When Blake entered the makeshift temporary holding cells, he heard loud noises—somebody kicking his cell bars?

He came into view of Dan and Marcus’ cell. Quickly they stopped their feeble escape attempt and backed away from the bars.

Blake moved up, put his hands on two horizontal bars. Dan’s eyes immediately flicked down to Blake’s belt, where they keys were.

He swallowed. “If you had found where Diplomat Kolivar was being held...” he said in a soft voice. Nobody could hear them in the cell block, the area being completely empty, but Blake couldn’t shake that somebody could be watching. He looked around. Of course there was nothing to see. “What would be your next step?”

Dan looked at Blake for a second. “Does it matter? It’s all fucked up.”

“It might,” Blake said. He looked at Marcus. “You want to get out of here? See your family again?”

Marcus glowered. “If you’ve come here to mess with us, you can fuck off!”

Blake stared at the two men. He gripped the bars to their cell hard to keep from shaking. What he was about to do... There was no going back.

Blake’s chest hurt. He swallowed again, then moved to the door and unlocked the cell.

Marcus and Dan seemed somewhat shocked.

Blake opened the door. “Are you going to save the diplomat or not?”

“I can’t,” Dan said. “Can’t get a message outside of this base. Even if I could, my coms unit stopped working on our way back from Purgatory Valley.”

Blake breathed in a deep lungful of air. This was going to get a lot more dangerous. “Rork has an IC unit. We can go up to the roof and get a message out. How long would it be before your help arrives?”

Dan stepped out of the cell, looked around. “I can have Alliance Marines on the ground in a few minutes, if I can get a message out.”

Blake nodded. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Dan and Marcus fallowed Blake through a few doors and into a corridor where there was a small alcove.

“You can get to any level from this ladder system,” Blake said. “Climb it to the roof and I’ll meet you there.”

“Are you going to get the IC unit?” Marcus asked.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Blake nodded.

Dan glanced up the ladder. There was at least a hundred levels. “That’s going to be a hell of a climb.”

“No other way,” Blake said. “I could try to sneak you two into the ATV bay, but there’s no telling who might see us. With Silverman, Shane, and Rork roaming the corridors, we could stumble onto any one of them and then this will all be over.”

“Why are you doing this?” Marcus asked.

Blake paused for a moment. “Because it’s the right thing to do. Now get climbing! I’ll meet you on the roof with the IC unit.”

“Wait,” Dan said. “Where is Kolivar being held?”

Blake glanced around impatiently. “She’s been given free reign of most of the base, but she’s restricted to the base without being allowed to go into the city. She could be anywhere, but her quarters are a few corridors off of the main audience chamber. That’s where she’ll mostly likely be, unless she decides to go to the roof for some sunlight. I heard those aliens like hot weather.”

Dan nodded, turned to the ladder and started to climb.

“Be careful at each level,” Blake called. “Anybody could be roaming the corridors. Won’t be hard to hear them, though.”

Dan glanced down, nodded, and kept climbing, Marcus directly behind him.

Two feet before reaching the alcove of every level, Dan paused for a few seconds, listening for footsteps, and kept climbing. There didn’t seem to be a lot of movement in the corridors of Rork’s base.

* * *

Blake’s hands shook has he rattled the keys on his belt, looking for the command room key. He found it after a few seconds of frantic searching and jammed it into the metal door, twisted the lock open and entered.

The room, as usual, was empty. Along the walls was an array of shut down screens and work stations. This was the console that controlled all of the surface to orbit missiles inside the base. There were twenty two missiles in all. Weather they worked or not remained to be seen.

Blake moved to the locker where the IC unit was kept, wiped the sheen of perspiration from his face and pulled the unit out. He went to the other side of the room and opened a locker full of other supplies, gear and guns. He pulled out a black duffle and put the IC unit inside.

As scared as Blake was, he couldn’t help but feel excited at the same time. He was doing the right thing. Finally.

He turned to leave the room when the door opened to reveal Rork, two men at his back, one of them Razen.

The warlord frowned. “What are you doing in here, Mr. Halls?”

Blake’s pulse shot up. He could instantly feel the veins in his neck pulsing as a rush came to his cheeks. He wasn’t restricted from entering missile command, he had keys to the door. He decided a half-truth would be best.

Blake made a face, not having to feign displeasure. “Silverman wants to send a message of planet. I’m bringing him the IC unit so he can get a message out.”

Rork stared at him for a moment. “He didn’t say anything to me.”

Does he know I’m lying?

Blake was going to get caught! He didn’t speak for a second, making sure that when he did the words didn’t stammer out of his lying mouth.

“You know he doesn’t give a damn, sir.”

Rork nodded. “Take your time getting that unit to him, Mr. Halls. We’re not at his beck and call, and I’m uncomfortable with him being too active with his messaging.”

“He has a lot playing out behind the scenes.”

“I know.”

A storm of anxiety seemed to leave Blake. He took a deep breath, nodded. “I’ll make it a leisurely stroll.” He left the command room, clutching his chest. It still hurt from the over amped adrenaline that had been pulsing through him.

Thank god, Blake thought, making for the ATV bay so he could meet Dan and Marcus on the roof. He had to be quick. Rork would surely ask Silverman about who he was calling the next time he saw the man.

He brushed his palm over his fist. Blake was shaking like a leaf.