My hands shook as I drove my hover towards the detention center. It was a little late to be getting cold feet, but still, I was getting cold feet.
"Can I do this? I am actually doing this! I am going nuts, crazy, out of my mind..." I rambled on to myself. Then I laughed. "I am going so crazy I am actually talking to myself! Ha!"
Then I closed my eyes and took a deep, deep breath. "Easy, girl, easy does it. You are the daughter of the governor, you have power, you can do this. This guy saved my skin back in the market," I was talking to myself again, "and now I'm going to save his. I'll..." I swallowed hard against any emotions, "I'll bring down my father and the entire slave market if I have to."
At 6:10, I pulled up in the parking bay, still breathing. My gut was doing gymnastics, but I managed to take control. After all, the success of this entire endeavor depended on me keeping a cool head. I had a plan, and that would have to be enough. Blowing out a final breath, I stepped into the detention facility.
Of course, there was the standard procedure of taking off any metal and walking through a scanner. I had left my knives and any other weapons in my hover, so I walked through with ease and confidence.
Step 1- Get through the door is complete.
They stopped me at the desk, but only to ask about the cookies I had with me.
"I made a batch this afternoon and thought it would give the doomed souls of the soon-to-be-terminated some comfort," I said sweetly, batting my eyelashes."Of course, if you would like to try one yourself, feel welcome." I proffered the basket filled with cookies.
I could almost see the gears turning. The officer didn't want to contradict the Governor's daughter and risk his job over a batch of cookies, and what could a little girl do with baked goods? Besides, he would get a bunch of really good cookies out of the mix.
Sucker. Present a man with a smile, fluttering eyelashes, and a basket full of cookies, and they fall down at your feet.
He reached out and took maybe a half dozen from the basket. I was glad I had made over 100. "Thank you, Miss. I and my coworkers commend your kindness and generosity."
I bowed my head slightly. "Thank you, sir."
"I will arrange for an escort to take-"
"There is no need for that, sir," I said quickly but still smoothly. "I can find my own way around if you would just give me a map."
"But miss, it's no trouble-"
"If those I visit see an officer with me, they may think I am here on official, possibly deadly business." I pointed out. "They may think I am part of the execution."
The man thought for a moment. "The prisoners-"
"-are all locked up, are they not? They cannot hurt me, and I cannot open the doors. What could go wrong?"
Finally, the guy ran out of objections. He handed me a holo-handheld and pulled up a map of the entire facility. "The termination block is along this corridor. Press the red button here," he gestured to the button on the handheld's side, "if you need assistance in any way."
"Thank you, sir." I gushed, batting my eyelashes a little more. Then he showed me to the door and I was on my way.
***********************************
The hallways and cells were cold and metallic. Every move I made echoed and the dim fluorescent lights completed the bleak picture. As I walked the halls, I was haunted by a feeling of hopelessness. This was the place where people went to be imprisoned or killed. How many people walked these cold, heartless halls to meet their end? Would I share their fate? Would this work? Would I-
Stop that! I told myself severely. This can and will work, but it all depends on you keeping it together!
I continued on.
Every corridor I passed held a group of guards, and I cheerfully passed out cookies to every one I saw, making sure that they ate it before I walked away. So far, so good. I checked my watch as I reached the final hall.
6:19. Excellent.
I kept my cool, passing out cookies, this time also giving some to each person behind the bars. Can't have any witnesses, now can we?
I reached Daniel's cell.
"Would you like a cookie?" I methodically reached out a hand through the bars, pretending it was a prisoner like any other. My hand trembled so hard I nearly dropped the cookies.
Daniel looked up from the corner. He looked so out-of-place, sitting in a cage, but when I met his eyes, I could tell he hadn't lost his fire.
He didn't recognize me at first.
"I'm gonna die within 24 hours, give them to someone who'll live longer."
"Well, that's a nice thank-you for your sister, Ginger," I remarked.
His head jerked up so fast I was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "You! Nerida! What-"
"Shut it, or you'll blow it!" I whispered hotly. "I'm busting you out."
"Why?"
"Does there have to be a good reason to save your butt? I can't explain right now..." I glanced at my watch. "because things are getting interesting."
"What do you..."
Suddenly, all the lights went out. In that moment, I ran back, grabbed the closest, now unconscious guard, and dragged him to Daniel's cell door. I placed his finger on the scanner just as the lights came back on, and the bars swung open just as the lights flashed off again.
Everything was going crazy. Lights were flashing, sirens were wailing and going silent, and everything mechanical seemed to have a mind of its own.
I snagged Daniel's hand as he stood there, gaping, and dragged him out of the door and down the hallway. I had already memorized the part of the facility map I needed, so I kept pulling him along in the flashing red and white light and the din of sirens, past unconscious guards and prisoners. Daniel kept gaping.
We reached a side door marked "emergency exit", which I quickly shoved open and we both faceplanted on the pavement.
"What is going on?!?" Daniel demanded, but I shushed him and took him to my hover, where I shoved him in my trunk.
"Hey, what gives? I get out of a cell to be stuffed in a trunk! What's the big idea?!" I ignored the shouts of protest and quickly returned to the facility, slamming the door behind me and securing it tightly.
In the rush, no one noticed as I quietly dumped any extra cookies down the nearest garbage chute, along with any extras I could find.
A few more minutes passed of sirens, lights, and general pandemonium before everything quieted down and the facility was under EG control once again.
All those who were visiting at the time were quickly herded into the lobby, where panicked outbursts rained down on the poor officers who hadn't eaten my cookies. Once the officials checked the visitor docket and saw that the governor's daughter was in attendance, they immediately became double-sharp. The even singled me out and posted two guards on either side of me as they made sure that everyone was safe and that the prisoners were still locked up.
Let's just say several people caused a hullaballoo when they found out that Daniel was missing, and that almost half of the force was sleeping rather soundly at their posts. I could hear a supervisor, perhaps a general, screaming obscenities from an office that was definitely not soundproof.
In the melee, everyone was being interrogated and patted down. I was exempted from this because of who I was, so all I had to do was look meek and scared, which I pulled off with ease considering what I had just done. I was not meek, but I sure was terrified. As a result, doubts rattled around in my mind.
What if the virus hadn't worked correctly?
What if the cameras captured what had happened?
What if they searched the hovers?
Wait, was my trunk airtight?
Was Daniel suffocating?
Would they contact my father? If so, everything might as well go down the garbage chute...
"Nerida Ganderion." I was called to the front desk.
I approached, ready for anything...I hoped. "Yes?"
"We are going to contact your father now, to let him know-"
I didn't let him finish. Instead, I collapsed into the nearest chair, opened my mouth, and bawled. Not like baby-bawling, but a nervous-breakdown-adolescent-girl pretty-cry, the cry of a daddy's-girl who has had enough and was ready to go home.
Marissa had taught me this technique of sobs, gasps, and shuddering breaths for the times that we had snuck out of the house and to the mall by ourselves. If we were caught, she and I would use this same method to soften the people who had caught us and were about to call my father. Actually, it wasn't that hard to do, I was so stressed.
"Oh, please, please don't!" sniffle sniffle sob. "Daddy doesn't know I'm here, I wanted to bring c...cook...cookies..." gasp sob sniffle...
"Miss, please, we must notify the governor-"
Time for some reverse psychology. gasp sob boo-hoo, wail-
"Oh fine! Tell my father! Go ahead and tell him that a prisoner got loose in a detention facility with his daughter inside!" boo-hoo sob gasp sob.
"Tell him the danger I was in, tell the governor his own detention facility is not safe for his daughter! Tell him how scared I am, how I just want to go home!" gasp sniffle boo-hoo sob gasp.
"Go ahead! Tell my father, tell the planet, tell the emperor, tell the EG itself! I don't care anym...more, I j...just want t...to go h...h...home!" With that, I collapsed into half-fake, half-real sobs. I really was stressed.
During my little performance, I noticed that the official and the general, who had emerged from the office, were glancing at each other warily. Neither of them wanted to contact the governor and tell him that his daughter was endangered by a computer virus and men sleeping on the job. It would only shine a very harsh light on their incompetence.
"Well, Miss Ganderion, all we wanted to do was...er...ask if you are alright and if we can do anything for you?"
I sniffled, wiping my eyes with a hanky and batting my watery eyelashes at them. "C...can I go home?" I choked tearfully.
"Of course, Miss Ganderion. Would you like a ride?"
I wiped my eyes again. "N...no thank you." I took a few shaky breaths. "I...my hover...I can drive..."
"Very well, miss. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. We apologize for this incident."
I finished drying my eyes and waved a small, timid farewell. Then I walked out of the door and into the clear...I hoped.