Chapter 225: Scorpion’s plan.
Hades contemplated on his wife’s words. She was right, which was no surprise because she was always right. Eighty percent of the time anyway.
Nobody could give up the safe haven that was Fortress Four. If his wife was not generous, the neighboring bases would not even exist.
But they were not going to give up fortress four without a big fight. If anybody thought that they could waltz in and plant their flags of ownership, they were dead wrong and they would be disappointed.
He would stomp them to death while his wife turned them into meat patties with her hammer.
Sunshine pressed her lips together tightly; she always knew their base would be a target because of where it was positioned and the security measures that they had put in place. In fact, she expected more dangerous people than the marauders to attack them. That is why none of them scared her, only Scorpion.
Augustus’ trembling voice confirmed what she already suspected.
"Scorpion observed every base on this mountain and settled on this one because it is the biggest." he revealed, his voice heavy, broken. "He plans to kill the ones in charge and make it the new home for the brotherhood. After establishing himself firmly, he plans to gather the other members of the brotherhood in the city and bring them here. The other bases will be destroyed or swallowed up until the entire mountain is his territory."
The words landed like a blunt hammer on the room. Carson’s patience snapped, he stood up pushing the chair back with force. Then he took a sharp step forward. "All this crap you are telling me, I already know." He narrowed his gaze at the man. "Stop stalling and tell me what his real plan is. The one which involved sending you in here."
Augustus’ throat bobbed as he swallowed, his surviving hand quivered despite the restraints. "I...I was supposed to use this winter period to observe the base and note down weaknesses. I had to learn what kinds of weapons you have and how many capable soldiers or fighters are inside.
Once I found a way to let them in through the gates or some weak part of the wall, I was to send them a signal....any kind. Start a fire or shoot a flare or play the anthem of the brotherhood loudly on those speakers which you use to tell people to go away."
"I just didn’t realize that the bubble thing covered the entire base and the smoke signal which was easiest would not work. That bitch said it would be easy once I made my way inside. I have been trying hard to think of a way to get around that stupid bubble." His lips curled with contempt, but his voice wavered. "I..." he started and shut his mouth.
"He found a way." Sunshine quietly said, leaning forward.
Carson let out a derisive laugh. "Don’t stop now. I bet your smart brains came up with something. Tell me Augustus how were you going to send the signal?"
Augustus didn’t want to say, but when Carson moved to stand near the liquid nitrogen canister, the words spilled out of his mouth. "Using a flashlight that I stole from one of the soldiers, all I had to do was get to the topmost floor of the watchtower building in the first wall."
Augustus felt angry as he revealed this. Nobody had told them that there were three walls in this base, not just one. If he had known how troublesome it would be, he would not have volunteered to take on the job.
There were too many soldiers, and the people were more alert than he imagined. They also didn’t play fair as they grabbed him secretly in the night and dumped him in prison.
"Ah!" Major Elio clapped once. "That is why he wanted to enter into the second gate? His intention was to get into the inner wall."
Hades let out a sarcastic chuckle. "And all along we thought he was simply mapping the place."
Carson urged Augustus to continue. "And in which direction where you planning on sending this signal? It cannot be random mate, you know where your friends are camping out in the forest."
"The East, that is where they were the last time I was with them. Scorpion has everyone moving around randomly because he is paranoid." Augustus answered meekly.
Carson nodded in understanding. "So, after you send this signal, what was supposed to happen?"
"I would open the gates and the rest....the rest of the group was supposed to come through them. The plan was to either bribe the guards, knock them out or even kill them if I had to. They take a lot of smoke breaks; I also considered drugging a packet of cigars and distributing them."
Augustus’ words spilled in very fast, adding information he did not need to offer as though he had hope to be saved.
A wince came from Carson; his index finger plastered on his lips. "You mentioned a bitch that said it would be easy, was she the one that came up with this plan? Who is she? Has she been here before? I want to know everything about her."
Augustus sneered. He had been tight lipped with information about Scorpion but when it came to that bitch, he had no qualms. She was the one to blame for all of his suffering.
"Fifi Quinn." Augustus growled the name out. "That is what she said her name was. She said that her family owned the base, but her nephew had an evil wife that had stopped her from coming in. I mean I have my doubts because why would her nephew or parents not step in and leave her to suffer out there when her family is in here living like kings and queens?"
At the mention of the name, the air in the chamber turned colder, it was Sunshine’s doing and very unintentional.
Carson was caught off guard and he stared at Augustus intensely as if he was measuring whether what he had said was the truth or a lie.
Hades’ hand balled into a fist so tight that his knuckles whitened, trembling as if they could snap a bone. His jaw flexed. Fury and regret sat deep on his eyes. "That bullet I wasted on the ground should have gone straight through her head."
Sunshine felt the bitterness of her own regret deepened until it lodged in her ribs like ice shards.
That day they let Fifi go; she knew that it would come back to haunt them. She should have ended it then, with an icicle through her treacherous heart.
It was because of the Quinns that were watching that day that she let Fifi go, this was the cost of mercy.
Carson continued to interrogate Augustus. "Fifi did not stay here for long to know anything important. Whatever she told you was all lies."
Dipping his head once, Augustus let out a short sigh. "She told Scorpion about the boss lady’s abilities, and all about the almighty Quinns." He leaned back into the chair, chest heaving. His eyes softened as if believing that he had earned mercy. "That’s it, I have told you everything." He licked his dry lips, then mustered the courage to request for help. "Now can I get a morphine and tetanus shot...please?"