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“When’s the next trash pickup?”
“Two days from now.”
Two days. I’ve been watching the movements of guards and taking note of the security systems, and I know Danel has beendoing the same. “Okay, I’ll be ready. When you see Danel, let him know.”
With a curt nod, she resumes wiping the floors as though we never spoke at all. The next day, I find Danel doing leg strengthening exercises in a secluded corner of the exercise yard.
“Mind if I join?” I ask.
He nods. “Not like I could ever say no to my little bro.”
Arms out in front of us, we squat and stretch, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be listening. “Did Brigid pick up your trash last night?” I ask.
“She won’t be back again until tomorrow night.” This, I realize, is a code in case there are any listening ears.
“Will your trash can be full and ready for pickup by then?” I ask, rolling with the thinly veiled metaphor.
He nods, grimacing slightly as he stretches out his injured leg. “You?”
“Mine are more than ready. She, um, always seems to change them just before lights out, around midnight, and just before sunrise.”
I’m relieved that he picked up the change in code. “Same. Have you been taking note of the…trash cans and janitor’s closets?”
I roll my eyes. “Do you think this is my first—uh—janitorial rotation? Of course I have.”
He pats my arm. “I expect nothing less.”
The next night, I lie in bed waiting for Brigid to arrive with the keys she’s lifted off a sleeping guard. Apparently, the one on rotation for tonight always naps at around 3:00 in the morning, making it easy for her to steal them. We picked the middle of the night because the other prisoners will also be asleep and therefore less likely to raise an alarm or try to break out with us.
Finally, I hear a soft beep and the door to my cell opens. Brigid stands on the other side wearing a backpack withwhat is likely all her belongings and looking pleased with herself. “Ready?” she whispers. I nod and focus my energy on camouflaging myself with the walls behind me. She raises her eyebrows, impressed. “Wish I could do that.”
“Let’s grab Danel and get the hell out of here.”
Brigid nonchalantly pushes her cart as I move carefully along the walls. I may be practically invisible, but it doesn’t hurt to avoid cameras.
We turn a corner and freeze. A pair of guards are walking down the hall, and even from this distance, I smell the cheap Breyseed energy drink that grunts in the army brew like their lives depend on it. Their backs are to us, but Danel’s cell is right in their path.
Brigid glances at me with a worried question on her face. I press a finger to my lips and pad down the hall, moving as quickly and silently as possible. Soon, I’ve caught up to them, not that they’ve noticed.
I swiftly bash their heads together, knocking them both out cold at once. Then, I relieve them of their weapons and grab their keycard to free my brother.
Danel grins as he steps out of his cell. “Took you long enough.”
“Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine,” I say, handing him one of the guns and nodding to the unconscious guards. We drag them into the cell and shut the door, locking them inside. That should buy us some time even after they wake up.
“Ready?” Brigid asks when she catches up.
I grin. “Lead the way.”
The prison is far more complex and confusing than I first thought. We had been placed near the yard, so it was a direct route between the two. The rest of the time, we were confined toour cells, so I find myself surprised by how the halls wind and twist.
Finally, we make it to the maximum-security wing. A guard dozes by the door, so Danel and I slip past him first because we’ve had stealth training. While we couldn’t get rid of the janitorial cart we were using as a cover just yet, we also didn’t want the squeak of its wheels to wake him at the worst possible moment.
As expected, he stirs as Brigid passes, opening one eye. When he sees her, he relaxes back into his slumber. We collectively breathe a sigh of relief before following her to the cell.
Dalex Arn is waiting by the door. His imprisonment has left him looking sickly, the cold and lack of sunlight sapping the energy from what would normally be a robust Kaleidian. Danel does the honor of opening the door.
The man grins as he takes his first steps towards freedom. “I was beginning to think the janitor was just fucking with me.”
