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“It’s going to take some time to distract him,” said Liffey. “We’ll need at least thirty minutes to get to those kids and get them out. That’s if we don’t have to fight whoever might be on his side like the kid said.”
Sniff looked at his watch. It was ten p.m. Most of the people inside that tunnel room were probably asleep.
“Alex,” he whispered. “Alex, can you hear me?”
“Sshh,” said a little voice. Sniff said nothing, holding his breath as he heard the rustling of fabric and little feet. “Okay, sir. The teachers are outside with the guards again.”
“Did the girl that spoke the other day find out who is betraying us?” he asked.
“It’s the teachers, sir,” said Alex. “Marilisa said she heard them talking about what they would do with their money.”
“It’s me, sir,” said the girl. Sniff could only grin, realizing how young these kids were. “I heard them talking about going their own way once we were turned over to the men buying us. Mr. Sutton thinks that we can figure out how to make the AI do what he wants.”
“Can you?” asked Sniff.
“Of course,” whispered the girl. “We’re geniuses. Didn’t you know?”
“Yes,” he chuckled. “I knew. But you can’t help them. What they’re trying to do could start a war. A very big war.”
“We know. We’re geniuses,” she said again.
“My apologies. I forgot.”
“Anyway, we’ve been putting them off, refusing to do the work, or just messing it up. But the teachers are getting mad, sir. They’re threatening the little ones.”
“Marilisa, I need you to hold on and get the little ones to remain calm. We’re going to get you out of there and somewhere safe.”
“Where is that, sir?” she asked. Sniff was quiet for a moment, the others staring at him, then at the device. “I mean, our families were killed. Some said that their parents sold them to the schools. We don’t have anyone to keep us safe.”
“You do now,” said Liffey. “We’re going to keep you safe. No one will ever use your genius again.”
“I want to believe you, sir. Really, I do. We’ve just been through a lot, and we’re not even old enough to vote or drink yet.” The men chuckled, shaking their heads.
“Stay where you are, and we’re going to get you out. Keep the device close. When it’s time, you’re going to hear a lot of commotion on the outside of the room. Go to the back of the room and huddle together.”
“Yes, sir. Sir?”
“Yes, ma’am?” smirked Sniff.
“Thank you.”
The men in the room were quiet for a long moment, Brooke staring at them as the young girl expressed her thanks because someone actually cared about their futures. Children, whose future was dim just a few days ago, now had a light that they could hopefully focus on and move toward.
“Someone betrayed those children,” said Liffey. “They bought them, sold them, kidnapped them, murdered their parents. All so they could have access to their genius. Those poor kids are probably afraid of their own intelligence.”
“Then let’s make them less afraid,” said Brooke. “But first, let’s get the women and children out of that apartment building.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Matt borrowed a city bus, parking it on the street behind the apartment building. He put the ‘out of service’ sign on the window, then sat and waited for the others to appear. Once he had his passengers on board, he’d be heading out of town and onto the base of Fort Bliss.
With East at the lead, Eazee behind him with Liffey, Sniff, Mo, Bogey, Cowboy, Brooke, and the dogs, they quietly made their way up the stairs. At each floor, they cracked open the door to see empty hallways. Until they reached the eighth floor.
“Three men,” whispered East.
He lay his weapon on the floor, pointing to Eazee. The two men smiled at one another, having pulled this trick more than once. As the others lay flat against the walls of the stairwell, the two men flung open the door, weaving down the hallway.
“Sixty-one bottles of beer on the wall, sixty-nine bottles of beer,” sang East.
