by Catty Diva
“Yeah. They brought me back. The last place got raided and somehow they slipped me and a dozen others out. I ain’t got no luck, Sis. How you doing?”
“Not too good. I think I’m on my final journey.”
“Eat the food on that tray, Honey. They raided the last place, they’ll be here soon.”
“Not in time for me. I can’t stand it much longer.”
“Sh, someone’s coming.”
It was a guard picking up trays. “Decide not to eat? Can’t blame you, but if you don’t eat, they’ll strap you down and feed you with a needle.”
The guard was new, she seemed nice, but then how did she get here? “Okay,” Shari said as she picked up the tray and ate a bite. It was tasteless as usual. The same stuff they fed the rats in the lab and why not? That’s the way they viewed them, even though they were people.
Shari thought they were more human than those who kept them. Those people were savage animals. Their day would come, she believed it. She only feared she would be long gone before it ever came. Her arms were so weak, she dropped the tray and the food splattered everywhere.
“Oh, shit!” The guard yelled. “She’s down.”
Shari felt someone pick her up and carry her. They laid her down on a bed and there was the stick of the needle. “No!” She screamed, she didn’t want to be saved. Her baby didn’t want this life, and neither did she.
Much later, she woke and looked around. She was in the infirmary and someone had saved her. Cursing them, she tried to pull her hands up, but they were strapped to her side. Desperate to pull the IV out, there was no way she could. A tear ran down the side of her face. Death was beyond her now just when she had been so close.
A door opened and someone came in the room. Walking to her, they took her stats and wrote them down. “We almost lost you, young lady. I don’t know who let you get in such terrible shape, but we are going to fix you up.”
“Who?”
“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Dr. Brutus. What is your name?”
“Shari.”
“Shari, what a lovely name for a beautiful lady. Do you know how far along you are?”
“Four.”
“Four months? Yes, the baby could come soon. Now, if I get you some real food, would you eat it so I can take out the IV?”
“Yes.”
“Splendid. I’ll take out the IV, then find you some food. Once I have your plate, I’ll remove the straps so you can eat. Sound like a deal?” Brutus asked.
“Yes.”
“Well you certainly don’t waste your words. I like that.” The doctor turned away and did something on the counter top. He returned and set a plate of steaming food down on a table near her.
The scent of cooking food made her mouth water. He loosened the straps then pulled them off. “What?”
“Sorry, Sweetheart. This is chicken noodle soup. You can’t have anything too rich, it won’t stay down. You’ll stay in here for now until you’re better. Would you like to take a shower after you eat?”
“Hell yes.” Shari didn’t know what was going on, but if they were keeping her alive and she had no choice, she would take advantage of all she could. Besides, there was something different about this doctor.
Shari sat up and picked up the bowl with a handle. She sipped the soup and couldn’t remember ever tasting anything so wonderful. Was this what the food the guards ate tasted like? No wonder they were angry when they were late for lunch.
“There’s a spoon so you can eat the noodles, too.” Brutus said, with a smile. “There’s also chocolate milk in the glass.”
“I’ve never had chocolate milk before.”
“Most people love it. Kids get it more than anyone, but I thought you’ve been through so much, you should get some. I gave you a straw to drink it through.”
She picked up the glass and sipped on the straw. They used straws here with certain drinks. One sip and she loved it. The flavor burst on her tongue and she couldn’t get enough. “Slow down.” The doctor said, as he stepped closer.
Shari growled at him. He wasn’t getting her chocolate milk. “I’d never take it from you. I just don’t want you to drink too fast, because your stomach might reject it.” Thinking about it, what he said made sense. She set her glass down for a little while. “Do you want to take your shower now and finish your food when you’re done?”
“Okay.”
“Follow me, Sweetheart. This is where the shower stall is. These knobs set your cold or hot water and this turns it on. Don’t get under until the water feels good, okay? I’ll get you a towel and a change of clothes while you shower.” The doctor walked away.
A shower might not seem like a big deal, but to her it was heaven. Setting the water at warm, she moaned in pleasure as she stepped under the water and the warmth of it surrounded her. She reached for the shampoo and massaged it into her hair. She rinsed it off and was appalled at the color of the water. It was almost black. That made her decide to wash again and once again until the water was clear.
Next, she washed her body and it needed it, too. It had been forever since she had felt clean. Once she was clean, she also felt relaxed and better able to handle whatever came next.
Chapter 3
Jazzy Knows Best
Jazzy knew Brutus was pissed at her. She couldn’t blame him and she also knew no other hunter would have done this for her. Hacking their computers, she’d set it up so she was a guard and Brutus was a doctor sent by one of the top geneticists the labs employed. That guy was rumored to have gone underground, but the truth was the Mazlans had him.
Razar had captured the man a year ago, but he wasn’t worth much as far as the operation went. It was because his head was so far in the clouds he didn’t know where he was. That saying about being so smart you’re stupid applied to this genius. He had no common sense at all and paid attention to nothing if it was outside of his field.
Brutus wasn’t taking the chance here. They’d been sent in separately and she’d started a few days ago. She was employed through the guard’s section, he was sent in to do testing on a high priority subject. It was necessary to save this female. Jazzy couldn’t bear to see her die when they’d be rescued so soon. With them on the inside, not only could they prevent any further injuries to those kept there, they could dig into the files and find out where other locations were.
Her partner, Brutus, was a class act. She trusted him to watch her back more than any other hunter. The guys thought he was a ladies man, but he was a lady’s best friend. Was he a doctor? She wasn’t sure but he played one undercover often enough and well enough that she thought he might be.
“Hey, you!” A male called out.
“Yeah? What do you want?”
“Where’s the female from that cage?”
“Are you the one that takes care of her?”
“I am, why?”
“Just glad I’m not you.”
“Why is that?”
“She collapsed in her cage barely alive, so I took her to medical. One of the geneticists is here to do some hush hush tests on her. He was most displeased.”
“Not my fault. I wasn’t told to feed her.”
“Okay, so you were told to starve her to death. You shouldn’t be in trouble at all.”
“Listen, you little pussy.”
Jazzy stepped with one leg between his, she grabbed the arm furthest away from her and twisted it, this made him trip over her leg and land on his knees, and she had his arm twisted around his back. “Listen, Shithead, I may have a little pussy, but it’s not for you to discuss. You fucked up and now if you’re lucky, you’ll be taking the trash out. Don’t try to take that out on me. I do my job, nothing more, nothing less.” She pushed him up against the bars and stepped away. “You have a nice day now, you hear?” As she walked away she commented. “Jerk!”
It was impossible to deny how good that had felt. The guy was a bully and a hateful one. She’d seen that Bass was assigned here. Jazzy
had known him as a government worker years ago when she first started working for Cash. That he was undercover was a given. That she had extra backup felt good because something was going down and it would be soon.
Peeking in on Brutus, she’d seen him fussing over the little female. Shari looked so much better in just a short time. He had the magic touch with females and children. Jazzy ran through the patients as they were called and tried to help anyone she could.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A female yelled.
“I’m doing what the doctor asked me to do. He’s operating on authority from the top.”
“Says who?”
“He showed me an authorization. This is a testing facility and he’s been given the go ahead for testing but he prefers his subjects live. Before I arrived, this facility was losing patients faster than it received them. There will be some changes.”
The woman sputtered. “Who do you think you are?”
“Caffrey’s niece, who are you?” She was name dropping, but it was a high level guy Razar had bagged and locked down from the last mission.
“I thought he was captured.”
“No one has said that. No one says either way. Do you understand?” Jazzy said with a hard note to her voice.
“Yes, yes I do. We’ll start taking better care of these subjects right away.”
“Thank you. A lot of money goes into testing. Having subjects die needlessly is expensive.”
“I understand completely. We were just upgrading some of our food and care standards before you arrived. “
“I’m glad you’ve shown you can be progressive. Those are the people that move up here.”
“Thank you. I want to do well in the organization. My name is Jill. You need anything, you ask for me.”
“Keep that attitude and you’ll get right where you need to be.” Jazzy smiled. What a witch this woman was.
Jazzy headed down the hallway checking in on those kept there. There was a big difference in the health and care given to patients. It wasn’t long before she began to see one of the reasons why. A guard stepped into the cell of one of the females receiving better care. He started to strip down until his trouser snake was sitting up and begging for attention.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“None of your business, bitch.” He replied. “I do this all the time and no one cares.”
“That’s fine. I’ll call headquarters have them go back through the old vids and charge you the appropriate price for your fun time. These people are here for a purpose and it’s not your pleasure. Do what you wish and I’ll deal with it in the way I decide.”
He mumbled and cussed, but he got dressed and left the cell. “It’s her fault,” he whispered.
“Don’t worry. He’ll still feed you well. Orders from above. If he doesn’t, just tell me. I’ll get everything fixed up,” Jazzy assured her. The female just nodded. It was enough to make Jazzy wonder if the female in the cell might like the guard or think she did.
Jazzy continued to check out the cells along the hallway to assess the condition of the inhabitants. Over half of them were in terrible condition. She would wait and check what they were fed tomorrow since she’d taken care of those in the worst shape today. Keeping a low profile was necessary since it would be days, if not a week or more before things were dealt with.
Leaving the hall, she checked in with medical. It looked like it was lights out and Shari was sleeping. That meant Brutus was probably checking into a room of his own. If they investigated carefully, they could connect her with him. She hoped that didn’t happen before the raid went down.
Jazzy headed up to the station to act like she was one of the entitled few. Even the lowest people on the totem pole acted like they could do whatever they wanted to at least as far as the subjects were concerned. Half the babies born here were probably fathered by guards. How was any of their testing ever completed properly? Was her father a guard? Please not let that be the case. So far, all the guards were dickwads. At least, that was the case with all those that truly were guards and not working undercover here.
The shuttle was about to leave and she caught a ride in it. Looking around her, she saw guards and other workers. Some of the personnel on the station had to recognize the repeated visits by people living and working nearby. Did they give them a made up story or just let them come to their own conclusions?
Once they docked, she got off and headed to her room. Would Brutus want to meet with her? She would leave it up to him to make contact if he did. Once she got to her room, she showered and put on some attractive clothes. Fixing herself up first, she then strutted out of the room and down the hall. The most expensive restaurant was her first stop. A little shopping was next. She considered a sex worker, at least they were clean. When risking your life, you should find joy when it was available. The male was cute, but he was nabbed by another customer while she was trying to decide.
Next time, she’d be quicker. It looked like it was BOB tonight. Her battery operated boyfriend was easier to deal with, anyway. He asked no questions and always knew what to do. His size was perfect and he had five speeds to choose from. BOB wasn’t much of a conversationalist, but sometimes she didn’t want to talk anyway. Who was she kidding? Yes, she was lonely, but no, she wasn’t willing to just fall into just anyone’s arms. That day might come, but it wasn’t here yet.
Jazzy went back to her room and it turned out to be a good thing. Cash was calling her. “Hey, Boss. What’s up?”
“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me? My PA just found two new employees at the lab you’re at,” Cash growled at her.
“You’re PA is pretty damn good. How did she manage that?”
“Good try. If I told you, she’d never manage it again. What the hell are you up to, Girl?”
“I’m sorry. Some of these subjects won’t make it long enough to be freed. I can’t stand by and watch them die.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? We could have come up with a safer plan. You know some bitch named Jill is already trying to pull the rug out from under you?”
“No, how did you know?”
“My PA caught the call and redirected it. She chewed on her a little bit and it will help, but that woman will try again. She thinks she’s important and she’s trying to reach someone near the top.”
“I had no idea she had contacts near the top. It doesn’t surprise me since she is a suck up.”
“It doesn’t matter why. Can you see you should have used some caution? If they catch you and Brutus, not only will you either be captured or killed, but the lab will be dismantled and everyone will disappear. We’ll be starting over without two of my most experienced hunters.”
“I messed up. I’ll try to do better next time.”
“Why do I feel like you are just telling me what you think I want to hear?” Cash asked. “You are good, if you would just listen and learn from your mistakes.”
“I do try. I just didn’t see any other way to save them. I knew you would put me first in any decision you made.”
“What about Brutus? Don’t you think he wants to survive this mission?”
“We didn’t come together. He would still be okay, regardless.”
“That’s a dream, Jazzy. They’d trace your movements and find him right away. I’d suggest you keep a low profile, but it sounds like it’s too late for that.”
“I’m sorry, Cash. I never meant to make a mess of things. There’s no way to undo what I’ve done.”
“No, there isn’t. I’ll try to speed up everything, but it will still be three days minimum. My PA will monitor communications, but I don’t know what else to do. I suppose I’ll have to let you do it your way.”
“Thank you for everything. I’ll do my best to make sure this works.” Jazzy said, but she did feel bad for putting Brutus in the middle of it. Her life was hers to risk, his was not.
Chapter 4
Shari
Brutus
watched her sleep and he felt something deep inside he couldn’t explain. Her face was relaxed and peaceful, beautiful as far as he was concerned. What she had lived through was unbelievable.
“You there?” She whispered.
“Yeah, I’m right here,” he admitted, moving forward and grabbing her hand in his and pressing it. She went right back to sleep assured of his presence. He couldn’t stay there, he knew he had to call Cash. Knowing Jazzy, Cash had no idea what was going on and Jazzy would hide the decisions she’d made.
If he left right now, he could make the call and be back before Shari woke. It was a plan, but it was scrapped when Jazzy stepped inside the door. She moved a finger to her lips to indicate quiet. Her hand opened palm up and a disruptor was in it. Once she switched it on, it was safe to talk because the video and audio would be knocked out. That was a risk in itself since the guards would come check on it.
Disruptors were usually used in a hunter’s own quarters in case they were being spied on. This was highly unusual. “I felt the need to warn you. They’ve already attempted to reach the higher ups to ask about us. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
“It doesn’t matter now. I’m in up to my eyeballs. When the guards come, what’s our excuse for the disruptor?” Brutus wondered.
“I’ll tell them we called the higher ups and they initialed a disruptor.”
“Got it. Here they come. Faster than I expected.”
“Yeah, they’re on their toes today.” She turned off the disruptor and slipped it in a drawer just as two guards rushed in with guns drawn.
“Hands up where we can see them!” The first guard yelled. “What are you doing using a disruptor here?”
“We weren’t. Jill expressed some concerns and my uncle Caffrey heard about it. He spoke to the doctor to ensure things were right around here. He used the disruptor so no one would know where he was.”
“The Caffrey is your uncle?” One of the guards looked impressed as he asked.
She shrugged carelessly. “He has been all my life.”