Chapter 17
Mason made hardly any noise as his fingers flew across the holographic keyboard built into every CP system. It was around midnight and he’d been working all day on building a map to Bouffant’s office for Sparrow. Everyone else had gone to bed hours ago but he kept working. He wanted to be as thorough as possible. They didn’t want to risk losing her too.
He felt rather than heard someone in the room with him. Looking up, he spotted Sparrow in the shadows. She noticed his stare and winked at him before opening the door to the small office room Law had claimed for himself, disappearing a second later. Mason shook his head and stretched his arms, hearing his back pop as the moved for the first time in hours. He saved his work and turned off the CP before heading to his “room” a small two-person tent in the back corner of the warehouse.
They would go over the blueprints he made in the morning and he would start writing code to leak all the information they found right after they found it. He fell asleep knowing that they would soon have the advantage to take down the Pearl District Safe Zone. It’d been two weeks since his declaration of war on the Safe Zones. Two weeks too long, with Peyton trapped with the other women of their family.
* * *
“Stick to the map Sparrow.” Law warned her as she made her way through the air ducts after breaking into the perimeter.
“Hush lover, I know what I'm doing.” Her hushed words came to them through her com-link. Mason watched the screens on the CP, running interference whenever a guard got too close. He was also monitoring General Bouffant's location. They had specifically chosen to break in on a Wednesday because he always did inspections on the upper levels of the building in the middle of the night. There was a soft shuffling sound as Sparrow dropped down onto the hardwood floor of the General's office. “I’m in.” Her voice came again.
“Good, now you just have to put the transmitter key I gave you directly under the CP box. It should fit flush against it.” His screen beeped, letting him know that it was in place and transmitting. “That's perfect Sparrow. I now have full access to everything.”
“Now get out of there.” Law ordered again.
“You boys talk too much. I'm halfway out. Now shut up and let me concentrate before you get me caught.” That shut the two of them up as Mason continued to monitor all guard activities.
One guard began walking down the hallway parallel to the vent Sparrow was pulling herself through, “Guard sighted below you. Take it easy Sparrow.” She stopped moving, waiting for the all clear. Law and Mason both held their breath as the guard passed under her location and paused, looking down. He bent down to pick a coin up off the floor before continuing on his way, whistling happily.
All three sighs of relief came through the com-link, “Alright its clear. Let's get you out of there.” Law and Mason continued to guide her through the maze of air ducts to the one she'd used to enter the building. Once out on the street she moved with catlike grace over to the manhole on the little side street. From there, it was easier to deactivate his old traps without tripping any signals by rerouting the feed to his CP first, then feeding back a looped signal to the main control room.
About a mile and a half down the way, she resurfaced. Jaxon was there in a floppy hat and dark eyeliner to disguise him. He handed her a hoodie, sweats, and a change of shoes. She peeled off the top layers of her clothes and changed right there, throwing the clothing soiled from her trek through the sewers into the dump next to the car before hopping in. She took one look at Jaxon and laughed, “Mason the charges are planted and everything’s set.” She turned to Jaxon. “Okay Captain Jack, hoist the sails and up anchor.”
Jaxon shook his head. She kept making references to him about looking like a pirate from one of her favorite old movies now that his hair was dark and he had a beard, “Whatever you say Sparrow.” She snorted with laughter as they made their way back to base.
* * *
Alarms went off all over the building. Peyton woke up to the sound of their blaring and lights flashing in warning. The sound of her door unlocking had her sitting upright in bed. A panel in the wall that held her clothes opened. She jumped out of bed and dressed quickly in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Finding shoes on the bottom of the closet, she pulled them over her bare feet. She cracked open her door to check the hallway and closed it quickly as a group of soldiers ran past her room.
She listened as the sound of their movements got further away before opening the door again and stepping out into the hall. She made her way down the hall in the opposite direction she’d seen the soldiers go. The elevator at the end of the hallway opened up right as she passed by. Peyton froze, her heartbeat racing, but the elevator was empty. She forced her feet to take a step away when she heard a familiar voice coming through the speakers of the elevator, “Peyton, in here.”
Her head turned back to stare at the elevator, “Mason?”
He must have a way to see or hear her because he replied through the speakers again, “Yes, now get in. We have others to pick up.” Peyton normally would have balked at him ordering her around but she found herself stepping into the elevator without argument. She felt the elevator move up.
It stopped at the next floor. Tiny, eight months pregnant Ashley was standing with her husband Rick holding her hand. They both entered the elevator with her. Peyton gave them a confident smile, noting their nervousness, “Looks like we’re getting out of this God forsaken place.”
Rick gave her a firm nod, “I want my daughter to have a real future. Let’s get you ladies out of here.”
The elevator kept going up, picking up more and more of the women and their families until they were at full capacity. Once they were crammed in like sardines, it went down without stopping. They all watched quietly as the panel indicating what floor they were at fell to one. When the doors didn’t open immediately, the small group began to grow worried.
Mason’s voice came through the speakers again, “Alright folks, everything’s all clear, Peyton pick up the PD left on the reception desk. I’ll use it to guide you all to a safe location away from the fighting.”
The doors opened and Peyton ran for the front desk, grabbing the PD, and running back to the others, “Good job love. Now head over to the back door to your right.”
They all headed that way but Peyton had questions that needed answered, “What’s happening Mason. Who’s fighting?”
“We leaked the General’s files to the public. Good thing he’s always so thorough with his recordkeeping. Right now, it’s the people verses the Government. We are fighting for you, all of you. Law is leading the men in a strike against the atrocities we found out about in Bouffant’s records. Peyton, it was so much worse than what we thought.” The sound of gunfire reached their ears as Rick opened the door to the outside.
They were at a small alleyway, “Go right again and head through the alley. Once there you’ll be with the others.” They did as he instructed. Peyton fell behind, making sure all of the others were out before following behind. Once out into the open they saw the others. Her parents were there surrounded by her brothers. The boys looked scared and confused.
Peyton spoke into the PD, “Okay Mason, now what?”
“Now Jaxon guides you so I can help the men break through the barriers.” As he said that, a manhole cover lifted. It took Peyton a moment to recognize the dark-haired man with a pirate beard as Jaxon.
“Did someone call for an escape route?” He got out of the hole and started ushering people down. Peyton began to help as they sent the women with children down first. Rick went down directly below Ashley to protect her should she slip. Things slowed as the women further along with their pregnancy went down the ladder carefully. May was pulling the younger children to the front, determined to get them down below.
Once the boys were down, Peyton made her Mom and Dad go first. Now the only ones left above ground were the three of them. Jaxon, May, and Peyton all stood above the entrance. “You go first Peyton. You’re pregnant.” May told her.
Peyton shook her head, “I need to see you down there before I go. Get your butt down that ladder May.”
May opened her mouth to argue but only a squeak escaped her lips as Jaxon pulled her to him, “She’s more stubborn than you. Get down there if you want her to go.” Instead of letting her go, Jaxon pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.
Peyton almost went down the ladder just to give them privacy, but cleared her throat instead. They pulled apart reluctantly. May looked up at Jaxon with stars in her eyes, “Jaxon I -”
Peyton cut off what she would have said with a slight push towards the manhole, “There is no time now you two. Get down there.” In their slightly dazed states, she was able to get them both down into the sewers. She bent down to enter it herself when she heard footsteps coming their way. She met Jaxon’s gaze as he looked back up to her, “Get them to safety Jaxon.” Her heartbeat ran faster than ever. Adrenaline pulsed through her body as she replaced the cover and ran toward the opposite side of the building.
She saw the soldiers as she rounded the other corner. They spotted her at the same time, and roughly, twenty large guns instantly pointed in her direction. Peyton put her hands up in the air to show that she was unarmed. One of the men broke away from the others. Declan stood before her wearing a soldiers uniform. He grabbed her hands and pulled them behind her, handcuffing her wrists together.
He pushed her against the brick on the building before patting her down for weapons. Peyton breathed a sigh of relief when his search was quick and professional. His hands didn’t linger where they shouldn’t and he never groped her, “She’s unarmed.” Peyton’s eyebrows lifted in confusion when he didn’t take the PD she had stuffed into her pocket. To her he whispered, “Stay alive.”
“Good,” one of the other men called out, “Let’s get her to General Bouffant. I’m sure she’ll be handy for all sorts of things.” The soldier’s lascivious gaze raked her body up and down as Declan pulled her from off the wall and guided her towards the others. With her hurry to get dressed, she hadn’t bothered with a bra and he noticed. She saw his hand lift as if to touch her.
Declan’s voice was heard talking into a receiver, “General Bouffant, we have captured Peyton Parker behind the living Quarters.”
General Bouffant’s gruff voice came back loud and easily heard by the others, “Bring her to me immediately.”
The face of the soldier that leered at her fell, “Dammit Captain Declan, why’d you have to call it in so fast?” He turned back to her as his hand lifted to her face. Peyton glared at him, refusing to flinch or look away. He shook his head, “We could have had a little fun with her first.”
Declan glared at the soldier, “You heard your orders Dan. General Bouffant wants her now.”
The man finally remembered his place and stood straighter, “Sorry Captain, we outlier soldiers don’t get to see the women much. I forgot myself sir.”
“See that it doesn’t happen again.” Declan ordered before he pulled Peyton along, shoving her in the direction General Bouffant must be.
Note: Sorry for the long wait. I haven't felt like writing lately but I felt really motivated today. Yay! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. : )