Imprisoned: A Holding Cell & New Aquaintances

[Mallory & Lambert Logistics]

Eve stared at the screen when it switched on, listened attentively first at the end disconcerted to the message and exhales audibly when the message ends, her brown eyes widened slightly after the unknown voice had made it perfectly clear what she had to do... and what the consequences would be if she resisted.

She nods slowly, watching the comms unit directly, trying to put up a show of coolness and professionality that would deceive many, but likely not work against an unscrupulous, well-informed, corrupt police officer who was in complete control of the environment she found herself in.

All the time she wanted to ask the question "Why?" but she follows the clear orders, nods again and gets up, puts on the leather jacket, places the chair in its original position and approaches the barred cell door. There is the faint "click" that could only mean that whetever the voice had said was actually true.

She curses under her breath in Gallic, as she knows that this might end not well. Then, after having looked through the bars up and down the short corridor, she pushes the door open, closes it again behind herself, and walks down the corridor with fast, not hasty steps. Her heart beating like crazy, she reaches the office and there is no one there. She enters, bends over, finds the handgun taped to the desk. She rips it off, readies it and hurries out...

She reaches the hangar breathlessly although it was only a very short distance, but she is not used to escaping from prison cells with a gun in her hand, ready to shoot someone who might want to keep her from getting away. Realizing that she holds the gun in her hand openly, she places the gun in her pocket, to make it look less like an escape...

"Hangar 3... Hangar 3..." she finds it after stopping at a junction, then forces herself to calm down before she enters the sliding doors to the Hangar. She walks in there at a fast pace, refraining herself from just running to the ship in order not to raise too much unwanted attention. "Stay cool, Eve..." she tells herself... "You can make it..."

She covers the last few steps, opens the ship's door and jumps into, slams it shut and starts the undocking procedures, expecting the hangar doors to close every second, and the alarm to ring... the codes not to work... this all being a setup... but the lights signal her launching permission. And it feels like a small miracle.

I miracle that would have strings attached. She knows it. But it can't be changed any more.

The ship does not take the lanes but disappears into the blackness of space, far off from any known patrol route or trade lane. Mistakes made once must not be repeated.

The bord computer interrupts her thoughts: "Eve, shall I navigate? Is everything okay? Your vital signs are above normal, you seem agitated."

Eve can't help but chuckle: "Thank you, Maurice... it was just a little too close for comfort." she answers the computer voice. "I see..." answers the AI, not asking any more questions... "You want me to take over? Get a shower. Calm down." and Eve nods. "Yes, avoid any contact. No lanes. Get me out of this system." and Maurice answers: "Oui, Evelyne, taking over control."

While she walks into the small bathroom of the Border World Transport, she keeps pondering what happened... a look in the mirror tells her that Maurice was right: "What a day..." she sighs...

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