He was pale, dark circles pooling under his eyes, his irises lined with blood. “We don’t have two hours. But I’ll carry you out of this godforsaken place if I have to.”

He held his hand against my cheek, and I leaned into his palm.

“I was stupid,” he said, breathless and emotional. “I’ll never leave you again, I swear to God.”

My bottom lip quivered. “I know. Let’s get you out of here.”

I helped him put on his work jacket and pants, then socks and shoes. “Hook your arm around my neck. Three, two, one…” I said, standing with him. When we stood, we nearly fell backward.

“Sorry … sorry … got dizzy,” he whispered.

I put the pen in my mouth and flashed the light on my watch. “We have four minutes, Zeke,” I whispered around the pen. “We have to go.”

Zeke nodded, taking a step. We crept from his room, and I supported him while we walked to the commons’ vent. We stood right in front of it just a few feet from escape when our shadows flickered on the wall, surrounded by bright flashlights.

“Fuck,” I hissed.

“Don’t. Move,” Gibbs said from behind us.

I held up my free arm, and Zeke held up his.

“Turn around,” Gibbs said. He stood in front of five other men, a skeleton crew on call overnight. It wasn’t the army I was expecting. Peter hadn’t counted on a rescue mission after all.

“Let him go. Get on your stomach on the floor, palms down, face down.”

“If I let him go, he’ll collapse. Look at him, Gibbs. He’s one of you. What the fuck have they been doing to him?”

Gibbs looked at Zeke, for a moment his stoic expression failing him. “He’s sick. They’re providing treatment.”

“Look at his eyes, Gibbs. Look at his chest. Have you seen treatment like that? You know what goes on in this place. It’s a torture chamber. He’s a human being! Let me take him away from here.”

“Gibbs,” Zeke said. “I’m not going to last much longer down here, man.”

Gibbs swallowed, considering whether to do his duty or listen to his conscience. He snapped out of it and lifted his radio. “DE Gibbs to main house security, over.”

“Gibbs, goddamn it!” I yelled. “Don’t make me do this!”

“DE Gibbs to main house security, do you copy?”

I looked up at Zeke. “Can you walk?”

He nodded.