“I don’t like this,” Rodney whispered into the shadows, hoping the earpiece he’d found in the equipment stash was working properly. “I really, really don’t like this.”

  “We all have to do things that turn our stomachs from time to time, Rodney. This is just one of those times.” Jean replied from the back of an empty tunnel on the opposite end of the complex from the hidden stash.

  “And what are we supposed to do with the guard after we peel his armor off? We can’t just let a naked Scalador run around down here, waiting to be found.” He hissed.

  “Throw him in the pit we dug with the drill, cover it with a steel plate, and park the drill on top. There are two or three days of rations down there, he won’t starve any worse than he starved our people.” Jean held a long hammer loosely in his grip, swinging the weapon back and forth with the ease of someone practiced with the weapon.

  The plan was simple. Rodney would take the elevator up to the surface and find one of the guards. Jean hoped it would be that bastard who ran the exchange counter, but he wasn’t picky. Then, the younger man would tell the guard that a prisoner was down in the mine with a hammer and was actively destroying chunks of gravitrum.

  Ideally, the guard would hear that and follow Rodney back into the mines, eventually meeting up with Jean. Instead of letting the guard attack Jean and take the gravitrum by force, Jean would lure the guard toward the unseen pit and Monique would shove it in. With luck, the fall would knock the creature out for long enough to strip it of all weapons and armor.

  “A hole in the ground and a steel plate on top is not a plan. It’s a cartoon at best!”

  “And if you shut up and stop talking about it out loud, it has a chance to be a cartoon come to life,” Jean said, tiring of Rodney’s fear. “Besides, Monique will be trailing you the entire time. If she determines the best course of action is to slide the blade in and let the creature die, then so be it. I would prefer a hostage for information and potential trade opportunities, but a corpse is fine for our purposes.”

  Rodney pressed the button to open the elevator doors and cast an uncertain look over his shoulder just before stepping inside. Steel scraped against the sole of his thin slippers, chilling his feet and reminding him of just how bad this place truly was. The ride was short, but if he’d ever been in a situation more tense, he couldn’t remember it.

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  The decoy clinched his hands, feeling sweat collecting in his palms as the doors opened to reveal the room where a prisoner could buy food, blankets, and other supplies needed for survival in this place. His heart pounded in his chest, providing a tempo much greater than the slow dirge of his steps.

  “O-officer?” Rodney asked, voice cracking. Clearing his throat, he continued, “Officer, you need to come quick. There’s some guy down there breaking apart the gravitrum and trying to pass it off as smaller chunks.”

  “Steady Rodney, you’ve got this,” Monique whispered through the comm.

  “You’re doing great. Just keep up the fa?ade.” Jean added.

  “Hmmmmm,” the guard hummed, rubbing two of its arms together in anticipation of the prize. “Bring me there. How big is the specimen?”

  “He’s like two meters tall and built like a truck. This hammer, well, it’s just big.”

  “Not the prisoner, you imbecile, the ore.” The Scaladorian clacked.

  “Tell him it’s at least a kilo,” Monique said, careful to keep the number in the range of believability.

  “At least a kilo?” Rodney echoed questioningly. “It’s a big rock.”

  Without looking back, Rodney pressed the button to open the elevator doors and stepped inside, nervously hoping the creature would follow. The sound of metal boots clunking against the steel floor next to him rewarded him for his efforts a moment later.

  “Just try to relax. You’ve already done the hard part.” Jean whispered into his ear as the pair descended. “Just bring him to the tunnel and let the cards fall where they may.”

  The doors opened and Rodney led the guard through the twisting tunnels. The guard—for all its bravery—had never been down here. If the prisoner turned tail and left, there was no chance the bug-like creature would find the lift again without assistance.

  Prisoners glared at the pair as they passed, actively spitting on the guard despite witnessing one of their brethren die from a retaliatory strike. People kept close to the walls, glaring at the guard with burning hatred. It represented more than just guards in a prison, it was the embodiment of their bondage and slavery.

  “He is right down there,” Rodney said, pointing down a dark tunnel with lights burned out long ago.

  The guard chittered with contempt, shoving the young pilot aside and walking into the tunnel. It’s confident stride proving it knew nothing of what was about to happen.

  Rodney let out a breath and unclenched his hands for the first time in what felt like hours. The entire process had only taken a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime since he’d stepped on that elevator. From the shadows behind him, Monique flowed across the shadows like water down a stream, only visible to those that knew she was supposed to be there.

  Finally able to breathe, Rodney leaned back against the wall, trying desperately to ignore the sounds of struggle coming from the darkness.