It was a nice, compact weapon for personal protection. But that's not what he'd be using it for. As his hand gripped the loaded pistol it began to sweat.

His magazine carried seven rounds, but in truth he only would need two. And it would give him no pleasure. Not one damn bit.

He trudged down the rock corridor preparing mentally for what needed to be done. His daddy and granddaddy had hunted down humans before, though he knew they hardly considered black folks human. Killed 'em probably without much thought, like they would a cottonmouth or a pesky mole. Yet that's where the son and grandson parted company with his male relations. He would do what needed to be done, but he also knew the scars would be deep and he would relive the killing moment over and over for the rest of his life.

He came to the spot and shone his light through the prison bars set in the opening of a large alcove in the wall. These were the same bars that had held back scores of Union soldiers, although Quarry had refinished the rusting metal and reseated the bars back into the rock.

Against the back wall two men crouched. They were dressed in Army fatigues, their hands cuffed behind them. Quarry looked over at the small, wiry man who stood next to him on the free side of the bars.

"Let's get this done, Carlos."

The man licked his lips nervously and said, "Mr. Sam, all due respect, I don't think we got to go down this road, sir."

Quarry wheeled around on him, towering over the little man. "Only one damn leader of this band, Carlos, and that's me. You got a chain of command here and that's just the way it's got to be. You're an Army man and you know that's the truth, son. Trust me, this is hurting me a helluva lot more than it'll ever hurt you. And it's leaving me shorthanded for what I got to do. A real pisser all around."

The cowed man looked down, opened the door, and with a hesitant wave of his hand motioned the two men to step out. Their legs were shackled together too, so they hobbled forward. When they came into the wash of light from Carlos's flashlight, the perspiration shone clear on their faces.

One of the men said, "I'm sorry. Jesus, sir, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Daryl. This doesn't give me any pleasure at all. None."

While Daryl was thickset the man behind him was tall and reedy. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down in his terror. "We didn't mean to do it, Mr. Quarry. But after we got the kid knocked out she came in and started screaming and fighting. Hell, look at Daryl's face, she damn near scratched it off. It was just self-defense. We were trying to knock her out too and get her with the syringe, but the lady just went nuts."

"What'd you expect a momma to do when you're taking her baby? We went over that scenario a hundred times and what you were supposed to do in every damn situation. Killing was not an option. Now I got a little girl who's never gonna see her momma again and it never should've happened."

Daryl's voice was pleading. "But the daddy was home. And he wasn't supposed to be."

"Don't matter. Planned for that too."

Daryl was not giving up. "She scratched me up good, dug a finger in my eye. I got real pissed. Lost my head. I just swung with the knife. Caught her right in the neck. I didn't mean for it to happen. She just died. We tried to save her. Nothing we could do. I'm sorry."

"You already told me all this. And if that had made a difference you wouldn't be standing here right now and neither would I."

Daryl nervously eyed the Patriot. "We always been there for you. You know that. And we got the little girl for you. Not a bruise on her."

"One exception breaks the rule. When you agreed to help me do this, I told you there weren't many rules, but you broke the most important one. You swore me an oath and I accepted that oath. Now here we are."

He nodded at Carlos, who reluctantly gripped the men by their wrists and pulled them down to their knees.

Quarry stood over them. "Speak to your God, men, if you got one. I'll give you time to do that."

Daryl started mumbling what sounded like the fragments of a prayer. The thin man just started to cry.

Sixty seconds later Quarry said, "Done? Okay."

He placed the Patriot against the base of Daryl's skull.

"Oh, Jesus. Sweet Jesus," wailed Daryl.

"Please," screamed the other man.

Quarry's finger slipped from the metal guard onto the trigger. Yet he ended up pulling away the Patriot. He didn't exactly know why, he just did.

"Get up!"

Daryl looked at him in astonishment. "What?"

"I said get up."

Daryl stood on shaky legs. Quarry stared at the man's scratched-up face and the blood red right eye, then he ripped open the front of Daryl's shirt. A large purplish bruise was revealed between the man's muscled pecs.

"You say it was a woman who shot you?"

"Yes sir. It was dark, but I could still see it was a girl."

"That girl was a damn good shot. By all rights you ought to be dead anyway, boy."

"Wore the armor like you told us," Daryl gasped. "I'm sorry she got killed. I didn't mean for it to happen. I'm sorry."

"And you say you think you left a vial behind?"

"Just the one. It was all rushed like after what happened, especially when the other folks showed up. We counted the vials up on the way back. But they gonna know we took the woman's blood anyway, when they cut her open and stuff."

Quarry looked uncertain for a moment. "Get the hell on, then."

"What?"

Quarry nodded at a relieved Carlos, who quickly unshackled Daryl. The man rubbed his raw wrists and looked at the thin man still on his knees. "What about Kurt?"

Quarry shoved the muzzle against Daryl's chest. "No more talking. Now get on before I change my mind. Kurt's not your concern."

Daryl staggered off, fell, picked himself back up, and stumbled onward into the dark.

Quarry turned back to Kurt.

"Please, Mr. Quarry," the condemned man mumbled.

"I'm sorry about this, Kurt. But what we got here is an eye for an eye, boy."

"But Daryl's the one what killed the lady, sir."

"He's also my son. I don't have much, but I got him."

He pointed the pistol at Kurt's head.

"But you're like a daddy to me, Mr. Quarry," said Kurt, the tears lapping down his cheeks.

"That's what makes this so damn hard."

"This is crazy, Mr. Quarry. You crazy," he screamed.

"Damn right I'm crazy, boy!" Quarry shouted right back. "Crazy as a mad hatter on crack. It's in my blood. No way to shake it."

Kurt threw himself sideways and tried to wriggle away, his clunky boots throwing up little clouds of coal dust. His screams swept down the shaft, like the Union soldiers before.

"Hold the damn light closer, Carlos," ordered Quarry. "I don't want him to suffer one second more than he's got to."

The Patriot barked and Kurt stopped trying to get away.

Quarry let the gun drop and swing next to his side. He mumbled something incomprehensible while Carlos crossed himself.

"You know how pissed off I am about this?" said Quarry. "You understand my level of rage and disappointment?"

"Yes, sir," said Carlos.

Quarry nudged dead Kyle with his boot, stuck the heated Patriot in his waistband.

He turned and marched on down the shaft. To daylight.

He was tired of the dark.

He just wanted to fly.