Chapter 60: The Cavalry Arrives

The girls and I quickly got to the corridor that led back to the main room. The far door suddenly looked so much further away. Those foreboding doors that our captor's women had jumped me from lay between us and that gateway to the rest of the world. With my speed I could make it, but Chloe, Carrie and Tanya would be left behind. I would trust Chloe to no one, not ever, not again. That same rule wouldn't necessarily apply to the rest of my women, but they would have to convince me to allow them to stay with anyone suspected of having Master PC. Chloe had been used to bait me, though it hadn't been the same as stories of valor and evil. It wasn't a story, it was purely survival, and we would survive. However, before we moved forward, the far door opened and two people called out.

"This is the FBI. Put your hands where we can see them."

"Do as they say," I told the others and we raised our hands. Better to be arrested and released than fight a pointless struggle.

Just as quickly, the four doors opened and four women stepped forth. This time however, it wasn't needles with sleeping solutions, they carried. It was handguns. The two agents only had their hands on their weapons, nothing drawn.

That speed that took me to Erin's rescue returned. Everyone's movement slowed to a dramatic motion. I first got my girls out of the possible crossfire by pushing them back through the doorway we had come, and then stepped forward. The agents noticed either my movement or the opening doors and were pulling out their weapons and moving to the sides of the doorway. The four women took aim toward them and two shots rang out. I got to the closest two and touched them one at a time, commanding them to sleep. As they fell I took their guns and slid them along the floor toward the agents. Before the further women could turn or take second shots at the agents, I was on them. They too fell to the floor asleep and their guns sliding out to the agents.

My adrenaline rush passed and I stood just inside the doorway that the agents had pulled away from. "It's all clear here. I'm unarmed and stepping out."

I held out my hands in front of me so they could see my truth. I had expected them to grab and handcuff me but as I stepped out they were still just getting ready for the gun fight. To my left was the red-headed Agent Davis and to my right a tall man with salt-n-pepper hair and blue eyes. From Davis's memories, I knew him as agent Marks. He was the higher ranking agent meant to replace her almost two years ago.

"Mr. Setton?" Agent Davis asked.

I looked to her, "Please, call me Ral. You two came just in the nick of time."

Agent Marks looked me over and then to the floor where I had passed the four handguns. "How did... ?"

"The less you know the safer you'll be," I answered before he finished his question. I turned and looked down the corridor. Chloe was just peering around the far doorway. I waved her to me and she crept forward. Carrie and Tanya followed her.

"Mr. Setton we need to get you and your friends out of here," Agent Davis stated.

"Yes," I answered. "Take them. They don't need to be here, but you will need my help

Agent Marks shook his head looking up the corridor at the four prone women, "You may have helped us out just now, but this is a federal investigation..."

"That I am involved in," I interrupted. It was only because Vikkor would probably know the agents had arrived and would try to escape. She would also know that Chloe and I were free. We didn't have time to argue. "I'm certain the Agent has reported my statement." I nodded to Joan because I didn't want to say her name. "Chloe and several other women have entrusted me to protect them from the kidnappers plaguing the school and surrounding area. I don't care about the investigation but we have the same goal. Do what you need to do and I'll tag along, helping where I can."

"Ral, you don't have the training for this," Davis offered.

I held out my hand. "I don't need a gun, just your trust."

She looked at me sideways, not sure what I wanted. She didn't want to touch me but it was the only way I could learn how to move with them. I needed her memories of training. Even a graze of our skin touching would suffice. She reached out and shook my hand. The transfer took less than a second, just as it had every other time. I understood ballistics and moving in cover formation. I could stay with them, avoid being shot, and keep them out of harm's way. It would also allow me to add to their tactics with my own abilities. I let go of her hand. "Thank you."

I started to turn to Carrie, Chloe and Tanya to tell them to go wait outside, but movement caught my eye. The door to Chaos' chamber opened and Law stepped out. He actually had to duck slightly so his head wouldn't hit the top of the doorway. I watched and the others turned to see the large man as he turned to say something back into the doorway and then closed the door behind him as he started walking in our direction.

"Agents, this is Law," I introduced him. "He is part owner of the facility and the business above. He may be able to help us with the layout of the facility."

Law nodded as he stopped in front of us. "Ral. Good to see you again." He held out his hand to me. I took it and could feel a tension in his grip that sang of either fear or anger. It was a fine tremble. I wasn't sure what was wrong without trying to find out one way or another. He turned to the agents. "I trust that you are here looking for Vikkor."

Agent Davis looked at me. "Vikkor?" Marks, even as tall as he was, some six four, had to look up at the massive black man.

"Victoria Lasarge. Vikkor is an alias," I answered.

The tall agent was the first to answer Law's question. "No, we got a call saying that the missing women were here. It was anonymous. Is Law your actual name?"

Law looked at me and then back to the agent. "No, it's short for Lawrence. Lawrence Dossett." He knew what giving up his real name would mean. If I wanted, I could pull up his profile in Master PC. He trusted me to not violate our pact. Hopefully, I wouldn't have a reason to.

"Well, Mr. Dossett, who were you speaking with in the other room?" Marks was suspicious. I didn't blame him. He didn't know anyone here.

"I was speaking with Chaos, err ... Charlotte Blanchette. She is another part owner of this facility and Viko's," Law answered.

"Both of you are partnered with Victoria?" Marks asked.

I interrupted his questioning. "Agent, this is not the time. If Victoria gets away, bad things could happen. You might as well consider her armed and extremely dangerous. She's willing to do things to people that you couldn't imagine. You're looking for the women who were kidnapped and the people responsible. Well then you are looking for Vikkor. She had even threatened to kill me as the one witness that could mess up her plans. I don't know what else she could have been talking about. I also don't know what plans she was referring to."

"Then we need to find her," he replied.

I nodded and looked at Davis. "Can they go wait in your car?" I thumbed at the girls over my shoulder.

Agent Davis nodded and handed over her keys. "The blue Taurus. Lock yourselves in until we come for you."

Each of them nodded and looked at me. Chloe asked, "What do we do if you don't come out?"

"There's a radio in the car, use it to call dispatch. Tell them "Agents down." They'll pinpoint your location and come in force," Davis answered.

I nodded. "You're our rescuer if we fail. So go and be safe." I touched each of them in reassurance. They turned and ran, heading for the other corridor and the stairs. I turned back to the agents. "I know where I saw Victoria last. If we're quick, we may get to her before she gets away. From my understanding there are several exits from this facility."

They looked at each other. Marks gave Davis a stern look. He was against my going with them. Davis stood her ground. "He knows where she was last. He comes with us."

"Fine, but if he gets hurt, it's your butt on the line."

"Don't worry about me. Keep each other safe, and don't let anyone touch you." I even looked up at Law when I said it. He nodded at me, taking the advice.

"Then how are we supposed to arrest anyone?" Marks asked.

"They can't fight if they're asleep, can they?" I asked.

"What? Like them?" He nodded toward the four women in the corridor.

I just nodded and moved forward, taking point.

"Dammit," muttered Marks, but he didn't try to stop me. Both followed and checked the four rooms to make sure they were empty. I waited. It was better than having someone sneak up behind us.

Through the door at the opposite end of that trap was a perpendicular corridor with doors at each end. The girls and I had come from what was now my right. I kept behind the doorway and took a quick peek. There was no one there.

The agents kept up with me as we moved along the wall and I looked through the next doorway. To the left were two more doors, and to the right was a blind corner. That's when I noticed the cameras. "We may have someone watching us." I warned. I looked back to the agents who were peering toward the camera. "They may have left already."

Law pointed to the left. "That door straight ahead is an exit tunnel. The other leads to a control room."

I pointed to the shutters. "Those shutters are surrounding some kind of experimentation room. We had been tied up in there. I saw Victoria in the control room last." The fact that Carrie and Tanya hadn't been tied up wasn't need-to-know. I only hoped that Vikkor hadn't taken some vantage point to see the entire complex and used the program to make them do things. Things to Chloe. Things to us.

Agent Davis nodded at me. "You two stay here. Let us check it out."

I nodded. If there were more women with guns, I didn't know what I could do besides try and get to them before any bullets started flying. I wasn't sure what Law could do either. For all I knew, he had found a way to make himself bulletproof. It would be good to know.

"Have you used the program to give yourself any kind of abilities?" I asked him while watching the corridor.

I could almost feel him shake his head, "I've been working with local gangs, trying to keep the peace. Even if I were bulletproof, it wouldn't save anyone else if they were shot. So I never saw a point."

"Yeah, but if you get shot trying to help someone else, you couldn't help them anymore..." I left it at that. Me and logic, really helpful.

The two agents moved down the wide open space. Honestly there wasn't anything to duck behind if someone did start shooting. I looked toward the blind corner to my right. Something didn't look right about that corner. Then I noticed moving shadows. Someone was around that corner.

"Get down!" I yelled and began to move forward as those shadows came closer. I got to that corner and pressed to the wall just before three more women came around with something bigger than the handguns with long clips from the handgrips. I didn't know what I was looking at precisely, but they had a lot of bullets and could probably empty them quickly. The woman closest to me was surprised when she saw me standing right there but she never got a shot off as I touched her face and she fell to the floor. The other two were focused on targets down the hall, the agents.

I moved as fast as I could, but shots had already been fired. The women went down and I looked to see the two agents falling. Everything was moving so slow. I got to each one and noticed that none of the bullets had hit their intended marks. Again, they looked shocked by my sudden appearance and the speed at which their aggressors were brought down.

Marks spoke as he regained his feet, "If we had your speed, this would be so much simpler."

I nodded. "Not a bad idea, but I'm not carrying a gun for a good reason. I don't want to shoot anyone."

"Neither do we," Davis said after getting back up. "Your way is far better." She looked at Marks. "If we could just touch people and put them to sleep, our jobs would be so much easier."

Law stepped out from the corner. "Agreed." I didn't think he was referring to policing areas, but then again he may have been.

I agreed too. There would be fewer accidental deaths. Police, Feds, and Military units could all benefit greatly if they didn't have to kill. The whole world would. However, it wasn't the time for a debate or politics. "Check the control room, I've got the corner." I returned to where I had waited for the last three who were now snoozing. I kicked their guns away, not wanting to even pick them up. All three were dressed in the same corset and thin leather panties and bras as the rest of Vikkor's subjects. I knelt and touched the closest one, getting her memories. There were more levels to the complex, and Vikkor had already left.

Davis confirmed, "The control room's clear. Looks like Victoria left these ladies to guard her escape."

That didn't bode well. My phone was still in my pocket. I pulled it out and dialed Renée's number.

"Who are you calling?" Marks asked.

"If Victoria escaped, she may try to get to my friends. She knows where I live and they usually hang out there," I answered. Renée's phone went directly to voicemail. "Damn," I said as I hung up and put the phone away. I didn't know anyone else's number and explained that to the agents.

"Then if those women are here, we need to find them," Marks said as he went around the blind corner. The rest of us followed. He opened the first door and it led to a stairwell. "Do you know what all is down there?" he asked Law.

"I believe only plumbing and electrical breakers. I'll look to make sure. I've never had to go down myself." He stepped through the door and worked his way down the stairs.

Marks turned to Davis and me. "I'll check the exit tunnels. If Victoria, or this Vikkor, is trying to herd those women out, I don't want to give her too much of a head start."

Davis agreed and he headed for the door that closed in the giant test tube the red-headed guy had been in. I started to say something but remained quiet as he looked inside.

"Holy..." He stood there transfixed.

Davis started to move forward. "Wha..." I grabbed her arm and shook my head when she looked at me.

"You don't want to know. Vikkor used some men to test a virus she developed. We have to find her," I finished.

Marks closed the door and I think he gave a silent prayer. Then he moved to the next one and went through. It was one of the exits.