A Silence Heard (8 page)

Alfred folded his arms and said nowt.

“Say truth, or we hurt,” Marcellus said and slapped the back of Alfred’s noggin.

The Agro flared his nostrils. “I’m sure you would delight in torturing me, Clonie.” Marcellus wrapped his long fingers around Alfred’s upper arm and squeezed. “But there is no need. At the other side of this doorway are the Labs.”

“So?”

“Of course, the Labs, my dears. The labs, Adara.”

“Yeah, so?”

“All will be revealed,” she said and walked past me to where Alfred stood in the grip of Marcellus’s mighty hand.

“Tell me, exactly what kind of experiments do you do here?”

“How should I know? I’m management. I sign papers and delegate. I’m not a scientist.”

Marcellus dug his nails into The Agro’s flesh. “If you lie, we will…”

“I’m not lying.” Alfred pulled his arm away, rubbed his biceps and continued, “We have labs for all kinds of things. GM foodstuffs mainly. But also, more technical things of which I have little understanding.”

“That I believe,” Eadgard said. “Will guards be there?”

Alfred let the corner of his mouth slant upwards. “Oh yes, plenty.”

We gave each other a worried look. Eadgard took a deep breath. “Right. Marcellus, grab Alfred in as rough a manner as you see fit. He is to be our shield. Wirt, Kendra, have you any sort of weapon upon your person?”

“Nay, just my fists.”

“I have a puke grenade.”

“And Adara?”

“I too have said small bomb. If there are but few, we may stand a chance.”

“And I have my Leatherman. We must hope that this Agro of rank will be of worth to those beyond that door and we will have a safe passage. Prepare yourselves.” He pressed Oswald’s hand against the not quite visible lump in the wall. It parted and we stood and stared at the scene before our eyes.

It was a long oblong room barely lit by many small, round recessed ceiling lights. Several surveillance cams hung in regular intervals between them. The floor was a dull brown.

When I lifted my eyes to peruse further, I noticed that a series of windowed cubicles lined either wall. I counted at least twenty-five such places to the left and to the right. I could not see into them clearly for they emitted but a faint glow, barely revealing shadows that resembled some sort of folk.

There was an eerie silence that filled the place and I felt a shiver pass though me. Followed perhaps by that telempathy again. For I was sure I heard faint noises. Firstly from inside my noggin, then as I cocked my ear to murmurs most def without. There were sounds coming from inside the strange half-glassed dwellings. Muffled voices, crashes, bangs, whooshes and all other manner of low din seeped out.

We paused at the entrance, anxious and unnerved. I looked to Eadgard. He straightened, poked his head inside and the place blazed with light.

The cubicles went black.

Eadgard stepped back, fingered his trouser pocket for his Leatherman, and drew the knife. Behind him, I saw two Agro guards leap from chairs that rested against the nearest cubicle. They fumbled for their weapons that lay on the ground. But before they could pick them up, Marcellus dragged Alfred in front of him. His right arm tightly wrapped around the Agro’s neck. “Put weapons down, or he dies.”

The guards looked at each other, at Marcellus, then at the rest of us.

“I’d do it if I were you, my dears,” Kendra said and held out her puke bomb. I did the same with mine and we stepped into the room. The Agros carefully placed their guns onto the ground.

“On your knees,” Eadgard said to the guards and swung his blade in front of their noses. “Hands behind your heads.”

They did as they were told and thunked down hard onto the polished floor. Wirt walked over, pushed them flat so that they fell spread-eagled, and picked up their guns.

I noticed a movement at the back of the room and saw two more guards holding long, black tube-like weapons. One let a slow grin spread across his bearded face. The other, smooth of skin, took a step towards us. Except for the whiskers on one of them, they looked exactly like the outside guards we met when first we came to this vile place. Not being sure that my friends had noticed their sinister presence, I stood in front of Eadgard and pointed. “There. Do you see? Wirt, Eadgard, look. Do you see them?”

“I see them,” he said.

The whiskered guard aimed at my chest.

“Down!”

I ducked.

From my squatting position, I lifted my head and saw Eadgard throw his Leatherman. The blade hit and stuck smack in the middle of the bearded ones throat. Red squirted from the wound. For a moment, I wondered if the guard realised that he had received a fateful blow, as he stood unwavering. But then he screwed up his face, grabbed at his neck and slumped to the ground.

Eadgard let out a yell, hurtled forward and smashed into the other guard’s stomach. He fell splat onto his back and Eadgard sat on his chest.

From my hunched up position I could not see what happened next, but I heard something snap.

I lifted my gaze and saw Eadgard stand. He kicked the limp body he had straddled away from him. Then he went over to the dead as dead guard, flipped him over with his foot and pulled out the knife. He wiped the blade on his trouser leg and winked at me.

“Ye are a whiz-bang with that knife of yer’s,” Wirt said. He gave me his hand and I let him pull me up.

Wiping his brow, Eadgard walked over to the other two Agro guards, who remained face-down on the floor and grabbed one of them by his shirt collar. He yanked him to his feet. “Disarm the cams.” The guard gulped. Eadgard pressed two fingers into the side of his neck and he choked. “You, get up.” The other guard did and quickly too. “Disarm the cams or your friend will join the others.”

The male shook his head and said, “I have not the power to do this.”

Eadgard gave his prisoner a swift jab in the throat and down he went. He stared at the remaining guard. “Disarm the cams.”

“I do not know how.” Eadgard leant closer to him. The male sank to his knees.

“Do me no further harm. I cannot do as you ask, I cannot.”

“Do so quickly. We cannot be observed.”

“I cannot. I do not know how!”

With a shove from his boot, Eadgard kicked the guard forward, and the trembling Agro scum sprawled out, blubbing like a newbie. He raised his foot over the male’s head, but before he could make contact with his skull, Kendra approached holding out a black rectangle. “Wait. I still have the communications console from the ‘Play Area’.”

Eadgard placed his foot on the ground and the guard curled up like a womb bub. Kendra lifted the com, tip-tapped it and the red dots of light on the cams went out.

“There, all fixed.”

“Why did you not use this device before?”

“Because, my dear, I wanted to show this Agro slime that we are not to be taken lightly.” She walked over to Alfred and glared at him so hard that he looked away as if burned by the sun. “I wanted him, and all those that are spying on us right now, to see the strength we have.”

Marcellus pinned Alfred’s arms behind his back and he let out a yelp. Eadgard pulled the prostrate guard from the floor and pushed him towards Wirt, who pointed a gun at the Agro’s head. The puny male began to weep and Eadgard walked away, a look of loathing on his face. He stood by one of the cubicles, turned his head and looked into the window. His eyes narrowed and he peered closer.

I thought him daft since all I could see was gloom.

“Hey! Hey! Over here. I think I see something,” he said and beckoned us to join him. Kendra and I sped to his side, whilst Wirt and Marcellus pushed and prodded the Agro males before them. Eadgard had his nose squished against the glass causing a mist to form from his heavy breathing. He wiped the moisture away and near stuck his eyeballs to the glass so intensely did he stare through it. We all except for Alfred, and the Agros, crept nearer and looked into the darkened room behind.

We all jumped back.

Out from the unlitness, a face appeared.

Then another, and another, and another.

As light filled the cubicles we saw more and more young ‘uns and bubs alike, staring back at us.

Their hands pressed upon the panes.

Their eyes wide, their mouths open.

Chapter Eight

Kiddles

“Meeks,” Kendra said. “We have found them.”

She pulled her gaze away from their woeful faces and wiped her eyes and cheeks with shaking fingers. “Wirt, Marcellus, Adara, take a goodly look and see if your kin are amongst these sad countenances.”

The thought that I was separated from my bro-bro by a thin pane of glass filled me with such thrill that I almost fainted.

“Ah, Adara, my dear, you have become quite pale. Do not falter now. Go, go to the windows search for that which you came for.”

I did not move.

“Come, let me help.” Kendra took my hand and led me close to the window. I glanced over my shoulder and smiled a weak smile at my two friends. They too had the look of pallid and both took in a mighty lungful of air. Wirt let go his hostage and so too did Marcellus. Alfred and the Agro scum tried to flee, but Eadgard grabbed them by the shoulder and dragged them to their knees. They let out an “Oomph” as he pushed both their heads down.

“Keep looking at the floor and do not move unless I tell you. Failure to comply with my wishes will result in your deaths. Nod if you understand.”

They did most vigorously. Eadgard stood between them and slapped a hand against each of their bare necks. “Go, search for your kin. I will keep a check on the filth beneath me.”

“Will do forthwith,” Wirt said and handed Eadgard the gun he’d used to keep the Agro guards in line. He wiped his face. “I am most overcome with quiver. Ye too?”

Marcellus straightened his back and twisted his neck to one side until it cracked. “We do not quiver, but we too moved by thought of seeing lost now found,” he said and walked slowly over to where I stood with Kendra. Wirt followed behind, chewing on his forefinger to stave off the crybubs that threatened to shake his entire bod.

I held out my free hand and Wirt took it. His palm was hot and wet and I felt him tremble. He blew out air and removed his soggy finger from his mouth, then turned to Marcellus. “Ready?”

“Ready,” he said and stared into my eyes.

I smiled a bit and stared back, and despite my knee wobbles, said all bold-like, “Let us all look together and keep each other propped up with our nearness.”

Marcellus put his great mitt on my shoulder. “Good plan, Adara. We stay close.”

We walked to the nearest cubicle and scanned the fear-worn faces that peered out at us. Marcellus leant in close and screwed up his eyes so much so that I could not imagine he could see anything but lash. He shook his head.

“I don’t clock my bro,” I said and released Wirt’s, and Kendra’s hands from mine.

“We not see kin.” I felt the soothing weight of Marcellus’s fingers on my skin, slip away. About to blub, I bit my lip and gained further control over my ready to burst emotions, on hearing Kendra’s rousing words.

“Do not be so downcast. There are many other rooms for you to search. Wirt, go to the next.”

He blinked, licked his lips and took in a shuddering breath. With his head bent, and his body sagging as if he carried a dead weight, he walked to the next window and peered in. We stood stiff as tree trunks and held our breath.

“What do you see?”

He pushed his forehead against the glass. “I see kiddles all hunched up in the corner, Kendra, that is all. They have their backs to me, so I cannot tell what tribe they are from.” He tapped on the glass and called, “Hey, ye in there show yerselves. Do not fret we are not Agros. We are here to help ye.”

Not one sound came back. He tapped harder and said the same words. Again, no movement, no answer to his calls. A hush melted over us and although the place was not cold, we shivered. Wirt knocked more gently than before and called to them in a voice full of warmth and hope. “Come now, little ‘uns, come and show yerselves to those who are here to free ye.”

As though we were one bod, Kendra and I stepped nearer to the window and stood beside Wirt. “Do not be a-feared, ye are amongst friends.”

Slowly the Meeks rose and turned to face us. Their skin was grey and their eyes rimmed with red as if they had been blubbing forcefully. They stared at us with peepholes rounder than a hoolet searching for food. My guts twisted so that I could not help but let out a small cry. Kendra pulled me close.

I felt the heat of Marcellus’s breath on my ear. “So many. Too many kiddles. Sad and fearful.”

“We must put aside our deep concerns and search out those we came to save.”

Wirt stepped back from the window and shook his head. “Nay, my kin are not amongst these misery-filled young ‘uns. I’ll do as Kendra says, I’ll look again. Surely our loved ones must be here.”

“Wise words, my dear. I will help you search. Marcellus, I am sure you will not be averse to keeping Adara company whilst you both sift through these rooms for your own?”

“We glad to do such,” my heartfriend said and as Kendra slipped her hand from mine, I felt Marcellus replace it with his own.

“Let us peruse these units until we find your kin,” Kendra said and led Wirt to the next cubicle.

“Come, we go, look for own amongst many sad eyes.”

I clenched onto my almost beloved’s hand and together we walked to one of the labrooms. He let go my mitt. Without breathing, we looked in, then shook our heads. “Not there? No, mine neither. No matter. Come, we check in other,” Marcellus said and made his way to the opposite window. “Come.”

“Nah, best we split up. Take in more that way.”

He nodded and for what seemed like many moons, looked at me with such affection that I near flew into his embrace; should he have held out his arms that is. He did not, so I blinked to break the spell and peered into the room nearest to where I stood.

I saw twelve little ‘uns trapped inside a place that should have held no more than half that amount. Each white wall had a shelf jutting out. Placed on each one were monitors and tip-tap machines. The light inside was dazzling and raw and flickered in a most queasy manner. The kiddles huddled together in the centre, eyes lowered, hands clenched into fists. I saw no soft place for them to rest, just hard chairs. I walked to another window and another. Each room contained twelve kiddles and nowt to boast of regarding luxuries.