I have to find a way to kill him without letting everyone know it was intentional.
Fuck my luck.
“Get the prisoners out,” the general instructs, and several men go to remove the impossibly heavy, unbreakable steel door from its hinges.
The wounded men and women inside are quickly given numerous packs of blood, and their labored breaths start sounding so much more natural as they gulp it down. Several gasps of air ring out as their excruciating pain numbs and then disappears.
“How did you find us?” one asks.
I use my secret vision to see the tattered stripes on his shirt. He’s a captain. They had a damn captain.
“We caught a lead to your trail, and we tracked you to here,” General Marks asserts while motioning for men to inspect the healed bodies.
“No, I mean how did you find this damn hiding place? It’s invisible from the road, and they take precautions."
“We tracked the trail to the false veil, and-”
“Who’s your tracker?” the captain urges, interrupting the general, and it’s a little odd considering the circumstances.
“I am,” I offer softly, my eyes trying to cipher the rattled captain whose posture droops from what appears to be months of confinement.
I gasp as he blurs to me, and his arms fall around my waist as he jerks me into his embrace. Tears fall from his eyes and find my shoulder as he silently sobs. I fight against my own tears, feeling mounds of pity for him, and I return the embrace with comforting arms.
“You’re okay now,” I soothe.
“Thank you so much. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you,” he strains out with an emotionally charged whisper.
I suppose he should be offering the immense gratitude to the masked man instead of me, but I'll stand in for him until he's ready to be seen.
“We need to get moving,” General Marks’s gruff voice interjects. “Get the freed prisoners to safety. We’ll handle the others. Take Ms. Banner with you,” he says to a man.
Damn it.
I withdraw from the appreciative captain to face the general fucking up my plan.
“I’d rather go with you, General. You may need me in case it turns into a maze. You sure as hell don’t want to turn into the wrong door and alert them to your presence. I’m also tech savvy, in case they have bomb traps in place.”
I’m so proud of me.
He tightens his lips, and then he nods.
“Very well, but stay close,” he cautions.
I nod, and then a small group begins helping the captives to safety.
“I’ll go as well,” the rescued captain inserts.
“I’m sorry, Captain, but I can’t allow that. In cases such as these, the rescued are required to exit. Your emotions are too overwhelmed to think clearly, and you could jeopardize our safety,” General Marks kindly rebuts, and the captain sighs out when he knows how right he is.
“Banner?” he asks, as though he just heard my surname.
“Yes,” I murmur while giving him a wink.
I pat his arm, and then I walk into the darkness to follow the others.
“Your father would be very proud,” he whispers, and I offer him a small smile while letting my eyes show appreciation.
We reach the split, and the captain reluctantly parts with the rescued flock as we turn down the other tunnel. I very inconspicuously fall to the back of the pack, and I pull my phone out when all eyes face the front - their attention focused on the fight ahead.
