Jailbreak

It was astonishing to see how much Auntie Mai knew about the city. She claimed it was merely information the Listeners gave, but there was a profound certainty in her words and a particular look in her eye. One that only someone who had spent their entire adult life in darkness serving the light would have.

As the friends ate their food, Mai set out map after map for them to look at. She held a laser pointer and showed every guard post, camera blindsight, and foot traffic current in the city. Down to which guard went with what girl at the brothels. It was a gargantuan feat of surveillance accomplished over many years.

The only unknown was Florence's exact location. The Guilds knew she was in the city, but the ruling Clans concealed her. Auntie Mai did not know whether this was by cloaking devices or some sort of Vector scrambling. Auntie Mai may not know the exact location, but she gathered a general area plan.

Florence was here, and she was busy. After Florence had abandoned Jockus's camp, she came to Oasis and proceeded to slowly take the city over.

It was likely that Florence would rally the clans after the meeting, using the extra men to comb the city. This was why the Bounty Hunters and Listeners were cooperating. Not to mention it was in their best interest to help.

“So, how do we get the professor out?” Aj asked after Auntie Mai had finished debriefing.

“Well, the city will be in chaos tonight. Perhaps it would be wise to operate in stealth,” Auntie Mai said.

“We could do grey man,” Julia offered.

“Grey man?” Carla asked.

“We blend in with the crowd. Minimal rigs, plain clothes, engage only when engaged,” Nameless said.

“That could work. I see a nice tower up the north side of the prison; I could post up there with Sammy as a spotter,” Aj offered.

“That's fine; Carla and Hera can be at either intersection outside the prison. Avoid getting into a gunfight; just let us know if Florence or some big wig is coming in,” Nameless said.

“You got it,” Carla said.

“One thing,” Hera said stubbornly.

Nameless tensed, getting ready for a verbal fight.

“I want more heat than that little sub-gun if I'm gonna be by myself on that intersection,” Hera said, looking at Nameless.

Nameless chuckled and looked at Auntie Mai, who was also chuckling.

“That can be arranged, my dear,” Mai said.

“Right, okay, then Julia and I will actually go in to snatch the Professor,” Nameless said.

“I got the auto hacker and lock picks. Are there any other kinds of security in the jail?” Julia asked.

Auntie Mai shook her head.

“The clans rely on their Vectors for the real security,” Mai said.

“Great,” Nameless said. No wonder they had given him the Beowulf.

“He's located on the bottom floor; you can use the staircase. It's five floors down,” Auntie Mai said.

“That's five floors back up with an extra dude who's probably in rough shape,” Nameless said.

“We can do it,” Julia said warmly.

Nameless nodded. He took in the sight of each determined face. Each face, with distinct memories connected. He always thought families were for people who lived in houses. But here, now, this had to be what it felt like to have a family. He would make sure each person got off-world. Speaking of which.

“What about Spider?” Nameless asked.

“He's in the spider forges; they're right below the Jail. Worst case scenario, we just run down and get him on our way out,” Julia answered.

“The Spiders stand with the guild,” Auntie Mai said. “You won't have trouble finding your little captain.”

As she spoke, Nameless’s eyes started to shutter closed, his head drooping forward. Sammy nudged him, and he bolted awake.

“When was the last time you slept?” Carla asked.

He couldn't remember. It was the boat, had to be. Wasn't that a day ago? So much had happened since.

“I'll be fine; let's go do this,” Nameless grumbled.

“Buddy,” Aj laughed, still drunk. “It's noon; ya got like six more hours before we can do this.”

“Five o'clock somewhere, eh, bud?” Hera jabbed.

“What's five o’clock?” Aj responded.

Hera rolled her eyes, then gave Julia a look.

“Best to just let him do his thing,” Julia sighed as Aj took another swig. She looked at Nameless.

“Get some sleep; we'll be ready when you wake up,” she ordered.

“There are beds upstairs,” Auntie Mai said. She clapped her hands, and one of her nephews got up, ready to lead Nameless.

“You guys sure?” Nameless asked.

“Yes!” Julia laughed. “Go get some sleep, silly boy.”

Nameless sighed and heaved himself up, groaning. The friends laughed.

“What?” Nameless asked.

“Getting a little old there, bud?” Aj snorted.

“Fuck off,” Nameless growled as the group giggled.

He turned and followed the skinny man in a blue robe upstairs as the friends imitated groans and poured a few more drinks. Upstairs was just as beautiful as downstairs, with lovely clean, white-sheeted mattresses lying on the ground. The young man gestured and bowed with a smile as Nameless collapsed into the nearest one, fully clothed.

His eyes shut, and he drifted into dreamless, pitch-black bliss.

His eyes were closed for what seemed like moments when he was softly nudged awake. Nameless jerked awake.

“Wakey, wakey sleeping beauty,” a girl's voice chimed warmly.

His body screamed, his mind expertly planning out exactly how much more time he should bargain for a little more sleep. He groaned and sat up, clearing the blocks of sand from the corner of his eyes.

“How long was I out?” he asked, blinded by his hands. He finished cleaning his eyes and looked up to see Julia in full battle rattle. It was a stunning sight, Julia's perfect face and body framed by the chest rig full of magazines, her waist covered in the belt full of more tools and ammunition. Her fair hair was tucked under a green bandanna, and her head was covered by a hood.

“Solid six hours,” Julia laughed as she put her headset in a more stable position on her head.

“They're waiting for ya, bossman.”

Nameless nodded, picking himself up. Julia leaned in closer. “You sure about this quest?” she asked, searching his eyes.

“Whatever gets us off-world.”

Julia pierced her lips, about to say something, but she stopped.

“What?” Nameless asked, picking up his jacket.

“We all get off-world. All of us.”

“Of course,” Nameless said, startled.

“No, like, urgh,” Julia stopped.

Nameless put a hand on her shoulder.

“No one's gonna get hurt. I promise.”

“You can't promise that.”

“Just did,” Nameless smiled and started downstairs.

“I wish I had your damn confidence,” Julia said as she rolled her eyes and followed.

“Yeah, yeah. How's the arm?” he asked as they both went down the stairs.

“Good, Auntie Mai stabilized the infection. Still need an amputation, but we've got a week now,” Julia whispered, Nameless nodded, as they came onto the ground floor. What they saw was a sight to behold.

Sammy and Carla were dressed similarly to Julia but much lighter. They wore hoods as well, their headsets framing their determined faces. Hera was beside them, given a mid-length rifle. She had a Bangalore draped over her light chest rig, full of extra ammo and grenades. Underneath all their kit was plain clothes and large cloaks draping the exterior of their bodies. Aj towered over them, his massive rifle and equipment making him look like a pile of garbage thanks to the suit. He would blend in perfectly in the grime, ambient trash, and shadows of the city.

Nameless went to the table, set down his cloak, and began suiting up. He had a full plate carrier equipped with armor plates, a battle belt, Beowulf, pistol, radio plus headset, and many magazines. Several magazines had red tape around them, symbolizing the incendiary custom rounds.

He put these on his belt on the left side. The rest were his front armor and spare pouches underneath his left armpit. Made sense he had the heaviest kit; he was going in first. The others lacking armor could prove disastrous if hit, but their mobility was crucial in such a dense urban environment.

Nameless brass checked his pistol and holstered it. He made sure the rifle was on safe, then racked the gun, fed a magazine, and watched the bolt ride the round home into the chamber. He then put his headset on and plugged it into his radio on the belt. He tapped the button and did a radio check with Aj.

Once checks were done, Nameless turned around.

“Everyone check their shit? Every tab is taped down, no loose mags or anything?” Nameless asked.

“I checked my girls; they're good,” Hera confirmed.

“We're good, too,” Julia said.

“Let's get it,” Nameless said.

He bowed to Auntie Mai, who was standing along the wall. A warm smile framed her face, her eyes glowing as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

“Thank you for everything, Auntie Mai,” the group said, also bowing.

Auntie Mai and her nephews bowed.

“I hope our paths cross again, children.”

The group began filing out of the house in a single row, Nameless in the front. His cloak concealed all of his kit and weapons; he needed to hide his hand. Out on the street, the group exchanged looks. Nameless 's hairs stood on end, adrenaline pumping through his veins. His heartbeat was a million beats per minute. His vision narrowed. His hearing dropped to a lower frequency. His stomach was churning. This was it.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As the group spread out, putting a few meters in between the person in front and behind, Nameless scanned in front. His bulging cloak would typically infer attention, but the crowd seemingly avoided Nameless. Maybe he looked like a guard, he thought. He gestured and led the way up the street, heading straight into the middle of the city, where the Jail was.

The tension in the air was palpable. The crowd was thinning out. As the group made it deeper into the city, fewer and fewer people were out. The closer they got to the jail, the more doors and windows were shuttered. Finally, they came to the last intersection before the Jail. There wasn't a soul out on the streets. The air was heavy and quiet.

Nameless leaned against the building corner, his friends behind him, spread out and in cover.

Nameless made a hand signal, and Julia sprinted up to where he was. The two leaned closely together as Nameless pulled out the pocket map from his kit.

“This is a good a place as any,” Nameless whispered to Julia, who nodded.

“Get the girls on those intersections first. Let them cover both sides of the street; we cover the back end. Let Aj and Sammy cross the street and take up the tower. Once Aj says he's emplaced on coms, we breach. All right?” Nameless confirmed. They both knew the plan, but it needed to be repeated.

Julia nodded and pivoted on her heels, about to signal the girls. Her fingers were forming the signal, Nameless scanning ahead. The intersection sat in front of the Jail, the perfect crossroads. Directly in front of the Jail doors was a typical manhole for the sewers. Right when Julia was about to give the signal, the ground in front of the Jail erupted, the concussion wave sending the manhole rocketing into the cavern ceiling.

The blast blinded and deafened the group as every window and glass door within a hundred meters shattered. Nameless ducked his head and grabbed Julia, sheltering her with his body. His insides felt like goop, his mind fragmented and fuzzy. His vision blurred, and he felt like barfing and going number two at the same time.

“You okay?” Nameless roared into Julia's ear, deaf.

“What?” Julia screeched, her body seizing as tears spouted involuntarily from her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Nameless shouted.

“The fuck was that?” Aj screamed, lying on his back, hugging his stomach in a fetal position. Sammy was draped over Carla, her eyes misty. Hera, who was in the far back, had her gun out, her eyes a wild red blaze. This was the perfect ambush sight; they had to move.

Nameless pushed himself upright off the building wall, grabbing the back of Julia's hood. He heaved her upward as she scrambled.

“Get up,” Nameless huffed breathlessly. Julia wiped the tears from her eyes, her body violently shaking as she got her rifle up.

“Get up!” Nameless roared, gathering himself and running down the street to Aj's side

He hefted the giant up and shoved him into cover, then sprinted back further to Carla and Sammy.

“You good?” Nameless gasped.

“Yeah, yeah, just ruffled,” Sammy said nervously as she clutched her weapon, hunched in a corner.

“Great, get the fuck up!” Nameless shouted, grabbing Carla and hoisting her unto her feet. Her eyes were glassy, her hands hanging by her side. Nameless backed away, focusing on Hera.

“Get her in this fight!” Nameless ordered Sammy as he sprinted to Hera.

Sammy nodded and smacked Carla across the face, shaking her violently.

Carla blinked and started sobbing. Sammy hugged her, whispering something Nameless couldn’t make out. The two girls got into cover and collected themselves as Nameless made his way to Hera.

“You good?” he asked vehemently as he took a knee beside her. She gave him a crazed look, her eyes bulging and fiery.

“I'm fucking good,” she huffed through her teeth; spittle expelled from her mouth. Nameless felt a pang of fear seeing that much hate in a human's eye.

“Okay, well, aim at what we're shooting,” Nameless said, startled.

He got back up and began his journey back to Julia.

He plopped down behind the cover of the corner; Julia was peeking around, trying to see what had happened.

“The hell was that?” Nameless groaned, smacking the bottom of his mag gently.

“You might wanna see this,” Julia said.

“What?” Nameless asked. Julia didn't reply, so he peeked around the corner.

A gaping ravenous pit now resided where the road had been. Smoke, ash, and debris floated through the air, so thick one had difficulty seeing anything. Out of that pit ascended a clattering, scuttling army of humanoids with extra limbs. Their figures were garbed in filthy clothes, odd tools and weapons clutched in every human and mechanical hand. A swarming army of spiders.

As the spiders leaped from the pit, chaos followed as the city erupted into gunfire and smoke. The little saboteurs' objective was clearly to cause as much chaos as possible, seeing as the swarm dispersed in every direction. Some big, some small, some had ten-foot-long limbs, others had tiny ones. Some had tools for hands; others had guns in every hand.

A massive metal machine began crawling out of the pit, to Nameless's amazement. It was a gigantic, tube-like body with treads and extra metal arms. Some kind of mining excavator turned literal tank. And presiding over that tank was.

“Fucking spider!” Nameless coughed, waving.

Sure enough, sitting in the open hatch, with the high harbor quartermaster's sword in both human hands, was Captain Spider.

The tiny captain didn't seem to know his friends were there, clearly why he had let off so many explosives near them. As the Spiders emerged, the battle for Oasis began. The little ones went everywhere, every building, every nook, every cranny. Gunfire erupted in the buildings surrounding the friend group. Whatever trap the guards had laid, they were now busy fighting for their lives.

“Oh shit,” Julia whispered in awe. Nameless turned his head down the street to see what she was looking at. Bright red flares illuminated the cavern all over the city. Nameless could see at least a dozen figures in hoods leading angry mobs of freed slaves armed with whatever was handy. Fires began burning, buildings started collapsing, and the thrum of violence filled the ears for miles.

So, this was war. Unlike the stories at all, Nameless just wanted to go back and nap. His head hurt, his knees kept popping, his back ached, his friends had just survived a direct shockwave, but they needed him. He collected himself, slowing his breathing. As he knelt, figuring out a new plan, Captain Spider noticed him. The Spider said something into his microphone, and the miner tank let loose a roar from its train horn.

Nameless and Julia jumped in place. Nameless checked both sides of the streets for any shooters and sprinted toward the tank. Up close, it was even more magnificent. The tank easily towered over Nameless as he stood on his toes to shake Captain Spider's outstretched hand.

“D-did y-y-y-you guys get ex-explode bitt?” Spider asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just a little. But it's okay, buddy. Man, am I glad to see you!” Nameless roared over the engine. Captain Spider beamed a toothy grin back.

“C-c-can I help?” he asked, sitting in his tank. Nameless smiled and pointed at the Jail.

“We need inside!” he roared over the loud tank engine.

“Inside?” Captain Spider asked joyously, grabbing his hatch.

“IN-FUCKING-SIDE!” Nameless roared with glee as the tank revved its massive turbo engine. The gears and mechanisms housed within the enormous metal hulk began whirring. The driver's cabin turned gun turret began rotating, the tube body following suit as it faced toward the Jail. As the tank prepared, Nameless sprinted back to Julia.

“What's going on? Why are you smiling?” Julia asked.

“Everyone online! Now!” Nameless roared. The team got up from cover and ran toward Nameless.

“Online?” Julia asked. She stopped when she saw the tank begin its trudge toward the Jail.

“Oh, fuck yes!” Hera cheered, dropping her cloak. She shouldered her weapon, thumping the forward assist. The friends followed suit, dropping all concealment.

“Um, you do know my rifle isn't great indoors, right?” Aj asked.

“It's a jail man; there are plenty of shotguns inside,” Carla responded.

Aj shrugged. “Fair enough.”

“Everybody ready?” Nameless asked with glee.

The whole team stood shoulder to shoulder, directly across from the Jail. A moment passed, and the tank's engine roared, its treads screeching, arms outstretched, as it plowed into the front wall of the Jail, collapsing it. The tank dug deeper into the building, revealing the complete structure of the building. With their cover gone, the guards ran out and aimed at them from the alcoves and bare rooms that formed the skeleton of the Jail.

“Assault through!” Nameless roared.

Every gun fired, every member advanced. The collective roar of the guns' fire echoed off the walls of the buildings as they shot and slowly walked forward. Guards started falling out of the building, disappearing into the rubble on the ground. Spider blindly let every machine gun loose inside the building, swinging the excavator arms wildly, smashing walls and humans alike.

As the team got close to the broken building, they split off into two pairs of three, each going to a different side of the tank. Inside, fighting was quick and cruel. Many of the guards were imbalanced and startled; it was fast, easy work.

Nameless and Julia walked side by side, tearing any guards apart that got in the way. On the right side, Aj and Carla did the same. While Carla and Sammy had never held a gun before, it was clear Hera was an experienced killer as she effortlessly put a pair of rounds in the chest and one in the head of every guard that got in her way.

With the guards dead, Spider cut the engine to the tank. The walls of the jail were cracked and dusty. Human fluids covered the ground, and the stench of viscera and waste-filled the air. Julia grimaced as she held her nose.

“I forgot how messy gunfights are,” she spoke.

“You can still smell it?” Nameless asked, surprised, to which Julia hit him on one of the shoulders.

“Not all of us are soulless killers, asshole,” Julia quipped.

She was joking, of course, but deep down, Nameless almost liked this. The dead, the gunfire smoke, the adrenaline. This was his life, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He pushed the thought from his mind as his vision widened out of the tunnel he had been seeing.

“Sorry, buddy, but it looks like you gotta leave the tank behind,” Nameless yelled up to the tank hatch.

“T-thank the-the g-gods!” Captain Spider rejoiced, swinging himself out of the hatch and onto the ground. His feet nearly slipped in the pool of blood by the tank. Nameless reached out, steadying the tiny captain as he regained his balance. “A-after they took my s-s-s-ship, t-they put-put me on t-t-this s-s-s-s-stupid f-fucking t-thing,” He grimaced, kicking the side of the tank.

“Nice sword, pal!” Aj laughed. Spider shared the laugh.

“T-t-thanks! I like m-m-my new job!”

“New Job?” Julia asked.

“Y-yeah! I'm-I'm the new Harbor M-master!” he said, waving his sword.

“Good for you, pal! All right, everyone okay?”

The friends nodded. Hera caught the attention of Nameless as she was giving Spider a look. Spider also noticed.

“Hera,” Sammy said gently.

“Listen,” Hera said quickly. “Thanks. That was really brave running the tank like that.”

Spider blushed and nodded a thank you.

“Okay, everybody set?” Nameless asked. The group nodded, and he led the way into the Jail. He followed the plans, down to the exact step count given by Auntie Mai. The group made their way down the hall until they came to the stair that went up and down the entire jail structure.

“Kinda simple jail don't you guys think?” Aj murmured.

“He better be down there,” Hera grumbled.

“Who cares? Sooner we nab him, sooner we get off-world,” Nameless huffed. He led the way down the staircase, every other person either covering down the stairwell or up. It was a long descent, as each floor had to be searched for any hidden guards. It didn't take long to clear each subsequent floor of the Jail. Each was a single hallway with jail cells on either side, lights going down the center of the ceiling. It was odd that there was no resistance from any remaining guards and zero prisoners. The Jail was a ghost town.

Still, they persisted and eventually made it to the bottom floor. It was the same here as above, no prisoner's insight, no resistance.

“Stay here,” Nameless told the group. Better to have them guard the exits than all of them cornered. As the friends posted in the stairwell, Nameless and Julia kept their guns up and cleared every cell on the left and right. They made their way down to the very end of the hallway, the last cell on the right.

“You ready?” Nameless asked. Julia nodded, and they turned the last corner.

There were no guards, just an old man with white hair crumpled in his bed. His jail clothes were tattered, his bright white hair thick and disheveled. Nameless tapped the cell bars with his rifle, emitting a loud clanging.

“Professor Zion?” Nameless asked cautiously.

The old man opened an eye and pushed himself upright, resting against the cold jail wall.

“This is he,” the old man said groggily. “And who might you be?”

“I'm Nameless; this is Julia.”

The old man studied them. “You are drifting along through this great universe without a name, or is your unique identity as a human being consigned within being labeled Nameless?”

“Huh?” Nameless stuttered.

“Yeah, he's a professor, all right.” Julia scoffed.

“Are you without a name or is Nameless the term you have chosen to represent your identity?” The old man asked softly.

“They call me Nameless; we're here to get you out.”

“Oh, excellent!” The old man cackled, clapping his hands. He leaned forward on the bed, his body slim and poised. His eyes were crystal blue, nearly synthetic. His face was sharp, his eyes narrow, but his demeanor kind. Like an owl’s soul housed in a hawk's body.

“Do you have it?” Professor Zion asked keenly.

“Have what?” Nameless asked defensively as Julia began fumbling with the lock.

“The object that has altered your trajectory along such a path that would bring you here before me.”

“Hey, I'm not the one standing in a jail cell, all right? We're here for you, that's all. You can lose the attitude,” Nameless said cautiously.

A lockpick snapped, and Julia cursed silently.

Professor Zion chuckled. “Forgive me; I am used to more elaborate vocal exchanges. Do you have the sample? The vial?”

Another lockpick snapped, and Julia cursed again.

“Yeah? That's why we're getting you out,” Nameless said nervously, scanning back down the hall.

“May I see it?” the Professor asked.

“You can see it when we get you out of here,” Nameless said quickly. “C'mon, let's go.”

Julia snapped another lockpick.

“Don't rush me, fucker,” Julia spat with concentration.

“Terribly sorry, but I would like to see it now, please. I insist.”

A third lockpick snapped, Julia huffed. “I’ve got two left,” she said softly.

“You didn't bring more?” Nameless asked, startled.

“I've never picked a lock like this; I'm usually in the first or second try.” Julia sighed, reaching inside her bag for her fourth pick.

“The sample?” Zion asked lightly.

“Not now, old man!” said Nameless. He was beginning to not like this guy.

“Just show him, Nameless,” Julia huffed as she put the fourth pick in.

“Later, we need to get him out now; let's go.”

“I'm sure it would only take a few moments to produce the sample,” Professor Zion shrugged.

The lockpick snapped, hanging loose from the cell door lock. Julia stared at it agape. “I didn't even start yet,” she said slowly.

“The vial. If you please,” Zion said.

The two stared at the Professor. Was he doing this? Julia was no cat burglar, but this was her domain. She couldn't have naturally gone through four lock picks on a ridiculously simple lock. Suspicions arose inside Nameless. Wasn’t this guy super important? Where were the guards, was the lock so simple, and why was there only one prisoner in this entire jail?

Nameless cautiously reached inside his jacket, wiggling his hand underneath his armor as he dug out the vial. It glowed blue in the amber lighting of the hanging jail light, illuminating the cell bars.

“Fantastic!” The Professor smiled. He got up, stretched, his knees and back popping with a groan. He then went up to the cell door and tapped it from the inside. The door unlocked and swung outward. Nameless and Julia jumped back and away, startled, their weapons half raised.

“Now, now. Extra precaution can't be too careful on Mars!” the Professor tutted, wagging his finger.

“How the—” Nameless started.

“I believe we were in a hurry, master Nameless,” Zion said confidently.

“Yeah, uh, this way?” Nameless asked, confused as the Professor marched straight past him with purpose.

“We are in the mouth of a trap, my boy. Best to not keep them waiting. While I do feel rather comforted with the amount of artillery you youngsters have brought, strapped to your skinny bodies, we'll need a bit more than a light show to get out of this one,” Zion called over his shoulder.

“He's weird,” Nameless whispered to Julia, who chuckled.

“I'm already impressed, 'fraid he's gonna outshine your gun-slinging?” Julia teased.

“It was just a stupid door,” Nameless said, following her and the Professor down the long hallway.

“Onwards, my new friends! We have quite an adventure ahead of us!” Professor Zion called with glee.