World in Tatters Ch. 44

Rachel jumps up as we enter the room.

“Did you get to see her? How was she?”

As I look over at Alice, I notice her sour expression. She turns away from Rachel and crosses to the other side of the room. Richard sits on the sofa in the middle of the suite, arm wrapped tenderly around his wife’s shoulders. Jarvis is at the breakfast table, scrubbing at parts of a dismantled rifle. Peggy’s across from him, assembling what I can only assume is a pipe bomb. Through the bedroom door, I see Ren wrapped up in the blankets, snoring like a wild animal.

“Yeah, Rach. We did.” I respond. “She was…not too bad, considering the circumstances. They’re feeding her well, but she’s under constant guard.”

“In her own home.” Peggy chimes in. “That’s screwed up.”

“Don’t know if you could call it her home anymore. A lot’s changed in the last couple years.”

“At any rate,” Richard interjects, “Were you able to find out anything useful?”

“Not a lot we didn’t already know. We know which room they’re holding her in. We know they have two guards at her door at all times.”

“Well, that’s definitely a good start.” Kiera says, “Any way in or out?”

“There’s an event at the mansion tomorrow night. If we can get on the staff, that may be our way in. As for a way out, that might be more complicated. The place is locked down pretty tight.”

“Alright then. Once Artemis and Apollo get back, we’ll see what they have to say, discuss our options.”

“Speaking of…” calls Jarvis. “When do we expect them back?”

“Sundown. At least that’s the plan.” Says Richard.

“So, midnight.” Peggy scoffs. “Got it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothin’ boss. Just that ‘Pollo’s always late.”

Richard nods, conceding the truth of it. “Artie’s with him though. They’ll be here.”

“If you say so.”

“That’s enough, Jarvis.” Kiera admonishes. “Steven, go ahead and take the load off. You’re welcome to get a couple hours of shuteye before the others get back.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think I could sleep if I wanted to. Besides…” I gesture to Ren in the adjoined room. “It’s a little noisy.”

Richard breaks into a grin at my remark, “Suit yourself.”

I cross to the far side of the room where Rachel set up her sleeping nest. Chris sits nearby, keeping himself occupied with a knife and his whetstone. Rachel’s anxious, biting the inside of her lip, waiting for the right time to ask me a barrage of questions. I press my back against the wall and slide down, relaxing into the floor. Rachel stands over me for a moment, tapping her hand at her side.

As she drops down beside me, “Is Aunt Nora really okay?” She speaks in a hushed tone so the others won’t hear.

“I dunno, Rach.” I concede. “She’s been through a lot.” I glance over to where Alice is leaning in the corner. I feel bad for her, having to see her mother like that. With luck, we’ll be able to get her out tomorrow, but I’ll be honest. I have my doubts. So much could go wrong. Every person in this room could end up dead if we go against Drum like this.

“Rach, I need you to promise me something.” I look into my little sister’s face, the child I’ve basically raised for the last few years. I see the worry in her eyes, the love for Aunt Nora and Alice, the determination to do something about it. I see a lot of myself in her, but in many ways, she’s still so young.

“You’re not stopping me from helping. We’ve already been through this.” Ever the stubborn teenager.

“I know. It’s not that. I’m not going to try…I just…I need you to stay as far away from the action as you can. Stay with one of the experienced fighters. I’m sure there will be plenty for you to do from a distance.”

“But I…” The fervor fades from her voice as she looks back into my eyes. I suppose she can see the worry on my face. “I’ll try.”

“Good. One more thing…” I lean forward slightly, looking around her to the boy we took in. Chris is still occupying himself with his blades, inspecting the sharpness with a keen eye. For a stable hand, he’s seen more than his fair share of nightmares. And for some reason, I feel very protective of him. “Keep Chris with you. Keep him out of it too. I don’t know what I’d do if either one of you got hurt.”

Rachel glances back at him, then nods. I don’t think she fully understands why I care about him, but she has grown to respect it over the last few weeks. I actually think she’s beginning to care about him herself. I think she feels connected to him. Shared experiences, mutual traumas. She feels bad for what he’s been through. In time, they may even become friends.

After a while of idle chatter, I end up dozing off. When I awaken again, it’s dinner time. Jarvis and Kiera are in the kitchen fussing over the stove. Richard chops some fresh vegetables they picked up in the market. The smell of frying chicken wafts through the apartment.

I feel my stomach growling as I drag myself off the floor. I dig through my bag for a canteen, taking a swig of water.

“Glad you were able to get some rest.” Richard calls over. “Now, come on. Help me with this.”

I grudgingly join him in the kitchen. I pick up a small knife and potato, peeling the skin off and cutting it into small cubes.

As the group of us sit down to eat, we hear a commotion in the corridor outside our apartment. In a flash, almost every member of this team is on their feet, weapon in hand. Jarvis with his pistol, Kiera and Peggy with knives. A ringing lingers in the air from Richard’s sword, his body tight and coiled like a snake ready to strike.

I cross over to the door, peering out through the peep hole.

“Ouch! Son of a b…hmmm.”

Ugh. I know that voice. Seems I’m not the only one who heard him either. Richard and Kiera relax, sheathing their weapons. I open the door, letting the oaf into the apartment.

“’Pollo, you gotta watch where you’re going.”

“I was, Artie. That flowerpot came out of nowhere.”

“You’re late.” Richard admonishes.

“Sorry. Blame ‘Pollo.” Artemis rolls her eyes at her brother. “He got us lost on the way back.”

“It’s fine. Just grab a plate, sit down, and tell us what you found out.”

We spend the next couple of hours discussing the intel collected by the twins. Weirdly, Apollo’s report is incredibly thorough. Once they got him focused, he started drawing extremely detailed maps. First the compound surrounding the mansion, then grounds, including every shed, nook, and cranny. Turns out, the guy has an eidetic memory. Comes in handy as a scout, but it does beg a question. How did he get them lost coming back?

Apparently, Artemis spent her time socializing with the other workers, gleaning as much information as possible. Looks like the party tomorrow night won’t be as easy a way in as we hoped. With the guest list being as exclusive as it is, they’re only bringing in workers that they trust. Ones who have been there for a while.

Which means, unless we come up with something, Alice and I are definitely out. At least Artie and Pollo might be able to get on staff, considering their mother’s position.

We consider our options for a while, talking points of entry and exit, possible extraction points, guard stations. It takes a while, but we finally settle on what we think is the best solution. The rest of the night we spend preparing our gear and going through the plans over and over until everyone could do it in their sleep.

Honestly, it’s a pretty simple plan. Knock out a couple of guards, don a few disguises, get in, get Aunt Nora, get out. The only people going in, though, are Alice, the twins, Richard, Kiera and me. Peggy and Ren are supposed to set some explosives. Distractions to cover our exfiltration, should the need arise. Rachel and Chris are to hang back with Jarvis. They’re to set up a sniper’s perch across from the mansion, mostly for surveillance, but also to provide cover if we screw up. For having so little prep time, it’s not a bad plan.

As for Alice, she’s been distracted since we got back from the mansion. I can tell that she’s up to speed with the plan, but she’s not as focused as I need her to be. As she’s going to need to be tomorrow. I hate seeing her like this.

When Richard is satisfied that everyone’s good, he tells us all to get some rest. I follow Alice over to the corner, sitting on the floor beside her. I’ve known her a long time, so I can tell when she doesn’t want to talk. I don’t pressure her. I just sit there with her, placing my arm over her shoulders. She doesn’t lean into me or say anything, but I can feel her tension ease somewhat. Eventually, she curls herself away from me, trying to get some shuteye before the big day.

As for me, I can’t sleep a wink.

I need this to go well. Not just for Alice and Aunt Nora, or even for Rachel or for myself.

I can’t help thinking of my mom. How adamant she was about leaving Aunt Nora. Something isn’t right. I feel it in the pit of my stomach. Sure, it could have just been concern for our safety, but I think there’s gotta be more to it.

At any rate, I’ll have to figure that out later. For now, this mission is all that matters.

*****

I startle awake in the late morning, apparently having dozed off around dawn. Everyone else has been awake for a while. Alice quietly fiddles with her knives, staring off into space. Richard and Kiera talk with the twins while picking at the remnants of their breakfast.

When he notices I’m awake, Jarvis offers me some leftovers from last nights dinner. I eagerly consume the offering before packing my own gear. I conceal my Barretta in the back of my waistband and adjust my knife’s sheath to sit sideways on my belt. I pull on a longer shirt to cover the weapons from prying eyes.

A short time later, the twins leave for the party. An hour or so after that, Peggy and Ren head out. I hug Rachel before she and Chris leave with Jarvis.

There’s an awkward silence among the four of us that are left. Alice’s brooding has given way to a cold but quiet determination. Richard and Kiera have definitely picked up on it too. I can tell they’re trying to stay optimistic about our chances, but they’re as worried about Alice as I am.

“Alice,” I say, lowering my voice. “Maybe you should sit this out. You know the rest of us will do everything in our power to get her out safely.”

Without looking at me, “You’ve got to be kidding. She’s my mother. I’m not going to sit by and wait while you guys risk your lives to rescue her.”

She punctuates her statement by sheathing one of her knives into her sleeve. By the look in her eye, I can tell this conversation is over.

The four of us make our way through the city toward Drum’s mansion. The place is lit up. Festoon lights and torches adorn the path from gate to front door. Swanky guests in expensive gowns and suits flood into the compound. Many of them gather around a giant fountain in the middle of an octagonal patio.

As we pass by on the road, I catch a glimpse of Artemis and Apollo in server uniforms greeting guests and passing out hors d’oeuvres. We sneak around to the side of the property. A tall iron fence and a thick hedge stand between us and the party. Richard, ever the pragmatist, pulls a hacksaw from his pack and starts cutting at the fencing.

As soon as most of the party moves indoors, the security guards break off. A few stay around the main entry and the mansion, but another few disperse to walk the grounds. The four of us hide in the brush until one of them, a burly man, ventures into our area. With a quiet, practiced motion, Richard and Kiera flash out of the bushes and take him down. Richard uses a sleeper hold on him, cutting off his blood flow until he passes out. They drag him off to our hiding spot and strip him down to his underclothes.

Richard dons the man’s uniform, a tight fit for his muscular frame. The rest of us drag the nearly naked man behind the bushes while Richard waves over another couple of guards. We swiftly knock them unconscious as well and change into their clothes. We stash our gear in one of the bushes, keeping only a sidearm per person and my knife tucked in our waistbands.

“If we get separated in there,” Kiera chimes, “meet back at the hotel. Do whatever you have to do to get clear.”

With all four of us now wearing the uniforms of Drum’s bodyguards, we head toward the back entrance of the mansion. Artemis lets us in through the kitchens, leading us past the bustle of frenzied staff trying their best to serve so many guests. None of them pay us any mind as they push past us. As quickly as we can, the four of us slip out the other end of the kitchens. Artemis leaves us in the hallway. She heads back to her catering duties, keeping up appearances while keeping an eye on the partygoers.

We zip through the halls. Richard and Kiera hang back as lookouts while Alice and I press forward. As we get close to Aunt Nora’s room, we hear the voices—different from the ones yesterday— of the two guards stationed at her door. We duck behind the corner of the adjacent hall and pull our sidearms.

I hear Alice’s breathing quicken next to me as she whips out two of her knives. Before I can stop her, she rips around the corner with a cry of anguish, throwing the two blades at her mother’s captors. The two guards slump to the ground as the knives find their home with a sickening thud.

I follow close behind her as she kicks in the door, stepping over the guards’ lifeless bodies. Alice bursts into the room, scanning for her mother. As I rush in behind her, I realize that the room is empty. Aunt Nora is gone.