Chapter Four
"It seems clear."
"Oddly enough that doesn't really put me at ease." Neal admitted.
"Me either. Alright, let's go. Watch your step."
Neal assumed York's men had taken their belts and shoes to keep them from using them as weapons, but seeing the gritty debris littering the hallway he wondered if they'd taken their shoes more to slow them down during any escape effort. Peter had spent a good five minutes looking up and down the dimly light hallway before stepping cautiously out. They were both in agreement that exploring around was exactly what their captors expected and probably wanted them to do, but even so there was no sense in just sitting in the room waiting for their tormentors to return.
Neal looked up at the lighting system that had been rigged into the conduit and metal electrical piping that ran along the ceiling. It was just a string of wire that held a simple light bulb every fifteen feet which made for brights spots that lead into dark gaps in between. There were places in the sides of the wall where the original florescent lighting fixtures were still in place, but they weren't in use.
"It looks like they've rerouted power from an outside source to light the place." Neal commented.
"So they don't have to worry about someone noticing that there is power being drawn down here and coming to check it out." Peter noted before looking up and down the tunnel. "We should try and keep track of where we are going in case we need to get back and to keep us from just going in circles."
"That's easy enough. Which way to you want to go first?"
"Let's go right."
"Okay, hang on."
Neal trotted off to the left until he came to the next light bulb. Pulling a folded handkerchief out of his pocket he used it to protect his hand as he reached up and unscrewed the bulb just enough to make it go dark. Neal was instantly plunged into an inky darkness and hurried back to the circle of light that Peter was standing in.
"Every time we make a turn we just turn the light off on the choice we don't pick."
"Good thinking. Let's go. Keep a sharp ear out, we are likely to hear someone long before we can see them."
Neal nodded and followed closely behind as Peter headed to the right down the still lit end of the corridor. They came to a T intersection first and in the interest of not making a circle they headed left after Neal darkened the right option. Later they could explore that direction by turning the light back on if need be. The subway above had gone quiet leaving the pair in an eerie silence that was only broken by their own breathing and the occasional squeak of a startled rat. Being barefoot was uncomfortable on the dirty concrete floor but it did allow for them to travel stealthily.
"Smile." Neal said as he pointed out a small camera in the ceiling.
Peter swore under his breath as he looked up at the camera that Neal had spotted among the pipe work. Neal had a suspicion that it wasn't the first camera they had passed, the small devices blended in well into the surroundings. Neal could reach the lower hanging bulbs but he couldn't get to the camera stuck to the ceiling. Peter laced his fingers together and crouched down slightly to offer his hands as a foothold to give Neal a step up. Putting his hand on Peter's shoulder Neal carefully put his foot in Peter's hands.
"1, 2, 3…" Neal counted before using Peter's help to jump up and snatched down the camera. He inspected the wireless device that was about the size of a deck of cards for a moment before handing it over to Peter. "It's a game camera, not video."
"Snaps a pic when it senses motion and wirelessly sends it off." Peter agreed. "York knows we're on the move."
"He doesn't seem to care."
"He's letting us wander around, but he still controls the exits."
"We'll see about that." Neal smiled.
Neal wasn't as optimistic as he was trying to sound, but it helped him with the growing sense of claustrophobia. The longer they traveled through the maze of tunnels the more hopeless finding a way out felt. Eventually they came to a dead end that was actually an open elevator shaft. With the last light a good ten feet away the inside of the shaft was shrouded in complete darkness making it difficult to tell how far up or down it went. There was no mechanism to call the elevator down at this level.
"Here, hold on." Neal held his hand out to Peter. "Make sure I don't fall."
Peter nodded and braced his feet before taking Neal's wrist. Neal winced as Peter held on tight to his wrist that was encircled with cuts and bruising from when he'd fought against the plastic zip ties. Putting his free hand on the edge of the open archway Neal leaned out into the dark free space as far as he dared. Looking up Neal whistled sharply once to see how the sound would bounce. The hollow echo told him that the elevator was probably fifty feet above them. Repeating the same trick only this time looking down revealed that the shaft only traveled ten to fifteen feet down. It wasn't a perfect estimate but it was close enough for their purposes.
"There might be one more floor below us, but I don't see any light down there." Neal said as he stepped back into the hallway. "There could be an emergency ladder up the far side of the shaft."
"We can't just jump across and hope to grab a hold of something."
"The elevator carriage would be between us and any exit anyway."
"An emergency exit shaft is a good thought though, these tunnels should have them scattered around in case of collapse."
Neal didn't like just leaving the obvious exit, but there wasn't really any good way to try and use it that wouldn't end poorly. Even at just a story down the bottom of the shaft could be a deadly drop depending on what was down there. Retracing their steps they went back to their last turn and went the other direction turning off the light that lead back to the elevator and turning on the one that they had unscrewed on their way by the first time.
Neal had completely lost track of time during their cautious wandering, as well as any kind of sense of how large the underground network was. It was difficult to keep track of distances when everything looked basically the same. They had come across a few dozen doors but so far they had all been locked. They hadn't dared knock to see if anyone was behind the doors not knowing if they'd find friends or foes. Turning down another hallway that looked just like all the others Peter suddenly came to a stop about half way down. Neal bumped into him and was about to ask why he stopped when he got the answer for himself. There was a powerful acrid rotting odor that they had hit like a brick wall.
"That is disgusting." Neal complained as his stomach turned. "What is that?"
"Death." Peter whispered solemnly.
Neal turned a concerned look on Peter who was staring down the hallway with all of the intensity of a bird dog on a pheasant. Neal automatically took a step back but Peter started forward towards the source of the sickening stench. After taking a moment to make sure he was going to be able to keep control of his stomach Neal followed after Peter. The scent got exponentially stronger as they neared the end of the hall until it reached a point where it made Neal's eyes water.
"Peter, I really think we should turn back."
"Stay here."
Despite the request when Peter kept going Neal followed him. Reaching a door at the end of the hall Peter looked over his shoulder at Neal to make sure that he was prepared for what was most likely going to be a gruesome sight. Neal wasn't really sure how to prepare for such a thing so he just nodded. Peter nodded as well and opened the door.
Neal had hoped that what they were smelling was just an animal that had crawled down here and died, however with the door open they discovered the desiccating corpses of three men. Stacked up against the back wall they had a large amount of Quick Lime poured over them to try and cut down on the rotting process. The damaging effects of the Lime gave the bodies a somewhat mummified appearance. The body on the top of the horrific pile looked fresher than the other two and it was the fact that it didn't have as much Lime on it that had allowed part of the abdomen to distend and cause the powerful scent of rot. Gagging slightly Peter stepped into the room.
"Peter, wait, what are you doing?" Neal asked in a hissed whisper.
"I have to check something."
"I'm pretty sure they're dead. We need to get out of here."
Peter ignored Neal and carefully stepped up to the corpses. Trying to keep his bare feet out of the caustic Lime Peter leaned over and reached out to hook his finger into the collar of the filthy and torn shirt that the top corpse was wearing. Tugging on the shirt Peter pulled it down far enough to expose the maze pattern branded into the dead man's chest. Neal's own fresh burn throbbed in time with his racing heart as he stared at the man's marred rotting skin. His already rebelling stomach twisted harder at the implications. Unlike the raw brands he and Peter wore the dead man's mark had had time to fully heal into a scar before he had been released from the Labyrinth by death.
"Peter…"
"Just because they didn't make it doesn't mean we won't." Peter interrupted. "Come on, let's keep moving."
More than happy to leave Neal backed quickly out of the room that had been used as a dumping ground for York's previous victims. Neal tried to take heart in the idea that the other man had lived long enough for his brand to become a scar, it suggested that York didn't plan on killing them quickly and that meant the FBI had more time to find them. On the other hand it also proved that York was skilled at keeping prisoners and Neal knew the forty-eight hour rule just as well as anyone else. Retreating back down the hall they returned to the intersection and chose another path in hopes that it would lead to an escape even though they were both quickly losing faith in the idea of finding an easy way out. Traveling down a new hall it was Neal's turn to stop short. He reached out and grabbed the back of Peter's jacket to stop him.
"Do you hear that?" Neal whispered.
Neal held his breath while he waited for the sound to repeat itself. He and Peter both jolted slightly when the sound of distant voices echoed around them. They both instantly assumed that the voices belonged to York's men, but they quickly realized that they could also belong to additional captives or even a rescue team. With the way the halls distorted the sound it was impossible to tell what they were saying.
Peter just looked to Neal who nodded his silent agreement that they had to investigate the voices. Walking carefully towards the sound Neal and Peter froze when the sound was suddenly a lot closer and rang with the mirth of group laughter. The awkward acoustics of the concrete maze had made it difficult to tell exactly where the sound had been coming from until it was too late. Five men rounded the corner about fifteen feet ahead of them and by sheer luck they went to turn the other direction to head away from them. Near one of the shadowy patches between the lights of the hallway Peter and Neal risked staying motionless in hopes of not being spotted. The last of the men was just about to follow the others when he glanced in Peter and Neal's direction before doing a double take. The man made a noise of surprise, instantly alerting the group.
Peter stepped slightly in front of Neal and instinctively drew his shoulders back to appear as tall and threatening as possible. He and Neal both knew that if they ran they would instantly be chased no matter what the strangers intent was, so they risked standing their ground for the moment. The obvious leader of the small group locked eyes onto Peter and pushed one of the other men out of his way to step forward. The way Peter tensed when the man stepped fully into the light gave Neal the sinking feeling that Peter recognized him and from the looks of him they probably weren't social friends.
"Burke?" The large man asked with a cruel smile as he stepped slowly forward "And just when I thought my luck had all but run out. Who's your pretty friend?"
"Sawyer," Peter addressed the man ignoring his question "I know we've had our differences…"
"Differences?" Sawyer snarled as he continued to approach. "I spent five years locked up because of you."
"Peter…" Neal said urgently as he took a step back.
"That's not my fault, you know that." Peter continued to try and deescalate the situation. "Look, clearly we're all in the same danger here…"
"That's where you are very much mistaken," Sawyer chuckled "I don't have a brand, but there is no way you're down here without one and that means you're fair game."
"Sawy…"
Neal had feared that negotiations were never going to work from the start. When Sawyer lunged forward Neal grabbed Peter and jerked him back, using the momentum he helped to turn Peter around. Facing back the way they'd come Neal and Peter broke out into a dead run as the men behind them did the same. Coming to the first intersection it was easy to use the lights to guide them back towards their original room that held a lock, but after all the time exploring neither one of them were quite sure just how far they'd had to run to get there.
Neal could easily out run either Sawyer or Peter but he kept pace with Peter to keep from leaving him behind. After six turns down the maze of interconnected tunnels guided by the lights Neal went to look over his shoulder to see how close the men were. Sawyer's gang wasn't as interested in a chase and had fallen back. Sawyer was about twenty feet back but still determined to pursue them. When Neal when to look forward again he made a misstep and went to fall. Peter lashed out and caught Neal around the waist and manged to keep him upright at the cost of slowing down allowing Sawyer to close some of the distance between them. Several turns later Sawyer was still managing to keep up. Coming to a T intersection Neal finally recognized the hallway ahead as being their starting point.
"Neal, just go!" Peter ordered. "Get the door!"
Picking up his pace Neal made it to the door and skidded to a halt. Throwing the door open he held it open. Peter wasn't far behind and raced through the open door. He grabbed Neal's lapel on the way by and hauled him into the room as well. With one hand still on the door handle Neal slammed it shut and threw the bolt on the lock. Sawyer crashed into the door seconds later with a furious roar. Frustrated Sawyer slammed his fist against the locked door. Neal and Peter put their palms against the sturdy steel door even though there was no chance that Sawyer was going to break it down.
"This door won't protect you forever, Burke!" Sawyer spat. "I will see you in the ring, and even if I don't get you, someone will! You're branded!"
"Mix-ups…" Neal thought out loud.
"Neal?"
"Just before York branded me he said something about it helping prevent any mix-ups." Neal explained.
"Mix-ups?"
"I don't think Sawyer is a prisoner, at least not the same way we are."
"What the hell is going on here?" Peter demanded.
"You'll find out soon enough." Sawyer taunted through the door.
"Sawyer, I'm a Federal Agent if you help me..."
"No one is helping you. You're both dead men!"
"Saw..."
"No one with a brand gets out of here alive."
