In the back of the room were several crates of expired emergency rations. Calla made her way over to them, picking her steps carefully so as not to kick anything and make a sound. Somewhere in the crates was Jess’ emergency stash, everything he’d saved for their escape. Another stab of guilt hit her ten minutes later, when she found the pitifully small package containing Jess’ hopes for their future. Inside were a few credit chits, two sets of dark clothing, and a fully-charged, palm-sized blaster pistol.
Calla turned the weapon over in her hands several times in awe–how had Jess gotten it?
She couldn’t imagine...
It took another five minutes to replace everything and pull the dark clothing over what she was wearing. She didn’t want to leave Jenner any clues as to how she’d escaped. Maybe, someday, another slave at the hostel would need to use the storeroom exit to get away. Then, grimly whispering, “It’s now or never,” to herself, Calla opened the trap door and lowered herself into the tube, carefully pulling the door back into place. For the first time in her life, she was free.
“I’m coming, Jess,” she said quietly into the darkness. “I’ll save you if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
Chapter 3
“Calla, I can’t believe you’ve done this!” Dani said, filled with a mixture of horror and admiration at her friend’s audacity. It was early morning, and she had returned from work at the House of Lilies to find Calla huddled in an alcove outside of her apartment.
“Are you sure you want to go through with it?”
“Yes, I am,” Calla said, meeting Dani’s gaze firmly with her own. “I need to find Jess, and we need to get away from Jenner. He’s always taken care of me–I can’t just stand by now that he’s in trouble. We both know what happens to slaves out in the asteroid mines. He’ll die if I don’t save him.”
“You’re right, he will,” Dani said quietly, wishing Calla’s logic wasn’t so strong. A slave in the mines was lucky to survive a year.
“I understand if you don’t feel like you can help me,” Calla added. “I know the penalties for assisting a runaway slave.”
“Calla, you’re my friend and I’ll help you,” Dani said, tossing her hair defiantly.
“Besides, I happen to be on very good terms with any number of our Saurellian landlords, and I have the Guild to back me up. Nothing’s going to happen to me. I’m more concerned about you. Don’t you have some kind of implant they can use to track you down?”
“Yes, but fortunately for me, Jenner’s a cheap old bitch. She didn’t want to spring for one of the high-end models that can pinpoint exact location. She’ll be able to tell I’m on the station, but that’s about all. Of course, getting off the station is another problem. It’s programmed to release a toxin into my system if I leave the station’s electrical grid, unless it’s deactivated. That’s the only way slaves who are sold are able to leave alive.”
“I’ve heard of that,” Dani said, a frown marring her perfect brow. “We’ll need to get rid of the implant somehow.”
“I’ve heard that there are surgeons who will do it, for a price,” Calla said carefully.
This was as far as she’d gotten with her escape plan–getting to Dani and asking for help.
Everything was riding on what Dani said next. It would be almost impossible to get away without some kind of assistance.
“Oh, Calla, that’s dangerous,” Dani said. “Those things are supposed to be tamper-proof. Won’t it release the toxin if someone tries to take it out?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, if I can find someone to perform the procedure,” Calla said. “Jess and I talked about doing it lots of times, but I was always too afraid and he wouldn’t go without me.” She added bitterly, “ Now I realize that staying a slave with Jenner was every bit as dangerous as escaping. She sold Jess knowing he would die–she just didn’t care. If I hadn’t held him back he would have gone years ago, but he thought he needed to stay and take care of me. Now I need to take care of him.”
Looking at Calla, Dani could certainly understand why Jess had felt that way. Calla was had told her once she was 27-years-old, but with her small frame and freckled face she looked younger. If Dani didn’t know better, she would have thought Calla was nothing more than a girl in her late teens. Perhaps they could turn fragility to their advantage.
“Calla,” Dani said. Her tone was slow and hesitant, as though she really didn’t want to even suggest her plan. “I have an idea how to get you off-station, but it’s kind of tricky.”
“What is it?” Calla asked, cautious hope in her voice.
“Well, first we’ll have to get rid of your tracker. But I’m thinking that we could set you up with a protector, maybe one of the Saurellians. Even though you’re not a member of the Pleasure Guild, there’s some room in the field for promising independent contractors. You wouldn’t make as much money as a Guild-trained worker like me, but it could be your ticket out of here. You’ve got decent looks, and you’re young. There are lots of men who might be interested in a woman like you.”
Jenner had threatened to sell her to a pimp a thousand times, but it had never occurred to Calla that she could sell herself. The idea was somehow appealing–for once she would be in charge of her own body. Still, there were potential problems...
“How would I protect myself?” she asked. “I mean, I’ve heard how rough spacers can get. I can’t do Jess any good if I’m dead.”
“That’s where I come in,” Dani said, smiling triumphantly. “I can help negotiate a deal for you. It’s a trade secret, but the Guild keeps extensive records on all our clients. I can find you someone who has a good history and solid payment record. If you fulfill your part of the contract, you’ll find yourself off-station. You’ll have resources, and if you play your cards right, he may even help you look for Jess–some men will do anything for the woman they’re sleeping with.”
“I can’t believe you’d do all that for me,” Calla said. She’d known Dani was generous, but to negotiate a contract for her was more than she’d expected. Normally the Guild did everything it could to squash independent contractors.
“You know, Calla, I just wish I could give you enough money to go and find Jess by yourself,” Dani said. “But the Guild puts most of what I earn in a pension fund, and I don’t actually have access to it unless I resign. I just get an allowance until I cash out.”
“Oh, Dani,” Calla said. “I never expected that. I just didn’t know where else to go.”
“Well, I do have a little tucked away,” Dani said, chewing thoughtfully on her lip.
She did some quick mental calculations. “I think I have enough to pay a doctor, and to give you a little bit to take with you. You’ll need it, especially if the contract doesn’t work out. We’ll need to buy you a new identity, too, and new finger and retina prints.”
Calla nodded in agreement. Whenever Jess had talked to her about escaping, he’d listed everything they’d need. New identities were at the top of that list. She had to become a new person if she was going to have prayer of getting away from the station, let alone finding Jess.
“Dani, I swear I’ll pay you back,” she said. “I don’t know how, but I’ll do it.”
“Honey, I just hope you don’t get caught,” Dani said, reaching her arms out to gather Calla close. It was all Calla could do not to cry at her friend’s generosity.