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When we got as close to the ground as possible, I pulled off, taking my ship up and over one of the shorter buildings and parking it in the shadows. I could not see what was happening anymore, but I could hear a bevy of gunfire as the drones took aim at the transporter, chasing it to the ground.
Pleased with myself, I hopped out of my ship and ran for the first door in sight. Once I was inside, I could start clearing one floor at a time until I found my brother’s cell. I had planned on doing so quietly, but the situation had become a bit more fluid, and I was happy to embrace this stroke of good fortune.
As expected, the door was locked tight. I imagined that the whole facility locked down when the security beacons were set off, but that was merely an inconvenience at this point. I’d come prepared.
Gripping the outer handle of the door with my mechanical hand, I set my feet in a wide stance and twisted, wrenching the steel sideways and exposing the inner locking mechanism. A moment later I was jamming my metal fingers into the hole, marveling at the ease with which I could force my way in without enduring so much as a scratch.
There was a quiet click as the lock slid open under my touch and I pulled the door free, and then I was moving swiftly down the hall, taking mental notes of my path as I navigated. My research suggested that there were three prison main prison blocks at the outpost, and this was the largest of them. It was as good a place to start as any.
Passing a wide double door, I scanned the open mess hall. Trays of food sat abandoned on the long tables and I realized that my mysterious friends had interrupted meal time. They must have sent all the prisoners back to their cells when the alarms activated, but that was good news for me. It would have been much harder to spring Severn out of a crowded dining room than it would be to get him alone.
I rounded a corner, coming face to face with two guards who were startled by my sudden appearance. Fortunately, I used that extra second to squeeze off two rounds from my weapon, dropping them in an instant.
“Either of you gentlemen care to point me toward your most dangerous and deranged prisoners?” I quipped, stepping over their limp bodies. “No? Well, I guess I’ll help myself…”
Working quickly, I patted the pair down until I located a keycard. I wasn’t above breaking through a few more doors, but this entire mission would move a lot faster if I didn’t have to waste time on locked doors.
Up ahead I could hear a ruckus and I knew I was on the right track. When it came to prisons, you could always count on the prisoners to do their part to contribute to the chaos whenever anything out of the norm happened. All it would take was one unfortunate slip of the hand and these prisoners would be free to riot. I might have helped them if I wasn’t so worried about finding Mia. For now, keeping them locked up was in my best interest, but I could always change my mind if I found Mia’s ashes quickly.
I entered the main prison block, checking the cells as quickly as I could manage. It wouldn’t be hard to spot Torgus, but this place was a lot bigger than I had expected. If I was going to get him out before all hell broke loose, I needed a little more information.
Reaching into my pocket I pulled out a small bottle, holding it up in the dim light and shaking it lightly so that the pills inside rattled. Looking around, I spotted a prisoner with his face pressed all the way up against the bars of his cell door, wild-eyed and snarling. I made a face as he spat at me, growling something unintelligible.
“Hey, meathead!” I called, getting his attention. As his eyes rolled to focus on me, I held up the bottle, rattling it in front of his bars. His eyes went wide and then locked on my face, all his attention finally focused. “You speak?”
He grunted.
“I’m afraid I’m going to need something better than that if you want what I have.”
“Fine,” he said, his voice raw from disuse. “I speak.”
“Good. I’m looking for my brother. Torgus. You know him?”
The man’s eyes rolled again, and he made a face, but he gave a nod to the affirmative. “I know ‘im.”
“Excellent. Would you kindly direct me to his cell?”
He gave another grunt. “Give me mine first.” He slid his tongue out between the bars, reaching for the bottle, waiting for me to deposit its contents into his mouth.
“One now. One when he’s with me.”
The man snorted, but he didn’t retract his tongue. Taking that as acceptance of my offer, I shook one pill out and placed it delicately upon the gesticulating muscle, willing myself not to wretch as he curled his tongue back into his mouth and swallowed blissfully.
I’d come prepared for anything, and that included bribing the prisoners with their favorite poison. Dryp was the drug of choice across much of the star system, and even prisoners who didn’t partake would hardly pass up the opportunity to get their hands on something to barter with on the inside.
“Not in this building. Third floor. Cross the bridge. Up two more floors.”
His last words were almost indecipherable as the drug took effect, his eyes rolling back in his head as he slid down the door, leaving a trail of drool.
“Thanks,” I muttered with disgust, moving away as quickly as I could.
The other prisoners had seen the exchange, and shouts and vulgar offers followed me as I headed for the stairs. The prisoners closest to my quarry had overheard our deal making and claimed to have more accurate information to offer, if only I would spare them a Dryp or two. But as I moved down the hall, the offers became more lewd, and the prisoners resorted to offering me a variety of other things for a taste. To their dismay, I wasn’t about to stick my dick through a set of bars and hope I came away in one piece. Desperate, I was not.
I took the steps in threes, reaching the second floor and spotting the staircase to the third floor on the other side of the block. Clearly this place was laid out to deter easy entry and exit. I had to sprint half the perimeter of the tier to reach the next staircase and then repeat the process on the third floor to reach the floating bridge that connected this building to the one across from it.
Looking down through the glass walls of the bridge, a bloody trail of Sovann’ash soldiers strewn across the main thoroughfare brought a smile to my face. These mysterious intruders were doing a fine job of making my life easier, and I was more than a little curious who I should be thanking.
As I rounded the corner, the answer to my question became apparent.
