A “Dead” End

Chapter 15

Hope could not bear to stay away from Sarah, even for a minute…she knew how stubborn her friend was and if she was not convinced about their safety then she would find a way to disappear without anyone knowing about it…so she decided to cherish these 2 days and pray that Luke will be able to convince Sarah into staying with them permanently…..in the meantime she brought her pillow and blanket into Sarah’s room, determined to spend every moment with her friend….the sister she had always wished for….

Luke was saying his goodbyes and leaving last minute instructions with Susan and Abby when Sarah rushed in….wait, she said..there is one vital piece of information I forgot to tell you about…. what is that, Luke asked…taking charge.. She extended a small USB like device towards Luke and said…. before my escape, I managed to download some vital information from their mainframe. I do not know what is in here because I have not had the time nor inclination of opening it here….under this roof. I never wanted to bring this ugliness in your lives but it’s important for you to see whatever information is in here so you are more prepared for whatever plans you are brewing……

This is the only copy I have so I would really appreciate it if you copy this information somewhere with a highly secure connection and return the original back to me. Luke looked at the girl standing in front of him with amazement….she was so calm and composed as if she was giving him some random piece of information instead of the data she had managed to gather on an evil corporation doing nefarious deeds. Luke extended his hand to take the device from Sarah and decided to spend some quality time with his computer and re-evaluate his plans, if need be. 

Abby, Susan and Hope had decided to keep things as normal as possible….not let the shocking revelations taint their time with Sarah. Meanwhile Luke had opened up a secure connection to download the information given by Sarah. After the download was complete he started looking through the information... there were a lot of details here about this dirty operation that played with the lives of innocent children. There were some photos and videos as well. He saw a photo of Sarah in her “room” - the cell where she had been living in for 18 years. It was a small... smaller than the bathroom in the room she was staying in now. The walls were a dull shade of white...with patches of yellow, peeling plaster and dirt. There was a stone, slab for her to sleep on and one small bulb for light and she was wearing a shapeless uniform like some prisoner. 

He kept looking through the data and realized that this operation was way bigger than what Sarah had known about… the organization was several times more evil than he had thought of after Sarah’s narration. This data showed that these people had their hands in a lot of pies….illegal weapons smuggling, drugs, money laundering…all these routine criminal stuff but other than the operation Sarah had mentioned hearing about their second major operation was the experiments they were conducting on their “defective” assets. They were trying to enhance their “special” assets by giving them something “extra”….. like quicker healing, super speed, super strength…. They were also playing along with genetic mutations…..

He needed to show this information to Abby right away… she will be able to understand all this science related stuff way better he could ever hope for. He was very lucky that Sarah had remembered to share this information with him before he raced out without all the extra precautions he now knew he would need to take. This was no small time criminal stuff… even after the information Sarah had given, a part of him had not believed that it could be as bad as she had mentioned… maybe she had misheard something. It had seemed a bit far fetched…not that he did not trust her…it’s just he had hoped it was not as bad as she had described. Ironically he was right, just not the way he wanted….it was much more worse than what  Sarah had stated….than she knew…..

Luke was very subdued and serious as he joined the others outside. He was relieved that Hope and Sarah were not outside with the others because no matter how hard he tried, he was not able to suppress the shock of the horrors he had just witnessed. Abby knew it had to be something really really bad for the tough and strong man, she had known and loved for close to 20 years, to look so angry yet somber at the same time. Her worst fears were realized when Luke looked at Abby right in the eye and said…. It is worse than Sarah told her, she too is not aware of all the horrors happening in that complex. 

He sat down, feeling his age for the very first time. He knew that this will be his most dangerous mission yet and the most important for it was not just about his family anymore…. It was about all those kids who were suffering day in and day out in that horrible place…. He will not forget, nor will he allow himself to ignore, the innocent young faces…. tortured and experimented upon without any thought or compassion. His blood was boiling at the thought of several other children getting kidn*pped or created in laboratory …. An operation this huge, this evil, this organized and with seemingly endless resources…. based on the numbers he had just seen… will not be easy to dismantle…..

The way he was feeling right now, he had to exert his full control to stop himself from going in with guns blazing and taking those monsters out but he knew that will not accomplish anything…. These people were like a “hydra”, you cut one and two more will grow. This mission will take some serious planning, utmost precaution and smart execution. He had seen all the accomplishments Sarah was telling them about…. There she had lied a bit…. She was way more accomplished than she had disclosed. “They” wanted to use her as a weapon then so be it….his girl will be his primary weapon in “their” downfall… he could fully understand and relate with the passion Sarah had towards this mission….. a passion that had her fighting to survive…..

He gave a very “kid friendly” version of the horrors, he had uncovered from that piece of evidence, for his Susan’s sake. Abby gave him a look that conveyed that she understood things were worse than he was stating and that he was downplaying for Susan’s benefit. It had been a very long and tiring day… with a lot of emotional turmoil, Susan…honey… could you please make something wholesome and comforting for dinner?... in the meantime I will show Abby the information that requires her medical expertise to untangle. As Luke led Abby towards his “lair”, Susan smiled to herself thinking…. Foolish man, after 28 years of marriage he still thinks he can fool me. I know he is hiding things from me and he is not doing it because he thinks I am weak and cannot handle them but because he loves me and wants to keep me and my “rose coloured glasses” protected….

As Abby looked through page after page of information she could not hold her gasps of horror at some of the things these monsters were doing. What kind of f****d up people would commit such atrocious acts against kids. When she saw the information and reports on their “enhancement project” and the “genetic mutation” experiments… she… she just could not control herself anymore and lashed out…. I am a doctor who has taken a solemn oath to save lives but right this minute if any of these monsters came in front of me, I will gladly kill them… while exerting maximum amount of torture. 

As much as I want to keep my Hope away from all this, I am not going to stop her or interfere with her choice. If she wants to join Sarah in this mission then not only will I support her with pride but I will take active part in bringing these monsters out as well…. She looked at Luke with tears and fire in her eyes… these people need to be stopped Luke… they cannot be allowed to continue with their monstrous activities, please Luke… please tell me you will guide and lead my girls through this mission with caution and help them eradicate this evil, once and for all…..

While the other adults were busy with their planning and discussion, Hope was teaching Sarah the fine art of flirting….. I am telling you Sarah, this is an essential skill for any girl. It could be used not only for fun but also as an effective weapon.. come on Hope, that is a bit much.. you are just pulling my leg. How can silly conversation, batting eyelids, flicking hair and all this nonsense be used as a weapon ….a lethal weapon. I mean I have trained in all existing and some “still to be released” weapons and no one ever mentioned flirting as a weapon to me. If what you are saying is true then my trainers would have taught me that too….. Oh my sweet, innocent Sarah… it’s not an offensive weapon but a defensive one. It is also one of the most common and successful ways to distract your opponent…

I still do not believe you. How can this distract an opponent?.... tell me… huh…tell me…. Okay Okay my dear….hold on to your horses and listen to my teachings carefully… Say you are engaged in a competitive match and you think that your opponent has an edge over you then use your hot and gorgeous body and your deep blue eyes to attract your opponents attention for long enough to take advantage of their distraction and gain a winning edge… okay, Sarah pondered for a bit and said… maybe it might work on a guy but what if the opponent is a woman? How will this help me then…. Simple, said Hope. If the female opponent is interested in same s*x relationship then it would be  easy-peasy…. If the female is not interested then it will shock or maybe bother her…make her uncomfortable for long enough for the trick to work…. Hummm… what you are saying has some potential of success… okay, oh great and wise teacher… teach me the fine and essential art of flirting…… with that both the girls broke out in a fit of laughter……

Abby was heading towards Sarah’s room when she heard the girls laughing …. She decided to put the discussion she wanted to have with Sarah on hold till the next day…. Let the girls enjoy this night peacefully, tomorrow she will need to talk to Sarah about the new information she had found on her device which could explain her quick healing and the anomalies in her blood. 

Susan wanted to lift everyone’s mood...she may not be a genius or a battle hardened soldier or doctor or fighter but she knew food and the magic of a warm and hearty meal with family.... it could lift moods, lessen stress and give her family some peaceful time....for who knows how rare a commodity peace is about to become. She wanted to take all the ugliness from her girls’s lives and lock it in a container to hide it deep....right at the bottom of an ocean but she knew she could not protect her girls from life....so she would do what she did best and wrap them in her arms and soothe them will love, food and laughter.... and hope it will be enough for now. 

She may not have given birth to Abby but lord knows she could not have loved any biological daughter more than she did Abby. Hope was an icing on the cake...then lord sent Sarah into their lives, a tortured soul....she had seen the girl blossom in front of her eyes. The blank and haunted look in her eyes had once pierced Susan’s heart but over the last few weeks, her laughter had been like a soothing balm on her wounded heart.