Page 90 of Heart’s Prisoner

She looked over at the dining table covered in Xerus' bombs and tools for making them. She wouldn't be able to place the rest of them either. She felt so useless, so hopeless. If Xerus died, his mission would fail and those with Spectre still inside them might get out of the base, spreading the parasite to other worlds. As much as she hated to think about it, she would rather let Galger take out the rest then have that happen if it was the only way to keep the parasite from spreading.

Lana closed her eyes. She wished then her father was still alive. He would find a way.

There's always a way through the storm no matter how bad.

He had always been a sailor at heart. But it was the sea that had taken him. His love for something so untamed, so wild, had been his undoing. Xerus was Lana's sea. And he might just be her undoing.

She could give herself up. She could go to them and be with Xerus one last time.

"No," she whispered. "No, don't think like that. There has to be a way."

Because she realized then if she didn't do something, eventually the team would make their way to the docks. All of her and Xerus' efforts would then be for nothing.

Lana opened her eyes and found herself staring at the table of bombs. The detonator sat firmly in the center next to a wrench and an unwired bomb. She stared for a long time until her eyes began to widen and her heart seemed to skip a beat.

She picked up the detonator carefully, making sure not to even touch the trigger. Because, as Xerus had said, it was active.

The bombs that were already set were active. Ready to be triggered.

When Galger and his men had taken Xerus, they had shucked aside the bag of bombs around his neck and left it on five. If they weren't all burned from the electricity then they too were active.

Lana set the detonator down then rifled through the set of tools in the toolbag, her heart beginning to race. When she found the metal cutter she squeezed it firmly in her hand. It was no torchblade, but it would do.

It was a crazy idea and it would give them little time to escape but it might be her only chance. With new purpose, Lana set down the tools and went back over to the monitor on the Scibot's chest. Xerus lay limp and unmoving in the center of the screen but he was alive. Lana touched her hand to the glass, touching her fingertips to Xerus' image.

"We aren't finished here yet," she said quietly, with a calm determination that was laced with anger. Letting her fingers slide from the screen she turned away and went to work.

Chapter Thirty

Lana strapped the bag around her firmly, the metal cutter lying within. She checked the pockets of her red coveralls making sure everything was zipped tight. A gun lay strapped to her waist, one that Xerus had found in his many ventures outside the unit. She had very little practice with a gun and hoped she wouldn't have to use it. Most of her pockets were empty except for the one with the detonator and another holding her now most coveted item, Xerus' scale, still wrapped in silver wire, not yet finished but she told herself it would be someday. Because she was going to live and so would he. She padded the pocket down to be sure the object was still inside and making sure the detonator too was secure. When everything was in place, she stepped over to the door.

She hadn't been out of the unit for several days if not weeks. She hadn't been keeping track but she knew it had been a long while. Thankfully Lana knew what lay ahead of her. She had looked over the video feed one last time and saw that Galger's team was sleeping, only a small group keeping watch. Xerus was still the whole time, but she knew he must be awake. She only had to go up one level and there was no one around. She had mapped out the route in her head first, memorizing the turns she would make and passages she would go through. If all went well, it could be done quickly. She just had to go out the door and never stop.

Lana hesitated by the door and took a long, deep breath. She was scared shitless by what she was about to do but her desperation to help Xerus and the others overpowered her fear. "You can do this. You can do this." Lana hit the button for the door. It slid smoothly outward, revealing the small foyer and the secondary, outer door. Continuing to take deep breaths she moved to the door and hit the button. Darkness greeted her from the outside as the door slid open. Lana hesitated for only a second then shot out and ran down the corridor.

She didn't stop once. Making the necessary turns until she came to the emergency stairs. Flinging the door open, she flew upward, orange and red light bathing the stairway in ominous shades. When she got to the level three door, she flung it open as well and ran into the darkness. Only a few fluorescent lights touched the cemented walls overhead, some flickering, ready to go out. There was the scent of smoke in the air and something burnt. Lana didn't overthink what it was from; she could only guess. The closer she got, however, the more of the scent of dark coffee battled with the smell of fire.

"How much ya bettin' this time," a voice slipped out from the darkness. Lana slowed her pace then stopped just before the entrance of a rather large doorway. White lights beamed outward from within.

"Fuck, I don't know." Someone laughed low.

"I'll make it two thousand this time," came another. "Bettin it'll last a second round at least. Then give out on the third."

The men's voices echoed down the passage. Lana carefully peered around the corner to see the group of men sitting around near the door.

"I'll bet it dies in the second round," said one.

"Really? It's pretty tough. Made it this far without cracking."

"I know. I just want it to die already so we can get the fuck out of here."

Lana turned away and pressed herself against the wall. Xerus was at the very back, but there was another door to the side that was closer. The others were asleep for the most part though some merely laid out staring at the ceiling as if just waiting. Waiting to get back to the mission, to carry out orders. Torrence was one of the ones awake. Galger snored close by.

Lana backed away from the wall to hide better in the darkness. With cautious steps she went to sneak past the open door, her heart hammering in her chest, afraid any moment an alarm might sound. If there were any triggers they probably would have sounded back at the stairs. Still, she needed to be careful. Thankfully the men must have lowered their guard, confident that nothing was going to ambush them when there was nothing left that could ambush. They seemed very certain they had caught and killed every specimen and any human they encountered wasn't a threat.

Lana barely breathed as she crept by the door, her eyes wide, one hand brushing the wall, the other clamped to the handle of the gun. The men talked in low murmurs and there was a dull buzz from the machines and lights within the room but very little sound otherwise. When she got to the other side, she rushed over to the door on the far end and dared to take another peek. Xerus was hanging, his arms above his head. She wouldn't be able to reach them but she could get to his feet and his tail.

They had placed the black cloth back over his eyes but Lana knew he could sense in other ways. He was completely still until his head lifted slightly and turned toward her. He let out a soft hiss and clenched his hands. He knew she was there.

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