” I say. “This is just me, Rex. What are you doing here?”

  He stares through me, wide eyed and panicked.

  “Come with us,” I say.

  “No!” he exclaims. “I don’t want an
y more trouble.”

  “It’s not safe here,” I persist, walking into the cell and dragging Jimmy out of his corner. He complains, but doesn’t resist. “You can’t remain here. All the inmates are on the loose. Bulldog’s gang may beat or kill you. Guards may shoot you.”

  “No, I’ll be in more trouble if I leave,” Jimmy answers. “I’m not trying to escape.”

  “Nobody is trying to escape at the moment,” I say. “We’re going to rescue Holtzmann first.”

  Confused, Jimmy stops talking.

  “It’s okay,” Rebecca says in a calming voice. “Rex will protect us.”

  At least she’s consistent in her having a wrong impression of me.

  “Freeze!” a loud voice orders. “Don’t move, freak!”

  I turn to the sound of voice, gun raised. I see Chase holding an automatic weapon, ready to shoot.

  “Let’s not try it, Chase,” I sigh. “I don’t want to have to kill you.”

  “Let the girl go,” he commands.

  “Chase! Thank God you’ve found us!” Rebecca exclaims. “We need your help. We’re going to rescue Egbert.”

  “What?” Chase asks, looking at her and then at me in surprise. The barrel of his weapon is still pointed at my chest and Chase’s finger is on the trigger. I can’t quite make up my mind whether I should use this moment of hesitation to shoot first.

  “Please, Chase, help us,” Rebecca begs. “Bulldog has attacked our lab and taken Egbert hostage. Bulldog’s gang was trying to harm me as well, but Rex interceded and saved me. Now we need to save Egbert.”

  “You can’t be serious, this freak is who started the riot,” Chase says, motioning into my direction.

  “Is that true?” Rebecca asks.

  “It’s true I let them loose,” I answer. “But it was done in self-defense.”

  A long pause follows, while everybody is thinking.

  “Chase, please,” Rebecca says softly.

  Chase lowers his weapon. Rebecca definitely knows how to sway a man’s opinion. I relax a little and lower my gun as well.

  “Okay, breaker,” Chase says. “Help us rescue the professor then, but you’ll have to give up your gun. Just don’t try anything stupid. I swear to God I’ll shoot you dead should you try anything.”

  “All right, I guess I can agree to that,” I say, handing over my gun. I didn’t think it’d be so easy to convince Chase of my good intentions.

  Rebecca leads us toward the lab. I follow her with Chase bringing up the rear. I can almost physically sense the cold steel barrel of his weapon pointed at my back. Even though we may be temporarily on the same side, Chase and I still don’t trust each other very far. Everything could change at a moment’s notice and we wind up killing each other.

  Jimmy walks somberly beside me, occasionally sobbing. I shush him to keep quiet.

  We have to stop a few times along the way, ducking into shadows, as groups of prisoners pass by. Chase stands ready, watching as the inmates walk by. Should they notice us, he’ll be targeted first while I may be considered just a captured inmate. Rebecca remains silent, showing no signs of panic or hysteria. I have to admit she’s holding up pretty well.

  As we proceed carefully Chase whispers, “How many breakers are holding the lab?”

  “No idea. How many guys are in Bulldog’s gang?”

  “Eight.”

  “Possibly six. I knocked out one who attacked Rebecca. Hopefully, Ray hasn’t recovered from our fight this morning.”

  “They probably have weapons,” Chase warns. “Swarms of inmates have attacked and overwhelmed guards, gaining possession of guns and rifles. I believe Bulldog and his gang have done so as well.”

  “Why would they attack Holtzmann if they’re working for Browning?”

  “Because they also associate with Carrel. Carrel hates Holtzmann and wants to take his place as lead scientist.”

  “This place is really messed up,” I say. “Anyway what’s the plan?”

  “I haven’t figured one out yet. What about you, any ideas?”

  I don’t answer. We’ll have to plan as we go.

  I consider our predicament as we walk. We obviously need to avoid a gunfight. Bulldog and his gang are trapped inside just like me. After all this mess is over, Elimination will count its losses and the guilty breakers will be punished. Browning won’t be happy if his lead scientist is dead. Bulldog should know that. Maybe he won’t kill Holtzmann, but I can’t be certain.

  As we arrive at the lab’s entrance, Chase stops and looks at me quizzically.

  “We just have to march in there and take them by surprise,” he says. “We have two weapons. Can I trust you, Rex?”

  “You don’t really have much of a choice,” I say. “You shouldn’t go there alone, but if you’d rather take Jimmy or Rebecca...”

  Chase hesitates, then hands back my gun.

  Leaving Jimmy and Rebecca concealed as best as we can near the entrance, we enter Holtzmann’s lab. We estimated their strength correctly. There are six of them, two armed with Elimination guard rifles. Bulldog is sitting behind Holtzmann’s desk, playing with a knife. The other three are rummaging through shelves stocked with medicine. They’ve tossed the room. Holtzmann is lying motionless on the floor, unconscious or dead. His face is bloody and mouth is foaming. Looks like he’s suffered a seizure.

  “Don’t move!” Chase commands, aiming his weapon at Bulldog. I stand aside, holding my gun ready. The two with rifles square around to face us. Bulldog looks up slowly.

  “Why should we follow your orders, Officer Chase?” he asks, grinning. “We’re in the middle of a riot here.”

  “We’re just here for Holtzmann,” I say. “Take your guys and walk away. If you’ve killed Holtzmann, Browning will kill you.”

  “Look who’s talking now,” Bulldog says. “Are you working for Elimination now? What side are you on, boy?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I answer. “What really matters is that I’ll be putting my first bullet right between your eyes. Don’t try me. Just take your guys and go.”

  “Other guards are already covering the front of the lab,” Chase warns. “And more will be arriving soon, then it will be too late to leave by the back exit.”

  Bulldog thinks, while his gang waits patiently. I expect shooting to begin at any moment. Nobody backs down.

  “You can have the scientist,” Bulldog says. “We’ll pick up another hostage along the way. We didn’t intend to kill this psycho anyway, he just flipped out and started foaming at the mouth.”

  “Stand down and leave,” Chase commands.

  I breathe out, watching Bulldog and his guys backing toward the rear exit. Bulldog gives me a lingering look.

  “I should’ve killed you,” he says.

  I grin slightly. Everybody wishes me dead today.

  After the gang clears the area, I go to retrieve Rebecca and Jimmy. Being too tired to continue with my own escape plan, I follow them back into the lab. Chase slams the entrance and exit doors shut and barricades them with chairs. Jimmy eagerly assists. Rebecca rushes to her cousin and falls on her knees beside his body. She checks his pockets and finds the plastic bottle with pills. Then she looks at him helplessly. Being unconscious, Holtzmann can’t take his medicine.

  I approach them and help her pull Holtzmann up and put him in the chair. His body sags, head lolling to one side. Rebecca wipes foam and blood away with her hand. His nose may be broken.

  “Wake up, Egbert,” Rebecca cries. “Please, don’t die.”

  “Nobody dies from a broken nose,” I say. “Mine is broken as well.”

  Holtzmann moves his head, coughing. He opens his hazy eyes for a moment, muttering something, and passes out again.

  “He’ll be all right,” I say. “Don’t worry.”

  Then we wait, sitting on the floor in silence. It’s too dangerous to walk out of this room. I can hear sounds of shooting and fighting in the distance.

  “What if the inmates gain control?” I
ask Chase.

  “Negative. We have more guards here than prisoners. Also some breakers aren’t hardened criminals. They won’t be as willing to fight.”

  “I don’t wanna fight,” Jimmy says quietly.

  Rebecca’s hand finds mine and she says, “Thank you.”

  “For what?” I ask.

  “For saving Egbert and I.”

  “That’s about right, Rebecca, give all thanks to the breaker,” Chase says. “What about me? I was risking my life too by the way.”

  “I’m grateful to you as well, but that’s your job, Chase,” Rebecca answers unsympathetically.

  “I hate my job,” Chase groans. “And hate breakers even more.”

  I close my eyes, resting. I think of Kitty. I’m really happy she’s away from all this trouble. I wonder what will happen after the officers get the inmates subdued. I am the one who began this mess.

  “Rex! Where the hell are you?” a harsh woman’s voice comes from outside the room.

  Chase scrambles onto his feet, taking up his weapon.

  “Who are you?” I ask.

  “Damn you! Just let me in, stupid!”

  I recognize Jessie’s voice.

  “It’s okay, let her in,” I say. Chase doesn’t protest. Together we move the chairs from the door and open it.

  Jessie comes in, carrying an officer’s rifle. She looks much better, although her face is still bruised. Lena enters the room behind her, sees me and smiles broadly.

  “I knew you were here,” she says. “I saw you.”

  Lena’s a telepath, I remind myself.

  “What are you two doing here?” I ask Jessie.

  “Looking for you, idiot. I ran into Lena at the beginning of all this craziness. Lena suggested that you’d started it and was looking for a way to escape. She wanted to help.”

  “Sorry,” I answer. “We can’t escape. The main exits are locked down.”

  Lena sighs, “That’s all right.”

  She doesn’t sound like a child.

  “Hey, I can hear you plotting,” Chase says angrily. “I’m still an Elimination officer. Stop talking all this escape nonsense.”

  Lena looks at him seriously.

  “You won’t hurt us, Chase,” she says. “I can see things about you too. You’re a good guy.”