The House Part 25

May 1st
Chapter Five in which Brien takes command again and begins to enact his revenge
“Hello?!” Thomas shouted as he banged on his cell door.
“Hello, is anyone there?!” He sighed and walked back over to his cot and flopped down on it. The cell was very small, only about ten square feet He couldn't ever remember how long he had been in this prison but it felt like years. In the beginning, right after he was captured, he kept looking for a way to escape. When he discovered that there was no way to escape without being quickly recaptured he assumed that Matthew and John were going to rescue him. They surely wouldn't leave him to die in this prison cell.
But they hadn't come yet. Thomas sighed and ran his hand through his once stylish hair but which now resembled an unruly thorn bush. He sat on his cot and asked himself yet again what the Foremen were going to do with him. Were they going to execute him to make an example or were they going to keep him locked up forever? Maybe they were going to ransom him, but who knew? Thomas had spent hours and hours and hours just going over and over his possible punishments in his mind.
Suddenly a crash came from the door along with some muttered curses. Thomas jumped up and ran to the back wall. Were the Foremen coming to take him away? Or were the Rebels coming to rescue him? He didn't know and that absolutely terrified him. The door swung open and Thomas tensed up. The person or persons who had opened the door shone a flashlight around the room.
“Thomas March?” A gruff voice hissed, “Are you in here?” Thomas took a deep breath and answered.
“I am Thomas March. What do you want with me?”
“Step into the light.” A different voice, a woman's this time, ordered. Thomas hesitated for a moment and the woman spoked again.
“Step into the light, now or we will shoot you!”
“Ok, ok.” Thomas said hurriedly holding up his hands and stepping into the light.
“Is that him?” The woman asked one of her companions, Thomas still couldn't see them because his eyes hadn't adjusted to the light yet.
“I think so.” A different voice said, it was a man's voice again but instead of being low and gruff it was high and a little whiny.
“Are you sure?” The gruff man said, “We can't bring the wrong guy back, not after all this work.”
“I only met him once!” The high and whiny man protested, “And it does look like him, but the Foremen are capable of anything!”
“Ask him a question that only the real Thomas March would know.” The woman said in a voice that seemed used to giving commands.
“Ok,” The whiny man said this time to Thomas. “What room do you live in?”
“Um,” Thomas said, his eyes were adjusting to the light and he could see that the gruff man was very tall and scary he really did not want to get on his bad side, “Room 1232.”
“Is that right?” The woman asked the whiny man.
“Yes it is.” He replied.
“He could have been told that was where Thomas March lived,” The gruff man said suspiciously, “Or maybe he met him before the war began. Ask another.”
“Who is in charge of overseeing recruitment?” The whiny man asked.
“I am.” Thomas said without missing a beat, “Or at least I was before I was captured.”
“And who is in charge of formulating the battle plans?” The woman asked, not lowering her gun.
“Matt.” Thomas replied, “Or Matthew January as you would know him.”
“All those answers are correct.” The whiny man said, “I think that he is actually Thomas March.”
“Ask One more.” The woman commanded, “Just to be safe.”
“Who is the head of the army?” The whiny man asked Thomas.
“John June.” Thomas replied, “Can we get out now? The Foremen could be coming any moment now.”
“Alright fine.” The woman said, finally lowering her gun, “Follow me.” Thomas nodded and followed the woman and the whiny man out of the cell. The gruff man followed behind Thomas, looking around warily.
They walked along in silence and Thomas, to keep himself busy, studied his three rescuers. The woman was clearly the brains of the operation with the gruff man being the muscle and the whiny man just being there because he had met Thomas at some point. Thomas racked his brains trying to remember the man's name but he had so many meetings and public events that he simply couldn't remember everyone that he had met.
Suddenly the Woman stopped and drew her weapon.
“Why are we stopping?” Thomas asked, scared that something had gone wrong.
“Shh.” The woman hissed, and gently, easily, opened a door that had been hidden in the shadows. She gestured for everyone to follow her and walked through the door. Thomas followed after the whiny man and saw that the room was poorly lit and very dusty. Most of the room was taken up with a long table with chairs set around it and a giant glass chandelier hung over the table. He walked forward until the gruff man put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“Wait here.” The gruff man hissed in his ear. Thomas nodded and the gruff man turned around. He walked back to the door and closed it silently. The woman walked over to the wall and, much to Thomas' surprise, flicked the light switch. The lights in the room clicked on and laughter and applause filled the room. Thomas looked around frantically to see where it was coming from.
“Bravo, bravo.” Brien May said, standing up from where he had been sitting. “Very well done, very well done indeed.”
“What?” Thomas said shocked, looking around at his rescuers who were now grinning very widely. “What's going on.”
“You, my dear Tommy,” Brien said mockingly, “Have been taken for a ride. And, ooo, it was fun to listen to.” He held up a walkie talkie and the whiny man held up a walkie talkie.
“You set me up?” Thomas said, more shocked than angry, “Oh my God, I told you who was in charge of the army and who was in charge of our battle plans!”
“Yes You did,” Brien said happily, “Yes you did and I am very happy that you did. And you should be too.”
“Why?” Thomas said, fear slowly taking over all his senses.
“Because now we won't have to torture you to get the information. So that's good for you.”
“What are you going to do to me?” Thomas asked
“What am I going to do with you?” Brien repeated, “Well now that you've given me such useful information I guess I'll just let you go.”
“What?” Thomas asked, was Brien really going to let him go? That would be too good to be true.
“Since you helped me,” Brien said, “I'm going to let you go.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, there's the door I trust you can find your way out.” Brien said smiling, “Nice to do business with you.” Thomas looked at him intently, was he serious?
“Oh yes,” Brien said, correctly reading Thomas' look, “I am quite serious. Goodbye.” Thomas looked at him again and began walking toward the door. He couldn't contain his grin, he was getting out, he was getting out!
“Oh, Tommy One more thing.” Brien called out just as Thomas' hand was on the door knob.
“What?” Thomas said turning his head back towards Brien. Brien shot him in the forehead.
“Darn it!” He said as Thomas fell to the ground dead, “I wanted to make some witty one liner as I shot him but I couldn't think of one, I'll never be an evil arch-villain like that!” He laughed to himself, holstered his pistol, and walked toward the door.
“Why did you do that?” The whiny man asked staring at the body.
“If our society is to survive,” Brien explained, “We have to restore order. Order is key. The Revolution is destroying Order. Thus, we must crush them. Also Thomas was on the Reformed High Council which is directly linked to the execution of seventeen foremen for no crime other than being a foreman. I am also quite drunk right now and extraordinarily annoyed. So I am going to leave now before I shoot more people. In the morning I will ask you how Thomas died because I will not remember any of it. You will tell me that he was attacking one of you and you shot him in self defense.”
He stepped over Thomas' lifeless body with a flourish, tipped an imaginary hat, and walked out the door.