by Catty Diva
“Memories are sometimes triggered by events.” Jazzy explained.
“It was easier in some ways before I remembered what I lost.”
“It can seem that way, but nothing is worse than never remembering those we love.”
“Where were you born?”
“In a place much like this.”
“Did you escape?” Hannah asked.
“I wish I could say I did. The place was raided by the government and shut down. They dumped us out into the streets to live or die by our own wits.”
“You lived.”
“It wasn’t easy at first, but I learned and things got better. Now when a place like this is raided, there is a place the people can go and others willing to help them.”
“Truly? I almost fear being free.”
“Never fear it. There is help to be had if you ever get away.” Jazzy encouraged. She couldn’t reveal anything definite in this place where any word or action could be monitored. Yet she couldn’t discourage this young girl who had already been through so much.
Perhaps she was reminded of herself at a much younger age. Hannah seemed to have strength and courage, but if a person was beat down enough, anyone could fail to come through. Hopefully help would come soon and she hadn’t just been hallucinating. Jetson moved and seemed to search for her as he woke.
“Why did you get up?”
“I just woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.” She explained although why she was explaining herself to him, she didn’t know. Since she didn’t want him to think she was crazy, she didn’t mention Roar. There was no way to know if he was real or not. Besides, she didn’t want the guards to know and take action. “Hannah was telling me about her first memories here. What were yours?”
“My earliest memories? I remember someone holding me. It wasn’t my mother, it was someone young. Another child only an older child. She whispered to me telling me she would be my mother until she had to go. I didn’t really understand then, but I do now. Many mothers here have their children torn from their arms. Choices do not exist here and families are rare and only allowed to stay together when it suits those in control.” Bitterness coated every word as Jetson exposed his hate for the guards and the doctors. Not that those in control would care.
“I wish your life had been better.” Jazzy said and her sympathy showed but Jetson didn’t seem to want her sympathy.
He turned from her and she thought he wouldn’t say anymore. “We are treated like savages.” He said softly and she could barely hear him. “They are the real savages.”
Jazzy agreed wholeheartedly. These people had no heart or soul. To treat others so cruelly showed that. All she could do was gather what information she could and hope for rescue for all of them. “What do you know of them?”
“I’ve spent a lifetime here, yet none of us know much about them. There are guards, those change, but most stay years before they leave. They run two shifts, twelve hours for seven days a week. Guards rotate so two of them are off each day. This place is run like a large prison. We have five levels and this is the middle level. All the people you see in the cages around you are actively involved in an experiment of some kind. The lab is on this level, the cafeteria is on the top level, laundry and janitorial on the second, medical on the level beneath us and residential, for the guards and other personnel is in the lowest level. There’s a docking bay on top of the station. It takes up half the roof, but it’s not considered a level.”
“That’s a common layout for old stations.”
“I’ve heard it said this station can hold two thousand lab rats, fifty scientists, and a hundred guards. Guards double in some of the other jobs. They don’t like to do some of them and a guard that gets in trouble becomes a janitor or a cook.”
“How do you know so much about the station?” Jazzy wondered.
“I’ve been all over it when I service female guests.” He looked at her as if daring her to ask, but she knew better.
If she’d thought only the female prisoners had been forced into sexual servitude, she now knew she was wrong. It didn’t matter of the male loved sex or not, what mattered is he’d had no choice. Sympathy welled in her and she found herself looking at Jetson in a different light. The more he revealed to her, the more she saw she’d been wrong about him.
Chapter 5
The Fight
Jetson saw the pity in her eyes, but he didn’t know how to erase it. He was smart enough to realize she was looking for any information that could aid in an escape or a raid. Thinking hard, he tried to speak softly and tell her stories of his past that revealed the clues she needed. Listening intently, she seemed to store away all the important information.
It occurred to him that he and others might end up fighting for their lives. He was certain that if the security was breached, the guards had orders to kill them all. Knowing the guards as he did, most would try to flee instead. There had been a conversation he’d heard between two guards months ago.
“Salva, have you heard about the attack on one of the stations that houses a facility?”
“Forman, keep your voice down. You could be arrested, beaten, maybe even killed for discussing it.”
“Maybe, but all the guards were arrested or killed on that station. What if they make it here?”
“Who?”
“Whoever is doing it. No one knows for sure who.”
“We have our orders.”
“I heard the guards caught terminating prisoners were tortured terribly before they were executed.”
“You know the risks and you’re paid well to take them.”
“Not that well. They come here, I’m gone.”
“You forget the ships attempting to leave were shot down.”
“That’s better than being tortured, but we have a plan. Are you in?”
“No, and you’d best be careful about who you share that with.”
“Okay, suit yourself, but my sister won’t be pleased if you are imprisoned or killed.”
“Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Don’t you care about the children the two of you share?”
“Of course, but your sister changed after we married.”
“I can’t argue about that, but so have you.”
“I’d rather she had gone bald and gained weight than turning into a shrew.”
“To bad the gods didn’t give you a choice in the matter.” Forman said with a chuckle. The guards moved away.
Jetson had often lamented the gods not giving him a voice in his future. Maybe they had finally decided to give him some choices. He prayed to his favorite gods that he would make the right decisions when they were presented.
It seemed to Jetson, hours later, that it was possible his life would never change. Maybe doing what was needed to keep them safe and alive had not been the right choice. Sometimes it was better to die free. What happened now would decide if he fought to be free or died by resisting things he had done under duress before.
Eventually, Jazzy settled down and fell asleep. He was able to curl his body around her protectively and they shared heat. It was a chilly place at the best of times but they were warm and cozy right now. Noises sounded off in the distance and Jetson thought he imagined or even dreamed them at first. Was it possible to want something so badly that you heard the sounds of it happening in your head?
The sounds got louder and Jazzy stirred but didn’t wake up. Hope began to grow as the sounds got louder still. Yells and the sounds of feet pounding down the hall finally sounded clear enough to distinguish. A battle? Or maybe it was wishful thinking.
“Do I hear sounds of fighting?” Jazzy asked and her whole body flexed as if prepared for action.
“I’m not sure. I hope so.” Hannah uttered.
“That’s what I believe as well and it’s coming closer.” Jetson whispered. “The guards, some of them anyway, will be coming to destroy us. I’ll protect you if I can.”
“Thank you, but I hope you
don’t mind if I help? Hannah, if they come for you, cower in this corner near us so we can try to help you.” Hannah nodded.
About that time the door at the end of the hallway flew open and slammed against the wall. Salva, the worst of the lot came running in and looking around wildly. He was in his PJs and it was lucky for all of them that he had no weapon. Rushing all the way to the end of their hall, he looked at Hannah who was in the last cell like she was a bug that needed squashed.
If he’d needed a key, their problem would have been at an end but he licked his thumb and pressed it against the lock. His thumb print and DNA would open anything he was tasked to guard even without the electronic keys they usually carried. The man was big and strong.
He stalked toward Hannah with murder on his mind and she did exactly what Jazzy had said. Jazzy was cowering in the corner holding Hannah’s hand looking more like a victim than she had in her entire time with them. Jetson didn’t know what to do since he couldn’t get through the bars.
“Fight me like a man, Salva. You have kids her age. Have you no soul?”
“You’re not a man, you are all animals. My kids are people, not like you.” Salva got closer and was more cautious, afraid in her fear of death she might scratch or kick him.
He was close enough now to touch her and right up against the bars. At some point, Jazzy had slipped out of her shirt. Feeling amorous during an attack was just plain crazy. Jetson wouldn’t have believed what happened next had he not been watching.
Salva, it seemed, had his eyes on the wrong person. Danger struck in the blink of an eye and it wasn’t poor little Hannah that brought it. Jazzy whipped her arms through the bars and her shirt went around Salva’s neck and she pulled it tight. Hannah escaped in the confusion and once she was out of the cell, she locked Salva in. It wasn’t a good safety measure since as long as he lived, he could get out.
That might not be a problem since Jazzy had tightened her shirt around him using it like a rope. Horrible noises came from Salva as his eyes bugged out and his mouth opened to scream. Only a whisper of a noise came out. He clutched at the shirt but Jazzy gave no quarter. The look on her face was like an angel delivering justice.
She wasn’t enjoying it, but she saw it was necessary. Once he saw he couldn’t loosen the shirt, he tried to grab Jazzy to inflict pain so she would let go. Jazzy put a foot against the bar and pulled the shirt even tighter. It put her body out of his reach so he scratched at her arms leaving long marks. It didn’t loosen her resolve and he slowly gave in to the lack of oxygen and his inability to breath.
Jazzy let him fall to the ground and pulled her shirt through the bars. Once she put it back on, she looked around assessing the situation. “We still can’t get out. If we had a knife, we could use his thumb to open the lock. Hannah?” Hannah was wandering away in her fear and worry that someone else might come. “Stay near us or we can’t help you.”
From what they could hear, it sounded like the whole station was under siege. All they could do was sit and wait while they hoped whoever came next was friend, not foe. Jetson examined Jazzy and thought she looked calm for someone who had just killed another person. He couldn’t say if he would have been able to finish the job even though he knew their safety depended on Salva being dead.
Jetson was beginning to realize Jazzy was a warrior. He’d always thought someday he would play a big part in freeing his people but as the years had gone on, his dreams had faded. Knowing he was fast and strong wasn’t enough, he needed the skills she had so he could take down the enemy. It had never even occurred to him that he could reach Salva through the bars and find some way to take him down.
It had been a second nature to Jazzy, something she was good at and had clearly done before. “Jetson? Where are you?”
“I’m right here.” He snapped irritably.
“I called to you several times and you didn’t answer.”
“I’m sorry. I was lost in thought. Do you have a plan?”
“All we can do is sit and wait since we can’t get out of here.”
“Isn’t there some way to get that thumb off?”
“If I was desperate I might try to bite it off. I’m not that desperate. I’m sure it’s my people attacking and they will win.”
“Who are your people?”
“I’m a hunter, a moon hunter.” Jetson looked at her unsure what she meant. “Never heard of us, huh?” He shook his head because he never had. “That’s alright. You are isolated and they never tell you anything. I work for an organization that hunts things. People pay us to find lost objects or sometimes people.”
“Someone paid you to find us?”
“No, my boss and some of his friends do that because it is the right thing to do. Cash, my boss, has an obsession about shutting down all the labs and freeing all the people.”
“He was lab born?”
“I think every hunter started out in a lab.”
“How did you get free?”
“I know you’ve heard of Earth, right?”
“Yes, it is where most of our ancestors come from.”
“That’s where we all were when the lab was shut down by the government. They managed to send some of us to other labs, but most were thrown out onto the streets.”
“That was scary. How did you survive?”
“I discovered I was stronger than I thought I was. I learned and I adapted and when I was a teenager, Cash found me and things got easier.”
“Are you and Cash involved?”
“No, he is like a brother to me.”
“Why did he allow you to get taken?”
Jazzy blushed and he thought she was pretty when she was embarrassed. “It was my fault. He’ll be mad at me when I get back. He sent me on a mission to collect facts but I did my own thing. I saved lives and I’d do it again.”
“You need a keeper.”
“Applying for the job?”
Jetson didn’t answer. She didn’t want him and she must be teasing him. That was the only way to explain the way she looked and the things she had said. Looking down the hallway, he hoped someone would come even though he hated that he’d never see her again. His wish was granted.
“Jazzy girl!” A male yelled from the end of the hallway. Hannah flinched as the guy ran toward them.
“Gabe!” Jazzy yelled. “We’re here! Warn the others that some of the guards are trying to kill prisoners.”
“We already know. I see you’ve been busy.” He said nodding at the guard’s body on the floor. “Who is this young lady?”
“That’s Hannah. She’s had a hard time.”
“I’ll let you out and you can take care of her.”
“I can’t wait to get the hell out of here.”
Jetson felt it cut into his heart. Of course, she was ready to leave. Why would she want to stick with him? The door popped open and for the first time in his life he walked out of a cell and knew he wouldn’t have to go right back in one. He followed Jazzy because he didn’t know where to go. She went to Hannah and grabbed her hand.
“It’s going to be alright. You just stick with me and we’ll go somewhere safe.” Jetson just watched as they started to walk away. What should he do? “What the hell are you waiting for?” Jazzy yelled.
“I didn’t know if I was supposed to go.”
“Hell yeah. You’re to help me keep Hannah safe,” Jazzy replied, but he wasn’t sure how much help he’d be.
They got out of the hall he was sure he’d been born in and went to the hall on the other side. Each level had two sides. People were still in their cells and they were scared. “Jetson!” People he knew called to him. “Help us get out.” They demanded.
“Can we help them?” He asked.
Jazzy looked around and found a fallen guard. She searched him and found a key. “Everyone listen up. You can’t panic. There are people here to free you. They have a safe place for you to go where others will help you. Stay calm when I let you out of your cells.”
/> Jazzy let a guy out and he started to rant and run. She slammed into him and he dropped like a rock. It was pretty impressive. “If you don’t stay calm, you’ll get hurt. There is still fighting going on. The guards have weapons and they will hurt you.”
Jetson heard someone muttered, “You will, too.” He couldn’t disagree. The guy she’d dropped just lay there moaning.
As she let the people out, they gathered into a group and stood there calmly looking to Jazzy to lead them. Her friend Gabe was releasing people in the hall to the left and they were moving into this hall to join them. There were people hugging each other that hadn’t seen each other in years, even though the halls were just feet apart.
Before long, there wasn’t a dry eye among the gathering crowd. Gabe followed the last of the released prisoners into the hall. “Hey Jazzy, is everyone ready to load up? Roar said to tell you they have room for everyone, but some will have to stay in the docking bay.”
“Yeah, believe me, we’re all ready to get the hell out of this place. Is the station secure?” Jazzy asked.
“All except the floors beneath us. We started on the first floor and worked our way down. As soon as you head to the shuttles, I’m joining the guys below.”
“Call me if you need me. I’ll lead everyone up to the shuttles and start loading them. Do I need to pilot one of them?”
“Yeah, I think you will. Can any of these guys pilot?”
“Are you kidding?”
“It was worth a try. I didn’t think anyone would be trained.” Gabe said sheepishly before directing her to where the shuttles were.
Jetson looked at Jazzy in amazement. She could fly a ship? That was incredible. It seemed like there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. He stayed with her as she led them all to an elevator that Gabe had mentioned. Jazzy got in first and more people crammed in. The elevator was large, maybe it was meant to haul things as well as people. Looking around, he estimated there were forty people in the elevator right now.
They went all the way to the top floor and got out into the bay area of the station. Several shuttles sat there as if waiting for the exodus. Jazzy checked one out and dropped the ramp. The crowd swarmed in. It looked like it would hold a hundred people. The next group came off the elevators and loaded. Jazzy turned on the shuttle to prepare for takeoff.