Thankyou to my latest reviewers- ladypigather and Lynnie :)

Chapter 12

Saturday Night

Josh and Tony sat in the dark cell doing nothing. Well, both were trying not to think of tomorrow. Neither could think of a way to escape. Josh stared at he meagre resources and felt like he was being ordered to solve a Rubiks cube blindfolded and with both hands behind his back. If there were a solution it would probably take psychic powers. It wasn't helped by the fact that he felt like complete and absolute crap. He was cut and bruised all over from yesterday and earlier. The coughing fits were coming at more and more regular intervals and taking longer to recover from. His vision kept narrowing alarmingly or greying out. He wasn't in good shape and knew that, without his medication, he probably wouldn't have survived more then about a week anyway. Not that that was such a great consolation.

"So, any significant others yourself? Wife, girlfriend, boyfriend?" asked Tony, leaning back against the wall.

Josh smiled slightly, glad of a distraction. "No. Broke up with my… girlfriend a year ago. Definitely no boyfriends. Although if they're less trouble then girlfriends, maybe I should have considered it!" he added with some of his old humour. Tony laughed.

"Yeah, it's amazing how much grief women can give you. Although I had an old friend who was gay and after a particularly bad break-up he confided that boyfriends can be just as bad. 'Almost enough to turn you straight' was his exact words. Mind you he was fairly pissed by this point so it was kinda hard to tell."

"Hmm…then again, maybe I'll just stick to having a bad love life with females only. And what about you?"

"No… my daughter is the only one. I wish I could see her again… Tell her… I don't know…To be brave. To get through it all. That I love her and was always so proud of her…" His voice was thick and he went silent. It was dark as it always was, but Josh didn't need to see to know that his cellmate was crying. There was nothing he could say. What could you say to someone as you both sat in a cell waiting for morning. Knowing that, for you there would be no evening after. And all he wants is to make sure his daughter survives leukaemia. Josh wished there was some way he could at least get Tony out. Not to go all saintly but out of the two, it was Tony who really needed to be home. His daughter was relying on him. Before he gave himself time to think he turned and pounded on the cell door.

"Hey! Hey!" he shouted, ignoring with difficulty the urge to cough. Someone was on the other side, listening. Tony was looking at him with alarm and telling him to shut up but he barely heard him, focussed on one task at a time.

"I need to speak with… your leader." he shouted, realising that he didn't even know the name of the man who held them. The door opened and he was dragged roughly out into the glaring of electric lights. Tony, behind him protested but was shoved back and the door slammed back. Josh was having trouble walking and was half dragged along to where the leader was. He tried to figure out just what the hell he was going to say and rather regretting the impulsive manoeuvre. At the end of the corridor was two doors. One, he recognised with disgust and not a little fear was the one with the hated camera and the chair. The other? He was about to find out. It went through an austere hall type room. Folded bunks along each wall suggested a barracks. Through the door on the other side. Another hall. And finally the door. The soldier knocked deferentially. After a pause a voice said something Josh didn't recognise. The door opened and Josh was shoved in. And came face to face with his captor. He noticed with disappointment that the man was covered again so as to shroud his identity. He tried to tell himself that this was a good sign, that if the man was this bothered about Josh seeing his identity that he felt there was a chance of him surviving to tell. A deeper feeling told him that this was just another facet of the man's paranoia.

"Leave him here." he said in slightly accented English. The soldier bowed and left.

"I am armed, I warn you. Not that I think you are in much shape to try attacking me. I expected you before this. Though I confess to a slight feeling of disappointment."

"I'm asking you to release Tony Hamilton." Josh said without preamble. Normally he would go for the better sounding version in political language but he couldn't do anything more then basic sentences now. There was a pause. This was obviously not whatthe man had been expecting.

"Really? You surprise me. I was thinking you were after your own life first- like all you Americans. So, considering what he did to you, why are you asking for his life over your own?"

"Tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind surviving myself, but Tony Hamilton has a daughter- only relative with leukaemia, back in America. He is working to earn the money to pay for her treatment. Without the treatment, she will die. There is no one else for that girl. That's why I'm asking you to let him go."

"A touching story, but every year hundreds of Qumaran children die of easily- treatable diseases, because their parents can't afford the treatment. So why should I care about one far away?"

"Because you can't save everyone but you can save her."

"A s…" Whatever the next sentence was going to be Josh would never know because his vision deteriorated noticeably at that point and as the world reduced to a pinprick the dull roaring in his ears blocked out whatever the self-styled 'saviour' of his country was saying. He collapsed. The wannabe Qumaran leader looked at him thoughtfully and said almost regretfully. "I will be sad to have you killed, but my country must come first."

Tony was half way between frantic with worry and wondering whether he should feel relieved if Josh was already dead. At least he got it over with. Waiting for tomorrow was the hardest part. Pacing had given way to sitting- pacing was difficult when two paces had you banging your nose off the far wall. Then the door opened and a fully- covered man was standing outside with a gun in one hand and an unresponsive Josh half slung over as shoulder. He was deposited into the cell almost carefully and the covered man regarded Tony's worried fussing with interest.

"I am interested. After your betrayal, why would he choose to risk his life trying to save yours?" Tony looked up, confused then scowled down at Josh.

"You're a bloody idiot…" he muttered.

"Yup…" answered Josh trying to get his vision straight again, and then attempting to sit up. The door swung home and that strange man vanished again.

"What the hell did you do that for?" asked Tony as Josh carefully edged himself up the wall until he was sitting again. Josh shrugged.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." he said tiredly.

"Why? Have you forgotten what I did to you? Why you're here?" he asked quietly. Josh shook his head.

"No," he answered in the same voice.

"Then why!" demanded Tony, suddenly angry. "You have as much right to live as me. More even- you didn't help betray someone into this position." he added bitterly.

"Because…because I didn't want your daughter to be orphaned while trying to fight leukaemia! Because…I don't know why! I just did. It didn't work anyway so forget about it."

"No, I won't forget it…thank you."

It was a long night. They talked sometimes, other times they just thought. Steven joined in sometimes and was almost comforting in a way- there as still a chance that he might get out some day and it was a kind of relief to know that one of them would survive this mess.

"I don't want to just give in like that." said Tony once, apropos of nothing. "If I'm going to be shot I'm going to be escaping or fighting back or something. When that cell door opens whoever's on the other side is going to get a surprise."

All too soon the knock on the cell door came. They readied themselves for what was likely to be a short escape attempt. The door opened slightly, but something surprising happened. A man slipped inside, into the gloom. Tony jumped at him but misjudged where he was in the dark and hit the wall. Josh snorted- the humour rather misplaced but what the hell- things to laugh at had been rather short over the last few days.

"Don't! I've come to help you- your friends are outside. Come with me if you want to live."

"Why would you help us?" asked Josh suspiciously.

"I don't think I can explains. It is wrong you to kill. I don't want to kill my people in the civil war. Now, are you to come?" Josh looked at Tony, guessing at his expression. They both shrugged- exactly what had they to lose after all?

"What about Steven? We're not leaving him behind." said Josh firmly, leaning back against the wall as his legs suddenly told him that they was going on strike due to crap working conditions.

"He is mad- he will slow you down and may impede your escape." answered the man.

"And if we escape they'll take it out on him."

"North- northwest…" floated through the wall hopefully. Josh smiled. Only slightly mad.

"Come- we will rescue your friend but you are to die in less then an hour- you must hurry!"

He released Steven and the small group was hurried in the attitude of prisoners and captor with the three moving in front with their heads down and the man walking behind with the gun. Josh kept stumbling and trying to suppress bouts of coughing.

"What's wrong with him?" asked the man of Tony.

"Look at him! What the hell do you think is wrong with him- he was shot last year and needs regular medication- medicine." he corrected seeing the man's confused look. "He hasn't had it for almost five days. And your lot beat him up pretty badly. Do you know where it is- could you get it do you think?" The man's eyes clouded.

"This is a bad thing." he murmered. "I think I may know where it would be. Medicine is a valuable commodity. I will get you out first- hurry!" He moved them along at a fast pace- past the hated room, through the room where Josh had talked to the covered man. He looked around with a morbid interest. It was a small room although big really for army quarters. Not much colour, a picture or two. There were books around the room in various languages. French, English, Latin and what Josh was beginning to recognise as Swahili. Luckily the room was missing its centrepiece.

"He is inspecting the compound. Takes about an hour. He always takes the same route." He paused and licked his lips-the first sign of nervousness Josh had seen out of the stolid- faced man. The man looked around as if expecting a blow for this impudence. Josh wondered just what sort of man this Mbala was to inspire this reverent terror in his subordinates. The man took a deep breath and walked quickly to a corner of the room. He went through a door with only the smallest of hesitations. He returned, dark skin tinged slightly paler. He was carrying a small bag and Josh closed his eyes momentarily in relief. His medicine. This was the first time he was letting himself think that just maybe…No! Remember Toby on election nights. Never a sniff of celebration until it was confirmed. The man waved them on jumpily with his gun. Josh eyed it, wishing he could be using say a knife or a hell, a rocket launcher- whatever- just not the damn handgun. It was a bit…distracting to have flashes of 'The First Noel' going through your head when you were trying to escape the compound of a nutter.

They reached a long hallway which Josh didn't remember. However, he had been unconscious at the time so that was hardly surprising. Stephen, quiet so far, now uttered the tiniest of yips as the new sight assailed starved eyes. A long corridor with offshoots and a big metal door at the end. Not exciting at all- unless freedom lay on the other side. They were halfway down when disaster struck.

"Stop!" someone shouted behind them. Their captor/guide reacted wonderfully- almost too well, thought Josh suspiciously. God- this couldn't be some kind of trick could it. That bastards idea of a sick joke? Let them get so close to freedom then snatch it away from them. He spared the smallest of sideways glances at the silhouette of Stephan beside him. The man was almost quivering with anticipation. If this went bad his mind, already fragile, might break altogether and he would lose what tenuous grip he had on reality. The man said something back and the man nodded, almost respectfully and moved on. The man looked down. Now they would know what he had done- he could never go back.

"Go!" He opened the door at the end and Tony, Josh and Stephen stepped out into the warm, balmy May night in wonder. There was so much colour and beauty out here it was hard to believe. The trees were coming into full leaf and a mysterious scent filled the air. The sky was indescribably lovely. The sun sinking beneath the trees and shooting ribbons of gold and red across the off-blue sky. The first stars were just visible. Josh felt his eyes fill with tears as he stared around at it, trying to take it all in. He looked at his companions- ex-cellmates. Tony was watery-eyed and paying no attention. Stephen had the tears pouring down his cheeks as he saw it all for the first time in who -knew -how -long.

"You are not safe here! Keep moving! Go that way for about kilometre- you will meet your two friends. Get away from here- fast. They will…hunt you." Josh took the words in and got the other twos attention. As they began to move he turned.

"What about you?" he asked. "They'll know what you did- you can't go back surely." Oh no….not another Nmala, please. Don't let another good man die for what he believed in. The man shook his head, glancing back at the metal building.

"No-I can't go there again. I do not…want? to. I will return inland to Bengwe. To home. After then- I do not know." They shook hands- a curiously formal gesture.

"Thank you for what you did. You risked your life to help us. And we don't even know your name." Then man smiled sadly.

"It is best, perhaps that you do not know. Do not thank me anyway- what we did to you…please- the best way to thank me would be to get yourselves out of this place."

Josh nodded and they turned towards the edge of the woods where, hopefully their two friends would be waiting. As they moved into the treeline, Josh glanced back at the compound. It seemed so innocent in the sunset. Calm, peaceful as if no lives were ever threatened under its roof. As if no minds were stretched and perhaps forever broken by twisted men with delusions of power. As if there had been no great escape, helped by a brave and noble man whose name they would never know. Even as he watched, the soldier's back disappeared into the treeline in the opposite direction.

They ran away from the compound in the direction indicated. Josh and Stephen were finding it arduous in particular. Stephen was thin and out of shape from his captivity and Josh was both ill and wounded. It wasn't long before his breath was coming in short rasps, interrupted by hacking coughs which he tried to keep silent, for fear of alerting pursuers.

"Josh- you have your medicine now- use it!" hissed Tony. There was no time for the sorting out of pills that was usually needed. He took some of the vile tasting stuff for coughing with a cringe at the disgusting taste and they moved on. Suddenly,

"Shhh…" hissed Tony sharply. They froze. "Something ahead!" There was a slight noise ahead- whatever it was would be right on top of them in a second- patrol? It was too late to hide or to do anything but glance at each other. The glances hardened into resolve. They weren't going back there. Whatever happened in the next few seconds, they weren't going back to that hellhole.

"Freez…" a muzzle of a gun held in a pair of familial hands flashed into view under Josh's nose before being swept out by Tony's mad silent leap. The man who went for Steven was frantically attacked by the ex-prisoner. The gun went off throwing Josh back a year and the others into reality.

"Claire?"

"Tony Hamilton! He got you out! Reid! He's with our guys!"

"Steven! Steven, it's okay. Let go of him Steven, he's on our side." Slowly the frantic, almost animal look of fear went from Stephens eyes and he scrambled back from the man he'd been trying to throttle. Reid, who'd been totally overcome by the fury of the attack lay there for a second, eyes wide with terror, before sitting up, rubbing his throat. Stephen was shaking in the warm air and making a strange noise in his throat. It was this noise more then anything that shook Josh out of the flashback and he went over to the traumatised man.

"Stephen, it's okay. This is Hamilton Reid- (don't mention the word aliens to him and you'll be okay.) And this is Claire Jackson. It's over. We're free- all of us. We don't have to go back there. Come on- we have to move away from here." He didn't attempt to touch the terrified man, not knowing what reaction that might provoke, but continued talking in the same, calming tone of voice until the man roused himself and looked around, dazed.

"I…I thought…I can't go back there… I…I can't!"

"You won't have to. We won't let them take you- take any of us. They won't get us." joined in Tony.

"I…I'm sorry, Reid? I'm sorry- I…I thought you were soldiers- going to take us back there."

"It's okay Stephen. Hell, we attacked you first." answered Reid, interested in this new person. In this poor light he appeared to be youngish- early to mid thirties at a guess. Thin- painfully thin with shadowed, half-wild eyes and brown hair. He had a rather rough beard stubble- a few weeks worth on someone who wasn't very good at growing beards. Tallish- about the same height as Josh- maybe an inch or two shorter.

"Come on, lets keep moving. We need to be way away from here before those bastards notice we're gone." said Josh tiredly. They moved out.

It wasn't long before they reached the main camp of very nervous people, camped in a dangerous place near the road. They didn't have time to celebrate the return as they moved out immediately. No-one had even unpacked. But, though they were walking through the night with lunatics soon- to –be on their trail there were people smiling and a new bounce in their steps. Two of their dead were alive again. Maybe there was hope of them getting out yet!

There's a nice long chapter- glad I got them out of there- for a while I didn't think I could! Thirteen is on the way and I will probably be traumatising Washington again (give Josh a break- I've been very nasty to him!)!

Anyway- reviews keep plot bunny happy so come on- please… :) Aries