After the Fall Ch. 05

He let her snatch her arm away from him, but he put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry. It scares me to think of you doing those things. I didn't mean it like it sounded."

"I think you meant it exactly like it sounded. And you know what? If you didn't like the way things were going in town, you could have come out from behind your walls and done something about it instead of watching it through a camera. Your father didn't chain you to the wall. You had free will. If you had used your resources to get medicine for people, I wouldn't have been doing it. If you were so worried about what I was doing out there, why didn't you help?"

He had known all along that she must have had thoughts like that, but hearing them hurt. "Hurt" didn't really begin to describe it. Her words ripped at him, knocked him down, and clawed at his belief in himself. They left him with a physical ache in his gut.

Unshed tears burned Mariah's eyes. It was painful to see Michael hurting, no matter how richly he deserved it. He was always doing and saying things to hurt her. So why, when he finally felt a little bit bad about it, was she the one fighting back tears? Her friend was out there, suffering and in danger because Mariah was in the compound instead of out there where she belonged, and Michael chose this moment to pick a fight over things she did before she even met him. And he thought he loved her?

"I'm sorry," Michael whispered.

Mariah looked up at him, shaken. The apologies she was accustomed to receiving from Michael were nothing more than the required expression to smooth things over. They were just a social nicety, like saying "excuse me," after a sneeze. This time, he sounded like he might genuinely feel remorse. She didn't know whether he was sorry he mocked her for doing something to help or if he was sorry because he never had. It wasn't something she should have to be thinking about right now.

"Michael, I—"

"We can talk about it later. Just please know that I am sorry."

"Thank you."

"There is one more thing, though. Why don't you think you had credit at Lois's shop?"

"How could I have credit? I'm sure she would have given me a little, but I never asked for any. Why are you hung up on shop credit?"

He sighed. "Because I had arranged with Lois for you to have unlimited credit. It didn't occur to me that you wouldn't have used it."

She was taken aback, and unsure whether his gesture had been sweet or creepy. She decided it was both. There were a lot of people in town who had needed that help more than she did, but it was a generous impulse.

"Thank you. I didn't know."

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "We'd better get back so we'll be there when Ezra finishes with Carruthers. When we get back in there, I want you to explain why you were stealing the tokens."

"Why?" If he was embarrassed to be associating with a thief, that was his problem.

"Because you want to be able to work with the security team as we move forward on the project. Leaving them with a falsely unfavorable impression isn't going to help."

She realized he was right. She didn't see anything wrong with siphoning their drug money, but other people might. People like Michael. Possibly, people like his security team.

"Okay, I'll tell them."

When they got back to the conference room, Nate, Yvonne and Andy were looking over the floor plans Mariah had drawn. They had a few questions, like window height and what the interior walls were made of, but they seemed satisfied with the drawings. They were still looking at them when Ezra and Jack came back. Ezra took the drawings and made some notes on them.

"Carruthers confirmed that they do have a woman at the Lakehouse. Based on his physical description, I'm sure it's Sarah."

"Did you find out if she's okay?" Mariah interrupted.

"No. He doesn't know anything more than the fact that they have her and are holding her in a bedroom on the top floor. I circled the bedroom on the drawing. Carruthers never saw her. The physical description he had was based on what somebody told him. When he left this morning, she was still on the top floor."

Michael cleared his throat noisily.

"Oh. Uhm, it was brought to my attention," Mariah shot a glance at Michael, "that I should mention why I was stealing tokens from the lake house. It was because courier tokens are the only way to buy medicine. You can't trade for it at the shop. People in town can't pay for medicine, and the doctor can't buy it without being paid. Hawley's crew bled the town dry of tokens, so I helped Hawley contribute to the medicine fund. To be clear, I'm not claiming I kept a separate account or that I never used a token for myself. I don't really use tokens much, so I never kept track. Anyway, that's why."

Jack grinned. "I've never seen a more unrepentant thief. Honestly, Mariah, I wouldn't care if you took their tokens just to throw them in the river. It's great that they went to such a good use, but you certainly don't need to justify it as far as I'm concerned."

Nate didn't look very amused, and Ezra was studiedly neutral, but Yvonne and Andy were in agreement with Jack.

"Sorry for the interruption. Did Carruthers have any other useful information?" Mariah asked.

"Nothing that's concretely applicable to what we have to do tonight. More of a wildcard. He confirmed that there is someone who's giving Hawley advice. He only knows the new guy as Dave. He's in his forties, brown hair, medium build, medium height. Carruthers can't remember what color eyes he has and can't remember any identifying marks. It really doesn't do us any good.

"Carruthers says Dave came to town about a month ago. He's staying in one of the cabins. I circled the cabin he's staying in on the drawing. Carruthers doesn't know where Dave came from or how he traveled here. He says Dave is Hawley's advisor, but he doesn't know what he is advising Hawley about. He confirmed that Dave gave them the radios, the telescope and the rope ladder they were using, which is something we need to consider further when this is over. Mariah hasn't even been here two whole weeks, but Dave already got those supplies. Unless he had them on the way for some other reason, it suggests an awfully short supply chain.

"Michael, if we get Sarah out of there without anyone noticing, I'd like to take a look at Dave's cabin, assuming he's not in it. I'd also like to try to get a look at Dave himself. Maybe we'll recognize him. I don't want to be paranoid, but the way he got supplies so fast makes me think there's a connection to the Elites."

Michael nodded. "I can't imagine what any of the Elites would want here, but we need to find out. Do what you think is best once Sarah's safe, but I want everyone back at the compound as soon as possible."

"So, what's the plan for the lake house?" Nate asked.

"That's up for discussion, but Jack and I were talking on the way back up, and we were thinking that there's no reason to mess with anything but the second floor if we don't have to.

"It'll be dark in another couple of hours. Carruthers confirmed there aren't exterior lights. We can lift the sliding deck door off of its track whether or not the slide latch is locked and whether or not there's a stick in the track. The problem is that the deck is off of the bedroom Hawley uses when he's there.

"Carruthers says Hawley wasn't there this morning, but he doesn't know if Hawley is coming tonight or tomorrow. He doesn't know who or how many people will be there. He says it's usually only a few people there at a time except for the night of the party and the day after that. Dinner is every man for himself, but they all usually end up eating shortly before dark. If we get there just after dark, they may all be downstairs eating. Going in around dinner time increases the risk that someone will come up to bring food to Sarah while we're there, but waiting longer increases the risk of someone using the bedroom.

"I view the entry as the most dangerous part, so I'd rather gear our arrival toward getting in the deck door without being seen. The bedroom where they're keeping Sara is only two doors down. We won't even have to cross the top of the stairs if everything goes right. Her room is circled on the drawing.

"If we have time and opportunity, I'd like to make it look like she escaped on her own. If that's possible, we'll put the deck door back in the frame on our way back out. Once we're out, Nate and Jack, you'll check out the cabin. Nate, you know more faces around Elite security than any of us, and Jack, you know the newer ones. Wait for the rest of us to get out of the area, then see if you can lure him out and get a look at him. If you can satisfy yourselves that he's not there, take a look through the cabin.

"You guys know your business, but remember that you may be dealing with a professional. Don't take risks. If you get eyes on the guy, don't bother with his cabin. The identification or description you can provide is too valuable to do anything but bring it straight back to the staging point. We'll designate the amount of time we can wait once we get there."

Mariah spoke up. "When do we leave?"

Ezra took a strategic moment to study the drawings. Michael's hand clamped down on Mariah's wrist. "Let's let them finalize the plan."

"But—"

"Come on."

It was obvious to Mariah that Michael was prepared to drag her out of the room in front of everyone, so she stood and walked out on her own. She paused at the door and turned back to the team. "Thank you for doing this."

As soon as the elevator door closed, Mariah went off. In the short time it took to get from the second floor to the third, she shared quite a few of her opinions about Michael's "paternalistic Neanderthalism," none of which seemed to trouble him.

"You knew perfectly well that I was not going to let you go. Did you really think I would change my mind just because you brought it up in front of everybody?"

"But she's my friend!" she argued, as he tugged her down the hall.

"Yes, that's why she's getting rescued."

"I have a right to go!"

He stopped and backed her against the wall. "What was the first condition of our arrangement?"

"But this is different!"

Michael reached for her chin, but she tossed her head away. He put his hands against the wall on either side of her head and waited. Eventually, she looked up at him.

"What was the first condition?"

"Listen to you about security. I get it, but this is different."

"You agreed to follow my instructions about security without question. Does that ring a bell? And how about the specific agreement that it applied to your personal security. Remember that?"

"Yes, but—"

"No buts. What you did this morning already grossly violated the spirit of the agreement."

"You didn't give me any instructions that had anything to do with what happened this morning."

"That's because I didn't realize I needed to tell you not to get kidnapped. And I did tell you in the very beginning that you could only leave the compound on limited occasions, accompanied by a guard. But, just in case there's any confusion, I'm telling you now. Don't get kidnapped. Don't go outside the compound without my permission. Don't run with scissors."

Unexpectedly, a good-humored smile broke over his face, catching her completely off guard. She was still trying to make sense of it when they arrived at her bedroom door. Inside, he sat on the bed and pulled her down beside him.

"Sweetheart, I know you're going to be very angry with me, but you can't go." He brushed her hair back and kissed her, gently at first and then more passionately. "I do love you, whether you want to believe it or not. We're going to bring your friend back."

"What do you mean, 'we?'"

He spotted Mariah's dressing gown on the bed beside them. While she was distracted, he pulled the belt off, looped it and made a slipknot.

"We, as in Ezra, Nate, Andy—" She saw the loop and jumped up, but he caught her. "Yvonne, Jack, and me," he finished, as he secured the belt around her wrist. He stood in front of her, trapping her against the bed while he tied the other end of the belt to the bedpost. She started tugging at it, but he held her wrists.

"What are you doing? You can't just leave me tied to the bed? Why do you get to go and I don't?"

"I'm doing this because I don't trust you not to try to sneak out. Can you promise that you won't sneak out if I let you loose?"

She scowled at him.

"That's what I thought."

"Why do you get to go?"

"Because I'm making the rules. Now be good for me, kitten. It's an easy knot. You'll be able to get yourself untied in no time. I want you to have a glass of wine and relax in your room. I promise we'll be back as soon as we can, and we'll bring Sarah to you."

He kissed her forehead and was out the door a second later.

"Michael!"

She scrabbled at the knot. "Michael!"

He hurried down the hall. He would be lucky to make it to the end before she got loose. At the end of the hall, he flipped up a panel hidden on the floor six feet outside the entrance to his private wing. A similar panel was hidden in the floor on the other side of the entrance, about fifteen feet down the hall. The panel he opened held a keypad, two dials, and a key fob with a large button. He slid the fob down the floor of the hall, then turned one dial all the way and the other two-thirds of the way. Panels in the ceiling and floor flipped out and two motorized security gates rolled down over the entrance to his wing. The inner gate was a flexible grate. The outer gate was made of horizontal steel panels.

As the gates came down, he could hear Mariah running down the hall. When she saw the gates lowering, she stopped. The grated inner gate came all the way down and locked into a track on the floor. The outer gate stopped two-thirds of the way down. He knelt down beside it.

"Sweetheart, there's a fob in the hallway. I want you to come get it."

She was spitting mad, but curious enough about the fob to come pick it up.

"The button on that fob is a panic button. If you press that button, the second gate will come all the way down. Do you understand?"

She pressed the button. Michael stepped back as the second gate came down and locked into the floor. He hadn't expected her to do that. He had activated the inner gate to make sure she stayed in his wing, and partially lowered the outer gate so it would close quickly if she pressed the button. He had hoped that leaving the outer gate partially up might make her feel better about being locked in. Apparently not.

When he got to the second floor, he went to the security office and flipped the switch to close the steel shutters over all the windows in the house. He radioed the rest of the staff.

"We've got something going on that everyone needs to know about. Could each of you confirm you're receiving?"

He continued after Paula, Seth, Marcus, Daniel, and Amy confirmed they were listening. "As you know, some thugs attempted to abduct Mariah this morning. They're part of a local gang, and we found out they've abducted another woman. The security team and I will be leaving shortly to get her away from them. We'll be bringing her back here until we figure out what to do next.

"The house will be in lockdown. Mariah's in my wing, and it's already secured. When we're ready to leave, we'll activate the hall gates on all floors. I suggest returning to your quarters or wherever you want to spend lockdown. Please make sure you have your backup radios with you and review the codes for the gates in case you need to open them. I'd also like a volunteer to man the security office, just so someone can monitor the video feeds."

Seth volunteered, and everyone else chimed in with "good luck," or "be careful." Michael's father had run lockdown drills for years out of paranoia. Michael never expected them to actually be useful. When he walked back to the conference room, everyone looked perplexed.

"Are you sure you want to come, Michael?" Ezra asked. Except for this morning, he couldn't remember the last time Michael left the compound to go anywhere but the old airfield or to Quinland's complex in Bluffdale.

"Yes. I'm not going to send the five of you out there by yourselves. I have complete confidence in you all, but I'd feel better being there in case I can give you a hand with something. I'll stay out of the way if that's what you want, but I'm going to be there if you need me."

Ezra nodded briskly. He told himself that he must be getting soft. This was the second time today he'd almost gone misty-eyed over the way Michael was stepping up.

Jack broke the silence. "Thanks, man." The others added their thanks, except for Nate, who just shook his head.

They spent a few minutes reviewing the plan before everyone split up to get into their gear. Michael was fortunate to have a couple of spare sets of fatigues and body armor in the armory. He had forgotten to get his before he locked down his wing, and there was no way he was going back in there to face Mariah again until he had Sarah with him. When everyone else was suited up, they joined him in the armory. Ezra found a pistol for him that was similar to the one he'd left in his bedroom. Michael wondered what Nate would say if he knew he left an angry Mariah locked up with a gun and ammunition.

Ezra handed out night vision goggles, mics, and earpieces to everyone. They paired up to smear the sticks of camo paint over each other's faces, ears and necks. When they finished, Michael wasn't sure whether they looked fearsome or ridiculous. Everyone gave their radios, mics, earpieces, and weapons a final check, and then they were ready to go. When they got to the garage, they radioed Seth to lock down the house.

They drove out with two jeeps. The lake house was just past the edge of town, but it was isolated by the geography. Three Notch Road was a former state highway, turned over to county maintenance decades ago when a newer, straighter highway was built through town. It forked off from the newer highway and curved around the lake outside of town, then rejoined the newer highway on the other side of the lake.

Shortly before they turned onto Three Notch Road, they turned off their headlights and maintained radio silence. There was no way of knowing what sort of radio equipment "Dave" might be providing, and they couldn't risk being overheard and alerting Hawley's group before they even got to the lake house. When they reached the site, they would use the radios as needed with mics and earphones.

They parked in an old lay-by where people used to park when they fished. It was less than a quarter of a mile from the lake house, but the trees between the lay-by and the lake house ensured that even in daylight, it couldn't have been seen from the house. As they approached through the woods, they didn't see any indications of perimeter alarms.

When they neared the lake house, they stopped for a final reconnaissance with the night vision goggles. There was no activity around the cabins. The lake house itself was lit well enough that they had to switch off the night vision to look at it. Some of the windows on the first floor of the house were lit by firelight. A smaller point of light, presumably a lantern, lit up a first-floor window near the back of the house. No lights were visible on the second floor.

When they reached the deck on the back of the building, Nate stayed near the foot of the stairs. Jack snuck up the stairs first and used night vision to look into the dark bedroom. When he gave the all-clear, the others joined him on the deck. Ezra eased the sliding door out of its tracks and set it aside. Michael had been chosen to take the position on the outside of the deck door.