We The Forlorn (Book #2) (Completed)

24. Payment Must Be Made

Adam moved toward the tunnels while Mi worked on patching Clayton through to the radio. Bo followed close behind, trailing Khan and Helga after a few seconds. Esme seemed hesitant at first, but when Khan gave her a brief, but encouraging, wave, she followed as well.

They gathered in the shadows of the tunnels, away from the injured and anyone else who might overhear. Bo knew that Adam didn't mistrust anyone in the Forlorn, but she also knew that Clayton could strike fear in the hearts of even the bravest, and that it wasn't wise to expose those already weak to whatever it was that Clayton was going to say. Because, no one had any illusions that it would be anything but bad.

The radio crackled for a few more seconds, and then Clayton's deep voice boomed through.

"Hello, space man and company," he said. Bo could practically see the sneer on his face. She wanted to punch him already, and he hadn't even said more than five words.

"What do you want, Clayton?" Adam asked.

"Well," Clayton said, along with the squeak of whatever chair he was sitting in while he leaned back in it. "Seeing as how you somehow managed to burn alive my main monetary contributor, I think the answer to your question is 'a reimbursement'."

"Evil people must meet justice at some point," Adam replied. "Perhaps you should think about finding investors who are a little less depraved?"

"I could just take blood in payment for what I've lost," Clayton went on, as if Adam hadn't even spoken. "However, in the interest of not annihilating your people, which wouldn't be very sporting, I will be content with you returning the girls you stole. Along with a shipment of guns and ammunition."

Adam's eyebrows dipped down, and his grip tightened on the radio. "We're not giving you back those girls, Clayton. They're free people, and neither you nor the Judge ever owned them."

"Wouldn't that be a nice reality to live in?" Clayton asked. "However, the truth is that I do own those girls. You see, the powerful men of our nice country have just been told that the militia was successful in destroying the awful Judge and his illegal slave operation. For this, we were awarded the responsibility of getting the spoils we discovered in his compound to their rightful place. Which means, legally, those girls are under our purview and belong to the militia."

Adam scoffed. "Since when do you think the Forlorn abide by the laws?"

Clayton's sigh came over the radio. "I suppose you're right. The laws don't particularly condone a mutt such as yourself, and certainly don't support the cattle killer you call your right-hand, and the murderer you call your left."

Khan and Helga shifted uncomfortably, but Adam shot them a reassuring glance.

"Say what you want, Clayton, but we're not budging on the girls."

The sound of Clayton tapping his fingers on a surface came through the radio before he answered. "I suppose I have no choice but to escalate this, then. I was hoping we could come to some peaceful settlement, but I see that we will have to fight like always."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Adam replied.

"Well, if we can't get anywhere, then I suppose this conversation is over," Clayton said. "But I want to say one last thing before we part ways, Adam. I just want you to know that the militia has only one mission now. We will only focus on one thing from now on. And that is to entirely destroy the Forlorn, and anyone who gave you even a glass of water or a bite of bread. You will be wiped from this earth, and we won't even leave your bodies behind for anyone to remember."

With those chilling words, the radio went dead and the static died with it. The tunnels were left in silence. Bo glanced at Adam, and was worried to see his brows drawn together and his mouth set in a straight line. He wasn't confident. He didn't have the answer to what they were in, and he was as worried as she was. This sent chills down her back as the silence only built. No one had anything to say.

A moment later, the silence was finally broken by the sound of footsteps coming up the tunnel. The small group whipped around to see who was approaching them, and was greeted by a slice of light from Mi's flashlight. Silver's mechanical leg whirred as he kept up with the Forlorn's supplier.

Adam hooked his radio onto his belt as Mi and Silver stopped by the side of the group. "Did you hear all that?" he asked.

Mi nodded. "He just wants an excuse to attack us with everything he has. He's angry already because we've been bothering him for years, but now we've also cost him a large source of money and power. Even if we wanted to return the girls, we wouldn't be able to find them all again. And he knows that."

Adam sighed. "We won't be able to return to the base tonight. They're most likely watching the streets for any sign of us."

"I'm sure they're searching every inch of the city," Mi said.

"I don't know what we can do, other than stay put here," Adam said. "We can't just throw the injured into tents in the dust fields."

Silver stepped forward. "I don't mean to butt in on official plans here, but I wouldn't recommend staying in this place."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Like the kid said, they'll be searching the city. No doubt they'll be using any advanced technology they can get their hands on, and with the permission of the law to take possession of the girls, it probably won't take much for them to be allowed to use the best of the best."

Adam closed his eyes and ran a hand over them. "They're going to use the heat sensor."

Silver nodded. "They'll just scan the city once everyone's turned in for the night, looking for any large concentration of heat signatures. It won't take them long to find you all."

"We need to get everyone out, then," Khan chimed in.

"But where can we keep them?" Helga asked. "We can't just set up camp in the dust fields. It will be far too hot for the injured."

"Yes," Khan said. "They've been through too much already." His eyes skittered toward where Esme watched the plans. Bo followed his gaze. Despite Khan's worries, the girl looked concerned but not scared. Bo smiled on the inside as she saw a fellow warrior inside of Esme.

"I have an idea," Silver said. "There is a smuggling village nearby, one that is too small for the militia to bother with. They have hidden places in their village for smuggled goods, but it should be big enough for the injured."

Adam chewed on the inside of his cheek. "They can be trusted?"

Silver laughed, loud and raspy. "Can you ever trust a criminal? Of course you can't trust them! But you can buy their silence. And seeing all these hoppers and gas, I think you can."

Mi squirmed at mentions of more of his hoppers being lost to him, but Adam seemed ready to risk the machines. "All right," Adam said. "We'll pack everyone into the airship and take them to the smugglers."

"I'll get he injured ready to be carried back to the airship," Khan said.

The group broke up, then. Khan, Helga, and Mi went to alert the injured to the plan. Bo and Adam walked out of the tunnels with the others to prepare the airship and get it ready for the hour flight to the smuggler village where they could only hope to ride out the wrath that Clayton was about to rain down on them.