I stared at the scene below. The rocket lay on its side, the front tip mere inches from the cave wall, the slightly wider base with its multi-booster canisters at the opposite end of the room.
I had never seen a rocket close up before. I was fascinated by its size and repulsed at the thought of its possible uses.
Turning then, I stared at Miles’ profile. He watched the proceedings below in an intense interested manner. His eyes carefully surveyed the entire scene, watching each man work.
His hand tightened around mind. “Well Bess, what do you think of all this?”
“What’s it for Miles? What are you going to do with that rocket?”
An agonised scream rang out. Miles cursed under his breath. I followed the direction of his gaze. Horrified, I watched as the whip struck, leaving skin torn on the back of a man strapped spread-eagled on a vertical triangle. The fourth landed on the bloodied body, criss-crossing the others. He screamed, writing in pain.
“Martin? Oh my God! Martin!” I pulled my hand from Miles’ grip, then ran down the narrow stairway and raced across the chaotic cave floor to him. Two guards stepped in front barring my way. As I tried to push through them, they grabbed my arms pinning them behind my body.
“Let me go!” At my anguished scream, Martin turned his head.
“Bess. Bess is that you?”
“Yes Martin. It’s me.”
“Don’t worry Bess. It looks worse than it feels.” His tiny smile was short-lived as the whip landed again. All that escaped Martin was a groan followed by laboured breathing that hissed from his body.
My scream bounced off the walls. I hadn’t seen Miles arrive at my side, but his hard slap to my face left me in no doubt he was seriously angry.
“Tie her.” His curt order yielded instant results.
I struggled as one guard held me while the other bound my hands. The tie cut into the skin around my wrists but the blood oozing from Martin’s back overrode any pain I felt.
“Why are you doing this to him? What’s Martin done that deserves this kind of punishment?” I demanded answers from him.
Martin answered before Miles could speak. “I pissed him off a bit Bess.” I think he laughed then, but the whip landed and the odd gurgle sounded more like a pained moan.
“He caught me while you were swimming and washing yesterday. He knocked me out then dragged me here. He wasn’t happy when I let him know his precious secret would be common knowledge soon.”
The whip landed again. Martin grunted.
“Shut him up,” Miles growled.
“It’s too late Miles. They’ll be here soon no matter what you do to me.”
“Gag him now!” Miles demanded. A guard leapt forward tying a filthy piece of material around Martin’s mouth. His eyes glittered with hatred as the whip split his skin again.
“Are you insane?” I screamed at Miles.
“Hell yes.” His sneering laugh chilled me to the bone. “But I’m alive, and I’ll still be alive in ten years time unlike the majority of the world’s population.” He ran one fingertip along my jawbone, then traced my lower lip. “If you play your cards right Bess, you’ll still be alive too.” Repulsed at his touch I bit his finger hard.
“You bitch! You’ll pay for that! Give him another twenty!” He barked out the order to the whipper.
“No! Punish me! Not Martin! Me! He didn’t do anything. Oh Martin, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…” The whip landed but the grunt never came. Martin had passed out.
Disgusted, Miles snorted and walked away. The guard shoved me forward. I followed, my mind spinning back to Martin’s words. He’d said ‘they’d’ be here soon. I wondered who he meant. Before I could think the thought through, I found myself pushed into a room foreign to the stinking hot barrenness of the cave rooms.
I stood gaping until the guard shoved me further into the room. The silence was incredible as he shut the doors. It was painful after so much noise.
“Welcome to my home,” Miles smiled as he walked across plush cream carpet to the drinks cabinet. He poured himself a whiskey and stood contemplating the contents of the glass.
I was too stunned to utter a word. The room was fantastic. The instant temperature drop had me shivering as my sweat soaked body cooled rapidly. An enormous tropical fish tank stretched the length of one wall. The pump inside was the only other noise in the room. Dozens of bright coloured fish gently glided through the rocks and plant-life. It was odd to feel the beginning stage of relaxation.
“Will you untie me?” I asked, our eyes meeting over the wet rim of his glass.
“You realise there’s no point running, no point tying to leave me, don’t you?” He sipped his whiskey.
“Yes I realise that.” I figured I’d be able to escape at some point, but it’d be easier if I complied with the madman’s wishes for the moment.
A slight nod and the guard cut the tie with his knife.
“You stink. The shower is through there, use it.”
I bit my tongue hard to stop from making a smart comment back at him. It was anger that brought the hot flush to my face. The guard pushed me across the room through a door. He pulled it shut behind me.