Battlefield (16 page)

With the help of Ted, Rachel managed to find Hugh in fifteen minutes, located in the same cell Gerard had found Devyn only a few days before.  Luckily, Hugh seemed to be more responsive than Devyn had.  When he saw Rachel, his eyes widened and he sprung up.

“I can’t believe you came,” he told her, his fingers curling around the bars.  “What are you doing here?”

Rachel rolled her eyes.  “What do you think I’m doing here?” Rachel asked, and though she tried to edge her voice in a teasing tone, she couldn’t help but be ridiculously relieved to find that Hugh was not as damaged as she had previously thought him to be.  And, if she dared to hope, believed that he might be exactly the same, that nothing had happened to him.  No tests, no needles, no venom or poison.  Just Hugh.  Just the way Rachel liked it.  “I’m saving your ass.”

Hugh grinned somewhat crookedly before running his fingers through his dark hair.  “Have I told you lately just how amazing you are?” he asked her.

“Actually, since your residence had changed abruptly, you have not,” Rachel teased and started looking around his cell, hoping to find some way to get her lover out.  “So how exactly do I get you out of there?  Can I break this little code box thing?”

“No,” Hugh said, his voice sharp.  “If you break the box, I’m stuck here.  And you can’t easily break these bars.  I mean, you
could
, but it would take a ridiculous amount of time.  What you need, Rachel, is the code.”

“Uh, guys?” Ted said, yelling over his shoulder but keeping his eyes fixated on what was in front of him.

He was promptly ignored.

“How am I supposed to figure that out?” Rachel asked.  “Did you happen to see one of the Whitecoats type it in?”

“No,” Hugh said, shaking his head.  “You actually have to find a Whitecoat and get him to tell you the code.  I’m sorry, babe.  I don’t know how else to open it.  Hall was talking to me, begging me to attempt an escape so he could just recapture me.  He’s a sick fuck.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Rachel said.  “What they did to Devyn… I can’t even imagine.”

“Guys?” Ted called, his voice heavy with concern.

“Well, let me be the first to assure you that something like that didn’t happen to me,” Hugh told her with a warm smile.  “I mean, they tried.  Don’t get me wrong.  But apparently the only formula they have works with female DNA rather than male.  But I think they’re working on one, specifically for me, just as we speak.”

“Hey!” Ted finally called.  “Guys!”

“What?” Rachel and Hugh snapped, both looking at him in order to give him their attention.

Ted said nothing, and instead, pointed to a bunch of Whitecoats who were making their way towards the trio.  However, they had yet to notice Rachel and Ted, up until one of them bent his head down to sip his coffee, glancing up, to his right, and burned himself upon losing his focus once he realized what had happened.  Before Ted and Rachel knew it, they were surrounded by at least fifteen different Whitecoats.  If Hugh had been released, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but Ted didn’t know how to fight, and while Rachel was good, it would definitely be difficult to take on fifteen different people at once.

Hugh watched Rachel with a mixture of awe and pride.  That was his woman, kicking ass and taking names.  Surprisingly enough, Ted could definitely hold his own, and with the help of a metal chair, managed to knock out his fair share of Whitecoats.  Rachel didn’t even hesitate; if she was able to, she snapped her victim’s neck, knowing one way or the other, they were going to die anyways, and really didn’t want to deal with them springing back up.

Once she got down to the last one, however, she was breathless, tired, and ridiculously sore.  That didn’t stop her from getting the advantage, and once he was in her arms, unable to escape, promised him she would release him, would spare his life, if he typed in the code.  It didn’t take much convincing, and after a second, the Whitecoat had released Hugh, and quickly ran away.

The first thing Hugh did was pull Rachel into a deep kiss.  When they broke apart, Ted rolled his eyes, and started leading them out.  However, nearing the exit, they saw the Director and Gerard fighting, battling, while Devyn was being restrained by three Whitecoats.  Before Rachel could run after them, Hugh grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“We have to destroy this place, Rach,” he murmured softly but firmly.  “We need to make sure no one ever has to go through what we went through.”

“But Devyn,” Rachel said, her brow furrowed with confusion.  “What about Devyn and Gerard?”

Hugh swallowed, placing both his hands on either side of Rachel’s cheeks.  “They’re strong, Rachel,” he told her, knowing that what he was saying was true.  “They’re smart.  They’ll get out.  They have no other choice not to get out, and they know that.”  He paused.  “Do you trust me?”

Rachel nodded, but that doesn’t mean she was happy leaving her friends even though she knew that if anything, it was what they wanted.

--

Smoke.

Devyn smelled smoke. 

It could only mean that Rachel had completed what they had set out to do.  And Devyn knew Rachel wouldn’t have started it if she didn’t have Hugh.  Now all that was left to do was to get the hell out of there, Gerard by her side.  But that wasn’t going to happen until Gerard either somehow got Hall and snapped his neck, or Devyn got herself out of the Whitecoats’ grasp and helped Gerard out.  Though Devyn knew Gerard would undoubtedly win the battle, they needed to leave
now
, and as such, the latter option looked most inviting.  She would apologize to Gerard’s male ego once they were safe, she promised herself, and using every last ounce of strength, began to struggle against her captors until they finally let her go.

It didn’t take long for her to knock them out.  She might have been tired, but she was still fast and she was still strong.  For whatever reason, she didn’t kill them.  Maybe she knew it was because they were most likely going to die when the building went up in flames.  Maybe she just didn’t want to deal with anymore casualties.  She was a human, after all.  She wanted to fit in with humanity.  And humans didn’t kill each other – most didn’t, anyways.

After knocking the three out, Devyn turned in, prepared to help Gerard should he be in need of it.  Instead, however, she found Hall flat on his back with Gerard over her, raising his fist and having it come in contact with Hall’s face over and over again.  Hall wasn’t dead, Devyn could see, but he was almost unconscious, and though she wanted nothing more than to wait for Gerard to finish, she knew that they didn’t have any time.

“Come on,” she said, walking towards him, but Gerard didn’t seem to hear.  It was only when Devyn actually bent down and grabbed him did he finally get up.  He punched Hall one last time before standing up straight and kicking him directly in the ribs.  “We have to go.”  The urgency in her voice made him pause, and he nodded.

Gerard grabbed Devyn’s wrist, and they ran out of the building as fast as they possibly could.  When Gerard threw open the door, fresh air filled their nostrils and they both inhaled greedily, a smile on their lips.  It didn’t take long for them to spot Rachel, Ted, and Hugh, so the couple made their way over to them, a safe distance from the IGL.

“Ready to watch this sucker go up in flames?” Hugh asked Gerard as the two friends embraced.

“You know it,” Gerard agreed with a grin and turned.  He casually rested his arm around Devyn’s shoulders, and within moments, they watched as the buildings began to be consumed by flames. 

The five, though it was most certainly time to leave, were stricken by the sight, and had to watch it, if only for a moment.  The flames touched the sky as dawn was making its ascent towards the clouds.

“I have never seen anything more beautiful,” Devyn murmured to herself, but Gerard picked up her words and he turned to her, looking at her curiously.

“I have,” he told her.  And without waiting, he pulled her towards him, using his arm on his shoulder and brought her lips to meet his.  For a moment, the world fell apart until it was just the two of them. 

“All right,” Rachel said, trying to sound firm but smiling nonetheless.  “Come on, you lovebirds.  We have to get out of here.”

“We have all the time in the world,” Devyn said, breaking from her kiss to look over at her friend, a mischievous smile touching her face.  “We’re free.”

“International Genealogy Laboratory, founded by Stewart Hall – also known as the Director – is no more,” a news reporter said, standing in front of the remains of the building.  “As you can see, it has been entirely demolished.  The International Genealogy Laboratory – or IGL as it goes by – was the sole reason why subscribers got to view the infamous show, The Game, where people born and raised in this laboratory and trained from infancy to be what we refer to as super-soldiers.  With the laboratory destroyed, it is now impossible for another The Game, or even Hall’s new project, The Life, to ever take place.  Important documentation, research, samples – all of that was destroyed in this morning’s explosion.  What’s worse – highly renowned scientists have lost their lives in the flames, as well as a new string of genomes, the Y-series that were going to participate in The Life.

“Now, there hasn’t been a casualty number yet only because of how total this damage is.  As the warning said before, this is very graphic for children.  Body parts from different people are still being found, and there has yet to be anyone found alive, injured. 

“Speaking of, Director Stewart Hall’s body hasn’t been found as of yet.  Ladies and gentlemen, I wish I could tell you that no news is good news, that his body not being found could give us hope, but something like that is highly unlikely in such a case.  It is believed that he, too, was involved in this tragedy, and instead of believing that they haven’t found his body, we should really believe that we haven’t found his body
yet
.  I’m sorry I can’t bring you better news, folks.

“Witnesses to this explosion said they started hearing the blasts just before dawn, and when they looked out their windows, the flames were already licking the sky.  However, no suspects have been arrested.  The police are looking for any and all kinds of leads.  If you have any information that might help the police in any way, please give this number a call.

“Another tidbit we need to bring up.  Last week, when Unit 121 of the International Genealogy Laboratory was released, 113089 was held back by Hall.  It wasn’t certain why that was; such a thing had never been explained, no matter how many times reporters, paparazzi, and even fans asked him.  In fact, he would smile and tell us all that she would be playing a big part in The Life – a part he never actually explained.  However, because of that, she followed him back into the IGL, where she remained for as long as we know.  Again, her body hasn’t been found.  But we’ll say this, ladies and gentlemen.  We all saw 113089 do her stuff during The Game; if anyone could escape, it would be her.

“Other members from Unit 121 who have been released could not be reached for comment.  It is unsure whether they were quite happy with their life at IGL or if they relished their freedom.  They now go by Gerard
(a picture of Gerard flashed in the corner of the television)
, Rachel
(a picture of Rachel was shown),
and Hugh
(a picture of Hugh was shown). 
It is believed that they are settling in society, wherever that might be.  We don’t know if they’ve decided to stay together or to split up.  But it is certain that they want their privacy since they’ve refused to comment on The Game or their role in it since they’ve been released.

“I’m sorry to have been the one to inform you of this loss.  We will have up to date coverage as soon as we learn about it.  I’m Carl Simon with Channel 5 news.  Ron, back to you.”

--

“What’s this surprise, Rachel?” Gerard asked with obvious impatience.  “Shouldn’t you be at work now?  What is it you do?  Ride your bicycles around the city of Beverly Hills where the most dangerous thing that could happen to you is some tween starlet crashes into you because she’s drunk, high, or doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing?”

“You read too much Perez Hilton, mate,” Hugh said with a grin, looking around his shoulder.

“How do you even know what Perez Hilton is?” Gerard asked his friend, raising a skeptical brow.

“Dude, everyone knows who Perez Hilton is,” Hugh told him flatly, daring Gerard to challenge him on that front.

“And anyways,” Devyn said, clearly intervening.  She nudged Gerard in the side, turning her head so she could look at him.  “No, we don’t just ride our bikes around, thank you very much.  We’re old school delivery messengers.  We work for a little mom-and-pop organic delivery service that uses bikes rather than cars in order to protect the environment.”

“It takes forever to get one package!” Hugh exclaimed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “You guys are going to go out of business, if not now, then soon. 
Very
soon.”

“No we’re not,” Rachel said, gripping the steering wheel loosely.  She tossed a look over at her boyfriend before shifting her eyes back to the road.  “In fact, Tree’s Bees has actually increased business and profits since we first started, by the way.  Obviously, you wouldn’t give us a package you’d want mailed to Frisco or anything like that, but if it’s local, it’s fast.  Usually, it’s same day delivery.  And you know that everyone here is really into the whole natural-organic-environment thing.”   

“Plus,” Devyn said.  “Biking around really keeps us in shape.  Not like you fatasses.”

“Hey,” Gerard said.  “You love this fatass.”

Devyn rolled her eyes, but didn’t deny it.

“And,” Hugh put in, “we technically
do
have jobs.”

“Robbing banks and corrupt liquor stores does not count as actual jobs,” Rachel told them dryly.

“Uh, excuse me,” Gerard said, sitting up straighter in his seat.  “I don’t know if you’ve done your homework on this country, but we’re currently on the brink of being in a Depression, just like they had back in the Thirties.  Everyone was mad at the banks then too, and then a regular guy – I’m not sure if you’ve heard of him – named John Dillinger decided, ‘Hey.  These banks robbed me of my money.  I’m going to rob them of their money.’  Oh, and the people loved him.”

“John Dillinger also go shot in the back of the head execution-style after leaving a movie theatre,” Devyn told him.  “The Bureau of Investigation – Hoover, especially – was so afraid of him, they refused to arrest him.  They thought he was better off dead.  Plus, they wanted the Board’s support that Federal cops were actually doing their job.  If they got Dillinger, they get their money.”  She frowned.  “And anyways, you and Hugh are
not
Dillinger.”

“Guys,” Rachel said, turning off the car.  “We’re here.”

Both Gerard and Devyn instantly stopped at what they were saying to look at the modest house Rachel had pulled up to.  It was located just on the edge of Beverly Hills so it was close to their job in a pretty safe neighborhood.

“Is this ours?” Hugh said, getting out of the car.

Rachel went over to stand next to him.  “Yup,” she murmured, leaning her head on his shoulder.  “And it’s all paid off too.”

Gerard raised a skeptical brow.  “And how did you manage that?” he asked.  He and Devyn were out of the car as well, looking at their new home with awe and something else.  Stability.

“Well, me and my girl here,” Rachel said, grinning at Devyn before putting her arm around her, “stripped on the side, you know.  We got really good tips.”

“You’re kidding,” Gerard said, trying to read the young women’s eyes.  He clenched his jaw and pushed his brow up.  “You
are
kidding.”

“We’re kidding,” Devyn assured him.

“We just wore really low cut tops and flirted with the guys,” Rachel said, waving her hand dismissively.  “You know how wealthy people are here.  You should see, they would just hand us Benjamin’s like Washington’s.  It was ridiculous.”

Devyn nodded her assent.  “You know,” she murmured, her pointed gaze fixed on Gerard.  “The whole stripping thing doesn’t sound so bad if our men don’t leave the whole robbing business.  They like to steal and we like to dance.  What’s the difference if we choose not to have our clothes on with an audience consisting of men old enough to be our fathers who want to give us money for seeing us naked?  It would be the easiest job in the world.”

“And think of all the calories we’d lose dancing in high heels,” Rachel pointed out.

“But,” Devyn said quickly, seeing the look on Gerard’s face, “if our boyfriends would only consider taking a job as a bike messenger, then there would be no need for us to dabble in erotic dancing.  It’s not exciting, but it’s normal.”

Gerard said nothing for a long moment before reaching out and gently cupping the point of her chin with the curve of his index finger.  “You could never be normal,” he told her.

Devyn felt herself melt underneath his gaze.  “Is that a yes?” she prodded, a smile on her face.

“I suppose so,” he conceded, pulling her close to him.  He turned to Rachel.  “Oy, Rachel.  Are you going to show us the house which we’ll be living in or are we going to stand here all day?”

Devyn grinned as Gerard started another fight with Rachel, keeping her grip locked on him.  She never would let him go, especially now that she didn’t have to.