Chapter Eleven
Aquick inhale followed by a squeak breaks the silence, cutting through the buzz of energy blanketing my body.
Opening my eyes, I see Summer staring at me in horror. She’s thrown herself back, barely hanging on to the ladder as she clings to the far side with her eyes wide.
Before I can react, she slips, slamming into the wall as she tries to save herself from falling to the floor. With only one foot on the ladder, she twists in place, trying to regain her footing. Throwing myself forward, I clutch the metal rungs, and they dig into my palms as I catch her, folding her body into mine.
Summer lands hard against my chest, a soft ‘oof’ escaping her lips. Her eyes are wide, and her face is inches from mine. For a moment, neither of us moves.
I’m so surprised to see her. After giving her a vague description of this room when she asked where I was in a text message, I thought she’d never find it. Honestly, I was a little worried about telling her too much. From what I can see, her messages aren’t being monitored, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t stored somewhere for future reference.
“You’re, uh, glowing,” she says finally as her gaze flickers over my face.
I glance at my skin as I step up on the ladder, throwing my weight back on the shelf. I’m not hooked up to the wiring any longer and I try to will the color away, but it continues to intensify. “It’s never lasted this long before.”
Summer shifts, and I become keenly aware that she’s still sprawled across me. Her soft, fair skin rubs along mine as she pulls back.
I loosen my grip, allowing her to slide off and regain her footing. She brushes herself off before pulling off the bag off her back and rummaging through it. After a moment, she produces two sandwiches wrapped in see-through plastic.
“Here,” she says, holding one out to me. “You must be starving. Have you had anything to eat?”
My stomach rumbles at the sight and smell of food. “No. Thank you.”
I take it gratefully, marveling at the simple act of eating. I’d never felt hunger before my escape. I’ve never seen a wrapping like this on a sandwich. There’s still so much I don’t understand about this world outside my cell.
But with the internet I’ve discovered—and Summer here—I don’t feel so lost.
Summer takes a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly while studying me. “So...” she says after swallowing. “You gonna tell me what’s up with the glowy skin thing, or do I have to guess?”
I sigh, picking at the plastic on my sandwich. “It’s a side effect of the abilities they gave me. I can manipulate and integrate with electricity. Comes in handy for tapping into high-tech alien labs.”
I smile wryly, and Summer snorts, batting her hair out of her face. “Yeah, I bet.” Her expression grows serious. “But you said the doctors did this to you? Who are‘the doctors’?”
My jaw tightens. “I don’t know exactly. But they run that lab, performing experiments on humans. Trying to turn us into weapons.” I meet her eyes. “There’s more people trapped there, just like I was. I managed to get their location—.”
“You did?” Summer inhales sharply. “So you were right about there being more prisoners. We have to free them!”
“I know.” I nod gravely. “But just the two of us against an entire alien facility...?” I trail off, at a loss.
“Plus the military.” Summer purses her lips in thought. “We’ll come up with something. There must be a way.”
Her brows furrow with determination, and I feel a spark of hope.
Summer scoots closer and her knee bumps against my thigh while her green eyes brighten with excitement. “Okay, let’s think this through. What do we know about this place?”
I close my eyes, picturing the cold, sterile halls I’ve known most of my life. “It’s underground, with multiple levels. There’s security everywhere, with cameras, locks, and armed guards. The prisoners are all kept separately, so we’d have to free them cell by cell.”
Summer nods, her brow furrowed. “Any weaknesses we can exploit? Air vents, backup generators?”
I shake my head. “It’s airtight. The aliens seem fine in stale air. And there’s always a redundant power system.”
I rake my fingers through my hair in frustration. This seems impossible.
Summer places a hand on my arm. “Hey. We’ll figure something out.” She smiles slightly. “Let’s keep brainstorming. There must be a way in.”
Hope flickers within me again at her reassurance. I meet her determined gaze and manage a smile back. “You’re right. We”ll figure it out.”
Summer grins. “That’s the spirit! Now let’s get back to planning.” She pulls out a notebook and pen, planning to take notes. “Tell me everything you remember about that place. We’ll find its weakness.”
I take a deep breath and start describing the facility in detail.
I rack my brain, trying to recall every nuance that could help. “There are always at least two guards stationed on each level. They do regular walks around, checking the cells.”
Summer scribbles notes. “Go on. What about doors, cameras?”
“Solid metal doors at the end of each hall, keypad locks. Cameras in the corners with blind spots underneath.” I close my eyes, picturing the endless sterile halls.
“Blind spots could be useful,” Summer murmurs.
I nod. “The lower levels have pipes running along the ceiling. We could maybe climb through those to avoid cameras.”
“Good, that’s something to work with.” Summer taps her pen thoughtfully. “What about air vents? Any way through those?”
I shake my head apologetically. “Too small. Not even a child could fit.”
Summer sighs but doesn’t look deterred. “Okay. We’ll find another way.”
Her relentless optimism buoys me. We bounce ideas back and forth, examining every angle. The beginning of a plan starts to take shape. It’s risky, but it’s something.
Summer has stopped writing, staring at me as she chews on a nail. “You know what I’m most worried about?”
“No. What?”
“Well…” Summer pauses, gesturing to her notepad. “… you know a lot about the facility and you said you could knock out power, release locks, etcetera. And getting them out is wonderful,” she rushes to explain. “I’m not boo-hooing your goal. But where are the prisoners going to go?”
I blink at her, stunned for a moment. She has a point. Look at the others. They ran off into the forest and I’m not even sure yet if they’ve located and caught them again.
“You don’t know much about what’s going on right now, do you?” Summer’s serious expression has me biting back my retort.
How the hell would I know anything about what’s going on? “What do you mean?”
“There’s a pandemic—a sickness—turning people into mindless monsters right now in the cities. And this military base?” She waves around her head. “We’re in the middle of a huge national park with miles and miles to reach any roads.”
I watch her shoulders sag before she admits, “I’m not even exactly sure of our location.”
The air around me feels oppressive, collapsing against my skin and deflating my lungs. But all I can think about is how I felt while I was locked up. “We still have to get them out. Even if it’s to die later. I’d rather die free tomorrow rather than stay confined another moment.”
Summer nods seriously. “I can respect that. I should go back to the base housing where those aliens took us when we were rescued. Maybe they can help.”
I hesitate. “Do you trust them?”
“I don’t know.” She bites her lip. “They did save us, but then they wiped our memories. Why do that if they’re really trying to help?”
It’s a fair point. My time imprisoned has made me wary of any supposed allies.
“We have to consider the possibility that they’re involved with the experiments,” I murmur. “That they only‘saved’us to further their own agenda.”
Summer pales. “You really think they’d do that?”
“I don’t know. But we have to be cautious.” I meet her eyes. “I won’t let us walk blindly into another prison.”
She takes a shaky breath. “You’re right. We can’t trust anyone completely. Not yet.”
I grab her fingers and squeeze, being careful of her small hand. She feels fragile. Breakable.
Summer gives me a small smile. “Okay. So we’re on our own for now. We’ll make this work, just the two of us.”
“You’re right,” I say, meeting her eyes. “We’ll figure this out together. Just tell me what you would do if it was just you making the plan.”
She grins. “Okay, here’s what I’m thinking. I’ll go back to work and you stay here and… do whatever it was you were doing. Could you see the logs? You know… see what’s going on, who comes and goes?”
“Yes.” The incoming and outgoing records were automated and time-stamped.
“Okay. Well, if we don’t see anything suspicious after a few days, maybe you’ll see schedules. And be able to figure out a weak time we could get in and get everyone out.”
I nod, impressed by her suggestion. “Good idea. And we should have an escape plan, just in case things go sideways.”
“Definitely.” She taps her chin. “We’ll need supplies for you, too. Food, water, and weapons if we can get them.”
The spark of hope inside me grows. “When do we start?” I ask.
Summer’s eyes gleam. “There”s no time like the present.”