A/N: Once again a big thank you is due to smegginitlarge and raging tree trunk. They've helped me write the majority of this chapter and pointed out spelling and punctuation mistakes on the way (if you find anymore, don't blame me! It's their fault! Joking, don't blame them; I'm bad at typing…mainly due to my chunky man fingers!) . "As smegginitlarge pointed out" "I like to" "put" "speech marks" anywhere. Rage pointed out I'd wrote, "clam" instead of "calm"
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. On with the story. Thank you to all reviewers and readers! YOU ROCK!
Sunny!
XXX
Toni prayed no one would notice her unease as she walked through the maze of corridors. Her stomach was tying it's self in knots and her pale face was white with worry.
She'd never done anything like this before.
Suppose they got caught? Death would be a certainty…
Her species was created to follow orders, yet here she was…. deliberately breaking the rules. At the very thought of this, her heart leapt into her throat and stole her breath away.
Toni clenched her fists to stop her hands shaking; she took several very deep breaths to try and calm herself down before making her way down the steps.
Lister gave her a supportive smile from behind the bars.
It was a smile that masked the truth, because in actual fact Lister was terrified.
More than terrified.
There hadn't been a word invented yet that truly described how extraordinarily terrified he was!
All of last night he'd lay in his bunk, clutching his pillow to his chest, barely breathing with the panic.
It was only once he'd got back to the cell did the full extent of what he was going to do hit him: he was going to try and escape from a spaceship crammed with semi-psychotic, trained killers...
Toni didn't make it much better; she came gliding down the stairs all cool, calm and collected, whereas Lister was 2 heartbeats away from a heart attack. He pulled himself together and tried his best to look like he wasn't about to faint.
"We need an extra pair of hands down in the engine room" he heard Toni say to the G.E.L.F guard "The engines nearly fixed but they need a little assistance!"
The G.E.L.F simply nodded "Watch the prisoners" he grunted as he made his way up the steps.
Toni smiled pleasantly and attempted to act casual as the G.E.L.F slammed the door at the top of the stairs shut.
She waited a few seconds, just in case he came back. Then waited a few seconds more, to be on the safe side.
Convinced that the G.E.L.F had taken her order seriously, she raced over to the cell door and began unlocking it. However her trembling hands made it difficult.
"Come on" she hissed, struggling with the lock "we've only got about 10 minutes before he realises he isn't actually needed!"
Rimmer's face contorted it's self with confusion "What the hell is going on?" he asked no one in particular.
He was suddenly aware of Lister stood next to him, looking very sheepish "You-" began Rimmer, but the sound of the cell door clanging open drowned him out.
Lister ran to Toni's side, "you know the quickest way to the air lock don't you?" he asked, running his hands up and down her bare arms in a comforting way.
"Corridor X5, it leads straight to the docking bays" she said briskly, "but we've got to hurry" and with that she grabbed Lister's hand and dragging him to the stairs.
"Hang on!" yelled Rimmer "Before we step a yard from this cell, there is something all of us-" he gestured to Kryten and the Cat "need to know. It's something vitally important and it is essential that we know the answer" he paused "You two have been having it off, haven't you?"
"Yeah" grinned Lister, "Great isn't it"
"Do you have any idea how much-"
"Sir" interjected Kryten, as Rimmer raised his finger ready to nag Lister into an early grave "Perhaps we may continue this heated debate later on, after we've escaped!"
"But I want to moan and whinge at him now!" whined Rimmer, disgruntled at the prospect of having to wait "If I have to wait til later I'll loose all my anger!"
"I doubt it sir, as you are the type of person who bears a grudge, no matter how incredibly small, for a long, long, long time. You'll still have plenty of anger to vent by the time we get back to Starbug!"
Rimmer shrugged half-heartedly, and walked out of the cell, closely followed by Cat and Kryten.
Toni stuck her head rounda corner and glanced apprehensively up the corridor.
Empty.
But for how long?
The Dwarfers and Toni crept their way along the corridor, their ears strained for any sound other then they're own footsteps.
"This is insane," hissed Rimmer "we are never going to get out of this alive" he paused "or dead in my case!"
"Relax" said Lister, smirking at Rimmer's cowardice "we are not going to get caught..."
There came a loud shout from the gantries over their heads "THE PRISONERS HAVE ESCAPED!" alarms began to sound and the thundering of G.E.L.F footsteps.
"You were saying…" smirked Rimmer,
"Oh shut up" sniped Lister, before racing off down the corridor, closely followed by the others.
The airlock door loomed into view, and for a second or two it looked as if they were going to make it.
But then a large group of G.E.L.F's turned a corner and blocked their escape. They looked from Toni to Lister in mild confusion.
What Lister did next could be blamed on: fear, unusually high levels of testosterone and sheer stupidity.
He grabbed Toni's gun from its holster and held it close to her head "drop your weapons!" he ordered
"Lister!" squealed Rimmer "what in smegs name are you doing?"
Lister ignored him, "you heard me" he shouted to the G.E.L.F's "drop your weapons or-" he pushed the gun closer to Toni's head, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear "work with me here, babe"
"Do what he says you fools!" she screamed "or he'll kill me!" she then began to tremble inhis arms.
The G.E.L.F's hesistated, holding their weapons awkwardly in their hands,
"Suit yourselves then" said Lister casually; he clicked the gun making Toni shudder, for real this time.
There was a collective clanging sound as all of the G.E.L.F's dropped their weapons to the floor and raised their hands in the air.
"Good…now, on the floor" ordered Lister.
He was actually quite good at this macho lark; he could have become a policeman if he'd wanted…problem was, it was too much work…. Not his thing!
The G.E.L.F's glanced at each other, "NOW!" shouted Lister, making them dive to the floor.
Cat meanwhile, was not impressed. He was firstly miffed at the fact that Lister had been having nookie. He was further displeased at his own distinct lack of nookie. Throw a lack of stylish clothes into the equation and Cat was close to a breakdown.
And now Lister was stood with a gun against the pretty girls head! Cat just couldn't understand that, he thought Lister liked her…
He sneered and crossed his arms. Humans were so complicated!
Lister tighted his grip on the gun, "Anyone move and she gets it!"
Rimmer rolled his eyes "Give him a gun and he thinks he's James smeggin' Bond!"
Lister gave a Toni a little push forward and nodded to the airlock at the end of the corridor, "Stay exactly where you are!" he said to the G.E.L.F's, as he made his way through the cluster of bodies. He turned back to the others "coming or not?" he asked, waving the gun at them by accident.
"Don't point that bloody thing at me you raving lunatic!" screamed Rimmer, diving behind Kryten. A rather stupid and embarrassing thing to do as being a hologram a bullet would sail straight thorough him.
"Put it away, grease stain!" growled the Cat "Bullets, with this suit? Are you crazy?"
Lister gave an apologetic grin before continuing to make his way to the air lock. Once they were all safely inside the docking bays, the airlock door was shut and locked and the Dwarfers clambered aboard Starbug.
Lister took to the pilots seat as Cat raced off to change into his spare suit, kept onboard for emergences such as spillages or clashing.
Toni hovered around in the background, not really knowing what to do. The hologram kept giving her dirty looks, and it was begging to scare her.
Starbug sailed through the docking bay doors into the vast black of space. Lister sighed wearily and turned to face the others "that went well didn't it…"
Rimmer and Kryten glared back at him.
"What?" asked Lister.