The door in front of him, Mike said, “Okay.”
Julia stayed to the side and pounded her fist on the door.
Seeta’s body was dead weight, but he had positioned it to give him the greatest amount of leverage. The guards would expect Seeta and let her out. They wouldn’t expect her to be used as a battering ram.
After a moment, a guard unlocked and threw the door open. Before the two guards could step forward, Mike rushed them and flung Seeta’s body at them.
Their lifeless informant crashed into the lead guard, and they both went to the ground. Mike jumped over them to get to the other guard. The Afghani on the ground reached out and caught Mike's foot, trying to trip him. Falling forward, he landed on his front foot, arms stretched out, his hand brushed up on the rifle barrel of the second guard. The front sight post dug into his palm, but it was enough to push the barrel down and away. The first guard lost his grip on Mike’s foot and crashed into the second guard. The impact was enough to right himself and throw a punch, driving his fist into the second Afghani’s jaw. He punched him twice more in the throat, then ripped the rifle from his hands. The guard dropped his hands to his neck, choking noises rasped from his mouth. Mike spun, the first guard struggled to pull his AK out from between him and Seeta’s body. A satisfied look fluttered across Mike’s face. It was the guard who’d jammed his AK muzzle into Mike’s chest. The guard cursed, his face locked into a snarl, and pushed the dead woman off, only to feel Mike’s boot kick him in the head. Stunned, the man lifted his arms. Not in time. Mike's boot rocked the man’s head to the side, then kicked him again for good measure. The guard behind him dropped to his knees, one hand to his throat. Mike drove his heel down into the back of the man’s head.
Julia willed herself to help wanted to help. It had happened so fast she had instead stood transfixed by the violence. The guards lay, one face up, the other face down. Neither of them moved.
Satisfied things went as well as they did Mike looked up to see Julia turn away in horror. She faced him, the emotion stifled. “Help me drag these bodies in there.” He grabbed the first guard by the feet and dragged him into the cell.
She’d watched two men beaten and kicked unconscious; it was terrible, but she helped him nonetheless.
Without ceremony or regard, they dropped the first guard onto Seeta and the next guard on the two of them.
In the hallway, Mike handed Julia one of the AKs. “Stay here. I’m going to check the bodies for anything useful.”
He closed the door behind him, leaving Julia with her thoughts. The hall was quiet. Doors occupied the walls to either side. Inside the room behind her, she heard noises she didn’t like.
Mike opened the door with a grin. He held his tomahawk up for her to see. Julia looked beyond him into the room. She wished she hadn’t. She caught sight of the guard thrown on top of Seeta. A steady stream of blood dripped down his neck onto Seeta’s body. It joined an already growing pool from the first guard.
She squeezed her eyelids tight.“I didn’t need to see that?”
“Had to be done. On the plus side,” he lifted the tomahawk, “I got this back.”
There was still blood on the blade.
Her face went pale, and dropped to look at the floor. “Where do we go now?”
Mike looked left down the hallway to what seemed like an elevator door. To the right, a stairwell, one side led up the other down. Between the two was a diagram on the wall.
“Level five doesn’t look like a healthy place to be, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said. I don’t suppose you can understand any of this.”
“Not a word.” He looked back down the hall.
“Hmm. So, the diagram?”
“I don’t know, so let’s go to the top level and see what we see. From there, we can come up with something or work our way down, or I don't know yet.”
“You guys and your detailed plans,” Julia quipped, but she was in anything but a joking mood.
“Are you going to be okay?”
She saw him looking and straightened up. “I’ll be alright.”
His head jerked toward the downward leading stairs. A noise, metal on cement, came from below them. With a gentle hand on her shoulder, he directed them upstairs.
They took the stairs as fast as they could and remain quiet. At each landing, Mike peeked around the corners. Cresting the last stair, they stepped into the hangar bay.
The smell of JP-8 fuel was almost overwhelming. There was refueling equipment against the wall. It was unkempt. A thin, steady stream of fuel leaked from the end of the rolled-up refueling hose and meandered to a drain under the helicopter. Various types of equipment lay on the floor or against the wall.
Red lights from the ceiling on a time delay now illuminated the area enough to see but left dark shadows everywhere. The helicopter sat in the middle of the floor, waiting.
“Look.” Mike pointed to a glass-enclosed room sitting above the hangar bay floor, a metal stairway leading up to it. “Let’s go check it out.”
“Radio?”
“Maybe. It might only be line of sight for the helicopter coming and going, but you never know.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Before moving, he stuck his head into the stairwell. “I don’t hear anything. Hopefully, they’re not coming this way, but we’ll keep our eyes open.”
They stepped around discarded trash and rags on the floor. The metal stairs to the control room were just as dirty as the bay floor. The rail had worn paint and patches of slimy oil spots or some other petroleum product on it.
A large radio sat on the desk overlooking the bay. She picked up the hand mike. “Can we get this to work?”
“Probably. But it’s a simple FM radio. Good for a couple of miles.”
She dropped the mike and lifted the lid to the laptop computer. “Now this.” She sat in the chair opposite the computer.
“Are you good with computers?”
“You could say that.” The keyboard wasn’t in English, nor was anything on the computer’s screen. “If given enough time, I could get into this." She took the mouse and began clicking. “Let’s see if it’s connected to a network.”
“And if it is?”
She looked up. “If it is? I don’t know what security protocols they may have installed, so it will take some work. But if I can get through them and get through to a satellite, it’ll be as easy as sending an email to get some help.”
“Alright. I’m going to scout around the hangar bay.” He turned back before taking a step down and glanced around. Julia hunched over the laptop. “I don’t suppose you can fly a helicopter?”
“Sorry.”
“It was worth asking.” He took a second to watch her manipulate the mouse, her eyes moving across the computer screen.
Down the stairs, he circled the perimeter of the hangar bay. The personnel door swung open out to the pad. There was some light, but the moon was now behind the mountains. The mountain peaks between him and the moon's last light reminded him of pungi sticks. He considered going out for a closer look at the valley but didn’t want to leave Julia. His eyes scanned everything as he walked around the hangar. There was nothing of interest or anything that could have helped them.
Instead of bothering Julia, he stood at the top of the stairs to listen while she worked.
A man’s scream made him step back his grip on the AK tightened. It was a scream muffled by distance. The open stairway was an excellent funnel to convey sound into the hangar. He looked back. Julia stood at the doorway, a frightened look on her face.
“How close are you?”
She glanced back. “Not very.”
“Shut it down.”
She stepped back into the office.
He heard the laptop’s lid slam down. Julia emerged, rifle in hand. She took two stairs at a time, the stairs ringing as she vaulted down.
She stood next to him, focused on the stairs. “Whoever that was isn’t happy.”
“If they weren't looking for us before, they will be now.” He took off toward the personnel door leading to the helipad. “Come on.”
From outside on the pad, Mike opened the door a crack. “Keep watch on the stairs. I’m going to see if there’s a way down from here. If you see anyone, close the door and find me.”
“Got it.”
Mike stood on the edge of the pad, the dirt road the only prominent thing out in the darkness below. The fire they’d lit was long out. The climb down the mountain would be slow. It wasn’t pitch black, but the moon was out of sight. It was close enough. It’d be dangerous. They could make it down, but by sunrise? And get out of sight? The rock below was dark and darker, still in the shadows. None of it looked easygoing.
The door opened behind him. He spun around, just catching Julia running into the hangar. Just as quickly, she was back outside. She waved her arm at someone inside and stepped out of the way.
Mike jogged over, shaking his head. He wanted Julia to give him a thumbs up or something, but her gaze remained inside.
Mike slowed to a walk, rifle at the ready.
Julia reached inside and pulled Niki through the door, putting her arm around the wounded woman. Al came next, followed by Tom, drawing a slight man with black frame glasses and red eyes.
Mike’s mouth opened into a happy chuckle. “Well, look what the cat dragged outside.”
Mike and Al clasped hands, and bro hugged. He grabbed Tom’s outstretched hand and hugged him as they pounded each other's backs with their rifles. Mike stepped back and smiled at his two friends.
“Wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you guys again.”
“Likewise, buddy, likewise.”
Julia grinned, a hint of sadness in her eyes.
Niki’s mouth twitched, but that’s as far as she’d go.
Mike glanced at the slight man with the red eyes. “Who’s the Poindexter.” He had a feeling he knew who the man was.
Tom put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “This is Randall. He's the Colonel paleo epidemiologist who came to this glorious country on vacation. So-called kidnappers grabbed him and his Afghani girlfriend a while back. They brought him here to work on some nasty shit downstairs.”
Mike’s attention went to Niki. She didn’t look good.
Tom lifted his thumb over his shoulder, pointing toward the open door. “I assume that was your work back there.”
“Work?”
Tom cocked his head. “Blood leaked under the door into the hall.”
Mike's mouth formed a grim, tight line. “Yeah.”
“And the girl?”
“It had to be done.”
Randall lifted his head and focused on Mike. “My Seeta?”
“She wasn’t who you thought she was. She was working for the people running this place.”
“No! You didn’t have to kill her!” He raised his arms and lunged forward.
Tom grabbed Randall’s collar and pulled him back. The lovesick little man dropped to his knees and cried in his hands.
“You didn’t have to kill her,” he shouted at Mike. “You didn’t have to kill her,” he whispered.
“I told you,” Niki hissed.
Al held his fingers up. “Niki, now’s not the time.”
Tom glanced back at the door. “If the scream downstairs didn’t alert someone, the screams up here will.”
Al leaned in the open door and listened.
“We’ve got catching up to do, information to pass along, but no time to do it.” Mike pointed to the man crying on the ground. “Leave him where he is for now. Niki, stay out here with him.”
“No.”
“What?”
“I said no, I won’t stay out here with…” her face contorted in disgust.
Mike touched her good arm. “I don’t know why you’re here, but we’ll talk later. For now, you’re wounded and weaponless. I need you out here, please. Okay.”
She gritted her teeth and turned away. “Okay, I’ll stay.”
Mike dropped his arm. “Thank you.” She was angry. She’d been angry since she’d walked through the hangar door. Something in him stirred. It was an emotion other than hate. Concern. Why was he worried about Nikki? He let the feeling roll around for a moment. Now was not the time. He turned away from her. Later, he’d find out why she was here. And then?
“Tom, Al, Julia, I have an idea that might be an equalizer. Does anyone know how to operate an aviation fuel pump?”
Julia raised her hand. “I’ll give it a shot.”
Mike paused. “Okay. Tom and Al take positions at the top of the stairs. I’m going to scrounge around for any flares, then I’ll help Julia with the pump.”
“Huh?” Julia squinted, her cheeks pushed up. “If you’re thinking…”
“Let’s get going.”
The three men walked through the door with purpose. Julia looked after them and followed.