The Weapon (The Hourglass Series Book 2) (11 page)

The
Captain looked annoyed but nodded curtly.

“Take
her back to her cell,” he ordered.

The
guard nodded, giving Sarah a disturbing grin.

“Alive,”
added the Captain, “and in good shape.”

The
guard looked a bit disappointed but came and collected Sarah all the same. He
walked her back to the cell without incident. Sarah was secretly glad he was
holding up her arm. She felt like she would have stumbled and fallen if he
wasn’t there. She had never felt more drained of energy or emotion in her life.
Finally they arrived at the cell and the guard unlocked her handcuffs with his
own key. She swung her arms around to the front gratefully, only wincing a
little as the pain hit her, and sunk down onto the bench between Finn and
Boulder, who were now both fully awake and looking at her anxiously.
“Are you ok?” asked Finn, his face a mask of worry. “What happened?”

“You
know what?” said Sarah, a little faintly, “I’m still not sure. He wanted to
know about my scar.”

“Your
scar?” asked Boulder, bemused. “Maybe he has a fetish?”

“Shut
up, Boulder,” said Finn and Sarah simultaneously.

Sarah
was on edge for the next two days, expecting that at any moment the Lieutenant
would return and take her back to the Captain. It didn’t happen. She didn’t
know what was worse; the nervous anticipation or having to face the man. At
some point two female soldiers came down with a device that fried the GPS
nano-chips in their necks. It made their necks itch like hell. Every now and
then a few of the other prisoners would be taken away and didn’t come back. It
got to the point when soon it was only the three of them in their cell and a
few others in a cell on the far side of the room. On the upside, her face had
mostly recovered, the blisters and lumps having settled nearly completely.

It
was on the morning of the third day, just after she had woken from a terrible night’s
sleep when the first bomb landed. The whole room seemed to shake and bits of
plaster rained down from the roof and walls. Suddenly they were all wide awake.

“We’re
getting bombed,” said Finn, stating the obvious.

Another
bomb went off, this time a bit further away. An alarm blared into life.

“A
bit late for that,” snorted Boulder. He walked over to the cell’s sliding door,
yelling at the guard. “Hey! Hey, let us out!”

The
guard didn’t even bother to look at them. He was frantically talking to someone
on the radio.

“Let
us out man!” yelled Boulder. “You can’t leave us trapped in here with bombs
going off!”

The
man turned around. “This is a concrete basement. You are safe here,” he said,
but his eyes were worried.

Boulder
kicked the wall angrily.

Finn
was eyeing the roof warily. “I hope so,” he muttered.

The
bombs continued intermittently throughout the morning. Then at around lunchtime
they stopped. There was complete silence for an hour. Sarah was just starting
to think that they had survived it, and that it was all over, when another one
hit. It was closer this time.

A
large crack appeared in the roof.

“Hey!”
Yelled Boulder again, this time with Finn joining in, “let us out! Look at the
roof!” But they were drowned out by the noise of more bombs falling. The crack
got bigger. The guard was yelling into his radio again, one hand covering the
other ear to try and block out the surrounding noise.

“Sir!”
yelled the guard. “Which one?” There was a slight pause as another bomb rocked
the room and they had to scramble to stay upright. “Yes, Sir!” A small section
of the roof caved in ten metres from their cell.

The
guard slammed his radio down and scrambled over towards the cells, keys in
hands. He let out the four prisoners in the far cell first. They ran out of the
cell and up the stairs they had been originally brought in through. The guard
then made his way over to their cell.

“Hurry
up man!” encouraged Boulder as the room shook again. They coughed dried plaster
out of their throats as it rained down on them. The guard jammed the key in the
lock and pushed the button to release the door, but nothing happened.

“What’s
happened? Do it again!” said Boulder, watching the guard’s movements.

The
guard did it again. Still nothing. The building shook and a further section of
the roof caved in, this time falling closer to them. The guard looked up, his
gaze terrified.

“No,
no, no, no,” begged Boulder, reading the guard’s intentions in his eyes. “You
can’t leave us here, man. You can’t do that to us, please!”

Sarah
and Finn where standing right there with Boulder. “Please,” Sarah squinted,
reading the guard’s nametag, “please, Robertson, don’t leave us here,” she
added.

The
guard, Robertson, tried one more time. It didn’t work. The room shook. He fled.

“No!”
Yelled Boulder, slamming his fist against the cell wall. “Come back!”

The
guard was at the top of the steps and nearly out the door when another bomb hit
and the roof above him collapsed. Sarah gasped as Robertson was covered in
rubble, his neck bent at an unnatural angle.

“Holy
shit,” said Finn.
“And the bloody door,” moaned Boulder. Sarah tore her gaze up from the
prostrate man and saw what Boulder did. The door to the outside had also been
completely buried in the collapse. There was no way they were going to get out
that way, which only left going up through the house that was collapsing above
them. That is, if they could get out of their cell. They started yelling,
screaming for anyone to hear them, to come help them, but there was no noise
except for more artillery fire.

“Hey!”
yelled Finn again, only this time with more excitement, “here! Over here!”

Sarah
swivelled around to find out who he was yelling at. It was the Captain and the Lieutenant.
They had come through from the door that led up to the house. If Sarah had a
choice she wouldn’t have picked them, but as she didn’t, she was more than
happy to see them.

“Get
us out!” she yelled, “please!”

They
two officers strode over. The Lieutenant used the key, which had been left in
the lock, and poked the button with no effect.

“It
doesn’t work!” yelled Boulder.

“Manuel
over-ride,” said the Captain. The Lieutenant nodded, already onto it. He slid
apart a section of the wall that Sarah wouldn’t have imagined contained a
secret panel and started dialling numbers on a pad. The numbers lit up green
but the door didn’t budge. The Lieutenant looked up, frowning.

“It’s
unlocked. It must just be stuck.” He strode over to them and almost fell over
as the room shook again. He locked his fingers into the sliding door of the
cell and heaved. On their side Finn, Boulder and Sarah joined it, heaving in
unison with the Lieutenant. The door gave the slightest amount.

“C’mon,”
moaned Boulder, putting everything he had into it. The room shook again, only
this time it seemed to help as the door suddenly slid open. Sarah and Finn lost
their feet beneath them, Boulder only just staying upright. The Lieutenant
leaned down and gripped Sarah’s forearm tightly.

“You’re
coming with us,” he said.

“What
about them?” asked Sarah as she was dragged to her feet.

“I
don’t care. We don’t have time.” The Lieutenant and Captain hurried out of the
basement, back into the main part of the house, which was collapsing around
them, dragging Sarah with them. The boys followed. There wasn’t much else they
could do. Instead of turning left, as Sarah had done previously, they instead
turned right down a narrow corridor. Then, much to Sarah’s surprise, they
descended another set of steps.

“You’re
taking us down to another basement?” asked Sarah, horrified.

They
didn’t bother to reply. The Captain fished a key out of his pocket and used it
on a thick, steel door. It opened up a small compartment and he typed quickly,
his fingers flying over the panel. After an agonising ten seconds the door swung
open and Sarah was pushed through. She gasped. She was in a tunnel. One made of
concrete and steel.

“Get
moving,” ordered the Lieutenant, shoving her forward. They all climbed in and
the Lieutenant shut the door behind him, enabling the locking mechanism.

Both
Finn’s and Boulder’s eyebrows shot up, clearly impressed, but they kept quiet.
Sarah had the distinct impression that they were hoping to go unnoticed. The Captain
was ahead of them now, leading the way. After they half-jogged approximately one
hundred metres, the Captain slowed down to a steady walk.

“We
are safer now,” he stated.

“Where
are we going?” asked Sarah.

“To
a boat.” The Captain turned to look at her. “Then you are going to help me find
the Hourglass Group.”

Sarah
stared at him, confused.
“What do you mean? They’re a huge multimillion dollar corporation. You can find
them easily.”

“I
don’t want them,” said the Captain dismissively. “I want the rebel offshoot.
The ones who have developed the weapon to end the war.”

“What?”
asked Sarah, blinking She had heard about the defectors before, and knew that
her scar might be linked to them, but it was the first time she had heard about
a weapon. “I don’t even know what that is! How am I meant to take you to it?”

“Because,”
said the Captain, “someone in that group saw fit to mark you with their symbol,
to identify you as one of them. Now, obviously you are no scientist. You were
far too young when you got the mark to be considered that, but they considered
you one of them, so you are something. You have seen something, even if you
can’t remember it. But you will. I will make sure of that.”

“And
if she can’t?” asked Finn from somewhere in the background.

“Then
she is of no use to me,” said the Captain dismissively. It sounded ominously
like a death sentence to Sarah.

They
walked the remaining distance in silence. Eventually they came to the end of
the tunnel. Before they ascended the stairs the Lieutenant pulled out his gun.

“Captain,”
he said casually as he checked his magazine, “what about these two? They know
about the tunnel.” He motioned to Finn and Boulder.

Finn
and Boulder backed up a little, and then stood very still as the Lieutenant
pointed his gun at them.

“You
don’t want to do that,” said Boulder, warily.

“Oh?”
asked the Lieutenant politely.

“We’re
useful. We can help. I’m strong. I’ll carry all your equipment. You’ll need
equipment, right?”

“Maybe,”
said the Lieutenant with a shrug, “but he can’t. He’s injured.” He pointed the
gun at Finn.

“Don’t
shoot him. If you shoot him I won’t help. I won’t help if you shoot either of
them. Even if you kill me,” said Sarah earnestly, her heart in her mouth. She
turned to face the Captain, as it was ultimately his decision. “I won’t do it
without them.”

The
Captain studied her face for a moment and then smiled without warmth. “Take
them with us,” he told the Lieutenant. “We can find uses for them. And if the
girl doesn’t perform, we’ll have a good incentive at hand.”

The
Lieutenant shrugged and holstered his gun. He then ascended the ladder and
opened the door. They all climbed outside. It was cloudy. The whole world was
bathed in a grey sheen and Sarah felt a shiver go down her spine.

“Finally,”
said a girl, leaning against a nearby shed. It was the only visible building for
kilometres. “I thought you were never going to make it.”

She
was about eighteen years old. She had smooth dark hair that was tied back in a
ponytail but still framed her face. She smiled and made her way towards the Captain,
but he brushed passed her quickly, scanning the area around them.

“Are
you ready?” he asked brusquely.

An
odd look passed over the girl’s face, but she hid it beneath indifference too
quickly for Sarah to quite catch its meaning.

“Of
course,” she replied briskly. “I have been for a while.”

This
time it was her turn to brush past them. She led them down a spindly, slightly
overgrown tract until, much to Sarah’s surprise, they came across a river.
There was a small, enclosed boat tied up against a dingy old pier. The girl
stopped at the entrance of the pier, looking proud.

“The
Guardian,” she said, telling them the name of the boat. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

“She’ll
serve her purpose,” said the Captain, walking past her.

The
girl watched him pass and then turned back to the others. Her gaze narrowed in
on Sarah.

“So
that’s her then?” she asked, “the key to everything?” she added, a bit
obscurely.

“With
any luck, yes,” replied the Captain, stepping on to the boat.

“The
key?” asked Sarah, getting sick and tired of not knowing. “They key to what?”

They
all ignored her.

“And
the other two?” asked the girl, as if spotting Finn and Boulder for the first
time.

“Insurance,”
came the prompt reply from the Captain.

The
girl’s eyebrows went up at that but she didn’t comment.

“Let’s
get going,” ordered the Captain.

The
girl turned away from them and gracefully jumped aboard the boat. She
disappeared down a flight of steps as Sarah walked down the pier. With a
sinking feeling Sarah stepped onto the boat.

“Move
it,” came Boulder’s voice from behind her.

She
turned around. Boulder was standing behind Finn, waiting for Finn to step on
the boat. Finn wasn’t moving. His face was blank, his skin pale. Sarah couldn’t
blame him. Their only experience with boats so far had been nothing but
horrific, but at least she could swim. As Finn was only too well aware from his
last trip on a boat, he sunk like a stone.

Boulder
gave him a rough push from behind. Finn remained standing, feet planted firmly
on the pier. His face didn’t even register the push.

“Finn,”
coaxed Sarah gently. Finn’s eyes flickered and he glanced up at her. “Finn,
come with me,” she said, leaning over the edge and holding out her hand to him.

“I
can’t,” he croaked, his voice hoarse.

“Dude,”
hissed Boulder, his tone a little more urgent as the Lieutenant, hand on his revolver,
turned around to assess the hold-up. “You’ve got no choice. Move! Or you’re
going to get us killed.”

Sarah
turned around quickly and confirmed what Boulder saw. She swivelled back to
Finn.

“Finn,
please,” she said, extending her hand once more.

After
a moment that seemed to last an eternity, Finn grabbed her hand and stepped forward.
Sarah gripped his hand and dragged him more firmly aboard, afraid that the boat
might start and knock him off his feet and overboard. Boulder jumped across
after him, landing heavily. He stared at Sarah, like it was somehow her fault
that Finn had baulked.

“That
was too close,” he warned.

“Not
my fault,” she muttered back.

“We
wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”

“No,
you’d still be trapped down in the cellar while the roof caved in.”

She
had him there.  Boulder didn’t say anything but simply walked past her and sat
down in an obscure spot that was unlikely to get in the Lieutenant’s way.

The
Captain had gone down the flight of steps after the girl. The Lieutenant leant
casually against the railing, watching them, his hand never far away from his
revolver. Sarah walked around the outside of the boat, feeling the Lieutenant’s
eyes on her as she went. She wasn’t worried though. Where exactly did he think
she would be able to go? She leaned over the edge of the railing and took in
their surroundings. It looked like they weren’t too far out of the city. In
fact, Sarah thought she could make out some of the city walls through the trees
lining the water. The ground was littered with rubble and old building
material, but nature, especially tall, brown grass, had mostly taken over. It
had probably been a residential area once, she decided, the streets lined with
nice houses and gardens, but then the war came, they built the city walls, and
the once-nice residential area slowly decayed with the help of a few bombs. Now
all that was left was that dilapidated shed that the girl had been leaning
against when they came up out of the tunnel. Even the river itself, Sarah
realised belatedly, looked to be manmade. Its walls were smooth concrete. She
wondered if there had used to be a dam nearby. The boat rumbled beneath her and
after a moment it took off from the pier. She stayed there for a moment longer
and then walked back to the others.

Finn
was talking to the Lieutenant. “Where are we going?”

“We
are going,” said the Lieutenant, “to find the Hourglass Group.” He nodded
towards Sarah. “And she’s going to help us.”

The
others turned to look at her.

“And
how exactly am I meant to do that?” asked Sarah, now quite annoyed. “I already
told the Captain, I don’t know anything.”

“He
seems to think otherwise.”

“But
I don’t,” repeated Sarah, as if somehow that could make him understand.

“You
better hope you do,” replied the Lieutenant, obviously a bit annoyed now
himself, “because you and you’re friends aren’t of any use to us if you don’t.”

Sarah
clenched her fists, frustrated. She wanted to point out the obvious problem,
that no matter how much they threatened her, she couldn’t help them find
something she didn’t remember, but at the same time she didn’t want to get shot
in the head and tossed overboard, so she kept her mouth shut.

The
Captain came back up the steps. He tossed them each a tin of soup. “Settle in,”
he advised, “we’re going to be travelling for a while.”