The plan was set. We were in position and ready to go. I was not happy. Mostly because of the ‘we’ part. I wasn’t going in alone like we’d originally planned. That cramped my style and more importantly, made me more exposed. The others disagreed, arguing that we had a better chance with two people. That’s why Rider was lying beside me on the damp dew-covered hill overlooking the security fence around the prison.

The night before I’d made preparations of my own. Bob was still in orbit and Arby was tirelessly working away, gathering scrap and making parts to repair the Shadow Hunter. I wasn’t a fool. This operation was risky. The security was no joke and I couldn’t just hack the system like I’d originally planned. They didn’t reply fully on their computers and electronics here. No, they had redundancies. People couldn’t be hacked. At least not with my tool kit. I didn’t know anything about psycho-brain stuff.

While we waited, another cell was preparing a distraction. An explosion at a nearby radar installation should cause enough panic so they called for reinforcement. The prison had a garrison and their excess personnel would be called away. Rider assured me their standing orders required them to assist in the event of an emergency.

Despite the damp ground, I was too keyed up to be cold. I always got a little jittery before a job. This was a little outside my wheelhouse. I’d never stolen people before. Though I wasn’t really stealing them, just helping them escape.

Rider had a big duffle bag with two plastic cases inside. Both were full of weapons and I had the honor of carrying two cases full of ammo. Lovely. I’d taken the liberty of taping them up so the metal wouldn’t bang loudly every time it hit something. Even the handles tended to clank when touched or were otherwise moved.

A ‘Boom’ sounded in the distance. A flash of light illuminated the horizon. Showtime!

“Relax,” Rider whispered. “It will be another half hour before the activity dies down.”

He was right. The alarm sounded and soldiers hurried about. Vehicles were prepped and loaded. Fifteen minutes later the convoy departed from the main gate and things quieted down. We had to give them time to leave, just in case we were discovered prematurely. Finally, Rider tapped my shoulder.

“Okay, anytime you’re ready.”

It was my show now. I was in charge of the infiltration. I took a final look at the soldiers watching the perimeter. It was the dead of night and they weren’t very alert. The elite presidents guard, they were not. Or whatever the local rules equivalent was. It didn’t matter, they were bored and tired. That made for less-than-optimal mental faculties.

I stayed low as I lugged the ammo cans toward the fence. There was a blind spot between two guard towers and I’d time our approach to thread the needle between their roving patrols. Once we reached the fence, we hit the ground and froze until the next pair passed. They were chatting quietly and didn’t look in our direction.

Rider rose to a crouch beside me as we both pulled out our cutters. He worked down from the top and I worked up from the bottom. We cut through half a minute and he held the fence back as I slipped inside and pulled our gear through then he joined me and we hurried to hide. There wasn’t much cover to choose from. Just a swampy ditch next to the perimeter road. I slipped into the stagnant water, thankful once more for the body suit. It kept the water out with no problems. Rider wasn’t so lucky but he didn’t complain. From there we crawled through the water. Ten yards up the ditch we stopped and waited for the patrol to pass.

I scanned the guard towers after they passed, when both guards had turned away, I tapped Rider’s shoulder and bolted for the nearby building. I stumbled but kept my feet, then I was at the hedges. They were overgrown and it was a tight squeeze but I crawled between them. Wincing as twigs scraped my face and poked at my eyes.

Rider crawled between a pair to my left and then we reached the wall. So far so good. I’d expected Rider to ruin my night by now, but he moved quickly and quietly. We worked our way slowly along the building. It was strenuous hauling the ammo cans as I crawled on my belly as quietly as possible. I also kept an eye on the guards and patrols pausing whenever the patrols got close.

We finally rounded the corner and got out of sight of the tower guards. I stood and pulled myself up to one of the windows. I pulled a glass cutter out of my pouch and attached it to the window. It made a perfectly circular cut. I attached a suction cup handle to the piece and finished scoring it. Once it was removed I opened the window and crawled inside. According to the blueprints, this was the library. Sure enough, I saw shelves of dusty books lining the shelves.

Apparently, the new management doesn’t think much about its prisoner's literacy rate. The place didn’t look like it had been touched in months. Probably since the war started. Or at least since the Southern Block had taken control of the prison.

Rider passed the ammo cans and duffle full of weapons up to me. Then I helped him up. Not that he needed it. The man was quick and quiet. If I didn’t know better I’d have wondered if he was a thief before the war. His attitude toward my chosen profession made it clear he wasn’t though. Not that he disdained me, Rider had a grudging acceptance and dare I say respect for me or at least my skills. So far he’d vastly outstripped my expectations of him.

“Well, I got us inside,” I whispered. “You’re up.”

This is where Rider was supposed to take over. He hesitated. “The prisoners are kept in the holding cells across from the central courtyard. Can you get us closer?”

I rolled my eyes. “Do you want a pizza with that too?”

“Please. I’d like mine with stuffed crust.”

Well, duh, that’s the best. “That costs extra.”

“I’ll double your salary.”

“Great, I’ll make double zero,” I sassed back.

“Hush, you volunteered.”

“I regret it already.” I didn’t. I was fully invested now. “Come on.”

According to the plans, there was a basement that connected to the next building over. Why they needed underground access from the library to the chapel I had no idea. Maybe to prevent prisoners from crossing in the open? They had a fence and guards. It made no sense. The prison was old though, so things may have been repurposed. It got us to the next building over without a hitch. From here things would be dicey. The central courtyard was wide open and there were guards stationed around the place and roving patrols moving about.

No convenient ditch was around and the hedges stopped well short of the central courtyard. I looked for a workaround but nothing jumped out at me. The roof was out. Guards were stationed up there.

The buildings were six stories. With guards above and below, the only way I could see us crossing was using the cables that ran between buildings on the fourth floor. To get from the building we were into the holding cells, we needed to cross one of the streets leading into the courtyard. On the fourth floor, we should be low enough that the roof guards wouldn’t see us, and God willing, high enough that the guards below wouldn’t notice us. People rarely looked up.

I led Rider up into the chapel. The chapel building was a large rectangular block building just like the rest of the prison’s buildings. Most of the higher floors were used as office space, administration stuff, and the like. I glanced into several rooms before finding the correct one. The cables running between the two buildings should hold my weight. I’d used this trick before. Rider was bigger. I might need to string our rope across for him. I hoped not. That would take time and increase our risk of discovery.

“I’ll go first… will this hold you?” I asked.

“Maybe. But the gear isn’t light.”

I grimaced. That would make this challenging. “Give me the duffle.”

He complied and slung the strap over my head. Then I lifted the ammo cans and placed them on the windowsill.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to carry all that while balancing across a flimsy cable.”

“Look, you have your skills, and I have mine. Just be ready to hand the ammo to me when I’m ready.”

I gulped as I climbed out the window and onto a narrow ledge. The cables were four feet to my left, and getting there with my hands full was going to be a challenge. I paused to look below. The height didn’t bother me, but those guards did. None of them were paying attention. One was smoking a cigarette and another was scratching his butt. I pressed ahead.

I found a good handhold and then took the ammo cans one at a time and placed them by my feet on the ledge. Then I squared up on the cable, picked the cans, and started across. My heart was pounding wildly. It was exhilarating and terrifying. I did have good balance but I’d never tried something this sketchy before.

The cable bounced and shifted, trying to throw me off. Every step caused it to jiggle but I kept my elbows out and knees bent. The ammo cans threatened to pull me off balance and the duffle wasn’t evenly balanced forcing me to lean to my left the entire time. I loved every moment of it.

The final three feet I covered in a hop and the cans hit the small ledge with a muffled thump. I was so glad I’d wrapped them in tape. My face was flushed and I glanced back at my partner in crime with a wide grin. That was awesome! I waved for him to join me and let the tremble in my hands run their course.

Rider waited until the cable had stopped swaying before he carefully started over. Seeing him moving, I navigated the ledge and found a window. I cut my way in with my tools and Rider joined me with the ammo cans. The room was a small storage space. It was cramped with the two of us.

He whispered to me. “That was intense.”

“You mean awesome,” I replied.

“You’re crazy!”

I snickered. Footsteps echoed in the hall outside and I froze. I put a figure to my lips but Rider had already heard it. We waited in tense anticipation, but they continued without breaking stride.

I grinned again. I really had the best job ever. “Your move, Rider.”

He nodded and signaled me for the duffle. He opened the cases inside and pulled out the weapons. Most were pistols but there were a few rifles and grenades. He’d come prepared to cause some havoc. I handed him clips for the weapons from the ammo cans and he loaded the weapons. Then we waited for the guard to circle back. After he passed I peeked out and saw the cell block.

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“Where is the control room?” I asked.

“Should be at the end of the hall. I’ll handle the guard when he comes back around. Then we need to get there ASAP. It’s got an electronic lock. Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Sure. Piece of cake.” I held up my wrist computer. “I’ve already hacked it.”

“What? When? How did you even get access? It’s a closed system.”

I snorted. “A girl has to have some secrets.” I love quantum physics. Not that I really understood them. Connecting to a secured system was impossible for Radon, and most planets in the cosmos, but the Triv were quite advanced. Bob also suggested some tips and I modified the software accordingly last night. When you could link to a computer in real-time with a quantum connection from across the galaxy, finding a back door in an outdated low-tech closed system was child’s play. The code was riddled with holes I could exploit. I didn’t need a transmitter to send and receive data, the wrist computer handled all of that. All I needed was to feed it some information.

“Then as soon as I take out the guard, you open the cells.” He paused. “You’re sure it will work?”

I nodded.

“Okay, then get ready. Things are going to get crazy.”

And bloody. I busied myself looking for Athena’s cell. The prison's computer asked for a password but I bypassed it and found the information I wanted. She was in solitary confinement after intensive questioning. They better not have hurt her. I felt my anger rising as I thought about it.

The guard returned and Rider tensed like a spring. As footsteps passed the door, he exploded into motion. The door flew open and Rider was on the guard in a heartbeat. I triggered the computer to unlock every cell in the prison block. Rider killed the guard then a tone sounded and every cell door slid open.

“Corinthians, to me!” Rider bellowed loud enough to wake the dead. He then scrambled back to the window and fired a flare into the sky. That was the signal for the rest of the cell waiting on the perimeter to commence their attack. It was mostly a distraction. All they had to do was draw attention away from us and get the trucks into position for our exfil. With most of the garrison out responding to the attack on the radar installation, we actually should have the advantage in numbers if you counted all the prisoners. We couldn’t bring in enough weapons for all of them though, and what we could bring were mostly sidearms.

Inside, that was to our advantage, but as we made our escape in the open, we’d be exposed. That’s why I had Arby standing by with my salvage ship. He’d finished the repairs and Bob could help the RB unit fly it if necessary, but I wasn’t leaving my fate in the hands of the rebels. They probably would keep their word and let me go, but why risk it? Better to have my own exit strategy, just in case. I sent an alert to Bob aboard Shadow Hunter and Arby and then hurried to help direct the freed prisoners. I grabbed the first prisoner I saw and ordered him to pass out the weapons and then ran for the steps down to the basement. That’s where they kept the prisoners in solitary confinement. Athena would be there and I hadn’t come this whole way just to leave her there.

Rider was organizing his people as I ran past. Gunshots were going off outside and the chaos was spreading. I’d just entered the stairwell when shots rang out behind me. The prisoners were fighting back.

At the bottom of the stairs I found a dead guard, a thin wiry man slammed his shiv into the dead man's chest repeatedly. Athena was leaning against the wall outside her cell. I hardly recognized her. Her face was a bruised and bloody mess, and she looked ready to collapse. A tall broad-shouldered fellow stood in front of her facing off against three thugs who sneered at him and leered at Athena.

Blast. They keep common criminals in here too, not just rebels and political prisoners.

I pulled my laser pistol. “You three, get out of my way!” I ordered.

The murderer with the shiv looked up and his twisted face turned to one of glee. “Boss, look. Another girl! She’s a pretty one too!”

“I said, stand aside. Look, you're free, just go.”

“We’ll go when we are good and ready,” the one I pegged as the leader said. “First we’re going to have a little fun with you two.” He looked back at the man opposing them. “Don’t you have a rebellion to go help?”

“Just shoot them, there is no reasoning with people like him,” the man with Rose told me.

I probably should have listened to him. He had a familiar look to him. I was distracted trying to place it when the shiv-wielding maniac rushed me.

“Stop!” I screamed.

I wasn’t ready to kill someone and that was my mistake. The man ignored me. He slammed into me and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground and my head was ringing. He was on top of me leering down at me. He let out a laugh.

“I get first dibs!” he declared.

I’d lost my sidearm in the fall but I still had my wits. I triggered my suit to close up and the hood deployed from the neck enclosing me completely. I activated my backup plan with the comm in my helmet but there wasn’t much else I could do.

“What the freak?” the man atop me demanded as he recoiled in surprise.

I tried to dislodge him but he wasn’t to be moved.

“Get off her, you animal!”

I finally figured out where I recognized the other guy from. Or rather the family resemblance. It wasn’t a perfect match, but he spoke the same way as Rider did.

“How do I get this thing off you?” the man demanded. He put his shiv to my throat. “Take it off or I’ll cut you.”

“Got to hell!” I shouted.

He pressed the knife harder but the suit hardened. He tried to slash and then stab but had no luck. He punched me in the face next and cursed as he hurt his hand.

I started squirming and landed a solid punch before he pinned my arms. Rider’s brother made a move while they were distracted with me though. He downed two of them before the leader leveled my pistol at him.

“I warned you to sod off,” the boss said. He pulled the trigger but nothing happened.

“What the heck?”

“It’s keyed to my DNA asshole!” I supplied for him, happy at his predicament.

Rider’s brother pounced. It was like watching a professional MMA fighter take on a punching bag. Even though the boss man was bigger and stronger, he was entirely outclassed. A quick pair of jabs set up an uppercut that knocked his teeth loose. Then a snap kick crushed the family jewels. When the man bent forward in agony, he was caught in a headlock under the arm and his windpipe was constricted. An elbow to the back of the neck snapped his neck and dropped him forever.

The shiv wielder ran for it but he was gunned down from above. Rider waltzed in with a rifle taken from one of the guards.

“Brother!” He rushed forward and the two embraced. It was a sweet reunion. I hurried over to Athena. She’d collapsed on the floor once the thugs were down and I knelt beside her. She looked bad but she’d be fine. So long as we could get her out of here.

“I see you’ve met Ginny. Hey, this is my brother. He goes by Viper.”

“Ginny? Well met!” Viper nodded to me.

“Nice to meet you, now if you don’t mind, I could use a hand. Are you alright Athena?”

“I’m fine. I didn’t tell them anything,” she said her lips were swollen and she could barely see through the swelling around her eyes.

“Don’t worry about that now. We’re going to get you out,” I said. “Boys, come on!”

Viper hurried over. “We’ve got you, Athena. Come on.” He looked over at his brother. “I trust there is a plan to get out of here, right?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

I looked over at Viper. He was even better looking than his brother.

“Pleased to meet you,” I said.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine,” he said with a roguish grin.

I found myself smiling back at him. “Can I have my pistol back?”

“Sure. Are you planning on using it by chance?”

“No, but I’d still like to have it.”

“Maybe I should keep it then. I could use it.”

“Except you can’t, it’s keyed so only I can use it.” I’d fixed that after getting it back from Rider. It seemed sensible after he’d pointed it at my head. I hadn’t even thought about its built-in DNA lock feature until later and activated it. Now I was glad I did.

“Not really the time or place,” Athena muttered.

“She’s right. We need to move,” Rider said.

Viper and I helped Athena and together we all headed back up. The scene was very different from a few minutes before. Dead bodies, guards mostly, littered the entrance. Bullet marks and holes were everywhere and at least one grenade had destroyed a chunk of the block wall. Most of the prisoners were gone too, already on the way to the rendezvous point. A firefight was ongoing outside and a machine gun blasted away in short bursts.

Rider picked off a wounded soldier on the way, and Viper took up his weapon. We linked up with the tail end of the freed prisoners and made it to the gap blown in the fence without opposition. The trucks were waiting but I had other plans.

Bob and Arby were circling overhead. I sent an order for them to land nearby but just as I was helping Athena into the truck a pair of soldiers opened fire on us. A rocket-propelled grenade exploded nearby, mangling several prisoners and a burst of gunfire tore across my position. Two rounds hit me in the chest but were stopped by my suit. I stumbled back.

“Anyone hit? Athena!” Even as I asked I looked around and saw she’d been shot through the butt. Viper was clipped in the shoulder and Rider was thrown to the ground by the explosion.

Moonbeam poked her head out of the back of the truck and saw Rider was down.

“Rider!” she cried and rushed over to him.

Athena was in shock. Viper turned and gunned down the soldiers.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “Is everyone—Athena!”

Everything was in chaos. It was like North Star, John, all over again. A gut wound. Her shirt was soaked with blood. “Put pressure on it!” I screamed hysterically. She was the only one who’d been nice to me. Rider wasn’t bad, but he’d captured me in the first place. After watching John bleed out in front of me, I was not ready to see it again. Certainly not a friend.

“Bob! Get in here now!” I shouted.

“The ship will be detected if I land at your location,” Bob said in my ear mic which only I could hear.

“Ginny, are you okay?” Viper asked. “Who’s Bob?” His concern was easy to hear but I was too frazzled to care.

“Contact!” someone screamed, then let off a burst of gunfire.

Viper slapped my hand onto Athena’s stomach, “Hold this!” he said before turning to join the fight.

“I… I’m—” Athena was lying on her back, just like John.

I was crying again. “Shush now. It’s going to be okay. Just hang on.”

“I’m holy now,” she finally managed.

I hiccuped as I sobbed. Only Athena could find humor in a time like this. “Don’t try to talk,” I croaked.

“Help me get him loaded!” Moonbeam screamed. Two men moved to help her. Rider was unconscious.

A burst of fire ripped through the air beside me and I flinched even though I had my suit to protect me. It stitched through the truck and the engine sputtered and died.

A grenade blew the attacker's position away but the damage was done.

“Move the wounded to the other truck!”

“There is no time!”

“We’ve got to move now!”

“I’m not leaving him!” Moonbeam shouted. She stood and glared back at the man. A shot took her in the shoulder, spinning her around before she hit the ground.

The soldier cursed and dove for the ground. The prison guards were getting organized now. They were soldiers, part of the occupation forces. The longer we stayed the worse it would get.

“Bob, get down here now! If someone shoots at me, take them out!”

“We’ve got to go!” Viper said. “Come on, Ginny!”

“Not without Athena!”

“We can’t save them all!” He shouted even as he scooped Athena up. A shot slammed into his back. He staggered but stayed on his feet. He passed the smoking truck while letting out a string of curses.

I stepped behind him, shielding him with my body as best I could, then Arby arrived with the scavenger ship and everything changed in a heartbeat. It wooshed overhead raining death from the skies. The guard towers were vaporized in a flash of light. I don’t know if the RB unit was flying or Bob was, but they climbed for the sky and bathed the center of the prison in the jet wash. The roar of the engines drowned everything out. Rebels and prison guard soldiers alike scattered.

I let out a cheer as the ship turned to make another pass even as the turret let out a series of blasts that tore the administration building apart and moved on to the guard barracks. Both buildings suffered the same fate. Then the ship came in for a landing, flaring the nose to kill its speed. It landed hard. I could feel the ground shake fifty yards away, but it was a controlled landing.

“Heck yeah!” I shouted. “This way!” I ran toward the ship with Viper behind me carrying Athena. Arby met me at the ramp.

“Help the wounded,” I told him.

Then I ran back to help Moonbeam while Arby carried Rider. The rest of the rebels and prisoners had fled in the other trucks. I did find another injured man and Viper carried him despite being wounded himself.

Once we were all aboard, Arby took off. “Where to, Captain?”

“Take us home.”

Arby nodded his metal head and we flew toward the stars.