“Argon warriors will see him as beneath them. They have no problem initiating deception, but it would be an affront to their honour, dignity, and courage to rely upon a traitor to beat their enemy.”
That was going to make the decision more difficult. Should they abandon the man to his fate, probably sentencing him to being ripped apart, or should they save him, potentially only putting off the same fate by a few hours, maybe only a few minutes? Samuel agreed with his sister.
“If he’s not with the Argons, then we have a duty to save him. A human and moral duty. We can’t just leave him out there to die.”
Jason knew that he had to bring up the elephant in the room, an elephant that only he and Enak knew about.
“You may change your minds in a minute.”
Sitara was in agreement with the Amish siblings.
“I agree with Samuel and Miriam. Human life is sacred, especially now. If we can save him, we must. We have to at least try.”
Normally Jason would have agreed with them, but – armed with additional knowledge – part of him knew that they couldn’t trust the man.
“The man is Triggs.”
Sitara was the first to react.
“Triggs? Are you sure?”
“Both Enak and I have identified him. It’s Triggs alright.”
Marine Geek interrupted them.
“You’ll have to make a decision quickly, or it’ll be too late either way. He’s getting closer.”
Samuel held his sister’s hand.
“I think Miriam should decide. After all, it was her that they were going to rape.”
Miriam glared at her brother.
“How can you leave it all up to me? I’m not going to live – if I carry on living – with that on my conscience alone.”
The clock was ticking by. A decision had to be made. It sounded callous, but Jason had a way to force a decision, one way or another.
“Rock, paper, scissors?”
Sitara and the Amish turned towards their friend. Sitara couldn’t believe her ears.
“Rock, paper, scissors? Are you seriously suggesting we should leave this decision to a game of chance? You’ll be suggesting rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock next.”
Miriam wasn’t happy, but someone had to make a decision.
“Bring him in.”
Jason was glad someone had bitten the bullet.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure. If nothing else he’ll increase our manpower by one.”
“Ok, then.”
Jason addressed the Marine.
“Who’s the fittest of you four, Geeky? I mean, who can get downstairs quickest?”
“That’ll be Spinks. He runs up and down skyscrapers for charity.”
“Go and fetch him, please.”
Marine Geek rushed to the other side of the building and returned with his colleague. Jason explained what he needed.
“I want you to run downstairs – leave your kit here, but take your weapon – and grab a guy – a human guy – as he arrives at front of the building. Treat him as a prisoner and bring him up here. We’re rescuing him, but he may not see it that way. And be careful – he’s a slippery character.”
Marine Spinks was happy to be doing something more active at last.
“I’ll go fetch him now. Leave it to me.”
Ten minutes later, Marine Spinks watched as Triggs approached the building. The guy was an absolute mess, dishevelled, unshaven, and unmistakably in need of a good meal or two. He’d just passed the door of the building, when he felt a rifle nozzle being pressed against his back. Ordinarily he would have put up some resistance, but he was too tired and too demoralized to do anything other than to give in to whoever was behind him. A voice behind him spoke sharply.
“You Triggs?”
“Who’s askin’?”
“Marine Jeremy Spinks, 1st Battalion, 10th United States Marine Corps. And you, my friend, are under arrest. What’s your name, fella?”
“Daniel Trigger Esquire, at your service. Under arrest? Why? What’ve I done?”
“Probably plenty. But all I know is that I have orders to take you upstairs.”
Triggs couldn’t be bothered to resist.
“Well alright then. I have nothing better to do this fine night.”
“Put your hands behind your back.”
“Now, I’m afraid I can’t do you that favour.”
“It’s not a favour, it’s an order.”
“Well, I can’t follow that order, Marine Spinks, on account of I only got one hand. Indeed, I only have one arm as it happens.”
Spinks looked at Triggs’s jacket sleeve. His left arm was certainly hanging strangely, and there was no hand visible. Just to be certain, he felt the sleeve. It was indeed empty, making the Marine’s handcuffs irrelevant. He prodded his prisoner with his rifle.
“I hope you’re feeling fit ‘cos we have thirty-three flights of stairs to climb. But I’m sure they’ll give you some water when we get to the top.”
“No elevator?”
“No power.”
As they started to climb the stairs, Triggs all the time with the rifle pointing at his back, the prisoner weighed up his chances of escape. Maybe he could have overpowered his captor if he’d had two good arms, but with one arm? This was a trained combat Marine walking up the steps behind him. A Marine with a gun.
Approaching the sixteenth floor Spinks allowed Triggs a few minutes rest. The man was clearly not in the best of condition, and he didn’t want to kill him unless it was absolutely necessary. Spinks stayed on his feet, covering Triggs with his rifle, while his captive sat down on a step for a couple of minutes. He gestured to Triggs’s lifeless sleeve with his rifle.
“So. Your arm. How did you lose it? Or have you always only had one arm?”
“Nope. Was born with two. Always had two. Till a couple of days ago.”
“So what happened?”
“Ran into some of them there cavemen. They got the jump on us. Me, my pal, and my boy, Shaun.”
Triggs suddenly stopped his story, as he remembered watching his son die before his very eyes. He wiped a solitary tear away from his eye with his good hand.
“One of them there Captain Cavemen grabbed hold of my arm and ripped it clean off. I don’t know how I managed it, but I ran as fast as I could, only lookin’ back once to see the guy standing there lookin’ my severed arm up an’ down. Looked like he was fixin’ to eat it.”
“But you survived.”
“Clearly did. I ran an’ ran until I felt I’d given them the slip. Then I made me a fire and cauter-, cauter-“
“Cauterized.”
“That’s the word. I cauterized it. Did a mighty fine job too. Still smells a bit of burning flesh though. You can smell the stump if you like.”
The Marine refused the kind offer and the two carried on climbing the staircase.
Eventually they arrived at the thirty-third floor and Spinks pushed his captive through the exit door and to the right towards the entrance lobby. Everybody was awake and waiting to see who the Marine had brought back with him. Triggs shuffled forward, recognising some faces.
“Well, well, well. If it ain’t the Brit, Captain Caveman, them two Amish kids, and the dark lady. Where’s your folks, Amish kids?”
Samuel felt the hackles go up on his spine.
“They’re dead.”
Triggs actually seemed sorry to hear the news.
“Well, I’m saddened to hear that news. I really mean that. Me and my guys had no intention of killing anyone. We just wanted a li’l fun. Y’know, a li’l bit of fun.”
Miriam gritted her teeth. Maybe she should have left him to die. Jason stepped forward.
“The only reason you’re here is to add to our numbers if we have to fight.”
Triggs moved his shoulder to allow his sleeve to flap freely.
“Well, Mister Britboy, I’ll do my best but I’m a l’il bit hindered nowadays.”