2199 Extinction

Caught!

 I slump down into the floor and just sit, looking around. The cell is not very big, fifty steps from wall to wall. It doesn't hold much, a single cot and a hole in the ground for a toilet. High up on the wall, I'm leaning against, is a small window. A small shaft of moonlight trickles down but the darkness swallows it whole before it reaches the floor. The front wall of the cell is entirely made up of metal bars. Someone should really consider upgrading this place. But I guess it doesn't really matter, it's not really meant for a long-term stay. The lights go out and I stumble through the heavy darkness, towards where I estimate the bed to be. My leg hits the cot and I collapse onto it, exhausted from the day.

                                  *******************************************

"Astra. Wake up! You must not give up! You have to save me." my mother's voice calls out.

"But how can I? You are dead, the people have turned against me, and Malum has sentenced me to death." I say.

"You have the answer. All you have to do is use it. Just think, Astra!"

                              ********************************************************

I wake up in a cold sweat. That was a strange dream. I guess, even asleep, my brain is trying to find a way out of this situation. I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. A heavy feeling settles into the pit of my stomach. There is no way out of this situation, I am fairly sure about that. I look around and notice that even with the small shaft of sunlight pouring in, visibility is still poor. I can see well enough, but the lighting makes it seem more like twilight, right before the sun fully disappears for the night.

I get up and walk around the cell, running my hands along the walls. I test the strength of the stones, pushing everywhere I can reach, but they are cold and unrelenting. The dungeon, like the rest of the castle is made from stones, from the nearby mountains. That means the rocks are sturdy and will not be easily broken. I look up at the small window, and jump a few times, trying to reach it. The window is too high, I can't even touch it with my fingertips, so that's no good.

I walk to the cell door. The metal that forms the bars has been coated with some kind of spray to prevent rust. I will not be able to break those bars. But I try, anyways, pulling and pushing on each bar. I know it's a foolish task, but I can't just give up and die. As a final desperate attempt, I try and squeeze through the bars, but the most I can do is get one arm, one shoulder, and one leg through.

I sigh and start pacing the cell. "There has to be a way out." I mumble to myself.

"Psssst. Astra." a voice says.

I turn towards the bars and there stands Amlican, looking sad. I walk over to the bars and lean my forehead against them.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"I came to see you. Why did you do that? The plan was for you to stay hidden." he says, grabbing my hands.

"I couldn't help myself. Didn't you hear the things he was saying? Didn't you hear the lies? The man exterminated an entire race of people, just because he could. He killed my entire race, and now he is going to kill me as well." I gently squeeze his hand.

"I'm sure there are some survivors out there, somewhere. Not all of the Copaie were on the home world. Your race will survive." he says, letting go of my hand and placing his hands on my face.

"No." I say, pulling my head back out of reach. "Did you completely miss the part of the bounty on the heads of all remaining Copaie? If any dares to show their face, they will be turned in and killed like all of the rest. Twenty-five thousand credits per Copaie is a lot of money. Bounty hunters around the galaxy will be lined up for a chance to earn that kind of currency."

"I'm going to get you out of here." he says.

"No! I won't let you put your own life in jeopardy just to save mine! It's not worth it!" I say, leaning my head back against the bars.

"Astra! Seriously! Do you really think I'm going to just sit back and watch the woman I love, get murdered? What kind of man would I be if I did that?"

"Look, I don't need you rescuing me." I say, pulling away from the bars. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"Obviously." he says. "Look, I just want to know if you checked for loose stones, weak bars, or any other way out."

"Yes, I've checked for all of that. And no, nothing." I say, annoyed.

"I think I may be able to get my hands on the keys. If I can, I need you to...." Amlican is cut off by the sound of someone coming down the stairs.

"Hurry! Get out! Get out of here before you get caught! If Malum finds out you are here, he might just have you executed as well. He hates me that much." I say, urgently.

"Hey! Whose down there?!" a voice shouts.

"I think it's too late for that." Amlican says.

"It's just me." I say. But my voice comes out high pitched like it always does when I'm panicking.

What to do? What to do? I'm on the verge of panicking when I look down at myself. The jacket! With everything that has happened, I had forgotten I had put it on.

"It's a long shot, Amlican, but I have an idea." I whisper.

"What is it?" he whispers back.

"I thought I heard a male voice, I'm coming down!" the guard shouts.

"Do you remember that jacket, the old Copaie gave me? Remember how she said it's capable of time travel?"

"I don't see how that's going to help, right now, unless that dress you are wearing has pockets."

"Amlican, listen to me, I am wearing that jacket. For some unknown reason, it appears invisible when you put it on, to everyone but the person wearing it." I quickly explain.

"But Astra, it's illegal..." he starts.

"Right now, it doesn't matter if it's illegal or if it doesn't even work. The point is, you are about to be caught and it's our last hope." I say double tapping on the left sleeve. A small door pops open and I'm staring at a minicomputer. How do I work this thing? There is a mini touch screen, that pulls up a keyboard when I tap it.

"If someone is down there with you, trying to help you to escape, they will face the same punishment as you." the guard's voice sounds closer.

"Hurry up." Amlican says.

I look closer and realize that it's asking for coordinates, day, month, and year. Come on, think! What's those coordinates?

"Hey, I know you! You are friends with the traitor!" the guard says, appearing at the end of the hall.

I quickly punch the information in and click send. Send? How appropriate. I snap the lid shut. Now how do I take Amlican with me?

"Amlican, grab my lower, left arm, now!" I shout. He grabs my arm, just as I start feeling a tingling sensation from that area. "I'm not sure if I got the coordinates right, there's a good chance we are going to be dumped in the middle of space, to die." The tingling sensation spreads up my arm, to my chest, and then throughout my body. The sensation intensifies until it feels as if my whole body is on fire. If I'm to die, I'm glad it's with Amlican by my side and not at the hands of Malum. I look into Amlican's eyes and then everything goes black.