Chapter Twenty-Three: Stage Two

‘Alright. We’ve been watching the exits for days and no one can tell me a way out of here?’ Jason asked, slightly pissed off.

‘Jason, you haven’t even gone in yet, can’t we worry about this once you’re out?’ Claire asked.

‘No we can’t. Because once I break Sarah out of there, the Tallentiri are going to hunt us down. We’ve only got one shot here’ Jason answered.

‘Well, anything coming in through the gates is searched, both physically and by radar. Any non-authorised material along with whatever is used to bring it in. Same with anything going out’ Emilia said.

‘Any aircraft bringing things in or out are scanned for foreign material. If it’s carrying anything it isn’t supposed to, it’s shot down. We’re not going to be flying out of here’ Razim said.

‘The perimeter is also watched over by the guard towers. Escape is punishable by death, so we won’t be able to sneak out of here’ Claire told him.

‘That doesn’t leave us with many options,’ Jason said. ‘There has to be something we haven’t considered’ he added. There was silence as all four of them thought, Jason paced around the room. Time was running out. Every second they stayed here, the closer the Tallentiri got to finding the ship. Suddenly, Claire looked at Jason.

‘Did you just have the same thought?’ she asked.

‘Signals?’ Jason replied.

‘Exactly’ Claire answered.

‘Care to fill us in?’ Emilia asked.

‘The Tallentiri react to radio signals. It’s what draws them to military forces’ Claire said.

‘How do you know that?’ Razim asked.

‘Because we’ve used it to our advantage before,’ Jason said. ‘We holed up in the Claremont Showgrounds, and the Nexus forces were approaching it, trying to take it. So we activated the Bastion Shield and we drew the Tallentiri there’

‘They track our signals so they can find us, then they pick us off or capture us’ Razim realised.

‘Right. That time we were calling them in. they watch signals going around the prison, but most likely not those going out from the prison. They have to communicate with other somehow. So we use a Tallentiri computer to send a signal to those outside. The Tallentiri will just think it’s another message from inside to another facility’ Claire said.

‘What’s actually happening is, we’re giving away the location of prison’ Jason said.

‘To who?’ Emilia asked.

‘Our people’ Claire answered.

‘No. Too dangerous. We’ll send it to the Nexus’ Jason said.

‘What? Are you insane? They’ll destroy the prison and they won’t care how many people they kill in the process’ Claire said.

‘Which is exactly why should use them. The more powerful the attackers are, the less worried the Tallentiri are going to be about us, the prisoners’ Jason said.

‘We’ll need a Nexus authentication code. I don’t know them’ Claire said.

‘I think I know someone who does’ Jason said

Celeste was holding her hair back while she leaned over the sink behind the bar. Morning sickness had hit her hard. There was a knock at the door.

‘Celeste?’ she heard Nathan’s voice call out.

‘I’m here’ Celeste managed to spit out before having to lean over the sink again.

‘Oh God, Celeste. Are you alright?’ Nathan said, rushing over to her. ‘Do you need to lie to down?’ he asked. Celeste considered lying to him, but she knew he’d find out eventually.

‘I’m alright. I’m not sick’ she said, spitting into the sink.

‘Then what are you?’ Nathan asked. Celeste said nothing; instead she waited for the penny to drop. Eventually it did.

‘How far along are you?’

‘About two months,’ Celeste answered. ‘Anyway, why did you come to see me?’

‘Miles wants a word with you’ Nathan said.

‘He always does. He’s in his usual spot?’ Celeste asked. Nathan nodded. ‘Ok, tell him I’ll be there in a few minutes’ she added. Nathan nodded and left. Celeste walked over to the sink and poured herself a glass of water, rinsing the taste out of her mouth, before leaving and heading upstairs, to the third floor.

‘Captain’ Celeste said, reaching the third floor platform, walking over to them.

‘I’m not going to bore you with twenty questions. I just want the answer’ Miles asked.

‘Forty-two’ Celeste replied.

‘That’s a funny joke,’ Miles said, his face blank of all expression. ‘Now answer the question’

‘I don’t have an answer’ Celeste said.

‘I indulged you with two weeks to think about it, and you tell me you don’t have an answer!’ Miles yelled.

‘That is correct,’ Celeste said. ‘Now let me ask you a question: do you think can intimidate me? Because if you do, you’re wrong’ Miles stepped up to her, towering over her.

‘Give me an answer now. Yes or no’ Miles said slowly, but dangerously.

‘No. I’m not giving you command’ Celeste said. Miles sighed.

‘Then you leave me with no choice,’ Miles said turning to the soldiers. ‘Round them up’

‘Isn’t that mutiny?’ Celeste asked as the soldiers left.

‘I’m not sure if that applies at the moment. You’re civilian after all’ Miles replied.

‘So what are you going to do? Kill us, lock us up somewhere?’ Nathan asked viciously.

‘Neither,’ Miles told them. ‘Unless you give me a reason too’ he added. Nathan moved to launch himself at Miles, but Celeste held him back.

‘Jason will be back soon, he’ll sort it out. Let’s go’ Celeste said, and she turned and walked back down the stairs.

‘We can’t let him get away with this’ Nathan said.

‘And he won’t’ Celeste replied angrily. ‘Can you hack computers?’

‘Yes I can,’ Nathan replied. ‘Why?’

‘Lock the door behind you’ Celeste said as she entered the Glasshouse. Nathan locked the door.

‘Before Claire captured, Jason asked her to look into an envelope that he found in his dad’s quarters at the Barracks. One of the things in that envelope was the coordinates of the showgrounds. It was the target of an air-strike. The military knew and sent us there anyway’ Celeste told him.

‘You want me to look into that envelope?’ Nathan asked.

‘No. I want you to into Captain Miles. Something’s… not right… about him’ Celeste said.

‘You’re basing that on a mutiny?’ Nathan asked again.

‘Just do it, and make sure no one other than me knows what you’re doing’ Celeste said, unlocking the door and leaving.

‘Heath, we need to talk’ Jason said, walking up to him. They were in the Mess Hall and Heath was surround by his followers.

‘You got balls, I’ll give you that. Showing up at my table’ Heath replied viciously, turning to face him.

‘You and I both who’d have won that fight, had it not been for your intervention’ Jason said, choosing his last few words carefully.

‘What do you want to talk about?’ Heath asked his voice deep and nearly a growl.

‘Actually, I need to talk to you, alone’ Jason asked.

‘About?’

‘I think I’ve found a way out of here, but I’ll need your assistance’ Jason asked. Heath turned his head to those at the table.

‘Go’ He said. They all left and Jason sat down.

‘I know you have military training, but you’re not trained to fight like that in the regular army. So what were you? Special Forces? Secret Service?’ Jason asked.

‘Nexus’ Heath whispered.

‘Sorry, I didn’t hear that’ Jason asked.

‘I was Nexus’ Heath told him. ‘They fired me. When they fire someone they kill them, but not me. I knew what was coming so I escaped’ Heath said.

‘Do you know Colonel Aaron Swift?’ Jason asked.

‘Of course,’ Heath answered. ‘He was supposed to be my executioner’

‘Right, well I killed him. Well, had him killed. How would you like to get one back on the Nexus?’ Jason asked.

‘I’d love it’ Heath replied.

‘Sending their soldiers into a trap going to cover it?’ Jason asked.

‘Hell yeah, they would’ve done the same to me’ Heath told him. ‘What do you need?’

‘The Authentication Codes’ Jason said, signalling for Claire to come over.

‘7-J-0-9-F-H-9-3-X’ Heath said.

‘You’re sure?’ Jason asked.

‘Yes I’m sure’ Heath said. Claire walked off, muttering the code to herself.

‘Ok, now I need a favour, but I warn you, it’s going to hurt’ Jason said, picking up a metal tray and hitting Heath across the side of the head.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ Heath asked, kicking Jason in the chest. Jason was rocketed off across the Hall, sliding across a nearby table. Jason got up and was faced again by Heath who tossed him into the wall.

‘I’m sorry Heath. I had too’ Jason said, as he saw Claire, Emilia and Razim leave.

‘I made the mistake of letting you live last time. This time I won’t’ Heath said, swinging a fist at Jason, who threw himself out of the way. Tallentiri were filling the room. Jason planted his right foot on a table, using it to push himself above Heath, bringing his entire weight back down, Heath had to move to avoid being hit. Jason rolled over his shoulder. He ducked under a hook from Heath before kicking him in the chest, causing Heath to fall over a table. The Tallentiri were advancing on them now, as had been hoped. He had little time left. He ran over to Heath.

‘I’m sorry Heath. I had to’ Jason said and with one swing of a tray he picked up off a table, Heath was unconscious. The Tallentiri were advancing on him now, with long black whips which had small metal spikes attached to it.

‘Come on! Let’s see what you’ve got!’ Jason snarled at them. He needed them aggravated. He needed them to attack.

‘They’ll kill you, idiot!’ Jason heard someone call out as crowd gathered around them.

‘No they won’t’ he muttered, slamming the tray against the face of a Tallentiri that came into range. The others stopped. Then someone hit him from behind. It wasn’t Heath; he was still out cold on the floor, but it was definitely human. As Jason lost his balance and fell, he felt the excruciating pain he’d felt when he was captured. This time he stayed conscious but he was paralysed as the whip wrapped around him. He realised the spikes were conductors as he received a powerful electric shock. He couldn’t move after he was released either. The Tallentiri slipped their talons under him and picked him up. Jason was carried away; all he could see was the ceiling above him, which suddenly changed from white to dark green. He heard a door slide open and he was tossed into a room. He could do nothing as he felt something long pierce his side and he body started to spasm. He heard the door close and he was left, his body convulsing, on the floor.