“They wouldn’t need them here. I’m sure they have grenades and some RPGs, something to sink a boat.”
“Where would they be?”
Welch tapped his pen on the map. “The small arms armory is right here, but the heavy weapons cache should be here, in the center of the guard complex.”
“That’s outside the prison,” I said. “Why would they do that?”
“In case there’s a revolt, the prisoners can’t get to the big guns.”
Ostin and McKenna ran back into the room. “What’s next?” Ostin asked.
“We need to free Tara and Torstyn,” Quentin said. “They can help us. Especially Torstyn.”
“Nichelle, Taylor, and I will go with Quentin to free Tara and Torstyn,” I said.
“What about me?” Ian asked.
“We need you up in that tower,” Gervaso said. “With Tanner.” He turned to Welch. “We’ll need radios.”
“Radios should be in the prison armory with the weapons,” Welch said.
“Jack can free and arm the rest of the prisoners,” I said. “Just like he did at the academy. Zeus and Tessa can go with him.”
“What if they have electric collars?” Ostin asked.
“We’ll have to shut them off. That’s work for you.”
“Just like the academy,” Ostin said.
“After I find the explosives, I’ll blow the dock,” Gervaso said. “As soon as I return, we seal off the place. Jack will take his prisoners to guard the walls. Ian is stationed here in the main tower so he can keep everyone apprised.”
“What if they start shelling us first?” Ian asked.
“Are there bunkers?” I asked. “Anything underground?”
“Most Elgen facilities have secret passageways that aren’t on the plans,” Welch said.
“Like the Weekend Express at the Peru Starxource plant,” Ostin said.
Welch looked at him. “Exactly.”
Ian panned the ground. “There’s a tunnel near the entry that runs underground. It’s deep enough to provide shelter.”
Gervaso looked at Ian. “Where does it go?”
“It leads outside the fence to the guard complex.”
Ostin said, “The Elgen don’t know that we know about it, so they’ll probably try to enter in through it and ambush us.”
“Which means we can ambush them while they’re trying to ambush us,” Gervaso said. “I’ll go out the tunnel to blow the dock, then set up a nest at the inner end of the tunnel. How do I get to the tunnel?”
Ostin looked at the map and said, “North corridor. There’s a utility closet next to the arms closet. There’s a trapdoor in the floor.”
Just then Jack and Zeus returned. Gervaso said, “Come over. We don’t have much time.” He looked at Ian. “We’re vastly outnumbered, so communication is crucial. We’ll move to wherever the Elgen are so we’re always matching them.
“We’ll break up into four groups. Michael, after you and Taylor help free the prisoners, you, Ian, Tanner, Nichelle, and Taylor take the main tower. You’re squad A, our eyes and ears. Tanner, you do what you do. Just one aircraft could take us out.”
Tanner looked at us dully, but said nothing.
Gervaso looked at him. “You good?”
“I’m good,” he replied.
Then Gervaso turned to Jack. “You, Zeus, Tessa, Cassy, and Abi are squad B. You take the prisoners, arm them, and set up defenses on the ground inside the outer wall. Jack, you’re the general. I want you and the others commanding from up in the towers. I don’t want any of you in the line of fire. Just keep the Elgen outside the concrete wall. If they break through, push them back. That’s where the real battle is. If we can keep them from breaching the wall, we can win this.”
“What about us?” Ostin asked.
“You and McKenna take the command center. You’ll have access to all the cameras, communication, sirens, hydraulics, door locks, and electrical power. You can cut power where needed and use the cameras to help communicate to us what’s going on.”
“Welch and Quentin will take Tara and Torstyn and guard the north gate. After I blow the dock, most of the attacks will probably come from the east. If that changes, Ian will know long before they reach us, and Jack will send his forces to back you up.”
Welch said, “If Hatch hasn’t executed them yet, there’s at least twelve former Elgen guards in the cells. I can take them as well. They’re well trained and they know how the Elgen fight.”
“Perfect. Just keep those gates closed.”
“There’s a problem,” Quentin said. “I put some of those prisoners in here. They’re going to want to kill me, not fight with me.”
“Times have changed. They can fight with you or die at the hands of the Elgen.”
“Guys, we’re missing the point,” Ostin said.
We all looked at him. Jack crossed his arms at his chest. “What point?”
Ostin adjusted his glasses. “We came to steal the Joule and end the Elgen. What better chance will we get than right now, when the entire Elgen guard has us surrounded? There won’t be anyone left to guard the Joule. It’s ripe for the picking.”
“Yes, except they have us surrounded,” Jack said. “So how are we supposed to get away from the island?”
“Easy,” Ostin said. “We can assume that Hatch is expecting J.D. to drop us off and head back to Nike in the Risky Business. Therefore, Welch, Quentin, Tara, and Taylor can take J.D. and sail right through the blockade. They’ll steal the Joule and come back for us.”
Jack shook his head. “We’re hopelessly outnumbered, and you want to send away some of our best fighters?”
“Well, that’s the point, isn’t it?” Ostin said. “We’re hopelessly outnumbered. We’re probably going to lose the battle, but this way we can still win the war.”
We were all quiet for a moment. Then I said, “He’s right.” I looked at Welch. “What do you think?”
“It might work.”
“Gervaso?”
He frowned. “Ostin’s right. It’s our best chance to capture the boat. And we’ve got a better chance of escaping than fighting.”
“No offense,” Jack said, looking away from Welch. “But if the former Elgen steal the boat, what guarantee do we have that they’ll come back for us?”
Gervaso looked at Quentin. “We don’t.”
“So do we send one of our team with them?”
“We’re all the same team,” Welch said. “We can’t afford to weaken our forces any more than we already have.”
“That sounds suspicious,” Jack said. “I need a guarantee.”
I thought a moment, then said, “There aren’t any guarantees anymore. We just have to trust them.”
“We’ll come back,” Quentin said. “If they don’t kill or capture us, we’ll return for you.”
“If they capture us, they’ll kill us,” Welch said. “But you have my word. If we make it, we’ll come back.”
“The word of an Elgen,” Zeus said.
“Former Elgen,” Welch replied. “Like you.”
Before it could escalate into anything else, I turned to Jack. “So then you’ll have to take the prisoners and cover the north gate as well.”
Jack still looked uncomfortable. “Michael, I’m not good with this.”
“I could go with them,” Cassy said. “Keep them honest.”
“We need her here,” Zeus said.
“If our best shot is the Joule, she should be there,” I said. “She could help them. She might be able to stop them from submerging.”
Welch looked at her. “That’s fine. She’s powerful. And Michael’s right, she could help us take the boat.”
“It’s your call,” Gervaso said.
“The Joule is most important,” I said, looking at Cassy. “Are you okay with that?”
“I’m okay with whatever you need.”
No one else spoke up, so I said, “Then it’s settled. Welch and Quentin will free Tara, Torstyn, an
d the guards. Jack will take charge of the prisoners while Welch and company take J.D. back to the Risky Business and sail for the Joule.”
“I should help them release Torstyn and Tara,” Nichelle said. “We don’t know what Hatch has done to them. Just in case . . .”
“That’s a good idea,” Welch said.
“We’ll go out the tunnel,” Gervaso said to Welch. “I’ll blow the dock while you return to the Risky Business. Then I’ll secure the tunnel. If it’s a small enough space, one machine gun could hold it—if we can find a machine gun.”
“There should be one in the armory,” Welch said.
“There is,” Ian said. “I can see two of them.”
“All right,” Gervaso said. “We have a plan and not much time. Let’s go. Weapon up first.”
We hurried to the armory. The door had a combination lock like a bank vault. Ian turned the dial just four times, then turned the handle and it clicked, releasing the door.
“I’ve always loved that power of yours,” Quentin said.
“Me too,” Ian said.
Gervaso pushed opened the door and stepped inside. The supply room was about the size of our apartment back home in Idaho. One wall had three rows of rifles, forty or fifty in all, Russian-made AK-47s. Beneath them were stacked boxes of ammo. Against the far wall were two RPG launchers, a dozen submachine guns—Israeli UZIs—and about fifty handguns.
“Look at this,” Gervaso said, crouching down next to the largest of the guns. “They’ve got some M2s—fifty-caliber Browning machine guns. That will stop anything in that tunnel.”
“I’ve found something better,” I said. “A flamethrower.”
“That’s exactly what I need for the tunnel,” Gervaso said.
The opposite wall was a candy shop of destruction—everything a soldier of fortune could dream of. Inside the various cubbies were land mines and rocket-propelled grenades, tear gas, concussion grenades, and smoke bombs.
“This is good,” Gervaso said. “There’s enough here to blow the dock. Ostin and McKenna, grab some radios, then head back to the control room. You’re going to have to start opening the cell doors so we can release the prisoners.”
“After we help suit up,” Ostin said.
“I’ll help you set up the tunnel,” Jack said to Gervaso.
Taylor and I helped Gervaso, Jack, Tessa, and Welch get weapons. All Zeus took was a grenade and a bulletproof vest. Jack took an UZI, two handguns, a grenade belt with six grenades, and an ammo pouch. He grabbed two strings of machine gun ammo and draped them crisscrossing over his chest. He also threw the flamethrower over his back. He looked commando.
Gervaso took the machine gun and as much ammo as he could carry.
Ostin calibrated all the radios, six of them, one for each group, and handed them out. “Testing, testing.”
“They’re working,” I said.
“Remember, we’re on channel seventeen, as in seventeen electrics.”
Gervaso clipped a radio to his belt. “All right. Let’s get going. Michael, you guys get up there. They might be getting close.” He turned to Ian. “Remember, you’re our eyes. Just let us know what’s going on. The more information we have, the better.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Gervaso started walking toward the tunnel, then abruptly stopped and turned back. “One more thing. If something happens to me, Michael’s in charge.”
No one said anything, but Taylor gave me a sympathetic glance. Gervaso took a deep breath, then said, “All right. Good luck, everybody. Semper Fi. We’ll see you when this is over.”
I looked at Gervaso, then suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. “Be safe, man.”
“You too. Keep them all safe.”
After he was out of sight, Taylor turned to me. “You don’t think you’re going to see him again.”
“Of course I will.”
She knew I was lying even without touching me.
“We need to help them release prisoners. Then we’ll join you up top,” I said to Ian and Tanner.
“No worries, man,” Ian said.
They left for the tower while Taylor, Cassy, and I joined up with Welch, Quentin, and Nichelle near the end of the southern corridor. They were just about to enter one of the cells. “Who’s in there?” I asked.
“Torstyn,” Welch said. He lifted his radio. “Command center, you there?”
“Roger,” Ostin said.
“Open cell door 003.”
There was a slight pause, followed by, “Opening cell door 003 and turning off RESAT.”
There was a sudden squeal of air followed by the click of a lock.
“Taylor, Cassy, and I had better stay in the hall for now,” I said. “We don’t want to completely freak him out.”
Quentin nodded. “No worries.” He pushed open the door and walked in. Nichelle and Welch followed him. I looked through the glass panel on the door to watch. Torstyn was lying sideways on his bed, looking away from the door. He was wearing a pink jumpsuit. He rolled over to see who had come for him.
He looked ragged, thinner and weaker. Most of all he looked confused. “Quentin? Welch?”
Quentin walked up to the bed. “It’s me, man.”
“And me,” Welch added.
“What are you doing here?” Torstyn asked. “What’s going on?”
“We’ve come to rescue you.”
His expression changed when he saw Nichelle. “What’s she doing here?”
“Calm down, microwave,” Nichelle said. “We’re on the same side. Who do you think freed your bro here?”
“She’s telling the truth,” Quentin said. “Michael Vey and the Electroclan freed us. But we’re going to have to fight our way out of here.”
“Vey?”
Taylor, Cassy, and I stepped into the room. “Yeah, us.”
Torstyn just stared at us for a moment. “Tara?”
“No. I’m Taylor.”
“We’re on the same side now?”
“We’re all against Hatch,” I said. “That puts us on the same side.”
“I know you’re pretty weak,” Welch said. “But we don’t have a lot of time. Hatch and the guards are on their way. We have a boat. We’re going to sneak out the back.”
“All of us?”
“No,” I said. “Just you guys. We’re going to try to hold this prison.”
Quentin helped Torstyn up.
“You freed Tara?” Torstyn asked.
“That’s where we’re going next,” Welch said.
We walked out of the cell. Taylor looked inside the slit of the door two cells down. “There’s my sister.”
I lifted my radio. There was ambient noise and talking from Jack and Zeus, who were gathering up the GPs.
“Ostin, this is Michael. Do you read me?”
“Copy, Michael.”
“Open cell 005. And turn off the RESAT.”
“On it.”
The door clicked. Quentin pushed the door open, and he, Torstyn, and Nichelle stepped inside. I stood with Welch and Taylor in the doorway.
Tara was also dressed in a pink jumpsuit. She looked like she had aged ten years. “Q?”
“I’m so sorry,” Quentin said. He walked over and hugged her. “I never should have dragged you into this.”
Tara looked afraid and confused. “Where’s Hatch? Is he dead?”
“No. The Elgen are on their way. We’re going to fight them.”
“Us?” She lay back down. “We can’t beat them. No one can stop Hatch.”
“We can,” I said, stepping forward. “I’ve beaten him. I’ll do it again.”
“Vey?”
“And I’m here,” Taylor said.
Tara stared at her twin. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to save you.”
“But . . . I’m your enemy.”
“You’re my sister. Let me help you.” Tara looked at her twin in disbelief, then fell into Taylor’s arms and wept.
“You
guys need to get out of here fast,” I said.
“Do you have any food?” Tara asked.
“Yeah, we’re starving,” Torstyn said.
“I’ll take them to get something to eat,” Cassy said.
“I’ll go with you,” Nichelle said.
“Michael,” Welch said. “Come with me to free the guards. They should see me first.”
We passed a room where Abigail was alone arranging tables in long rows.
“What’s she doing?” Quentin asked.
“Turning it into a hospital,” I said.
Welch, Quentin, and I freed up nine Elgen guards who had run afoul of Hatch. Welch thought there were more. There were, but they had already been executed. Not surprisingly, the remaining guards wanted revenge on Hatch.
“Listen up,” Welch said. “Hatch and your former brotherhood are descending on this island. They will not be taking prisoners. Neither will we. Fight as if your life depended upon it, because it does.”
We led the men down to the supply closet and armed them. The guards found Elgen uniforms and put them on, though Welch handed out a roll of security tape for them to wrap around their arms to keep from getting accidentally shot by the other prisoners.
As we were finishing up, Jack, Tessa, and Zeus returned.
“The tunnel is armed,” Jack said. “Gervaso has gone out to blow the dock.”
“Alone?”
“He said we couldn’t wait any longer.” Jack looked at the guards. “Who are they?”
“These are all the former Elgen guards,” Welch said. “Three of them were ZCs. They are leaders. They’re now your soldiers. They’re under your command.”
Jack looked them over. “Fall in, soldiers.”
The men lined up against the wall.
Jack looked natural commanding. “Men, we’re under attack. We’ve got to arm and manage two hundred prisoners. Each of you will take a squad of twenty prisoners. It is your responsibility to get them armed and guard the section I give you. Understand?”
The men shouted, “Yes, sir!”
“I told you they were well trained,” Welch said. “Now we’ve got to go. Let’s get the boat captain.” He looked at Torstyn and Tara, who were still wearing their pink outfits. Their hands were filled with food. “Change your clothes; then eat,” he said. “We’re going to get the captain. We’re leaving the second I return.”