act natural | mi high

10 | Prison Break

'The team must help a former KORPS leader escape from prison.'

OF ALL THE MISSIONS THAT THE TEAM HAD ACCOMPLISHED DURING THEIR TIME AT MI9, A PRISON BREAK WAS CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING MADDIE WOULD HAVE PREDICTED NEXT. Normally their job involved putting people behind bars, not getting them out. "He's being held in Uttland's highest security prison, the Helberg." Stella explained as the team saw an image carved into a bowl with the words 'MI9 COME AND GET ME' on the screen above them. "Sounds delightful." Maddie responded in reference to the name of the prison. As usual, Stella ignored her remarks, limited on time. "Your mission is simple. Get in, get him, get out."

"Uttland's like next door to Sweden. We're friends. Why don't we just ask them to hand him over?" Aneisha asked, perfectly reasonably. "Their government denies having him in custody. We believe they want him to help them develop a new and highly illegal truth gas." Stella responded.

"You haven't even told us who he is." Dan interrupted. How were they supposed to rescue someone from prison without knowing who they were? Maddie noticed the hesitant look Frank and Stella shared before she divulged the information. "The target is Alexis van Hades, the ex-Shadow Master of Skapula." Maddie's eyebrows knitted together. She'd heard that name before, but she couldn't figure out for the life of her where she'd heard it. "A nice name for KORPS' assassination squad." Frank added, before Stella continued. "He knows KORPS inside out. His information would be invaluable."

"What do you think, Frank?" Aneisha asked, eager to hear his opinion. Maddie wanted to know too, hoping it may jog her memory. "Frank won't be involved in this mission."

"Frank?" The team were confused. There was no reason that they could think of as to why Frank couldn't be involved in their mission. "What? What's going on?"

"You're just going to have to trust us. It's better this way."
"Why would the Shadow Master all of a sudden want to help us?" Dan changed the subject before Maddie killed Tom. "Intel says KORPS ordered SKAPULA to eliminate their own boss. They thought he was a traitor, but it doesn't say why." Tom read from the file, leaving the team with more questions than answers.

"Now KORPS are back, he'll think they'll want to finish what they started." Aneisha theorised as Zoe began clarifying what they needed to do. "So our mission is a straight forward prison break?"

"Straightforward?" Frank turned around at Zoe's words, his voice raised. Maddie had never seen him like this. "I'm afraid it's anything but. The Helberg is the remotest, deepest, darkest prison in Europe" This really hit a nerve with Frank. A nerve that Stella was not going to address at present. "You can read all about it in your mission briefing on the way. I suggest you go and pack. Immediately."

The team didn't linger for long, heading for the lift. Normally, they'd leave a mission briefing feeling optimistic, prepared and sometimes even excited. This time, they all left with a bad feeling lingering within their gut.

As was the case for any mission that involved a trip, St Hearts had just so happened to be selected from hundreds of 'top schools' (which should have been the first give away) to attended a Students Wilderness Survival Weekend in Uttland, completely free of charge. "I hope you all brought your cameras because we are standing in the only remaining natural habitat of the Uttlandish Barking eagle!"

"And it also happens to be a stone's throw away from Helberg. What are the chances!" Maddie jested sarcastically, as the team and their class unloaded their backs from the back of the school's minibus. "Sir, how does the bird sound again?" Tom asked, a smirk on his face. "Ah, I'm glad you asked me that Tom, it sort of makes a..." Flatley began making a noise that could only be described as a mix between a pigeon and a small yappy dog, "... sound."