Evenfall (72 page)

Chapter
23

It was good that Boyd had taken the time to consider every aspect of the rescue mission because otherwise he easily could have missed a crucial step along the way. Clearance to the fourth floor was highly monitored, as was access.

It was not possible to gain access even to the elevator that accessed the floor without full clearance afforded to the user's key card. Beyond that, there were many checks and balances in place that did not allow any unauthorized entry onto the floor, including checking the thumbprint of the person against the identity listed on the card and verifying information only they would know. In this way, no one could simply steal a card with clearance and gain access.

And even having passed through all that, there were highly trained guards who scrutinized anyone who gained access to the floor. Boyd strode through the halls with seemingly complete confidence, while his heart beat quickly at the knowledge that at any second, his charade could come crashing down around hm. And if that happened, he would be lucky if all he received was the torture his mother had been threatening him with since day one.

He'd already passed through a few checkpoints but he hadn't yet entered the areas of fourth that were even higher clearance than others. The area where he'd learned Sin was being held.

He turned down the hallway and saw the first guard he would have to convince to let him through. He walked straight up to the man, who had turned a calculating stare on him the second his footsteps had echoed down the hall. He didn't look too friendly, which wasn't going to help matters but wasn't surprising. Although Luke was working with friends around Sin's room, the rest of the floor wasn't necessarily being worked by others who would be equally approachable.

The guard watched him like a hawk and held his arm out so Boyd couldn't pass, even though Boyd had already been slowing.

"What the hell are you doing?" he demanded. "You can't be up here."

"I was given one-time special clearance," Boyd said. He held up the official white document that was a little crinkled from being in his pocket.

The guard scrutinized it. Once he realized Marshal Connors' signature was on the bottom. He checked the back of the sheet where the indentation from the pen pushed through, showing it was real. He then held the paper up to see the watermarks used only on legitimate documentation, and frowned when he saw Marshal Connors' official seal by the signature. Giving Boyd a suspicious look, he brought the sheet down and studied very carefully what it said. It was an order for Boyd to release Sin from confinement and to escort him back to his apartment.

"I didn't hear about this," the guard said with a frown, eyeing Boyd.

"I'm just following orders," Boyd said with a shrug.

The guard scowled, keeping the document in his hand. "This is strange. Why didn't General Carhart come down himself?"

"The Marshal is off compound for a few days on business and General Carhart was indisposed," Boyd explained, looking bored. As if he didn't care about any of this. In fact it was torturous to be this close to his goal and to have to affect such nonchalance that allowed him to be delayed minutes at a time.

The guard's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I'm going to have to clear this with General Carhart."

"Do what you have to but I don't imagine either of them will be pleased. They purposefully sent me, as Agent Vega's partner, to follow through on the order because they were too busy to do it themselves." He shrugged unconcernedly. "So feel free to question official documentation all you want, but personally I wouldn't want to be the one making that phone call."

Fingers tightening on the letter, the guard looked down at the document one more time. He was probably searching for anything to show it was a fake. After a moment, he frowned and handed it back to Boyd, who folded it back up and put it carefully in his pocket.

"Fine," the guard said flatly. He stepped to the side, giving Boyd access to the floor.

"Thank you," Boyd said and the guard only gave him an unmoved stare. Boyd turned and continued on his way, feeling his heart thud in his chest as he passed the first hurdle of his goal.

No one gave him quite as much trouble as the first guard since the initial guards were supposed to screen the people who made it to the floor. Once past them, it was assumed they had a reason to be there. In fact, the floor was nearly empty save some psychiatrists wandering around and one guard who Boyd vaguely recognized but didn't know by name. He glanced at the paper and was actually nice and helpful by telling him which direction to go to the cell. Boyd already knew where he was headed but he acted as though he didn't and thanked the guard.

Gerant and another man stood at the entrance of Sin's cell, looking through the bulletproof glass warily while they murmured a conversation too low for Boyd to understand. His stomach leapt briefly at the expression on Luke's face, but he didn't let the worry show on his face.

"Guards," he said as he came upon them. They both looked over, startled. "I have my orders to release Agent Vega." He held the document up, surveying them both with detachment. He didn't give any indication that he even recognized Luke, let alone was working with him.

Luke stared at Boyd for a long moment before responding. "We were not informed of this. Typically we are sent direct orders about the release of one of our inmates."

The other guard looked from Luke to Boyd apprehensively. "Who's Agent Vega?"

Luke flashed the younger man, obviously the rookie he'd spoken of earlier, a mildly reproachful look but didn't reply.

"Vega is Sin's last name," Boyd informed the rookie almost casually, and turned his attention back to Luke with one eyebrow raised. "I realize it's unusual but I'm just following orders. Your friend at the entrance already examined it, but," he held the document out, "feel free to examine my orders as long as it takes for you to be satisfied."

Luke took the paper and examined it. Boyd remained silent as Luke scrutinized it with as much care as the first guard had. After a long moment, he shook his head. "While this is unprecedented, the documents are in order."

He looked at the rookie and jerked his head in the direction of the paper. "When a prisoner is released, unless Marshal Connors or General Carhart is here himself, the person would have a document such as this," he explained, not seeming in a hurry to release Sin. "When checking the document make sure it has the Marshal's seal, signature and watermark on the back otherwise it is not authentic. In that case, back up should be called immediately and the person arrested."

Boyd was pleased that Luke was following his request from the day before; he'd wanted him to treat Boyd as he would have if he didn't know him and wasn't helping him. It was for the same reason Boyd made sure that although Ryan changed the clearance code on his keycard, it would not be traced back to him. Since he'd stolen the seal himself from Connors' office, he should be the only one implicated should this all fall apart.
His expression remained remote and a little irritable, however. He felt it best to play into the
well-known
discord between guards and agents.

"I suppose this is as good a time as any to train," he said shortly. "I've heard a lot about the way people can be treated on this floor, especially my partner. Maybe you can teach him a little humanity while you teach him the rules. Or is that out of your job description?"

"Humanity isn't on my itinerary today," Luke replied blandly. The rookie looked mildly mortified by Boyd's words and shifted uncomfortably at Luke's side.

Boyd ignored the comment and glanced very briefly into Sin's cell, but all he could see was the windowless box. He was almost thankful though, he wasn't certain he'd be able to keep up his unaffected air if he knew exactly what Sin looked like.
"Why do I hear nothing in there? Did you kill him while no one was looking or is he just too traumatized to think after what you people do to him?" The question was challenging.

Luke looked at Boyd and frowned, ignoring most of his tirade. "That's actually what we were discussing before you arrived, Agent Beaulieu. We are concerned that he may be dead by now."

Boyd blinked and only partially covered the startled expression he turned to Luke. He couldn't tell if Luke was just acting or serious, but he knew anyone watching would expect Boyd to react the way he did.
"What do you mean?" he demanded, looking to the box again with narrowed eyes. "Let me in there immediately; you've had enough time to peruse the document. Why do you think he's dead?"

Luke returned the document and walked closer to the cell, glancing at Boyd. "He had a head injury and then he was sedated. It has been quiet since and we are not to enter or unlock the box unless given direct orders, which we now have."

Luke hovered before the keypad by the door, blocking it from view and quickly input the code. There was a long beep and then the light turned green. Luke pushed the door to the cell open and beckoned Boyd to follow him as he walked around the 6 foot by 4 foot box that sat in the center of the cell. An IV disappeared into a small hole in the side, hooked to a set up mounted on the side of the box where they could refill it without having to open the door.

Narrowing his eyes, Boyd felt his heart thump louder as he approached the box. Sin would not even be able to stand in there, he would barely be able to move. For someone so claustrophobic, it had to be torturous. Boyd was sickened by the knowledge that the box even existed as a form of punishment for Sin at all.

"Open it." Boyd's voice was darker than usual. If he'd waited too long-- if he'd given Connors too much time to respond and something irreparable had happened...

The thought trailed off ominously even in his own mind.

Luke hesitated, hands poised over the keypad to the door. He looked at Boyd and for a moment, the apprehension was clearly visible in his eyes. He looked as though he wanted to tell Boyd to stand back just in case, to prepare himself, but he shook his head and kept to his act. He hovered before the door once again to block the code he punched in.

There was another long beep but this time Luke had to punch in another series of digits, this one longer than the first, before the light flashed green and he was able to open the door. The sheer amount of precaution surrounding Sin seemed almost ridiculous, although it wasn't necessarily unwarranted considering what he was capable of at times.

"Shit," Luke hissed when he looked inside and for a moment, he froze.

Boyd moved in behind him immediately to see, alarm growing so suddenly that it actually hurt by how fast his heart leaped and beat.
Sin was half slumped against the wall, his legs splayed awkwardly because the box was too small for him to even properly sit with his legs fully extended. His hair was hanging around his face and large purple bruises covered a huge portion of his forehead and one temple. A wide bracelet circled one wrist, and the IV disappeared into it. The bracelet was wide enough to hide the needle so that Sin could not possibly remove the IV while the tube itself was made of a special material that could not be torn or ripped apart. Sin's hands rested at his side, fingers curled and bloodied, raw and jagged. Judging by the sickening smears of blood on the walls, it was from trying to scratch his way out. There were bloody hand prints all over, as if Sin was slamming his hands around repeatedly, to the point that even his palms were scratched and torn.

His skin was ashen and, worst of all, he did not seem to be moving at all.

He looked dead.

White noise seemed to fill Boyd's perception of the world and he didn't even realize how incredibly alarmed his expression became, or that he hissed, "What the
fuck?"
while shoving Luke aside.

He was at Sin's side in the space of a blink, one slightly shaky hand feeling for a pulse at his neck with the other at Sin's free wrist while he stared with widened eyes at Sin's completely slack expression. His blood was thundering through him, tingling his hands in his fear, to the point that he couldn't think well enough to feel Sin's heartbeat at first.

It took him a moment, but he finally realized he could feel Sin's pulse faintly beating.

The relief that swept through him was nearly debilitating. Boyd slumped to his knees with his head tilted to the floor, his hair hiding his expression. He had to take a deep, even breath before he was able to murmur, "He's alive. But I need to get him out of here immediately and get these drugs out of his system because what the
fuck
--"What had started as calm and reasonable twisted into a snarl at the end. Boyd cut himself off and had to take another moment to try to get his panic back under control. It was difficult, with Sin looking closer to death than life in front of him.

"I'm already on it," Luke said, disabling the IV with yet another code that was punched into the bracelet. He pulled it off Sin and threw it on the floor, his face twisting in disgust now that he was hidden from the cameras.

"Fucking ridiculous," he was muttering to himself. He moved forward awkwardly, the top of his head brushing the ceiling of the box as he walked around Boyd, avoiding Sin's long legs and the toilet which was smudged with blood where Sin had repeatedly smashed his head. There was only a small space that wasn't occupied and he knelt there for a second, gripping Sin's chin in one hand as he studied him.