by T. R. Harris
“What?”
“Do you sincerely believe you can escape?” Aric asked. “We have looked into it as well and have not found a solution. I suppose that is the pastime of all detention inmates, to be forever dreaming of escape.”
Copernicus smiled. “Dreaming is one thing; doing is another. I’m a Human, and I’ve escaped from four other prisons in my lifetime. I don’t see why this one would be any different.”
Aric’s face became animated.
“How, how would you do it?”
Coop shook his head. “I don’t know exactly, but I’m working on a few ideas.”
“Take me with you,” Aric blurted. “I will pay.”
Coop took a step back, shaking his head. “Wait a minute. It’s not that simple. One person may be able to get away, but you’re talking about all five of you coming with me. That’s a major jailbreak. Besides, I don’t even have a solid plan yet.”
“It would only be me you would need to take.”
Coop snorted. “You’d leave your friends behind?”
“They will be fine. I am the main reason they are here. If I escape, then the Benefactor will have no need to continue making payment for their confinement. They will be released; of that I am sure.”
“I still don’t have a plan.”
“Yet, as you say, you are a Human, and if my memory serves correctly, one of remarkable abilities. You managed to steal the most valuable artifact from the ancient Aris civilization. At some point, you will have to tell me what became of it.”
Copernicus thought for a moment. Then he said, “Pay, you said you could pay. How can you do that? You’re in prison, as is most of the Gracilian government.”
The smile on Aric’s face had a wicked tinge to it.
“Have confidence, Copernicus Smith, I have assets.”
“I’ll have to know what they are before I include you in my plans; otherwise, it’s not worth the risk.”
Aric was silent for a moment as he internally debated what to tell Copernicus. Then he made the Human-like shrug once again.
“Very well. As you know, Gracilia was the first world attacked by Kracion. It came as a complete surprise. At first, we thought we could reason with him, but that proved to be an error in judgment. At the time, we believed he intended to use conventional nuclear devices to lay waste to the planet, but as you know, he used radiation-intense weapons instead. In a desperate attempt to preserve at least some of the planetary treasury for future generations, a group of us decided to divide up the funds and leave the planet. My share was just over two billion Juirean credits. In the five years since Kracion destroyed Gracilia, most of the others have either had their fortunes stolen or confiscated by local governments. It was some of these credits that financed the attempted coup on Aac’or. Fortunately, most of mine is still intact.”
“Two billion!” Copernicus was in a mild state of shock. Juirean credits had a lot more value than Human money. Aric had to be sitting on a fortune comparable to twenty billion dollars or more. “Where is it?”
Aric shook his head and smiled. “Hidden away. It is safe, I assure you.”
Something wasn’t right, Coop thought. He frowned. “If you have so much money—credits—why don’t you just buy your way out of here? Panorius is all about the credits.”
“I cannot do that. The Aac’oreans are anxious to confiscate the wealth of Gracilia, as compensation for the recent coup attempt. And I would not trust others to have access to the funds, or further, to risk the Aac’oreans finding out about it. But as I said, it is safe. If you can free me, I will reward you most appreciatively.”
Now it made sense and being the unrepentant capitalist that he was, Copernicus saw no reason not to include Aric in his future escape plans.
“Okay, you have a deal. But as I said before, I don’t have a viable plan, not yet.”
“But now you have an incentive, even more than you did before. And I will double the fee if you can accomplish this feat within the next five days.”
Coop was staggered. “Double … five … why?”
“All I will say is that I have pressing matters to attend to. Before talking with you, I had all but conceded that I would play no part in upcoming events. But now there is a chance I may still be able to participate. And for that, I am willing to pay even more.”
“Participate in what?”
Aric’s grin was thin, his eyes intense. “That will have to remain a secret, even from you, my friend, Copernicus Smith. Now, put your creative and diabolical mind to work. Find us a way out of Panorius, and please do it quickly.”
4
With the pressure on, Copernicus began refining his ideas down to the most practical. It became obvious right away that Aric revealed his plans to his compatriots because they then whole-heartedly volunteered to help, acting as either lookouts or diversions while Coop tested some of his theories.
After a few days, he had the basis for a plan. It involved the catacombs and the factories Panorius operated underground. However, needing more information, he began chatting up the inmates who brought the food to the Conditioning Chamber. As he learned, the meals were prepared by inmates in a large, central kitchen below ground, the same facility that provided all the meals throughout the complex.
Normally, the workers remained quiet and didn’t socialize with the 200, meaning inmates serving their first two hundred days on the moon. And normally, the newbies didn’t converse with those from below ground, either. Coop, however, turned on the charm, asking the servers and clean-up crew what it was like in the catacombs. He explained how he would soon be joining them there, and he was curious. Where did they live? In small caves cut in the sides of tunnels and caverns. What did they eat? The same as the 200, although they could buy additional items from shops and street vendors once they began working in the factories. And what were these factories, what kind of work? Mainly rote assembly since they didn’t have heavy machinery in the catacombs. And other items, such as different clothing, household goods and the like, where did they come from? Some of the inmates make them. Other items are brought in with the factory ships. Exchange was allowed, including a vibrant black market. And finally, where are the factories? They must have their own entrance. Yes, they do, with loading bays and a landing field on the other side of the crater wall.
That could be the key to their escape, with the civilian spacecraft that serviced the factories. It was better than fighting their way out through the front door. After a few more conversations, Copernicus had a pretty good idea where to go once he entered the labyrinth. And remarkably, he didn’t think he and Aric would have much trouble getting there. Security throughout the facility was lax. Within the Conditioning Chamber, the guards were ordered not to interfere with inmate activities, and to only react in self-defense. Below ground, it was even worse. The inmates down there were a pitiful lot, and the guards knew they were no threat. There were some crucial security points, such as the exits from the factories, but the weak-muscled and brittle-boned inmates in that part of the facility weren’t anxious to leave the moon. Returning abruptly to normal gravity would leave them suffering and incapacitated. The guards were mainly there to keep the civilians from taking advantage of the inmates, not the other way around.
The only issue Copernicus could see was the two-mile hike through the catacombs to reach the factories and the landing field. He and Aric would stand out among the decaying subterranean population. They would have to go slowly and cloaked in ragged blankets to hide their vibrant and healthy physiques. But overall, the plan was simple and straightforward. The problem came from the fact that he had no first-hand knowledge of the terrain or the layout. He had verbal directions, but that was it. Once through the double doors leading to the underground world, they would be on their own and with no firm idea of what lay ahead.
And Copernicus would deal with stealing a starship when the time came. He wasn’t worried about that. It was more or less his stock and trade.
&n
bsp; The escape was set to take place after the early evening meal. It was never a good idea to escape on an empty stomach, and it would also allow them to mingle with the kitchen workers as they returned to the catacombs below. Even still, the guard near the door would have to be distracted, and by something that he cared about. A simple fight between inmates wouldn’t suffice. As far as Coop could tell, the only thing that got their attention was a threat to their personal safety. He thought about that for a while. He had four willing Gracilians who could cause the distraction, but that would involve them attacking a guard, and it would be best not to attack the door sentry because that would only attract more to the area. It had to be someone farther away, but not so far that other guards could come to his assistance. And then Coop worried about what would happen to the Gracilians. That thought didn’t last long. They were aliens, and if there was one thing both Copernicus and Adam Cain shared, it was a cavalier attitude for the welfare of aliens.
At the appointed time, Copernicus and Aric sat at the table nearest the door. They wolfed down their meals and then waited for the attendants to come around and collect their plates.
One of the remaining Gracilians had two dirty and frayed blankets he’d scrounged up tucked into the front of his tunic. He would hand them off to the escapees as they passed.
The other three had a guard targeted. They were following him, hoping he’d make his rounds close to the doorway, but not too close. This was the most questionable part of the operation, hoping a guard would be in the right place at the right time. Most didn’t have set stations or routines and tended to meander through the huge cavern. The guards didn’t like to get too close to the inmates in the Conditioning Chamber; they were still dangerous and savage, and the three Gracilians began herding the eight-foot-tall, red-skinned alien where they wanted him, by blocking his path and scooting up behind him, causing him to shift away in the direction they wanted. It was working. The target guard was about fifty feet from the one at the doorway and clearly in his sight.
Once the meal was complete, and the workers began to leave the Chamber, pushing carts of dirty dishes back to the underground kitchen, Coop and Aric stood up, took the blankets from the other Gracilian and began mingling with a group of zombie-like workers. They tossed the blankets around their shoulders and slumped down; long-term inmates were noticeably shorter than their counterparts as cartilage shrunk and spinal disks compressed. The hopelessness of their existence also added to the look.
Moments before they reached the doorway, they heard a scream lift into the air and echoed off the stone ceiling high above. There was more commotion, as the residents of the Conditioning Chamber followed their instincts and ran toward the fight that had just started between a guard and two of the Gracilians. The crowd erupted instantly into a chaotic, near riot, something Copernicus couldn’t have planned better even if he tried.
The guard at the doorway rushed away to help his comrade, leaving the open doorway unguarded. But it wasn’t unoccupied. The nineteen service inmates from below ground made a mad dash for the exit, or as fast as their emaciated muscles could carry them. They were above ground, among the strong and dangerous inmates who had yet to succumb to the environment of the Panorius moon. It wasn’t safe for them to be here.
A moment later, the escapees were through the opening and slowing their pace on the downhill slope to not outrun the other workers. The passageway was wide—probably over thirty feet—and long, until it met up with an equally wide cross tunnel. Most of the workers went left toward the kitchen. Coop and Aric turned right, in the direction they were told would lead to lower chambers and the other side of the crater wall.
There were no stairs or elevators in the complex, just sloping passageways between levels. Copernicus found this to be an interesting incongruity. Over a thousand weak-kneed and broken-down inmates had to trudge up and down ramps. Because of this, he imagined most would stay on their prescribed levels when possible. Then he noticed metal handrails attached to the rock walls. Even now, most of the foot traffic on the ramps were at the sides, where the inmates used the rails to help drag themselves along.
He was glad he was on his way out of this Hell. He couldn’t imagine living like this. And once enough time passed, this was all the long-term guests of Panorius Number Eight could endure. Anything beyond the almost non-existent gravity of the moon would prove fatal. It was the perfect prison. At least it would be if Copernicus was planning to hang around. Which he wasn’t.
5
They spotted very few guards in the catacombs, and the ones that were there didn’t give them a second glance. From the look of the foot traffic, the factories must run around the clock, and this was shift-change. One mass of slow-moving aliens was coming, while another was going.
Copernicus took only a passing interest in what he saw along the way. Indeed, the tunnels were pockmarked with crude caves cut into the sides, then shored up with spray-on foam to steady the walls. Even then, in the moon’s light gravity, there were very few cave-ins. Some of the occupants of the caves had placed barriers across the entrances, giving them a modicum of privacy and a declaration of independence. Most, however, were open, revealing the filthy squalor the residents of the catacombs had to endure.
Along the way, they passed several larger caves that served as shops and the barest of restaurants. There wasn’t a lot of variety down here, mainly what could be smuggled out of the central kitchen or brought in by civilian spacecraft. Other inmates manned rickety street carts selling what looked to be meat on a stick. That’s when Copernicus realized he hadn’t seen any rat-like rodents or pets of any kind in the labyrinth, conceding that desperate people would do desperate things to survive.
Eventually, they reached the factory district, and this was where their mission became increasingly more difficult. Not only were there more prison guards stationed here, but also civilian sentries. All would be strong, suffering none of the long-term effects of the moon. Coop and Aric stopped at a street vendor and pretended to look over the one-item menu as they surveyed the entrance.
There were plenty of inmates coming and going; however, here they were being scanned. All the inmates wanted to work to earn extra cash, but not all could. There weren’t enough openings. So, only those authorized to enter factory row were allowed through.
There were four prison guards and two civilians, each of different races. Those working for Panorius were unarmed, while the two civilians had ubiquitous MK-17s holstered around their waists. Coop pulled Aric aside.
“I don’t see any other way around it; we have to take out the guards.”
“There are six of them,” Aric said. “And as you pointed out before, Gracilians are not physical fighters. I have never been in a physical confrontation in my life.”
Coop figured that. “Have you ever fired an MK before?”
“Yes, but never in anger.”
“Do you think you could kill someone if you had to?”
Aric looked at the guards, and then back along the wide corridor from which they’d just come. One direction led to freedom, the other a miserable life of prolonged decay. “If I must.”
“I’ll take out the civilians first, taking a weapon and throwing it back to you.” Coop took Aric by his tattered blanket shawl and pulled him within inches of his face. “I’m counting on you,” he growled. “Don’t leave me hanging out there.”
“I will do my best.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. Now get ready. I’ll pull them onto the factory side of the entrance. The guards should have their backs to you. Don’t hesitate. Take them out.”
“Out where?”
“Kill them, Aric. You got it?”
Aric began to ask another question but bit off the sentence. He would be content not knowing what it was.
Coop mingled with the crowd going through security. The checkpoint was manned by the prison guards, while the two bored civilians leaned against a wall about ten feet away and off to the left ta
lking amongst themselves. Two of the prison guards were working the line while the other two were on break.
It happened in the blink of an eye. As Copernicus stepped up to the guard on the left, he threw back the blanket and buried a clenched fist into the solar plexus of the guard—if he had a solar plexus. It didn’t matter if he did or not; he was thrown back in the light gravity, going airborne for a moment before landing on his back, his head snapping back and ricocheting off the stone floor. He was out cold. Coop now launched himself into the air, soaring Superman-like into the pair of civilian guards. Their reactions weren’t fast enough to save them. The Human scooped both of them into his outstretched arms and then slammed them together. His right hand swept down on one of the stunned bodies and pulled the MK from its holster. Coop glanced over his shoulder, spotting Aric standing among the stunned prisoners. He tossed the weapon over his shoulder using his best Magic Johnson hook-shot form. He didn’t see it land, as a pair of prison guards piled on him from behind. He hoped he didn’t throw it too far, misjudging the strength he needed in the moon’s gravity.
The thought didn’t occupy his mind for long. He now had five fully functioning guards pulling at him, hitting his body, and simultaneously trying to free themselves from his grip while others tried to pull him off.
He let loose with a cocked elbow behind him, aimed at a pesky prison guard who seemed to be the strongest of the bunch. As it was with most fights between Humans and aliens, it was one punch and out. Now there were only four.
A brilliant flash filled the room, and Coop felt more of the weight on his back fall away. Aric had come through, thanks to the targeting computer in the weapon. The guard hit by the flash bolt had been more or less stationary for the time it took the sensor to lock on. This was the first time Copernicus gave credit to alien technology concerning weapons design.