by Catty Diva
Blaze could see Felicity going over her options in her mind. She was smart enough that she got to the only possible conclusion quickly. “What should I tell them?” Felicity wondered out loud.
“Tell them they can stay or go, if they go, they’ll have help every step of the way until they’ve built a life for themselves. If they stay, they will be on their own. Once we leave, I doubt anyone else will help them.” Treva admitted.
“Okay, let’s do this. I’m ready to leave here.” Felicity declared. The cage opened so Felicity could exit then it was closed again. Treva and Felicity started at the front of the hall each taking a side working their way to the last cells.
While they were doing that, Roar took custody of David. If he was put in the cells with the others, they might try to hurt him so he would be put in a guest room onboard the ship, but locked in. Roar had agreed to mention his case to Razar so his circumstances could be taken into consideration when the sentences were handed out. Razar made the final decision on all lab prisoners taken into custody.
He’d guess there were twenty residents with three being male. That would be one male per hall. As far as he’d seen, the males weren’t even being used for seed. Maybe they thought they would calm the females. Blaze kept pace with the Treva and Felicity until they reached the end of the hall. Now all the females were out of their cells milling in the hallway. These would be the first to be taken to the ship. He’d heard no sounds from outside their wing in a while. Hopefully it meant the fighting was done.
In his mind, there was no doubt which side had won. The only concern he had was if there were deaths or injuries among his friends and fellow warriors. That was something that caused him a great deal of sorrow when it happened. Roar motioned to him
“Let’s look to see if we can start moving these resident out and take the ladies to talk to another wing of residents.” Roar suggested.
“Sounds good to me. I’ve not heard anything in a while.”
They stepped out the door into the main hall. There was no one to be seen with no noise assaulting their ears either. The two of them made their way to the cafeteria where the other guards were restrained and on their knees.
“About time you two showed up.” Tar teased. “We were beginning to think you took a vacation.”
Many in Tar’s family were named after flammable items. His younger brother Coal was also present along with his cousin Peat. The names might not sound impressive in other languages, but they were beautiful in Phoenix. Unfortunately, that language was so complicated few not Phoenix by blood could ever speak it.
“This job was so easy, it never occurred to us you needed someone to hold your hand.” Blaze observed. Tar sent him a sour look causing him and Roar to chuckle.
“You bastard.” One of the guards yelled at Blaze trying to spit at him. It didn’t make it far enough landing on another guard’s head instead.
Tar hit him on the head with his laser gun knocking him out. “Ouch, that has to hurt.” Roar noted.
None of the other guards commented. Blaze did notice Captain wasn’t present. “Where’s the boss? I don’t see him.” Blaze observed.
“These are the only ones here, but no ship has left. If he didn’t leave before we arrived, he’s here somewhere.” Tar explained.
“Don’t let anyone go off alone. This guy plays dirty. We need to start transporting people to the ship, but keep a strong presence down here until he’s found.” Blaze explained. “We’re taking some ladies to the next hall to talk to the residents.”
“We have this covered.” Tar declared.
“Okay, we’ll take care of preparing the residents for travel.” Blaze offered.
They headed back to the wing they’d come from to get Felicity and Treva. The other people just milled around looking lost. He felt bad for them, but their lives would soon be on track. The Mazlans were really being helpful to all these people. Many had already been absorbed into society in useful places with homes of their own with some even mating to create their own families. Others were going on to intensive training or college for jobs that required more skills or knowledge.
Treva was working during the raids, but she was also taking computer courses to eventually become a psychiatrist specializing in counseling. Roar was proud of her accomplishments speaking of them of them often. No one could blame him, the woman had overcome much to get where she was. He wondered what Felicity would choose to do. Maybe she’d be a farmer like her parents had been.
It was a good job and Oison needed farmers right now. There were also many jobs associated with farming that might interest her. One thing about Oison was there was work for anyone interested in finding a job. They also had schooling and training opportunities available especially for the refugees. The possibilities were endless making it hard to guess what any of the refugees might choose.
They entered the hall they’d left not long ago. Roar motioned to Treva who pulled Felicity along with her. “We need to go to the other wings now.” Blaze explained.
They headed to the next wing where the people were just as unsettled as they had been in their wing. The guards had disappeared going to help the others just before they were taken down by the combined forces of Phoenix and Mazlans. Not that their presence would have been helpful, the residents were just used to them being there so it made things seem even stranger.
Felicity and Treva immediately got to work reassuring the residents. As they were told what to expect, they were let out of their cells. One of the women left the cell block, but they didn’t try to stop her. She’d been told she was free. Sometimes freedom meant the ability to make choices, even if they were bad ones. Blaze hoped none of the others chose to do that too. He couldn’t imagine what would happen to them if they were left here alone.
The woman came back later. Maybe she had just been testing her new found freedom. The others milled about unsure what to do waiting for a suggestion they could follow. All of them were out of their cells by the time Tar came to start escorting them to the ship. Once he was there, they moved on to the last wing. All the wings were the same. None of the residents had been treated any better than the others. In other facilities, guards had given their favorites more food. Here, there was no sign of anything like that.
All the residents were gaunt without exception. Blaze was angry when he thought about how some of the older people had been treated this poorly all their lives. He hoped they would all adjust to their new lives well. Maybe they would finally have a chance at happiness. Just leaving this place behind should be a good start.
By the time they got to the end of this wing, Tar had reached them. Now they could help him escort residents to the ship. “Were you able to get any information on other possible locations?” Blaze asked.
“We think we found the facility the biological samples were going to.” Tar admitted. “That would be the lab that is growing all the children.”
“How do they even do that?” Blaze questioned.
“They have artificial wombs. They combine the DNA the way they want it. Once an embryo develops, they move it to the artificial womb so it can grow until it’s fully developed. The scientists tried to speed up the process, but the end result was the brain of a five year old in an adult body. They were able to push the body to grow faster, but they couldn’t figure out how to get the brain to develop equally fast. They finally gave up. It is possible though. Other races have accomplished it. They were negotiating with one of them trying to get the technology.” Tar admitted.
“Thank the gods they haven’t gotten it.” Blaze offered. “How do you know all this?”
“We got some information off the computer.” Tar grinned his look cocky. “They tried to erase it when they saw us coming, but I caught the asshole before he could do it.”
“That may be the second most important thing you did today. The most important being freeing these people.” Blaze declared.
Tar nodded looking pleased with himself. They all had go
od reason to be pleased. The labs had taken another big hit today. The next thing would be to go after the lab they’d just found out about. One that might be filled with children of various ages. It made a shudder pass over him to think of monsters like the ones he’d seen in various facilities raising children.
“Come with me, Felicity. We’ll start escorting your people aboard the space ship. These small shuttles can carry twelve plus the piloting crew.” Blaze explained.
“Who is the crew?” Felicity asked.
“We are for this trip. You’ll sit up front with me.” Blaze explained.
They got the ladies from the wing they were in to escort to the shuttle. It would take four trips to get all the residents, two more trips to take the prisoners. The females walked slowly with wide eyes. Some had lived here all their lives, or at least as far back as they could remember, never leaving the wing they were settled into. Everything was new to them. It had taken time to coax them out of the wing. It was as if they feared being struck dead if they stepped out that door.
Once they were out of the wing, it was easier with every step they took, until they arrived at the shuttle. Felicity led the way, but once she was onboard, she turned looking back to find no one had followed her.
“This really flies in space?” A woman asked.
“Just like the space station we are on only it’s smaller.” Felicity said.
“We’re on a space station?” The woman’s eyes grew wide.
“Look out the big windows.” Blaze encouraged. He heard loud gasps. It appeared most of them hadn’t known where they lived.
“We are in space.” The woman yelled.
“You have been all your life.” Felicity observed. “Whether you knew it or not.”
That gave them some food for thought. A few of the ladies started inching forward thinking about catching the only available ride out of there. Blaze wasn’t the most patient guy around, but even he realized they had to get onboard on their own. It was a big step for these isolated uninformed people. The world was a scary place that was true. But he didn’t believe it was any scarier than where they were coming from.
Once the first woman followed Felicity onboard, it was like the dam had broken. They all wanted their seat on the shuttle because they wanted out of there. They all loaded getting help putting on their harnesses before he was able to take off.
Once they were all ready, he and Felicity went up front claiming the last two seats as pilot and copilot. They took off heading to the now open bay doors. The Mazlan ship was easy to spot in the area just beyond the station.
Chapter 6
Freedom
The ship loomed ahead of them on the view screen. Felicity felt an odd sense of anticipation combined with nervousness. She’d dreamed of the chance to escape the facility since she’d ended up here as a young girl. That dream seemed to be a reality. Funny that she’d never thought of the reality of survival once she was free. Maybe she’d never really believed it was possible to escape.
Bay doors opened welcoming them aboard. Blaze expertly landed so that no one felt even so much as a bump. As the ship came to a stop, her nervousness came back with a vengeance. The doors opened as Blaze took off his harness.
“Are you ready?” He asked. She nodded, but she wasn’t sure. She removed her harness following him to where the others were sitting with frozen looks on their faces. Two males that looked big like Blaze stood just outside the open door waiting for them to exit.
“It’s alright ladies. We’re here now. These gentlemen will take you to your quarters then show you the cafeteria where you can eat.” Blaze explained.
They still looked nervous, but the talk of food spurred them to action. The women began to undo their harnesses so they could exit the ship. Escorts came to take them two or three at a time. Once the ship was empty, Blaze flew them back to the station where they did it all over again two more times.
“Who will escort the prisoners?” Felicity asked now that they were back on the big ship.
“They’ll send a four male team. Two to fly with two armed guards. There’s a jail section onboard they’ll be put in. They won’t be near the ladies.” Blaze explained. “Let me take you to your room. Once you’re settled in, we can go grab a bite to eat.” Felicity just nodded before following him off the shuttle.
She was about to start her new life. So far freedom had felt scary. Even with the help the Mazlans had promised them, her life was now in her own hands. The problem was she knew nothing of life outside her eight by eight cell. Their new benefactors expected them to learn enough to eventually fit in with their society. Felicity had no idea how hard that might be.
What kind of careers were available to someone who knew as little about life as she did? She’d enjoyed working on the farm as a child, but her parents hadn’t managed to make much money. Just scraping by wasn’t the life she wanted. Riches weren’t what she cared about either. Somewhere in the middle was fine with her. Making enough money not to have to worry about getting by daily was her goal. Beyond that, it would be nice to figure out a job that she would enjoy that would get her that.
She stared at Blaze from behind. He was tall with broad shoulders. Looking at him made her feel a flutter of excitement somewhere down below. Maybe a male in her life like him would be nice too. Felicity liked him as a person plus she was attracted to him. The male was gorgeous, how could she not be?
“This is your room.” He stopped at a door. “It’s right next to mine so if you need anything let me know. Hold your hand on this panel so I can set it to let you in.” She did as he instructed so he set it for her.
It struck her suddenly that for the first time since she couldn’t remember when, she had control to the door of her own room. It almost overwhelmed her making her blink the tears in her eyes away. Freedom tasted sweeter when it had been denied for so many years. The door slid open so she entered. The room was nice, comfortable, and had its own full sized bathroom.
“Are you alright?” Blaze asked concern obvious in his tone.
“It’s a big change from what I’m used to, but I’m happy. I’d like to clean up, but I have no clothes to change into.” She admitted.
“Just go ahead take a shower. I’ll get a change of clothes to bring you.” Blaze offered.
Felicity nodded before she stepped into the bathroom. It was set up for a bath or a shower. Since Blaze would be back soon she opted for a shower. The water felt good as it slid over her. When she got some soap in her hands, it sent a perfumed scent into the air. It was sweet and floral. She washed quickly because her stomach was growling. What would the food be like here?
Once she was clean, she got out to dry off. The towel was soft and lightly scented too. Felicity couldn’t ever remember smelling so good. It made her feel feminine and attractive. She found a comb which she used to get her hair to behave. A toothbrush and toothpaste was also there. They got one every once in a while at the facility. Usually when all the bristles fell out of the old ones.
There was a knock at the door so she opened it a little peering around it at Blaze. He handed her some clothing that looked like what the medical personnel wore. It was clean and soft so she was happy to have it. Once she was dressed, she exited the bathroom.
“You look good.” Blaze admired.
“Thank you.” She said as a flush came to her cheeks.
“Let me escort you to the cafeteria.” He offered. Opening the door, he paused so she could walk ahead of him.
Felicity left the room then waited for him having no idea where to go now. Blaze stepped up next to her and they slowly walked through the ship as she looked at everything wild eyed. “How will I ever know where to go?”
“Can you read?”
“A little which is more than most of the residents can. I was in second grade when I was sold.”
“That something like that can happen makes me angry.” Blaze admitted.
“Me too. I wonder how many children were treated that way
.”
“I don’t know, but it will be investigated. Those that did this to you may no longer be alive, but if they are we’ll try to find and punish them.”
“I just don’t understand why any of you care.” Felicity admitted.
“That could easily happen to anyone during a catastrophic event. Those strong enough to do so, should always ensure those who abuse others pay for their misdeeds. You’ve seen the worst the universe has to offer. Just believe there are those who are better than that. Without those willing to help others and fight for a better world, we’d have chaos.”
They entered the cafeteria where the most delicious scents assaulted her nose. Her stomach rumbled like an angry monster. “What can I have?”
“Whatever you want, but the food is richer than what you’re used to. If you eat too much too quickly, it may make you sick.”
Felicity understood. Her stomach wasn’t used to this kind of food. Even if she hadn’t understood, a few of her fellow residents were currently vomiting. Their escorts were showing great caring as they cleaned them and the mess they made up. She didn’t want to be that person. The one that ate it only to lose it. It also added more work to those helping them for no apparent reason. Maybe she was overly cautious, but better safe and whatever that saying the guards sometimes used.
“Tomorrow, I’ll come get you for breakfast. Each meal you’ll be able to eat more. After breakfast you’ll go to a meeting with the other residents.”
“You won’t be there with me?”
“I’ll be there too. They plan to test you to see where your education is. That’s when I’ll leave. I will be back to get you for lunch. After lunch, you’ll start school.”
“What if I don’t do well?” Felicity asked.
“It’s self-paced. You can go as fast or as slow as you feel comfortable with. There’s some kind of reward for each section you complete. I hear it’s lots of fun.”
Felicity shot him a look of disbelief. “Maybe for those just watching.”
