The Departure Protocol

Chapter 28

Shea didn't know what to do. As she left her friends behind, she had to figure out a way to distract the Protectorate, to steer them away from her grandmother.

Seeing her grandmother had rattled her more than she let on to Wared and Randee. Althea was still as young as when she had seen her the last time, before her departure. Had she not been a Departure Candidate, Althea would now have been old and wrinkled, just the way Shea imagined grandmothers of age would be. Not that she had ever seen a grandmother at an older age.

Althea was the opposite of this. Even though she was still recovering from her stint in the cryo pod, it was obvious she was still young. In fact, she should be exactly the same age as Tarun.

It was weird to see the Departure Protocol process from the other side, to see that there had been a plan. The plan had gone awry somehow and now Althea was their best bet to tear down the curtain of secrecy the Protectorate so tightly held together. They had to show the rest of the colony what really was happening before it was too late.

Before Shea even realized what she was doing, she had returned to the Operations Center. She stood in the doorway for a few minutes, staring at the computer monitors.

"Now what?" she whispered to herself as she approached the terminal she had used the last time she was in the room. The screen still showed the floor layout of the facility. One of the bulkhead doors flashed red, indicating a breach. The Protectorate. It was only a matter of time before they would make it into the center of the facility.

Shea ran her fingers through her hair and stared harder at the screen, as if willing a solution to appear would make it so. Nothing happened. It was as if all ideas and inspiration had left her.

"Get a grip," she said groaned and slammed her fist down on the table. "You can do this."

She scanned the floor layout on the screen. There had to be something there she could use. She flipped through several other screens as she searched for something, anything, she could use to slow down the Protectorate.

Then it struck her. She was the distraction. It had to be. She was one of the three individuals the Protectorate wanted. They knew she was inside the facility, and they wanted to apprehend her and her friends. If she revealed herself to them, it seemed obvious to her that they would give chase. It could be her chance to lead them away from Althea and the others. Althea's presence had to be kept a secret.

Revealing herself to the Protectorate also carried a certain amount of risk, she knew. If she was captured, there was a risk her grandmother would be too. She had to lead them away from the garage and then somehow find a way back there without the Protectorate following them.

She tapped the screen a few times and leaned in closer as she flipped through the blueprints of the various sections of the facility. The Operations Center was close to the center of the core. The garage was to the west, outside of the inner core. As it needed access to the outside world, it was the furthest distance from the center.

Wared and the others were south of her location. To get to the garage, they had to first climb the stairs to the main floor and then head west towards the garage.

The Protectorate had breached the inner core on the north side. She flipped through the surveillance cameras that covered that section. Although she couldn't see them, the fact that several of the cameras in the vicinity of the breach were non-functional told her they were approaching from that direction. Follow the trail of dead cameras.

She had to stop them from approaching the core to give Wared and Randee time to guide the physically weak Althea to the garage.

The zoomed in on the schematics of the northern section. There had to be something she could do to divert them.

There. A side passage. It appeared to be a maintenance passage of some sort. She shivered at the thought. Most likely it would be badly lit, loud and narrow. But, if she could distract them long enough to buy the others time, confronting her fears for the benefit of her friends would be worth it. The colony's future depended on it.

After studying the floor plan further, she set her plan into motion. She exited the Operations Center and headed north through the corridors of the inner core. She approached the maintenance passage first and checked that the entrance was unlocked. The door opened with a groan that made Shea cringe. She paused and listened for a few moments until she felt certain the loud sound hadn't alerted the Protectorate.

She continued north until she reached an open rectangular space that once must have been an area of relaxation. Pathways weaved through what once had been bushes, flowers and maybe even grass. A large circular water fountain occupied the center of the space with several benches located nearby. Shea imagined that at one point, the water pouring from the central pedestal had provided a relaxing atmosphere to those spending time around it, maybe even serene. Now, all that was left was the cracked concrete structure. The water was long gone.

The park area provided another obstacle for her. Besides the fountain in the center, there was nothing she could hide behind as she traversed the space. She would have to be quick.

After listening for a few moments to ensure she did not hear anything from the other side of the park, she rushed over to the fountain, partially hunched over. She knelt next to the retaining wall around the fountain, closed her eyes and listened.

In the distance, she thought she heard something. The opening and closing of doors, the low mumble of speech, close enough to be heard but far enough to not be understood. A chill ran down her spine. They were closer than she had anticipated. She had to be careful.

She dared a glance over the top of the fountain just as a Protectorate uniform appeared on the path on the far side of the park. The man wore a black uniform with red accents and a combat helmet, a rifle in his hands. They both froze as their eyes locked and stood there staring at each other for what seemed an eternity.

Both Shea and the Protector reacted at the same time. Shea turned and aimed for the doorway she had come through. The Protector yelled for her to stop, then raised his rifle and fired. Concrete and plaster exploded into the air from the garden fixtures around her as she raced towards the doorway. Other voices joined that of the first Protector and as she glanced over her shoulder, she saw half a dozen Protectors move towards her at a rapid pace, rifles raised and aimed towards her. Just as she dove through the opening, they opened fire in her direction.

Shea rolled across the floor several times. Scrambling to her feet, she rushed away from the garden, towards the maintenance passage. As she turned a corner, she had to remind herself that she couldn't get too far ahead. She had to allow them to see where she was going so that they would follow her.

She pretended to fall to allow them to stay with her. A quick glance over her shoulder as she struggled back onto her feet told her that they had taken the bait. They advanced behind her, one by one while covering each other as they moved.

By the time she reached the door to the maintenance passage, they were gaining on her. They must have seen that she was not armed and not much of a threat to them. Shea flung the door open and rushed into the passage. The narrow passage greeted her with an overwhelming scent of dampness and mold. Lit only by dim strip lighting above her head that seemed to be mostly non-functional, it was difficult to see the floor ahead.

Shea forged ahead. She had to. The Protectors were not far behind and if she stopped, they would without a doubt reach her. She ignored her misgivings and ran forward, with the map she had studied in the Control Center in mind as she tried to remember all the twists and turns.

Behind her, the sound of heavy boots echoed through the narrow passage. It was difficult for her to tell whether they were gaining on her or not, so she kept pushing on while looking for the exit she had identified on the map. If she could get through it and block it from the other side, she might even be able to get away.

The door appeared at the end of a straight part of the passage. A red exit sign above the door confirmed it. She tried to increase her speed further, running as fast as her legs would carry her.

She grabbed the handle and pulled the door open with a grin on her face. I've made it. Then she froze as she found herself face to face with a man from the Protectorate.

"I've been expecting you," the man said with a faint smile.

"Father?" Shea whispered, her eyes wide.