The Strays
Chapter Twenty-Three

I led Colt to the back of the building and I gave him a leg up so he could get onto the roof. Following by pulling myself up behind him. There was a fire door on the roof, as I’d expected, and I was able to pick the lock in a matter of seconds.

I held the door open for Colt, bowing as he walked past. “Why thank you Milady.” He joked as I closed the door and followed him downstairs.

I gave him directions to the cells and let him sneak off ahead, while I drew the attention of the guards and led them on a wild goose chase around the complex, as the alarm sounded. Colt and I had agreed to a meeting point inside, prior to our break in, all I had to do was lead the Enforcer’s into the trap that he’d set with the Trojan’s, though this whole plan hinged on him getting to them successfully, if he didn’t, well it was safe to say we were both fucked. True to his word though Colt came through, and a relieved smile crossed my face as we pulled our ambush off and forced the Enforcers surrendering.

I recognised one of the Trojans as I joined Colt and the others, apparently he immediately knew who I was as well.

“You helped Wraith kidnap me.”

“Sorry about that, orders are orders and we had to keep up appearances, a lot of good that did us though.” He replied.

“Caelyn Lewis, and you are?”

“Eddie.”

“Now you two have exchanged pleasantries, perhaps it’s time we moved onto phase two? Delilah could show up at any minute, so the clock’s ticking.” Colt impatiently interjected.

“Right, yes, the Enforcer’s here are taken care of, which means you can use the front door, and you also have access to their vehicles so that helps your odds, just be sure to ditch them before you leave the sector, you’ll be harder to track on foot.”

“Why are you talking like you aren’t joining us?” Eddie asked.

“Because I’m not. I’ve got something else that needs my attention that’s a bit more important, but you’re in good hands with Colt. Everything has been well thought out and if we stop wasting time chatting, there’s a high success rate for the plan, but you guys have to leave now.”

Eddie nodded his head. “I see why Jeremiah was so intrigued by you and why he was so eager to meet you in person. Your reputation precedes you and you surpass expectations, that’s rare.”

“I really don’t have time for this, you guys have got to get the Trojans out of here before…”

I was cut off by a slow round of applause and turned to see Delilah; she was here sooner than I’d expected; she had also bought reinforcements. I turned to Colt. “Get everyone out of that door to our left.”

“Why?” He argued as I took his gun from him.

“Because unless you get these kids out of here, this is going to quickly turn into a firefight, we outnumber them, for now but we don’t know how many more people she has on the way, tactical retreat is your only option right now. Stick to the original plan, I know what I’m doing.”

“You’d better.” He hissed as he and Eddie circulated the message, while I kept my gun trained on the queen of darkness.

“You can’t win this fight, Cae. These kids are going to die, just like the ones in the camp.” Delilah delighted in telling me.

I walked towards her confidently, drawing the attention of her friends and Ratchet who were quick to come to her defence before she told them to back down. “Nobody is going to die here today, I won’t let that happen.”

“You can’t stop me.” She grinned, though it soon turned to a scowl as I put the pistol to my temple and cocked it. “You wouldn’t dare, I doubt it’s even loaded.”

“Unlike you I really don’t care about what happens to me, in fact Jer made me swear I’d curb the suicidal tendencies until we put an end to your regime, but I’m not going to let you slaughter another group of innocent people to one up me. You can either let Colt and the Trojans go, or I end your game here, along with my life, then you’ll have to live knowing that I won, that I beat you because I ended things on my terms, making a defiant stand for something I believe in, and you never get to gloat about your ingenious endgame, while I’m forced to endure whatever it is you no doubt have in store for me. Tell me Delilah, do you really think I’m bluffing now?” I stated sternly.

“Caelyn, don’t do this, it would kill Sean.” Colt tried to talk me down.

“I’m as good as dead anyway, and she cares about my life more than I do. If I have to kill myself, taking a stand, so be it, but if Delilah wants the last laugh, she has the power to stop me.” I smiled at him.

There was a tense moment of silence before Delilah called off her people. “Let them go.”

“Really?” Ratchet snarled.

“I said let them go. None of this matters in the long run, the end result will still be the same.”

I looked over at Colt and nodded my head. “Go.” He stepped towards me, but I pushed him away. “I said go.”

“What about you?”

“I’m right behind you.”

“Are you?”

“Yes, just go, get everyone out, I’ll follow.”

Eddie and Colt ushered everyone out through the door as I’d instructed, but Colt refused to leave without me. I walked over to him with a sad smile and whispered in his ear. “Trust me, trust the plan and tell Sean I’m sorry, whatever happens next is nobody’s fault but mine.”

He went to say something, but I cut him off as I pressed my lips to his in case it was my last chance. “I guess this is one good lesson I learned from Drew.” I sighed as our lips parted and he dropped his guard. I pushed him backwards as hard as I could through the door, sealing it shut behind him. Shooting the keypad to pieces with my last bit of ammunition to ensure they couldn’t be followed. Colt stared at me with hatred and anger in his eyes as I was apprehended by Delilah’s men, who were quick to place a chloroform soaked rag over my mouth, his face was the last thing I saw before everything went black, something that reassured me, filled me with hope that what I was doing was right, that somehow we would win.

When I came to, my wrist was handcuffed to the metal frame of a bed, and I let out a frustrated moan as I realised someone had undressed me while I’d been unconscious, searched me, then redressed me once they were satisfied they’d found any contraband I’d been hiding. I could feel the presence of someone else lurking by the door. I sat up and swung my legs over the mattress so they were firmly planted on the floor as I confronted whoever was watching me, which, to my delight was Drew.

“Was the strip search really necessary if you were going to give me all of this freedom, anyway? We both know that this is honestly insulting.” I sighed as I unshackled my wrist, freeing myself.

“The strip search was partly business, mostly pleasure, I needed to make sure you didn’t have anything on you that could hurt you or someone else, the cuffs were more of a formality, I told Delilah they wouldn’t hold you very long, but she insisted, apparently she doesn’t believe that you pose much of a threat without your gadgets, like you said though. We both know better.” I could see him trying to hide the pain as he spoke, but he was still very much a mess, which didn’t surprise me too much given it had only been about a week, give or take a few days, since I’d pummeled him and his thugs. The fact he was even able to stand let alone speak was quite impressive, but perhaps I hadn’t beaten him as badly as I’d thought, after all, quite a large chunk of that encounter had been a bit of a blur.

I walked over to the window on the opposite side of the room, and pried away one of the planks barring it so I could look out. It was still light outside, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d been knocked out. “Nice view of the city from here, but it isn’t the Sanctum, I guess Delilah is taking some precaution, it’s hard for me to get back to my friends when I don’t even know what sector of the city I’m in.”

“I didn’t think a small thing like that would stop someone like you from at least trying to run, usually by now we’d be fighting, so what is there that’s stopping you?” Drew almost sounded disappointed.

“You mean besides Delilah and Ratchet’s combined forces, that leave me outnumbered fifty to one? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for reckless behaviour and defying the odds, but despite the common misconception I can’t perform miracles. I’ll be dead before I even find a way out of the building, so what would be the point in even trying? It would hardly be strategic.” I explained as I flopped backwards onto the bed, lying down, my fingers interlocked behind my head.

“I guess that means the little speech you gave was a bluff then, otherwise I’d have thought you’d take your chances.”

“I meant every word, if taking my life was the only way to ensure Delilah never enjoyed true triumph I would do it without hesitation, but getting myself killed by Ratchet or her people trying to run would be pointless, it would make no sense to such an unnecessary risk, when there would be no payoff. My death would be meaningless, and I’d never get to see the look of defeat on her face when my friends take her down. You see, recently I was taught a very valuable lesson, my compassion isn’t my weakness, my trust doesn’t make me naive and I can’t control what happens to people around me. I can protect those I love with all my strength, but ultimately, even I can’t defeat death, I can’t protect those I have left by pushing them away. I have to trust they can look after themselves, and I know they can.”

Drew studied me curiously. “This was all part of a plan, wasn’t it?”

“Always is, you see I’m not actually as impulsive as people think, it’s quite a common misconception, really. I usually have a plan, I just don’t tend to share everything with all the parties involved, so when I go off to do my own thing, people think I’m being reckless, impulsive, but it’s all part of a much larger picture that most can’t see.”

“So you intended to get caught?”

“Nope, that was an unforeseen circumstance that ultimately doesn’t change anything. I did what I had to, in order to help the Trojans, and it made no real difference to the overarching plan, because I was never a pivotal player. I was simply a distraction and when Colt got away with the other’s I achieved my goal, getting them out was my only responsibility so whether I’m here or there doesn’t matter because the rest of the plan relies on them.”

“They’ll come for you, just like they have in the past.”

I shook my head. “No, they won’t. Wraith and Ace broke into the Sanctum whilst I had you distracted, once they decrypt Delilah’s files they’ll know exactly what she’s planning and then they’ll stop her, that’s the priority. They know she won’t kill me unless I give her a reason too, which means I’m relatively safe here and they can focus on what really matters because I’ll still be here when they take that egomaniacal psychopath down, her associates too.”

“Is that so? Well, thank you for so astutely laying out your plan.”

“It’s not my plan you need to worry about. I outlined the main goal to them before I left, but without knowing Delilah’s endgame, I couldn’t give them a solid plan to follow except, how to get the Trojans out of the police station, and Wraith into the Sanctum, both tasks which are now complete, as is my plan. What happens next is up to them, so I’m as in the dark about what they’re going to do as you are. I guess we’re both in for a surprise.”

I continued to lie on the bed, noticing a camera hidden discreetly in the corner of the room, affixed to the ceiling. I smiled smugly and waved as Drew tried to work out what to say or do next.

“I’m sure your girlfriend’s eager to know what I’ve told you, so run along like a good little messenger, pass along everything I’ve said, after all, spying is what you’re best at, that and stabbing your friends in the back.”

“You take everything way too personally.”

“I trusted you, invited you into my life, I thought we were friends and then you sold me out to my mortal enemy, the person who had sent you to find me in the first place. Everything you told me was a lie, and it cost my real friends their lives, so believe me, this thing between us is very much personal. You chose the wrong side and you’ll pay for your sins, I’ll see to it.”

Drew scoffed as he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me off of the bed. “I think now that you’re awake, Delilah will want to see you herself.” He smiled as wrenched my arm behind my back, and secured my wrists together with rope, in a way that made it impossible for me to get free on my own, despite my wide range of skills.

“Here I was thinking you never learn, but I guess even a disloyal dog like yourself can pick up a new trick or two over time. I’m flattered to know you still think of me as a threat, even if your girlfriend does disagree.”

“Shut up and get moving before I decide to gag you.” He glowered as he grabbed the collar of my shirt and pushed me through the door.

I didn’t try to fight or struggle, instead I kept calm, knowing that I had to let Delilah and her cronies believe I was their prisoner, that everything that needed to happen was their idea, not mine. I couldn’t work out where I was at first, but as we walked through the corridors, I quickly figured it out. It was an abandoned laboratory that Ace had shown me around after he’d invited Sean to a party there, which my brother forced me to attend with him. The issue was that even though I knew my way around; I had no idea where in the city it was, as we’d been blindfolded when he’d brought us there and taken us home again because its existence was such a closely guarded secret, so much so only a select few actually knew where it was located. They were the ones that hosted the gatherings and passed on the lab’s secrets to the next successful initiates when the previous ones moved on. A bit like a secret society of sorts. I tried to find out more after the party, but there was nothing, it was like the lab didn’t ever exist, neither did the keepers of its secrets. Delilah would’ve known it was the one place in the city I wouldn’t be able to escape from and it would have had everything she needed to finish her plan. This had to be where she was building and storing the virus, maybe even the dispersal device, but on my own I didn’t stand a chance of finding either, so I had to hope Colt and the others were on their way with the other faction’s, though without knowing how much time had passed since I’d seen them last, I couldn’t be sure of anything.

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