Chapter 18
The guards marched Rogue straight to jail. There they handed her over to the man on shift. After a cursory search for weapons, he locked her into her cell. “There’s fresh water in the jug and a bucket for your needs. Don’t make trouble for me, and I won’t make trouble for you. Got it?”
“Got it,” Rogue replied.
He slammed the door shut behind him, dunking the cell block into darkness. The only light filtered in through a couple of windows set high up in the wall, and it reeked of damp. This is it, I guess. The beginning of the end.
“Rogue? Is that you?” a voice sounded from the cell next to hers.
Rogue gasped, shocked to the depths of her soul. “Moran?”
“I can’t believe it’s you,” Moran cried, thrusting her arms through the bars. “When I saw you walk in, I thought it was a dream. A delusion.”
Rogue flung herself into Moran’s embrace, tears of joy streaming down her face. “It’s me. It’s really me. I’m so happy to see you.”
“And I,” Moran said.
Rogue drew back a little, and her eyes took in every detail of Moran’s battered face. She raised a tentative hand and traced her fingers over the woman’s bruised and bloody features, noting each cut and contusion.
Next, she examined Moran’s hands. Three of the fingers had no nails, the exposed flesh raw and bloody. One knuckle was swollen to twice its size. “What happened? What did they do to you?”
Moran laughed, but it contained a bitter note. “It’s not a pretty tale.”
“Maybe not, but I want to know. Is it over? Is the Rebel Faction gone?” Rogue asked, her stomach twisting into knots.
“No, not all of it. Patti is still out there with the others while we’re stuck in here,” Moran said.
“We? Who’s we?”
“Bruce is here. So’s Bear and Steven,” Moran replied.
Rogue gasped. “They got all of you? How? But you’re always so careful.”
“We were betrayed by one of our own,” Moran replied. “She was a new recruit. I knew she couldn’t be trusted, but I ignored my instincts. Even Patti warned me. I should’ve listened.”
“Who is this woman?” Rogue asked with growing anger.
“Her name is Kat. Kat Mewes. She’s mistress to the General,” Moran explained.
Rogue’s eyes narrowed. “Kat Mewes? What does she look like?”
“Black hair, porcelain skin, tall, built like a Greek goddess,” Steven said with a sigh. “I had such a thing for her.”
“Had a thing, I hope,” Bear rumbled. “Because when I get my hands on her—”
“Sorry, but I called dibs,” Moran said with an evil chuckle.
“No can do,” Rogue interrupted. “I’ve got a prior claim to that bitch.”
Moran drew back, wincing with each movement. “How so?”
“She’s the one I told you about. The one who dumped me at the orphanage.”
“That was her?” Moran exclaimed. “I wish I’d known.”
“How long have you been in here?” Rogue asked, her concern for Moran growing by the second. It was clear the woman was in pain, and she’d obviously been tortured.
“It’s been a few days. I’m not sure how many. Time’s different in here,” Moran said.
“Are they questioning you?”
“Every now and then. They pick one of us at random,” Bruce said, shifting closer to the bars.
“We’re holding out so far,” Moran said with a proud grin, but Rogue spotted the fragility hidden below the surface.
She studied the men through the gloom. Though it was hard to make out specific details, it was clear they’d all been through hell and back. And it would only get worse. Sikes didn’t have a merciful bone in his body. Eventually, he’d ramp up the questioning until he got what he wanted. After that, they were all as good as dead. We need to get out of here, but how?
“Is there no hope of escape?” Rogue asked.
“None that we’ve been able to find, and trust me, we’ve looked,” Moran said, breaking into a hacking cough.
“Sit down,” Rogue said. “Don’t overtax yourself.”
“It’s too late for that, I’m afraid,” Moran said, lowering herself to the floor.
Rogue sat down next to her, their shoulders touching. While she’d dreamt of their reunion, this wasn’t what she’d imagined at all. “I’m so sorry, Moran. I should’ve been there for you.”
“And then what?” Moran asked. “It wouldn’t have made any difference.”
“Maybe not, but—”
“Enough doom and gloom,” Bruce cried. “Tell me something, Rogue dearest, because I’m dying of curiosity.”
“What do you want to know?”
“How the hell did you survive out there? And what are you doing back here?” Bruce asked.
“It’s a long story,” Rogue said.
“Well, we’ve got plenty of time,” Moran said. “And I’m sure we could all use the distraction, right guys?”
“Right,” Bruce, Steven, and Bear replied in a chorus.
“Okay, you asked for it,” Rogue said, settling in for the long haul. Gathering her wits, she mused, “Mm, where to begin?”
“At the wall, dummy,” Moran said. “I watched you climb over the edge, and my heart nearly broke in two.”
“That was after she told the senator to stick it,” Bear said with a chuckle.
“Oh, I remember that. Good for you, girl,” Steven added.
“I had nothing to lose, right?” Rogue said, “but that changed once I had to climb the wall. That’s when everything went to hell in a handbasket.”
“Don’t forget the dino attack,” Bruce prompted.
Rogue rolled her eyes. “I won’t. Besides, there are lots of attacks and narrow brushes with death in this story.”
“Ooh, so it’s gonna be a good one,” Moran said with an exaggerated shiver.
“Sure, it will. If you’ll let me tell it,” Rogue said in an exasperated tone of voice.
“Sorry, sorry, go ahead.”
“That’s better,” Rogue said. “So, anyway. I told the senator to stick it, and they made me climb the wall. I’ll start there.” Her eyes glazed over as she dug deep into her memory banks. It was all there, tucked away in storage—hidden gems to be taken out and examined at will.
***
The way down was long and treacherous. It required every bit of strength she possessed to
