Van Terra [NOW A PUBLISHED BOOK]

Chapter Two ~ Damned If You Do, Dead If You Don't

Footsteps approached the cell before Grace had a chance to ask how Jasper intended on getting out of the station. Grace instinctively backed away from the bars, fearing it was her death approaching, while Jasper appeared unconcerned. Grace couldn't say she found that reassuring.

A young woman stopped in front of the cell and began fiddling with the lock. It was difficult to discern much of her appearance in the soft glow, but she appeared to be wearing a police officer's uniform.

"Got the key?" Jasper asked. "And my comm device?"

"Obviously," the probably-not-an-officer muttered as she drew a key from her pocket.

Grace watched her unlock the cell with wide eyes. "Who is that?" she asked Jasper. "What's happening?"

"Shh." Jasper gestured to their rescuer. "This is Holly. Stay quiet until we get out of the building, all right? And move fast. My hacker can't keep the station's power out forever."

Holly unlocked Jasper's chains next, and then the two were hurrying out of the cell. Grace rushed to follow them down the hall.

Even though the world darkened with every step away from the windows, Jasper led the way with ease. How could she see so well? She was surprisingly quiet, too, considering her dramatic entrance earlier.

"Big group of guards at the end of the hall," Jasper whispered. "On the other side of that door. Thea, you on comms?"

In the silence that followed, Grace became painfully aware of the sound of her own breathing.

"Excellent," Jasper said. "And your heat scanning drone is working?"

They stopped in front of what must have been the door. Grace narrowly avoided bumping into Jasper.

Jasper continued in a hushed tone. "Quite a few guards between us and evidence storage. And they'll all have flashlights. Holly?"

"Ready," Holly replied. She pulled something out of her pocket. Grace could just make out the silhouette of a small sphere passing from her hand to Jasper's.

After that, Holly took out another key and set to work on the locked door in front of them. It opened with a faint creak. Jasper grabbed Grace's arm and pulled her forward into the darkness beyond. There was a click, followed by the sound of the sphere rolling across the floor. Hissing filled the air. Flashlight beams swung toward the three.

The light never reached them. Thick, black fog filled the air just in time to mask the three from view. "Smoke bomb," Jasper whispered, sounding smug.

"Stop showing off," Holly hissed.

"I'm just following the plan!"

"And narrating for your new friend."

The three slipped past the confused officers. The officers' quiet chatter helped hide Holly and Jasper's exchange, along with Grace's footsteps and heavy breathing. Jasper guided her and Holly through the basement labyrinth, and Holly occasionally dropped more smoke bombs from her pockets to keep them hidden.

A few minutes of walking brought them around a corner to a seemingly empty hallway. Jasper released Grace's arm. A moment later there was a thud, a grunt, and the sound of a body hitting the ground. Grace winced.

Holly turned on a flashlight and pointed it at the door in front of Jasper. Jasper drew two pins from her hair and set to work picking the lock. It clicked a minute later, and she eased the door open. She entered, followed by Holly, then—after an anxious glance at the unconscious guard on the floor—Grace.

Neon pink light flooded the evidence room through the blinds. Metal lockers took up most of the wall space. Jasper trailed a finger across them as she circled the room. When she found the locker she was looking for, she picked that lock, too.