Edge of Insanity

Chapter 2-1

Chapter Two

“Are you sure, Lina? What happens if he turns on us?” Bailey asked, biting her bottom lip.

“Of course she is sure! Lina always knows what to do,” Mirela retorted before she grimaced and added under her breath, “most of the time.”

“Ha-ha,” Andy replied, sitting back against the wall and stretching out her legs. “What’s the plan, boss-lady?”

Five faces turned to Lina, their eyes watching her with anticipation. Gail and Mechelle, Mirela’s twin sister, sat silently contemplating what she had told everyone. Gail was the oldest of them all while Mechelle was the youngest, even if it was just by five minutes.

“His injuries don’t change the basics of the plan too much. We get him out, doctor him up as best we can, and make him take us home,” Lina said.

“Well, that should be easy enough,” Mirela replied with a roll of her eyes.

Gail snickered. “Be careful, Mirela. You might end up carrying this Trivator by his feet,” she warned.

Mirela tossed her head. “It would take all of us to carry out one of those guys. I don’t know about you, but I clearly remember them being big, muscular, and….”

“… Cute,” Mechelle interjected, trying not to grin.

Mirela shot her twin a glare. “I never said I thought they were cute,” she hissed.

Mechelle smirked. “No, you didn’t. You whistled and said—”

“Okay,” Lina cut her off. “Let’s get back on topic and plan how we are going to get him out of his cell, past the guards, out of the building, and down into the access ducts without everyone on the Spaceport seeing us,” Lina ordered in a slightly exasperated tone.

Andy leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. Lina could tell when the other women realized that this was probably their only chance of ever getting home. They had been lucky so far, but luck didn’t last forever. Out of the eighteen women who had been abducted and spirited away from Earth by the alien ship, they were the only ones who had managed to escape.

“We’re listening,” Andy said in a quiet voice.

Lina looked around at the hopeful and determined faces. They had been through a lot together. Some of it good and some of it bad, but they had survived. Taking a deep breath, Lina motioned for everyone to gather around in a circle. Kneeling, she used the dirt on the ground as a drawing board.

“This is what we are going to do,” she said in a determined voice. “I’m not sure he can walk, so I’ll need one of you to go with me.”

“I will,” Andy volunteered immediately.

Lina nodded. “Mechelle, I want you to be ready at the entrance to the tunnels. We’ll be coming in hot and heavy and will need to disappear fast. Mirela, I want you and Bailey to have a cart with a cover ready.”

Mirela looked grim for a moment before she nodded. “There are a couple places where I can borrow one,” she replied, using her fingers to place imaginary quotes around the word ‘borrow’.

“Where do you want us to meet you?” Bailey asked, leaning forward and staring down at the roughly sketched map of the building.

“The building across from where they are holding the Trivator is empty. It has a chute that was left over from whatever they made there. The chute is located on the opposite side of the building. That’s how I’ve been going in and out. I put a metal plank across from one roof to the other and crossed here. I guess they think because this is a Spaceport, no one would come in from the top. Anyway, there are no guards on this building because it is empty and none on the roof of the other one,” Lina explained for the benefit of those who had not been in on the details of her scouting mission.

“What about cameras?” Gail asked.

Lina shook her head. “None that I could see. It is like they moved in and didn’t bother with security except for hiring a bunch of moron guards. The main guy is a Waxian and is scary as s**t. I’ve seen what he can do. It surprises me that anyone would be stupid enough to work for the man. I get the feeling the life expectancy of a guard isn’t very long if you mess up,” she explained with a look of distaste on her face.

“God, I hate the Waxians. They aren’t as easy to kill as the Armatrux,” Andy groaned.

“Yeah, I think we all do,” Gail replied.

Lina nodded and continued. “The chute leads to an empty section on the top floor of the building. I’ve been crossing over and moving through the building using their ventilation and drainage accesses. Anyway, the chute comes out on this side alley. One end is a dead end, and the other leads to a larger alley that leads to the main market area. It is a dark and seedy section. Place the cart under the chute and stay in the shadows. Andy and I will get him out of the building, up to the top floor here, and shove his ass down the chute. He falls in the cart, we come down next, you cover him up, and move at a normal pace through the market while we take up positions on each side to cover you. We’ll do it during rush hour when the market is chaos, which is in six hours,” Lina instructed.

“What do you want me to do?” Gail asked.

Lina smiled and nodded to the blaster strapped to Gail’s side. “You’ll be undercover. I need you to cover our backs. Fall back and keep an eye out. If those Waxian bastards discover we’ve taken their golden egg, they are going to be pissed. You are the best shot out of all of us, especially from a distance. I’ll need you to take them out if we are discovered,” Lina said with a grim expression.

“I won’t miss,” Gail promised.

“I have one question,” Mechelle said, frowning at her.

“What’s that?” Lina asked.

Mechelle rubbed her chin. “If he can’t walk, how are you going to get him across a metal plank nearly five stories up?” she asked.

Lina had hoped no one would notice that tiny detail. She glanced at Andy, who shrugged. Somehow they would get him across. Lina’s eyes strayed to the bag in the corner.

“Bailey, what kind of drugs do you have that might help us?” Lina quietly asked.