Page 87 of The Captive Missing

“We try to protect the guards involved as much as possible, even from each other.” Ava paused as she zipped up a backpack, then grabbed for another. “There’s a selection team that scouts the captives most available for extraction, and then another team that moves them out. The first set doesn’t know about the other and vice versa.”

“You lost an entire extraction team?”

“We lost one extraction team, but we have two more.” Ava placed a hand on her protruding belly, sighing softly before continuing her work. “We keep them on different schedules, planning for this sort of thing. Of course, I never would have pulled a captive like you voluntarily.”

“Why did you?”

“Finn.” Ava shrugged. “He said if I didn’t get you out, then he’d go in there himself. I couldn’t let him risk it.”

“How do you know him?” Val shifted back to rest and watch Ava’s face. “Finn, I mean.”

“Hmmm.” Ava gave a soft smile. “You know the story I told you about how I was kept in that cage?”

“Yes.”

“He was in there, too.”

“Agent Finn was locked in a cage?”

“He was.” Ava turned remorseful eyes on Val. “Giving you up to that Shane guy was one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. I just thought you should know.”

“Thank you.” Val returned to her work a few moments. Nibbling at her lip, she continued. “Can you get information from the inside? Can you check on how a captive is doing?”

“I suppose that I could.”

“Can you check on a captive named Charlie for me?”

“I can.” Ava paused to study her. “Is there something in particular I should know about him?”

“Agent Finn was in your cage, right?”

“Yes.”

“Charlie was in mine.”

“I see.”

Ava reached for a tube of toothpaste. Val folded another shirt. Their packing resumed in silence.

But try as she might, Val was unable to keep Charlie from her thoughts. She hoped that with her absence, Cambric had returned him to his former status. She hoped he was back in his dorm, had regular meals in the cafeteria, was able to work as a trainer in the gym. The alternative scenario was just too hard to contemplate.

Shaking her head, Val made herself focus on the work before her. There were still so many captives being rescued, it was hard not to be hopeful. Though the extraction network at Cambric was on pause, the underground remained fully functional throughout the rest of the agencies. They were successfully sneaking captives out of Havana, Lakeport, Beechwood Hall, Old Brulay, Ramsey House, Sion Hill, the list went on. Over the years the underground had infiltrated them all. Save only for the government’s military program.

That evening, when the packs were all complete and dinner had been eaten, Val and Ava joined a handful of Militia in the living room. They were all lying about, digesting and watching the television.

Sitting on the edge of one leather couch, Val crossed her legs tidily as Ava heaved and shifted beside her. She scooted the coffee table closer and propped her feet up, then groaned and rolled up on one side. Val remembered the un-comfortability that came with those last few months. Stifling a chuckle, she knew Ava’s belly would only expand more.

In front of them, the enormous flat screen television hung over a roaring stone fireplace. It flashed football statistics and game highlights that had all the men shouting insults and teasing one another in turn.

The Militia members currently in residence weren’t locals to North Carolina. In fact, they came from a variety of states all across the nation. After all, the farmhouse was really a survivalist training center first. The point of their stay was to expand their abilities through hands on experience.

When they left here, these men would be better marksman and hunters. They would know which plants grew in which region during what time. They would know how to start a fire without matches, how to preserve meat without a refrigerator, and how to defend against predators, whether they be wild beasts or otherwise.

If they needed to, these men could take a group of ordinary people and live off the land for an undetermined amount of time. Val wasn’t quite sure what they were all preparing for, but she was impressed by what they could do all the same.

Suddenly, the laughter from the sports highlights died away. Val heard Ava’s sharp intake of breath and followed her line of sight up to the television. There, on the wide screen for everyone to see, was Jason. He was sitting opposite a news anchor. Both men were clad in expensive suits.

The anchor was talking, his hands clutching a sheet of paper as he introduced Jason and began a line of questioning. Her husband’s face was serious but reserved. He looked like he was in complete control. Nothing like her visit with him inside Cambric and later at the courthouse. At those times, he had been on the very edge.

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