“I’m not familiar with these controls,” he said. “I don’t even know the language.”
Drake joined him at the console. “We just have to try different combinations until we find the right one.”
“We may set off an alarm in the process, or get locked out of the console before we discover the override.”
Jamie bit her lip in concern. They were sitting ducks in this room. It wouldn’t be long until someone discovered them.
Herman rolled closer to the shielding, lights flashing along his surface. “Dr. Lakewood,” he said. “I believe this shielding works on the same principle as Zantharian bioelectricity. If I hit it with a charge of reverse rotating current, it may bring the shielding down.”
“So stop talking about it and do it,” Drake shouted.
“The charge will have to be very large,” Herman warned. “It will deplete my battery such that I will not be able to discharge another charge.”
So if he frees the prisoner, we’ll lose our secret weapon. Jamie frowned, looking at the wobbling jelly inside the cage. Even though it didn’t have a face to speak of, she could still feel the waves of suffering coming off of it.
“Do it,” she said.
Herman gave an answering beep, then discharged the current. There was a massive flash as the currents entangled, then the light went out. The shield was down.
The block of jelly transformed, immediately taking the shape of a familiar face.
“Sylvie,” Jamie whispered.
“Thank you for freeing me,” the creature who wore her sister’s face said. “Although I do not know who you are or why you seek to save me.”
“Do you work for the resistance?” Drake demanded.
The Sylvie-creature nodded. “Yes.”
“Then we need you.”
Lakewood spoke. “We must move if we are going to have a remote chance of getting out of here. As it is, I find it highly unlikely that we’ll be able to get to a ship to escape.”
Herman whistled in agreement. “Even if we do reach a ship, the probability of getting out of Hareema space without being recaptured by enemy ships is .001%.”
Drake growled. “Fuck. We have no weapons, and our disguise is completely blown. How in the twelve levels of hell are we going to get off this base?”
Jamie ran a shaky hand through her hair. There was no way they’d get out without something else to distract the Hareema. A problem so big they’d have to ignore the five of them to deal with it.
An idea so brilliant entered her mind that for a moment, she couldn’t believeshe’dthought of it.
“Do any of you know where the master control room is for the central prison cells?”
Four sets of eyes stared at her, and Herman’s lights flashed inquiringly.
“If we can find that room, I think we can create a diversion to get us out of here.”
