Page 39 of Spectral Seas (Spectral Worlds #2)
A BBY ROSE FROM the bunk and went to the front of the cell, his optics determining the density of the bars. He grabbed hold of the cell door and tugged.
“We tried them,” Xander said from the bunk. “And tunneling for that matter.”
“Tunneling?” asked Abby.
“It’s in our nature to burrow. That’s when we discovered that the bars run beneath us as well—each cell a boxed cage—and quite solid, I assure you.”
“I’m sure,” said Abby. “Hard not to admire the ancient architecture. These bars, this alloy, they’re older than the alpha plane civilization.”
Xander snickered. “Yes. I suppose that’s admirable—that they do their job even after countless eons. I guess that means you’ll be staying longer than you planned.”
“No. Not at all.”
“I know you mentioned you were in a hurry,” said Xander. “I’d advise you to relax. Unless you’re having second thoughts. ”
“No hesitation. I’m just thinking. There’s a bit more to it than just getting out of here.”
“How so?”
“Well,” said Abby. “We can’t really leave without helping Sss’kyrone and his people.”
“The three of you will do this?”
“I was counting on your help.”
“Oh, you were?”
“You just said it. There are only three of us. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.”
“Then you may have it,” said Xander. “I’d be happy to assist.”
“I have your word?” asked Abby.
“Sure. Why not. The Lupo pledge to follow—for what it’s worth. You’re forgetting that we’re limited in our options.”
“But we’re not,” said Abby. “Captain Selene, the Indici should be at prayer for a while longer. Would you mind?”
“Not at all,” said Leta.
She rose from beside Xander and joined Abby near the barred door. She licked tips of her thumb and index finger, then delicately drew a filament cable from the edge of her wrist console and adhered the end to the panel the jailer had held the disc to. Then she effortlessly tapped a rapid rote sequence into the console, triggering a small translucent blue hologram of the panel’s inner workings to materialize above her wrist. “It’s old,” she said, spinning the image with her free hand. “But roughly the same composite construct as an Avris.” She tapped the console a second time.
CLANK .
Abby reached over and lightly pressed a finger to the bars of the door. It silently swung open. “Time to go,” he said as he stepped out into the corridor .
The Lupo in the neighboring cells burst into a new frenzy of yelps. Abby pivoted back around, held a finger to his lips and they quieted, then brow raised, he faced Xander. “Are you coming?”
“Yes,” said Xander. In one fluid motion, the Lupine uncrossed his long legs and sprung from his bunk to join the already standing Soren. With the exception of his tall, pointed ears, Xander stood about even with the Umbra and in seeing the two tall, slender beings’ side-by-side, Abby was reminded of an Egyptian relief of the canine headed god of the underworld, Anubis, standing beside one of his dark-haired priests.
Xander cocked his head to the side, toward the other Lupo. “And my brothers?” he asked.
“Of course,” said Abby. “Leta, would you mind?”
“Not at all,” she said, then she stepped out into the walkway and again ran her fingers across her wrist console. A series of faint CLANKS filled the corridor and the cell doors gently eased open. Free from incarceration, the Lupo filed into the walkway.
“So,” Abby asked Xander. “Where do we find Sss’kyrone and the other captive Indici?”
Xander gestured toward end of the corridor, opposite the direction they’d entered. In contrast to the bare rock of the rest of the cellblock, the end was bricked with large, blue-grey, granite slabs and at its center—a dark metal door. “They took them through there,” he said.
“Okay,” said Abby. “I figure we free them, and then follow the tunnel back to the Bubble on the mainland. If we’re lucky, we can hitch a ride on the mag-line.”
~*~