Chapter 7: Beneath the Ferguson Estate
The Ferguson estate looked exactly the way I remembered it.
Perfect.
That was what frightened me.
The stone walls were spotless. The hedges were trimmed into precise shapes. Warm lights glowed behind tall windows, making the mansion look peaceful against the storm.
But beneath that house, six soldiers had supposedly been held for four years.
I parked two streets away.
Ethan sat beside me, staring at the estate.
“There's another entrance,” he said.
“Where?””
“Behind the old greenhouse.””
Nicholas looked through the windshield.
“My mother never let anyone near that area.””
“Good,” I said.
“Then that's where we're going.””
Abigail reached for my hand.
“Mom, what if Daniel really is down there?””
I squeezed her fingers.
“Then I'm bringing him home.””
Gregory looked at me.
“And the others?””
I didn't answer immediately.
Then I said, “Everyone.””
We left the vehicle one at a time.
The rain had stopped, but the ground was soaked.
Ethan led us through a narrow path behind the property.
At the greenhouse, he stopped beside a stone planter.
“There.””
I saw nothing.
He pressed his palm against the planter's side.
A mechanical click sounded beneath us.
The stone shifted.
A narrow stairway appeared.
Nicholas stared.
“My God.””
Ethan looked at him.
“You've lived here your entire life.””
Nicholas swallowed.
“I didn't know.””
I drew my weapon.
“Stay behind me.””
The stairs descended into darkness.
The air changed immediately.
Cold.
Metallic.
Underground.
At the bottom was a steel corridor.
No dust.
No cobwebs.
Someone still maintained the place.
We moved slowly.
Every few feet, a security camera hung from the ceiling.
I noticed the wires.
“They're active.””
Ethan nodded.
“They know we're here.””
A speaker crackled overhead.
Then a man's voice filled the corridor.
“Colonel Gardner.””
I stopped.
Dr. Adrian Voss.
“You've become remarkably persistent.””
I looked up.
“Come out.””
A soft laugh came through the speaker.
“I'd rather you continue walking.””
“Where are the soldiers?””
“Closer than you think.””
I motioned everyone forward.
The corridor opened into a control room.
Banks of monitors covered the walls.
I stepped inside.
Then froze.
Every screen showed the same thing.
Six separate rooms.
Six steel doors.
Five closed.
One open.
The same photograph I'd received.
Abigail gasped.
“They're real.””
I moved closer to the monitors.
Each room had a bed.
A sink.
A camera.
And a number.
01.
02.
03.
04.
05.
06.
I stared at Room Six.
Empty.
“Where's the sixth soldier?””
Voss answered through the speaker.
“You already know.””
“Daniel.””
“Yes.””
“Where is he?””
“Somewhere else.””
I clenched my jaw.
“Open the doors.””
“No.””
I looked around the control room.
There had to be a manual override.
Ethan pointed toward a console.
“That's it.””
I moved toward it.
A keypad appeared.
Four digits.
I tried 2022.
Red.
Ethan tried 0618.
Red.
Nicholas suddenly spoke.
“Try Abigail's birthday.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because my father used family dates for everything.””
I entered Abigail's birthday.
Green.
The system unlocked.
Every screen flickered.
Then the five steel doors opened simultaneously.
We heard coughing.
A weak voice.
Then another.
“Who…?””
I ran.
Room One was thirty yards down the corridor.
I opened the door.
A man lay on the bed.
Older.
Thinner.
His beard streaked with gray.
But I knew him.
“Marcus Bell.””
His eyes widened.
“Colonel?””
I dropped to my knees.
“Marcus.””
He tried to sit up.
I caught him.
“You came.””
“I said I'd bring you home.””
He looked behind me.
“Who else?””
“Five more rooms.””
His eyes filled with tears.
“Then they're alive.””
I ran to Room Two.
Tyler Shaw.
Room Three.
Aaron Lewis.
Room Four.
Michael Torres.
Room Five.
Daniel's younger brother had never been there.
Instead, it was another soldier I'd thought dead.
Sergeant Cole Mercer.
Five men.
Alive.
Four years stolen from them.
Marcus gripped my wrist.
“Colonel, listen.””
I leaned closer.
“Who did this?””
“Hale.””
“Where is he?””
Marcus shook his head.
“Not just Hale.””
“Who else?””
He looked toward the ceiling camera.
“Voss.””
I turned.
The camera light went dark.
Marcus continued.
“They made us sign things.””
“What things?””
“Statements.””
“About the operation?””
“Yes.””
“What did they say?””
“That you abandoned us.””
My stomach twisted.
“They wanted us to say you ordered the withdrawal.””
“I didn't.””
“We know.””
Marcus coughed.
“But one of us broke.””
“Who?””
He looked toward Room Six.
“Daniel.””
I froze.
“What happened to him?””
“They took him upstairs.””
“Why?””
“Because he refused to sign.””
Ethan entered.
Marcus stared at him.
“Ferguson.””
Ethan nodded.
“You remember.””
Marcus's expression changed.
“You left us.””
“I came back.””
“You were gone.””
“I was captured.””
Marcus stared at him.
Then slowly nodded.
“That's what Daniel said.””
A loud alarm suddenly sounded.
The corridor lights turned red.
Ethan looked at the monitors.
“They're locking the facility.””
Nicholas looked terrified.
“Who?””
“Everyone,” Ethan said.
I looked at the five soldiers.
“Can they walk?””
Marcus answered.
“Some.””
“Then we'll carry the rest.””
Gregory pointed toward a second corridor.
“There.””
A metal door began closing.
Behind it stood a man.
He was tall.
Gray-haired.
Wearing a dark suit.
General Marcus Hale.
He smiled.
“Colonel Gardner.””
I raised my weapon.
“Open the door.””
Hale shook his head.
“You always were difficult.””
“You stole four years from my soldiers.””
“No.””
He smiled.
“I gave them four years to think.””
“Think about what?””
“Truth.””
I stepped forward.
“You murdered people.””
Hale's expression didn't change.
“History will decide that.””
“You're not walking out of here.””
He laughed.
“You still think this is a military operation.””
Then he looked toward Abigail.
His smile disappeared.
“This is a family matter.””
Abigail stepped backward.
Hale pointed at her.
“She was always the key.””
I moved between them.
“You don't go near my daughter.””
Hale looked at me.
“You still don't understand why she was chosen.””
Then he pressed something in his hand.
May you like
The steel door slammed shut.
And the entire underground facility began to shake.
