The Prison is Leveled.

by michaelcahill

Background
Kidnapped children, part of trafficking ring are the target of the Bard and his fellow detectives. We find him now trapped with some of these children with little hope of escape. But, we shall see!

Previously, the evacuation of the children began. The first two buses came and left with eighty-six children aboard rescued and on their way to safety. The third bus, however, arrived with a hail of gunfire. The FBI agent barely made it inside the prison facilities wounded but alive. Tenaya's demands fell on deaf ears. Unbeknownst to her, Sgt. Petticoat had found the millions in ransom money left by Barry in his office. The good Sargeants priorities had changed considerably. The bombing of the prison commenced and in short order the prison was reduced to rubble. The Bard, sensing the attack, had ushered everyone into the abandoned silver mine and for the time being to some kind of safety. They were, however, cut off and trapped in the mine. We continue the story now as they contemplate a way out.

Tenaya grabbed the keys from Lucy. She opened Barry's cell knocking Susan on the ground as she rose from her bunk. She grabbed Barry by his shirt and pulled him up. "You're gonna take charge and call off this attack. Get it?" She took out her revolver and put it to his head.

"I don't think I'm gonna do that, bitch."

Lucy cocked the trigger, "Fine with me."

"Wait. Don't go crazy. Without me, what chance do you have?"

"I'll figure something out." Lucy smashed the barrel into Barry's head and he slumped to the ground.

She called Fluffy over. "The commander needs medical aid. You're a hostage. They just want to free the children, can you handle that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Tenaya glared at Susan as she handed the phone to Fluffy. Susan sat on the floor in silence. She didn't even glance at Barry.

"This is Private McMurphy, sir. The Commander requires medical attention and the rest of the friendlies have been taken hostage. They are only asking safe passage with the children. No, sir. A blow to the head… pistol-whipped, sir. They're private, sir. Detectives. I don't know… no… no… no one has said anything about FBI… none of that. Just kids, sir. These kids are sick, sir. They don't belong here."

Tenaya grabbed the phone as Fluffy held it out to her. "What? Nope. Nope… I'm not negotiating. We're taking these kids out of here. You want to be involved? That's fine we'll add your name to the charges. If you know nothing about this and want to co-operate… well, we'll make note of that too."

A huge explosion knocked the front doors off their hinges leaving a huge hole in their place. Everyone inside with a weapon opened fire on the entrance. No one was coming… yet. As it stood now, there were the three detectives, three recruits to the cause including Fluffy, nine prisoners considered sympathetic, the wounded FBI agent and Lincoln. There were eleven children left including Lincoln's three granddaughters. Along with that was Barry, Susan and the two prisoners they didn't trust who were locked in cells.

Tenaya still had the phone in her hand. "Are you still there? What the hell is going on. You want war? Is that your answer? The FBI and the U.S. Marines are on their way, if you want to go out like that. We're willing to drive out of here and leave you be, your call."

Another loud explosion occurred close to the front door but to the right. The hole grew larger. This time the people inside held their fire. No advances were made, yet.

"Sir, I need an answer. What? Crap. No one's on the phone. Just chaos in the background. I don't like it."

The Bard eyed the situation. "Everybody to the back. They're going to attack! Leave the prisoners in their cells. Build a blockade with this furniture. Everybody. Good. Now all the way to the back. Hurry."

They all rushed to the back of the facilities. As they looked back, huge explosions began pummeling the front of the structure. The front seemed to disappear.

Sgt. Petticoat looked at the pile of rubble that until five minutes ago had been the compounds prison facility. The bombing resembled the "shock and awe" that George H. once rained down in the Middle East years ago. He clutched the suitcase he found in Barry's office. This makes it all worth it. What the hell do I need with any of this? There's millions in here. We can't help it if we were attacked. Not a shred of evidence to dispute our claim… then… I'm gone.

The bodies of the prisoners that remained locked in their cells where somewhat intact. Barry and Susan's body were identifiable. The cell they were in was up against the mountain and had better protection than the other cells. In fact, Barry was still alive, though smart enough not to move just yet. The two prisoners would be more difficult, but there were enough remains to find their identity eventually.

There wasn't a shred of any other individual in the rest of the facility. Apparently, none of the others was in a cell and felt the full force of the bombing without any protection whatsoever. But to not find even a hair was strange indeed.

The silver mine had come in handy indeed. The Bard knew from experience that an attack was underway. He had everyone running into that mine before the first bomb hit the rear of the facility. No one was injured. However, the bad news was, they were completely sealed in with no apparent way out. The entrance, even if they wanted to try and fight their way out, consisted of a wall of debris that not even light could enter. If there was another way out, they hadn't discovered it yet.

The children's level of fear escalated to where it became difficult to control. They had to control it. The longer they went undetected the better. The Bard made up silly songs and taught them to the children, but they had to whisper them or the Bard would pick them up and run in circles with them. Great fun!

The Bard spoke to Tenaya by the light of her cell phone. "I have to find a place where we can at least get a signal. We are dead ducks waiting for a spaniel here. We are safe in a way. They can't reach us anymore than we can get out. But, there are things they can do… pump in gas… more bombs."

Tenaya seemed pensive. "This isn't total darkness. The air is dank, but it is not running out. There's a source. I've been exploring caves since I was a little girl. This may not have an exit, but it isn't completely cut off from the outside. I'm going with you. Lucy, you're with us. This is like basic training in Chantry Flats. Everyone, gather round. We're going to look for a way out. If we can't find one, we're going to at least find a spot where we can get a signal."

Lincoln spoke up, "We have a little food that we grabbed on the way in, but we aren't equipped for the long haul here. We've got an injured man too. What should we do? We can't start digging out. The bad guys are on the other side. What about going deeper inside the cave?"

The Bard answered. "I think maybe you have something. The more distance you put between you and those fools, the better. But, you have to be quiet and you have to be careful. This mine hasn't been worked since the fifties from what they were saying. Danger! Danger, Will Robinson." The kids had no idea what the reference was, but it amused them when the Bard started waving his arms around in a silly way. "Go ahead and slowly go inside. Try to follow a path that looks traveled. If you see something that looks promising as far as a side route goes then send a small party to explore. Then come back and make notes. Write it all down. We could get lost in here. This thing is huge. Okay, let's do this.

a small rag tag band of merry men
had to be twenty if it was ten
goofy adults and kiddies too
and a dude called the Bard straight from the ZOO!"

Somehow, everyone went on their way with a little smile on their faces.

~~~~~~~~~~~Outside the cave

Sgt. Petticoat looked at the rubble piled in front of the abandoned silver mine. "They escaped in there. That's why there are no remains. I want maps of this mine. I want to know everything about it. This is going to be their tomb. Get… just a ridiculous amount of C4 and seal this entrance. I don't want a fart escaping from there. If you can think of a way to collapse the whole damn thing there might be a promotion involved."

~~~~~~~Temporary command post in the Utah Forest about five miles from Winston's compound.

Medics, soldiers and FBI personnel were busy taking care of children and making plans to rescue survivors, if there were any, from Winston's compound.

Landon Dell took Harpster to the side. "Look, this isn't a matter of money or resources, old friend. Slater did some work for me in Pakistan that I can't even talk about. Let's just say, this country owes him. I know these people are friends. Dammit, if you don't think the United States of America wouldn't like to rescue some underprivileged kids from the hands of monsters then you haven't been watching the polls. Okay, look, we’ve saved eighty-six kids. I don't know what happened with that last bus, but that prison is a pile of rubble. I don't see how anyone in there is alive. If they managed to escape… well, where the hell would they escape too? They're in the middle of unfriendlies armed to the teeth. Well, if anyone could find a way out, it's Slater. Hey, what did you call him? Bart?"

"The Bard."

"Ha! Yep, that's perfect. He used to go into battle makin' up poetry… good stuff too. Our guys would get all jacked up hearing it." Dell crouched down as if sneaking up on a position. He spoke in a hushed voice.

"Fear was coming to call, we brought it wrapped in destiny to an enemy that could smell their own defeat."

Corporal Dell laughed with a grim expression on his face. "Hell yes, it inspired the hell out of us. We're going in after him. Either to find him or by God, avenge him!"

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Finally a large number of children are delivered to safety. But several are trapped along with the Bard, Lucy and Tenaya in an abandoned silver mine. Mercenaries led by a man with 22 million reasons for them not being rescued stands in their way. Any suggestions? Your help as always is appreciated. Great input has kept me on track and afloat. Thank you so much.

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michaelcahill has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.

Many children are rescued, but some are trapped.

A chapter in the book Bel Air: A Bard's Guide

The Prison is Leveled.

by michaelcahill

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