Jack raised his arm to knock when an alarm sounded.
“Guess someone found the body in the hall,” Zaun said.
“No,” Jack said, pounding his fist against the door. “Right here.” He pointed up, indicating a small red lens just above the doorframe. Reynolds had a security camera allowing him to see who was outside his door. “He must have seen you with the machine gun and hit the alarm.”
Jack began kicking the door, trying to break in, but the thing was solid. He needed to destroy the lock. Pulling out the. 44 magnum, he told Zaun to back away, and fired at the mechanism. The bullet turned the cylinder into a twisted mash of metal. Jack began kicking at the door again, the thing loosening up.
“Security’s been alerted, Jack,” Reynolds said, his voice coming from the small intercom outside the door.
Zaun joined in as both men kicked at the door until it finally flew inward.
Gunshots rang out, the bullets whizzing passed Jack’s head.
Zaun reached around the doorway and fired his machine gun.
“What are you doing?” Jack asked, incredulously. “We need him alive.”
“Sorry, it’s just when someone’s shooting at me, I tend to shoot back.”
More shots came from Reynolds’ room, the bullets ricocheting off the doorframe.
“Well, at least he’s still alive,” Zaun said.
“We only want the keycard so we can leave this place,” Jack yelled, lying to Reynolds.
More shots rang out, hitting the doorframe and sending splinters of wood into the air.
“We’ve got to go in and get this guy,” Zaun said. “Any minute we could have armed men bearing down on us.”
“We’re coming in, Reynolds. Throw down your weapon or we’ll be forced to shoot.”
Jack waited. Nothing happened. No gunshots; no response.
He bent low, gun at the ready, and peered into the room. Reynolds wasn’t in his line of sight. Inching out a little farther, he was able to scan most of the room, no sign of the man. Reynolds could be in the bathroom or hiding behind the door.
“Watch my back,” Jack said. “Keep your eyes on the hall that leads to the bathroom.”
He went low, sliding along the floor into the room and had his gun pointing behind the door in seconds. The area was clear. He got to his feet and saw Zaun aiming his gun toward the bathroom.
Jack shut the room’s door.
Looking around, he saw there was no place for Reynolds to have hidden. The faux fireplace blazed away and an empty bottle of brandy was sitting on a small table in front of it.
Jack went over to the bathroom and kicked in the door, making sure to be out of the line of fire. When nothing happened, he peered into the lavatory and found it empty. Where the hell had Reynolds gone?
He walked back into the living room portion of the tiny apartment, picked up the empty bottle, and threw it against the wall. The glass shattered into tiny shards.
“Feel better?” Zaun asked.
Jack ignored his friend. Reynolds had an escape tunnel leading from the room. It was the only explanation for the man’s disappearance. The guy was probably in another part of the facility by now, arming himself or gathering infantry.
“He’s gone, Jack. Must’ve had a way out. A secret door or something. I don’t know if you want to try and find it or not, but we have to do something. We’re going to have company real soon. I say we head for his office and hope for the best.”
Zaun was right, but any hope of escaping just went from good to terrible. Without Reynolds as a hostage, they had no leverage. It would be a number of armed guards against a few fools. It couldn’t end like this. Jack looked around the room, searching for an answer as to the doc’s whereabouts. Then it hit him. He snapped his fingers, catching Zaun’s attention, then pointed to the bookcase.
Zaun nodded, then raised his weapon.
“Come out from behind there or my friend is going to start shooting at it. He’s itching to kill someone, especially you. All we want is the keycard so we can get our butts out of here.”
Zaun fired a shot high, the bullet dislodging a book, sending its torn remains to the floor.
The bookcase clicked, then slid sideways, revealing Reynolds, standing in a small room. A Glock was resting on the floor at his feet.
“Kick the gun over here,” Jack said, and Reynolds did. He picked it up, and placed it into a pocket.
“Now get out of there,” Jack ordered, keeping his gun aimed at the man.
“You’re crazy, Jack,” Reynolds said. “After everything I did for you; gave you. And this is how you repay me?”
“Cut the bullshit. We know what you’ve been up to; how you’re using people, killing them.”
“They were homeless drug addicts. They would’ve died on the streets or hurt someone. They were doing nothing for society. I gave them a way to contribute.”
Zaun stepped forward and knocked the butt of his gun into the man’s head. Reynolds staggered back, holding a hand to his temple. Blood trickled from between his fingers.
“I say we shoot the bastard right here.” Zaun pressed the muzzle of his weapon to the man’s head.
Hands up and out, the doc backed up a step. “Don’t do anything stupid. You’re under a lot of stress. You’ve been cooped up to long and aren’t thinking clearly. And Jack, you’ve suffered a great deal. Stop this madness before someone gets hurt.”
“Sure, Doc,” Jack said. “We’ll put down our weapons and surrender, so you can stick us in C-Wing and fill us with bots.”
“You need me alive,” Reynolds said, “or they’ll cut you two to shreds.”
“Don’t we know it,” Zaun said. “That’s why you’re coming with us.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the escape tunnel; to freedom, and away from you,” Jack said.
Reynolds started laughing. “Leaving here isn’t going to happen, Jack. And it’d be a big mistake to do so.”
“Jack,” Zaun fumed, “this guy’s really pissing me off. Can we please get the hell out of here?”
Jack told Reynolds to turn around and place his hands behind his back. Zaun handed him a zip-tie and Jack slid the plastic cuff over the doctor’s wrists, securing them tightly.
“Fuck me,” Zaun said, as he headed over to Reynolds’ hideout. “Piece-of-shit had my sword.”
“A fine piece of craftsmanship,” Reynolds told him.
“We can add thief to all the other things you are.” Zaun picked up his baby. He checked the blade. Appearing satisfied, he sheathed it, then tucked it between his hip and belt. Using the small pieces of fabric attached to the sheath, he tied the weapon in place. “I would’ve been uber pissed if we got to the armory and it wasn’t there. You’re a lucky son of a bitch, Doc.”
Jack was beginning to wonder if his friend, who had always been a bit ‘odd,’ had gone a little off the deep end. Zaun had spent a lot of time alone in his apartment. He guessed the guy was as frightened and nervous as he was, trying his best not to flip out.
They exited the room and were heading down the hall, on their way to the weapons store, when Jack saw a group of guards heading their way. Kevin and Guard Lopez at the front, machine guns pointed at their backs.
“Tell your men to put down their weapons,” Jack ordered Reynolds, “and release Meyers and Lopez.”
“Jack,” Reynolds responded. “Before you go down this path, and I see you’ve gotten others to join you, think about what you are doing.”
“I have,” he said, pressing the. 44’s barrel to the back of Reynolds’ skull. “Now tell them.”
When Reynolds said nothing, Jack cracked the man in the side of his head with the gun-Reynolds’ crying out-then returned the weapon to the back of the man’s head. “Call. Them. Off.”
“You’re going to regret this, Jack.”
Zaun stepped forward, steak knife in hand, and put the blade’s tip just under Reynolds’ right eye. The man winced. “We don’t have to kill you. We can maim you, keeping you alive just enough to get what we want.”