Mines

Chapter Thirty-five

     "Hey." I say, sitting down on the wet grass next to Lafayette.
     "Hi." he says back, his voice sounds sore, as if it's tired from all the crying he's be doing. We stay silent for a moment, not saying anything, until Laf finally speaks up.
    "John- what are we going to do?" I turn my head quickly to look at him, and then turn my gaze back at the leaves I've been staring at.
    "I don't know. I honestly don't know." I answer. This is completely new to me. I've never been without Hercules, and he's the one that's always had the ideas. He's the one that's always helped me, but now I have to help him and I don't know if I can.

     "Hamilton!" an unwelcome voice calls across the rebel's base. I wince and turn around to see Jefferson strolling towards me.
     "What do you want?" I ask him sourly.
     "I heard about what happened last night." he says, not answering the question.
     "Good for you, you actually learned something for a change," I say, turning my back on him, but then I feel him place a hand on my shoulder and I flinch it off. "Don't touch me!"
     "Listen Hamilton, Laurens is what- your boyfriend or something?" he asks, and to my fury I can feel my face going red.
     "What makes you- no he's just my friend." I spit back at him.
      "Right. Anyways, I hear Mulligan was actually a robot spy this whole time."
     "The robot is a replacement. The real Hercules is prisoner at the mines." I correct him.
     "So you obviously want him back right?" Jefferson questions.
     "Well thats stupid of you. Of course we want him back, dumbass!" I shout at him, making passerby's turn their heads.
    "Language Hamilton. Look, all I'm saying is that if you want to bring him back, and not his corpse, we don't have time to wait. We have to leave with an army as soon as possible." Jefferson says, and I roll my eyes. Of course he wouldn't be able to see the big picture.
     "But we don't have an army! And the fact that Hercules has been a spy this whole time- I mean the fact that there's been a robot spying on us, we have to completely change our plans."
      "What!?" Jefferson shouts, outraged.
     "Face the facts, they have information about us, and that's not good, so we change it, they get confused, and boom master plan!" I say with finality, and I turn my back on him again. "Now leave me alone, I have a lot of work to do."

      I glare at Hamilton's retreating back, and then turn my own. The moment he's arrived he's been acting like he owns the place. And the hold he has on Washington doesn't help at all. But it's not fair for them to get to decide what to do! It's my base, I've built it from the ground up! I've recruited everyone here! I get to decide what happens, and Hamilton treating me like a villain is completely unfair since I was only trying to help him. Or maybe gently push him in the right direction. But he needs to see he's not the right one every time. My thoughts get cut off as the first bomb drops from the sky.

     "Sir, are you entirely sure that this is wise?" Lee asks me, fidgeting slightly beside me.
     "Don't be silly, I know exactly what I'm doing." I answer as I stare at the chaos below. The rebels didn't entirely understand what the first bomb meant, and they were all confused by it. Nobody was hurt or injured, and they all gathered around the crater that was created by the explosive. But when the second one dropped right next to the first, they all understood what was happening.

A tall revel wearing a magenta sweatshirt seemed to be yelling instructions to the rest, and they all dashed into the forest at different angles. I have four planes in the sky, and two of them went to follow the rebels in the forest, dropping bombs occasionally while the second half stay behind to wreak havoc on the base. Soon most of the buildings were up in flame, and residue of others were sprawled across the clearing made in the forest. Some bodies could already be found, mangled on the grass.
     "Where is he?" I growl angrily. "The bombers should have already washed him out, dead or alive."
     "Sir this is what I was talking about," Lee says quickly, and I shoot him a look but he continues. "Perhaps we should have gone in more cautiously and seized him then, but he might wind up dead this way."
     "I have given orders to my guards to not fire directly at Laurens." I say, turning my gaze back to the flames on what looked like the largest building in the clearing.
     "Of course sir," Lee says bowing. "But, that doesn't mean that something could uh- happen."
    "We'll captured him eventually. And while we're working on that we'll take out as many as his friends too." I respond.

Suddenly, on my left side, Seabury shouts: "Sir! Is that him down there?" And I quickly look down and spot Laurens and his French friend, both running into the clearing right underneath our ship. At once, all the bombs and gun fire stop as my guards spot Laurens. He rushes down and kneels at the side of a body with shoulder length brown hair. He vigorously shakes him, and I see the body, who I know recognize as Alexander Hamilton, cough up something that looks like blood and sit up quickly. Laurens and Lafayette help Hamilton to his feet, and start to half walk half drag him away from all the fire and smoke and into the forest they have just left.
     "Now!" I shout, and I see a cable with a net attached to the end drop down from the ship I'm standing in. The next falls around Laurens before he realizes what's happening.
     "Shit!" we can barely hear him say. And then suddenly the cable retreats, pulling with it John Laurens.

     I hope my eyes wearily and through the darkness I can see a figure standing in front of me. I can hear and feel my breath hitch as I recognize the Captain. I make to stand up, but my arms and legs are bound to the chair I'm sitting on. I can feel a gag tied around my mouth. I glare at the Captain as my memory comes back to me. Fire. Smoke. Screams. Blood. And Alex, lying as though dead, and the tears in my eyes praying and hoping he's not gone and he won't leave me alone too. Then the next, and Laf and my intertwined fingers breaking apart as I'm pulled up.
     "What a stir you've caused, John Laurens. But worry not, I'm giving you the chance to make up for it." The Captain sneers. So he's blaming it all on me. I think furiously.

     "Don't worry Jackie, you'll be able to get out of this." she says. Don't call me that. I think furiously. And don't talk to me.
    "Ah, Laurens, that is unfortunate," The Captain says sadly, and seeing the confused look on my face he continues. "I thought it would be pleasant to here your mother's voice again. Consider is a welcome present from me." What. I think, shocked.
     "You see John," The Captain says, and he lowers himself slightly so we're staring eye to eye. "You've always belonged to us, but now you're working for me." he stands up and turns his back on me. "Because if you don't agree, your friends, your acquaintances, everything! Is going to be destroyed on your account."

     -End of book one-