Wared collapsed against the wall opposite the now locked door and tried to calm his rapid breathing. Raised voices closed in on the other side of the now locked door.

"Come on," Shea said, and pulled him up. "We can't stay here. It won't be long before they unlock the door."

Wared nodded and followed Shea down the tunnel. "We can't go back the same way," she said over her shoulder. "It's too risky. We'll need to find another way to exit."

"Where?"

"Just follow me."

Wared nodded quietly as he followed her. In the distance, he heard the sound of a door slammed open and shouts as the men in pursuit followed them into the tunnels.

Shea stopped at what appeared to be a random door and keyed in the code. The red light lit up and flashed twice. She pulled on the handle but the door didn't budge. A curse flowed over her lips as she re-keyed the code and was once again greeted by the red flashing light.

"What does that mean?" Wared said as he leaned against the wall catching his breath.

"It means they have disabled the code to the access codes in this area."

Wared raised his eyebrows and took a deep breath. "We can't get out?"

Shea shook her head and furrowed her brow. "No, not here. I'm sure it's on purpose. They know we're in here and they know we can't get out if they disabled the codes. Or change them."

"So we're stuck."

"Maybe," Shea said with a shrug and looked up and down the hallway and then at the sign above the door. The echoes of boots in the distance drew nearer at an alarming pace as she led Wared in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" Wared said between breaths as they followed various twists and turns.

Shea glanced over her shoulder with a finger over her mouth as she stopped. Wared opened his mouth to ask why they had stopped but she put a finger across his lips as well and put her other hand around her ear, listening.

Wared followed her example and focused on the sound approaching behind them. After a few moments, he realized that there were obvious signs of someone approaching from the other direction as well. They were walking into a trap.

"They're surrounding us," Shea whispered and then nodded in the direction they had been running. Wared felt a churning sensation in his stomach. Was this the end? Would the Protectorate catch them after all?

Shea tapped his arm and pointed to the floor. A storm drain grate was centered in the middle of the corridor. "Help me," she mouthed and reached through the openings of the grate. Wared reached down and grabbed the other side. At first, the grate wouldn't budge, but as they rocked it back and forth, it gave way and they were able to lift it up and put it on the floor next to the opening.

"Go," Shea said and pointed to the dark opening that led into a three feet wide vertical pipe with metal rungs mounted on one of the side walls. A faint stench rose from the darkness below.

"Down there?"

"Yeah, what did you think it was for?"

"You go first then. I'm stronger, it's easier for me to put the cover back in place."

Shea opened her mouth to protest but changed her mind and instead nodded with a faint smile of appreciation. She jumped down into the whole without hesitation and climbed down the rungs. Within seconds she had disappeared into the darkness below.

Wared took a deep breath and followed. He moved the grate back on top of the hole, careful not to drag it across the floor. Leaving evidence in the form of drag marks could easily draw the attention of those pursuing them.

They stepped out of visual range of the grate and waited in the dark. Wared covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve to prevent himself from gagging. The stench was much more pronounced down in the tunnel. He wanted to ask Shea if they had climbed down into the sewer but decided not to. He didn't want to know.

Above them, the echoes of footsteps approached rapidly. A few moments later, boots rushed across the grate above them and continued in the distance in the opposite direction. They waited in silence a few more minutes.

When the coast seemed clear, Shea tugged at Wared's sleeve and led him

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"What is this place?" Wared whispered.

"You don't want to know," Shea replied in the darkness. "The important thing is that these tunnels are not dependent on the hallways above us. They're also tied to the street level. We just need to find an exit."

"The sooner the better," Wared said and coughed. "The stench down here is unbearable."

"Just follow me and keep it down, please. Sound is amplified down here. We don't want to give our position away."

A few minutes later, they reached another opening. Shea jumped up the metal rungs and motioned for Wared to stay put. "I'll be right back." She then disappeared up the ladder.

Mere moments later, she reappeared. "Come, we can get out this way."

"Let me go first," Wared insisted.

"If you insist," Shea said and stepped aside.

Wared climbed up to the grate and saw the sky above, the walls of an alley on each side. There was no sign of anyone in the vicinity. He used his shoulder to push up against the grate and pushed it aside. Moments later, the grate was back in place.

"I'm glad to be out of there," Wared said and sighed. "Now what?"

"We need to get out of the city. It's not safe here anymore."

"How? More tunnels?" Wared said and gestured towards the grate.

"No, the tunnels are blocked at the outskirts of the city. The only way out is through the city gates."

"So we'll just walk out of here? Don't you think they'll be guarding the gates?" Wared said and looked out at the street beyond.

"I'm counting on it," Shea said and pointed at a security vehicle that slowly rolled past them on the main street. "They're everywhere."

Wared's eye grew large. She was right. Several security vehicles passed within just a few minutes. He realized at that moment that he had never noticed them before. "So how do we get out. We can't exactly waltz down the street."

"Do you still have the remote for your car?"

Wared patted his pant pocket and nodded. Shea stretched out her hand and nodded a quiet thank you as Wared fished the remote out of his pocket and put it in her hand.

"What, we're going to ride out of town? In my car?"

"Of course not. But, they don't know that. We'll use it as a diversion, just like you did earlier," Shea said and pulled Wared deeper into the shadows of the alley. "It's simple. They know your car. If we send it to the right location, they'll be distracted long enough that we can slip out of town."

"Sounds reasonable. Where would you send it?"

"To your home, of course."

~~~

They looked down at Wared's home from the roof of a neighboring building. Half a dozen men walked in and out of the house with boxes on a regular basis while armed guards were position around the perimeter of the house. Several Protectorate vehicles were parked on the street.

"Is this really a good idea?" Wared whispered as he peeked over the edge of the wall. "Can't you just program the thing to go here by itself?"

"That's what I'm doing. We just need to be sure they take the bait. Just stay low and wait."

Wared nodded and sighed. He felt butterflies in his stomach every time one of the men in his yard even appeared to glance in their direction. He felt certain it was only a matter of time before they would be discovered. But, Shea didn't seem concerned and for her sake, he pushed his concerns aside and tried to clear his mind.]

They waited in silence, their heads down, as they watched the Protectorate men haul box after box out of Wared's apartment. As they watched, a vehicle with half a dozen heavily armed guards arrived and started to push the perimeter around the house further back.

"They want to keep people as far away as possible," Shea whispered.

"Why?"

"The less people see, the less they know."

Moments later, Wared's car pulled up and parked just outside the perimeter. Shea pointed and grabbed Wared's arm. "There it is. Let's see how long it takes before they notice it's there. Can you make it honk its horn?"

"Sure," Wared said and pressed a button on the remote.

A few seconds later, the horn blared for a couple of seconds. It had the intended effect. The guards closest to the guard turned their attention to it and approached it with tentative steps, weapons raised.

"Now!" Shea hissed. Wared pressed another button on the remote. His car backed up on the sidewalk and took off in the opposite direction with screeching tires. The armed men closest to the car ran after it, gesturing. One dropped onto one knee, raised his rifle and was just about to fire when a higher ranking officer pushed away the barrel of the rifle. He shouted something Wared and Shea couldn't hear and gestured towards their vehicles. The men jumped onto their feet and ran to their respective vehicle as quickly as their legs could carry them. They took of with screeching tires and sped away in the direction Wared's car had vanished.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to discover the car is empty?" Wared said as he glanced over the edge of the wall down at the chaos below. Protectorate men were left standing on the sidewalk with boxes in their arms as their vehicles disappeared in the distance.

"Hopefully not before we can get out of town. Follow me, we need to get out of here," Shea said and gestured towards the door that led down to the street. "We don't have a lot of time.

In the chaos that followed the surprise appearance of Wared's car and the subsequent escape, Wared and Shea w o the edge of town while the Protectorate forces were otherwise occupied. Just as they arrived at the gate to the city, a dull explosion was heard not too far away and a fire ball erupted into the air.

Wared grabbed Shea's arm. "What was that?" he whispered, eyes wide.

"Your car did it's job," Shea said with a grin and nodded towards the gate out of the city.

"You blew up my car?" Wared said, his voice raised as he followed Shea. "Why would you do that?"

"Well, since you're asking," Shea started. "If you're not going to be able to stay in the city, what's the point of keeping a vehicle sitting around collecting dust. I figured we might as well use it for something useful. They might even think you're dead."

Shea gave Wared a sideways glance and shrugged. "Time will tell."

Wared rolled his eyes. "Great. Now what?"

"We need to hurry. It'll only be a matter of time before they close the gates to secure the city."

As if on cue, a red light started to flash above the gate, an alarm sounded and Protectorate guards poured out of a nearby building. The gates to the city slid shut as the guards took up position between the gates and the confused citizens that were on their way out.

Shea pulled Wared into a side alley and exhaled a deeply.

"Now what?" Wared said.

~~~