Here comes a new chapter, hope you like it!
One scene was taken from the series here.
Next update on Monday.
Please, tell me what you think about this chapter. Don't forget to review :)
Martyrs, Examples and Enemies
When the soldiers arrived in the square, Sarah knew something was wrong. Soon they dissipated throughout every street, every alley, bringing everybody out of their homes, the inns, the shops... All were guided to the square.
At the window, in the scientists' house Ben Franklin, Sarah, Michael and James were watching the scene suspiciously.
"What the hell is happening out there?" finally asked James.
"No idea," Michael shook his head. "It can't be anything good, though. Have you noticed the pillar in the middle of the square?"
"Maybe we should go take a look," Franklin said slowly, his eyes still fixed on the scene outside as he was getting away from the window.
"I think we won't have a choice anyway," Sarah answered slowly.
She took a step back, getting away from the window as well, when a Red Coat advanced towards the door.
"Looks like we're no exceptions," Michael mumbled under his breath.
The soldier knocked violently on the door.
"Open, by order of the King!"
The four friends exchanged a scared look, before advancing towards the door. The soldiers knocked again, even more violently this time. Franklin finally opened the door, whilst Yuri, Yoko and Pablo were coming down the stairs, hurrying towards the door as well.
"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" Franklin asked politely, replacing his glasses straighter upon his nose.
"Everyone is to be gathered in the square, by order of General Gage," the Red Coat said.
The scientists and Franklin exchanged a glance, before nodding.
"Of course, we're coming. Just a second, we'll grab a hat..." Franklin started.
"You are to come now, Sir. Don't force us to use strength..."
"We're coming," Sarah calmed him down, stopping him as he was taking a step towards Franklin. "Come on, Dr. Franklin. I'm sure it won't be long, and you won't need a hat."
Franklin nodded slowly, and they all followed the soldiers out in the square.
The drums were echoing with a thud noise that resonated in a very unpleasant way in Sarah's chest, replacing the feeling of her heartbeat.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
Around the square the gathered crowd growing every second was a pure mess, and no one seemed to know what all this was about. Children had been brought as well, and Sarah hoped that nothing violent was about to happen.
And the drums continued their loud echo...
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
The soldiers pushed the crowd further in the square, and Sarah glared at the Red Coats as they pushed Franklin, making him trip and almost fall. Michael caught him at the last second, and he and James helped him walk a few more steps. She spotted Revere and Warren under the pillars of a wooden house, along with John Adams, and she, James, Michael and Franklin hurried towards them, whilst Yuri was remaining near the house with his two colleagues.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
"Do you know what this is all about?" Sarah asked her friends.
John Adams shook his head.
"No one knows," he answered.
"Where is Mr. Adams?" Sarah asked suddenly, noticing that Sam wasn't with them. "And Kelly? Well, I mean... the other Adams of course," she added to John with a smile.
"He's further down the square," Revere answered, nodding towards the back of the crowd. "We thought it was safer for everyone if he remained afar."
She nodded, wincing as a soldier passed near her, playing the drums.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
And then the soldiers took position in the square, and the drums sounded even louder than before.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
Above their heads, the sun was shining bright, the heat wetting their brow.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
And then a man was brought to the centre of the square, and to the wooden pillar that was standing there.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
And the man was attached, his back to the crowd. He rested his brow against the wood, his eyes closed. Sarah and her friends exchanged a worried look.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
The Red Coat torn the poor man's shirt apart, revealing his back to the sun.
Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum, Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-bum...
Sarah's panicked gaze roamed throughout the crowd absentmindedly, whilst the soldiers were bringing everyone closer. She spotted Sam and Kelly, who saluted her with a nod; and Hancock a bit further away in a cart. He seemed as worried as she was. They exchanged a trembling gaze. Major Pitcairn entered the square, coming out of the house where he and Gage had been planning everything, and he remained at the top of the stairs, motionless for a while. Standing straight in his red and white uniform, he looked at the crowd with his piercing blue eyes, his hands in his back.
And the drums were now silent.
"For too long," the voice of the Major echoed throughout the silent square, stern and cold "this City has operated unchecked. No more. Boston will know order."
The General walked out of the house and stood next to his Major. He saluted his officer, and Pitcairn leaned closer to him, whispering near his ear.
"Sir, that's Adams, in the back."
Gage locked his gaze of steel upon Sam's stare, and the two men remained motionless for a moment, merely staring at each other in the eyes.
Next to him, Pitcairn turned towards the crowd again, and spoke in a louder voice once more.
"Let it be known," he said, walking slowly down the stairs, "any man found in violation of his Majesty's laws will be dealt with without mercy."
He walked through the square, turning around the pillar and the prisoner who was still attached by the wrists. The sound of the Major's boots echoing upon the pavements was cutting the motionless air.
Clack, clack, clack, clack...
A Red Coat took position behind the man, whilst Pitcairn was pointing at the Colonist.
"This man was discovered not hours ago stealing from one of his Majesty's ships."
The prisoner looked around for help, and for a second he and Sarah made eye contact. She could read her fear in his eyes. They both knew what was about to happen him, despite how terrible this idea was.
The man closed his eyes.
Clack, clack, clack, clack...
"His punishment will be swift and just."
And the sound of his boots against the ground stopped.
Pitcairn turned towards the soldier, and nodded. The Red Coat took his whip, and let the tip hang above the ground. Sarah's eyes grew wide, and she held on Michael's arm for dear life.
And then the soldier raised his arm.
His fingers were holding so tightly the whip, his knuckles were white. Just like the prisoner's around the pillar.
And quickly his arm fell back, and the whip flew across the air.
Floosh...
And then the whip hit violently the tender skin.
Clack!
Sarah started. Cries rose from the crowd. The man bit his lip to swallow back the cry of pain stuck in his throat, but not a sound passed his lips. His back was red, and blood was already rolling down his wounded skin. Sarah's eyes were fixed upon him, and she was in some kind of trance, unable to look away, no matter how much her brain was screaming her to close her eyes and make the vision end. She was frozen, her eyes wide, to witness the soldier's arm rise again.
Floosh... Clack!
This time the man arched his back, letting out a cry of pain.
Sam took a step towards him, his eyes burning with wrath, and pain, and sorrow, and sadness, and a thousand more emotions that were twirling mildly in his head, blurring his vision and covering his thoughts with mist. Clenching his jaws, his blood boiling, he just wanted to make it stop... But Kelly held him back. Sam struggled against his grasp for a moment, before calming down again. He nodded quickly, leaning against the wall again, his breathing heavy, but silently telling his friend he would not act. There was nothing he could do anyway. One against an army? That was ridiculous. He stared at the man again.
Floosh... Clack!
Sarah's hand flew up on her mouth, blood splashing the ground around the pillar. Tears blurring her vision, she was still transfixed by the horrid scene. She couldn't hear the cries that were rising around her, only the sound of the whip falling.
Floosh... Clack!
Blood flying, cries, the taste of her tears on her lips...
Floosh... Clack!
The feeling of a woman trying to run away bumping into her right shoulder. And blood, always more blood, and the flesh exposed to the sun...
Floosh... Clack!
The sound of the Red Coats pushing the women who were trying to flee back towards the center of the square so that they could see the end of the punishment...
Floosh... Clack!
Blood, and cries, and movements all around her, and tears wetting her cheeks, and a sob stealing all the air from her lungs, and the spasm that ran through her body as a sob was shaking her...
Floosh... Clack!
The cry of the man even louder than before, his legs giving way under his weight, his wrists holding him up, and the stillness of the Red Coat for a moment as he looked at the Major, and the Major looked at Gage, and Gage looked at Sam...
And the little droplets of blood fell down from the whip to the floor.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
But Sam held the General's stare, his jaws clenched, his chin a bit higher than before...
And Gage nodded to Pitcairn.
And Pitcairn nodded to his soldier.
And the arm rose once more.
Floosh... Clack!
People struggling to get away again, and bumping into her, and the red lines across the man's back, and the blood, and the cries, and all the noise, and above everything else...
Floosh... Clack!
And again...
Floosh... Clack!
And again...
Floosh... Clack!
She pressed her palms against her ears, she couldn't take any more of this, there was too much noise, too much cries, too much...
Floosh... Clack!
"Stop it!"
Her voice rang above the crowd, covering everything else, and her shout was so desperate that the Red Coat froze.
"Stop! Please stop!"
But Pitcairn nodded again to his man, and the whip fell again.
Floosh... Clack!
"NO!"
Before anyone could react, Sarah had run pass the crowd and the inner ring of Red Coats, and was holding the soldier by the wrists.
"Stop it!" she cried again, her voice shaking with tears.
Pitcairn held her by the waist, lifting her up, and threw her away. Her head hit heavily the ground of stone, and for a moment, everything was blur and messy. A pair of hands helped her to her feet, and she leaned against a strong chest to keep her balance, and her face was buried in a white fabric and a worn-out leathery coat, and she breathed in a scent of musk and coffee... She recognized it in an instant.
"Sam..." she mumbled, still struggling to clear her head.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, dragging her further away, in the back of the crowd.
"I'll be fine," she answered.
He released her, but she lost her balance instantly, and he caught her in his arms once more.
"You don't seem to be fine," he replied.
"My head is... messy," she said.
She looked up, able to see clearly enough to distinguish his dark eyes. The world seemed to stop spinning around her, and the noises were louder again, and...
Floosh... Clack!
She closed her eyes at the sound, crying again, shaking, and Sam wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing her protectively to his chest.
"It's alright," he reassured her, whispering in her ear, his lips resting against her hair. "It's alright, Sarah."
Floosh... Clack!
"It's almost over, don't worry."
Floosh... Clack!
"It will soon be over. Hold on."
Floosh... Clack!
"Hold on, Sarah."
Floosh... Clack!
"Hold on..."
And then it stopped. Sarah looked up at him. Sam was clenching his jaws, an expression of rage and pain drowning his dark stare.
She turned around to look at the man again.
He was moving no more...
"As you can see," Pitcairn spoke loudly once more, "recent events have forced our hand. However, if you comply, there will be no need for such unpleasantness."
He turned towards his men, nodding towards the unconscious prisoner.
"Take him away."
The Red Coats freed him and dragged him away.
"Clear the square," ordered the General.
Pitcairn repeated loudly the order, his men pushing everyone out of the square. Whilst Revere, James and Michael were standing still, John Adams walked away, and Warren followed the soldiers down the street.
"I'm a doctor," he told them. "I need to treat this man..."
"Bugger off!" the officer pushed him away.
"He'll die without medical attention!"
Behind him, Michael and James were arriving, their eyes wide, but determined to help.
"You must let him see the doctor," Michael told the soldiers.
"Go away!"
"He has the right to be treated... " James tried.
"You must leave him, Sir. By order of the Crown."
Margaret Gage arrived right at this moment, along with her two guards and her maid. She stopped before the scene.
"Sir, has this man not paid his punishment?" she asked sternly, though her voice was shaking slightly with concern.
"Mrs. Gage..." the officer tried to protest.
"I suggest you honour the law and let this man see a doctor."
There was a moment of silence, whilst the officer was thinking. He turned towards his men.
"Take him to the doctor's office."
Warren indicated them the direction, before turning towards Gage's wife.
"Thank you," the doctor said, staring at her eyes.
They remained frozen for a moment, before Warren would walk away, and she would walk by as well. Michael followed Joseph, but James remained motionless, staring at the blond maid walking away. He saw her looking back over her shoulder before turning around the corner, her green eyes meeting his gaze...
"James, what are you doing?" Michael called him.
The Englishman started, before hurrying after his friends.
Sam held her close to him, protecting her from the crowd around them, helping her walk towards the Green Dragon. She was still crying silently, and he could feel her shaking against him. Behind them, Kelly and Revere were following close. He entered the inn, and headed towards a calm adjacent room, where he helped her sit down. He took a chair and sat down next to her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
She shook her head no, sobbing hard. He stroked soothingly her hair.
"It's alright, I'm here," he whispered.
She caught his arm and pulled him towards her once more, before burying her face in his shoulder, and he held her close to him again.
"Calm down. Joseph must be with him by now, I'm sure he'll be just fine."
"I can't believe Gage did this..." she whispered.
"You didn't know about this," Sam said, his tone sounding more like an affirmation than a question.
She shook her head, her hair brushing against his chin covered with beard.
"You need to calm down, now. Do you understand?" he asked, his low voice warm and reassuring.
She nodded, but despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop crying.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I can't stop..."
"It's okay," he interrupted her, calming her down again.
He took her face in his hands and made her look up at him.
"Let me take a look at your forehead," he said, his soft voice barely louder than a whisper.
She let him examine her brow.
"It's not deep," he said, holding her chin to make her turn her head a little more to the left. "You'll be alright. I'll just clean it a bit, okay?"
She nodded, and he stood up to pick up a jar full of water and a piece of fabric, that didn't look particularly clean, but she was too upset to care about such a tiny detail.
He cleaned the cut on her forehead, and eventually, she stopped crying.
"Do you feel better?" he asked, noticing her dry cheeks.
"Yes, thank you."
He smiled, pushing the cloth and the water away.
"You're still shaking," he pointed out.
"I know."
"Are you cold?"
He took off his coat, and covered her shoulders with it. He stroked her arms through the fabric of his coat to warm her up.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Can I do anything to help you feel better?" he asked.
She smiled, tears back in her eyes, and she shook her head.
"Thank you so much, Sam."
"Don't mention it," he merely replied.
She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you."
He struggled to keep his voice steady, despite how fast his heart was beating under his ribs.
"You can stay here for now," he told her. "I'll take you back to your house in a few hours, when it's a bit calmer out there."
She nodded.
"I'm fine," she reassured him, as she was looking at his worried expression.
"Are you sure? Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, please, I'd love some."
"I'll be back in a minute."
He walked out of the room, and joined Kelly and Revere at the bar.
"What the hell was that?" Kelly blurted out once Sam had joined them.
"It's a warning shot," Revere answered. "He's trying to get our attention."
"This will never happen to anyone in Boston ever again," Sam said through gritted teeth, his voice sounding like an oath.
He looked at them intensely.
"We need more guns."
When James, Michael and Sarah came back to the house, they hurried upstairs and locked the door of Sarah's room behind them. The situation was too dangerous to take any risk of eavesdropping, and they kept their voices very low, almost whispering.
"What happened today is outrageous!" Michael fumed.
"We're not in the 21st century," James reminded him.
"They are not supposed to flog citizens in this century either," Sarah replied. "And especially when there isn't any form of fair trial."
"Gage is going to be a problem," James nodded.
"You can be sure we're the next ones on his list," Michael added. "What do we do?"
Sarah heaved a sigh.
"If Gage makes a move against us..."
"Yuri will sing like the fucking coward he's always been," Michael completed for her.
She nodded.
"We can't take this risk," James stated.
"And what would you have us do, Mr. Genius?" Michael retorted wryly.
"If Yuri talks, he will change the future."
"Don't you think I know that?"
"We can't do nothing."
"Whatever we may try, if Gage makes a move against us, we'll have to act. We'll have to change things."
"We must also make sure that Gage doesn't find anything when he comes here," Sarah said slowly.
"Like what? We have no weapons," James asked.
"But Yuri could turn some of our equipment into weapons, or tools Gage could use... I don't know what, but we can't take any risk."
"What do you think Yoko and Pablo will do, if we come that far?"
"I don't know. Maybe they'll stand with us, perhaps they'll trust Yuri... Anyway, it doesn't really matter. One of us talking is enough to make huge damages."
"The battery is probably the most important item," Michael said slowly. "Without the battery, none of our equipment will work. At least, Gage will have no advanced weaponry."
"Can we transport it?" James asked his friend.
Michael shrugged.
"If we're cautious... But we can't merely hide it. We need the battery for basically everything. Yuri will never let us stop working just to..."
There was a loud noise downstairs. The three friends froze, exchanging a worried look.
A heavy silence echoed throughout the house.
Then the loud noise came back again, and Sarah recognized a violent knock on the front door.
They hurried outside the room, Sarah catching quickly a bag, and they headed downstairs.
"Open, in the name of the King!"
Yuri opened the door, the three friends arriving in the hall.
"Is there a problem?" Yuri asked.
He had barely finished to speak that the Red Coat violently pushed him aside.
"General Gage requires your house," Major Pitcairn said, walking into the hall.
"I beg your pardon?" Yuri asked, aghast.
"You are to leave the house. Now," the military man repeated.
"You've got to be kidding me," Michael said.
"I am afraid it is not a joke."
"And where are we supposed to work?" asked Yuri.
"Well, actually..."
Pitcairn handed him a letter.
"General Gage hopes you can come to an agreement."
"An agreement?" Sarah asked suspiciously.
"Yes, you see, he's ready to let you live here and work peacefully, in exchange of some information, and the white box you used to come here."
"It has to be a joke," Michael laughed.
"I can assure you that the situation is perfectly serious."
The Red Coats walked out of the living room, carrying the Box.
"You can't take this away," Yuri ordered the soldiers. "Put it back!"
"I'm afraid they won't. You see Doctor," Pitcairn answered slowly, his hands behind his back, "we only need your cooperation. You can be sure that no harm will come to you if you comply. But if you don't..."
There was a deafening silence, whilst the soldiers were walking out of the house, carrying the Box away.
"You have till dawn to give us an answer," Pitcairn told them. "And I would advise you to choose wisely your side here."
"Look," Yuri told him as Pitcairn was walking towards the door again," we don't take sides. We're not helping anyone..."
"I'm afraid you will have to choose a side, if you want to keep living here."
"Then let us leave..."
Pitcairn shook his head, an amused smile on the lips.
"Dr. Einbrecher, do you really think we would let such a valuable source of information slip between our fingers?"
He walked out of the house, his men closing the door behind them. On the threshold, a Red Coat remained there on sentry. Sarah guessed that he was eavesdropping.
Yuri turned towards his colleagues.
"I'm sorry."