Battlefield (13 page)

It had been three days.

Three days of pacing, of cursing, of worrying, and even of praying.  Gerard couldn’t get Devyn out of his mind for the world.  And the worrying, everything he was going through – it was driving him crazy.  At least he could live through the adrenaline in the couple of bank robberies he had been involved in with Hugh to procure enough money to get them a cheap apartment in the outskirts of the city.  It provided shelter, and they had money to live off of this way.  Hugh and Anna shared a room, while Gerard was alone.  For now.  He still planned on getting Devyn back, and any thoughts against his plan were put to rest by his determined mind.

They still visited the man, Ted, who had so gallantly rescued them – in latent terms – and provided them with a home until they had enough money to get one of their own.  Ted knew more about the International Genealogy Laboratory than anyone Gerard thought possible.  Obviously this was a good thing; Devyn’s rescue would be easier to achieve.  With Ted’s help, their chances of getting Devyn back dramatically increased only because Ted somehow stayed in the loop with what the IGL was doing, what the plans were.  However, he couldn’t say what they were doing with Devyn specifically – he would have to see her to know for sure – but there was definitely whisperings of something big that Stewart Hall wanted to reveal.

Gerard had a feeling that whatever it was, it had to do with Devyn.  How could it not?  The thought infuriated him to no end, and after punching a hole in his wall within twenty minutes of buying the apartment, Hugh went out and bought his friend a punching bag so Gerard could take out his anger on it instead of the plaster.

If he was being honest, they were all upset.  Rachel and Hugh just handled it differently than Gerard did.  Maybe better.  Gerard didn’t have to say anything about what he felt for Devyn; Rachel and Hugh could clearly see it written about his eyes.  It was obvious when he thought about her; his jaw would lock, his eyes would narrow, but they would soften.  It was as though he expected her to be around him and tease him for being fat or for frowning all the time or something even more ridiculous.  Rachel couldn’t be sure, but she could have sworn she had heard him crying one night.

Which was why they continued to visit Ted.  Maybe he had heard something about IGL’s plans regarding Devyn.  Maybe he could help them with the plan they were forming regarding Devyn’s rescue.  He had already prepared a room for Devyn – it had already been agreed that once she was rescued, they would take her to Ted’s.  He had connections to a hospital and could get any sort of medication that he didn’t already have in his storage closet.  She would be comfortable here; she could rest up, heal if such a thing was needed, and sleep.

Gerard wouldn’t allow the thought that Devyn might be dead, even though fucking Ted kept telling him what a good possibility that was.  In fact, after Rachel and Hugh (because Gerard couldn’t be depended upon to talk about
her
without getting emotional in some way) told Ted everything they knew about Devyn’s relationship with the Director (“They don’t
have
a relationship,” Gerard had corrected through gritted teeth.), Ted thought that Stewart might have kept her for reasons unknown.  If he liked the way she looked, well, Devyn had practically agreed to do
whatever
it was he wanted to do.

At that point, Gerard was restrained by Hugh from cracking Ted across the face.  From that point on, any discussion about Devyn would be done when Gerard was around, unless it pertained to Devyn’s rescue mission.  Which was fine by both parties.  But Ted was too sweet to not like anybody, and even though he had been saved from Gerard a couple of times, and even though Gerard had socked him once, choked him once, and threatened him countless times, Ted still admired and respected Gerard.

Rachel walked out of the bedroom on the third morning earlier than normal because it was her day to cook breakfast.  Even though they had arranged different tasks for different people – including cooking rotations – Gerard’s cooking was the absolute worst, so Rachel took over for him.  At least until Devyn got here.  Because Devyn was going to come back.  Devyn wasn’t dead.  She couldn’t be.

Running her fingers through her hair, Rachel suppressed a yawn and started to head to the kitchen when she was stopped short at Gerard’s presence in the living room.  He was hunched over the cheap coffee table, looking at scraps of paper that had scrawls on them.  She tilted her head to the side, wanting nothing more than to read them, but she was too tired and considering that she had just woken up, her seeing wasn’t as clear as usual.

“What is that?” she asked finally.

Gerard didn’t even jump.  He craned his neck in order to look over his shoulder.  When he saw Rachel standing there, her hand on her hip, he nodded to her.  Rachel immediately caught notice of the fact that his lips had quirked up, but that had yet to be a full-blown smile.  In time, she reminded herself.  He’d be smiling more in time.

“This, my friend,” Gerard said, standing up slowly and stretching.  It appeared that he had been sitting there for a long time, and the more Rachel thought about it, the more likely it was that he had been sitting there.  But Rachel’s thoughts quickly disappeared as Gerard finished his sentence.  “Is a plan.  A plan that we – meaning you and me and Hugh – are going to enact tomorrow morning.  This is the plan that’s going to rescue Devyn.”

--

It had been three days.

Or, at least, that was what they told her.

Devyn didn’t know for sure because Devyn didn’t really remember much.  Her memories concerning the Game were vivid, but after watching Gerard and her friends leave, she didn’t remember much of anything, save for Hall coming at her with a syringe.

Her head hurt, her chest hurt, and yet, her entire body was numb.

Devyn was back living in her cell she had called home before everything, and so she was currently lying flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling for what must have been hours upon hours at end.  Normally, she would get restless and want to do something – anything.  But now…  Well, she didn’t care one way or the other.  She really didn’t care about anything.

Devyn had been planning an escape of sorts the first few minutes of being alone with Stewart Hall, her brain already putting together pieces.  But now, after seventy-two hours, she didn’t care.  That wasn’t to say that she was pessimistic; if she worked hard and strategized, there was no doubt in Devyn’s mind that she could figure out something to get away.  Yet, Devyn didn’t care.  She didn’t care about a lot of things.  Her mind was too hazy, too sluggish, to put things together, her body too weak to do anything she might have wanted to do anyways.

It was though Devyn really wasn’t alive.  She was simply matter, lying around until Hall wanted to see her, and then she was simply matter with Hall.  Devyn didn’t fight against him anymore, though she could never say why.  She didn’t know why she was like this, why she wasn’t more like herself, but again, she really didn’t care.  She didn’t think about it much because she didn’t care.

If any of her friends saw her in this particular state, they’d be worried, because Devyn cared about everything.

However, there was something that never ceased to make her smile.  Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Gerard’s face, smiling at her – that one time she had seen him smile, so complete and full and genuine.  It was the only thing she could see through the haze, the only thing that made her feel anything, which was content.

His face wasn’t completely angular – it was round, but that didn’t take away from his masculinity or his good looks.  His pale green eyes still took her breath away.  They were, in fact, the palest green she had ever seen.  His smile made her heart skip whenever she saw or thought about it, revealing a dimple in his cheek (that would otherwise be hidden thanks to the whiskers that covered the lower half of his face) and straight, white teeth.  His dark, cropped hair was the perfect length for her to run her fingers through.  And his lips.  She had kissed his lips, she knew.  She could still feel him on her.

Devyn might not have cared one way or the other about anything, but Gerard’s face was her guided light in all of this darkness.  And there was this tiny bout of hope that she might see him again soon.  In person.

It was a brilliant plan, Rachel had to admit, and Hugh had no choice to agree with her.  How could he not, when everything was laid out so perfectly?  Every point, every corner, every room, everything relating to IGL was covered, and after breakfast the next day, Ted looked it over, made some minor corrections regarding the layout of the International Genealogy Laboratory, but otherwise agreed with the basis of the plan.  In fact, he was impressed with Gerard because Gerard was more of an action guy than a planner.  Thankfully, Gerard didn’t take Ted’s corrections and observations as insults; he wanted the best plan – the most successful one – to ensure Devyn’s rescue, her safety.

“And you’re sure,” Hugh began, looking at Ted with narrowed blue eyes, “that you’ve heard nothing about Devyn and her…”  He glanced over at Gerard before looking at Ted once more and giving him an expectant look.

It took Ted a moment before he caught on, and immediately started shaking his head.  “No, nope, nu uh, no,” he said quickly, his eyes darting between Hugh and Gerard, hoping Gerard understood what he meant without making him explain it.  “No.  I haven’t heard anything when it comes… to that… situation.”

Rachel rolled her eyes at Ted’s obvious nervousness when it came to Gerard and his somewhat unhinged temper.  “So when are we leaving?” she asked.  “I mean, give me a time frame so I can slip into my cute leather jumpsuit. I also think I want to shower too.”

“I like your cute leather jumpsuit,” Hugh said in a decidedly softer voice than Rachel’s was, his blue eyes darkening a fraction as he regarded his lover.

“I know you do,” Rachel purred in return, giving him a flirtatious smile.

“Okay, okay,” Gerard said with obvious frustration.  “Enough.  Rachel, we’ll leave in the next twenty minutes.  If you can get everything ready by then, then hey, go crazy, but we need to be at the IGL at precisely ten o’clock because they have Whitecoat shift changes then.  Actually, I want to be there
before
ten so we can regroup, organize, and execute.”

Rachel placed her hand against her forehead and mock-saluted Gerard before quickly running into the shower.

Twenty minutes and three seconds later, the three were piled up in Ted’s Nissan Ultima, with Gerard driving and Rachel in the passenger seat, Hugh behind her.  They each had an earpiece in their ear so they could communicate with each other, as well as with Ted, because he had managed to hack into the IGL’s security cameras, and could actually see where they were going.  This way, if there were Whitecoats coming around and the genomes couldn’t see them, Ted could warn them.  Plus, out of the four of them, Ted knew the layout the best, and he could also direct them to where they needed to go.

“Now, Devyn could be in one of two places,” Ted had figured.  “She’s either in her cell, where she was before.  I highly doubt they’d change her living location.  Or, if they are experimenting on her, she’d be in this room here.”  He circled a room that was otherwise inaccessible without some kind of passcode.  “This is where they do new things, experiment, test things.  I’m not saying that she’s the new test rat, but if she’s the only genome at IGL that’s healthy and uninjured, it could be a strong possibility.”

“And the passcode?” Gerard asked with impatience.

“43856,” Ted recited.  He smiled crookedly.  “Good luck, guys.  I’ll make sure her room is set up, and we have all the medical supplies we need.”

And just like that, they were off.

The drive was less than ten minutes because miraculously, there wasn’t any traffic on the 101 freeway, and Gerard was pedal-happy when it came to driving.  Rachel was certain if a cop had started blowing their siren and chasing after them, Gerard wouldn’t miss a beat and outrun them.  They parked half a mile away from the base, and Gerard quickly went over the plan with them.  The most important thing that they needed to remember was that it was necessary to take whoever it was out.  Kill them.  Killing was absolutely essential because if they just knocked someone out, they might regain consciousness and sneak up on the genomes. 

Just like that, they climbed over the Gates of Freedom and began their initial descent into the International Genealogy Laboratory.  The walk to the actual building took about a day, but they managed to cut that down into two hours with their quick running.  Once they reached the doors, they split up.

Once Gerard was alone, he snuck into the building and took out his map.  He didn’t have to worry about being found out on the cameras because Ted could make it look as though he wasn’t even there.  The kid was definitely a genius.  Gerard knew the way to Devyn’s cell by heart, but when didn’t find her there, he started to head towards the Test Room, praying that Devyn was still… Devyn.

It only took him moments, but in that time, he managed to kill three Whitecoats in the process.  It was definitely satisfying, but not as much as it would have been had Devyn been with him.  Knowing that she was okay was all he could ever ask for.

With a furiousness he had never expected to have, Gerard typed in the passcode he had memorized, and just like that, the door slid open and revealed a sight to him he honestly never thought he would see in his entire being.  There was Devyn, dressed in a miniskirt that didn’t cover her entire rear end, and a halter top that stopped just underneath her breasts.  She was on all fours, looking blankly ahead of her, as some guy was about to enter her from behind.

Gerard snapped the man’s neck in two seconds.  The sight of him crumpling lifeless to the floor didn’t even make Devyn flinch.  In fact, though she did push herself up into a standing position, she walked over to him, before reaching out for his crotch.  “I’ll do whatever you want,” she told him.

Devyn didn’t even sound like Devyn.

Gerard quickly grabbed her hand so she couldn’t touch him before dropping it and grabbing Devyn’s face with both of his hands, forcing her eyes to lock with his.  “Don’t say that,” he pleaded, pushing her messy hair back.

Though she was looking at him, Gerard realized that she wasn’t seeing him.  She wasn’t there.  Something was wrong.  Yes, she was alive, yes, she wasn’t injured, but if what he had walked in on was a common occurrence -  Gerard didn’t even want to think about it.  He couldn’t.  The thought was just too upsetting to him, especially when he knew that Devyn wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen to her.  She was drugged, he realized.  Stewart Hall had drugged her with something that numbed her system and allowed people to do whatever it was they needed to do to her.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing onto her wrist.  “We need to get you out of here.”

Devyn didn’t even react, which only angered him further.  Where was
his
Devyn, who fought with him about everything until they were both red in the face from yelling at each other so much?  Where was the Devyn that actually cared about what happened to herself?  Where was his fighter?  He knew it wasn’t her fault – Hall made her this way, but he’d be damned if she stayed this way.  Ted would know what to do.  Ted always knew what to do about this kind of thing.  They needed to get out of there.  Gerard needed to regroup with Rachel and Hugh, and they needed to get out of there.

Once he was outside, Gerard found Rachel waiting next to the designated tree, her face stained with tears.  When she saw Gerard with Devyn, she wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

“Hey sweetie,” she greeted Devyn through sniffles.  “I’m sorry I’m not happier to see you, but…”  When she realized that Devyn didn’t appear to be reacting in any way, she turned to Gerard, her eyes questioning.  Gerard shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know.  “They have Hugh, Gerry.  They have Hugh.”

Gerard’s face paled a fraction, but he didn’t lose his composure.  “Don’t worry,” he told her.  “Ted’s going to tell us everything – why Devyn is like this, and how we can get Hugh back.  And we will Rachel, I promise you we will, but if we try anything now, there is a likelihood it would be in vain because Devyn isn’t herself.  And though we’re both genomes, two of us against a brigade don’t have the best odds.  So please.  We will get him back.  But we need to go back home, get Devyn better, and restrategize.”

Rachel knew that Gerard was right, and nodded her assent.  But that didn’t stop the teardrops from falling as she drove back home.

Gerard sat with Devyn in the backseat, thanking each and every deity that Devyn was safe, and prayed that she would be back to normal sooner rather than later.