Chapter 48
"It'll be ok." Doc said to Wolf as they were in the back of an ambulance as they were being driven to the compound where Larrin was being held. They had managed to get one of the scavengers to crack. It seemed a couple of them had drug habits and didn't like the symptoms of withdrawal or being put back into the prison they'd originally stayed in. Apparently federal prison was cushier and more enticing to those who'd cave.
They learned that Julian's compound was heavily manned and armed but he was one of three leaders who worked together to keep the prison cultures and cohesive alive outside the prisons. But it wasn't out of love and respect for one another, no it was just about survival until one of them had enough bodies and territory to take over. They of course didn't have a roll call for who was loose from the prisons, but it wasn't thousands. Apparently it had been thousands in the beginning but gang wars, racism and other petty squabbles cut down the numbers. Sure the military was still outnumbered but it was a manageable number. If they were to believe their sources.
"You have to stop saying that. Right now, I have no clue if my sister will remember me and it's all because I let this happen." Wolf told her, he felt the guilt and responsibility lay heavily on his shoulders. He'd follow the Nathan James and their mission when he should have tried to find a way home. Tried to find out about his family and made sure they were squared away. It could have helped in some way of averting all of this.
"That isn't true. Your sister made a choice and yes, she could end up just like me but she's going to be fine. She has you and a very strong support network. I can tell you that I'd give anything to just know my name, to know someone who recognised me. So start looking at the positive of the situation than what's might be lost." Doc told him.
"You're right, I'm sorry." Wolf said feeling like an asshole because Doc was one of Julian's victims. That she had survived and was still a functioning human being that having no memory of what happened to her probably wasn't a bad thing but a luxury. But he knew if his memories were missing he'd feel the ache of what he was missing.
"It's ok." Doc said a calm and dismissive manner as she didn't want to have a deep and meaningful conversation about it now. "One day, the world will be rebuilt and we'll have facial recognition and access to the DMV to help identify who I am." She said with a wry smile.
"Or you could just pick a name for yourself like Mabel." Wolf offered with a smile.
"Mabel? Do I look like a Mabel?" She asked him as she gestured to herself. She knew she was inviting trouble but it was better for them to keep their sense of humour than dwell on what was going to happen. Wolf looked her over and Doc couldn't hide the stupid blush as he didn't appraise her in a sexual manner but as if he was trying to suss out what kind of name would suit her.
"Deirdre." Wolf offered with a smile as he had to admit he felt better saying fairly old fashioned names to Doc to see her cute reaction as it was a good distraction from his mind and Larrin.
"Are you naming your grandmothers?" She asked him mockingly.
Larrin stirred awake and groaned as her body felt like it was made of lead. She felt sickly warm and her skin tingled in waves of pins and needles that made her feel uncomfortable and nauseous. She felt a cool cloth press to her forehead and gave a sigh as it felt good. She slowly opened her eyes and found a handsome face in her vision.
"Do I know you?" She asked him, she felt she should be scared but she was too exhausted and sick to be scared of the man pressing a damp cloth to her face. Something that she felt wasn't like her which made her frown. She tried to move but found sharp and intense pain lace through her right arm and radiate through her body. It immobilised her and made her flopped back down, not that she had moved all that far.
"No, you don't. You're seriously injured and ill. I found you in the forest a few days ago." Julian lied as he looked down at Larrin's face. He was looking for tells and found none. Maybe he'd given her the right amount of the drug that he'd wipe himself out of her memory, it went against Farhad's suggestion but then the man was a chemistry mastermind not a doctor. Julian had also mixed in a small amount of molly to see if it would make Larrin less cold towards him. So far he could tell it was working even with her fever.
"You look familiar." Larrin said to him.
"My brother was a very famous celebrity. So people sometimes would mistake me for him until they got a closer look and realised I wasn't him. I guess I'll have to get used it even with him gone." He offered with a saddened smile.
"I'm sorry." Larrin said with genuine sympathy that made Julian inwardly smile as now they were getting somewhere. He just had to keep up the ruse on his end so she felt bonded to him. He realised pretending to be in a relationship with her was the wrong tactic. He needed to be a stranger and work from there.
"It's ok, now do you have a name?" Julian asked her.
"Yeah-ah" it took her a moment to think of her name before it came to her which disturbed her. "Larrin, my last name is a little fuzzy though like a lot of things." Larrin confessed with frown. He could see she was clearly upset and in pain from her injuries and the missing holes in her memory.
"You took a hit to the head and you're ill. I think you'll be fuzzy for a while so just rest and take it easy." Julian said in a comforting manner.
"Why are you taking care of me? Why aren't I in hospital?" Larrin asked as she figured if she was so ill, wouldn't they take her to a hospital and call her family. She was sure she had family even if she was struggling to remember their faces and what their names were. But she knew they existed.
"Because there was a storm and the roads are washed out. So we're stuck until the roads are re-opened. I spoke with emergency services so they know you're here. As to why I'm doing this? well I was once in trouble and someone helped me. So I'm passing along the kindness. So relax and go back to sleep, you're safe." He told her inwardly pleased as Larrin did visibly relax and close her eyes.
"Dude, you sure you should be out here?" Miller asked Cruz a couple hours later.
"Yeah, it's just a broken nose." Cruz said with a shrug that made him wince. Miller had to admit his friend looked like he was the loser of the fight as he had a broken nose that had given him dark bags under his eyes and a busted lip. Miller had a feeling he had a couple broken ribs from the way he was favouring his left side but kept quiet as he appreciated the company.
"Awwh, did you get dominated?" Miyuki asked Cruz in a teasing tone as she joined them. They and the others who'd been runners were now back in uniform and armed to the teeth. They and several others were standing on a dirt road a few miles away from the compound. They were about to hoof it on foot but were waiting for the Captain to give his usual speech of 'Don't die', he of course used more words and encouragement but the gist was 'don't die'. Miller had to admit he liked Commander Slattery's speeches better given they were short and included a joke while the Captain could sometimes be a little over sentimental which felt counterproductive when they all needed to be mean, strong kick ass sailors.
"I don't like hitting women but I made an exception once. Maybe I'll make it again." Cruz told Miyuki, the woman smiled as she like Miller came out completely uninjured but from what he heard Miyuki had taken her pursers down without even needing her back up. She was really a scary woman.
"Please don't, it'd just be boring." Miyuki told him with a mocking expression of displeasure. Cruz had to admit he was struggling to come up with a witty retort but was saved as Commander Slattery called for their attention.
"This is one crack pot plan." Marcus said as he leaned against the ambulance and looked to Wolf, Doc in particular as Wolf gave him, Tex and Ben the abridged version of the plan. They were waiting for the Captain to join them. Two other sailors were with them but they were keeping a lookout as there weren't taking a chance with anything at this stage.
"So we're going after the girl." Ben said.
"Her name is Larrin." Wolf told him.
"Ok, well IR tells me she's the body in the upstairs room. Only person with the hottest signal and most stationary given we know that transmitter in her arm has to be going ripe." Ben said, Wolf took a deep breath trying to remind himself that these men were going to save his sister. That he needed them to be emotionally detached and calm but it did rankle him how apathetic they were.
"I'll agree with that assumption." Doc said to Ben.
"So, our plan is to bypass the mayhem and go for Larrin directly and get her out and let the military mop up the place." Marcus said folding his arms as he looked to Tex, it seemed the three had formed a bond in their short time together as a team. Tex seemed to be the leader as he gave a nod.
"I assume you've been made aware that Larrin might not remember you Mr Nolan?" Doc asked Tex.
"First off, it's Tex and what now?" Tex asked looking confused, as he and the others had been on observation duties. They hadn't seen Larrin, only the tracker signal told them she was in there and the IR sweep from a drone that flew over a half an hour ago. It did a proper count of the bodies on the ground and inside the complex. It only confirmed what they knew and even with the Captain's plan it wasn't good odds. But they couldn't just let it go on and they definitely couldn't leave Larrin inside.
"Julian likes to drug his victims with MDMA to help them bond to him and he's managed to get his hands on an experimental therapeutic drug for PTSD. I could get into the details but all you really need to know is that it affects the memory centre of the brain. She might not remember who you are and given how long she's been in Julian's care he may have convinced her that we're the enemy." Doc explained to Tex, Tex blew out a breath as he didn't look impressed with the information just given to him but it wouldn't put him off as he owed it to Wolf and Larrin to recover her. He made a promise and he was going to keep it.
"Like what he did with you?" Ben asked Doc, Wolf watched as Doc looked distinctly uncomfortable by what Ben had brought up and wondered what he was missing. He knew that Julian had wiped Doc's memories, she hadn't shared everything about herself which was interesting given she wasn't shy.
"Probably, I prefer we not rehash that." Doc told Ben, she was missing her memories but she did know that she had managed to survive something horrific. She just didn't like talking about it as it just reminded her of the big blanks in her head.
"We have to if she's going to do what you did." Ben argued.
"Allegedly did and drop it." Marcus said in a tone that said to drop it. Ben looked perturbed while Doc looked relieved.
"My point is that drugs and memory loss are a dangerous mix." Ben said not dropping it.
"What can we expect from her?" Marcus asked Wolf.
"My sister has been trained in martial arts and SERE as you all like to call it here." Wolf said as he didn't know how much they all were told about Larrin. He honestly couldn't see her as a threat to Tex and the others but who knew what lies Julian had filled her head with. "She's not a natural fighter, it's a last resort method to her as she's fast on her feet."
"Then I'll take point, you two cover the exits and if she gets the upper hand on me you two can take her down." Tex said as they made their own plan. They knew they'd be winging it for most part but Tex hoped that Larrin remembered him as he wanted to bring her home.
"She has a broken arm and ribs. So I doubt she'll be much of a fighter." Doc told them.
"They will be attacking the compound now." Andrea told Rachel as she looked to her watch noting the time. She had stayed with Rachel for most of the day. She knew part of her was hiding but another really enjoyed the company of Rachel. Sure the woman was not a party as she was quiet and in near tears for most of the time but it was nice to not be alone.
"I hope they find her before it's too late." Rachel said as she blew out a breath, she thought by now she'd feel more like herself but she didn't. She still felt like an emotional wreck. For most part of the last couple of hours she had laid in her bed staring off into space thinking about her grandfather, her mother and Micheal. The grief of the memories, the pain of feeling like there would never be another happy moment in her life drained her of energy and will to just exist but she was still here. She was grateful for Andrea's presence as she didn't sugarcoat things or ply Rachel with platitudes of things getting better. She just let Rachel roll through the emotions and talked every once and while about inconsequential things.
"We'll find out in the next hour." Andrea told her.
"I hope they kill Julian." Rachel said, she ran a hand through her hair and winced as her fingers met the rough ends of where he cut her hair. She thought of Dr Clarke and how she had died because of her.
"You know I could cut your hair for you. I'm not a hairdresser but I can cut a straight line and neaten it up until you're able to see one. I'm sure there is some scissors and there'd have to be shampoo and conditioner pack somewhere." Andrea offered gesturing to her own hair to signify she was talking about Rachel's.
"That- I'd like that." Rachel said as she might feel weak but she felt that she could summon enough energy and strength to get out of bed for a shower. The thought of just washing away the sweat and imagined dirt from her skin would make her feel better.
