Before Major could face the climb out of the basement, the elevator started moving. He flattened himself on the top of it, hoping wherever it stopped wouldn't be close enough to the ceiling to crush him, and tried not to think about all the empty space below this fragile hunk of metal he was riding.
He heard the door bing, and below him the sound of a hungry zombie leaping to attack—someone. He opened the hatch, poking his head and arms through, gun at the ready, just in time to shoot Rita in the back of the head. He felt bad about that … at least, a little bad. With better parents, Rita could have been something. As it was, she would have grown to be just like her father.
Dropping through the floor, he gave only a glance to the carnage in the elevator, du Clark dead at his feet with his brains spilling out. Liv was standing in front of him, in one piece, and his heart went out to her. "I'm so sorry about Drake," he whispered as they came to each other, holding on for dear life. At the end of the day, whatever they were to one another, if Liv was still here, that was all Major could ask for.
As they broke the embrace, Liv whispered, "I killed him." She looked lost and shaken, her face even paler than usual under the black helmet.
Next to them, Clive said, "He was already gone, Liv. That wasn't him."
Major looked over Liv's shoulder. "Are there any survivors?"
Clive gestured with his gun. "Yeah. Vaughn's office."
Major left them there, hurrying toward the office. He had to know, had to see for himself, make sure he had done at least something right in all this mess.
Behind him, he heard Clive say, "I have to call this in." He didn't envy him that phone call. How exactly did you explain a zombie outbreak and a whole party full of people killed? Clive was thinking along the same lines Major was, because he went on to say, "Even though I have no idea how any of this is going to get explained away."
"Super Max," said Liv. "It created a violent chain reaction, armed guards lost their heads and began firing on rampaging employees."
"You really think that's going to fly?"
"You think zombie outbreak has a better chance?"
Clive made the call, as Major pulled open the door to Vaughn's office, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw so many of his kidnap victims standing there, looking tired and drawn, but still in possession of their faculties. He looked over them, grateful that no one seemed to be greeting him with hostility or threats. Not a lot of smiles of recognition, either, but he was okay with that. What he didn't see was Natalie. He looked again, but she really wasn't there.
"Hey, was there another woman with all of you?"
They looked at each other and shook their heads.
"Her name was Natalie. She has dark hair, she's about 5'6", she's pretty, about thirty years old?"
One of the men pointed at him. "I recognize you. I'd just hired you to train me."
It hadn't occurred to Major until that moment that the riot gear made him hard to recognize. Maybe they were going to attack him after all. He probably deserved it.
Behind him, another man said, "You were in the elevator the day I got kidnapped."
They were all starting to close in on him, staring at his face, murmuring in recognition. "You're that guy." "I remember you, too."
D.A. Baracus, who seemed to be in better shape than the others—and was the only one other than Natalie who had gone into the freezer knowing what was about to happen—came toward him. "Yeah, I saw Natalie."
"Where was she?"
"This tattooed guard led her away. They never brought her back."
Major couldn't believe it. After all this, and the one promise he had wanted to keep—wanted more than he had realized—he couldn't. She had awakened in a cell, she had been taken away, she had probably died in fear and hunger and rage. He hadn't saved her from anything.
Clive knocked at the door, and Major went to it, opening it a crack. "What's up?" There were soldiers in the hall, surrounding Clive.
"Fillmore Graves. Liv went to talk to their boss."
"All right. Keep me posted." He turned back to the others. "Everyone, there's just going to be a bit of a delay while we talk to the new owners, and then you can all go home, I promise." He hesitated, not sure what he should say, and then decided to go with the truth. "Vaughn du Clark hired me to kill all of you, because you were zombies. He was trying to cover up the fact that Max Rager had created a zombie outbreak. I … didn't want do it, but he blackmailed me. Threatened my life and the lives of people I care about. So I hid you in freezers, hoping I could find a cure, or some way to return you safely to your homes. Unfortunately, while I was … detained, Max Rager found you instead, and I'm … sorry. Very sorry. For all of it. Rest assured, I'm going to make sure you get home to your families."
They nodded dully, too exhausted and drained to respond, and Major leaned back against the doors to wait, feeling pretty damned exhausted and drained himself.