Turncoat: Turncoat Trilogy Book 1

Chapter 7.3

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“ETA on the extraction is twenty minutes, Nick,” Addison called. “Get them out and covered, reinforcements for them will be hard but we don’t have the man power to protect three hundred unarmed civilians.”

“Copy,” Nick said. He removed his mask and motioned for me to follow him. We jumped off the train and began to walk along its length. “You did good, especially for your first combat action.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah, I puked,” Nick admitted. We walked to the last car on the train, stopping at the closed cargo side door. “So, I’m always shitty at opening these electronic locks. Do you mind?”

I pulled a few wires off my belt and hooked my wrist interface into the lock. With a few taps, the code came up and I tapped it into the lock. The door opened and I heard a few cries of surprise. Fifty people sat huddled on the ground, dressed in rags with dirt smeared on their faces. Men, women, and children sat in the car.

“Hello, we’re friends, we’re not going to hurt you,” Nick called. “My name’s Nick, this is Tawny. We’re members of the resistance. We’re here to take you back to our camp where you’ll be safe.”

A few people eyed Nick suspiciously. I repeated his message in Tzi, earning a few gasps. A young boy at the very front stood with his legs shaking. He looked down at me with questioning eyes. I reached up for him and smiled. “Jump, I’ll catch you,” I said.

He barely weighed a thing as he dropped into my outstretched arms. I lowered him to the ground and he looked up at me with the biggest smile, his eyes shining bright with hope behind the dirt and grime smeared on his face. He barely reached my waist.

“Thank you,” he said and wrapped his arms around my legs.

I embraced him back, feeling the tears welling up. “You’re welcome, you’re welcome.”

I saw Vicki come up and she smiled. “Will you go with my friend? We’re going to take you somewhere safe.”

He nodded and ran over to Vicki. Slowly, we unloaded the car, everything from the elderly to young children. Mothers and wives cried and begged if we had seen their children and husbands. They wandered among the freed prisoners and calling their families names. Every so often a happy cry would go up and I would look back to see a mother embracing a child or a wife a husband.

The next car was much of the same, only the cries were more frequent. Vicki herded the weakened prisoners away from the door and into the group up near the engine. Any injured or sickly prisoners were carried up and separated. A pregnant woman came out of the third car and Nick escorted her to the front, Addison taking his place as I helped a man out of the car. He ran after Nick, taking the woman’s other side.

“So, Tawny what?” Addison asked.

“Jameson,” I said. “You?”

An elderly woman came to the front of the car. I reached up to help and she shied away. “How do I know you aren’t a soldier?” she asked in Tzi.

“Because if I was a soldier, I wouldn’t be here,” I responded in Tzi.

Her eyes went wide.

“Please, silen, allow me to help you,” I said dipping my head and calling her mother. She dipped her head and took my hands as she stepped out of the car.

The man Addison helped took the woman by the hand and began to lead her away.

“Becker,” Addison said.