Page 18 of The General’s Captive (The Rift #1)

Commander Marian Taylor

Achievements –

Bronze Star with Valor - earned through bravery in combat.

Silver Star with Valor - led a counterattack under heavy fire.

Distinguished Flying Cross - pilot of the helicopter that rescued soldiers in conflict zone.

Personality traits – Bitter, power hungry, quick tempered. (So basically, a grade A bitch)

has grown complacent since her taking command.

Kill class – two (Ok, she’s not a Myth but daaaaamn, she’s got the attitude of one!)

Notes - Don’t ever make the mistake of calling her Marian, or the last thing you’ll see might be a bullet coming toward you.

E very morning a mandatory meeting was held that covered the inner workings of the base.

Anything from supply runs, scheduling shifts, and assigning jobs, to defenses in need of upgrading, anything that needed fixing around the base, or even civilian disputes.

And of course, these included attack protocols.

The plans had remained the same since I had turned up at the base, two and half years ago, which was essentially, to stay and fight.

But that was before civilians had turned up, and while most were trained to fight, there were those that couldn’t.

Children and the elderly, mainly, with a few that physically couldn’t due to injuries sustained in action.

“Plans can change!” Riley yelled, his fists pounding hard on the table we were all positioned around. The large map of the town and the surrounding area was, as always, spread out in the middle.

I wasn’t surprised by Riley’s outburst as he had been trying to change this protocol for a while now.

But the council’s stance always remained the same, that if we lost the base, we would all be finished.

That we had worked too hard making this base a secure place to live and we were to defend it at all costs.

Something I understood, but Riley was right, now things were different.

We had those that couldn’t fight to think about and innocent lives depending on us.

I reached over and took his hand in mine, hoping my touch would ground him.

His shoulders dropped and his tensed knuckles returned to a healthy color, although the dirt and dried blood remained.

Because Riley hadn’t taken even a minute to wash his hands before he was storming in here and taking everyone by surprise.

Six people made up the council, including Riley and myself.

And despite how mercenary it sounded, when one died, another took their place, based on the level of training and how long they had been here.

Although there were some, like Rodriguez, who wanted no part in the decision making and, honestly, I hadn’t blamed him.

Had I not been the one to gather all the information I knew would help, then I wouldn’t have wanted to take a place around this table, either.

In fact, the only reason I did was because Riley asked me.

He convinced me I would be an asset and, well, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do for him.

“Officer Brooks, I understand you are in distress, but I must remind you who you are talking to.” Commander Taylor said, her gray eyebrows pulled in tight. It wasn’t a secret between Riley and I that we didn’t like the bitch.

At first, I had been surprised coming here and seeing there was a female on the council, but also happy that it wasn’t all men like I had half expected.

But not so much now, especially after realizing she was more about power than anything else.

Which, unfortunately, meant she had only grown more power hungry over the years.

Even more so after she took over the position of Commander after Harris had died during an attack.

These days, she fought in those attacks less and less, and everyone had noticed.

Riley gritted his teeth at her tone, but he kept quiet… although it didn’t last long.

“What you have just told us is concerning, yes, but I believe in our defenses, and I have faith in…”

“No offence, Commander, but it’s been a long time since you have been beyond these walls and seen for yourself how powerful the General is,” Riley bit back, and we all knew it was a low blow but even still, he wasn’t wrong.

Which was why she flinched like she had received his words physically before her face hardened. Her short gray bob cut jerking back from her slim face.

“Careful, Officer Brooks, as that is the last time you will interrupt me,” She threatened before trying to defend herself.

“Besides, I know enough that should we leave this place we are all dead and, here, we have strength in numbers. But you are asking us to divide those numbers to escort civilians away from here, which will put us at a disadvantage, one that could tip the scales of victory. So, the answer is no, and as the appointed commander of this base, I outrank you.”

Riley’s jaw clenched in response.

Commander Taylor was known for her short temper, and even though I could understand the burden of running this place, this wasn’t solely her choice to make, and I was in no mood to allow her to dismiss Riley’s plan so quickly.

His fingers began to clench around mine, which was a clear sign that Riley was not in the mood either.

“You didn’t see it out there, Commander. The creatures are too smart, too powerful, even against trained people like us. If we stay and fight, we will have no hope.” Riley’s voice broke at the end, and I could see the emotion on his face like exposed scars.

I had never seen Riley this way, so open and raw. It broke me a little inside to see him this vulnerable and I wanted to do all I could to protect him. Because he was usually such a closed book when it came to his emotions, but I knew what happened with Rodriguez had broken something inside of him.

“Commander, if I may,” I said, giving Riley’s hand a quick reassuring squeeze before letting go.

“I ask that we vote on it, as I have to agree with Officer Brooks here.”

The Commander’s gaze shot through me like Chimera fire. She was the queen of intimidation, but I wasn’t about to put up with it. I’d fought worse things than this battle of wills.

“We know the General is on the way, with his own personal army. Like you said, it gives us an advantage and that is to …”

“An advantage we can use to better defend the base,” the Commander’s voice interrupted, its definitive hard tone damn near echoing off the walls.

“Commander Taylor, you asked Riley not to interrupt, I would expect you to abide by your own standard and ask you do the same in return,” I stated firmly, holding her icy blue gaze, proving that she couldn’t just bully me into submission.

No, instead, I would fight this battle by the standards she herself had voiced.

I could practically feel Riley’s approval beaming at me.

“I was going to say that the only advantage we have at this point is to evacuate.”

At this she scoffed and snapped, “To run away like cowards, you mean.”

“I mean to save as many as we can instead of letting everyone be slaughtered within these walls!” I shouted back, losing my temper.

The other councilors, whom I had completely forgotten were even still in the room, thanks to their lack of input, gasped loudly.

Riley was even surprised enough that he choked on his breath.

As for the commander, she stood, bending forward so her hands were flat to the table.

I was quick to mirror her stance. The tension was palpable as we continued to stare each other down.

“Officer Clavis, you forget yourself. It looks like Officer Brooks’ outspokenness is rubbing off on you.

I advise you tread carefully,” she threatened, making me close to sneering at her.

All I wanted to snap back was, ‘I advise you stop being a stubborn pain in the ass and listen to us, you stupid old cow, before you let everyone die!’

I refrained, of course, and despite knowing this was most likely going nowhere, I continued regardless.

“Riley has seen the General and his army clearly heading this way. We don’t know exactly how long we have, but we suspect if we act now, that it’s enough time to get everyone at risk out of here. We could use the second base…”

Once again, she interrupted me, this time with a scoff.

“You really expect us to move everyone to Twin Falls? It’s a thirty-minute drive or a five hour walk, and what about all the provisions we have accumulated, what are you suggesting, we just leave it all behind…

? It’s outrageous,” she muttered, but just as I was about to open my mouth, Riley got in there first, now standing next to me,

“We pack up what we can and hide the rest. Once it’s safe, we come back and rebuild, or we focus our attention on the next base. Either way, our rate of survival goes up.”

“Yes, and once we are there, what then? How do we survive? The Railway Station isn’t even nearly complete.”

I wanted to roll my eyes and ask her how her nice, comfortable bed was, or how convenient her private sitting room and bathroom were, because it seemed like she was more worried about losing her own comforts than us all actually surviving this shit.

It was like she had become completely detached from the nightmare that was still happening beyond these walls.

“It is complete enough to at least send those that cannot fight so they could wait it out in safety. That is, if you still aren’t willing to allow us all to fully evacuate.”

She screwed her face up at this, and I seriously was waiting to see if the rest of the group were going to jump in at any moment. Were they really all that scared of her?!

“It’s too risky,” she argued again, sticking her heels in.

“We can send a small group of soldiers with them, the soldiers that have been working to secure the Train Yard because they’ll know it well. There’s enough food there to last until we can retrieve the supplies we can hide here,” Riley said.

Her face was getting redder and fucking finally, the second she looked like she was about to interrupt again, another council member held up his hand.

“Let him finish, I want to hear this,” Officer Michaels said, as he lifted his arm and brushed a hand along his corn rows. It was the only hint of nervousness that showed anytime he spoke to Councilor Taylor.

Though, in his late fifties, the only wrinkles that etched his deep brown skin were the ones that appeared around his eyes when he smiled encouragingly. He honestly didn’t look a day over forty-five. He was most likely the only one who hadn’t aged a decade thanks to the apocalypse.

Riley nodded his way in thanks before he continued.

“We can spare a couple of vehicles if they need to go out looking for more supplies. The lookouts haven’t seen any creatures lurking around the station, ever. It’s a solid plan and much better than the fate they will have if they stay here,” Riley finished.

Before Taylor could open her mouth I added, “Of course, all being well and good, and we actually manage to survive the fight, then we can send for them to come back. If we do not, well, then at least they have a chance. Even if it’s a small one, it’s one we should take, nonetheless.”

At this she pursed her lips but before she could argue further, Officer Michaels got there first.

“We need to talk about this, and seeing as we know what your vote is, we want to discuss this further in private. Besides, I think Officer Brooks could do with the reprieve. Go wash up, son, take a moment to grieve, as we all will.”

Riley nodded and, without a word, turned to walk away as I did the same. However, before I left, I wanted to leave them with one last thought…

“Please don’t let the children die here. They’ve already been through enough, save them that terror.”

Taylor looked away but Michaels gave me a nod, telling me he understood. As for Camron, the only other council member that had remained silent, he gave Taylor a look I couldn’t explain. One I didn’t like.

But in the end, it didn’t matter.

Not when…

We didn’t have an hour to spare.