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Seattle was a woman of her word. By the following day—day five by Jason's calculations—plans were underway to move him to more comfortable quarters, and by day six all was prepared. It didn't seem like it would be that big a deal to Jason, but that was not the case for Seattle and her family.
They had set up his new quarters in one of the blind corners of the cave; the only one without an exit. Some of the children had donated old clothing or tossed off pieces of their own bedding for a makeshift palette for Jason. Tinker donated a small frame with black cloth stretched over it which Jason could place over his head to block out the lights when he wanted to lay down. Seattle even relaxed her orders for Tinker to stay away from Jason and allowed him to give it to him as a gift. What an unusual way to block out the light, Jason thought. Wouldn't a blindfold have worked as well? Still, as he inspected the present, he was amazed at the craftsmanship that Tinker displayed. No doubt that's how the boy had received his name.
At the end of day six, everything was ready for the move. All that was left was to get Jason, still considered a dangerous character, from one side of the cave to the other. To do that, Seattle tossed the end of a long chain to Jason, on the end of which was a link that could be opened by unscrewing one segment of it. She ordered Jason to attach it to one of the chains that bound him to this current position. He followed directions, finding himself amused by the elaborate precautions.
Seattle ordered him to lie down with his back to them and with his eyes closed. Before lying down on his side, he noticed Seattle pass her stunwand to Wompun, being very specific what Wompun was to do with it if the prisoner made any movement whatsoever. Jason cringed at the thought of having the electrical shock of a stunwand applied to such a sensitive area of his body, so he made sure he didn't so much as breathe heavily.
Seattle blindfolded him, then unlocked the two chains. As she unlocked the second one that had the longer chain attached, Seattle ordered the children at the other end to pull it tight. Immediately, Jason felt a tug on his right wrist as the chain pulled tight. Seattle then ordered him to rise and walk over to his new location. He did so with great effort, every muscle protesting, especially his legs, which had been unused for almost a week. He now had his left arm free with his right one bound by the chain with a dozen of the strongest kids on the other end.
Should he try for a break? He thought furiously, looking for an opening. Maybe he could overpower the twelve kids holding the other end of the chain, but he doubted it. Plus there'd still be Seattle, not to mention Wompun with the stunwand pointed at his groin. There were also the other twenty kids who were standing out of the way at the moment but would charge him in an instant if he made the wrong move.
Jason sighed. He'd go quietly. He would bide his time. There would be another opportunity, but even as he thought it, he suspected it was more to keep himself from going insane. As he approached the corner that was to be his new home for who knew how long, Seattle instructed him to stop, sit down, and place his hands together behind his back. A few seconds later he heard a sharp blow a few feet behind him as someone struck the chain with a heavy object, followed a few seconds later by a loud cheer. After the cheering had died down, Seattle told him to remove the blindfold.
As he did so, he looked around to see what all the cheering had been about. He followed the chain from his right wrist, through an iron eyelet jutting out from the floor a few feet from him to a second eyelet some twenty feet from where he sat, where the chain had been locked. He suspected the lock had been the reason for the cheering. They had successfully moved their prisoner without any mishap. He followed the chain back along its course, his eyes momentarily stopping at the link that connected the original chain with the longer one. The screw mechanism had been flattened, making it impossible for Jason to separate the two chains.
As he stood up again, he glanced to Seattle as Cinder handed her something. Keeping Seattle in his peripheral vision, Jason watched as she strolled over to her private area, and reaching up to one of the supporting poles, hung something from one of the nails jutting out from the pole. Must be the key to the wild beast, Jason thought. They've done a thorough job today.
Well, it was a day of small victories. He could now stand up and walk around a small semicircle of about twelve to fifteen feet. He now had a palate upon which to sleep and a small tent to block out the light. What more could any human want from life?
It was on day eight of Jason's imprisonment when Mu-Monk showed up at the family's compound. It was during the lights out, which was Seattle's way of telling all her children to go to sleep at the same time. It didn't make much sense to Jason since the lights overhead continued to cast a soft glow, but he was struck by how quickly the kids responded to the simple command.
The supplemental lights had been out for a couple of hours as Jason lay on his palate staring at the dome lights overhead. He wasn't sleepy, so he hadn't bothered to use the tent Tinker had given him. Instead, he lay there reviewing the day. He had finally been given something to do. He was now in charge of cleaning everyone's plates and bowls after each meal. Someone else was assigned to clean the utensils. Jason figured he wasn't considered trustworthy enough to touch the knives and forks. Still, he considered having a daily task as a major accomplishment. It meant he was slowly being included in the family routine. Although in one sense, he didn't give a damn about being a part of the family, he knew their accepting him was vital if he was to eventually win his freedom.
Then Mu-Monk showed up and changed all his plans.
Jason first felt Mu-Monk's presence before he actually saw the little ape. He felt someone watching him. At first, he suspected it might be Tinker again. He had caught the boy on two other occasions studying him from afar late at night, but neither time had Jason been able to drum up a conversation with him.
He lay there for quite some time with the strange feeling of being watched before he finally turned his head. Instead of Tinker staring at him, he found Mu-Monk's face less than a foot from his. The little monkey's gleaming eyes startled him, and Jason almost cried out in shock but managed at the last second to suppress the cry, instead muffling it with a cough.
Jason's first reaction to his little friend's unexpected appearance was one of joy, followed with disappointment as he realized Mu-Monk hadn't returned to the Zone, which meant no one on the surface would be able to follow the monkey back to where Jason was being held prisoner. Still, it was great to see the little guy. Jason had been afraid that maybe one of the four thugs that had attacked him might have somehow caught the monkey. Tears streamed down his face at the realization his little pet was still alive.
Being careful to not jangle his chain, Jason reached out with his free hand and rubbed Mu-Monk's head. "Where the hell you been, little fella? It's about time you paid me a visit."
Mu-Monk responded to his touch by immediately leaping on his chest and chattering softly.
"Shhh. You've got to be quiet. Visiting hours are over, and the attendants are very strict about the rules here."
Jason rubbed Mu-Monk's fur and was surprised by how thin the little pet had become. "You've missed quite a few meals, haven't you?" Jason said as he pulled a small piece of bread left over from dinner from under his palate. Mu-Monk grabbed it out of his hand and stuck most of it in his mouth.
"Easy, fella. Don't eat it all in one gulp. That's all I have."
Mu-Monk took the bread out of his mouth and bit off a smaller chunk. The two of them sat there enjoying the reunion as Mu-Monk continued to chew the bread with Jason rubbing the soft fur behind his ears. Jason's thoughts churned. Suddenly the possibility of freedom had reignited, but how?
Maybe he should send Mu-Monk back to the Zone for help. When the monkey showed up after so many days without any signs of Jason, wouldn't Emerald Eyes and the others become suspicious? But so what? The MED was a huge place. Finding him would be nearly impossible without knowing where to look, and Jason didn't really know where he was. The best he could hope to do was to give his rescuers an idea of the region of the Commons he'd been walking in when attacked. But how? Mu-Monk was a clever monkey, but could he be counted on to find his way back to his owner? Would Emerald Eyes know to follow him? Would she even care enough to investigate further? The rescue plan seemed dicey at best, but still, it offered more hope than he'd had for days. No time like the present to implement it.
"I need you to go find Emerald Eyes," Jason said as he showed Mu-Monk his wrist with the chain attached. "I'm being held here against my will. I need you to go for help."
Mu-Monk stared at the wrist, following the line of the chain. "Do you understand? I'm stuck here. Can't get away. I need your help. Go find Emerald Eyes. Bring her here. It's very important. Hurry." Jason waved Mu-Monk away as he had done in the past when the monkey had grown annoying. "Go find Emerald Eyes," he repeated. "Bring her here."
Jason waited, hoping Mu-Monk would give him a quick chatter as he often did before scurrying away. Mu-Monk neither chattered nor scurried. Instead, he sat staring a Jason, his head tilted to one side, a confused look on his face. Jason repeated the instructions. Mu-Monk tilted his head in the other direction. Jason repeated the instructions a third time, finishing by pushing Mu-Monk gently away.
Mu-Monk retreated a couple of feet as Jason's heart raced, but then the monkey returned to his master's side. Jason repeated the commands at least a dozen more times, growing more desperate by the minute. Still, Mu-Monk wouldn't leave. An hour later, a thoroughly frustrated Jason sat with a confused Mu-Monk sitting a few feet away. One thing was clear. Mu-Monk had found his owner, and he was not going to take the chance of losing him again. Finally giving up on his plan, Jason motioned for Mu-Monk to come to him. Exasperated, Jason fell asleep with Mu-Monk lying on his chest.