There was no reply.
He now spotted something he hadn’t noticed before. In the center of the room, sitting on the floor, was what looked like an oversize coffee can. The piss bucket. Or maybe water. He slid toward it, and saw it had no lid; it was empty, but it had a slight odor that he couldn’t identify. On closer inspection it appeared to be a container for some kind of powdered drink, with a label featuring chocolate bars, a jug of milk, and a smiling cartoon pig.
He inverted the can and put it back on the floor.
He stood slowly, got his balance, took a deep breath, and moved toward Kim, whose breathing sounded labored. He crouched beside the man and saw that his face was pallid and covered with sweat. There was a small puddle of vomit on the floor near his mouth. Brodie checked his pulse, which was weak and erratic.
Brodie yelled toward the surveillance camera, “This man is very sick! Get a doctor here! Now! Assholes!”
No reply.
Brodie noticed that Kim, too, had a butterfly needle bandaged on his arm, and Brodie decided to leave it. Maybe someone would come and administer whatever Kim needed through the needle port. Maybe not.
Brodie then realized that Kim was awake. The man said in a weak voice, “Scott…” Then his chest heaved, and he coughed.
Brodie propped Kim against the wall so he wouldn’t choke if he vomited again. “You’re going to be okay.” Which was what you say to soldiers who’ve been hit, and who are going to be okay. But it’s also what you say to soldiers who are dying. They don’t need to know that.
“Water…”
“None here. But I’ll get some.” He shouted at the surveillance camera, “Water! Wasser! Schnell!” He then said to Kim, “Hang in there.”
He moved back to Taylor, who seemed to be looking better, with more color in her face and deeper breathing. He felt her pulse, which was stronger.
Taylor opened her eyes, and her head turned toward him. “What happened…?”
“Dr. Dipshit slipped us a mickey through our wristbands.”
She nodded, remembering her last seconds of consciousness. Brodie helped her sit up and propped her against the wall. She looked around and said in a weak voice, “Where are we?”
“Not sure.” But it’s not the executive suite.
Taylor was slowly becoming more alert and noticed the butterfly needle on her arm. “That son of a bitch…” She pulled it out and put pressure on her arm for a moment to stanch the bleeding. Then she spotted David Kim across the room. “David…”
Kim looked at her. Sweat was dripping down his face. He gave her a thumbs-up and then coughed.
Taylor managed to get to her feet, then went over to Kim as Brodie walked to the door and examined it. The door was not sheet metal, but armor-plated, blast-proof, and it swung outward, confirming that they were in an air raid shelter, or more likely a munitions storage room. He grabbed the steel latch handle, pulled it upward, and it swiveled to the open position. He put his shoulder to the door and pressed, but it wouldn’t budge, nor did he expect it to. Locked from the outside. That’s life.
He examined the latch handle, which would make a lethal weapon, but the mechanism was secured with heavy bolts that were rusted shut.Shit.He gave the door a kick with his stockinged foot.
Brodie looked at Taylor, who was tending to Kim. Then Brodie took a deep breath, got his head on straight, and stood at the hinged side of the door. Eventually, someone would come for them, and whoever it was needed to meet his fist.
A voice, coming from the direction of the surveillance camera, said in accented English, “Step away from the door.”
“Fuck you.”
The light suddenly went out, and the voice said, “I see you on infrared. Step away from the door, or you will all die a slow death from thirst and starvation, in the dark.”
“If you wanted us dead, asshole, you’d have already killed us.”
“There are things worse than death, Mr. Brodie. And you’re about to find out what they are.”
Brodie knew he should move away from the door, because there was notactical advantage in standing there. And yet… This was the kind of situation where his ego and pigheaded tendencies came out in full bloom.
“Go fuck yourself.”
“When the first of you dies, will the other two turn to cannibalism?”
Brodie could hear Taylor’s voice in the dark. “Scott… come over here.”
