Excerpt: Social Justice

Chapter Six

Amerilia stopped the truck in the woods by the secret prison. Mishi uncovered her ears, hoping that the singing in the back of the truck would stop now that they had arrived. It hadn't... Brandyn and Nohr were still belting out old children's songs at the top of their voices. Mishi snapped.

“Will you people shut up already? We're trying to keep cover here!”

The back of the truck fell silent.

Amerilia shook her head. “You two know how to get to the tunnel system, right? Remember to seal the entrance the second you're both down there, and give us a quick call on the radio system when you're in the right room at headquarters.”

Brandyn opened the back door of the truck. “We'll be sure to!” he shouted back as the two of them jumped out and took off running.

Skye and Andrea got out of the truck and stretched their legs.

* * * * * * * * * *

Mishi had gotten out of the truck and walked around it four times by the time Brandyn and Nohr called on the radio system. That made it about 20 or 30 minutes for the two guys to seal a hole in the ground and run to the headquarters, assuming they ran.

Amerilia answered the radio. “Operation Birdie is good to go, when you're ready, boys.”

“We're ready to take the Fledglings back into the Nest.” Nohr responded cheerfully.

Andrea and Skye nodded and headed off. Mishi pointed Casseiopia and Malin toward a back door that appeared to be unguarded. Then Amerilia and Mishi sat back to wait...

“it shouldn't be long now.” Mishi sighed as she watched the two pairs run off in their own directions.

Amerilia nodded. “I hope so. I don't want to be around here too long... I hate doing rescue missions. I don't feel safe.”

Mishi nodded. “it's a little disconcerting, isn't it? So, how did you do rescue missions before? Skye said this was a new truck.”

“We've never done a large- scale rescue mission like this before. Usually we only get a few people at a time and we can use a car or a small van from Andrea's supply.”

“That makes sense...” Mishi nodded.

The two girls sat in silence for a while. Mishi pulled out a book from her bag and started reading. After about ten minutes or so, Myr came around from the back of the truck.

“When are we gonna do this thing? I'm getting bored.”

Amerilia sighed. “We'll take the truck up there once the bombs have gone off.” As if on cue, two explosions sounded from the area of the prison. The trees shook and the truck rocked back and forth.

Mishi dropped her book and covered her ears. She hated loud noises. Amerilia and Myr jumped back into the truck and they drove off, speeding up to the designated exit. Myr jumped out and ran into the building while Mishi opened the back doors and set up first aid supplies in case they wer needed. She tossed Amerilia a gun, one of the two that were back there, and got ready to protect the prisoners as they came out.

Within five minutes, the first round of prisoners were racing towards the entrance.

“Come on, we haven't got much time!” Mishi called out, helping the escapees into the back of the truck.

One of the escapees stopped at the entrance to the truck and turned to Mishi. “It never ceases to amze me what cute girls they get to join the resistance... you and your friend here make that prison time worth it!”

Mishi gave a small laugh. “Glad to hear you're happy to be out, now if you want to stay that way, I suggest you get in the truck and let others escape, too!”

The young man laughed and hopped up into the truck. Amerilia shook her head and called over the stream of excited, shouting former inmates “Was he just hitting on you?”

“Yes, I do believe so!” Mishi laughed good naturedly and helped and older man up into the truck as Amerilia gave a very short woman a boost up to the step.

“Well, if they're still horny, at least they haven't been hanged for treason yet!” The older gentleman laughed as Mishi blushed profusely.

“the truck's getting kind of full, don't you think?” Amerilia askled as the last few escapees climbed in, shouting happily.

“Yeah, it is.” Mishi agreed. She ran into the prison to get the last three escapees, a woman about their age who had a little girl and a baby in tow. Mishi picked up the little girl and started running back to the truck, calling encouragement to the woman. They made it, just as a single guard rounded the corner and started running towards the truck, shouting about escaping prisoners.

“Shit.” Amerilia shook her head, taking the baby from the woman so that she could climb into the truck on her own. She handed the baby back and Mishi lifted the little girl into the back of the truck.

“Does anyone need first aid?” Mishi called up. Everyone loooked at her like she was a blazing idiot. “OK, well, I suppose that was a stupid question. Once we've got the people that caused the distraction for us, someone will be back there to assist anyone who needs it.” She jumped in the front of the truck and slammed the door, as Amerilia hopped into the driver's seat. They sped of towards the front of the building, not bothering to close the back doors yet. Mishi leaned out her window, gun at the ready in case the guard that was chasing them tried to shoot. Suddenly, she gasped... at least 40 armed guard- bots had started running toward the truck. “We're in trouble, Amerilia! Drive as fast as you fucking well can, if you want any of us to survive!” Amerilia nodded and hit the gas. She took the corner dangerously fast and stopped just in front of the group of resistance fighters waiting in front of the building. More guard bots were heading towards them from this direction. Andrea, Malin, Casseiopia, and Myr jumped in the back and Skye slammed the doors behind them, then jumped in the front and between the two girls.

“Get us the hell out of here, now!” Skye shouted to Amerilia.

“Ah, I need that ear!” Mishi yelped as she slammed the door shut and Amerilia hit the gas. She leaned out the window again as the guard bots started shooting at the truck. She fired off a few shots before ducking back in. “We need a fast, but indirect route to the headquarters. Don't take us to the cabin, either. We need an entracne that can be sealed off with no problems.”

Amerilia nodded. “Skye, will you please radio Brandyn and Nohr and tell them to have sealing supplies at the entrance to the tunnel system by the old paper mill?”

“Sure thing.” Skye picked up the radio. “Sealing supplies to the paper mill, we'll be there in ten minutes!”

“Consider it done!” Brandyn radioed back.

Amerilia took a corner hard, causing Skye to drop the radio's microphone and fall over onto Mishi. There was a collective scream from the back, and a baby started crying. Mishi helped Skye back into his seat and turned to the small window to the back of the truck. “Is everybody OK back there?”

“We're all right!” A woman called back. “Just a little bit startled, we weren't expecting to be tossed around like a bad salad!”

Mishi laughed. “Sorry about that, we're moving pretty quickly and Amerilia took the turn too hard. We'll try to be more careful in the future.”

“Thank you!” The woman called back, over the sounds of several people trying to quiet the baby.

“Why did you have two children in prison with you, anyway?” Someone in back asked.

“Well, it wasn't my choice. I've been in prison for several years now, since I was only a teenager. And, well, guards do get rather energetic when they've been away from their wives for a long time...” The young mother's voice trailed off.

“They didn't force you to get an abortion either time?” Someone else asked.

“I made a point of hiding it until I was too late. By the time the children were born, I was pretty good at hiding away in the back of my cell. If they had tried to put my babies up for adoption, they would have had to admit what had happened to me, so they left them in the prison with me.” The young woman laughed bitterly.

Mishi shook her head, holding back a sob. The things that happened in these prisons were horrible, and she couldn't imagine living like that, essentially being a cross between a punching bag and a sex doll for the guards, just so that you could survive. And to think that they would allow children to suffer just to keep their secrets... Mishi put her face in her hands. It was too much for her.

“Women get assaulted by those that are supposed to be protecting us all the time. The police, prison guards, government officials. It never ends. And you and I both know that no one can stop it until the other atrocities we live with are mended, as well.” Skye said softly, looking straight ahead. Mishi looked up as Skye put an arm around her shoulders. He looked down at the red haired girl and smiled gently. “Don't worry, we will make this better, just like we will make everything else better. We will end the vviolence that we live with, and rebuild the world. Don't worry about it.”

Mishi wondered how much of what he was saying, Skye actually believed. It was nice to hear it, but could a handful of people really change the way the world works?

Amerilia stopped the truck quickly. They had arrived at the old paper mill... in fact, Amerilia had driven the truck right through the front doors of the burned- out building, through the skeletal remains, and right to the very middle of the ground floor where Nohr was standing, looking shocked that he hadn't been run over yet. Amerilia jumped out of the truck and took a bow.

“Holy. Fuck.” Mishi stared in wide- eyed awe at what her room mate had just achieved.

Amerilia grinned as she popped open the back doors to the truck and started helping people down. Mishi joined her as soon as she recovered, and Skye did the same.

“What the hell, people, are you trying to kill us?” Myr glared at Amerilia and Skye as he jumped down.

“Only if you think we are.” Mishi glared back. She already didn't like Myr... there was something weird about him. She didn't think he was trustworthy at all.

Myr leaned over to Mishi and whispered in her ear. “Instead of killing us off, maybe you should try doing your job.”

“And just what job would that be, butt face?”

“Your job is to be ready to do your duties for people in proper society, whenever we are ready for it.”

“And your job is to take a sharp knife, lay the blade against your testicles, and...”

Skye broke in, much to the relief of the numerous men in the group. “While no one denies the need for my brother to be castrated, I think it is more important for us to be discussing what we'll do with ourselves now that we have broken this lot free. If we dissappear, they'll look for us, if we don't, and they saw any of us, they will come to our homes and arrest us.”

“Maybe we should all put in that we're on vacation off-planet?” Amerilia suggested.

“That's a good idea.” Mishi glanced around her. “But how are we going to contact someone with that information?”

Andrea handed a child down to someone waiting in the tunnel system. “Well, we could always hack the government's computers and manipulate the records ourselves...”

“Can you do that, Andrea?” A young woman who had just gotten out of the truck asked curiously.

“Yes, I can.” Andrea smiled softly at the girl, who was probably only about fifteen years old. “It's not that hard, since my father is a government official, I have had access to all the passwords since I was young.”

“Wow, that's so cool...” The girl had a dream like expression on her face.

Mishi laughed softly. “You better get going down the tunnel, before it's too late. I'm sure that there is someone tracking us, and we can't take any chances...”

Skye nodded. “I agree. Is everyone out of the truck? I need to hide it somewhere.”

Amerilia looked in the truck and closed the doors, nodding. “Everyone's out now.”

Skye hopped in the driver's seat. “I'll be at headquarters shortly. Seal this entrance as soon as everyone is safe.”

Mishi nodded and helped the last escapee into the tunnel. “Don't worry about it, Skye.”

“I never said I was worried.”

“Isn't he so cool?” Andrea giggled as the truck pulled away.

“Oh, I definitely see why you like him, Andrea.” Amerilia nodded, struggling to keep a straight face. Mishi cracked up laughing.

“Don't make fun of me!” Andrea glared at them, then laughed and dropped down into the tunnel system.

“Well, let's get going...” Myr smirked and followed Andrea. Nohr shook his head and laughed, following the other two into the tunnels.

“Come on you two, don't just stand there!” He called back.

Amerilia and Mishi both shook there heads, jumping down into the tunnels in turn and helping Nohr to seal off the entrance.