Project Lazarus (43 page)

Charlie pulled the faded picture out of his pocket.  It was a miracle he still had it with him.  He gazed lovingly at his tiny family, Millicent and Dylan.  He wanted to hold onto that picture forever.

Pictures are a strange thing.  They capture more than a moment.  They seize the feeling.  You can read a picture by the eyes of the people in it.  An old photo taken of  immigrants arriving in this great country and working hard might show determination in their eyes.  Photos of lost love might show that loss in the eyes, the grief that goes with it, how it holds onto the viewer never to be replaced or found.  Charlie never held such a picture.  His was of a family, close knit, even though Dylan was a baby in the photo, it was trust and loyalty he saw in the eyes of Millicent.

He couldn’t.  He wouldn’t leave her behind.

That picture, like so many others throughout the centuries held the mystery and the hope, of the hand that held onto it.  He held the picture for dear life.  Millicent was his life.  She sacrificed so much and he couldn’t bring himself to imagine the loss of her.  In his world, it wasn’t possible.  And most things in Charlie’s world went the way he imagined.

Millicent was out there somewhere.  He could feel it.  He could feel it in the picture.

The possible crossed over into the impossible when Charlie heard the center of town being blown up.  There were so many bombs.  It would be difficult for the average resident of Cotter to know exactly where they were striking.  Charlie was no resident of Cotter but he was a study of the town.  He knew every nook and cranny, road and highway and landmark in the town.

They were imploding the town from the outside to the center alright.  A slow burn at the core.  They hit the outer edges.  It was like a donut of fire.  No way to escape.

Charlie wasted no time.  He was up and running.  For a man nearly dying hours ago, he was running with the speed of a man half his age.  What did that Dr. Woods learn from the Amazon man?  The thought tormented him again. 

It would have to wait.  That was a shame.  He always liked the thrill of the hunt. 

The gunshot following the man begging for his life made him think twice.  The bullies were on the ground now.  The military had invaded the town and there were footsteps hunting down the living.  They were killing the citizens. 

His fear of getting caught and killed didn’t bother him.  Most likely, he would be recognized and taken prisoner.  There was a price on his head but it didn’t include death.  Although to Charlie Dempster, death would be less of a humiliation than capture.

Millicent was imprinted on his mind.  He knew Cotter like an explorer knows the map he’s got to follow to find the new world.  It wasn’t long before he reached the military compound.  What enemies were left inside, he wasn’t quite sure.  Dylan had disappeared, although, he wasn’t counted as an enemy yet, at least his father hoped so.  He reasoned Millicent escaped and found a hiding place.  She probably didn’t make it but not for a lack of trying.  It was all part of the plan.  She would stay and hide in the basement of the building.  It was part of their capture plan. 

Being a survivalist wasn’t easy.  Charlie forced Millicent to go through scenarios.  Escape was at the top of the trial runs.  In this case, they were captured immediately.  He never would have gotten out had it not been for the wild scene with Henrid and the others.  He reasoned somewhere in the chaos Millicent must have made her move.  She was a cunning woman.  It was one of the things he was drawn to.  She was confident and had an unstoppable force about her.  If anyone could save herself or her family it was Millicent.

He stopped at the compound fence.  It was more secure than before.  What was going on in there?  He didn’t have time to speculate.  He was fit for a man in his fifties and climbed over the fence like a kid on an adventure.

What awaited him inside he didn’t know.  He didn’t care.  He was playing dual roles these days, part husband, part scientist, part spy and sometimes killer.  It really didn’t matter which hat he wore.  He wanted this over.  Millicent was the beginning and the end.

Dylan was gone.  He was nowhere in sight.  He wasn’t waiting for him on the other side of the fence.  There was no plan in place for him. 

Charlie hoped Millicent was waiting for him in the basement as planned.

Commander Henrid crossed his mind.  Where was that son of a bitch?  He might kill Henrid on the way in to find his beloved Millicent. 

He pulled out the knife.  The one, he concealed wrapped tight in a holster around his calf.  The one they never thought he was carrying or checked for.  He would kill Henrid without hesitation.  Henrid was more than a thorn in his side, he was an entire cactus, prickling at his every direction.  If he didn’t eliminate him, it was certain someone else might.  Henrid needed to die.  But as usual, Charlie figured living with failure was more torture for Commander Henrid than death.

Charlie was on the move.  He entered the building, knowing he would continue running until he reached the basement.  Hypocritically praying all the way, he saw no one.  Not a soul.           

He opened up the doors of the basement and ran to the bottom of the stair and screamed her name aloud, not caring who might hear him.

“Millicent!”

The voice, the quiet still voice, he knew so well returned his call, “Charlie!”

He ran to her, “Oh God Millie! I never thought I’d see you again.”

She squarely looked him in the eyes.  Her jaw tensed.  Her grey hair tousled. 

She slapped him right across the face, “Some plan.  Where’s Dylan?”

He was taken back.  There would be no warm reunion.  Millicent demanded his attention and she wanted answers.

“I don’t know.”

She went to slap his face again, when he grabbed her wrist.

“Millie, calm down.  It’s over now.”

“Where’s my boy?  Where’s Dylan?”

She was hysterical.

“I told you.  I don’t know.”

“He’s dead isn’t he?”  She fell to the floor and began to weep.

“No, no….hush now,” he joined her on the floor, brushing her soft hair out of her eyes and the tears off her face.

She looked into his eyes, “I’m sorry.  God, I thought you were dead.”

“I’m right here.”

“But Dylan?”

“That’s the miracle.  He’s still alive.  Commander Henrid tried to kill him…” his voice trailed off, “you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Where is he now?”

“He escaped.”

“But how?”  She wanted to know all the details.

“I don’t think we have time Millie.  I think they’re coming for us.  How long have you been down here?”

“Too long.  Days.  I don’t know.”

“If there was any other way,” he told her, regretting almost everything for one second, then he thought of Dylan and regretted nothing.

“You saw him.  He’s still alive?”  She asked again and again, needing to be reassured.

“Yes.  Yes, he’s very much alive.”

She took his hand, “I feel he still is alive.”

“Millie, we’ve got to go now.”

“Can’t we stay here?” She asked.

He was surprised by her question, “I’m sorry,” he shook his head sadly.

“But your plan worked.  It’s quiet here.  No one will bother us.”

He realized the basement was a bunker.  Millicent had no idea what was going on outside.  The bunker was sound proof.  That’s why it was so quiet.  The torment he had put her through.  All for Dylan.  Had he made a choice and put his son first?  He should have put Millicent first.

He studied her, strong but traumatized, had she made the same choice?  Of course she did.  Dylan first.  Although, neither had to admit it.  It was unspoken.

“Darling, they’re blowing up the town out there.  They’re killing everyone.  They don’t want anyone else to know about Project Lazarus.  We’ve really got to go.”

The startling truth brought her back to reality, “All this because of Dylan.”

“They tried to kill Dylan.  Now they want to cover up the truth about Project Lazarus.”

“They’re always going to hunt us Charlie and Dylan too.  Even if we escape,” she confided.

“We’ve talked this over before.  We have plans remember.  I’ll get us out of here.”

“Right,” she nodded her head and took his hand, “well, what are you waiting for?  Let’s get the hell out of here.  No pun intended,” she laughed.

How he missed that smile.  He was so grateful to see her.  Charlie could never survive this hell without her.

They were half way up the stairs, when the men in armored suits stopped them.

Charlie tried to wield the knife, which was quickly grasped by the youngest of the three men.

Sacks back over their heads.  Their hands entwined with rope.  The nightmare had come full circle.  It would end just as it had begun- in capture.

No words were left between Millicent and Charlie.  None were spoken.  They always knew how it would end.

“I’ve got the target apprehended,” said the oldest man.

“Yes Sir, we’ll be moving them to the new location.”

“What’s going on?” Charlie asked, “my wife and I were hiding from the bombs and the gunfire.”

“You have been identified as Charlie Dempster and Millicent Dempster, Sir.  I have orders to capture you on sight and bring you to a location for debriefing.”

“Who is giving you these orders?  I thought Commander Henrid was gone.”

“CIA,” the man answered, his nerves rattled and annoyed by the questions.

“I can save you the time.  Escaped- Dylan Dempster, the Amazon man and Commander Henrid.”

“Enough Sir.  I think someone besides me wants to know the whole story.”

“That’s an awfully long story.”

“Where we’re going you’ll have plenty of time,” the man told him.

“Are you going to kill us?”  An innocent Millicent asked.

“Every life has a value Mrs. Dempster.”

“And ours?” She inquired.

“Great value to someone.  You’re both quite lucky,” he confided.