Chapter 8
He shoved the card in again, then turned it over and tried again, then reversed it: still nothing. ‘Is someone there?’ Asked a familiar sleepy voice.
‘It doesn’t work, Dad.
‘Mervyn, is that you?’
‘It opened Aurora’s door, and Tarun’s door, I don’t understand why it’s not opening yours?’ He had begun counting under his breath: time was running out. Frantically, he tried the key again, but he knew already it was no use.
‘Leave it, Mervyn, it doesn’t work,’ his father said. ‘You need to get your friends away from here as quickly as you can.’
‘I can’t leave you, Dad, I’ve searched the whole Galaxy for you.’ Now he would have to leave him again. The hope which had kept him pressing onwards deflated like a punctured balloon -- so close, but still a universe away.
‘I know, son, Aurora told me.’
Mervyn leaned against the cell door, ‘I don’t know what to do, Dad. We’re trapped on this planet and there’s no way off, yet they look to me to get them home safely, and I don’t know how.’ Everything had led to this moment: finding his dad was the answer to all his problems -- dad would have a plan, dad would know what to do. From this point forward life was a total blank -- he had no plans, no ideas, no energy left for the fight.
‘You have some good friends Mervyn.’
‘I don’t know what to do, Dad. Should I look to Ethrigia, or the Republic, or what?’
‘Look to your friends, Mervyn. You’re human -- go with your instincts and never give up hope. And never stop looking for the advantage -- it will always be there, somewhere, however small, and if you’re looking for it you can exploit it when it shows itself.’
‘Mum and the girls are safe on Zetalona,’ he said lamely.
‘I know. If anything happens... well, look after them for me, son.’
Mervyn slumped to the floor and told his father about the Helium3 and how the Naga was getting rich from Starlight’s misfortune.
‘I’m afraid it’s worse than that son, if Starlight is gone then so too is the stockpile of Helium- three we were saving for the planetary defence grid on Zetalona. We would have sent it in instalments ,but with the Naga raiding the shipping lanes we didn’t dare. We were going to put together a military escort and send it all in one batch. Now they’ll have nothing to fuel their fusion reactors. They will just have to source it from somewhere else, no doubt at an extortionate rate.’
Loren’s head popped round the corner, ‘What’s taking you so long, Mervyn?’
He didn’t even look up. ‘The key won’t work,’ he mumbled.
‘Get going, Mervyn,’ his father said from behind the thick wooden door, ‘you need to take care of your friends.’
‘Your Father’s right, we need you.’
‘Aurora can lead,’ he mumbled.
‘Not like you. However you do it, whether it’s because you’re human or because you’re just yourself, you inspire us to be more than a group of individuals. You make us a team.’
Mervyn looked up and grinned, ‘Did I hear right, Loren? You like being part of a team?’
She looked like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, ‘Quarks, Mervyn – yes.’ She offered him her hand, ‘I like being in your team, Mervyn. I like being a Misfit.’
Mervyn took the proffered hand and climbed to his feet. Time to go. He clasped his Dad’s fingers as they poked through the door. A lump stuck in his throat, ‘Sorry, Dad, I failed,’ he rasped, ‘but I’ll come back for you, somehow.’
The sound of gunfire made them all jump.
‘Get out now!’ Mr Bright hissed.
Mervyn let Loren drag him into the courtyard. The sight of Aurora and Tarun pelting towards the exit breathed new life into him and he ran to catch up with the other Misfits. As he drew alongside Mervyn looked back towards the cell blocks, ‘That blaster fire came from your cell, Aurora,’ he panted. ‘Why would anyone be shooting in there?’ As Tarun reached the postern gate the lock exploded as though hit with a lightning bolt. The blast threw him to the ground.
‘Tarun!’ Loren shrieked and scrambled towards her friend.
‘Halt! Stay right where you are!’
The Misfits stopped in their tracks: the game was up.
‘Lift your hands where I can see them.’
Mervyn slowly raised his hands. By the door, Tarun climbed shakily to his feet, and raised his hands too -- he was ok.
‘Turn round. Slowly!’
Mervyn expected to find a squad of Puncheon holding blast rifles on him, instead he found Guthrik. The Human waved towards the open door with his blaster.
‘Out, before the guards come back, and keep your hands in the air.’ They trooped out the gate, across the open ground, and into the cover of the Ureg trees.
‘What is going on,’ Mervyn demanded. Anger and frustration boiled over, his innate sense of justice demanded action, even if a feeble one.
‘Blasting out the locks to cover my tracks,’ Guthrik said, ‘Wouldn’t want anyone to know you had used a key now, would I?’
‘What about our deal.
‘The plan’s changed,’ Guthrik said as they climbed to higher ground. ‘Now, where are my grandchildren?’
‘They didn’t want to come,’ Mervyn lied.
‘What do you take me for?’ Guthrik growled holding up a small screen in the palm of his hand. Mervyn could clearly see the postern gate in the slave compound now swarming with Velcats. The human had set up a camera to watch their escape. ‘Now where are they?’
‘You let my father out and I’ll tell you where they are,’ Mervyn said.
‘You delivered them to someone else, did you not,’ Guthrik said. ‘Cephas? Yes, I can see it in your face.’
Mervyn kicked himself for his lack of control, he was too used to Ethrigians not reading his expressions, ‘We still have a deal. Your family are safe so let us go.’
Guthrik lowered his blaster, ‘Go then.’
‘What about my dad?’
‘I made no deal that concerning your father.’
Aurora pushed past Mervyn, ‘What about getting us off this planet then?’
‘I made no deal to get you off the planet either.’
Aurora stared accusingly at Mervyn, ‘You said...’