Sorting through the rubble left behind by the explosion was the kind of task Tom needed, as he picked up stones until every one of the fingers on his good arm were covered in dust and his injured shoulder ached. Pain was the best distraction.
Several soldiers had tried and failed to stop Tom, several more offering to take him back to the airport he arrived from which he could fly back home. Tom didn't want to leave the country, not when Sam couldn't leave with him.
Tom took a brief moment of pause to look up at what was left of the base. Half of the main building still remained, although it looked a more than a little rickety. The main office still remained, the door mysteriously locked, though the room at the other end of the corridor was completely blown apart. Tom stared at this for a moment, the presumed place where Sam was blown up, and frowned.
Something wasn't right. Maybe it was just denial talking but Sam did not feel dead to him. He was now in possession of all the facts the army had though pertinent to give him, but they weren't enough. He wanted more answers.
With that decision in mind he headed towards one of the tents that had been set up, searching it for any man that had more answers. The first he came across was Sergeant Trent and the recently rescued Sergeant Aston. Aside from looking a little worse for wear the newly rescued sergeant seemed healthy, and In Tom's eyes was the best person to get answers from.
"Aston." Tom said as he approached the two men standing in a recently erected tent.
"Tom…" He said nervously.
"You were held captive by that freak." Tom stated.
He could see both Aston and Trent searching his face for any kind of ill intent; they had definitely heard about the beating he gave Archer.
"I'm not here to cause a fight. I just want answers." He said stiffly.
"We'll answer as much as we can." Trent said, turning towards him with a nod.
"Why couldn't you have told me and Sam that you weren't in control?" Tom demanded, looking at Aston.
"I was under constant surveillance. They held me captive in that meeting room." He replied before adding, "If I could have somehow gotten a message to you and Sam, I would have."
"Tell me about the interior of the base." Tom said, pressing on with the questions now that he was apparently satisfied with his first answer.
"As you went through the doors there was a main hall area, this broke off into two corridors, one of which led to the holding cells and the other several meeting rooms. There were stairs on the right hand wall of the main area which lead would take you directly in between the two main offices."
"So Archer was blasted from the office which exploded into the locked door of the other?" Tom said with a frown.
"We believe so, yes?" Trent replied.
"You believe so?" Tom repeated, clearly looking for facts over opinions or fiction.
"Private Miller is concussed and we only have his version of events to go by as there were no other officers close enough to the blast to tell us what happened. There is, theoretically, some room for error."
"So Sam could still be alive?" Tom asked hopefully.
"Tom... She was standing right next to the bomb when it exploded and we haven't even found a body. I doubt we ever will."
"So there is absolutely no chance." Tom stated coldly.
"I'm afraid not." Aston replied.
"Thank you." Tom said calmly before leaving the tent.
He'd heard enough. Sam was dead and they weren't even going to be able to bury her body, seeing as there was most likely nothing left of it. Even though they were standing the middle of a desert Tom felt cold, but this wasn't the kind of chill you could expel with a warm blanket and a hot beverage. This kind of cold stayed with you forever.
…
Max sighed deeply. Once word of Sam Nicholls fate had reached his ears some part of him felt sorry for her, even though she was related the man who was responsible for the deaths of so many. In a way she was just collateral damage. There could have been a way to solve this without everyone who loved Sam getting hurt.
Max was packing. He had no reason to stay in the UK now his job was done, and he was eager to return home. He had business to attend to, namely getting that cheque deposited and getting as much of the money as he could into more rebel operations. This wasn't the time for reflecting what could have been. Besides, if anyone caught wind of who he really was there would be no way out, though being branded the man of the hour who stopped wannabe terrorist blowing up all the hospitals in the area had granted him some lenience as e had discovered when speeding down a main road a couple of nights ago. The police officer let him off with a warning instead of arresting him all because of what he had done to save the hospitals.
Part of him felt a little sorry for the man they had driven mad and supplied with drugs and components to make the bombs, but another part of him knew even though this attempt on Sam's life failed at least it set her on the right track: over to Afghanistan in search of her brother.
But now, Max thought to himself, the reminiscing must stop. A whole new chapter in their plan was just beginning.
…
Thanks for reading and reviewing everyone!
…and a special thank you to the people who have told me I've ruined the story.