Dynamic Patrol: Gel-Squad (Remastering!)

Chapter 26: Escapee

Despite having his own escape plan, which would involve a fire, Jason got lucky. He was very lucky. He was in his makeshift prison cell, considering the next phases of his plan, when the ship took a disastrous impact, which caused him to be thrown back and forth in midair harshly, striking every corner of the room as gravity took a special interest in breaking his bones. He blacked out, and when he came to, he saw that his door was wide open, freedom calling his name. He took his chance immediately. His ears were still ringing, and his chest and arms were in pain, but he was alive. He was alone. He took no time, no time to rest or think. He bolted into the pitch-dark woods.

Wincing in pain every time his shattered foot impacted the ground, he used his hands to push the leaves away, twigs, and other items that got in his way, out of range as he cleared a path for himself. The entire planet seemed to be against him. First, the people captured him, and now the leaves were causing his palms to itch, and the branches slapping against his skin made his face bleed with their unforgivable thorns. Once he'd gotten far enough away, he turned back to see if he was being chased. Fortunately, he was not. There was a crash... he wasn't sure if those people were still alive, and the impact was rather harsh. No matter. He took the time to take a breath, and then he felt a sharp pain in his left arm, which he immediately grabbed. No problem... he just broke his arm... it's fine. Jason decided to keep going, but then he felt an uncomfortable pressure squeezing almost in his chest. Then he felt weak, and soon he was brought to his knees. It seemed that he was in more danger than he had thought because he was on the ground, groaning in pain until he passed out.

Tommy was finally on his feet and enjoying the freedom of not having a constant headache. With Russell's help, his Omoecoon healing factor finally kicked in. It was night, which was fine for him. The wind whistled through the ship as he moved around. Tommy squeezed through the door to the tool room because the power was out. He had to either pry open or ooze through any other door. "D1..?" He called out. It was nighttime, which meant that Russell was on watch. Usually, she would come and talk to Tommy, but she was nowhere to be found. As he looked around the room, he was relieved that in the crash, this seemed structurally intact from the explosion. Tools were scattered across the floor. Her charging dock was returned to its place but likely was inoperative. Tommy pounded his fist against the door jam, then about-faced and departed. Tommy moved down the ladder to the lower deck, where the mess hall was located. He continued, watching the broom closet with interest. Jason was gone, but Russell didn't seem to care. Suppose he wanted to live in the woods. Let him be free.

"D1?" Tommy called out, pausing. He heard the sound of D1's treads motorizing as she went underway. That was a sound he'd become used to."Salutations." D1 chimed, her volume lowered to something akin to a whisper. "How are you feeling?" D1 asked, rotating and moving toward Tommy, returning to business, "My head doesn't hurt anymore. And I can feel my legs." Tommy smiled. He lifted his leg off the ground to demonstrate his full range of motion. And D1 was satisfied. Russell entered the cabin, yawning obnoxiously. To both D1 and Tommy's surprise. "Woah! Hey? Aren't you supposed to be on watch?" Tommy planted his hands on his hips, terrified. "What? I got bored. It looks like our prisoner is dead. He's not here." Russell stated, picking up a fire extinguisher and discharging it against the deck before he turned toward the two, spinning the hose on his index finger. "Wait a moment? We may need that extinguisher." D1 stated. "Well... this ship doesn't have much left. I say we explore the island." Tommy invited, then he saw something flash across Russell's features as if he had failed to suppress his worry in time before it appeared on the surface. "Wait a minute... We shouldn't... It's not a good idea." Russell said, tossing his extinguisher aside. "It's not a bad idea. This ship isn't a home. We need to go and find our way."