All things considered, Jack didn’t mind prison so much this time. Maybe it was the human-prepared food, which he hadn’t had the pleasure of in five months. Maybe it was because there were other prisoners in shouting distance, or moaning distance in many of their cases. Maybe it was the simple fact that he wasn’t pinned to the ceiling like a defective light fixture, nor was he being tortured for information he didn’t have. Maybe he’d simply grown fond of enclosed spaces.
Regardless of the reason, Jack considered his situation just peachy, and he resigned himself to sit back and wait for the Ark to be annihilated. His only wish was for a chance to see it all burn down before Galili choked the life out of him.
There was a commotion at the end of the cell block, and two people in hooded ponchos came rushing down the aisle. “Which cell?” one of them asked.
“Sixty-seven,” the other said hurriedly.
Their pounding feet echoed through the empty halls, and they came to a screeching halt in front of Jack’s cell. “Is that him?”
“I dunno… There’s an awful lot of beard in the way.”
“Is this a jail break or improv night at the Chuckle Hut?” Jack asked.
Charlie lowered his hood, and then the five-foot hoodlum beside him lowered hers as well, revealing Lisa Albright’s glittering smile.
Charlie spoke while he attached a small explosive to the cell door. “Good to see you, bro. I thought for sure you were a goner.”
“I didn’t,” Lisa said matter-of-factly, and added, “You’re gonna want to get down.” She and Charlie both ducked to the side.
Jack ignored her, and blithely sat on his small bunk with his hands behind his head. The charge blew the lock seconds later, the blast pinpoint specific, producing little more than a few stray sparks and a puff of smoke.
Charlie pulled the gate and it rumbled across the floor, while Lisa stood in the opening, waving for Jack to follow. “Come on, hero. Time’s a-wastin’.”
He pushed himself up, stepped into the opening, took Lisa in his arms and kissed her hard. When he pulled away, she had a sour sort of smile on her face. “You could use some mouth wash,” she said.
“Sorry,” he said. “Been in prison. Second in so many months. Oral hygiene hasn’t been a priority.”
“Regardless,” she said, nuzzling against his chest for a moment, “I’m glad to see you, too.”
“Come on, love birds,” Charlie chided. “We need to get a move on before someone notices you’re missing.”
“Like I’ve never done this before,” Jack said, and the three took off at a swift pace.
Charlie knew the inside of the rat maze like the back of his hand, and he led the way. He ducked in and out of shady corners and paused before every guard station, until they were clear of the detention district altogether. Then they threw caution to the wind and ran at break-neck pace all the way back to the loading docks. Nikitin and Chase were waiting there in a four-wheeler with the engine running.
“I’ll be damned,” Nikitin said. “I will most surely be damned.”
Chase revved the engine and said, “Yer a sight for sore eyes, boss.”
Jack smiled. He’d been sure he would never see those faces again, yet there they all were. They were more than friends; after all they’d been through together, they were his family. Even Charlie.
The three jumped into the jeep, and Chase hit the gas. The wheels squealed, the vehicle lurched forward and it flew through the tunnel leading outside. To Jack’s shock and dismay, the armored doors were gaping wide open. “The man I was with, did they capture him?”
“Nope,” Charlie said. “He made it out before they even got the doors closed, and they canceled the lockdown. Must be real fast, that one… left two dozen dislocated shoulders behind him.”
“Fast isn’t even the half of it,” Jack said, but his words were lost in the wind. The jeep raced out of the Ark and into the open night air, then slowed and trundled along the lightless roads.
“So, where to?” Chase asked after a half-klick.
“South,” was all Jack said, and Chase took them Southward until the village thinned and disappeared behind them. After another half-hour across the open steppe, the copse where Jack left Felix and the others came into view.
Jack tapped Chase on the shoulder and said, “Slow down when we get near that group of trees. Listen… I know you folks have heard some rumors about me turning traitor, and throwing my hat in with the aliens.”
“No worries,” Charlie said. “We wouldn’t have busted you out if we believed a word of it, bro.”
Nikitin said, “You’ve saved my ass enough times to earn a little blind trust.”
“Yeah, about that…” Jack said and paused to look for the right words. “I need to cash that trust in. I didn’t exactly come back alone.”
“We gathered as much.” Charlie gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Managed to spring a couple other prisoners on your way out?”
“No. I came back with the jailer and three of his ET buddies.”
A silence fell over the passengers, so brittle that Jack thought it might shatter.
“Your partner. The guy that made it out of the Ark?” Nikitin asked.
“Yeah. That’s him.”
Jack could smell the confusion.
“So… there are humans working with the aliens?” Charlie asked.
“No, he just looks like us. It’s a disguise.”
Nikitin was the first to speak. “Hey pal… I don’t think I’m alone in saying that you’re actually shaking my faith a little bit here.”
“I know, but I promise I’m no traitor. I’m trying to…”
“To stop the war,” Lisa said. “What else? You’re the same man you’ve always been. Still standing up for what we all used to believe in. Still trying to save lives, no matter the cost.”
“Any which way I can.”
“You’re a real stubborn son of a bitch,” Charlie said. “You always took after dad, that way.”
“It’s the only virtue I’ve got. That’s a virtue, right?”
Lisa shook her head. “Not one of the classical ones, no.”
“Bottom line is that a big ass stampede is about to storm through here and trample this place into dust, and millions are going to die unless we do something about it.”
“What kind of something?” Charlie asked.
Nikitin twisted in his seat and looked Jack in the eyes. “Does your plan involve doing something dangerous or stupid?”
“I’m not sure yet, but probably both.”
Nikitin laughed. “Right on. Count me in.”
“Why not,” Charlie said, “I don’t much like the colonel’s battle plan anyway, and I’ve never been too attached to breathing.”
“You know what he’s up to?” Jack asked.
“Mostly. There’s something super secret brewing that I couldn’t get in on, but I know the major moves. I’ve also heard rumors that they jury-rigged the nuclear reactor into some kind of last resort weapon, in case things go real bad. Command has a real no surrender mentality, and frankly, these aren’t my kind of tactics.”
“Me neither. You in, Chase?”
“You know me, boss. I don’t ask too many questions. Just point me in a direction and I’ll drive.”
“What about you, Lisa? With me?”
“You need to ask? To the ends of the Earth and right on into hell.”
The jeep slowed and pulled around the circle of trees. Jack took a deep breath and said, “Then it’s settled. Do me a favor and keep cool when you meet my new friends. They may be monsters, but they’re pretty decent folk.”