Liz gives him a small nod of acknowledgement. A silent understanding passes between them, no judgement, just two people fighting the same fight. The tension in Riley’s shoulders ease ever so slightly. Hand in hand, they continue their journey, carefully picking their way around fallen trees and massive boulders, up hills and over streams flowing freely through the towering pines.
After hours of walking, Liz finally spots a break in the trees. This is it. Soon they will be storming the base, getting their friends back by any means necessary. They are so close, yet still so far. Somewhere in the distance, a car heads in their direction. Sprintingthe last hundred yards to the road, they make it just as Lauren’s little blue sedan pulls up next to the tree line. Riley throws the door open, guiding Liz into the front seat before he steps into the back.
“That bag has the uniforms. Get them on,” she orders, peeling off onto the road, speeding through the twists and turns of the mountain. A perfectly pressed uniform lands in Liz’s lap.
“When we get to base, I can’t guarantee it’s going to be one of ours at the gate, so I need you to keep that temper in check—”Lauren begins.
“I don’t have a temper,” Riley pouts.
“Not you, her,” Lauren says looking over at Liz.
Her cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson as she wiggles her way into the cargo pants, fighting to change in the small seat of the car.
“Once we are in, two men from my platoon will be waiting with a duffle, and one is going to tell Scott they spotted you two headed this way. Paula sent one of hers to commandeer the security room. As soon as we arrive, he is going to do an update, blacking out the cameras for twenty minutes. You need to get them out and as far from here as you can before that time is up.”
“Whats in the bag?” Liz asks, zipping her jacket up before sliding the hat onto her head.
“Three more uniforms and standard issue guns,” she replies. “You should know how bad things have gotten in the last few days. Whatever you see in there, you need to promise you will let us handle it and get the hell out.”
“What do you mean bad?” Liz’s stomach turns to knots. A warm hand finds her arm, rubbing slowly up and down. She focuses on that feeling instead of the thoughts running rampant in her mind.
“Liz, you need to promise me you won’t stop for anything. You can’t save everyone, but if you get your team out, you have abetter shot at ending things for good. I saw how you were when you tried to get Riley back. Promise me,” Lauren says, her eyes darting between Liz and the road.
She can’t form words, her tongue feels like ash in her mouth, so she simply looks over and gives a nod.
“He’s locking people up, anyone who even thinks about questioning what is happening with your team,” she says. Her voice is low and solemn. “Scott is running the base under some type of fucked up martial law, at least that’s what he is calling it, but those of us smart enough to see through it know he is hiding something and trying to bury it. He is using his standing with that corrupt fucking president to do whatever he can to silence us.” Barely more than a whisper, she says, “He has killed three people.”
An eerie silence settles over the trio as Liz and Riley take in what she just said. Three people are dead. Three people lost their lives, and three families are now mourning a loved one because of them.
Devastated, Liz opens her mouth to speak before snapping it shut. Quiet tears roll down her cheeks. The guilt grips them tight, wondering if things would have ended differently if they had been there to stop it.
Riley knows the answer to that. Scott would have done it regardless, at least with them out, there is a chance of making things right. Liz, on the other hand, is racked with guilt, thinking they could have stopped it if they never left.
“They knew about your unit, said you guys would never turn into what you’re fighting. They had threatened to go above his head to any of the general majors who would listen, and he had them fucking executed,” she snaps, her voice cracking with each word. Lauren’s knuckles turn white from her grip on the steering wheel.
“These are the coordinates to the bunker. Do not let anyoneyou don’t trust with your life get their hands on them,” Riley says, tucking a small scrap of paper into the cupholder between the women.
Lauren picks it up, glancing at it for a few seconds before setting it back and digging something out of the center console. A thin trail of black smoke travels into the air as the paper goes up in flames, a lighter still in Lauren’s hand.
“Anyone who can get out should go there. They will be safe, at least for a little while,” Riley says.
“You should go too, Ren. If he finds out you helped us, he will kill you,” Liz says, pleading, knowing it is falling on deaf ears. The two may not be close, but Liz knows her well enough to know she would rather die than leave any of her soldiers at the mercy of Scott.
Her stomach turns to knots when the car rounds the corner. The base looms in the distance, like a beacon of dread and despair. She reaches between the seats, finding Riley’s hand already waiting for hers. Fingers interlaced, they sit in gut wrenching silence, their eyes never leaving their destination as it grows closer by the second.
CHAPTER 28
The energy shifts as they approach the gates leading to the base. Every face of the soldiers manning the entrance is sullen like they have spent the last few days subjected to the worst humanity has to offer.
The boy at the gate can’t be older than his early twenties. Deep purple bags sit under his eyes with a haunting look behind them. He can barely make eye contact with Lauren as she flashes him her I.D card. He simply glances at it and waves her in. They made it over the first hurdle.
Lauren is already on the phone ordering whoever is on the other end to get started. The call is followed by one final call, the most important one. They sit, waiting until the alarms blare through the speakers. The base erupts into complete and utter chaos, allowing them to slip out, marching straight to the other side of the base.
The pair weave through the crowds of soldiers running frantically around the base. Two men join them, slipping a bag into Riley’s waiting hand before peeling off and joining another group gathering in one of the lawns scattered throughout. Liz tries tolisten as they breeze by, picking up bits and pieces of their superiors barking orders, but the only information she can gather is that they are searching for her and Riley. She already knew that, though hearing it out loud has her heart dropping into the pit of her stomach.
Time is running out. Their pace picks up, jogging across the pavement, trying to count the minutes in her head, not willing to risk looking at the watch adorning her wrist. The light jog quickly turns into a sprint when the platoons surrounding them begin running the opposite direction, leaving the base to hunt for them, unknowingly opening a clear path to their destination.
Hope blooms in Liz’s chest as they approach the admin building. Getting through the crowds was the easy part. Now is where the real work begins.
