Waking Nightmares(Lined Bullets)- A GMD Fiction

Chapter 11: Plans for a Rescue

       It had been a few days since Able and I had been attacked by Rattigan, and I had somewhat healed... somewhat. The gunshot wound was a hassle and Dawson demanded that I kept the brace on for six weeks! Unfortunately, my brother also refused for me to leave his home without being there in case my leg gave out during one of my walks.
       At the moment, I was pacing Byron's sitting room, trying to figure out where Rattigan was now hiding away with the children and Able. It would have to be big... is he making something?  I just couldn't seem to wrap my mind around where that nefarious rat could be hiding. My thought process was eventually disrupted when my leg gave out once again and I fell to the floor.
       "Ah! Confound it all," I yelled into the open air. I reached for the hand -crafted cane my brother had bought to help my mobility.
       Suddenly, I heard Byron running towards the door from outside calling my name.
       "Basil! Basil," he called. When he opened the door and found me on the floor, his face instantly fell and rushed to help me. "Where the bloody hell is your cane? It's not for decoration, you know."
       "I was pacing," I said ina matter-of-fact tone. "I can't very well do that with a cane in my way... and it's too far out from my reach."
       Byron just shook his head and assisted me to a chair. He then grabbed the cane and placed it next to me, but I was now curious on the purpose of him calling my name.
       "Byron, why on Earth were you shouting," I asked as I leaned forward in my seat. He stopped mid-motion and looked confused. Then he mentally went through what he just did, a habit he developed when I started pointing out things that were not always obvious, or when he forgot something. Once he remembered, a smile grew across his face and he grabbed me by the shoulders.
       "I believe I know where Rattigan is hiding," he whispered in my ear.
       My eyes widened and I hopped out of my seat and grabbed his shoulders, somewhat for support. I could not believe what I was hearing. The only thing that I could say was a single word...
       "Where?"
       "Just outside of London, at an old abandoned factory. The smoke stacks have been on full force for almost a month!"
       "Can you show me?"
       Byron's excitement faltered and we backed up from each other. He sat down and offered me to sit down as well. I was confused. Could I not see where Able was being kept?
       "Byron? What's wrong?"
       "There are guards flooding that place... he must have gained more followers during his time in hiding. There's no way to get near that place and not get caught."
       I let this sink in for a few minutes. There has to be a way. My mind reeled with possibilities of how to get in...nothing. There was nothing I could think of. Wait! Don't rush into conclusions.
       "No," I said. "There is always a way as long as one can think."
       "What way, Basil," Byron asked. "You're crippled and no match for any of those mice even in a drunken stupor."
       "Yes, but a limp is the perfect thing for a drunken gang member to have, is it not?"
       "I agree, but..."
        Sudden realization came upon his face. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped practically to the ground.
       "No... no, Basil, I'm not going to let you do this to yourself. I refuse to allow you to try. It would be an act of suicide!"
       I sat there calmly as he was now on his feet and just several millimeters from my face. I had done this thousands of times and hadn't really cared, or that's how it seemed. He seemed to be shaken since I woke up from the attack in the alley, but I didn't know why. Suddenly, I looked right into his eyes to challenge his authority over me, but I stopped when I noticed tears gathering in his eyes.
       "When you were getting worked on... I stayed by you every second. When Doctor Dawson was taking out the bullet, your body reacted violently. Dawson said that there was a possibility that you might... die. Basil I was worried sick. If you died..."
       He fell to his knees as tears trickled down his cheeks. I hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him. Being with Able, helping console him after his parents' death, I had come to understand how to comfort others, so I used that to my ability. This was the first time in a while, since we were young, that my brother shed a tear over me, and that was because he was the one that was part of breaking my arm when I was eleven, but that is a story for another time.
       "I'll be careful, Byron," I said softly. "I promise."
       "I'm so sorry,"  he whispered. "I have never been good at protecting you, and I just can't lose you. Not when I was so close to losing you the other night."
       "You've known me since I was born, Byron," I chuckled. "When have I ever allowed you to protect me."
       He chuckled half-heartedly and stood up. He then looked toward the ceiling and sighed. I had no idea what he was thinking, but I knew he wasn't going to allow me to go alone.
       "Fine," he finally said. "But I am going with you. The reason that I was in London in the first place was to check up on you and now I believe I should have to keep an eye on you."
       "How do you suppose we will get through with two of us. Would that not look a bit suspicious?"
       "Not if we got in a supposed bar fight and you were knocked cold. I would simply be your drunk friend helping you to get back to headquarters. Simple."
       I thought it over... Rattigan had never seen Byron before, so the likelihood of being recognized was slim, but Byron had never felt the full force of Rattigan's attacks. I was a bit worried for his safety. Then again, once we get pass the guards we shouldn't need to worry about Rattigan, and the only hard part would be finding Able in that large factory. I couldn't ignore that I still couldn't move properly without the help of a cane, and pretending to be passed out with Byron carrying me would definitely get me in.
       "I guess I don't have much of an option," I said through a smile.
       Bryon gave me a triumphant smile, then sat down in the chair in front of me.
       "So," he said excitedly. "What's the plan?"
       I thought for a moment and then began to explain to my brother the steps we would need to take. It wasn't an elaborate plan, but it just needed to get us in... we could figure out how to get out after we found Able. Soon, our plan was set.
       "... and we'll execute it... tonight!"