AWAKENED

CHAPTER 35 - Escaping the Dragon's Lair

This time through the private corridor we encounter a scientist and a lab worker who we saw the other day when we went out on an expedition between ash showers. They grin and ooh at the children and also at Daisy, our little brown and white goat. Once we pass them, the hallway is clear all the way to the entrance into the control room. Our luck has held up so far, but I sense it will get tougher the farther we go, especially if we have to flee on foot. Every time we had ventured outside, we had to wear filtration masks at the least and respirators at the most. Unfortunately, we don't have respirators that will fit the children, and the masks will be loose around their tiny faces. So, it's crucial we secure the tracer craft and Jinx.

At the end of the hall, the door looms like a beacon of light and a snare of death. If Martinez or one of her guards is in the control room, our escape plan will come to an abrupt end. Before I wave my wrist over the scanner, I catch Eve's attention.

"Take Autumn," I say, passing her over. "If I see a guard, I'll need my hands free."

Her eyes grow large. "Hello. You have Ash on your back. You can't get into a fight with a baby strapped to you."

"You're right." An idea hits me. "I'll talk my way out of it. I'm a scientist, a man of reason."

Eve shakes her head. "How about you open the door and let me go first? I can talk my way out of a jam better than you."

I don't like it, but I'm okay with her suggestion. "Just let me check to see if it's clear first."

She agrees and I wave my wrist over the small black box on the wall. As the scanner reads my bio signature, cold raw fear rushes over me, contemplating the possibility that Damian or Jude might have thought to revoke our clearance. But once my wrist completes the swipe, the door clicks, allowing me to nudge it open a few inches. To the right, the room is darkened, which gives me hope no one might be around. I glimpse the black edge of the giant screen. All is quiet. No guards or techs. No one.

I glance at Eve and nod. She pushes her way through the door, shoving me into the control room. As Ash whines out, I have a fear of encountering someone from the left as we break into the open, but no one's there. When I glance back, I see the goat slipping through the closing passage.

Eve reaches up behind me and shushes Ash. "Sorry, my baby boy. Everything is going to be okay."

"That could have got us in trouble," I say.

"I was afraid someone would see us in the hallway. Sooner or later, someone is going to come, and we need to be gone by then."

"Agreed."

We turn to the left and size up the door leading to the animal enclosures. Waving my wrist over the scanner, I unlock the door for us to enter. Again, the corridor is clear. When the door closes behind us, I feel a heavy weight lift off of me. I can't believe we've made it this far without running into someone who would want to stop us.

But that's just it.

We haven't run in to anyone yet! Besides the low-level scientists. What's going on? We can't be this lucky.

I take Autumn from Eve and she bends over and scoops up the little goat. "Let's hurry," I say.

We pick up the pace down the corridor.

As we near the end, I raise my hand to access the door, but it snaps back because someone opens it from the inside. I jerk away at the sight of, not a guard, but Hannah. Our presence startles the scientist. With a gasp, she backpedals into the lab where we first met her, where she developed the chip implants to control the minds of the island's primate population. Eve and I rush in and let the door close behind us.