The
alarm sound that indicates the end of the hour. The tower has changed
guard. Superintendent Jackson had tightened the security protocols after
the uprising broke two days ago. A guard had died in violence. Some
said Jackson was upset at the thought of such a horrible incident under
his watch. There were others who had a conspiracy theory that Jackson
was the whole thing to get rid of the guy for unknown reasons without
having to deal with an investigation from the Office Department.
Jackson
was a short, strong man with a bald brow. It would be confused with a
shop clerk or restaurant server, except that the ugly scar, ran the
right cheek was proof of a much darker character. He cut his teeth as an
artillery sergeant in the wars and joined the police after leaving the
active service. He specifically asked for a job in the prison office and
was granted without great difficulty, thanks to his powers of war. Now
he leads the colony lunar prison, where the worst criminals are sent to
the ground to bring about life sentences. Jackson ran a tight boat and
had an excellent record. No one has managed to escape from his prison
for the time.
Jeff
Rhodes a.k.a. Prisoner #3092 in the colony Lunar prison, lay in his bed
in his cell with his palms shaved behind his head and look through the
glass ceiling. Beyond this reinforced, unbreakable glass ceiling were
stars, distant galaxies, and the dark space that seemed to extend to
eternity. Somewhere, probably outside the small window that the upper
limit in its containment cell offered him, a beautiful blue marble
called planet Earth turned around. Jeff Rhodes dreamed all the time. If
everything were to go according to his plan, he would be happy to leave
this forgotten place of the house on the way to Earth in less than
twenty-four hours.
He
turned to his side and grabbed a figure in the shadows, stood at the
door and stared at him. He was able to make Jackson's unmistakable
outline in the dark, as he was almost as a wax. Jeff closed his eyes and
mentally to run through the sequence of his escape plan for the tenth
time. He did not know when fatigue took care of his body and when he
slept.
Full
volume alarms. Flashing. The prisoners are queuing for a nominal call.
Jeff avoided visual contact with Jackson and the other guards. He sat
alone at breakfast, looking from time to time to count the number of
guards. He knew that one of the guards had gone on a special license and
had the Earth last week because of the unexpected death of his wife.
Jeff had worried about killing another guard during the riots last week.
The reinforcements sent from the table were forwarded and would take
two more days to reach the lunar base. In the meantime, Jackson's
personal team would be wrong. Jeff counted on it. He hoped that no one
would notice that he escaped after breakfast when the prisoners were
sent back to their cells.
The
alarm called and the prisoners rose from their places and presented
themselves in two rows. One of the guards said to move into the cell
block. The captives of their orange monkeys began to go. Jeff had
carefully his breakfast-table, so he was against the end of the line
with only a few men behind him with the rear guards as a result. The
prisoners had to navigate two sharp curves and Jeff intended to escape
between these two turns and hide in a wall he had identified. The
challenge was to do this without the knowledge of the other prisoners
and the rear guards.
The
most important prisoners made the first turning to the right. Jeff
coughed and stayed temporarily while the rear guards looked up. He
avoids finding them in the eyes and allowed the other two prisoners
behind him to go the last position on the track. The guards did not
notice and seemed relaxed and engaged in trivial jokes. He was now only a
few steps from the first round to himself. Jeff walked around and sped
up his pace. Tiny drops of sweat were formed on the head and crashed on
the dragon tattooed on his neck. The rear guards were invisible and were
at least ten paces behind him. Another four seconds... and it would
reach the wall cavity.
As
soon as he arrived there, Jeff deftly moved on the side and got offered
in the small room through the cavity of the wall and hid in the dark. I
heard the footsteps of the guards. Jeff was very aware of all his
senses and the weather seemed to slow down while he waited with bated to
breathe. I could see the rear guards. He waited there for a minute,
then feet his way into the Bay of traffic. He came to the door. There
was not much time left. A check is made after all prisoners enter their
respective cells and their escape is discovered. I had to be on my way
before.
He
pulled the key out of his pocket... The key he had taken from the vigil
during the riots. Opened the door of the Bay of traffic. I almost made
it. A few minutes away from freedom. I felt it.
A
steel coffin ready for shipping was in the middle of dimly lit room.
The coffin kept the corpse of the guard he had killed. He was destined
to go on Earth on the next robotic cargo ship of the lunar prison
colony. Jeff thanked the mentality designer of the steel coffin, making
it big enough to fit two bodies. Of course, I didn't know or cared about
it being designed to save costs.
I
could see the charge light flickering in a short distance as it
approached Kai. Quickly he entered the coffin, next to the embalmed
corpse and closed the clasp. As soon as the freighter moves, it would be
clear to leave the coffin. Each coffin had an unlocking arrangement
from inside if someone accidentally locked it. I was ready to bear this
little agony with the corpse until the charge was on the way.
The
doors of Pod Bay Open and the cargo ship completes the mooring
maneuver. The coffin moved after the cargo and the doors closed. A few
seconds later the cargo landed and slipped off the lunar prison colony.
