by Ramona Finn
When we arrived at the airstrip, floodlights lit up the area as if it was the middle of the day. As we approached, I could barely hear coherent sentences from the others with the chopper engines idling. Shouts of commands carried over the groups as they boarded the helicopters. Everyone was in tactical gear with helmets, camouflaged enough that I couldn’t tell them apart. I drew down my own helmet to cover my face and watched as Syeth pulled his down, as well.
Harper and Yvette met us on the outskirts of the group. “What’s the plan?” Harper asked, her lips drawn together tightly as if she had sucked on sour candy. Wisps of her dark hair poked out from under her helmet.
“We believe all the prisoners to be in the Vault, including the scientists. It’s the most fortified part of the prison, as it’s located in the bottom-most sub-level,” Syeth answered as if continuing a conversation they had had previously.
“If they’re in the prison, they’ll be there,” Warren said, rolling his shoulders. He cracked his knuckles, which looked more like bear paws to match his broad frame. “It’s easier to keep them all in one place since they may be anticipating a rescue mission from us.”
“John and Marisha are our targets,” Syeth said. “John is as important to BioPure’s mission to stop the rebellion as much as he is for ours to do the same to them.”
“So, the Vault, then?” Yvette asked. “Since the others are headed there, we’ll follow behind them and let them do the heavy work while we swoop in and get your scientists.”
Harper opened the pack attached to her hip. She handed out small explosives. “They’re safe until activated.”
“Where did you get those?” Yvette bumped Harper’s hip.
Harper shrugged. “I was saving them for a rainy day.”
“Well, it’s pouring,” Warren said.
We each took a charge, and I held it gingerly in my hand. Syeth pointed to the trigger on the explosive. “Release the safety, push the button, and get out of the way.” I nodded my head and gently placed the charge in one of the smaller pouches at my waist. My trembling hands struggled to get it inside.
Syeth watched me but didn’t help. I slid it inside and buttoned the pouch shut. He lifted his eyebrows in a silent question, but I didn’t respond. Now was not the time for me to be squeamish about having to use weaponry.
“Let’s load up,” Albrecht said.
Around us, everyone was getting into position on the choppers.
“It doesn’t look like we’ll make it all on one chopper. As soon as we land, we’ll reconvene behind the lead assault team and follow in behind them,” Warren said.
Albrecht and Warren boarded two separate helicopters while Yvette and Harper hopped on one together.
Syeth and I headed toward the stolen BioPure chopper. We found two spots together and settled in. My stomach twisted with anticipation, and I spotted Isra near the cockpit.
I should have known Isra would be inside this one, but I had no time to deal with the glares she shot at Syeth and me. No doubt, she thought we wouldn’t succeed, but I wasn’t leaving without John. There wouldn’t be another opportunity—at least not one that had Isra’s tangential support. Once she had her people back—and I had no doubt that she would get them—then she would move on with the next phase of their plan to take out BioPure. John had never been on her radar, and we were there to make sure he was for today, at least.
The ride moved much quicker than I’d expected as the helicopter navigated the edge of the BioPure-sanctioned areas. My heart thundered in my chest, but I barely heard it over the rumble of the aircraft.
The other commanders spoke on their radios the entire time, calling out orders and checking in on the status of the land and lake teams. To make the twenty-five-minute deadline, we were to arrive at the prison just seconds after the defenses were brought down. We relied on everyone to do their job so that the pinpoint timing would be accurate. There was no room for error at any point in this mission.
I wasn’t near the window, but the sky went from inky dark to being lit up with moving beams of light. The helicopter jerked to the side, and as we dipped lower, I spotted the prison on the ground. We were practically on top of it and getting closer. I couldn’t hear or see what was happening outside the immediate area of the windows, but from the quick descent we were making, it seemed as if the plan was going off without a hitch.
My stomach swooped in my gut and I grabbed onto the seatbelt hitched around me.
I couldn’t hear what was going on outside over the sound of the engine, but the radios screeched out reports of casualties on both sides. I couldn’t hear much other than the numbers, and I wished I had a window seat so that I could see what was going on below. Throughout it all, Isra’s face remained impassive as she barked out orders in response.
The Unpaired nearby leaned closer to her as if to listen as their comrades fell to BioPure security. I couldn’t help the jolt in my heart as the numbers climbed, and I wondered how many of the fallen Unpaired I knew. Syeth’s hand found mine, and a swell of confidence moved through me. There was no room for doubt or error. We were getting John and Marisha back tonight, no matter what.
Isra turned around and shouted at the pilot. “We’re a go!”
When the helicopter touched the ground, everyone unbuckled their seatbelts and poured out into the prison yard.
Cement, with white lines cutting across the ground and the size of half a football field, it was big enough for the helicopter to land among the metal workout equipment scattered around. Tall fences with barbed wire surrounded the yard, reaching toward the sky. Once we were out, the helicopter lifted into the air to make room for the smaller ones, creating a whipping wind all around us.
Gunshots filled the air as the Unpaired quickly took down the remaining security on the other side of the fence. Within seconds, the dozen or so of them were neutralized.
The other helicopters barely touched down as more Unpaired poured out of the hovering crafts and dropped into the yard.
Beams of light shined from several points along the prison walls, giving us a view of our surroundings. I smiled at the fact that Unpaired were already neutralizing the security forces at the prison. But in less than thirty minutes, we’d come up against even more of them. I doubted it was going to be an easy escape. I shook away the negativity, though. I couldn’t think about it yet. Not until we had John and Marisha with us.
We gathered around Isra and the other generals as they divided into three designated teams, each team heading to the Vault from a different direction. The plan was that two of the teams would sweep the prison, taking out any security and then convening at the Vault, where the primary team would concentrate their efforts.
Isra locked eyes with me and tapped her wrist. “We’re leaving in eighteen minutes with or without you.” With that, she lowered her visor and sprinted after her team.
Albrecht, Harper, Yvette, and Warren joined us as we sprinted after Isra’s team. I gripped my rifle with damp hands, focusing on the back of Syeth’s head.
I tried to ignore the bodies already scattered behind the fence as we sprinted through the fenced walkway leading from the yard back into the prison. Red swirling lights blinked against the walls around us. More gunshots sounded on our left, and we took that direction toward the Unpaired. We had run only a few yards before we entered a cavernous space spanning two levels, with an open railing across the top level. Prisoners in the occupied cells banged their hands against the bars, screaming at us. The sound of their pleas for help was deafening. We stayed our course for the Vault even as the noise continued to ring out around us.
They threw trays and other items from their cells as if to get our attention, but we avoided them. I tried not to look at any of them as we left them there.
When we left behind the prison cells, we entered a darkened corridor and followed the sounds of gunfire. More security members littered the ground. Ten in this hallway alone. A quick look as we navigated past them confirmed they w
ere all dead. The Unpaired team we were following weren’t in our sights anymore, but their gunshots became louder as we passed through another doorway and the corridor widened in front of us. The barred metal door hung from its hinges, looking as if it was about to crash to the ground at any moment. Moving quickly, we passed offices with large glass windows, some of them blown out from gunfire and the occupants inside all dead.
“We’re approaching the stairs,” Warren said, pointing to the sign on the wall with his rifle and slowing his pace. “It’s three levels down. Come on.”
We entered the stairwell to find the door to the lower level was smashed, but this one had a fist-sized hole where the handle should have been.
A series of explosions forced me back against the wall. They were coming from the stairwell right below us.
Harper dropped into a crouch and moved to the stairs, going down slowly as she peered downward. Half her face was hidden in the shadows. She lifted her hand for us to follow. “Approach carefully.”
Yvette took up the rear position, keeping her back to us. Her gun pointed outward. Even though there wasn’t any security we could see, I wondered what was going on down there and if we were about to walk into a war zone.
“This is where most of the security forces would have gone,” Yvette said, following along behind us.
Of course, they would protect the prisoners, but there had to be more of us than them by now, based on the body count in the yard and scattered around the hallways.
The stairs were steep and uneven as we headed down into a much older section of the prison. The railing wobbled when I grabbed it, so I pressed my hand against the wall, dragging it along as we descended. Every few seconds, a barrage of gunshots rang out. Twice, someone cried out, and groaning filtered up the stairs.
Rounding the stairs to continue down to the next level, curses filled the air before a bright light turned in our direction. Syeth had flipped his flashlight on before attaching it to his belt. We paused to take a breath and Warren and Albrecht took the lead, and I followed Syeth as we descended to the lowest level of the prison. My breathing intensified with each step.
“Thank God!” a voice called out from the darkness. “I’m out of ammo.”
One of the Unpaired approached Harper at a fast trot from the direction we were headed and she handed over a clip from her belt. “What’s the status?”
The Unpaired leaned against the wall, pulled the clip from his rifle, and inserted the new one. “Security came out of nowhere. We think it’s an ambush. We used the majority of our explosives getting through those damn doors to get down here.”
That worry I’d tried to push aside came back as I wondered what we were walking into. The Unpaired seemed unprepared for the intensity with which security was trying to thwart their attack.
Two other Unpaired joined us and Syeth handed over an extra clip along with the flashbangs and grenades.
As a team, we continued down the stairs toward the Vault. In a low voice, Yvette told us to wait while she and Harper took point. At the final turn in the stairwell, they knelt. It was pitch black down there.
I couldn’t imagine what the prisoners had to be thinking. Did they know we were there to rescue them?
“These will be enough,” one of the Unpaired called. “Three, two, one!” A brilliant light lit up the corridor in front of the Vault. With the momentary illumination, I spotted at least twenty Unpaired waiting near the stairwell. Three security stood in the corridor, holding their hands over their eyes before the light blinked out. Our soldiers rushed forward, taking them down. Then the rest of us followed. With bodies bumping against mine, the stifling feeling of claustrophobia clamped onto my throat. Syeth came to my side and we pushed through. Shouts burst from the front of the group.
Flashlights appeared and the hallway lit up, giving me a sense of my surroundings. There were cells on either side of the hall, but they were empty.
“Charging!” someone called out, and Syeth grabbed me, pulling me away from the metal door in front of us. Other soldiers ducked into the open cells on either side and pressed against the back of them. Syeth and I huddled together in the nearest one.
Someone called out again, and then an explosion shook the foundation of the prison. Bits of debris rained down around us and I grabbed onto Syeth, thinking we were going to be buried alive.
Syeth’s breathing pressed against my face. “We’re okay.”
We poured into the corridor again as those in the front started to shoot. Where the door had been was now a gaping hole tall enough for any of our soldiers to stand at full height. I had no idea what that door was made of, but I couldn’t help thinking where we would have been if we hadn’t arrived in time with the grenades and flashbangs.
We were closer to John and Marisha than ever, and I could practically see my father in front of me.
Chapter Twelve
The opening in the doorway gave us access to the Vault. It was as dark in there as the rest of the lower level, but beams of flashlights cut through the space. Smaller holding cells were on either side of the hallway. They were about four feet wide and deep. The ceilings were shorter, making the cells seem even more cramped. With my thoughts on finding John and Marisha, though, my claustrophobia disappeared. The scene was utter chaos as Unpaired moved from cell to cell searching for their comrades. Outside, shouts to halt were punctuated by gunshots. I began to search the open cells, but each one was already empty. One of the Unpaired called out the remaining time, and they quickly began exiting the Vault faster than they’d come in.
One of them mentioned a retreat. I backed out of the way until I bumped into a wall. “Do they have John?”
Syeth’s mouth cut into a deep frown as he scanned the Unpaired around us. “I don’t see him. I’ll keep checking the cells.”
Isra hobbled by, propping up another person against her. His chin bobbed against his chest as they headed for the exit. He looked to be semi-unconscious—either from the fray or what BioPure had done to him.
Syeth reached forward and grabbed onto the arm of one of the commanders. It was the same guy who had opened up about the plan during the strategy meeting. His dark eyes flicked to Syeth’s hand.
“Has anyone seen the scientists?” Syeth asked.
“We have who we came for,” he said. “We didn’t see anyone else.”
My heart lodged in my throat and I rushed around checking all the cells, coming up empty each time. No John and no Marisha. Where were they?
The commander checked his watch. “Six minutes remain; we have to head back to the choppers.”
He left, and I whirled on Syeth. “We can make it.” I set the alarm on my watch for three minutes. “This is our only chance.”
Syeth knew me well enough not to argue, and we squeezed through the bodies leaving the Vault. I dug my hand into the pocket on my hip. The smaller charge was still in there. It wasn’t big enough to blow open a door, but it would get us through any oncoming security we might come across. I would have given it up before, but it had seemed as if the soldiers had been satisfied enough with the bigger explosives. Now, the Unpaired had completed their mission, but mine was far from over. I needed to find my dad.
The Vault cleared out, and not even our team was there to back us up as we frantically ran from cell to cell. I swallowed against the lump in my throat as I sprinted by the cells, my eyes on the right side of the hallway. Syeth checked the left. With each empty cell that passed, my breathing intensified.
“Where is he?” I hissed. I was hesitant to yell and give up our position to any leftover security.
When the cells ended, the only life in the Vault included me, Syeth, and three security personnel sat leaning against a wall, all wounded. Their features were in shadow, but the way they backed away from us showed how scared they were.
We turned our guns on them as if sharing the same mind. The Unpaired had a reputation, and I didn’t mind borrowing on it for the moment. The timer counted down i
n my head. We didn’t have time to pry the information from them. We needed it now.
“Where are the prisoners?” I asked, moving my gun closer to them. “John Wingum and the other researchers.”
“D-Don’t kill us,” the shorter one closest to me said. “They already took our weapons. Everything.”
I sucked in a hard breath, hyper-aware of everything in the space—my racing heart, the ticking time, and the empty cells.
“They were already transferred,” said the one holding his right arm against his chest.
My stomach dropped. “Where?”
“I-I don’t know,” the middle one said. His chin was against his chest and his eyes were closed. Syeth flicked his flashlight on, and the man’s face scrunched up even more. The last one sobbed and recited a prayer. “They were given a priority bump. Someone in New York demanded the scientist’s immediate extraction. He was on the first train this morning.”
“No!” I said, whipping around to face the empty cells. They mocked me with their open doors like jeering mouths.
“Lora! Syeth!” Harper’s voice echoed down the hallway, and then numerous footfalls came running toward us.
“We thought you were with us.” Warren’s face dripped with sweat. “We didn’t find anyone else. I’m sorry, but we need to leave now.”
Syeth slung his gun over his shoulder and we took off toward the exit, leaving the wounded security forces behind; they were all either too wounded or too scared to consider coming after us.