Zeke and LaFaye hung back as the other three men stormed the encampment. Clarke swept the radios off of their tables and smashed them on the ground. Elida, Clarke, and a soldier named Mira launched themselves at the three traitors, using the element of surprise to close the gap between them. At least they were evenly matched after Clarke had recommended Mira as the fifth member of their escape squad. Clarke wrestled one man to the ground, pressing his knee into the man’s back until he squirmed and begged for mercy. Only after he stopped fighting did LaFaye run forward and bind the man’s hands with medical tape. It was an imperfect solution, but it would keep him busy for a little while.
With one of the men out of the way, they turned their focus to the other two. The larger oof the two was growling and spitting names at Elida, insisting that Elida was the real traitor. He circled, bobbed and weaved, pacing back and forth like an animal trapped by a pack of hunting wolves, always keeping his distance. But in one fatal moment, he circled around so that his back was to Zeke’s hiding place among the leaves, and a second later, Zeke took him down with one solid swing of a tree branch, striking his head so he fell sideways, mid-step. As soon as the apparent leader fell, the third man darted toward the trees, but Mira tripped him up and dragged him back.
The fight was over quickly, and they placed all three of the men together on the ground to answer for their crimes as they regained consciousness.
“What do you think we should do with them, sir?” Clarke strode menacingly in front of the men, his fingers tapping suggestively against the weapon at his hip.
“At first, I thought that might be the right thing to do, but now I’m having second thoughts,” Elida mused. “We could use a few strong men like these fellows to help us out, and it’s obvious that they have the lay of the land. Is that not so, gentleman?”
Elida whirled on the three captives and glowered in their direction. Their leader remained defiant, but the other two seemed more open to negotiating.
“We were just trying to do what was best for our families,” one of them stammered.
“Shut up. That’s what we were all trying to do before you idiots sabotaged us. Now, tell me who you’re reporting to and what you know about the establishments on this planet.”
“Don’t tell them anything,” snarled the ringleader recklessly, wrenching his arms against his restraints.
Clarke stomped forward and pushed the man onto his back, planting his boot on the side of the man’s face. The other two exchanged a panicky glance, before dropping their heads and waiting for it to all be over.
“You can tell us, or I can squeeze it out of you, but either way, this is better than you deserve.”
“That’ll do.” Elida cut in.
“There’s a camp. It’s a few miles from here. It was an industrial site for processing and storing herbs harvested here. Elizabet Buckley and her brother, Jessup, are on the board. They needed more hands to help process and pack the raw materials. They knew the Helechi people weren’t interested in job opportunities, so they arranged for this instead.” The man spoke slowly, and whenever he paused, his companion nodded to him encouragingly.
“I thought that company went out of business?”
“Well, sort of. It was on the verge of bankruptcy until it was bought up by a few members of the Central Government and their friends.”
“Why’d you go along with it?”
“After we left Earth, they kidnapped our families. They’re holding them hostage, and they promised to hurt them if we didn’t help. We were notified via messengers while we were stopping to refuel along the way. At each stop, the messengers brought letters and equipment for us. Once we reported back about our camp, they started delivering more supplies for us. The idea was to get you out of the way so we could stage an election for a new leader. Naturally, we would rig the results so one of us could take over and seal the deal. I’m sorry…”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it,” Elida fumed. “But you’re working for me now, got it? And trust me, at the first sign that you’re trying to betray me again, I will not hesitate to shoot you. So if you really want to save your family, you’re going to help us find this facility, and we are going to work together to save our people. Is that clear?”
The two men nodded, and the third groaned from his position on the ground as Clarke’s boot was lifted from his ruddy cheek. He tried to wipe the dirt off on his shoulder, but couldn’t quite reach, so he looked like a small child who had snuck into a cookie jar, crumbs of evidence stuck all over him.
“Consider this justice. You will work hard for me, and you will do whatever I tell you, but as long as you are loyal, no harm shall come to you or your family. I guarantee it. When we are all safe and we have the means to retrieve our ship, we will get your family back. In the meantime, carry those radios with us, because we’ll need them if you want to keep up the ruse with Elizabet and her lot. You will make your regular reports to her, but I will be feeding you lines. Just remember, Elizabet will kill you if she finds out you failed, so don’t try running. She doesn’t care one iota about you or your family. Clarke, also, does not care one iota about whether you live or die, so you better act right or I might not be able to stop him from shooting you. Isn’t that right, Clarke?”
“Precisely,” Clarke grumbled.
Clarke lifted the men to their feet and cut the bindings that held their hands. They stretched their arms and fingers, glad to be relieved of the tension. Then they went to work, breaking down their camp and salvaging what they could of their radio equipment.
When all was packed and ready to go, Elida looked to the three and pointed to the leader.
“Benji, right?”
The mutinous leader rolled his eyes but nodded his confirmation.
“You know the way. Lead on.”
There was a sullen nod from Benji, but he didn’t resist. Clarke kept his weapon aimed straight ahead, waiting for any of the three to make a run for it. All eight of them headed deeper into the forest, searching for their common enemy.
To Be Continued…
Atonement Page 7