RATH - Redemption (3 page)

The overwhelming silence was gone almost as quickly as it had entered. Confused shouts and belligerent obscenities filled the space as Rath moved deeper into the corridor. Vera continued to blink and as her eyes adjusted to the temporary blindness, she focused on the metal staircase to her left. Heavy footfalls could be heard from above and she was certain her name had been shouted multiple times.

She nudged Rath toward the foot of the stairwell and he obliged. Staying between her and any wayward individuals not careful of where they were headed, he guided her to a safe spot near the rail. “Someone’s coming,” Vera said. “Be careful you don’t get trampled.”

Rath chuckled under his breath. “Sounds like they’re in a bit of a hurry.” He then paused and gripped Vera’s hand. “Chloe, she’s alone and must be terrified.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Vera said. “She’s with Nicole and probably still asleep. That little girl was exhausted and as soon as she devoured her food and took a hot shower, she was out… within minutes. She’s in good hands. We’ll go visit her after we get a grip on what’s happened here.”

Boots against the metal staircase were now only one flight of stairs away and it appeared from the level of chaos that there were more than a few headed their way. Rath tugged at Vera’s sleeve and as the first silhouetted figure leapt from the third step, glancing off her, she pushed back into him and the pair waited for the traffic to pass.

The final individual to descend the stairwell was a good ten seconds behind the others and moved at a much quicker pace. It wasn’t until he reached the second floor that his incoherent shouts could be deciphered. He’d been calling out for Vera and with each second the intensity in his voice grew. Samuel’s younger accomplice, Tyler, rounded the last twelve steps and nearly lost his footing as he descended to ground level. “It’s Boothe!”

“Yes Tyler,” Vera said. “We know.”

“That’s not all,” he said. “He knows about his son and is intent on trapping us in this mountain.” Nodding towards Rath he continued, “He knows you’re here and what you took from that drone. They have your wife Sarah and according to Jonah, Boothe is headed back to The Cage now.”

“The Cage?” The significance of the name escaped him and as the facility powered back to life, the massive space within Terminal One was flooded with fluorescent light. Squinting through the change in illumination, more than twenty residents now stood by, each watching for his reaction. Rath’s first thought was to release Vera’s hand and move to the younger man. He forced himself to remember that these people hadn’t given him any reason for distrust and that he needed to stay calm if any answers were to be had.

As the crowd began to grow around him, Rath focused only on Tyler. “Sarah, where is she? How do I get to her?”

“Samuel says,” Tyler motioned toward the transport drone. “That beast can get you as far as Presidio and you’ll have to traverse the remaining few miles on foot…if you survive.”

“Presidio?” Rath said. “Boothe is hiding out in Presidio? I realize the old man has lost his mind, although building his hideout in that city would be suicide. Rumor has it that Presidio is home to over a thousand Andros…what you’d almost call their home base.”

Tyler moved from the foot of the staircase into the terminal as the remaining residents poured in. “Boothe’s second home lies just outside Presidio. He built it there knowing there would be no one who’d dare make the trip on foot and anything coming by air would be spotted long before they arrived.”

Growing weary of this drawn-out description of events, Rath moved to the center of the terminal and stood atop a short stack of empty pallets. A large majority of the residents followed, including Vera, Tyler, and finally Symon. Rath struggled with how to address the people, many of whom only knew him as the kid who murdered a resident and was thrown out. “Most of you by now know my name—”

A shout from the back of the room ended the monologue. “YEAH, YOU’RE A MURDERER.”

He continued, “I’m here because your former leader has taken my wife. Emerson Boothe is a psychopath who’s only concerned with self-preservation and if what I’m hearing is to be believed, he has forsaken every single person left in this mountain. You will all be dead in a matter of months. He did this to each and every one of you.”

The space broke out in hushed conversations and low murmurs. By the anguished look on Vera’s face, he sensed that for most residents, this was the first time they’d heard this devastating news. Beyond the crowd and into the corridor, he noticed the other half of the technology team move from the stairwell and through the archway. Samuel had left his post and from the sweat patterns along both armpits and his heaving chest, something told him this man rarely made his way out of his office.

Not two paces behind strode the man who only hours earlier tried to end his life followed closely by a young woman. Although he’d yet to be introduced, Rath deduced that the beautiful redhead must be who Vera referred to as Nicole, as she was holding hands with Chloe, who looked as if she was still half asleep.

As the group of four made their way through the crowd, Rath jumped from his perch, and ran to Chloe. Her balled fist rubbing away the effects of a long needed slumber, she pulled away from Nicole and fell into him. “Mr. Rath, where did you go? Miss Nicole said that they are going to look for my mom…are you going too?”

The overweight and out of breath Samuel, along with Archer and Symon, moved to the center of the crowd. Samuel spoke first. “He is correct; Emerson Boothe left us here to die. Vera and a few others have been looking for a way to break the news to you all, although before today there was no escaping our fate. You’ve all been under the impression that the supplies were being moved to another location and that in due time, we’d all be moving. That was the story Boothe had us believing as well…until just recently, when we uncovered what he was really doing.”

Less than two hours before, Archer sought vengeance from the man kneeling ten feet away. His change of heart had less to do with the touching speech he’d just witnessed, than the actual facts finally unveiling themselves in a manner that he could understand. He looked to Vera before addressing the now quieting crowd. She nodded as he began. “Vera has been protecting our home here more than most of you will ever know. Until recently, I was unwilling to accept the details of what Boothe had planned. I always knew what he was capable of, although now he’s trying to bleed this facility of power and in turn, kill everyone here. We will all die from asphyxiation if we don’t take action.”

At his side as he moved back through the crowd, Chloe held Rath’s hand as he stood between Archer and Samuel facing the crowd. She tugged his shirt and whispered through the silence. “I’m still not afraid.”

Rath smiled and said, “I know,” confirming her bravery as the crowd waited for the three men to detail the next steps.

Archer paused for a moment before continuing. He turned back to Vera and began. “I’m sorry to report that Jonah was killed today at the hands of Emerson Boothe. The last transmission out of The Cage only minutes ago was a warning from Boothe himself. He says he’ll allow everyone here to join him in his new home…if we release Benjamin Rath to his men tomorrow morning.”

Gripping Chloe’s hand, Rath asked, “And if not?”

Stepping forward, Samuel said, “He’s going to cut the power permanently.”

At the far reaches of her patience and with time working against them, Vera finally spoke from the center of the crowd. “Emerson Boothe is never going to come back for us. Even if we do as he says, he’s still going to let everyone in this mountain die. We either have to go after him or stay here and freeze to death. We have one chance at this and if we are successful, everyone lives to see another day. Who here has a problem with doing what needs to be done to survive?”

The crowd stirred, if only from nervous energy and as their internal thoughts turned to voiced concerns, the atmosphere quickly turned chaotic. Mothers tended to their crying children, husbands and wives disagreed, turning on one another and finally Vera, Archer, and Samuel motioned for Rath to join them at the now fully equipped transport drone. Forming a semi-circle, the group listened as Samuel brought Vera up to speed on their current situation and the possibility of another outage.

She turned to the crowd and asked for their attention. “Samuel has just informed us that the power being cut was a temporary problem and that he was able to hack his way back into the main server to regain control. He’s also indicated that this is only a temporary fix and that each time this happens, Boothe will lock him out. After the fourth attempt, the door will shut for good.”

Asking for the floor, Archer stepped forward and wiped away the thick bead of perspiration forming along his brow. “We are not victims and are no longer going to be treated that way.”

An elderly gentleman with a slight limp moved slowly toward the drone and voiced the concern that apparently permeated the crowd. “Archer, why on earth don’t we just wait for morning and then throw him out? Let’s see what Boothe’s next move is and then decide what to do. I’m sorry, but Benjamin Rath murdered your father and now you’re actually asking us to risk our lives for him?”

Nodding in partial agreement, Archer continued. “You are correct; this man took my father’s life, although Emerson Boothe didn’t exactly give us all the details surrounding the events of that day. Rath was manipulated by Boothe into doing something he couldn’t. And although Rath and I will never see eye to eye, we do now have a common goal and need to put the past aside…at least until we can get you all to safety.”

Not a sound from the floor.

Archer continued, “We move in the next hour and once airborne, all communication with Boothe and his group will cease. I will pilot the drone and Samuel will run interference from here. We aren’t certain whether or not Boothe will have prior knowledge of our functional aircraft, although we aren’t taking any chances.”

Samuel stepped forward, shook Archer’s hand, and then Rath’s. He made no further comments and walked quickly back the way he entered, with Tyler close behind.

Standing between Vera and Rath, Archer laid out the remaining twelve hours. “Rath, Symon, and I will need as many able-bodied warriors as possible. We will be moving through the largest population of Andros this world has ever seen and the more soldiers we have, the better. I’ve put together a list of thirty-two men that we’d like to see accompany us into and beyond Presidio, although this is in no way mandatory.”

One by one, the volunteers came forward, their voices confirming the intention to fight for their survival. The list didn’t move from Archer’s hand and at last count, every one of the thirty plus men were standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to strap in and go to battle.

With buy-in from nearly every resident, Archer felt the need to clarify the group’s intentions. “We plan to hit Boothe at or before sunrise and convince him to do the right thing by taking every single resident with him into his new home. If he declines, we’ll show him exactly where he’s wrong. One last thing…although the men standing with Boothe appear to be the enemy, they are not. Last month, they were our friends and family members; today, they still are. Please remember that and save your vengeance for the Andros we are about to face.”

Vera signaled the residents. “Every one of the seventy-eight remaining souls here today will leave this mountain within the next several hours. The first flight out will carry the men into the dark terrain and drop them in Presidio. They’ll move through the night, on foot, to Boothe’s compound as Archer returns with the drone to take the rest of us home.”

The residents once again began speaking to one another in private conversations, with many approaching Vera and the others for more detailed explanations and specific questions. Few were surprised by the revelation that the man they’d begun to see as increasingly erratic over the last several years had made the choice to abandon his own people. What most wanted to know dealt with the safety of the transport drone, which no one had seen leave the facility in more than three years.

As Archer and Symon followed Vera back to the control room, Rath moved to the far corner of the Terminal with Nicole and Chloe. He knelt down and held her hand. “I need you to stay with Nicole. I’m going to help the others find us a safe place to live.”

“And find my mom?” she asked.

“Yes, and find your mom. When I get to her, I’ll bring her right back to you…Okay?”

“Okay Mr. Rath.” She tugged at his shirt and brought him in close. She leaned in and whispered into his ear, “Nicole is a nice lady, I’ll be alright with her…don’t worry.”

He kissed her on the forehead and explained to her and Nicole what he and the others were about to do. He kept the messy details out and assured them both that they’d reunite on the beach before moving on to their new home. He thanked Nicole and not being one for long drawn-out goodbyes, started in the direction of the stairwell.

Not yet ten feet away, Chloe called out to him as a slight grin slid across her face. “Mr. Rath, before you leave, I think you should go get washed up, you know for when you find your wife… because you kinda stink.”

He grabbed the rail, began to chuckle and returned the smile. He knew there’d be no time, although he figured he’d at least humor her. “Thanks for the warning, and I agree.”

.      .      .

Rath entered the room and wasn’t surprised to see Samuel and Tyler back at work while Vera stood nearby questioning Archer on the probability that the archaic transport drone would survive the two trips. “I realize that fuel is not the problem, although I’m a little nervous about wagering our entire existences on something we haven’t seen in the air in so long.”

Fighting back the urge to articulate his thoughts in a language only another pilot would understand, Archer attempted to explain. “We’ve done all the testing we can at this point and we need to get airborne soon. The weather won’t allow us to make the trip much past tomorrow morning. Everyone has to be off this mountain and to the shore before sunup. If everything goes according to plan, we’ll be fine. If not, it won’t really matter anyway, because none of us will live long enough to regret this conversation.”

Without turning from the monitors, Samuel added, “From our end, we’ll continue to keep up the illusion that Boothe’s request is being honored, although this entire mission is dependent on us getting in there without being noticed. Once he finds out that this place is empty, all bets are off.”

“How long is the trip?” Vera asked.

Tyler chimed in just before Samuel had a chance to swallow the mouthful of food he was working on. “An hour and a half each way, although Samuel and I ran the scenario giving an extra half hour as a buffer.”

Rath stepped around Symon and tore his eyes away from the monitors long enough to explain his part. “Archer will drop us just inside the city limits and we’ll cover him until he’s once again airborne. There will be thirty-four of us moving through the city as quickly as possible.” Turning to Archer he asked, “Weapons?”

“Most here are trained to dispatch an Andro one on one without anything other than their hands and maybe a thick lead pipe. There are only a few who’ve ever even shot a gun, let alone be expected to hit a moving target. Boothe left most of his armory here…he felt that the fewer weapons in his new home, the less chance there was of him being killed by one of them. Take what you need; just remember, these men are better at close range with more basic tools.”

“Somehow I think we may want to make use of all of our options.”

“Agreed,” Symon said.

Making his way back to the door, Archer turned to Vera. “I’ll see you in a few hours. Please make sure the others are ready to board when I return.”

Before Vera responded he was gone and out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Tyler shifted side to side in his chair. “What is it, what’s the problem?”

“I think I found her…”

“Who?” Samuel asked.

Rath turned his attention to the dual monitors directly in front of the younger technician. The blood rushed from his face and as his knees began to weaken, his vision crystalized. It was her. She was being forced into a stairwell by the man he intended to kill. Emerson Boothe had his wife.

“That’s Sarah.”