No way is she leaving those monkeys behind. Which sucks major monkey balls, pun intended. I don’t need this added stress.
Although—totally being honest here—I love this about her.
Insisting we circle back around to Benefield’s office to get the names of the girls who’ve moved through this despicable place, shows a depth of character too few people have these days.
She’s a protector, a rescuer, willing to put her life on the line to save others. How can I not respect that? She’s phenomenal.
“Keep them quiet, Eve, or ditch them.”
I growl out the command, knowing she won’t let them go, and I’d never force her to leave those damn monkeys behind.
Knox takes off again, heading south, toward exfil. We’re already late. The delay may prove costly. CJ marshaled the combined forces of Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie on this mission. Once Forest received confirmation of the stable of girls, there was no way he’d leave them. Which means they won’t delay extraction of the abducted girls. If we don’t make it on time, Knox and I will be on our own until we can reconnect with our team.
Knox and I have one mission objective.
Extract Eve.
We have her. Now, to get her out of this despicable place. If we don’t make exfil, it’s not the end of the world. It’s just not the best option as it keeps us here until we can figure out an alternate extraction plan.
Another explosion rocks our world. This one’s closer; felt in the chest, and rings in the ears. It sets off the birds in the first enclosure. Their screeches and squawks escalate and change in timbre as they finally find their way to freedom.
Eve pauses to watch the multi-colored birds fly off into the night. The butterflies are on their own; no doubt they’ll find their way free as well. The spider monkeys cling to Eve’s shoulders; their long limbs and prehensile tails wrap up her arms and around her neck. In addition to their loud, prolonged screams, I swear I hear something like the yipping of a dog or the whinny of a horse.
There is no way we’re making it out of here with any kind of stealth.
“We gonna move or stand around here all day?” Knox isn’t pleased with the delay.
I’m right there with him.
“Shortest route?” I look to Knox, hoping he’s more mentally engaged than I am. As leader of Alpha team, I find myself at a great disadvantage. Eve commands all my mental faculties and I am, without a doubt, the weakest link in this chain.
Eve corrals her troop of monkeys. Eye’s wide, she’s as fierce as fierce can be.
“Max,” she tugs on my sleeve, “there’s a servant’s corridor just this way. It goes directly to the kitchens. We can get out that way.” Eve’s instructions are coherent, to the point, and devoid of emotion. She’s thought this through, more than once.
I love her to death, but do I trust her to lead our way? One of the monkeys grabs a strand of her hair. It meticulously grooms it, looking for nonexistent lice, or whatever it is monkeys look for in the grooming of their troop.
“Show us. We can hook up with the rest of the team once we’re out of here.”
Knox gives a sharp shake of his head, agreeing to the plan. The three of us take off. Knox is in the lead. Eve points the way, coming to a stop at the end of a long hallway. I cover our rear but keep one hand on Eve. I’m not going to lose her.
Distant explosions and gunfire rumble down the halls. We head away from those.
“There.” Eve stops at another crossing corridor and points to a small, nondescript alcove. “Tucked in right there.”
“Let’s do this.” I release the grip I have on Eve; she’s shown me her head is in the game. I’m not worried about her getting separated.
Knox holds up a fist, telling me he hears something. I place a finger over my lips, telling Eve to be silent. The monkeys glance nervously down the long hall, chirping nervously, but thankfully none of that hooting and hollering from before. They seem to understand the need for quiet.
I tilt my head and listen with Knox. Booted footsteps approach our position, but they suddenly stop and turn away. We stand there, more exposed than I like, until all sounds fade away.
Tapping Knox on the shoulder, I indicate readiness to proceed. His body tenses, getting ready. This time, I take point, crossing the hall in front of Knox, with Eve on my heels. Knox remains where he is until Eve and I navigate our way to the alcove. There’s barely room for the two of us, let alone Knox.
“You sure about this?”
The alcove looks normal. No sign of a door.
“Yes.” Eve slides around me, brushing against me as she reaches out to a panel on the wall. She presses against the tile. A soft click sounds. Her eyes light up as she glances back toward me and slides a portion of the wall to the side.
I’m impressed and waste no time in getting Knox to join us. Eve makes to head inside the darkened hallway, but I pull her back. Doing things by the books is a habit deeply ingrained in everything we do. I enter first, peering into the darkness, looking for threats.
A light flickers some distance down the hall. I enter the hall as Knox joins Eve in the alcove. He’ll watch our back. The lightness of Eve’s steps follows me into the narrow corridor.
I wish I’d known about these. It might have helped our team. I tap my ear, trying to get my earpiece to stop ringing. It’s the only link I have to the Guardians, but it’s been ringing since that first concussive blast. The light pouring into the hallway dims as Knox joins us.
“How do I close this?” His words pull us to a stop.
I keep my attention focused down the dimly lit hallway.
“There should be a plate set into the side of the wall.” Eve twists away from me. Their movement sounds behind me as I remain laser-focused on the path ahead.
“Eve, are we missing a light switch?” Not happy about leading us down a dark passage, I’m thinking this is a poor design.
“Yes, it’s around here somewhere…” Eve runs her hands along the wall as the door we came through slides closed, plunging us into near darkness. “Ah, yes—here.” Another switch engages and a string of flickering lights disappears into the distance.
“How do you know about this?” I take a step forward, eyes alert for any threats. I doubt Eve’s freedom extended to these small passages, and I wonder how she knows it connects to the kitchen. We can’t afford for her to lead us the wrong way.
“The dining hall is just down the way. I watched the servants coming out of here with platters of food, but the kitchen is some distance away. Benefield didn’t like the servants out where his guests could see them. The whole place is littered with these hidden passageways.”
“And you’re sure this goes to the kitchen?”
“Absolutely. I memorized everything.”
I tug at my ear. “Knox, my comm is acting up. All I’m getting is static. Are you receiving?”
“No. Lost mine back in the courtyard.”
“Copy that.”
We’re out of communication with our team. Not the best scenario, but we plan for this. With my radio non-functioning, I rip it out of my ear and shove it in the front pocket of my pants. The feedback interferes too much with my hearing.
The servant’s hall is long. The flickering lights of the bulbs give enough illumination to guide our way. We come across only one crossing hallway and I pause.