“What are we going to do?” one of the parents wondered out loud.
“We need to hide all the children,” AJ replied, clearly thinking as he went.
Paige liked that plan. They needed to buy Dave some time.
“Where is Dave?” AJ asked her in a hushed voice.
“He's working on something on his end, but we have to make sure the kids are safe until he returns,” Paige said in one breath.
“Okay,” AJ replied simply. “Let's do it then.”
It was better to hide the children in plain sight than move them someplace else again. Besides, they had nowhere else to go.
“We only need to find somewhere for them to hide,” Paige added. “Temporarily. Don’t worry, the children won’t disappear. We’re just trying to keep them safe,” she tried to reassure them.
The parents were scared and reluctant at first, but they all agreed to hand over the children to Paige and AJ. Some of them started crying again, but this had to be done.
Suddenly the elevator moved again, and Paige panicked. They ran out of time.
No!
Once it arrived, they saw the remaining Green Coats returning.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” one father warned.
They all looked a bit worse for wear, but they were there and alive, so that was a plus.
“Find a way to keep this lift here,” Paige advised.
While the parents dealt with that, Paige and AJ gathered the children and led them away from the common room.
Paige ran into one of the sleeping quarters and looked around.
I need to hide them in places where they won’t be found, she mused. Unfortunately, there were only beds and small units in the bedroom.
Crap!
Panic rose once more, but Paige tried with all her might not to show it. We will get through this!
Seeing no other course of action, Paige decided to hide the little children inside the small units. They were the right size and would fit comfortably inside them, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Then she could cover them with sheets stocked in front of them.
She looked at AJ, and judging by the way he sized up the units, he thought the same thing.
They acted without speaking, preparing the units. Three small children were placed into the units.
“You will be all right in there, okay?” Paige reassured them hastily.
“Yes. Will you give us candy after we get out?” one precious little thing who was missing his front teeth asked.
Paige couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t promise something she knew she couldn’t fulfill, but she needed to give them something. “Even better. I will let you play with a cat,” she promised, and that instantly cheered them up.
“Just sit still, okay? Don’t make noise no matter what you hear. If someone calls for you—even your parents—don’t answer, not until either AJ or me call out to you, okay?” Paige instructed them slowly. “We will come and get you when it’s time.”
The children giggled, enjoying the game, but they agreed to sit still.
“Don’t forget to remain quiet,” Paige repeated one last time before she closed the door.
It was the older kids’ turn now to be hidden. Paige looked around the room, her eyes darting over all the beds and scant furniture.
“AJ, what can we do?” Paige whispered to him.
She turned around and around on her heel, examining the room for the hundredth time. Paige ran out of ideas for hiding places.
Because there are none!
Everything she came up with sounded silly to her.
AJ’s eyes fixed on the wall. “Paige, look,” he pointed suddenly, showing the square panel built into the wall. The vent.
It was fastened with special nails and could easily come off if they only had a screwdriver.
“AJ, you’re a genius!” Paige exclaimed as she sprung forward. Her fingers traced the edges. “Does anyone have a screwdriver here?” Paige yelled.
The moment she called out, she realized how absurd it sounded. No normal person would walk around carrying a screwdriver in his or her pocket. Still, that was their last hope.
To Paige’s surprise, one of the mothers came forward with a screwdriver in her hands. “I’ve always carried a screwdriver in my pocket,” she said. “Ever since I was eleven years old.” Paige could only gape at her with an open mouth. The woman shrugged. “It’s handy.”
Paige felt like kissing her.
AJ took it with a smile from her hands and thanked her since Paige was rendered speechless.
What were the odds?
He turned to open one of the lower panels. That turned out to be easier than persuading the older kids to enter and wait.
“My dad will be punished!” the boy who had called out for his dad earlier said. “I’m going upstairs!”
AJ held him back. “You can't. This is for your own good.”
The boy’s mother cried again. “Please! Please, Sammie. Just get inside! Your dad will be all right.”
The father stood by the door. “Just do as you’re told, Samuel,” he tried to be stern, but his voice broke.
Because of that tiny hitch in his voice, it was obvious the boy wanted to rebel again.
“Please! Everyone, can you leave this room!” Paige yelled, knowing time was of the essence. “Even if the kids are all hidden, we’ll look suspicious if they find all of us in here. Please, go to the Green common room! Please! Hold the Blue Coats back if you can. We need to get the children safely hidden away!”
Her voice had grown hoarse from so much shouting, and her throat hurt. Of course, that was a small price to pay if they could pull this off.
And they had to.
It was difficult to get the parents to leave, but eventually, they complied.
The parents were told to stay in the Green common room while AJ and Paige continued to coax the older kids inside the wall.
Once they agreed, AJ left the room.
“Please, don’t make a sound in there. It’s for your own safety, okay?” Paige told them before putting the panel back in place and screwing it shut again.
All that was left to do now was to wait for the Blue Coats to arrive.
Chapter Twenty
Dave ran toward the docking area like the hell hounds were chasing him because, in a way, they were.
Blue Coats left him alone as soon as he extracted himself from the crowd, but he still fought against one hell of an enemy—time.
He prayed with all his might he would be able to do this.
On paper, his plan was fairly simple. Get to his ship Necromancer and contact the only ally he had.
In reality, things never turned out to be so clean or easy.
Was it number one or two? Dave tried to remember, but he didn't have to try for long. Once he reached the right place, he could see his ship through the glass. It was still parked in docking bay One.
Thank the heavens. He breathed a small sigh of relief.
He doubled his effort only to be stopped at the door by two guards.
“This is a restricted area, sir,” one of them informed him.
If they had a problem with him looking a bit disheveled, they didn't indicate it.
This red is one hell of a shield, even in rags, Dave thought to himself.
He could feel his lower lip swelling, and his uniform was wrinkled in places, but that was the worst of it. He was glad because he needed his shield now more than ever.
“I know,” he replied calmly, trying to regulate his breathing down to normal as if he had all the time in the world. “I just have to go to my ship really quick,” he informed them.
“I'm sorry, sir. You need formal permission to do that,” the same guard informed him.
Great, Dave felt like cursing.
“Look, I don't have time for that,” he snapped, resuming his previous role of a rich brat. “Just check my ID, and let me pass,” he instructed, waving his card.
The guards look
ed at one another, clearly unsure of their course of action.
“I don't have all day,” Dave prompted.
That was clearly the wrong thing to say because that same resolve he encountered in the beginning returned.
“We are sorry, sir, but it's protocol to have permission.” The guard was adamant.
Stubborn bastards.
“Is that so?” Dave challenged, and they both nodded. “Fuck this,” he murmured to himself and swung.
He easily knocked the first one unconscious, having the element of surprise. Dave sparred with the other who had time to react properly. When the guard tried to hit Dave and missed, he grabbed the taser from the guard’s belt and gave him the biggest shock of his life. The second guard slumped to the ground next to the first one.
“Piece of cake,” he said, jogging to his ship.
“Hi, Necy. You miss me?” he greeted the Necromancer.
Popping inside, Dave jumped into the pilot's seat and fired it up.
Brooke had shown him just once how to do the emergency broadcasting, and he hoped he could pull it off.
He knew he couldn't just call her on the radio since he didn't know where she was, but he could send an alert to the Space Station and be pretty confident the captain would forward the message.
Here goes nothing...
Dave pushed a couple of buttons on the control panel, so he could record his message and grabbed the mic.
He felt silly talking to himself, but he got over it pretty quickly because he had no other choice.
Those kids couldn't stay there. That was clear as day, so they needed help.
Luckily, he knew exactly the right person who could help.
“Hi, Brooke. It's Dave. I really hope you'll get this in time,” he started his message. “I managed to get on the mothership. Peter is here, and so is your family...”
He didn't want to get into all the details. There wasn’t time for that.
“We need your help, Brooke. The Space Cadets, I mean. Some shit hit the fan in this place, and some kids and their parents need asylum at the Station. They’re planning to mass murder children by floating them out into space. They’re doing the same to anyone who challenges them or who disagrees with them. Please help us.” Dave concluded, and after a little fumbling, he sent it.
With that settled, he had the hardest part ahead of him—waiting.
Perhaps I could reach her, Dave wondered.
“Mr. Davis,” came over the speakers, scaring the hell out of him. “You are in a restricted area. Leave the docking bay immediately and return to your quarters.,” a voice that was far less pleasant than before informed him.
“We are in a state of total lock-down. I repeat, return to your quarters.”
“Why?” Dave asked, but he received no reply.
He assumed communication was only one-sided. That sounded serious, so he complied. Besides, he already did what he came to do.
Still, he was reluctant to leave his ship. He couldn’t shake the bad feeling he had.
Did something happen to the kids? He worried they might have been in danger, and that sprang him to action.
Jumping out of the Necromancer, he was relieved to see the two guards were still down for the count. He really didn't want to deal with the aftermath of that. He ran, hoping Paige, AJ, and the others managed to keep the Blue Coats away from the kids. He had some good news to share when he returned.
At least, he hoped it would turn out to be good news.
* * *
Paige could hear AJ’s angry voice in the corridor.
“This is not your level. You’re in the Green area. The Blue level is way above this one!”
He was loud enough to alert Paige they’d arrived, and she didn’t have much time.
Paige tried to keep her fingers from trembling as she screwed the nails into place.
Come on, steady now...
Just after she finished tightening the last one and slipped the screwdriver into her pocket, she turned in time to see the door kicked open and a group of angry Blue Coats enter.
Grabbing a book from the nearest bed, Paige leaned against the wall and smiled innocently. That was a hard thing to do since she wanted to punch every single one of them in the face.
Upon seeing one familiar bloody face, she realized she already did that.
“Oh, hi!” Paige said cheerfully, flashing one of her most charming smiles. “What’s up?”
The Blue Coats looked at one another. It was obvious she threw them off their game, but sadly, they recovered quickly.
“Don’t pretend to be dumb, stowaway!” the one with the broken nose from her earlier handy work snapped back.
“I’m not dumb,” Paige said, trying her best to look hurt. She could see AJ in the back, rolling his eyes even while being pissed off.
“I love to read books, see? By the way, have you read this one?” she asked, keeping her tone cheerful.
Seeing their bemused faces, Paige quickly looked at the cover and discovered it was actually an ABC book written for a toddler.
Well, crap!
“Oh, I just like to read this kind of thing…” Paige mumbled, blushing and trying to keep the pretense going.
“Don’t play us,” one of the Blue Coats said before advancing towards Paige and grabbing her by the uniform. “We watched you on the camera, along with your boyfriend, brother, or whoever he is. We saw you take the children down to this level!”
They didn’t see anything else since she’d turned the camera off.
That was a relief.
“Search the premises,” he told the others. The Blue Coats sprang into action, turning everything upside down while Paige prayed for the children to remain calm.
One of the Blue Coats advanced toward the units and opened it. A horrific sound followed.
Smokey leaped out of the unit, letting out demonic sounds, and clawing at the man with all his might.
Yes! Paige cheered.
The Blue Coat didn't know what hit him. “Help me! I'm under attack!” he shouted as his colleagues rushed to help him.
“Shoot that beast!” he continued.
“Don't you dare!” Paige shouted in return. Fortunately, the friendly fiend got away.
All the ruckus alarmed the people in the other room and made Blue Coats abandon the search, which was a small miracle.
“Don’t touch her!” AJ came back in the room, pushing his way through them to get to Paige.
“Wait, AJ. I have some things I’d like to tell them!” Paige rushed, feeling angry. As hard as she tried to keep it hidden, it escaped. Paige tossed the book onto the nearest bed, her face now red with rage.
“Yes? We’re listening. Go ahead, stowaway. Tell us where they are. You can’t run around causing chaos. So, think before you speak,” the leader advised, eyeing her suspiciously. He was smart to be worried.
The Blue Coats stood side by side, their hands on their hips while waiting for Paige’s reply. One of them was scratched and bloody thanks to Smokey.
Knowing the children were safely hidden, and that there was no way they could find them, Paige thought it was safe to open her mouth and tell them exactly what she thought of them.
It is better than killing them, she reminded herself.
“So, you saw me and everything I did? Well, you know what? I’m proud of it, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat,” she snapped back taking a step toward them. “You will never see the kids ever again. Not to mention, they’re not even here. You need to just go back to where you came from!”
To hell!
“Oh, and all of you should be ashamed for what you’re doing on this spaceship, it’s despicable! Were you never bullied in school? What you’re doing is taking the absolute worst traits from Earth and starting a whole new life keeping those alive. You’re not even Reds, but you still try to act like it. You’re lower than someone, too. Money doesn’t make you better. Being better makes you better.”
Paige could fee
l her cheeks burning as she spoke, and in the pause that followed, she watched the expressions on their faces. They were mildly surprised. That wasn’t what they thought they would hear.
Well, tough shit!
“Well, well,” one of the female Blue Coats responded, looking at the others, then back at Paige. “They may not be here right now, but I warn you, we’re watching you closely from now on. We know they’re around here somewhere, and for now, we’ll leave. But if ordered to, we will be back. You have to know the kids must never leave the Green Level until they’re of working age. If they do, we’ll take them. The next time, you will never get them back. Understand?” the guard said with menace, pausing for a moment before carrying on.
“If they’re seen on any other levels, they will be floated out; together with all their family members. This includes you and your friend here as well!” the woman snapped, jerking her head towards AJ.
“By the way, the general-in-chief of the ship still hasn’t finished with you two. So, you must stay on the Green Level until you’re told to leave. Understand?” The female Blue Coat stared into Paige’s eyes for a moment longer as if trying to intimidate her before marching out of the sleeping quarters.
The rest of the Blue Coats followed suit. They got onto the elevator and left, much to everyone’s relief.
They’re gone for now, but this is far from over! Paige thought glumly.
“The coast is clear,” AJ declared.
Paige didn’t waste a second after hearing the Blue Coats were gone to take out the screwdriver and unscrew the nails. She wanted to get the older kids out of the panel in the wall.
AJ wanted to help but since they only had one tool, he held the panel for her instead, soothing the kids on the other side.
“It’s over, dudes. You’ll be out soon,” he said.
They came out, looking at their parents in amazement. Just as Paige feared, they heard the entire conversation. They probably wondered what was going on.
“Mom?” one of them asked.
Meanwhile, Paige hurried to the smaller unit to free the younger children.
Mothership (Invasion Survivor Book 4) Page 18