| � That�s pretty far-fetched.� � But it�s true or else she wouldn�t have fainted.� � Are you going to take her along?� � Hell yeah. I�m taking you back to Mom so I�ll take Aunt Sam back to Dad. From her reaction, she won�t have a problem with my suggestion.� Eagle Slave Camp Eagle, Colorado Wednesday, September 12, 2001 2:17 P.M. Because of my good record, they�d surprised me with an offer--for whatever the twisted reason--to be the commander of a slave camp. This was the break I was waiting for and accepted it with little care. From inside I could find everyone else and help them get free. I requested for Emily to be sent with me as my secretary and Aunt Sam as a personal doctor. Since Emily and I worked so well together, they allowed it. And because Aunt Sam was our doctor and she had no other patients at the time, they let her go too. So now I was at the Eagle Slave Camp, a camp that held men from twenty all the way up the age scale until they were too old to work and then they were killed. � Listen up, humans! My name is Echo. You will call me Echo. And yes, as you can see I have a bar code on my jaw. But that does not mean I will be lenient to any of you. I have rules. If you follow them, you live. If you don�t, you die. Have I made myself clear?� � Crystal clear!� was the collective shout. � Good. Rule number one, the oldest rule: There is no escape! If you try, you die! Rule number two: You will not fight amongst yourselves! You humans are too bloodthirsty for your own good, so you might as well get along with each other and work together or my men start borrowing heads from your shoulders! Rule number three: the hospital is for emergencies only! If you get a paper cut, don�t go crying to the doctors because they are now under orders to send you to harder work where you�ll find out what serious injuries are! You�re men, not babies!� Do you see him, Em? No, but I�m looking. Aunt Sam? Not a thing. Damn. He must not be here. � Rule number four: If you want to speak to me, you will come during your meal time and make an appointment with my secretary! I will get back to you as quickly as possible!� Em? Nope. Sorry. Aunt Sam? Yes, I think I see him! He�s in the very back! Great. Thanks. I started to walk between the rows of men, looking each in the eye. � Rule number five: When I speak to you, you will look me in the eye! I know you�ve learned not to make eye contact, but when you speak to me you will do so or I will assume you�re lying, which brings me to rule number six: There will be no lying, to me or my men! If you�ve done something wrong and admit it, I promise the punishment will be less! If you lie, you�ll wish you were dead! Is that clear?� � Yes sir!� was the automatic yell. � Perfect. I think we�ll all get along just fine. Dismissed.� I reached the end of the last line, where he was. He lifted his head to look at me and his mouth fell open in surprise. � Sam?� I wanted to tell him that it was okay and I�d get him out of there, but my bodyguards were behind me (as if I needed them) and anything other than coldness would compromise my position. � My name is Echo, human. You will address me as such.� Hurt filled his eyes, but then he took a breath and put on his indifference armor. He snorted and turned away to go back to work. � I knew it was a mistake to let you two live.� I let out a quick breath as though he�d punched me in the gut. Daddy, that hurt. I didn�t mean what I said. Why didn�t you understand--why didn�t you see--that I would never turn on you . . .? I know he didn�t hear it because even though I�d directed it at him it had reverberated in my head, which meant he had blocked me out. Oh Daddy . . . I�m so sorry. I returned to my office and when I was sure we weren�t being spied on, I let out a groan and dropped my head on my desk. � What happened?� Aunt Sam asked. � I couldn�t say anything,� I told her. � The bodyguards were right there and I couldn�t say anything to reassure him.� � And?� Emily prompted. � He said he knew it had been a mistake to let us live.� � Us?� � My brother, Will, and I.� � Why?� Aunt Sam demanded. � Will and I are a lot like the hybrids that were created. He probably thought we might side with the aliens when they came, but loved us too much to kill us.� � He was just saying that,� she said with a shake of her head. � Fox is not a malicious person.� � But he�s changed since you were abducted, Aunt Sam. He can be cruelly malicious if it suits him.� I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut to keep the tears back. � I didn�t know he hated us that much. I thought I was his princess. That�s what he always called me.� They tried to comfort me, but it was no use. The damage had been done and the only one who could repair it was working and probably attempting to damn me for eternity. I spent the rest of the day by myself in my office, feeling sick and miserable. I was unable to sleep come nightfall, but in the end it turned out that that wasn�t exactly a bad thing. Around two a.m. there was a gunshot. I sat up and heard another. I ran to the window and looked outside. Five men were lined up against the wall and two were already dead. I ran downstairs and outside as another shot rang out. Racing at top speed to the murder site, I smacked the soldiers� rifles up into the air as I walked in front of them. � What the hell are you idiots doing?� � They were caught trying to escape,� the group leader explained. � You know you�re supposed to bring them to me!� I snarled. � This is a breach of orders!� Drawing my gun, I sighted between the leader�s eyes and fired. He dropped dead. To the rest of the group, I said, � Is there anyone else who thinks that moron did the right thing? You can join him in Hell if you like!� When none of the group members spoke up, I finished with, � Excellent. Now get those bodies out of here.� They hurried to follow orders. � And tomorrow you�ll all be on work detail with the humans!� The leader groaned in pain and rolled over onto his stomach. I pulled out my stiletto and put it in the back of the leader�s neck. The poisonous green blood welled up and I snorted to clear my nose of the rancid odor. I went to the two leftover prisoners who were still chained to the wall and shadowed by its bulk. � What did they do to you?� <--Division 3 Division 5--> |