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Chapter 11 – The Escape

Tony Tyler woke up laying on the cot in the cell him and Samuel shared. His head swam. Had he been drugged?

He sat up and looked beside him. "Sam?"

He wasn't there.

He sat straight up and shouted. "SAM!"

No one answered. He rubbed his head. Maybe the food they had been so generous with had been drugged. "Moron." Tony mumbled to himself. "And you gave some to Sammy, too! It's your job to protect him. Idiot."

He sat back and shook his head to become more awake. He looked around the cell and tried to move some panels from the walls. Maybe he could find something to fight back against these Vesous. He had only counted four since his time there. There could be one more piloting the small craft. From the sound of the engine, he guessed it was a Sloetov. He closed his eyes and thought.

"Sloetov. What was it about a Sloetov that Poltious told you? Come on, think!"

Then he remembered. Sloetov's where made on planet surrounded by asteroids. To make them stronger, they left the bolts long when they put the ship together.

He punched the side of panel and it collapsed on itself. It looked like metal, but it was very thin. They were not controlling "Soli's" electrical charge with a dampening field. They were keeping Sam asleep to keep him weak.

Tony became cross. "Idiot. You should have spotted this."

He heard a movement in the doorway and three Vesuos were bringing Samuel back into the cell. He was unconscious and sweaty. His shirt was ripped away from him and bruising could be seen all over his chest.

One of Vesuos had an EMP tranquilizer that he had seen them use on Samuel several times already. He stood holding it trained on Tony. "Put your hands up!"

Tony put his hands on his head. "What have you done to him?"

"We had to make sure he was a Khlere. Our buyer will be pleased." One of the other Vesuos grinned as he put Samuel on the cot.

Tony's anger grew. Another Vesuos came in with a needle to give Samuel an injection. He took some liquid from a bottle and held the needle up in the light.

"What are you doing?"

"Keeping him….quiet." The Vesuos told Tony.

Tony realized that was enough. They were going to kill Samuel if he didn't do something.

In one moment, he grabbed the needle out of the Vesuos hand, and just like throwing a knife, he threw it into the eye of the one holding the EMP tranquilizer. He shouted in pain and fell on the floor.

Tony grabbed the EMP tranquilizer and turned quickly to use it on the Vesuos that he had relived of the needle. He fell unconscious to the floor.

The other Vesuos glared at Tony. "That was a mistake-"

Tony grabbed his head and pushed it into the paneling just under where he had discovered the row of long bolts in the wall. The bolt pushed into the back of the Vesuos' head. He dangled lifeless against the wall.

The Vesuos with the needle in his eye tried to stop him, only for Tony to kick the needle deeper into his head for his trouble.

Tony knelt down to Samuel. He rolled him over and checked his pulse. It was very faint. "Sam?"

Samuel didn't answer.

Tony checked his breathing and grew even more concerned when he heard his lungs rattle with each breath.

He took his hand. "Sam. I'm getting us out of here. I'll be right back."

He left Sam on the cot in the cell only to turn around and see the remaining Vesuos standing in the doorway. Their eyes met.

He pressed the button and the door to the cell closed and locked. Tony groaned. But, then remembered his training from Torchwood, Rose, the Quauthin and the Doctor. "Regroup. What's around you?"

He looked around. One of the Vesuos had a blaster on his side. Tony quickly grabbed it and grinned when he saw there was a full charge.

He went over to the door and waved his arm in front of the panel. The cell key did exactly what it was supposed to. He stepped in the hallway and fired on the Vesuos that had locked him in the cell. He fell lifeless to the floor.

"Computer. List all contacts."

The computer spoke, "There are only two life forms aboard."

He pulled the shot Vesuos into the cell and picked up Samuel. He tossed him over his shoulder and carried him out of the room. He locked the door as he left.

He found the small control room easily. He lay Samuel down on the floor gently. "It's going to be alright, Sam."

Samuel didn't move. The tiny control room only had two chairs and a huge window. The stars streaked by in long lines.

Tony sat down at the controls. "Okay. A Sloetov ship is backwards. Ummm." He looked around and turned off the auto pilot controls that had them traveling at light speed. The ship slowly stopped.

Tony turned around and looked at a star map. "And where are we, Sam?"

He read the map. "Fucking hell, they have us way the hell out here."

He turned around and clicked some more buttons to bring up a radar reading of ships around him. He turned off a cloak on his ship as the computer begin to list a few ships. Tony spoke to Samuel. "Okay. Looks like we have: a Wheshan 50DG. Probably drug runners. And a cargo ship and a…." His face slowly spread into a smile. "Sammy, we're going to be alright."

He turned in the chair and pressed four buttons at the same time. The sound of something releasing from the ship was heard. "And the Vesuos are no longer aboard. Good riddance." He announced. "That will make us lighter and I can get you to help faster."

He turned and pressed the door closed to the control room. Then turned and the sound of more stuff being dumped was heard. He pressed a few more buttons and the ship jumped to life.

Tony clicked on a ship that displayed on the radar. "Computer, open a contact."

The computer beeped. "The contact is open."

The voice on the other end spoke, "This is Licis in the service of King Lartius of the Quauthin people-"

"And I've never been happier to hear your voice, Licis." Tony insisted. "This is Tony Tyler and I have someone you've probably looking for."

Sounds of excited cheers were heard on the Quauhtin ship.

Licis was smiling as he spoke. "Is everyone alright?"

"No. I'm declaring a medical emergency. Sam's in bad shape. I'm sending you my flight plan now."

Licis nodded, "We're changing course to intercept you."

Tony clicked a few more buttons. "I'm giving you control. I need to keep an eye on Sam."

He climbed back out of the chair and folded it up into the wall. He looked around the control room and found a small first aid kit. He quickly opened it and put a vital monitor on Samuel's chest.

He turned and clicked a button to sync it to the ship's onboard computer. "Licis. Samuel is wearing a vital patch."

"Copy that. We're getting that information now."

Tony looked though the first aid kit and found nothing else but bandages. "This shit here isn't helpful."

A Quauhtin scientist looked over the reading on the other ship. "His oxygen is really low."

Licis nodded, "Mr. Tyler. I need you to increase your oxygen in the control room to…"

The scientist suggested, "25%?"

"That's going to make him high as a cloud."

Tony chuckled, "I can go to 28% before I get too cloudy."

Licis laughed. "Go on then. We're monitoring him here. Are you safe? Is the threat eliminated?"

Tony increased the oxygen being fed into the control room. Then pulled a cushion out of one of the chairs, and put it under Samuel's head. "Yes." Then he stopped and realized what he had done. He laughed under his breath. "I just overtook four Vesuos."

Licis laughed, "And you're already high from the oxygen-"

Tony laughed. "I'm serious!"

Licis smiled. "We're too far out to contact Terra. But, you'd be happy to know that we also have someone you are probably looking for. And if you really took over four Vesuos, you've beat his record."

His eyes lit up. "Poltious? Is he alright?"

Licis laughed, "He's in the med bay, but it sounds promising."

Tony sighed in relief and leaned against the wall. He took Samuel's hand. "Stay with me, Sam. I'm taking you back to Karen." He glanced at the computer screen which now showed a different display written in Quauhtin. It showed that they would be intercepting them in 47 minutes at their present speed.

Tony ran his hand through his hair and looked back at Samuel. "This is my fault. I should have done this before they hurt you. Sammy, I'm sorry."

Samuel didn't move.

Tony's eyes filled with tears. "I'm not letting them hurt anyone else, Sam. I'll get them back for this."

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