Jenkins cleared his throat.
“I found something in the hospital I retrieved the drugs from. I knew that the Gordon Hospital was our best bet, so that’s where we headed first. And it was what I found in the cells that has me thinking.” Jenkins paused. “I thought all the cavers were dead?”
All the strength drained from Scott’s body.
“What is your theory, Jenkins?” He asked forlornly.
“What if Hyde was never a caver?”
Scott took a deep breath.
“What brings you to this conclusion?”
“It was the state of the body when I looked in on it that suggested that it had been drained of its blood, and that had me wondering. It was chained to the wall, so it was defenceless. I’m beginning to think that they were also victims, and not the villains as we were meant to believe.”
Scott shook his head.
“We were given a directive to destroy the cavers from the encampment, not keep them alive.” Scott ground out. “Apart from Kirk, who else have you told? If Clark gets wind of this...”
Jenkins cut in before the sergeant could finish his sentence.
“Nobody else knows, sarge. I’m not that stupid.”
Scott doubted that.
“Get Judd ready, we move out in a couple of hours. Do it quietly, I don’t want Clark poking his nose in,” Scott whispered close to Jenkins ear. “If you do get stopped and asked questions, come up with something feasible. Don’t give anything away, do you understand?”
CHAPTER 19
Judd was still clamped to the chair, and naked. The black bag still blighted his vision, and the gag, his speech. He felt a deep thirst, and the lack of food and water had given him cramps. He groaned to himself as the crushing sensation in his wrists and ankles hadn’t ceased. He needed to learn not to keep struggling.
The quietness in the cell was shattered by the door being flung open so hard that it rebounded off the side wall. Judd’s body tightened. The light was turned on, and the guards entered. Judd tried to mutter something through the gag and gained a sharp clout to the side of the head. This went on for a few minutes before they took the restraints off and lift him out of the chair. Judd recognised the soldier called Kirk, who had brought in some fresh clothes for him to put on and placed them on his bunk. The bag was lifted from his head, but the gag remained in. The water was going to have to wait.
It caused Judd a great amount of pain to stand. His ankles, although not broken as he first thought, still hurt like hell and he doubted that he would be able to walk very far with them the way they were. He a muffled groan pushed past the gag as he shuffled unsteadily over to the bunk and sat down. He took shallow breaths to counter the pain then began to pull the clothes on. His wrists were inhibiting the speed in which he dressed, much to the annoyance of Jenkins, who didn’t want to have go over there and force the clothes on him.
“Come on man, get dressed... we have a job for you to do,” he said with an air of impatience as Judd pulled on his T-shirt. “Now, stand up and put your trousers on...quick, quick.”
Judd reached for the trousers and stood up again, wincing. He lost his balance as he tried to thread his foot through the leg. He fell to the floor with a crack. The pain was unbearable and muffled screams tried to push past the cloth that was shoved in his mouth. The two soldiers pulled him roughly to his feet.
“Hold him while I pull these up.”
Feeling humiliated, Judd could only dangle in the grip of Kirk whilst the other soldier, Jenkins, if he remembered right, pulled on the utility trousers and fastened them.
“There you go.” Jenkins grabbed Judd by the lapels and passed Kirk a set of handcuffs.
“Put these on him,” he said, holding him tight to his body. “We don’t want him trying to make a break for it, do we?”
Kirk openly chuckled.
With his hands secured behind his back and the bag placed back over his head, Judd was pulled from the cell, his bloated, bruised feet dragging behind him. He wasn’t going to be running anywhere, and the chair wasn’t going to be an option for him.
JENKINS AND KIRK DUMPED Judd unceremoniously on the ground in front of Scott.
“Can you remember how to get to the encampment?” Scott asked.
“The one that was supposed to have been destroyed after the rescue, you mean?”
“The very same.”
“Yes sarge, I do,” Jenkins replied. “What will you have us do with this pile of shit?”
Jenkins gave Judd a swift kick in the side, which forced yet another groan from him.
“I want you to take him back to the encampment and string him up, stretch him out a bit and soften him up for our arrival... and make sure he is completely naked.” The heap on the floor began to squirm, earning him another kick.
Scott bent over Judd.
“It’s less than you deserve, you piece of shit,” He said angrily. “Get him out of my sight. Make sure you’re fuelled up for the journey, there should still be petrol reserves in the back. We should be with you by morning. Make sure you take bug repellent with you. I don’t want that arsehole’s skin covered in bites... don’t forget.”
The two men picked up Judd and dragged him through the corridor toward the front of the bunker and readied him for transportation. Make the most of the reprieve, Judd, as it will be your last. Scott thought as he watched the three of them disappear around the corner.
MARCUS HAD TRIED BUT failed to come up with a formula to reverse the process of the caver transition. No matter what combinations he ran through none would work, he knew it. There had to be something he was missing, but his brain seemed to be struggling to find the solution. Then, his mind awoke. He had his light bulb moment, and hoped it wasn’t too late.
Marcus ran to the locked door and started banging ferociously on it with his prosthetic, hoping that someone would hear him.
“I need to speak to Scott,” he yelled. For a time, he thought no one had heard him but then the outer door opened, and Scott walked into the cell block. Marcus had never been so glad to see someone in his life. Although, not entirely a friend. But upon reflection, he was more a friend now, than the enemy he had set out being.
“Quick, open the door,” Marcus shouted through the glass.
Scott fumbled for the key and opened the door up. Marcus grabbed hold of him as soon as he entered and pushed him up against the adjacent wall hard enough that he dropped the duffle bag he was carrying.
“What the hell has been going on? Hyde was never a caver, was she?” he said. “You’ve been lying to her the whole time, haven’t you?”
Scott made no attempt to wriggle out of Marcus’ hold, just lifting his hands in a gesture of appeasement.
“Look, Marcus... let me go, I know as much as you do, I promise you that,” Scott said, his voice calm, as if talking to a dangerous animal “There was only one person who could answer your question, and he’s a pile of bones in a bag. We have the drugs that you asked for, if that’s any consolation. Maybe they can be of some help?” Marcus let Scott go, who proceeded to rub his throat where the prosthetic had pressed against his larynx.
“So, you expect me to believe that you had no idea what was going on?” Marcus was visibly shaking with anger as he fought hard not punch the man in front of him.
“I promise you, I knew nothing... please believe me. You need to if I’m to help you get out of here. Without trust, I can’t help you.”
Marcus stepped away from the sergeant, his mind in turmoil.
“Okay, say I do trust you, what needs to happen from now on?” he asked as Scott picked up the duffle bag.
“I have a plan in place. You’ll all be heading back to the encampment where we found you, and that is where you will stay. I will deal with things this end.”
“By that, I guess you mean destroying all the evidence?”
“Something like that, yes. I need to deal with that double-dealing bastard, Clark. I suggest you get your people together
. And I will arrange for Hyde to be secured for the journey. I can’t take any chances with your safety. Do you know where the dormitory is?”
Marcus nodded, and with that, Scott handed him the duffel bag and then left the room, but this time the door was left open. He was inviting Marcus to leave.
CHAPTER 20
Smithson, Jordan, and the two girls met up with Scott who had made his way back to the cell block.
“Jas, isn’t it?” Scott asked. “We need to get the rest of your father’s group together.”
“Then what?” the other woman demanded with a sharpness to her voice.
Scott turned to her and considered her query.
“Then we get out of here, that’s what.” He then turned to the two privates’. “Give me the bags of food and ready Hyde for the journey. Make sure you secure her well and place a guard over her mouth. She’s liable to bite.”
“Yes, sarge.” The two men handed over the bags of long-life products they’d commandeered from the mess, then sped away from the cell block. The two girls looked at each other wide-eyed, clearly wondering what he meant by ‘bite’.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Scott told them. “Now, let’s move out. We have a lot to do before we can leave. Follow me.”
Around the first corner, they caught a glimpse of Marcus hurrying in the opposite direction. Jas, opened her mouth to say something, but Scott cut her off:
“You’ll be able to speak to him soon, we’re heading to the same place. In fact, you’ll be able to see everyone in the next few minutes.”
They carried on walking the short distance to the dorm. and an odd sound from one of the girls made Scott turn around. It was Jas, she was sobbing, but Scott could tell the difference between the tears of frustration on their first meeting and the ones that flowed now. She was happy.
He gave her time before they went into the dorm. Jas wiped her face on her sleeve, then swung the door open and stepped over the threshold. Scott touched Jas’ elbow to gain her attention. She turned to face him, looking confused.
“Go find your father. He’ll want to see you,” Scott said as he let go the teen’s arm and pushed her gently away.
MARCUS FOUND JOHN AND the others and greeted them with the warmest smile. It looked like John had done a good job of keeping the group organised while he’d been gone. The old man dropped everything he’d been doing, trotted up to his friend, who he hadn’t seen since their arrival at the bunker, and hugged him.
“They fitted you up well, old friend,” he said, reaching toward Marcus’ new arm. “You know about Catherine? She’s here too. You weren’t conscious when they shot her, were you?”
“They shot her? Why? Why would they do that? She wasn’t the enemy.” Marcus asked. He turned his attention to Scott, who had just arrived with Jas and Aggie. Much as he needed answers, for now, Jas was his priority. He ran up to the small group and grabbed his daughter by the arms, looking at her for what seemed to be an eternity, then he pulled her into an embrace, careful not to squeeze too hard with his new arm.
“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
“No, Dad, we’re fine. They didn’t touch us. The sergeant saw to that.”
Marcus turned to Scott and gave him a respectful nod before turning his attention back to his daughter.
“It’s so good to see you,” he added, then he turned to Aggie and smiled. “Thanks for looking after Jas.”
MARCUS TOOK HOLD OF Scott’s arm and pulled him away from the earshot of the others. He pressed the man up against the nearby wall.
“Catherine was never my creation then, was she?” Marcus asked angrily.
“I didn’t know, I told you that... there’s only one person, apart from the dead consortium man, who knows what was going on from the beginning, and that’s Major Clark.”
Marcus loosened his grip but didn’t let him go.
“You need to get me answers, so I best know how to help Catherine. In the meantime, I will help my people with the preparation to move out.” His tone had changed. He believed what Scott was saying and felt wanted to trust him. After all, the man had kept his daughter safe.
He released Scott, and the sergeant pushed himself away from the wall and made haste to complete his task. Marcus headed toward John, Jas and the others.
“I know where the weapons are,” John said. “Sergeant Scott showed me the bunker cache. We’ll need them. Not that there will be much resistance. From what I’ve seen, a few of the soldiers are loyal to Scott, and would trust him with their lives. It’s just an observation, mind you.”
SCOTT ARRIVED OUTSIDE Clark’s office and didn’t bother to knock before entering. Army etiquette had now been banished, as had any respect for Clark. With a crash, the door hit the protruding side wall, denting it in the process.
“What the hell do you want, Scott?
“You’re a fucking fraud. You seeded Hyde with a captured caver’s cells and she didn’t even know it... you fucking piece of shit!” Scott pulled out his gun and aimed it at Clark’s head.
“Don’t use that tone with me, Scott. And lower that antiquated piece of crap from my face.”
“You have no hold over me anymore, Clark.”
Clark went to stand, but Scott used his antiquated piece of shit and shot Clark in the forehead, forcing him back into the chair with a violent jerk. A rictus fell upon his face, and his eyes remained fixed in a death stare. Scott paused briefly to stare upon the major’s lifeless body before heading out of the office.
SCOTT HADN’T GONE BACK to the dorm to gather the others. He had made his way back down to the armoury that he had retrieved the weapons from a few days earlier. He needed something that would do sufficient damage to the bunker’s infrastructure once he had moved the survivors out of there. All he needed was a decent amount of dynamite or C4, and that was all. Just that, nothing else. The bunker was old, but not as sturdy as it looked. Rust had begun to eat through the metalwork, weakening the main girders that held everything in place. That was why everything looked so dark and dingy. What was the point of making the bunker look inhabitable, if it was going to do was crumble around their feet?
Scott grabbed what he needed and placed it in one of the overhanging bags that were hooked up in the corner. He jogged back to the main part of the bunker and headed toward the dorm, and if his men had done their job correctly, everyone would be there.
CHAPTER 21
Jenkins and Kirk had spent most of the night in the doctor’s old lean-to, playing gin rummy and sleeping. In the morning, they left the confines of the lean-to to observe Judd, who they’d wracked taut on one of the stakes that he’d chained Hyde to not so long ago, and a fire had been lit under his feet to add a bit more discomfort to what he was already feeling. He was being softened up for Hyde upon her arrival, which should be within a day. He had been hung like that for a day and a night, with no one around but the odd midge, which had bitten into his flesh, and then fallen into the fire. The gag remained in his mouth, but the bag had been removed from his head.
Neither man had any interest in what was happening to Judd. Jenkins gazed the outstretched body of the man who was about to meet his end. He wasn’t quite sure what was in store for Judd, but if it involved Hyde, he could guess that he would meet the same fate as Quentin Miller.
Scott had made radio contact through the ATV a few hours prior and informed the two men that he was on his way with most of the survivors... or more to the point, what the remaining ATV would be allowed to carry. They had been asked to prepare the holding area for Hyde upon her arrival. The others would be housed where the scavengers had hauled up. They had a rough idea on what Scott was trying to achieve. This would be the survivor’s permanent home once the move had been completed.
BACK AT THE BUNKER, the dorm was abuzz. John had already retrieved the weapons from under the bunk where they had been hiding for the past few days. Jas and Aggie had been left in charge of the food. Marcus had a mixed cache of drugs for use on Hyde
, if needed.
John took hold of Marcus’ arm and pulled him around to face him.
“Have you seen Catherine? I have been told that she has changed. Is that true?”
Marcus nodded, then lowered his head.
“She’s changed. These bastards really did a number on her. I think Scott tried to stop what they were doing, but I’m not sure. He seemed to want to stick his neck on the line for us, but I don’t know why.”
John took hold of Marcus’ shoulders now that he was facing him fully.
“He’s my brother, well, half-brother. He isn’t here because he wants to be... He’s been working against them from the inside.”
“So, he’s been playing the long game?”
“Yes.”
“And you trust him?”
John met Marcus’ gaze. “I do.”
“Okay then.” With that, Marcus pulled away from his friend and walked out of the dorm. He needed a bit of space to collect his thoughts. Try and get to grips with everything. This week just seemed to be getting better and better. Revelation after revelation. But his thoughts were centred on Hyde, and the next stages. If it came to it, would he be able to euthanise her?
SMITHSON AND JORDAN approached Hyde with caution, even though she was still heavily sedated. Jordan had the difficult task of fitting the straitjacket after she’d been released from her chains. Smithson placed the mouth guard on her, then Jordan was clear to restrain her for the forthcoming journey.
“Even now, she looks stunning, don’t you think, Smithy?” Jordan quipped as he placed Hyde’s arms gently in the jacket.
Not once did she move. The administered drugs had worked almost too well. There were only a couple of hours left before they had to move away from the bunker.
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