HOPE

PART EIGHT

To prove her point she showed me new pictures she had gotten when some avian friends of hers flew over the site and took pictures with cameras using high speed film and long zoom lenses to get good pictures as they flew over. “I put these pictures on the Internet and an old man named Marius said to stay clear of the southwest corner of the facility or to be clear of the section by 2:00 pm tomorrow as he and some friends are going to create a big diversion so you can get in easier.

I had heard a few references to Marius but his name meant nothing to me. I promised her to be well clear of the area if I could be. “I don't want to leave you again Celeste but I have to or a lot of innocents will be tortured and killed while that sick bastard runs the place like his own personal playground and whorehouse as well as slave market. I love you Celeste and I don't know if I'll make it out alive so please take care of Natani if this all goes wrong for me.”

“I'll watch over her, but I want you back here alive and in my arms again once this all over.” We kissed and then she led me over to a bike covered with a tarp. “I threw myself into finishing a present for you in the hopes you would return. I had to or I would have been a complete wreck knowing what I had lost and that you were not coming back.” She removed the tarp and revealed a fully restored 1939 Indian Chief bike. It was a beautiful bike and I was speechless as I stared at it.

She then brought out a full face helmet, pants, jacket, boots, and riding gloves as well. “These will keep you hidden from them until you choose to reveal yourself to them. When you roll up to the gate they will think you took a wrong turn as numerous others often do while looking for the commune a short ways off from that place and will tell you that you need to turn around and take the other road as you made a wrong turn like so many others.”

“The bike is lovely and I will do my very best to return alive and with the bike. I need to leave now though or I'll miss my appointment with them and I wouldn't want to be late now would I?” I grabbed her and kissed her again then got all the gear on. “I'll be back if possible.” I got the bike fired up and had to leave and not look back or I would have been unable to leave. I made it halfway there by the time I pulled off the main road for the night. I pulled off the road and into the shelter of the forest not far from the main road.

I slept about five hours then got back on the bike and continued my trek towards the facility and my attempt at rescuing anyone I could rescue. It was almost 2:00 pm when I rolled up to the main gate on the big bike. The guards just laughed and walked up to me as I was looking at a map like I was trying to figure out where I had gone wrong. “You need to turn around and go back to that junction about 10 miles back then take the first left turn ma'am. This is restricted government property here, but if you follow the directions ma'am you should get to the commune easily enough. It happens a lot so don't feel bad miss.”

A second later explosions rang out in the section of the facility training ground where they did most of their training of us. The guards turned in surprise and I struck. The first one went down with a broken neck. I kicked him hard in the neck and then grabbed the second one as he turned around. I twisted his body left and his head to the right until I heard a cracking sound then dropped him to the ground with a broken neck.