Copyright 2008 Marva Dasef

 

Chapter 22 - Escape

 

Their captors unceremoniously threw Nyra and Garrett into a room with a guard posted outside. The force field that passed for a doorway shimmered slightly. Within the satellite, spin provided about a half gee, at least where they were.

"Well, that didn't go well, did it?" Garrett said with an almost-smile twist to his mouth.

"I'm glad you have a sense of humor about this. You know they'll try, convict, and execute us in short order," Nyra answered without any smile at all.

"Just calm down. We need to think of a good story."

"What? Like we were just playing a prank on those guards in the shuttle?" Nyra exclaimed in surprise.

Garrett didn't answer and turned away from her.

"What is this? Just some school kid hazing? Really, I'm surprised at you, Garrett," Nyra said with scorn.

"Okay. Come over here," he said, waving her into the farther corner away from the door.

He glanced toward the door checking that the guard wasn't in sight. "We just need to get out of here and back to the dock. The only hard part will be getting out of this room. We can probably handle anybody who gets between us and the shuttle."

Nyra thought he was being optimistic about their ability. She didn't doubt him, but it didn't seem likely it would be that easy.

"All right," she whispered, "Maybe we could try the old 'one of us is sick' game. So, which one of us is sick and which one asks for the doctor?"

Garrett gave a sharp bark of laughter. "Sorry, but you sounded like something right out of the trivees. But why not give it a try? We could go with the poisoned tooth variation."

"What's that?"

"Oh, come on! You haven't seen the one where the spy has the poison in his fake tooth?"

"You are having far too much fun, Garrett. You do realize they'll recognize you and, even if we get out of here, you'll have to escape from Earth. No more Mr. Celebrity for you. You'll just be another soldier in the war on tyranny."

"Now you're the one having too much fun." Garrett glanced at the door. The guard was in the port arms stance, facing away from the doorway.

"Fine. I'll take the poison and you beat up the guard," Nyra replied. She couldn't believe Garrett's good-humored attitude. Still, she might as well play it his way.

"Leave me alone. I'm not going to be taken alive," she cried loud enough for the guard to hear through the force field. When the guard turned around to see why she was yelling, she jerked her arm away from Garrett, then shoved him against the wall. He allowed her to do it and even added a little twist of his own to slam himself against the wall.

"No, don't!" he yelled and reached toward her. She held her hands to her mouth to look like she was taking something. Then, she cried out in agony and fell to the floor, writhing and twisting. She hoped it looked like she was being poisoned.

"Guard! Guard! She's taken poison. Get a doctor. Quickly!" Garrett said in such a commanding tone the guard almost snapped to attention, then ran off down the passageway.

"Keep it up," Garrett whispered.

Nyra started moaning, then almost giggled in mid-moan, it felt so ridiculous.

"One thing, Nyra. We only kill when absolutely necessary, so try not to kill anybody on the way out."

Nyra nodded, relieved that Garrett didn't expect her to suddenly become a killer.

Nyra heard the sound of pounding feet. The guard pushed a button on a control panel and the force field disappeared. He and another man entered the room. The guard pointed his blaster at Garrett and gestured for him to move back. Garrett obligingly stepped to the other side of the room. The guard pointed his blaster away from Nyra to focus on Garrett. The other man opened the medi-kit he was carrying and took out a scanner.

Nyra continued to writhe and moan in pretend agony, but opened her eyes to check where Garrett and the guard were. She saw Garrett had effectively taken the guard's attention away from her.

It was almost too easy. She shot her bound hands into the medic's face, knocking him halfway across the room. The guard looked at them and Garrett struck. One kick to the guard's head threw him toward Nyra, who was now in a crouched stance. She put down her head and butted the guard in the gut, doubling him over. When the medic rose from the floor, Nyra stood up and knocked him against the wall with a spinning kick.

"Nice Kodang technique. Or, does your school use Juche?" Garrett asked.

"Could we discuss technique later? We've got another change of clothes, so let's make it quick."

First, Garrett released their bound hands using the guard's electronic key. Then the two stripped the medic and the guard of their clothing. They used the same bindings on the unconscious men and tucked them into a corner by the door as far out of sight as they could.