Accident Prone

Max was objecting that any of them go, especially Liz, but no one listened to him and Liz was invigorated by approval from Mia and Hunter. It seemed that Liz will go with or without Max. Of course, Max didn't want to leave Liz on her own, Mia also wanted to come with Liz and Hunter came as Mia's permanent attachment.

Ian provided them with the information that the facility is not big with about twenty soldiers who are permanently stationed there and ten more who are changing on every few days. There are also twelve researchers, one of them is Dr. Thomas. The facility has several buildings. The main building has four underground levels which include numerous labs and living quarters, and the whole facility relies on cameras and other technology to ensure security. They don't have intruders in the middle of the jungle and not many know about its location as it's shared only with a selected few.

Max sent thirty of his men in a private plane, and those men will meet with fifty highly-trained locals (Max used his connections and called in some favors). Other than what Max's men have with them, the locals will also provide weapons and support. That gives them a total of eighty men who will be their extraction team.

The plan is simple: Liz, Max, Mia, and Hunter will meet with Dr. Thomas and when all five of them are in a secure location, they will signal for their men to come and get them out of there.

A few of Max's men are good with electronics and they will be in charge of messing up with surveillance.

They have several exit paths to choose from, depending on the given situation.

On Thursday morning, Liz notified Dr. Thomas that she is coming with her three assistants and even though Dr. Thomas's expression showed panic and disapproval, Liz ignored it and assured Dr. Thomas that everything will be fine. Their plan is thorough and makes sense (on the paper, at least).

Back to the present…

Mia and Hunter chatted for some time and then slept off while holding hands.

Max pulled the privacy screen for him and Liz. They removed armrests between their seats and reclined them so that they can get rest. They still have five hours on this flight and the next day will be stressful.

"Why don't you sleep?", Max asked Liz after some time.

"I'm too nervous to sleep", Liz admitted.

"We can always cancel this and go back." Max had to try.

"You know that I would never forgive myself. Thank you for coming with me."

Max pulled Liz to lean on him and wrapped his arms around her.

"No need to thank me, angel…", Max murmured and kissed the top of Liz's head. "Do your best to sleep because you will need it tomorrow."

Liz smiled and looked up at Max. "You called me an angel."

"Hmm… that is what you are for me. Angel. My peek into heaven."

Liz kissed his chin and placed her head on his chest. The sound of Max's heartbeat mixed with the hum of the plane engine and Liz was slipping off to dreamland.

"I'm sure everything will be fine and this will be a great story that we will tell our grandkids...", Liz mumbled and Max felt that Liz's grip on him loosened and she relaxed. 

Max wanted to shake her and ask her to repeat. Did she say 'grandkids'? Grandkids mean kids as well! She was awake when she said that, right?

He was glad that she slept off, and he didn't want to wake her up. Hopefully, she will repeat it some other time.

The anxiety in Max was swelling with every passing minute. What will he do if…? He forced his thoughts to stop right there because everything will go as planned and tomorrow this time they will be in his private jet, heading to Seattle. All four of them and Dr. Thomas included. Everything will be fine. It has to be. How else are they going to tell tales about their adventures to their grandkids?

…

Two connecting flights and a car ride later, Max, Hunter, Liz, and Mia found themselves in front of a tall iron gate that was wide enough for two vehicles to pass through side-by-side. It had a smaller door in the middle for people to walk through without opening the gate fully.

The facility was surrounded by a concrete wall that had barbed wire on the top and there were machineguns sticking out over the wall, spaced out every ten feet or so.

Only when they reached here, Liz realized that this is serious. So far, she saw the image taken by the satellite from the bird view and blueprints, and she was not sure what to imagine, but this… is real.

How are they going to leave this place with Dr. Thomas? There is a dense jungle all around and the only road that leads to this place is the one they are standing on. Are they supposed to leave through the door, or to jump over the wall? How does a person climb so high? They will be shot before they reach halfway! Sure, there is a rescue team who will lead the way, but they need to get out of here first.

Liz swallowed hard and she did her best to avoid Max's I-told-you-so glare that was hammering the back of her head.

The small door opened and a soldier with a rifle in his hand gave them a questionable look.

"Dr. Williams is here to visit Dr. Thomas. She is expecting me.", Liz said to the soldier who was inspecting the papers Liz handed to him. "These are my associates who collaborated with me on the project that Dr. Thomas is working on."

The soldier gave a small nod and went inside, leaving them to stand out on their own.

"That went well.", Mia said cheerfully.

"What makes you say so?", Liz asked.

"He didn't chase us away or shot us on the spot.", Mia said like it's a totally normal thing.

Liz felt her knees going weak and she glanced at Hunter and Max who looked composed. Is she the only chicken in the group?

'Max was right. I am way over my head. Who am I to play the hero?', Liz scolded herself while knowing that she reached the point of no return.

The door opened again about ten minutes later and three soldiers stepped out.

"Dr. Williams…", one of the three called. "Dr. Thomas is expecting you. Before you go in, we need to check you and your luggage to ensure you are not bringing in anything dangerous. We hope you will cooperate."

"Of course", Liz said right away, and they followed the soldiers through the door, to the room that was on the right.

They went through metal detectors, and their suitcases were checked. Other than toiletries and laptops, the military took away anything that appeared sharp or dangerous. Even their cell phones were confiscated. Hunter frowned when they took his nail clippers away, but he didn't say anything. They already guessed that everything will be taken away, and their luggage was filled with things they purchased only for this occasion.

After security, they were shown to two rooms. Military assigned one for Liz and Mia and another one for Max and Hunter, not knowing that they are couples, and they were not foolish enough to reveal that fact.

"Dr. Thomas will come and see you shortly", the soldier told Liz and Mia before he closed the door behind him, leaving Liz and Mia on their own in the room.

Liz sat on the bed and glanced around. She immediately saw a camera in the upper corner of the room.

"Are they supposed to watch us sleeping?", Liz asked Mia.

Mia shrugged. "Don't be surprised if there is one in the bathroom."

Liz made a face. "I think I will skip the shower today."

Mia laid on the second bed. "You can shower but run the hot water first to steam up the place. That will get any glass surface foggy and spoil their show. We should wait for Dr. Thomas. I hope we get some food. It would be nice to chat over a meal in the canteen."

Liz understood that other than being a glutton, Mia reminded her that everything is being monitored and their best bet on talking without being eavesdropped on is to do it in the canteen which is big and noisy. The other option was to go somewhere for a walk, outside preferably, but they were not sure if that is an option. After coming here and seeing the wall, the barbed wire, and iron gate, and soldiers with guns… the possibility of a stroll in nature is crossed off the list. The positive thing is that so far they noticed security check only at the entrance to the base, and only the main entry door of the building required a passcode.

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