Page 23 of The Captain's Pet
“I have an idea, but we have to wait.” Lying back, he plunged his hand back into the water to help mend his fingers. He needed to be in the best shape possible or he’d be no good to Kell or anyone else.
Once the worst of his pain had abated, he left the pool to get some food. At least that was still being supplied as it had been before. It wouldn’t have surprised him if their rations had been cut, and maybe they still would be. He bet, though, that his newmasterwas too busy securing his power on the ship to bother with such petty details about the pets right away. Even though his stomach rebelled at the idea of food, he forced himself to eat. He needed the strength. Eventually Joel and some of the others joined him. Everyone froze like frightened rabbits when a guard came in and counted them with a quick glance. But the aliencoming in made Wid glad. It meant they hadn’t thought of the conduits yet.
He finished eating and pulled Joel back into the pool to speak to him as quietly as he could. It was possible the room was being monitored now that a perceived escape attempt had been made. He told Joel of his plans while doing his best to estimate how long it took for another guard to show up. Joel came on board with the rescue of Kell and the others. The boys knew where the brig was. A small group, no more than four, would make their way down and try to get the drop on the guards. Wid and Joel agreed that they would go. Jordan was the obvious third choice and they decided to ask the next biggest boy, a quiet guy named Rick. He wasn’t one to make himself known in a crowd, but he had size and strength, and that was what counted.
“It’s going to be tricky,” Joel murmured. “We don’t know how many guards they may have posted and how well armed they are. We could try to grab some weapons of our own, but once we leave the tunnels, getting back in them is a problem.”
“I agree.” Wid snapped his mouth shut as the doors opened. Another head count was made as quickly as the previous one. Once the alien had left, Wid continued. “We’re taking a big risk going anywhere and if we only have one shot, we should make it count. We go straight to the brig with no detours. If there are only the two guards that we’ve seen in the brig before, four of us stand a chance to overpower them. Although,” he added, “we might not all survive.”
“I don’t care. I’d rather be dead than put up with this escalating horror. You were right about the kind of captor we have mattering. Igor wasn’t exactly a nice guy, but he sure as fuck didn’t take sadistic glee in what he did. Better the devils you know.”
They pulled the other boys into the conversation one by one, and by the time the next check-in occurred, everyone was cluedinto the plan and supported it. As soon as the doors shut on the latest guard, Wid, Joel, Jordan and Rick rushed to the original opening to the ship’s arteries. Seconds later, they were on their way. They’d had months of experience getting up and into the tunnels. They were like a well-oiled machine now that speed counted.
Wid led the way to the brig, and it didn’t take them very long. They didn’t run into any Travians as they climbed down one of the shafts. The whole ship was eerily quiet, as if the mutiny had muzzled the entire crew. Although Wid didn’t want to borrow trouble, he couldn’t help wondering what would happen if they did manage to free Kell and the others. Would there be a civil war on the ship, and if so, how would the other boys fare in the aftermath? For himself, he hoped if there was a fight, he’d be allowed to join it. He’d rather die that way than be slowly tortured to death, which was his destiny if Kell didn’t retake command.
He signaled the others to stop and wait when they neared their destination. He crawled on as quietly as he could and peered into the first opening to the brig. A smile popped out when he saw Kell and the others crammed into the holding cells, milling about in obvious agitation, yet clearly unharmed. Something tight in his chest snapped loose, but he didn’t have time to dwell on the profound relief that the news brought. He glanced past the cells. Two guards lounged about in one corner, occupying themselves with some kind of handheld tablets. As secured as the prisoners were, there was little for the guards to do. Their lack of attention played right into the boys’ hands.
Motioning to the others, he continued past the opening and rounded the corner at the next intersection. A second opening turned out to be right over the bent heads of the guards. Wid frowned in frustration. This close to the wall, the guards would hear and see them as soon as they dropped down. Given the sizeof the opening, the boys would have to go one at a time, allowing the aliens ample opportunity to pick them off. They needed some kind of a diversion. Perhaps one of them should go back to the other opening and drop down to catch the guards’ attention, although that could lead to simply being shot without causing the guards to move.
As he pondered the possibilities, the passage of time ate at his nerves. They couldn’t wait too long or they’d miss the head count and the alarm would be raised. Then he saw Firth look in his direction. Wid waved, in case the alien could see the barrier. When the guy didn’t react, Wid came up with an alternate idea. It was incredibly risky, but so was the whole damn effort. Knowing he had to try something, he stuck his hand through the top of the opening and wiggled his fingers in the engineer’s direction. He knew the moment the male saw him.
With their eyes glued to their tablets, the guards didn’t see Wid’s hand or the expression on the engineer’s face when he realized what he saw. Thank God the older alien had his wits about him enough not to call out at the startling sight of a disembodied hand. Instead he did what Wid had hoped he would, he quietly got Kell’s attention. The captain stared in Wid’s direction for a few seconds before a small smile graced his lips. He nodded once curtly to Wid before letting out a roar.
The loudness and the fury behind the sound caused Wid to jump, even as he snatched his hand back. The rest of the Travians, prisoners and guards alike, stood or straightened up, their attention on Kell. He roared again and strode to the limit of the invisible shield keeping him locked up. He gestured wildly at the guards, looking like a madman. After a few seconds, the other prisoners took up the call and mimicked their leader’s actions. Soon the noise was deafening and the guards stalked closer to the cells, making their own gestures toward the prisoners. The idiots didn’t even put their tablets down.
Wid dropped to the ground and moved aside to make room for Joel and the others. Seconds later they made a coordinated attack on the guards from behind. It wasn’t an easy fight, but the boys had surprise on their side and a stronger reason to succeed. They’d also strategized long ago how they’d go about overpowering the larger, stronger aliens. They’d even practiced on each other, so it was with a certain amount of coordinated fluidity that Wid and Joel tackled the guards at knee height while Jordan and Rick threw themselves at the guards’ backs. The larger boys wrapped their arms around the guards’ necks as they all toppled onto the ground.
Surprise gave the boys an advantage. The guards couldn’t even defend themselves without first dropping their tablets. That alone gave Wid and Joel the time they needed to reach for the weapons the guards wore on their hips. Wid felt no compunction when he pressed the gun to the alien’s side and fired. The alien let out a screech of pain, bucked once, then lay still. Seconds later, Joel put down the other guard. The utter limpness of the bodies and the stench of burning clothes and flesh left no doubt in Wid’s mind that he had just killed someone. He stood stunned with the others, gulping great breaths, for a few seconds.
Wid lifted his gaze from the smoldering body to Kell’s cell. The captain treated him to both a smile and a nod. For a few more seconds, they stared into each other’s eyes, saying Wid didn’t know what. He only knew that he felt a sense of relief and pride, maybe. The captain clearly conveyed his appreciation for what Wid and the others had done. With his newly recognized affection for the alien, he understood as well why Kell’s approval mattered.
“The control panel for the cells is over there, boy. Press all of the buttons you see.” The engineer issued the order to Joel.
Thank God someone had their head screwed on straight. Wid broke his gaze from the captain to watch Joel fiddle with arecessed panel. A shimmering occurred along all of the cells’ walls and with a whoop of relief, the prisoners rushed out. Kell strode straight to Wid and grabbed him by the upper arms. Wid swallowed a yelp when the larger alien lifted him on his toes and brought their faces within inches of each other.
“What a clever pet you are,” Kell all but purred in a low voice. His gaze raked Wid. “Did Garen hurt you very badly?”
Wid almost shrugged his night of terror off, then thought better of it. “Yes, he did.”
Kell’s face came even closer. Their noses brushed briefly. “I would kill him for that alone.”
“Good.” His parents had always told him that civilization required measured responses of justice, not revenge. At that moment, Wid didn’t care. He wanted the alien who’d tortured him to die. Funny how things had changed, howhehad changed. Being held by Kell, even in this almost brutal way, held a comfort for him that he found surprising, yet couldn’t deny. The thought of Kell killing Garen even partially in Wid’s defense made him feel cherished when it should have revolted him. The Travian had had a profound effect on him and perhaps that meant Wid had had at least some effect on the Travian too.
The released prisoners wasted no time in raiding the weapons stored somewhere in the brig or nearby. Wid wasn’t sure exactly how they’d managed to arm themselves so quickly. Narith hustled up to Wid and Kell and handed the captain a weapon. Kell released Wid and grabbed the offering with obvious relish. The other alien smiled at his captain, then turned to Wid.
“How does my pet fair?”
Wid didn’t find it strange that the alien had bothered to ask. His affection for Stuart had been obvious. “He’s fine. Everyone is waiting back at our quarters for us to return.”
“You will do so, now. Go back the way you came,” Kell ordered with a jerk of his head toward the place the boys had droppeddown from. “When we have dealt with the others, I will send someone to let you know.”
Kell turned away, assuming that Wid would do as he was told. Well, fuck that.
“Wait,” Wid said, grabbing the captain’s arm. Kell frowned down at the hold, but Wid didn’t let go. “I want to come with you.”
“No, it is too dangerous, pet.”
“The whole fucking ship is dangerous,Master,” he replied heatedly. “Give us all weapons, so we can defend ourselves. And, I want to stick with you. The others will go back to our quarters to protect the boys still there in case anything goes wrong. It’s all we ask for setting you free.”
