Take my word for it: being in jail is no fun. After being taken into custody by some tough-looking guards, we were handcuffed and had black bags shoved over our heads. Chad tried to protest but was cuffed about the head for his complaints.
I remained silent.
We could have fought our way out, but for what purpose? It would have just made things worse. Besides, we didn't want to harm any of The Agency staff. We just wanted a few minutes of freedom. After our arrest, we were taken to a cell, and the bags and handcuffs were removed. The first thing Chad did after we landed in the cell was yell at the retreating backs of the guards.
'Just go to sleep,' I told him.
Probably the worst thing about the cell was that the lights stayed on all night. The second worst thing was the beds. I'd thought the dorm beds were bad; the ones in jail were like sleeping on concrete.
Chad finally drifted off to sleep. It took me longer. I dreamed about being in the room with Ravana and his constant questions about The Agency. Then I dreamed about him bursting into flames as we made our escape. I saw him toppling over, pounding the concrete roof of the building with his burning fist.
Pounding and pounding and—
Someone was hitting the bars of our cell. I woke to see Brodie standing there. Her hair was uncombed, and she looked tired and harassed.
'Do you know how long I've been standing here?' she asked.
'Ages?' I guessed
'I've been calling your names for the last ten minutes as well as smacking the bars with this cup!'
She had a metal mug in her hand. 'Seriously,' I said. 'They really give those things to prisoners?'
'What do you think you drink from?' Brodie asked. 'Your hands?' She shook her head in disbelief. 'Why'd you do this?'
'That was me.' The voice came from Chad as he blearily raised his head. 'I talked Mister Goody into breaking out with me.'
'I should have expected as much,' Brodie said, folding her arms. 'Can you tell me why?'
'Because I don't like to take orders!' Chad said, now fully awake and annoyed. 'I refuse to be treated like a prisoner. I'm a citizen of Norway! I shouldn't even be in the United States!'
'You're not a prisoner,' Brodie said, then realized what she's just said. 'Well, you are now—but you weren't before!'
'We're all prisoners here.'
'I know the last week has been tough.'
'You think?'
'Okay. It's been really tough,' Brodie admitted. 'Still, we've got a mission to carry out—'
'Mission?' Chad rolled his eyes. 'I don't recall signing up for any mission! I want to see the paperwork!'
A guard appeared. 'It's time,' he said to Brodie. 'These boys have got another visitor.'
She cast a helpless look at us. 'Don't do anything stupid.'
I glanced over at Chad.
I can't make any promises.
No sooner did Brodie leave than Twelve appeared. It was the first time we'd seen him since we arrived. He still didn't look like an alien, but now he definitely resembled an ogre. His face, which hardly showed any expression at all, was wearing an unhappy frown.
'I'm very disappointed,' he said. 'You boys signed an agreement, and now you've broken—'
'I don't recall signing any agreements,' Chad interrupted.
Twelve didn't look like he often got interrupted. 'You signed an agreement,' he said. 'And now you're going to keep to it.'
'What're you going to do?' Chad asked. 'Force us?'
'If we have to. Typhoid is not the only organization that can coerce difficult subjects.'
I thought back to the room with Ravana, and my stomach turned over at the memory. From somewhere deep inside me, the rage suddenly rose to the surface. Maybe it had been there all along, just waiting to erupt. The last week had been crazy: fear, pain, stress, and relentless exercise. After all of that, I'd been tossed in jail for walking out of the building.
Now, finally, I was being threatened.
That's it, I thought.
I was on my feet in a second.
'You will not threaten us!' I snapped.
'We don't want to threaten—'
I yelled out some stuff then. Later, when I thought back on it, I couldn't remember anything I said. What drove it was that memory of Ravana. That horrible little man with his torture probe.
The next thing I knew was that Chad was also yelling. '—that's it!' he was shouting. 'We're not taking orders from some alien weirdo!'
There was a buildup of heat in the room. A ball of fire in Chad's hands grew red and then white-hot. Twelve stepped back. To his credit, he showed not a shred of fear as Chad swung about and hurled the ball of fire at the wall behind us. I threw up a shield as the wall exploded, sending bricks and mortar in all directions.
Chad grabbed my arm. 'Come on!'
We sprinted down a corridor. It was all happening so fast. Alarms blared. A pair of guards appeared, and I knocked them over with a blast of air. A few more arrived down another corridor, and Chad blocked their passage with a wall of ice.
We found ourselves in The Cavern containing all the strange aircraft and equipment. Personnel were running to their posts but obviously didn't know the nature of the threat. Pushing through the crowds, we raced up to the main concourse. The easiest way out was up and out. Doctor Sokolov had told us not to show our powers to the other personnel, but we didn't care. I pointed to the hanger doors and forced them apart.
Daylight streamed through. Grabbing Chad, I threw up a barrier and flew towards the gap. Someone shot at us, but the bullets bounced off. We landed on the grass outside as guards approached from the woods. They'd surround us in seconds. All I had to do was pick up Chad and take to the skies. We'd be gone, and they'd never catch us.
Except—
Chad grabbed my arm. 'What're you waiting for?' he asked. 'Let's go!'
I shook my head. This is all wrong. These people weren't our friends, but they weren't our enemies either.
'No,' I said. 'This isn't right.'
'What do you mean—'
I turned to him. 'Typhoid is going to destroy a city with a nuclear weapon,' I said. 'Do you want that to happen?'
Doubt showed in his eyes. 'Well, no,' he said. 'But—'
'Our place is here.'
Helicopters converged. Dozens of armed men surrounded us. I knew we could have taken them out, but not without hurting people. Maybe not without killing someone. And whose side would we be on then?
I put my hands up in the air. 'Come on,' I said to Chad. 'It's time to play ball.'