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“Strength of arms is the only protection for the weak. We must recreate the ancient city-state in which to keep our citizenry safe. To do so required more food, manpower and forethought than anyone had.”
History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss
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NICK KNEW THAT THIS was the best time to make an attempt but worried that James would be punished. He thought through a number of scenarios while the biobot repaired the cut over his eye and split lip.
“No windows down here,” Nick said casually. “I can’t tell if it’s day or night.”
“Dusk,” James replied. “It is that time of day when the light fades and the shifts change.”
Nick avoided eye contact. He understood what the biobot was telling him and didn’t want to panic him. “You must have it easy here since the soldiers have such a cushy posting.”
“I go wherever my services are required. The cells if someone is hurt, the old laundry which is down the hall to the right three doors, or out in the yard behind the laundry. Accidents can happen anywhere.” James continued his work patiently as if he hadn’t said anything out of the ordinary.
“Yes. That’s very true,” Nick mumbled. He needed a little more information. Was the yard behind the laundry inside or outside of the perimeter wall? “This place seems pretty old. Was it some kind of castle?”
“An old mansion, I was told. The family that lived here tried to fortify it in Zero Year. It had been abandoned when Washburn moved in. He’s made many improvements over the years.”
“It looks formidable.”
“Yes. It presents a solid front. This basement extends under the original building which is much older and has a number of out buildings down the backside of the hill toward the river.” James dug into his satchel again, pulling out a few more supplies. He gave Nick a careful look. “I will be required to report back on my actions. Therefore it is imperative that you comprehend what I am about to do.”
Nick nodded his understanding.
After laying a towel on the dirt floor, James placed each item with an explanation. “This is a jar of antibiotic salve. These are bandages to keep the wound protected. This is a syringe of painkiller that will render you unconscious.” He laid them out one by one followed by his ring of keys.
Nick grabbed the syringe and injected James. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “And thanks. I’ll tell your brothers where you are.”
A flicker of surprise lit James’s eyes before his face went slack. Nick took the keys and dashed over to release Nadine. He put a finger to his lips warning her to silence. “This could be a trap,” he whispered.
She gestured for him to lead on.
Nick felt invisible in the dim light but kept alert for any sounds. He relocked Nadine’s cell and then his with James inside. He crept down the passageway with Nadine a step behind him. Listening with every cell of his body, he went to the heavy wooden door to press his ear against it. He didn’t hear anything. He wrapped sweaty fingers around the latch and lifted. It clanked once, but the door swung easily on well maintained hinges. Holding it open just a crack, he peeked into the hallway. It was bright and dazzled his eyes at first. Voices put a couple of guards to the left. Sliding the door open a few more inches, he stuck his head out.
A shadow on the opposite wall was his only warning. He ducked back in and shut the door. Heavy footsteps passed by. Nick counted to ten. He started to lift the handle when another set of footsteps approached down the hall. Nadine squeezed his arm. He gestured for her to stand behind the door. Moving in front of her, he waited for them to charge in. Weaponless, he’d have to take out whoever came through immediately. His hands itched as a bead of sweat slid down his neck.
The footsteps passed them headed toward the laundry. Nick didn’t want to meet that person coming back, but after a count of fifty all was still. He cracked the door again. The hall appeared empty although he could hear the same voices off to his left. He grabbed Nadine’s hand and pulled her into the hall after him. They sprinted past three steel doors to find a cracked and battered wooden one. Nick had to put his shoulder to it, forcing it in. Nadine squeezed past him into the darkness. He followed, then forced the door shut again, hoping they hadn’t made too much noise. The room smelled dank like a basement but with a lighter, loamy odor on top.
“Is it a trap?” Nadine whispered.
Nick trusted James. The numbers in his tattoo were similar to Wisp’s. He could be another brother, or some random biobot from the same lab, but there was something about him that made Nick believe him. He blinked a couple times willing his eyes to adjust to the complete darkness. A few seconds later he saw it, an outside door with a filthy window showing the half-light of twilight. An indrawn breath told him Nadine saw it, too. This part of the basement must come out on the hillside.
A board creaked under his foot. Nick took Nadine’s arm, pulling her close. “Follow me,” he whispered. Creeping around the edge of the room, gingerly testing each floor board, he brought them to the outside door. He rubbed clean a corner of the dirt-caked window to check outside. There was good news and bad. Woods came right up to the building giving them plenty of cover. However, the trees were so close that they blocked egress. Nadine tugged on his arm. She pointed to a large window with a long wooden worktable in front of it.
Nick leaned on the table, and it wobbled under his weight. He gestured to Nadine to grab the other end. Trying to make as little noise as possible, Nick shifted the table far enough to get to the window. He eyed the window sashes doubtfully. The whole room reeked of damp and rot. There was no chance it would open easily. He checked for a lock then hauled on it. The sash slid upward so fast Nick almost fell over. The channels had been greased. A voice in the back of Nick’s brain screamed that this was a trap, but another thought pushed that aside. This might be an escape route for James.
The woods outside the window were young saplings most not thicker than a broom handle. Nick sat on the sill and leaned backwards out the window to check the area above them before going out. The foliage crowded so thickly on the trees, he couldn’t see the sky, which meant any guards stationed above shouldn’t be able to see him either. Nick helped Nadine climb through the window. She had to force aside a couple of weedy trees to find footing. He reached out to yank a thin branch free to muddle their footprints across the room. After climbing out the window, he slid the sash closed and hoped he’d done enough to disguise their trespass.
Nadine grabbed his hand. “He said to go downhill to the river. There’s a boat that’ll take us to a farm.”
Nick let her lead, keeping his eyes open for any movement around them. Escape by boat would be faster than on foot, but he had some doubts about going to a farm. “When did he tell you all this?”
“They took me to the cells right after you went to see the general. James brought me some breakfast. He told me about this like it was a travelogue. Kind of weird.”
Nick checked back up the trail. The undergrowth and shadows seemed to hide their passage. Luck or trap? He still couldn’t say