Havek

HAVEK

Braadi might have been the most knowledgeable alien on that asteroid, but he surely wasn't the most intelligent. He also liked to throw out ideas that hadn't been thought through, much to my annoyance.

Worse, he expected me to take them seriously.

I watched while he scrambled from side to side in my cell. It was break time, and most were out on the main floor socializing. I decided I wanted to take the time to plan my escape—especially because my advocate wasn't anything like I thought she would be.

She wasn't qualified for anything, not even to be an inside communicator between the family and me.

The only good thing she had going for her was her looks; I gave her that. She also had that feisty attitude, as bright as that crown of wavy red hair.

It was cute.

For a moment, the memory of her flashing eyes caught me. But then she retreated so quickly.

She was interesting. Like another puzzle, waiting for me to solve.

Of course, there was something else for me to figure out first.

"Oh! Or, we could jump. If we got some sort of jetpacks, maybe? That would be great!"

I sighed. "Braadi."

He jumped up and grinned at me. "Yes?"

"How would we get jetpacks? We're in prison."

"Well…" He paused, tapping his tiny, rounded finger to his chin. "We would have to plan for that, I suppose."

"Does it seem likely that we could make, buy or otherwise acquire jetpacks?"

"No." He looked at the ground, dejected.

He was an idiot. But keeping him at my side did have certain advantages. He was small, for starters. If I needed to get into some computer system or behind a wall in order to access a fuse room, he would be able to help with that.

He'd been here for years. Somewhere mixed in with his blathering, useful tidbits of information dropped.

But he was still annoying.

He continued rattling off ideas, spanning from killing everyone on the asteroid to making a bunker underground. I wondered what he was in Deathgate for because clearly, he wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind.

My gaze turned to the small window in my cell, drifting past the ugliness of the asteroid to the stars that shined brightly beyond it. I thought of Thodos III and how much I missed the small things.

A comfortable bed, water that didn't have gray streaks in it, and food that didn't look like a death sentence would all be more than acceptable. Even just the freedom to walk wherever I wanted to without having to be escorted would have been enough. I just wanted out.

While watching the stars and thinking of home, the Deathgate Express flew overhead. None of us knew what the shuttle was actually called, but it was the best nickname some idiot in there came up with.

Its only mission was to take dead convicts off the asteroid. We didn't know where it took them, but it was one of the only ships that entered and exited the asteroid. I always thought they must have taken the bodies back to Thodos III due to funeral processions and family grieving matters, but I wasn't sure.

Maybe it just dumped them into the closest sun.

Either way, there might be something there.

"Wait," I interrupted Braadi while standing up and watching the ship from the window. "There." I pointed at it, and he slithered up the wall and peered out of the window with me.

"The Deathgate Express?"

"Yes, exactly. Other than the prisoner transport and the rail shuttle for the advocates, it's the only thing I've seen that comes and goes from this place."

"But it only comes once a week."

"What, Braadi?" I snapped, looking at him. "Do you have materials to build a bunker or the strength or weapons to kill everyone on this asteroid? Are you prepared for any of the plans you've suggested so far?"

"Well…no."

"No."

"But you're not either," he countered quietly.

Although he said it quietly, it impressed me that a creature of his size would question a Vinduthi. That was another quality I might have been able to use if I needed it. I didn't know how I would use it, but if I was being honest, that was just me rationalizing.

I would never have admitted it at the time, but Braadi was one of the closest companions I had on the asteroid. He liked being around me, which was more than I ever had anyone say about me before. Also, he had a point. I wasn't ready for my plan.

"So we get ready," I replied darkly, sitting back down on my bed and clasping my hands together. "But first, we need to figure out how to get on the ship."

"We could bribe some of the guards?"

I shook my head. "With what? All our luxuries?" I motioned to the desolate cell and living room around us. "All our money?"

"Hey, will you stop with the snarkiness?"

I lifted my gaze to him with my eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"

"If you want someone to escape with you, then treat your friends like they're a part of something, not just your slaves."

I pursed my lips.

Maybe not such an idiot after all.

I wasn't exactly known for my sociability. Unless it was dealing with the Family, my brothers and their mates, I never felt the need to bother. If I was smarter than everyone else around me, why should I tone it down?

But right now, I needed an ally.

"You're right," I admitted begrudgingly. "I apologize."

Braadi looked shocked as he sat on his hind legs and nodded. "Thank you. Now, what I was saying…"

The door to the main living area from the guard's side of the prison slammed open. My head turned toward the sound, and three of them walked in carrying a body bag.

"Open cell 28," one yelled while banging on the door.

Damn. That was the Mondian. He had a good head on his shoulders.

It wasn't heartbreaking to see so many aliens carried out in body bags, though occasionally, it did cast a dark shadow over the place. That's what prisoners did there on Deathgate: arrive, eat, sleep, fight, and die.

If Makar or Kovas were here, we could have taken the entire prison over on the first day. But on my own, and without enough time to gather an army to my side, I needed a different kind of plan.

If fighting wasn't going to be my way out, something else had to be. I should just play to my strengths.

"I should just get into the prison computers," I muttered, stroking my chin. "Work from there."

"What?" Braadi asked fearfully. "You know the kind of security they have on those?"

"Astroware 355."

He blinked. "Oh, you…actually do."

"I studied it when I was thirteen," I replied with a chuckle. "It's one of the easiest to hack."

"Havek…"

"What, Braadi?"

"If it's one of the easiest to hack, why hasn't anybody else thought of this plan?"

I stretched, yawning. "I meant it's easy for me ."

He glared at me, and I realized I was doing ‘it' again, the ego thing. I brushed it off and looked out into the main living area to see them carrying the Mondian outside in the bag. My thoughts about the escape continued. The dead body was a good incentive.

The Astroware 355 system was easy to hack, but only with the right tools. If I went in there without them, the mission would have been a bust from the start.

"I need equipment and tech to make this work," I mused.

"And how will you get that, Havek?" Braadi asked mockingly. "With all our luxuries and money?"

I shot him a glare before looking back out the window. That was a good question. If I found another prisoner to traffic something in for me or convinced a guard, I would have a chance of getting into the system.

Then, as clear as day, the thought came to me.

Payton.

She'd be perfect.

If she hadn't already left the advocate dormitories in a huff. I hadn't exactly been friendly to her on her first visit.

I rubbed the base of my horns.

I was pretty rude. And.. possibly might have told her I didn't need help.

Damn it.

I just had to convince her otherwise. And I could be very, very convincing.

"My advocate might be able to help," I declared, looking at Braadi with a grin.

Braadi scoffed. "You mean the underqualified one you were ranting about? If she can't even represent you, why would she help us?"

"Trust me. She'll do what I want."

I walked out of the cell and into the main living area. Eyes followed me with each step I took. There were members from all three notable gangs on the same floor as me while I walked, and I wondered if each leader had a different plan for my demise.

I understood why they wanted to kill the outcasts. There were murderers, assassins, and rapists on the asteroid, and they were all bored. All the pent-up energy of being trapped and having to make the rest of one's life worth living had to be externalized somewhere. If I was less intelligent, I might have resorted to their ways, too. But I knew I had a chance to live. I had to have a chance to live.

"Excuse me." I approached a guard at his desk, centered in the living area. I hated having my back to the jailbirds, but there wasn't a choice while in the center. "Yes?" he responded, not looking up at me. We were barely worth their attention unless they were beating us or putting us in lockdown.

"I want to request a meeting with my advocate," I replied, leaning on the desk and looking down at him.

His eyes lifted to meet mine, and he looked like he couldn't care less that I tried to intimidate him. As I said, I wasn't good at fighting. Apparently, I was also not that scary to others on Deathgate. Why would I be? I didn't have the insane urge to kill like the others, nor did I have any kind of following. The outcasts and Braadi didn't compare much to a large Mondian mafia or Volek clan.

"Fine, but the next opening is in a week." He wrote something on a slip of film and handed it to me. "Be there, and be on time, or your visitation will be denied until the following week."

I took the paper and nodded before heading back to my cell. Braadi stared out of our window as the Deathgate Express flew off the asteroid. I knew that ship would be my ticket home. It had to be, for my sake, and the others who were in peril on Deathgate.