The Immortals – Part VI

In our last episode, Colonel Parker of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has determined that Lieutenant Colonel Candace Dare was framed for murder and kidnapped. The chief suspect is Horst Von Zorm, son of Herbst Von Zorm, whom Colonel thwarted is a plot to overthrow the world. Colonel Parker and General Dan Fitzhugh are organizing a rescue team to search the wilds of Colorado for any evidence of Candice Dare’s whereabouts.

Candace Dare awoke with a start due to the air circulating system. She lay in the bed, its first occupant having been disposed of. Her thigh ached where the tranquilizing dart struck her. It must have torn muscle, she thought as she rubbed it. Her back also throbbed.

She felt for the pain. It hurt most on her lower back, right over her liver. She shuddered thinking what they must have injected her with. She rolled on her side with the intention of walking off the muscle injury. A wave of dizziness rolled over her as she sat on the edge of her bed.

She felt a cold dampness one her skin, as if she had some sort of flu. My body must be reacting to whatever they injected me with, she reasoned. All the more reason to stand.

She leaned forward and tried to stand. She grabbed her thigh and fell back on the bed. As much as she wanted to, she did not allow herself to scream. She stretched out her leg a couple of times, trying to loosen it up. She slid towards the bottom of the bed, with the idea of using the wall for support.

With her good leg, she propelled herself towards the wall. She leaned against the wall, using her undamaged right leg. Her left leg bore no weight. She slid along the cold concrete block wall. Occasionally, she would touch her left foot to the ground, exploring the idea of walking normally. A quick grimace told the results of those experiments.

Once she reached the door, she examined the lock. She looked at how the black wire mesh was attached to the high polished steel bars. If she had something to use, she wouldn’t be able to pick the lock. She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor. How am I going to get out of here?

She looked at the lighting. Steel chains suspended steel cages with strong bright white bulbs. The ceiling seemed to be larger than two stories. Everywhere were supports and struts. Are we underground?

She felt a rising sense of hopelessness. I don’t want to die here! She remembered the time she was trapped during the War. She was being question in an underground bunker by a Colonel from the SS. The capture was planned, but she thought the rescue took too long. She shook her head. No! I will not dwell in the past.

She pulled herself up, using the bar. She turned and forced herself to walk to the bunk, without using the walls for support. Step by agonizing step she worked her way to the bed.

Gasping, and sweating she stopped at the sink. She splashed cold water on her face. A metal drinking cup hung on a wire cable. She filled and gulped it down. She noticed the mineral taste. Her vision blurred and she felt blackness return.

***

It was still daylight as the plane approached Fort Carson. General Fitzhugh asked the pilot how much fuel was available. After hearing he had about an hour and a half, he asked the pilot to travel west of Fort Carson. He pointed an area on the map and wanted to circle that area.

“Do you want to get lower, Sir?” the pilot asked.

“Not too low, Major. I just want to get an overview of the area.”

Fitzhugh walked to the passenger cabin. He sat next to Emily Rogers.

“OK, Emily, the pilot is going to fly a little west of where we’re going.” Fitzhugh rolled out a map. He put his finger on a dot. “This is Fort Carson, Emily. We are going to look to the west, in the mountains. We believe we are looking for a facility in this area. Unfortunately, it might be underground. I need you to use your extra sensitive vision and see if you see anything unusual.”

“What am I looking for, General?”

“If you see any buildings or cars setting in the middle of nowhere. Maybe a road that leads to a dead end. Something that you might not expect to see in the middle of a mountain range.”

Emily sighed. “I’ll do my best. What’s this all about?”

Fitzhugh hesitated, not wanting to tell Emily the truth. He knew Dare would never lie to Emily, especially since she was infected with the experimental green slime. Emily was discovering what the experimental material could do. Fitzhugh knew that it made her eyes sharper than even the highest magnification available today.

“Emily, I’m not going to lie to you. Our friend, Candice Dare was kidnapped. We think she is being held in a secret lab and that there are weird experiments being done to her. I hope we can get to her before it’s too late. It might take us weeks to search that area, which I know we don’t have. I hope you can see something and help us find where they are holding Colonel Dare.”

Fitzhugh watched the fear on Emily’s face. The fear soon gave away to resolve. She replied, “Tell me where to look, General.”

***

The bright white lights caused Dare’s eyes to open.

“Ah, Colonel Dare, you are back with us,” Von Zorm said. She saw he was wearing a surgical mask. She tried to see where she was.

“You are quite immobile at the moment. You are fully a wake and able to feel everything, but you cannot speak or move. Don’t worry, it will wear off soon. You will thank me later for not having to deal with another dart puncture.”

Dare tried to say something, but her lips refused to work.

She heard Von Zorm give an order in German. Another figure went past her. She heard a cranking sound and she began to roll sideways.

“Marvelous invention, is it not Colonel? It was an idea from my father’s former boss, Dr. Mengele. He is quite interested in our research here. Perhaps one day, we’ll sneak him into the US and you can meet him in person.” Von Zorm chuckled.

The turning stopped. Dare was on her side staring at the wall. She could see she was inside some sort of laboratory or operating room.

“This may pinch just a little,” Von Zorm kept his running commentary.

The needle tore into her back. She wanted to scream from the pain, but nothing worked. She felt the liquid from the injection pushing into her organs. After an eternity the needle was withdrawn. Another order given and the cranking resumed, returning her to a flat position.

Von Zorm‘s face floated again above her. He removed the mask and smiled. “Very good, Fraulein Colonel. We gave you the last two antibodies before the Immortality Serum.”

He began to make a big show about re-buttoning her jumpsuit. He leaned over and smiled.

Dare tried to spit in his face, but could only drool.

***

“General, are there many rock slides out here?”

“I imagine, Emily. Why do you ask?”

“I see a big pile of rocks, near that cleft in the mountains. I’m not sure it looks right, but I don’t really know.”

“Is there anything else?”

“It looks like the rockslide blocks a dirt road, General. But the road doesn’t continue after the slide.”

Fitzhugh smiled. The road wouldn’t continue if it went to an underground base. “Show me on the map, Emily.”

Emily looked out the window. She looked at the map and tried to line it up with what she saw. She placed her finger on a point. “Right here.”

“Are you sure?”

Fitzhugh felt Emily’s eyes bore through him. “Right here,” she r