“It doesn’tsoundunder control and, honestly, you don’t seem especially concerned about this issue.”
Draven glanced over one shoulder. “It’s simple here. If the escaped prisoner runs toward the sun side, he’ll cook in mere minutes.”
They passed another group of security men running in the opposite direction.
“And if the escapee runs toward the frozen side, he’ll freeze, also in a matter of minutes.”
“Well, that’s heartening. But it doesn’t answer my question about why you aren’t concerned.”
The warden shrugged. “The geography of this planet serves a useful purpose and I’m not concerned because I know who escaped and why he did it.”
Jack exchanged a glance with Madelaine. The man’s definition of useful was clearly different from normal people’s interpretation. Plus, he was obviously harboring information that he wasn’t sharing and that was annoying.
What did he know that they didn’t?
The Observer was stymied, stuck hidden in orbit because the surface of Galactic Gulag XkR-9 didn’t offer anywhere to land safely and remain unmonitored.
Every inch of the barely livable space on this terrible planet was either sustained, locked down, fully monitored or all of the above by the United Galactic Gulag Authority. The Observer could not be seen here.
Hopefully, Madelaine and Jack were able to get the package from Winslow. All of the pieces of the device were important, but the housing, uniquely carved and speciallycrafted for the Solution, truly brought together the whole errand Madelaine and Jack were on.
The Observer had tapped into the gulag’s voluminous security monitors to track their progress through the prison and record most of the events. Irritatingly, there was no video in Winslow’s tower prison cell.
This stop was particularly precarious because Winslow was no longer able to give them everything they needed. The Observer had to improvise a strategy months ago to ensure this stop was successful.
The intervention—not sanctioned by the Paladin Cabal—that the Observer had enacted would, with luck, ensure Madelaine and Jack had what they needed when they departed the prison planet.
Only time would tell. And even if the difficult task on the prison planet was resolved, their next stop would be the most challenging of all.
And, unfortunately, the most dangerous.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jack and Madelaine followed Warden Marcus Draven. They saw guards running, vehicles deploying and searchlights activating. Whatever was happening, the prison was taking it seriously even if Draven was not particularly worried.
They exited out the door they’d entered when they arrived. There was no guard standing duty. In fact, the whole yard was empty.
Draven headed toward the arched opening in the wall, but his stride had slowed and he had checked his tactical watch twice since they left the building.
Madelaine, who had also sensed the oddness of Draven’s attitude, pointedly looked in Jack’s direction, signaling that perhaps they should be wary.
Jack nodded. “Slow down, Draven. I have some questions before we go any further.”
Draven stopped, turned to face them and pushed out a long sigh as if he were being put upon. His expression seemed sort of open to queries, so Jack asked, “Who escaped and why aren’t you worried about it?”
Draven was quiet for several moments, as if calculating the right words to say. “All right. The escapee is an inmate named Varner Kessik. Do you know of him? Of what he can do?”
The name meant nothing to Jack. He shook his head. Apparently, it meant nothing to Madelaine either, as she also shook her head.
Before Jack could ask more questions, Draven pushed the button on his shirt collar. “Go for Draven.” He listened, then his eyes closed briefly. Jack couldn’t tell whether the man was relieved or disturbed. “Got it. Hold them off as long as you can.”
Draven motioned for them to get moving and started walking like it was Tuesday and this was no big deal, even as they were deafened by the klaxon and blinded by the red lights that announced thiswasa huge problem.
They reached a large intersection where security teams had hurried in multiple directions when they’d landed here, but not now. It was as quiet as a graveyard at midnight.
Draven stopped a few feet from the archway.
