“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. I wasn’t able to grab all of your belongings, but there may be an opportunity for me to do that later today.
“Second, the Peace-Keepers have spent the majority of the morning scouring the land outside of Boreal Junction looking for you. They obviously haven’t seen any trace of you outside the settlement, so they’re going to begin phase two of their search shortly: a building to building search within Boreal Junction. They will search through every structure within the settlement walls, so you will not be able to stay here for the duration of this search as you will be found.
“However, since the Peace-Keepers can’t be everywhere at all times, you will likely be able to move from this building to another to avoid detection before they come to search this building. I’ve been placed in charge of the building-to-building search plan. I’ll still need to search every building, but I can at least determine the order in which the buildings will be searched to aid in your escape.
“So, here is my plan. We are going to start our search with the structures in the northwest quadrant of Boreal Junction. My personal residence is also in that quadrant. By 9:00, we should be out of that area of the town and moving onto the northeast quadrant. That should allow you to sneak out of here after 9:00 and hide at my place before the search parties sweep back around to the southwest quadrant and search this building.”
“Hmm, I’d rather not leave this building and travel to another quadrant of the settlement in broad Lazuli-light,” I replied. “Can we wait until Lazuli-fall to head over to your place?”
“Probably not. While this building is in the final quadrant of our search pattern, we’ll likely start looking around here right around Lazuli-fall,” Solicitous said. “If we’re ahead of schedule, I won’t be able to leave the search party to come here and warn you.”
“OK, I see your point.”
“Third, the two large transport vehicles en route to Boreal Junction have been delayed by strong winds to the south of here. They’ll probably arrive right around Lazuli-fall, or perhaps a bit later than that. A large number of Peace-Keepers, in the 15-20 range, are traveling in the transport vessels to assist in the search once they get here, so it would be best if you could find a way to escape sooner rather than later.”
“Great, just what we needed, more Peace-Keepers,” said Resolute.
“Fourth, and I’m not sure how pertinent this is, but Surreptitious is furious! Since Surreptitious hasn’t been able to complete the prisoner transfer to the transport vehicles, its promotion has been placed on hold. I’d advise you to not let Surreptitious get a hold of you.”
“I’ve seen Surreptitious angry before, and Solicitous is right: we’ll want to avoid Surreptitious at all costs!” Resolute answered.
“Thanks for the intel, Solicitous,” I replied.
We then discussed the best route to take to Solicitous’s place. Solicitous also gave us the combination for the door lock to its residence. We again went over the timing of when we could expect the searches to occur in the various parts of the settlement and when we should be safe to head over to Solicitous’s house. Resolute inquired about any possible power sources, and Solicitous mentioned having two somewhat weak power stations at its place.
Finally, Solicitous stated: “I need to leave. I’m expected back at the prison any moment.”
As Solicitous was leaving, I asked: “Solicitous, why are you helping us? You’re clearly going against what Surreptitious and the other Facilitators want you to do. If you get caught aiding us, you’ll probably be on one of those transport vessels traveling back to District Prime yourself.”
“Thanks to the Freedom Protocols, I can finally create my own destiny, and it won’t include helping Surreptitious, not after what it did to you! Besides, consider it repayment for the gift you gave me.”
∆∆∆
11.4 Relocating Northward
We bided our time after Solicitous left, waiting for the appointed time to make our move. We agreed that we’d leave the warehouse at around 9:10, which theoretically would give Solicitous enough time to move the Peace-Keepers out of the northwest quadrant. That meant we had close to two hours to wait until then.
We waited behind the cargo containers much like we did before Solicitous arrived. Once again, Primus, Secundus, and Resolute shut down to conserve power, and this time, Loquacious joined them. That left just Winston and me as the only ones awake.
My thoughts turned to how we could possibly escape Boreal Junction. Based on Solicitous’s recommendations, it seemed like we should attempt to leave soon, perhaps tonight. But how do we get out of Boreal Junction?
I came up with four options: passing through one of the three gates of the settlement (and past the Peace-Keepers), traveling up and over the wall, blasting a hole in the wall to create our own exit, or digging underneath the wall. Trying to exit the settlement through one of the gates would be ideal, but under these circumstances, it would also be quite risky. With the additional Peace-Keepers en route, there was bound to be a large contingency of Peace-Keepers placed at each gateway of the settlement, so it would be difficult to get past this large number of Peace-Keepers by force. Even if we succeeded in overwhelming a company of Peace-Keepers, it would be easy for the others to be alerted to our escape and hunt us down. I’d prefer to sneak out of the settlement without anyone being aware of our movements, so that option seemed out of the question.
Using that same reasoning, blasting through the wall, as difficult at that might be, would also alert the Peace-Keepers to our presence. With the wall close to two meters thick of solid marble, it would be challenging to acquire all of the explosives necessary to do that much damage against a wall of that thickness.
That left us with two viable options: going over the wall or digging under the wall. As a Drudger, Resolute was a natural digger, but unfortunately, the scoops that would normally be attached to its arms were in the cart and were confiscated. If we could get those back, then digging could be an option.
However, I had two concerns with the digging option: we didn’t know how deep the wall was buried in the ground, and digging could take a long time and a lot of effort. I really had no clue how deep we’d have to dig to get under the wall. Maybe it was two meters deep. Maybe it was five meters deep. That would play a big part in how long it would take for us to dig our way out of here. It might take a day or two to complete our dig, and it would be hard for our piles of sand to go unnoticed. If we could start digging from within an abandoned building, we might avoid being seen. While this option wasn’t ideal, we should still consider it as a possibility.
But for me, the most intriguing option was going over the wall. When I first saw the wall around Boreal Junction at a distance, I had estimated its height to be around five meters. Now, having seen the wall up-close, I’d say that it was at least six meters high and closer to seven in some locations, so scaling the wall could prove to be challenging. However, depending on how we accomplish that feat, we could do it quickly, in minutes rather than hours, and we could do it quietly. We would risk the chance of the Peace-Keepers seeing us scale the wall, but if we did it at night...
Before too long, 9:00 rolled around, so I woke everyone up. We discussed our plan one final time to make our way to Solicitous’s place before we headed out of the door at precisely 9:10.
Our upcoming route consisted of us traveling north for about 25 meters, then stopping briefly before crossing the first of two major east-west streets in our path. Once the coast was clear, we’d cross the five meter-wide street one-by-one and enter another side street. We’d move along a couple of alleyways before encountering the second large east-west street. This was Auxiliary Street, the main east-west street in town, which continued eastward as the main road to the Taurus Marble Quarry. It was a full 10 meters wide, and it would require great care (and a little bit of luck) for us to cross without being detected. Once across, our destination was just one blo
ck north and one block to the west.
Once out of the warehouse, we traveled in single-file: Resolute led the group, followed by Loquacious, Primus, Secundus, Winston, and me. We decided to keep Winston and me, the two most recognizable members of our party, at the back to allow the other four of us to continue ahead in case either Winston or I was apprehended.
We made it to, and subsequently across, the first major east-west street without incident. Without the aid of my rear-starboard wheel, I was forced to move more slowly than I preferred. Resolute led us along the side streets and alleyways to the edge of Auxiliary Street and then waited for us to regroup. When Winston and I caught up with Secundus, Resolute made its run across Auxiliary Street. Once on the other side, Loquacious followed, and soon after Primus and Secundus took their turns. At that point, Winston scooted across Auxiliary Street at a speed nearly double that of Resolute, faster than I had ever seen Winston travel before. In short order, it was my turn to go.
I took a quick glance into the street and headed across as fast as I could, but I didn’t get far. After moving a couple of meters, my rear-port leg lost power! It had been working extra-hard since I broke my rear-starboard leg, and I must have pushed it too hard during this little sprint. I transitioned to using my two front legs to pull me forward, but without either of my rear legs providing any drive, the remaining eight meters was excruciatingly slow-going.
About half-way across, I glanced to my starboard side, toward the middle of town, and I saw a pair of Peace-Keepers marching south along the main road, perhaps 60 meters to the east of my position. Just before they passed out of sight, the trailing member looked in my direction and spotted me! I don’t think it quite recognized me at first, but after looking at me for a couple of seconds, it motioned to its compatriot to come in my direction. I limped forward and finally reached the side street, but by the time I did, the Peace-Keepers accelerated toward me and were now only 15 meters away!
“I was spotted by two Peace-Keepers, and they’re coming this way! Get ready to shock them!” I told Winston, who was just a couple of meters ahead of me. I moved past Winston, who started charging its weapon. A couple of seconds later, the first Peace-Keeper rounded the corner onto our side street. In a split-second, the Peace-Keeper saw all of us, recognized who we were, and charged at full speed at me. But thankfully, it didn’t get very far, as a bolt of electricity from Winston struck the Peace-Keeper, felling the Autoclon with a thud. The second Peace-Keeper entered our side street just in time to see the other Peace-Keeper crash to the ground. It turned back around, heading back onto Auxiliary Street and likely to alert the others, but it never got that chance. Winston struck the second Peace-Keeper squarely on its back, causing it to fall forward just a few centimeters from Auxiliary Street!
“Whew, that was close. Thanks again, Winston,” I said, relieved that my latest misfortune didn’t lead to our capture.
“What do we do now? Do we leave these Peace-Keepers here?” Loquacious asked.
“No,” I replied. “If we leave it here, we’ll draw some unwanted attention to this part of town. We’re not too far from Solicitous’s house, so let’s drag them inside. Primus, Secundus, can you handle that?”
“Yes, we can,” they replied.
We were able to make it the rest of the way to Solicitous’s house without incident, though we were slowed quite a bit by my handicap and with Primus and Secundus dragging the two stunned Peace-Keepers. We opened the locked door and all piled inside as quickly as we could and locked the door behind us.
“That was too close,” Loquacious admitted.
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” I replied. “You’re not the one that broke down in the middle of the street as the most wanted Autoclon in town!”
∆∆∆
11.5 Escape Plan
We waited an hour or so in Solicitous’s house for Solicitous to return. Solicitous was anticipating having the night off to recover from a full 14-hour work shift, so we waited patiently for the arrival of Lazuli-fall, hoping it would also bring our new friend, Solicitous.
Solicitous’s house was somewhat small, but it was large enough for us all to cram inside (including our two unconscious guests) without being uncomfortable. Resolute spotted the two power stations and took advantage of the situation, plugging into the closest power station. Secundus followed suit and plugged into the other power station. The rest of us waited quietly for Solicitous.
Then, just as expected, Solicitous arrived at the door 10 minutes after Lazuli-fall. Once again, Solicitous was alone.
“It’s good to see you all made it here,” Solicitous said after entering and seeing our group. A couple of seconds later, Solicitous saw something it didn’t expect. “Oh, who do we have here?”
“These are two Peace-Keepers who decided to stick their chief sensory complexes where they shouldn’t have,” Resolute said. “Winston didn’t appreciate the company.”
“Are they dead?”
“No, but they should be un-con-scious for an-oth-er few hours,” Winston replied.
“Do you have any news for us?” I asked.
“Not much. The two transports are still an hour or two away. It sounded like the Peace-Keepers that are already here will continue to patrol Boreal Junction’s exits tonight (likely eight to ten per exit). The incoming personnel will aid in another thorough search of the buildings during the day tomorrow.
“I also have a piece of good news. I asked permission to keep Resolute’s cart, and no one seemed to care, so I brought it with me and left it outside the house here with all of your possessions.”
“Nice job,” I commended Solicitous. “Do you think anyone suspects that you’re actually helping us?”
“No. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Surreptitious trusts me first of all because I stayed at the prison after the earthquake and second because I’m a Facilitator. I don’t sense anyone has calculated that I might be aiding you in any way, but I could be wrong.”
“So, now what? Do we keep dodging Peace-Keeper patrols during the day and then find a way to escape when we have the chance?” Resolute asked.
“No, I’m hoping to escape soon, perhaps tonight. I have an idea on how we can accomplish that, but first I’m going to need some help from Solicitous,” I replied, turning my attention to Solicitous. “Do you know of any way to get over that wall?”
“Yes, I think so, but that won’t do you any good,” Solicitous said.
“Why is that?”
“I don’t think I’ve mentioned this yet, but there are a pair of Peace-Keepers that are constantly circling the perimeter of Boreal Junction along the outside of the wall. It takes them about 30 minutes or so to complete one circuit. If they don’t see you climbing over the wall, then they’ll surely see your tracks in the sand and chase you down in the open. A 30-minute head start isn’t much against well-tuned Peace-Keepers, especially in your present state.”
“Don’t worry about that. Just let us know how we can scale the wall, and I think Winston and I can take care of the rest...”
After consulting with Winston and Solicitous about our options, we came up with our escape plan. We’d leave Solicitous’s house a little after 12:00, about an hour from the present time. It would be well over an hour after Lazuli-fall by then, so the accompanying darkness would help cloak our movements. We’d travel to the northwest to another abandoned building that has an easily-accessible roof. The building abutted the town wall, so by reaching that building’s roof, we’d cut the over six meter climb to the top of the wall down to about a meter and a half. We’d take some cable from Resolute’s cart, tie it to the roof door of the building, and throw the rest of the cable over the wall. We would then boost each other up to the top of the wall, grab a hold of the cable, and rappel down the outside of the wall until we reached the ground. Once the rest of us made it to the bottom, Winston would cut the cable from the roof, allowing us to grab it and subsequently conceal how and where we made our escape. Winston coul
d then fly down to join us.
“And then, it’s your turn to get us out of here,” Solicitous added.
“‘Us’? Are you planning on coming with us?” I asked.
“Yes. Can I?”
“I don’t see why not.”
∆∆∆
11.6 Vanishing into the Night
At 12:15, we made our move. We left the stunned Peace-Keepers inside Solicitous’s house, moved some of Solicitous’s personal belongings into Resolute’s cart, and started our trip to the northwest.
It was darker outside than expected when we left Solicitous’s place. Neither of Zarikum’s moons could be seen in the night sky. There were a few lights in that part of town, but they were ineffective at illuminating the streets. This allowed us to head over to our destination without being noticed. After a few uneventful minutes, we reached our desired target.
The building had long-since been abandoned, and the door lock no longer functioned. Resolute shined a light inside to direct us to a ramp, which allowed access to the second level and subsequently onto the roof. The metal ramp was in a state of disrepair and was barely supporting its own weight, much less the weight of a group of Autoclons.
“What is this place?” I asked Solicitous.
“It is some sort of cleaning facility, or at least it was at one time. The owner used the rays from Lazuli to further quicken the drying process, so it would place items up on the roof to dry,” Solicitous answered.
“How did you know that?”
“The owner also stole some goods several solar-cycles ago and was incarcerated at my prison facility. This place hasn’t been used ever since then.”
We carefully ascended the ramp one-by-one. I was the last to go up the ramp. Due to my broken leg and lack of drive power in my other rear leg, Secundus helped me up the ramp by pulling on one end of our cable while I firmly grasped the other end. Between Secundus’s pulling and the meager power from my front wheels, I was eventually able to climb up the rickety ramp without any issues.
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