Parallels

'Who are you?' The sentry retorted but took notice of the woman's rank.

'I’m the guy in charge around here. Or don’t you keep up with current events?'

Trevor did not wait for the confused guard to collect his wits, hoping that news of power shifts and rumors of a returned Emperor would, at least, result in inaction. So instead of explaining, he descended a latter set in the balcony floor, calling up, 'You fall asleep like that again on watch and you’ll be down here sewing shoes with the rest of the scum, hear me?'

Two dozen Chaktaw prisoners worked in the large chamber although half remained in holding pens behind jail-cell bars. The other half worked at long tables cluttered with greasy machine parts, torn fabrics, disassembled devices, and dull tools.

In addition to the one on the balcony, four guards walked the floor armed with whips and clubs. However, it was not the sentries that worried Major Forest. She tapped Trevor's shoulder and pointed to a security camera overseeing the area.

'You need to make this quick,' she whispered.

He saw her meaning and nodded in understanding.

Two of the guards approached. They wore black tunics and not battle armor. One waved at Nina's holsters and barked, 'No guns on the floor.'

Trevor barked even louder, 'I give the orders here. Take a close look. Know who I am?'

The guard did take a close look. His eyes widened.

'Should I shoot him?' Nina played the game as best she could with a broken spirit.

'I’m the man in charge and I’m here for that worthless shit, the one I pulled off the battlefield up north. The one who can speak our language.'

'That thing? It’s scheduled for Intel. I can’t release it without orders.'

A loud buzz cut through the sound of tapping hammers and rolling conveyors. That buzz came from a phone which one of the guards moved to answer.

Trevor said, 'Listen, asshole, my name is Trevor Stone and if that don’t mean something to you you’re in a heap of trouble.'

The guard stumbled, 'Shit, I recognize your face now. I heard the rumors but-'

'Stop them!' The guard who answered the phone shouted.

Before he could react, Trevor booted his foot into the first watchman's testicles. At the same time, Nina drew her pistols and pointed them at the second guard standing in front of them. That man raised his hands and backed away.

The prisoners and the remaining humans on the floor shouted and cried out and ducked for cover while the drowsy sentry in the balcony cocked his weapon and took aim.

Stone pushed aside the slave drivers and grabbed hold of the talking-Chaktaw's arm. At that same moment, the guard on the balcony decided to fire, his bullets ricocheting off the work table and turning the prisoners into a scrambling mass of chaos.

'Come with me.'

'I no come with you. You dead.'

Trevor did not wait for an answer. No matter how defiant his words, the Chaktaw had been beaten and starved and therefore could not resist being dragged toward the cargo tube.

Nina fired her pistols, chasing off the guards at ground level but unable to match the fire power from above. She threw her shoulder into Trevor, pushing him toward the opening and shouted, 'Get in!'

Trevor forced the Chaktaw inside, falling on a wheeled metal cart lined with bins and straps for securing packages sitting atop tracks in a tube about the size of a small oil pipe. Nina dove in with bullets following close behind.

She then turned around and braved assault rifle rounds in order to reach outside the tube and push a big switch. A sharp electronic buzz followed, and then the tube went black as the access port closed. The cart automatically began its journey, rolling forward first slow then fast and then faster.

'Keep your heads down,' she said although they did not need to be told; the tight confines of the tube forced them to remain in a prone position for the journey. 'Probably take a minute or two,' she added in a loud voice to be heard over the sound of squeaking wheels.

'What trick this?' The Chaktaw said in the dark.

'No trick. Just be quiet until we are clear,' Trevor answered.

After several minutes of travel through the lightless tunnel, the cargo sled slowed and brakes engaged causing sparks to erupt between the wheels and track. At last, the top of the pipe disappeared and the cart rolled to a halt in a large room made of gray-colored concrete.

Several of the cargo tubes leading in from different parts of the facility came to a collective stop a few paces from a set of large elevator doors. Another wall offered a bulkhead that, no doubt, led to the rest of the complex. Certainly Director Jakob Snowe and a squad of his best friends would soon come through that door.

Nina lifted herself from the cart and said, 'Looks clear but we got to move.'

Trevor followed her and then turned to offer a hand to their passenger. The Chaktaw refused and, after struggling for words, said, 'I no play game.'

'No game,' Trevor grabbed the gray coveralls the prisoner wore and hauled him up.

Apparently tired of what it perceived to be a ruse, the Chaktaw reacted with surprising agility for a starved and overworked prisoner. He shoved a knee into Trevor’s belly then threw a chop to the back of his neck. Stone fell to the concrete floor.

Major Forest placed a pistol directly to the Chaktaw's face.

'Don’t!'

Trevor slowly-with a grunt through clenched teeth-stood. He spoke between pangs of pain, 'You won’t believe this, but I’m not your enemy any more. I want to help you. But first we have to get out of here. Do you understand?'

The Chaktaw did not understand. Again, either Trevor spoke too quickly for him to translate or-most likely-he did not believe. Yet what Trevor could not manage with words, Director Snowe managed with bullets.

Rifle fire snapped into the room. A bullet passed between Trevor and the Chaktaw. Snowe and his ‘friends’ moved into the room intending to make it a killing ground.

Nina shot her pistol at the attackers while urging 'in the elevator!'

Trevor punched the obvious 'call' button and, fortunately, the doors immediately opened. With Nina providing cover fire, the three entered the car and managed to close the doors. Snowe's frustrated voice eked into the elevator shaft as he told his men to, 'get to the roof!'

Meanwhile, the elevator ascended to the squeal of pulleys and rumbles of wheels, moving at a pace that felt unbearably slow. When the doors finally opened again, Trevor felt certain Director Snowe and his execution squad would be waiting.

Instead of guns, flickering stars and a crescent moon greeted the three escapees atop the lone flat spot on the domed building. A solitary Skipper occupied one of three landing pads and a crisp breeze swept across the roof.

'Come on, get onboard,' Nina led them to the waiting craft.

'No guards?' Trevor voiced his surprise aloud.

'It's not like the whole army is after us,' Nina answered. 'I don’t think he was expecting you to make a break for it, anyway.'

The Chaktaw dug its feet in and refused to move. Trevor grabbed his arm and said, 'I know you don't trust me, but we were almost shot downstairs.'

'This is a game,' the enemy replied. 'You pretend friend, you want me to show you Fromm place. Rather die here.'

'Look, you don't have to show me anything. But if you stay here, we will both die here. Get onboard and we'll figure the rest out later.'

He did not give the Chaktaw a chance to respond, yanking him to the Skipper. When inside, Trevor closed the ramp and buckled both himself and his reluctant passenger into seats.

The engines spooled to life and the booster rockets shot the craft into the sky, pinning everyone onboard to their seats. As the roar of the rockets faded, Trevor heard another noise; a steady plink-plink-plink against the