Line of Fire (A Stitchers Fan Fiction- Book 1)

Chapter 7: How's it Feel?

(A few short minutes after the lab ambush)

Camille began to pace around the safe room of the laboratory as Maggie checked the reinforcements of the steel sound-proof door separating them from the assailant who infiltrated the lab. Linus was holding his head in his hands and occasionally rubbing a hand through his bushy black hair. Maggie came strutting back towards the pair looking grim.

"Any sign from Kirsten or Cameron?" she said pointedly. Camille stopped pacing and glared at Maggie.

"Wouldn't you think I would tell you if I heard anything?" she snapped irritably. Maggie just sighed and adjusted her gaze towards the ground. Linus's eyes dashed between the two women and then rested them on the door.

"Maggie, explain to me this. Kirsten and Cameron could be being attacked right now a few feet from us and all we do is stand here and hope that they come waltzing through that door. What kind of logic is that?" Camille shot angrily.

Maggie rubbed her forehead with her right hand. "Camille, if I knew the answer to that question, wouldn't I tell you? We can't risk the entire Program's work by sending a search party out there and possibly get caught ourselves."

"But they're our friends, not just colleagues Maggie!"

"Camille, I'm sorry but these are the kinds of decisions we have to make."

"Right, choosing a lousy program over our friends' safety and protection. Yeah, that sounds about right." Camille sneered sarcastically as she stalked off towards a dark corner of the safe room. Linus followed closely behind her as Maggie now began to do the pacing.

***

Camille slumped against the chilly concrete wall and sank down onto the floor just as Linus caught up and knelt beside her. He studied her face, which was shiny with tears. Camille looked up at him and snorted.

"How come you're so calm? Aren't you worrying about your Man of Science?" she snapped, then put her face in her hands and stroked her hair clearly feeling stressed. Linus let out a breath he was not aware he was holding in.

"Camille, I'm scared too, like mega scared." Linus said defensively. Camille lifted her eyes to meet his and gave him a furious look.

"Then why are you going along with this crap Linus! Sitting here and waiting for the Wonder Twins to return when we should be helping them!" she shouted maliciously, making Linus jump, "It just makes me sick inside."

"If I knew how to get out of here, I would go happily, but with Maggie puppy-guarding that door there's no way out of here." Linus retorted. Camille just looked up at him with a hardened expression.

Suddenly, an earsplitting alarm sounded throughout the safe room, making everyone hold their ears tightly. Camille stood up along with Linus, frantically searching for Maggie who came running up to them instead.

"Why is the frickin' lockdown alarm sounding!" Maggie shouted angrily at them. Linus and Camille exchanged fearful glances. Camille then turned pointedly to Maggie.

"If you're implying that I sounded it, you're not a very good liar FYI!"

"Something must be going on in the lab. We'll go check it out!" Linus said hastily motioning to the door.

"No! You two are not going anywhere!" Maggie said. Camille raised her eyebrows at her.

"What are you going to do? Put us in time-out?"

"Stop it, both of you! God, why won't something go right for a change!" Maggie shouted hotly staring at the red flashes lighting up the room like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

"If either of you try and follow, so help me, you two will be the next corpses we stitch into." Maggie snapped fiercely as she grabbed a bullet proof vest off of a spare hook and ventured out of the safe room. Camille and Linus quickly caught a glimpse of each other before they ran for the door in sync. Linus propped it open with his foot and the pair slipped outside into a dark corridor.

Camille began to sprint towards Maggie's office door towards the main entrance of the lab when Linus grabbed her wrist.

"Linus, let go!" Camille shouted as she pulled both of them towards the door.

"Camille, what if this is part of this guy's plan. We try and go save Cameron and Kirsten and they die because we take this risk." Linus said bluntly. Camille violently shook Linus's grip and turned to face him with tears welling in her eyes.

"And what if they die because we didn't take the chance?" Linus glared at Camille, tears filling his own eyes, "Are you with me or not? I'm going no matter what you're answer is." Linus nodded slowly and glanced at the exit door, where shadows of Maggie roamed the upper floors.

"Let's go get em." he mumbled as Camille smirked at him and gave him a brief hug.

That's all that Cameron could witness from the dark corner that Liam was holding him hostage in in the corridor, the switchblade still digging into his throat. He could feel a shaky breath escape him as Linus and Camille exited into Maggie's office and snuck through the lab towards the elevator. Cameron's head spun with guilt. If only he could just call out to them.....to let them know he's right here.....

Liam's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as he hissed viciously, making Cameron's heart rate accelerate.

"How's it feel Goodkin, to know that your friends are just out of reach. How's it feel to know you're being played, double crossed. You could have let them know you were right there with them, watching them, mocking them. How's it feel to watch your friends have the courage to die for you and Kirsten as you watch helplessly from the sidelines, not being able to be there to save Kirsten when she needs you the most."

Cameron began to thrash violently, making Liam's knife cut into his skin. But that wasn't important, nothing was important anymore. Kirsten was the only person that was important right now, to keep her safe. And he failed, he failed on an epic scale.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I'm the one holding the weapon, remember?" Liam hissed. Cameron momentarily stopped. The pain from the fresh cut on his throat made his head throb as he slowly fell unconscious from the blood loss. All he could think about was Kirsten, Linus and Camille as blackness enveloped him. One phrase kept repeating itself as he slowly went limp. He failed to keep Kirsten safe, just like Marta.

I hope you like Chapter 7! I enjoyed writing it to feed your inner love of Stitchers! Just to clarify, The lockdown alarm was issued by Liam. During Camille and Linus's chat outside the safe room, Liam and Cameron were watching from a dark corner in the same corridor. Cameron was being held at knifepoint, forced to listen to Linus and Camille's plan to try and rescue him and Kirsten.
I'm sorry for not posting sooner. With school starting and sport commitments, I've had very little time to update, but I finally got the chance! Enjoy Chapter 7, Chapter 8 coming soon!😉