Chapter 7
Sara sat on her now familiar couch, staring at her now familiar surroundings. If she was here much longer she feared she would begin to call this place 'home'.
Today was a 'bad' day. Sara would laugh at this statement if she had heard it. The irony alone would make her giggle like a schoolgirl. After all what was defined as a good day when you were locked in a three room apartment with a an who once tried to kill you?
If she had been able to she would've attended a meeting today. Not that it really mattered as there wasn't a possibility of her giving in to the cravings that plagued her at the moment. And this was part of the issue. Her choice was taken from her she wasn't being strong by resisting temptation she was in a situation that wasn't of her own making. Decisions were being made for her and she had no way to rebel.
She secretly knew that's why she wanted them- the drugs. Her father had always dictated her action when she was younger without contemplating that she may have wanted to take a different route in life. So naturally she rebelled in typical troubled teenage girl fashion. She went out, found a guy that was her father's exact opposite and let him introduce her to many of life's sins. Unfortunately unlike many teenagers it took her years to overcome this stage in her life and it wasn't until the accident- the one where she couldn't help because her mind was too preoccupied with keeping her body functioning to process much else- that she had changed.
It was funny that that same helpless feeling she had then was what was now making her want the source of her distress on that winter day years past.
In what she knew was a vain attempt to distract herself from the misery fest she knew was threatening her troubled mind she turned the radio on (it had been her most recent request from the man who wrote the letters). With her emotions already up in the air over everything she had been quite unprepared for the implications the wrong song could have. And sure enough the first notes to emerge from the speakers where the woes of some woman whose love was lost and feared never to be found again.
She must have had that look upon her face… the one that showed a trouble mind, heart and soul; because the way Paul said her name, after he woke, shocked her. The concern was inexplicably clear and honest. It was almost as if in that brief time between them leaving him behind and him turning up at her trial, something inside him had changed.
Sniffing and deciding to wallow in self pity later she turned her attention to the wounded man. "How are you feeling?" she asked in her best 'doctor' voice.
"Obviously a lot better than you are." He replied not falling for Sara's act of togetherness. "What's the matter?"
"That is none of your business." She aid adamant that this man would not she her at her weakest ever again.
"Come on. I was a shoulder to cry on for my sister all the time when we were younger. I can help. Come on you helped me live. I want to help you cope with whatever it is."
"It's silly, you don't want to hear it." She was sure of this.
"My sister once called me at 4am to tell me that she was quitting college because she got a B on a paper, and cried for a week over a bad haircut. After some of the things I've heard, nothing seems silly.
Sara caved. "I just miss my dad, and Michael and I know that if I weren't locked up here I would be using. I'm scared that if Michael succeeds and gets me outta here, I'll go back to needing the drugs.
"Sara, you're stronger than that now. And I think we both know it. I think your really scared of needing someone more than you ever needed the drugs." Paul said sounding shrink like.
"I killed a man." She whispered. This had plagued her mind so much. She couldn't come to terms with it, even though it had been in self defence.
Paul was curious. "Who?" he asked.
"Kim". She answered.
Paul couldn't hide a smile. "Well if it makes you feel better the bastard had it coming." He said with a half-laugh.
Before Sara could answer she heard voices coming from the bathroom and moving closer. Paul and Sara fixed their eyes upon the bedroom door. It opened and three people entered the room. A blonde woman in her mid-thirties, a teenager with hair that resembled a mop and… "Lincoln?" Sara said, not believing her eyes.
"Sara." said Linc with a smile.
X x x x x x x x x X
12 hours earlier
"I still not one hundred percent sure we can trust him." Jane said nervously fiddling with a loose thread on her sweater.
"This was all YOUR idea!" Linc said incredulously.
"Yes but I always said it was dumb idea." She retorted.
Linc shook his head in amusement. He ran through the events of the past week in his mind.
Flashback
Linc woke up next to Jane after their first night together and smiled. Her blond hair was spread all over the pillow and she was smiling in her sleep.
Linc decided to go get them both some coffee for when she woke up. When he entered the kitchen he was greeted by LJ wearing a smile that would put the Cheshire cat to shame.
"What are you grinning at?" he asked.
"The look on your face" his son answered a s though it was obvious.
"Oh, and what look would that be." Linc asked, sarcasm practically dripping from his voice.
"The look that says, in big, bold, all caps that you got some." LJ laughed.
"Oi, less of the cheek." Linc scolded. Personally he couldn't care less but he didn't want Jane hearing him talk like that.
He took the two cups of coffee back to the bedroom to find Jane waking from her sleep.
"Hey" he greeted.
"Hey" she answered quietly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and smiling. "did I sleep long?" she asked.
"Not too long." He answered.
"Well I'm still exhausted." She stated. "And it's all YOUR fault, Mr insatiable." She teased.
"You do know that I've been in prison for three years right? I have a lot of lost time to make up for."
They continued to drink their coffee before Jane said "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday."
"Well I said a lot of things yesterday. What part would you be referring to?" he asked.
"The bit about getting one of them to work for us."
"I thought you said it was a no-go." Linc said remembering their conversation in the car.
"I know what I said but maybe we should give it a try. If we fail then we fail but at least we will have done something instead of just sitting around waiting for something to happen. Maybe you won't be so frustrated if we're at least trying something."
"OK, hypothetically, how would we do this?" Linc asked.
"One of our guys has informed us that the company has just taken on a lot of new, young members, kids barely out of college. Their roles aren't big. Just deliveries etc. they will be easier to turn than others because they haven't been there long. All we have to do is convince the driver to let us into one of the delivery van and let us get a look around. See if we can get any further in."
After a long pause, Linc submitted. "Ok, but I'm the one that gets into the van- Alone.
End of flashback
So that was how they had ended up a mile from the gate, Linc about o climb into the back of a delivery van and LJ and Jane preparing to spend a few hours in the car.
Linc was unsure how long he had been in the van, it could have been ten minutes or an hour by the time he felt the van come to a halt. He ducked behind some crates and waited for the door to open. It was strangely quiet when the door was opened. No one spoke, there were no background noises, then- "You can come out Lincoln. We know you're in there."
Linc didn't move.
"We're not going to hurt you." The voice said.
Linc still stayed put.
"We've got blondie and Jnr out here too." The voice continued.
This made him move.
"I'm glad you're here. Your brother is busy doing a job for me in SONA." Linc was told by a big, bold guy. "in less than 24 hours he'll be out and you and your family are free to go. We'll even give you new identities and transport you to somewhere of your choice. But until then we have an apartment set up for you to wait in. follow me." Linc was confused, to say the least. Yet he followed the man. LJ and Jane just behind him. They were led down a long, white hallway and through a locked door into- a bathroom? They heard the lock click behind them.
mumbling to each other about the strange circumstances and Jane smugly telling Linc 'I told you so." They made their way throught the other door in the room. They entered a tiny hallway with two door. Linc choose the one on the right and was greeted by two familiar faces.
"Lincoln?" she said, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Sara." He replied with a smile of relief at finding her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Waiting for Michael. If what the weird guy out there said is true he'll be here in less than a day."
X x x x x x x x x x X
Bellick meandered down the dark tunnel, out of breathe and tired already. He cursed himself for not being healthier and fitter. He trudged on, listening intently to the faint sound of footsteps up ahead. He took his time however as he didn't want to alert the person in front of his presence.
X x x x x x x x x X
T-bag was stealthily making his way down the long, damp tunnel. But unlike the person trailing him he was not tiered at all. all this time on the run had increaded his physique and the danger of his current situation had the adrenaline pumping through his body. He did have at least one thing in common with the man he had no idea was following him though, he was in persuit of someone too. He had never come across this man whist on the run. In fact the first time he had met him was inside SONA but he still knew he was not a man o cross, so he tread lightly, wanting to avoid discovery.
X x x x x x x x x x X
Alexander Mahone cautiously followed the voices up ahead. He was shaking slightly. But not from the fear that the others would find out he was there. But because the little pills he had required to keep a steady hand for the past twelve moths were gone now. And his withdrawal was so bad he felt like he would die without them. this was the driving factor in his following the three men in front of him, two f whom he had been following in much the same fashion for months before his incarceration.
X x x x x x x x x x x X
At the front of this rather bizarre game of follow-the-leader was Mike, Sucre and Matt. The odd looking threesome had been walking down the tunnel for almost an hour. And they new their exit from hell was close by. Unfortunately just as a light was visable at the end of the metaphorical and literal tunnel they were disturbed by a loud thud and a "Umph" from somewhere behind them.
"Who's there?" Michael asked.
"I am." Said Mahone "but there's someone else too". Knowing the noise hadn't been him.
"I am, pretty." T-bag answered. "But there's someone behind me too." He said.
"It's me" Bellick confessed finally. It seemed he had tripped and fell causing the exposition of the three tag alongs.
"Ok there is no way any of you are coming with us." Mike told them. "You'll have to kill me first"
"That can be arranged pretty." T-bag said.
The convicted murderer then lunged for Michael with his good fist. Michael fought back with a vengeance. He had meant what he had said. He'd rather die than be responsible for putting Tbag back out on the streets with normal people.
Sucre, Matt and Mahone (surprisingly) considered coming to Michaels aid, but in the dark they couldn't be sure who they would be hitting so they just stood there.
Both Michael and T-Bag showed no mercy, each determined the other was going down.
What neither had considered going down though was the walls- and they were. As Mike slammed Tbag into the wall, the ceiling began to cave in on them. Michael , Matt, Sucre and Mahone ran towards the exit. They heard a scream from Tbag and then nothing. The four men didn't speak as they climbed up a ladder and through a grate in the middle of a dusty Panamanian sidewalk. They looked around before Matt said "There" and he pointed to a beat up looking red car at the corner of the street. It wasn't locked. And they climbed in. getting the keys from the glove compartment. Each of the men smiled as the engine geared up and they headed towards home and their families.
