Broken Angel

by Sigmund Brouwer

  Her amazement continued when the door silently slid shut on its hydraulic hinges, for it did not enclose them in darkness.

  The tunnel was square, easily two feet higher than her head, wide enough for a car to drive through, shored up with beams of lumber. She was able to take all of it in because of string lighting—the small white bulbs used on Christmas trees. It stretched as far as she could see down the length of the tunnel, and the gentle slope of the passageway was obvious as it continued into the heart of the mountain.

  “The tunnels are part of a mine that existed a hundred years ago,” Brij said. “We’ve expanded the system, of course. The lights and ventilation fans are powered by a water turbine deep inside the mountain.”

  Although the tunnel continued straight ahead, they had reached another tunnel that bisected this one. It too had a string of lights stretching downward on a long, gentle slope. A breeze touched Caitlyn’s face, and she was grateful for the cool air.

  Her silence was a trait belonging to her curiosity. She remembered reading a forbidden book with Papa in her childhood, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and how she always wondered if Alice was very afraid, falling into that strange place. As she stopped to examine a flat-screen monitor on the wall, she thought how she never imagined Wonderland to be a world of mine shafts.

  The monitor showed red symbols against a black background:

  “It’s how we navigate,” Brij explained. “There are over a hundred miles of tunnels. At every intersection, you’ll find a monitor with battery backup. Each monitor has twenty of twenty-six symbols.”

  He pointed at the markings to their side and hovered his finger above the symbol.

  “Look at the wall of the other tunnel where it reaches this one. You won’t see the same symbol there.”

  Caitlyn studied it. By comparing both sets of symbols, she saw that the had been replaced with a .

  “Which tunnel do we take?” Brij tapped the monitor.

  Because of the symbols on her vidpod, Caitlyn had no difficulty answering. She pointed at the . “This one. Underlined on my vidpod.”

  “Essentially, that’s our system. Once you know the symbol or combination of symbols that marks your passage, you simply check each intersection for it.”

  “Combination?”

  “Twenty symbols, but hundreds of tunnels. Sometimes it’s a combination of two symbols, sometimes three. The screens are networked to a mainframe computer. When we want to change the patterns, it’s done instantly.”

  “Easy to get confused,” Caitlyn said. “A lot of the symbols look the same.”

  Brij nodded. “By design. It takes years and years to learn the tunnel mazes. Even then, not all of the Clan know every tunnel. Nor will they. We’ve accumulated a lot of resources. Medical, technical, even wealth. It’s dispersed and hidden throughout the mountain. Our headquarters too. Even if Bar Elohim’s soldiers penetrated the mountain, it’s unlikely they’d know where to go. And all the tunnels are rigged with explosives at certain points to collapse them. We can seal off any area we need to and retreat elsewhere.”

  “What about the legends?” Caitlyn followed Brij down the tunnel. “The stories we were told as children to scare us. That the Clan let people wander for days and days until they die of thirst. Sometimes worse.”

  “Just legend,” Brij said simply. “We don’t fight. We don’t allow people to die. I can tell you how the legends get started, though. The outlaw perimeter. Or drug-induced anterograde amnesia.”

  Caitlyn stopped short. “You force someone to take drugs?”

  “Never forced. It’s voluntary. Unless it’s someone like the woman attending to Theo, who needed to be rescued quickly. Usually, when we find someone, it’s a condition of the rescue. The drug flunitrazepam is dissolved in water, and for the next ten hours, the short-term memory can’t transfer events to long-term memory. Anything beyond their immediate attention span disappears when it’s replaced by the next event. That protects us when we let them go, keeps our operational secrets intact and successful. But I’m sure the occasional nightmares that follow get embellished.”

  “Did you give me the drug?”

  “Can you recall our conversation as we walked from the cabin?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s your answer. You haven’t lost the ability to access short-term memories.”

  “I guess you trust me.”

  Brij put a light hand on her shoulder. “Caitlyn, we are trusting you with everything, including our future.”

  When he reached the entrance, Mason unscrewed the cigar-sized tube he’d been carrying in his back pocket. He looked around for a place to prop it and found a small crack in a sheet of rock.

  Perfect.

  The crack was clear of any natural debris that might catch fire, which was important. If a fire spread into the valley, it would be an obstacle to dropping choppers into the valley and would threaten the entire operation.

  Mason set the small tube into place. He took his canteen from his belt and poured water into the tube.

  Instantly, the magnesium powder inside burst into a white flame, burning at over a thousand degrees Fahrenheit.

  Mason lifted the door to the entrance and took a few steps down inside. He jammed a rock into the hinges so that it wouldn’t close. The soldiers would find it easily.

  Then he climbed down into the tunnel.

  Jordan approached Billy, who was sitting on the steps of the cabin, head hanging down, as if recovering from a horrible hangover.

  “I need you,” Jordan said.

  Billy raised his head and blinked. He looked confused, like Jordan had spoken to him in an alien language.

  “Help me up the path.” Jordan felt like he could barely move. The beating he’d taken from Mason and the dogs would take weeks of recovery. “Two men are still up on the mountain. The bounty hunter bound and left them. We need to get them down before the choppers arrive.”

  Billy stood. “I can do it.”

  Jordan was glad the boy didn’t ask how Jordan knew that choppers would be coming. Or how he knew about the men and what Mason Lee had done with them.

  Jordan didn’t have time to explain.

  Or to fabricate a lie.

  FORTY-TWO

  The choppers hovered in place above the entrance into the mountain. Although Pierce faced downhill, he was able to turn his head and clearly see soldier after soldier dropping down by rope from the choppers.

  He found himself surprised that it was so well organized. Appalachia obviously knew how to successfully pull off military domination. Even if the Clan believed in combating military force with force, they didn’t have a chance.

  How long would it take before the soldiers arrived to take Carney and him away? Would they be heading to a factory or something more fatal? Pierce knew that Bar Elohim would provide falsified evidence to his superiors Outside, showing how he disappeared into the Appalachian wilderness. While they considered him a top operative, they wouldn’t be surprised. It had happened before, and investigating his disappearance would risk unnecessary relationship tensions between the two U.S. countries.

  Pierce didn’t have to wonder about his fate for too long. He spotted movement farther down the path. A big man pushed his way through the bush.

  He’d seen him before, but it took him a second to remember the kid’s name. Big kid. The deputy.

  Billy. That’s it. Billy.

  The kid got closer, bug-eyed as he saw them strapped to the tree. “Sheriff Carney?”

  Carney reacted by frantically pulling against the duct tape. Making noise from behind the tape on his mouth.

  Billy took hesitant steps closer like he was scared that somehow Carney had the power to do something to him.

  Carney yelled more from behind the tape.

  Billy reached for it and tugged slowly. The ripping tape elongated the flesh on Carney’s face, and he scowled.

  Billy gave it a good yank, and the tape ripped loose.


  “Sheriff Carney?”

  Carney panted, nodding. Billy started cutting the tape from his arms.

  “I mean, how did you get here? They told me to come up here and help a couple of men. I didn’t know it would be you.”

  “Who told you to help us?” Carney began unwrapping his legs.

  To get attention, Pierce grunted from behind his own tape. They could talk about this somewhere else. Who knew how long they had before soldiers came looking for them as Mason had threatened.

  Billy looked at Carney for permission to help Pierce.

  Another nod.

  Pierce braced himself for the sharp pull. He was glad he’d shaved. Smooth skin hurt less. He, too, gasped for air after Billy pulled the tape loose.

  “Let’s go, kid,” he said. “You two can compare notes later.”

  “You going to arrest me?” Billy asked Carney. “You came here looking for me, right?”

  “He can’t go back to town either,” Pierce snapped, nodding toward the sheriff. “He’s one of them.”

  “One of them what?” Billy looked from Pierce to Carney, then back to Pierce.

  “One of the Clan,” Pierce said. “He’s been helping people escape Cumberland Gap for years. Aren’t I right, Sheriff?”

  FORTY-THREE

  I’m not drinking it.” Pierce set the glass of water on a table.

  He stood in the center of the cabin facing Jordan. An old lady sat with a boy in one corner, the big deputy and Carney in another.

  The thump-thump of the idling helicopters on the mountainside, hundreds of yards above the cabin, underscored the urgency of the situation.

  “We can’t take you through the tunnels any other way,” Jordan said. “The flunitrazepam is safe and—”

  “It’s a roofie,” Pierce interjected. “Trust me. I know how to use pharmaceuticals. I’m just not going to drink it.”

  “You want escape, and this is the only option.” Jordan’s face was distorted by bruises and obvious pain. Pierce still couldn’t believe that the man was alive and telling him what to do. Should have him on the floor, in cuffs by now.

  “I want you, Dr. Brown, to think back a couple of decades. Arson. Destruction of hundreds of millions of dollars of government property. There’s no statute of limitations for your crimes.”

  “We don’t make it through the caves without him, Pierce,” Carney said. “None of us. This area is too hot with Bar Elohim’s men. The way Mason Lee is acting, I don’t think they are too inclined to leave you alive.”

  “You’re thinking we owe him?” Pierce said. “You forget I have a duty to follow.”

  “Without him, we’re dead. It’s pretty simple.”

  “With him in custody, Bar Elohim gives us a pass Outside. All of us in this cabin. You have any idea how badly my agency wants him? What his knowledge is worth? To get Jordan, my government will do whatever it takes to negotiate our freedom.”

  Carney took a step toward Pierce. “My apologies, but this is going to get ugly.”

  “You’re going to fight me?”

  “Unless you stand down and drink the stuff.”

  “I’m not going to pull something cheap here, Carney. All of us escape, but we do it my way.”

  “Strangely enough, I believe you really think you can do this. I just don’t like your way.”

  Carney threw a punch, low and hard.

  Pierce deflected it with his forearm. Then he came under Carney’s next punch, used Carney’s momentum against him, swung the man around and kicked his feet out from under him. Carney fell on his belly, his face rebounded against the floor.

  Pierce knelt beside him. “I don’t have any choice, Carney. I found the man, and now I have to take him in.”

  Pierce watched Carney closely for the slightest resistance. He didn’t want to hurt the Sheriff, but he wasn’t going to take chances. He was so focused that by the time he felt Billy’s arms wrapped around his chest, it was too late.

  Billy lifted him like he was a pillow, and Pierce found himself dangling. The kid’s arms were as powerful as hydraulics, pinning Pierce’s own arms to his chest.

  “Mr. Jordan.” Billy spoke without any hint of exertion. “Is all that true? About the stealing and destruction?”

  Pierce kicked futilely, but it felt ridiculous and undignified.

  “You should put him down,” Jordan said.

  “Is it true?” Billy kept his crushing hold on Pierce.

  “It’s true.”

  “Why did you do it?” Billy asked.

  “Bad people were doing bad things,” Jordan answered. “Someone had to stop it.”

  “I believe you.” Billy backed away with Pierce. “You all go. Maybe Sheriff Carney can help Mrs. Shelton and Theo. I’ll just hold him like this for a while.”

  Jordan stepped up to Billy. “Really, Billy, put him down. If he’s going to make sure all of us get Outside, I won’t fight it.”

  Carney was back off the floor by then. “Hold him good, Billy.”

  Carney took the glass of water that Pierce had set down. “If I hadn’t seen it and felt it, I would never have believed a man could move as fast as you. But it’s not doing you much good now. More to Billy than meets the eye.”

  “Jordan is a criminal,” Pierce said. “You want to set him free?”

  “You can drink this nice,” Carney said. “Or I’ll plug your nose and pour it down. Which way do you want it?”

  Pierce tried shaking himself loose. He felt like he was squeezed between two mountains.

  Carney plugged Pierce’s nose. When Pierce opened his mouth for air, Carney began to pour.

  Brij handed Caitlyn a headlamp, like the type she and Papa would take when they went caving. They stood at the entrance to one of six tunnels radiating out from the central headquarters.

  “This is for when the power goes off. Please put it on.”

  Not if, Caitlyn noted, but when.

  Caitlyn didn’t ask about this. She was trying to stay in the moment, but everything was happening so quickly. They’d reached the open area at the end of the entrance tunnel, where two dozen Clan members sat in front of computer screens and monitors. Brij hadn’t stopped to introduce her to any of them or explain the area but escorted her through it to a tunnel on the far side of the room.

  “Jordan explained what to expect once you reach the waterfall, right?” Brij asked. “You’ll see the turbine there.”

  “And a rope bridge across and a series of ladders down.” Caitlyn felt a stab of pain in her back but ignored it.

  Brij pointed at the set of symbols on the tunnel wall.

  “From this point on, here’s what to look for to get there.” He touched the symbol. “There will only be three intersections. Got it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Then go, Caitlyn. Godspeed.”

  “Soldiers,” Theo croaked. He’d been in and out of his delirium since leaving the cabin. “They’re behind us.”

  The group formed a ragged procession, walking a narrow path with a steep wall of rocks on one side and a long drop on the other, skirting the side of the mountain, staying well out of sight of the choppers.

  Theo leaned on Gloria as they walked, and Billy held Jordan up. Carney had a firm grip on the rope that they’d used to tie Pierce’s hands behind his back.

  Carney half-turned, frowning. “I don’t hear anything.”

  “Sheriff Carney,” Billy said, “if Theo says he hears something, believe him.”

  Unlike Theo and Gloria, Billy did not drink the water with flunitrazepam. Carney and Jordan had decided it would be better to wait until just before an entrance into the cave system. They wanted Billy’s help with Pierce along the way, in case he shook off the drug and gave them trouble.

  “We’ll pick up the pace,” Carney whispered. “How far we got?”

  “Too far.” Jordan leaned against the rock face. “If they’re on this path, we won’t get there before they catch us.”

  Carney gauged the
wall behind Jordan. “I’ll stay back.”

  “It’s suicide.” Jordan shook his head.

  “Should be able to climb up some, work on that loose scrabble up there. How much time you need anyway?”

  “You don’t have a weapon.”

  “A bunch of falling rocks will distract them.” Carney shrugged. “If I get high enough where they can’t see me, I can turn this path into an obstacle and shell a few of them when they slow to scale it.”

  “But that leaves you—”

  “Look,” Carney said, “here’s my secret. All I really expected Outside was six months, maybe eight. Long enough to enjoy some freedom. I’m sick.”

  Jordan bowed his head.

  “Sick? What?” Billy asked.

  “Cancer. Don’t feel sorry for me, Billy. You go ahead. I’m proud of what you’ve done to get us here.”

  Billy blinked a few times. “You really were a part of the Clan all along.”

  Carney nodded. “I was.”

  “But all the things you told me on the town square, about being a shepherd and all that.”

  “Official talk. I knew it was being recorded.”

  Billy cocked his head, clearly processing, then he finally spoke. “All the prisoners who died while you’ve been in charge—they escaped, didn’t they? Like Mrs. Shelton. And you sent me to arrest her because you knew I’d mess up.”

  “Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you’re stupid, Billy. You remember that and take care of these people. They need you.”

  The end of the tunnel brightened for Mason. He’d been armed with the symbol from the vidpod he’d taken from Jordan. Still, as agreed with Bar Elohim during their roadside meeting, it might not be enough to navigate the warren of tunnels.

  So he’d been using his ultraviolet light to follow the footprints of the old man and the girl in the tunnel. He was certain he had not lost them. To guide the soldiers, he’d used the spray paint on the tunnel wall every few feet, as also instructed by Bar Elohim. If this was their chance to stomp out the Clan, they would take every precaution.