Spaced Out

by Korissa Allen

  I don’t even know how to react; I haven’t seen my father in ten years. He doesn’t look beaten or hurt, just tired. “How long have you been here? What’s going on? How can I help?” The questions just seem to be pouring out; some of the questions I ask don’t even matter to me, but I can’t stop. My father holds up his hand, and it’s as if that motion alone stopped the flow of words coming from my mouth.

  “Give me a second,” he says. “When you haven’t seen someone in ten years, you tend to forget things. But look at you, you’ve grown to be so beautiful, and talented, with words anyway. I’ve tried to escape for eight years, hoping I would get to see you and your brother again. Where is he? Who am I kidding, you wouldn’t have brought him here. Or would you? It doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you’re here.” He just keeps on rambling, but I stop listening.

  I have to figure a way to get him out of here.

  “Father, I have to get you out of here. Do you know of any weak spots?” I ask. He nods his head and looks up. At the top of the cage hangs a steel cable. I do some quick thinking and figure out that if I can get up there and unhook the cable, the suspended cage will fall, and I can cut my father loose. I climb the cage to the top and unlatch the cable, sending it falling a couple of feet to the ground. With a loud clang, the bars split open, and my father steps out of the cage.

  I run to him with my arms stretched outward toward him. He returns the hug, pulling me close. He doesn’t let go for a long time, and neither do I. I let go first with tears in my eyes.

  “Come with me. I have some people I want you to meet,” I say and lead him around some empty cages toward where I last saw Daniel.

  A couple of minutes later, I find Daniel and Kyle at a woman’s cage. She’s in tears, and I can hear Kyle trying to soothe her.

  Daniel sees us first and taps on Kyle’s shoulder and then motions over to us. I can see Kyle’s face turn from confused to excitement and back to confused.

  “Daniel,” I say, breathless. “I want you to meet my father. He’s also Kyle’s father, but I’m sure he doesn’t remember him. Kyle was three when he left.”

  Daniel immediately sticks out his hand, but my father doesn’t return the favor. Instead, he pulls him into a hug. Daniel’s facial expression goes from serious to shocked in a matter of seconds. My father pulls away and looks down at Kyle, smiling. Kyle’s confusion turns into a huge smile, and I realize he looks exactly like my father. He has hazel eyes and a small nose like my father. He also has the will to help people. I like that about him.

  Kyle wraps his arms around my father and holds on for a long time. When they finally release, I can see tears in both of their eyes. I want to start crying as well, but I stay strong for them. I want my father to see how strong I’ve been all these years. I start to realize how quiet the people around us are, not making any sound.

  “Father, why is it so quiet?” I ask. He looks around and realizes I’m right.

  “I don’t know,” he says, but about two seconds later, he knows. “We have to get out of here. It’s not safe. Climb one of those ropes over there and wait for my signal.” He points to a thin rope a few yards from us that leads up to a platform.

  We run over to the ropes and start to climb. Kyle tries to pull himself up but doesn’t get very far up the rope. He lets go and falls to the ground, which, thankfully, isn’t too far. Daniel, who is already higher than my head, climbs back down and tells Kyle to grab his shoulders. Kyle does as he’s told, and Daniel slowly climbs back up the rope. I’m already at the top when they reach the platform we were told to meet at. I look for my father on the ground but don’t see anyone. Kyle taps me on the shoulder and points his finger over at the wall across from us.

  A large door opens, and some men walk in carrying guns, large guns. They have them pointed at the civilians in the cages, and I can hear the screams of fright from within them. I hear mothers cry and children whimper. I reach for the rope so I can go back down and save the people in the cages, but Daniel puts his hand on my shoulder.

  “You can’t help them. You’ll get shot, and die, and then they will know there are spies in the building and come looking for us. It’s too dangerous,” he says.

  “If I don’t go down there, they will kill those innocent people, and I can’t let that happen. Not when I can do something,” I say fiercely.

  “I made a promise to myself to keep both of you safe, and I’m not going back on that promise. I can’t let you go,” he says. I look back at the people, but I let go of the rope. The best thing I can do now is hope.

  My father stays on the ground trying to help the people in the cages. He moves quietly through the rows, silently unlocking the people trapped inside. We watch helplessly from the platform above, in the shadows, waiting for my father’s signal. Kyle sits in the corner, with his knees pulled close to his chest. I walk over to him and sit down.

  “Hey, are you okay?” I ask. He looks up at me.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just weird seeing Father again after all of these years. He’s been gone for so long I almost forgot him. How did you remember him after all of these years?” Kyle asks. I look down at my feet and back up to him.

  “When I was trying to find you and Daniel, I heard a voice calling my name. I followed it, and I came upon Father’s cage. I saw him inside, and I knew right away that it was him. I don’t know how I knew, but I did. I guess it was instinct or something,” I say. He just nods his head and looks back to his feet. I stand up and walk over to my spot on the edge of the platform, behind some empty barrels and steel beams.

  Down on the ground, I see that my father has helped release at least a dozen people. Some of them make their way over to the platform where Daniel, Kyle, and I stand. Some of them wander around aimlessly but don’t get caught. The Corps’ guards walk around to all of the cages, checking to make sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be. I see a woman wandering toward the platform, and I think she’s going to make it to the rope, but a Corps’ guard comes out from behind a cage and shoots the woman. I close my eyes before he pulls the trigger, but I can still hear the loud bang.

  I fall to my knees, as if I’m the one who got shot. Daniel rushes to my side to make sure I’m okay. I’m fine physically, but mentally is a different story. I just witnessed a murder, and that is something that can never be erased. I’m crying now, quietly, so no one can hear me. Daniel puts his arms around me, trying to comfort me, but nothing can.

  I could have stopped that from happening if I was down there. If I hadn’t listened to Daniel, that woman would still be alive. I stop crying. I look over at Daniel. “This is all your fault! If you had let me go down there, she would still be alive right now!” I almost yell but stop before I expose us.

  “That’s not true, and you know it,” he says. “There was nothing you could have done here or down there, on the ground. Don’t make it my fault. I made a promise and I intend to keep it.” I know what he says is the truth; I probably couldn’t have saved her no matter where I was. I calm down.

  “Still…” I say, but I can’t think of anything to say back.

  “I know it’s upsetting to see someone get killed and not be able to do anything about it, but you have to get past it,” he says sympathetically. “The Corps do this kind of thing, and they get away with it, so we need to stop them. Are you with me?”

  I look down to where the woman was killed, blood staining the floor, and then back to Daniel. I nod my head. We both stand up and go back to our positions. The guards continue to walk around, finding empty cages. I see a guard a few feet away from my father, and he sees him too. Quickly, gracefully, he moves around the cage and continues moving, releasing people and showing them to safety. A few people make it up the rope and onto the platform, and it starts to get a little crowded. The children have the hardest time getting up, their arms too weak to pull themselves up. Daniel climbs down the rope and helps the children up to the platform. Some of the men help the women and childre
n up the rope.

  I keep lookout, to make sure no guards are around. After everyone is on the platform, Daniel climbs up. There’s not much room for anyone else. I see a window a few yards above my head, and I try to find a ladder or another rope. If I can find an escape, I’m going for it. I ask Daniel once he gets to the platform, and he thinks it’s a good idea. I see my father on the ground, looking around to be sure he got everyone. He gives me a nod when no one is left, and I start helping people up the thin rope I found. Daniel is at the top, grabbing arms and pulling them up. I don’t know what’s on the other side of the window, or how far down it goes, but I’m guessing Daniel is taking care of it. I see the rope moving, and I know my father is climbing up, but when I look down, my father is nowhere in sight. All I see is a Corps’ guard climbing up the rope that leads to the platform where all of us stand.

  He’s coming quick, and I know I won’t be able to find a knife or anything sharp by the time he reaches the top. So instead, I grab one of the steel poles and hide in the shadows. He reaches the top in fifteen seconds and pulls himself on the platform. I slowly step out of the shadows but remain hidden. He looks down, his hands on his knees, and tries to catch his breath. I’m guessing he was running from one end of the building to the other. He stands there, with his breathing slowing down. That’s when I hear him utter the first words: “I can see you.”

  I pull him by the arm, back into the shadows where I thought I could go unseen. “You better start talking right now. Who are you and what do you want?” I ask, my voice a fierce whisper. He looks up and into my eyes.

  “Why do you care? I’m just trying to do my job,” he says.

  “Your job is to kill or capture people. Why shouldn’t I push you off this platform right now? Give me one good reason,” I say fiercely.

  “Because I’m on your side,” he says.

  A long time ago, before my father left, he would tell me stories of heroes who did great things in their lifetime. The one I always remember, and love the most, is the one about a girl who saves a whole army of people by going undercover. She was a little older than me at the time.

  The story is that she dressed as a man, because women weren’t allowed in the armed forces. She trained day and night and finally was recruited. They shot down the enemy base, with her on the inside. She set off a bomb that killed the enemy and almost killed her. She made it out just in time, and it wasn’t until later that she told the world her secret.

  I liked that story because she was a lot like me, never giving up, even when everyone else told her she couldn’t do it. I always wished to be like her one day but never had my chance, until now.

  Daniel is helping the last few people up the rope as I make my way over to him. My father still hasn’t reached the platform, and I have to wait for him. “Let’s go, Zandrea! Everyone has made it out,” he says. I lean over the edge of the platform, but I still don’t see my father. I begin to wonder if the Corps took my father somewhere else. “Zandrea, we have to go before they come back!”

  “Hold on! My father’s not here yet,” I call back.

  “We don’t have much time. They’ll be here any minute. We have to go, now,” Daniel says.

  “Then go without me. I’m not leaving here without my father,” I say. “If we leave now, then my mission will be a failure, and I can’t let that happen.” I know Daniel won’t leave me; he told me once that the number one rule of airspace is to never leave a man behind. He can’t wait forever, and I know that. Where are you Father? Why haven’t you shown yourself?

  I haven’t told Daniel about the Corps’ guard I found, but I can see him out of the corner of my eye. I told him to stay in the shadows until I gave him the all clear. I stand up and walk over to him.

  “Listen, I know how you can prove yourself. If you go down there, and find my father, and bring him back, you can be part of the team and escape forever. Understand?” I say.

  He looks at me. “Yeah, sure. Let’s just get this over with. I just want to get out of here.” He walks around me and climbs back down the rope, disappearing into the darkness. Daniel walks up behind me.

  “Who was that?” he asks casually.

  “Nobody, just a guard that climbed up here and wanted to escape with us. He says he’s tired of being pushed around. I don’t blame him, so I let him join us if he could find my father. So far nothing,” I say. Daniel looks down to the ground and sees the guard walking around the cages, his gun pointed in front of him.

  “You’re very gullible, you know that right?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Do you think he can do it? I mean, what do we really know about this guy. He could find your father and then kill him. Do you really trust a guy you just met?” he asks. I look over to him, but he’s still looking at the ground.

  “I trusted you when I first met you,” I say. He finally looks at me.

  “You didn’t exactly have a choice, and neither did I. I didn’t choose to be your partner, but I’m glad I am. I would probably regret it if I didn’t. You’ve shown me what it’s like to trust someone, and that’s hard for me to do,” he says. I start to ask why, but then I remember.

  His mother and father never got along well. They always fought and never kept their promises. He trusted his mother until she went to work for the Corps, and his father left shortly after that, leaving him all alone. His “friends” made fun of him, and they got him in trouble, a lot. He had a tough childhood, so no wonder he hasn’t been able to trust anyone.

  I put my hand on his shoulder, but I don’t think he notices. Even in the dim light of the building, I can see that his eyes are red. A tear spills over the edge of his eyelid, and he quickly moves his hand to brush it away. He doesn’t want me to see him cry, but he trusts me with other things.

  “You know you can cry in front of me. You don’t always have to be so strong,” I say, my voice soothing and calm. He looks up at the ceiling and swallows hard.

  “Thank you, but it’s not that simple,” he says. “Before my father left, he always told me to be strong, for him. Never to show emotion, because that’s how we get into danger. That’s why people are weak. So, I promised I would stay strong and not let my emotions get in the way of things.” He looks back at me and gives me a small, half-hearted smile. I can tell he’s tired and just wants a place to rest for a while. We look at each other for a long time, silence filling the void that words never could. I’m about to say something when I hear a voice.

  “I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I found your father,” the guard says. “He’s over on the far side of the room. I couldn’t bring him, he was too heavy.” I immediately rush to the rope, Daniel close behind me.

  “We’ll be right back. It shouldn’t take too long,” I say and slide down the rope. I hear Daniel land a couple of seconds after me. We start weaving our way around the cages toward the far side of the building. Just before we round the next corner, Daniel puts his arm out to stop me.

  “It could easily be a trap. This guy is a Corps’ guard. You can’t trust him or anything he says,” Daniel whispers. I nod my head and continue to move toward where the guard said my father was. I see the far wall, just a few yards away, but I don’t see my father. I move slower, but my father is nowhere on this side of the building. By the time I realize this, though, it’s too late.

  I wake up later in a cold cell, the walls and floors tinted a light green. I figure this is the green floor. I hear Daniel moaning across the hall from me, and I see he’s tied to a post. I try to reach out for him, but I realize I’m tied to a post as well. I twist and turn hoping to get free, but the shackles pull me down. It’s pointless to put us in shackles if we can’t go anywhere. I sit still, hoping someone will come, but no one does.

  If you hadn’t listened to that guard, you would still be out there. You should have looked for yourself, but instead you trusted a Corps’ guard. Who knows what happened to the people we rescued.

  “It’s not your fault
,” Daniel says. “He was very convincing.” I roll my eyes.

  “It is my fault,” I say. “You can’t trust a Corps’ guard, no matter how convincing he is. Our rescue mission was a fail. The worst part is, we could have saved them, everyone in those cages, but we let them down. I let them down.”

  “Maybe Kyle can help them,” Daniel says.

  Kyle! I totally forgot about him! Where is he? Did he make it out? Does he know we’re gone? I start moving around again, trying to break free from the shackles.

  “Forget it, Zandrea. You can’t get out, I’ve tried. Either wait for someone to come, or think of something else, but no one can hear us.”

  No, the Corps can’t hear us, but Kyle can…. I fall to my side and flop around like a fish. “What are you doing?” Daniel asks. Finally, my walkie-talkie falls out of my satchel, and I wonder why they didn’t take it. I press the ‘talk’ button with my foot and start talking.

  “Kyle,” I whisper. “Kyle, can you read me?” Static. Silence. I’m about to press the ‘talk’ button again when I hear a quiet voice break the silence.

  “Hello? Zandrea? Where are you?” Kyle asks. I have no idea where I am.

  “Um… we’re in some kind of cell,” I say. “I’m not sure where, though. They hit us and caused us to blackout.” Daniel looks at the ceiling, and I realize that there are numbers on the cell. “I’m in cell number 22, and I think Daniel is in 23. Can you come and get us?” I ask.

  “I’ll try my best, but these areas are guarded well. I might have to take a different route. Hold on, I’m coming,” Kyle says and then I hear more static. I’m happy I got through when I did, because any later and I would have been out cold.