Chapter 3

Face was passing by the guest room when Billy called out. "Face?"

"What's wrong? Can I get you anything?"

Billy had just had his bath and was dressed in a pair of pajamas. He was sitting on the bed. "No, I just wanted to thank you for rescuing me today. I don't know if I could have held out much longer without giving in to their wishes."

"How long were you there?"

"About month ago, I think. It's hard to keep time up there…one day of misery into another."

"Where was the parking lot that they operated from?"

When Billy told him Face shuddered, it wasn't far from the Orphanage where he was raised. It would be perfect. He could leave his car there safe and sound. After thinking back, he remembered a group of kids hanging around listening to a man dressed in black. That must have been Brother Thomas.

"How often do they pick up kids and what time were they there?"

"Only on Wednesdays, which is also the day of the auctions. New ones come in as those selected leave. It was around ten that I stopped to listen and we were gone by twelve."

Face nodded. "Thanks for the information Billy, I'll be sure to pass it on to Hannibal."

"I'm getting kind of sleepy, you won't mind if I go to sleep now?"

"No, not at all," and helped him into bed. "Good Night, Billy."

As soon as he was out of the room Face decided to disobey a direct order from not only his colonel but from his father as well. 'I know where the pickup point is and tomorrow is Wednesday which is the day they will pick up. I can be there in plenty of time to agree to go to a better life. Then Hannibal and the guys can track me through my ID bracelet. This will be faster than Murdock using the chopper,' Face thought as he made his plans. He had to prove to Hannibal it was a good plan and that he could handle it.

Wednesday morning found Hannibal and Face eating breakfast, Billy was still sleeping. "Now why are you going to Los Angeles this morning?"

"You are nearly out of your favorite cigars. I called yesterday and they charged the order and said they would have them packaged up for me to pick up."

"Thanks Face, and by the time you return we should have some news concerning the search. I'm going to call and report this to Sheriff Jenkins so we can work together…. have a nice trip and be safe.

Face smiled and said his goodbyes before heading out on his own rescue mission and soon was on his way. He made sure that the ID bracelet was firmly on his wrist, that was his safety line.

He made good time and was in Los Angeles within an hour of leaving home. He had worn his worse looking jeans, making sure to dirty them up a bit to make him look the part of being a runaway. He mussed up his hair a bit and made sure that the shirt he was wearing had a tear in it. After parking his car in the orphanage parking lot he pulled out his shirttail and rubbed some dirt from the courtyard on it. 'Now I'm ready to go,' he thought as he headed out.

Back at home Billy finally woke up and headed to find something to eat. The soup he had the night before was so good and soothing on his empty stomach that it had filled him right up.

"Good Morning, Sleepyhead," Mrs. B greeted the boy as he entered the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Good morning, ma'am and yes I am. Could I have some more of that delicious soup?"

"For breakfast?"

Billy nodded. "It was good."

"How about I fix you some scrambled eggs and a piece of toast with some homemade blueberry jelly to put on it instead?"

Billy's eyes lit up. "That would be great…. thank you."

While Mrs. B cooked Hannibal wandered back in. "How are you feeling this morning Billy?"

"Better, sir. I want to thank you for helping me. I thanked Face last night."

"Here you go Billy, try this out." Mrs. B placed a plate in front of the boy but knowing that he had been starved hadn't given him much as not to upset his stomach. She had given him a child's portion. "If that sits well with you I'll give you more to eat. I thought I would feed you small meals several times during the day until you are able to eat more." She also put a cup of hot tea at his place.

BA and Murdock wandered in to talk with the Colonel about the plans for rescuing the kids. "Did you talk with the Sheriff?"

"Yes, he's on board with it as well. He hadn't heard anything about a white slavery operation in our areas although there has been a flood of reports of missing kids from LA going through the wires. It would seem that some of those kids that went with you, Billy weren't runaways. IF we only knew where they were being picked up from?"

"Face knows." Billy spoke up after swallowing some eggs. "He asked last night and I told him where I was picked up. He told me that he would tell you…did he forget?"

"Nope, he didn't forget. He decided to follow through with his suggestion of last night even after I ordered him not to. He disobeyed a direct order. BA see if you can reach him by phone. He should be in LA to pick up my cigars, at least that is the story he told me."

"The phone is ringing but no one is answering…. wait." Someone answered and talked to BA for a minute. "Thank you Father, I will tell him. Goodbye."

"That was Father Magill. It seems that Face parked his corvette in the orphanage parking lot. It will be safe there until he returns for it."

"Is the receiver fixed?"

"Not yet, I'll get right on it." BA left scowling.

"Hannibal what's wrong?" Mrs. B sounded very worried.

"Face had an idea last night on how he could find the compound. He purposed on going undercover as a runaway and allowing himself to be persuaded to follow Father Thomas into a new life. He's counting on our following the tracking device in his ID bracelet to the compound. I felt it too risky and dangerous and told him NO! I even made it an order but he disobeyed me anyhow. This is the first time he has ever disobeyed a direct order from his commander. Trust me when I say that he will regret it. I see several days of running the obstacle course in his future once we get him home!"

"He will be running it with a sore bottom when I get my hands on him." Mrs. B vowed.

Face's plan had worked exactly as the compound. He figured that Billy had been drugged on the return trip so he had faked eating his sandwich and drinking his beverage. He waited until he saw others in his group starting to fall asleep before closing his eyes, too. Since he had a window seat he was able to sneak peeks as the moved on. He stored that information for further use. He had taken them three hours to get to their final location just as the boys started to wake up.

The treatment leaving the vehicle was quite different than the one upon their entering. They were yanked from their seats and hustled out until they were all standing outside looking at their new home. There were only Face and one boy on this trip.

Father Thomas exited the vehicle and walked up to the two boys. "This is your new home. You will be here only long enough for new homes to be found for you. I will interview you personally." And with that he grabbed the other boy and pulled him into the only building that had a TV antenna on its roof. Face was left in the care of the two guards in brown robes standing next to the vehicle.

Face was kept waiting for nearly an hour before he saw a chopper land on the landing pad at the back of the compound. He saw two men exiting and walking towards him and the guards.

"We're early and thought that we would like to inspect the boys to be selected for the auction. They are in Barracks Two; I believe?" The taller man spoke to the guard all the while as he looked at Face.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Michaels…you know the way. Brother John will be there to assist you."

It was after they had left that the other boy, Tony he had told Face, was pulled from Brother Thomas' home. He was dressed in the white shirt and trousers looking scared.

Face was pushed towards the building for his "interview". The brown robed guard accompanied him inside. Face couldn't help but notice the chains coming from the ceiling and began to get scared. He swallowed his fear as he faced Brother Thomas.

"Stand there and do not move. Speak only when asked a question. If you fail to obey you will be punished at once. Do you understand?" The guard told him.

Face nodded and received a lick from a strap held by the guard for not speaking.

"Ow…why did you do that. I responded." Face rubbed his upper thigh where the lick caught him.

He was given three more licks for his continued speech by Father Thomas, himself.

"Strip!" The order from Brother Thomas took Face by surprise and he shook his head…NO!

Thomas nodded to the guard and before Face could react he was chained to the cuffs hanging down from the ceiling. They cuffed his wrists above his head and chained his ankles to the cuffs located on the floor in a spread eagle design.

"That will be all," Father Thomas said as he dismissed the guard.

With his hands above his head Face's shirt sleeve showed the ID bracelet he was wearing, which caught Thomas' eye. He quickly removed it causing Face to yell.

"No, give that back. My brothers gave that to me."

"Your brothers…so you aren't the runaway that you want me to believe." He read the inscription on the back and then threw it in the trash. "You won't be needing this any longer."