.Chapter three.

The next day I couldn't move because I was so stiff. I guess taking on Rynokk wasn't such a good idea, seeing as I hadn't been practising my Krav maga or kickboxing much since I got onto the Triceraton home world. Sleeg noticed my inability to move and warned me not to. He promised to look after me until I could move again. I was very grateful for his kindness.

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Later that day, Sleeg went to the mess hall with all of the other inmates to get breakfast while I stayed in our cell. He had told me not to move before he went, but me, being my stubborn self, had to get moving again. My mom had always told me that the longer you don't move the longer the pain's gonna be there. So I decided to at least try to sit up on my bunk. Slowly and painfully I got myself into a reclining position against the divider wall, but then I had to rest to allow my muscles to stop screaming in pain. Just then I heard someone coming down the corridor. I could tell that it wasn't Sleeg because of the heaviness in the steps. Suddenly a very familiar face poked itself into my cell.

"Good, you're awake," said Cloak, as he walked in and sat on the bunk opposite mine with something in his hands.

"Hi Cloak," I smiled.

"Sleeg told me that you were a bit stiff today."

"That guy can't keep anything to himself; now can he?"

Cloak just smiled at me.

"So what brings you down here?" I asked.

"I wanted to see how you were doing and I brought you some breakfast," he replied, as he handed me a spoon and a small bowl of green slop.

"Thanks. You had breakfast yet or…"

"I've had my share of slop today."

"Right." I started to eat the slop.

"Sleeg was going to bring this to you, but I offered to bring it to you for him."

"Thanks Cloak; it's really sweet of you to do so."

He smiled at me.

"Besides it gave me an excuse to come see you," he said.

I returned his smile and I'm sure I had an 'aww it's so sweet of you to say that' look on my face.

"So, uh, about yesterday…" started Cloak, a bit uneasily.

"What about it?" I asked, as I placed the bowl on the floor with a wince or two of pain.

"Here let me help you up." Cloak put his hands onto my shoulders and gently pushed me back to my reclining position.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Cloak returned to his sitting position on the opposite bunk.

"So?" I asked.

"So what?" asked Cloak.

"What were you going to say about what happened yesterday?"

"Oh that, right."

"So?"

"I'm sorry about the way I acted with Zimmer yesterday."

"I thought there was a bit of tension in the air between you two."

He scoffed. "That's putting it mildly."

"So what's the deal with you two? Do you know each other from somewhere?"

"Just here in the prison."

"But that doesn't explain the way you two were getting all defensive towards each other."

"He just doesn't like me and I'm not too crazy about him myself."

"Why?"
"The guy has been nothing but a jerk to me the whole time I've known him."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"But that doesn't seem to be in his nature."

"You've only seen the nice side of him for certain reasons." I picked up on his hinting about that rumour.

"Now don't you start too," I warned him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Sleeg's been going on at me about that rumour for most of the morning and I don't need any more people going on at me about it."

Cloak just smiled amusedly at me.

"It's just a rumour; doesn't mean that it's true," I said.

"I suppose so, but there is a way to find out," said Cloak with a smirk on his face.

"And what is that?"

"Flirt with him."
"Say what?" (I used my 'Miley Cyrus' voice for that.)

"Flirt with him."

"Cloak, I don't have the faintest idea of how to flirt with a guy; I'm not the 'flirty' type."

"What are you talking about? You're a girl ain't yah?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that I know how to flirt."

"Just bat your eyelashes at him; giggle at anything that sounds remotely funny, you know just…"

"Just make a complete fool out of myself."

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Not gonna happen."

"Come on, we're all dying to find out how you two feel about each other." I just glared at him.

"Come on, aren't you itching to know?" he asked.

"You can't believe every rumour you hear, Cloak," came a cold voice from the doorway before I could reply. Cloak and I looked in the direction that the voice had come from and there, leaning against the doorframe, was Zimmer.

"Zimmer, what brings you here?" I asked, as he and Cloak started their starring contest again.

"I came to see you," replied Zimmer, as he walked into the cell and sat on the end of my bunk.

"Very sweet of you, Zimmer, but you didn't have to."

"I know, but when I didn't see you in the mess hall or out in the exercise yard I figured that you had stayed in because you were possibly stiff." Zimmer cautiously moved his hand over mine.

"Why don't I just leave you two alone for a minute?" said Cloak, as he got up and started to walk away.

"You do that," replied Zimmer, as he watched Cloak leave.

"See you 'round, Cloak," I called, as Cloak disappeared from my sight.

"Right," he replied.

There was a bit of an awkward silence between Zimmer and I.

"So," I said trying to break the silence, "you looking forward to the holiday in a few days?"

Zimmer smiled at me.

"Yeah, I'm going to be spending the day at home with my parents. Dad always has a hard time sharpening his own horns so I help him out," he replied.

"That's nice of you."

"I guess you don't have Horn Sharpening Day on your planet."

"No; unless you happen to be a rhino."

Zimmer just looked at me queerly.

"Never mind," I said.

"You're going to have to teach me about all your Earther sayings," said Zimmer, as he closed his hand around mine.

"I suppose so."

Another awkward silence ensued.

"Uh, Cal," said Zimmer, somewhat cautiously.

"Yes," I replied, a bit too eagerly.

"You know that rumour that's been going around?"

"Yes."

"Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Sure."

"I'm sorry if it's caused you some problems."

"Don't worry about it."

"Right."

Zimmer sighed as he released my hand and stood up.

"I'll see you 'round, right?" he asked, as he rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand.

"Sure; as soon as I'm able to walk comfortably again," I replied with a smile.

"Right; well, I… better get going." With that Zimmer turned and started to walk out of the cell.

"Okay." Zimmer waved goodbye to me and walked off down the corridor.

I decided to try moving again, but I was interrupted by Cloak coming back into the cell.
"Where'd you come from?" I asked slightly startled by his sudden appearance.

"You're old enough to know the answer to that," smiled Cloak, as he sat down on the opposite bunk.

"You know full well what I meant, Cloak."

"I know, I know."

"So how did you get back here so quickly?"

"I was only in the next cell."

"Listening in on Zimmer's and my conversation?"

"Yes."

"Cloak!"

He just smiled at me as he swung his legs up onto the bunk, crossed his arms and leant his back against the divider wall.

"Cloak, you can't just eaves drop like that!" I reprimanded.

He shot me a stern look that silenced me.

"You feeling better?" he asked.

"A bit; thanks."

He nodded.

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During the following days Cloak and I began to become very close friends. After I had regained my mobility, which was only two to three days after my little scuffle, Cloak and I were practically inseparable. The only time we were forced to be apart was when we had to return to our cells. Sleeg no longer had to keep his eye on me because I was with Cloak during meal times and when we were out in the exercise yard for scheduled exercise and recreation time. Sleeg had also started teasing me about the amount of time I spent with Cloak; he reckoned that he could see more than friendship between us. I just ignored him; Cloak and I were friends and nothing more.

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Horn Sharpening Day came very quickly and I was pleased to see that our breakfast didn't consist of green slop; now it was white slop that kinda resembled oats, but didn't taste like it. Our breakfast was given to us in our cells since we would be spending the day in them so that our guards could have the day off. Zimmer had sent a note with the guard who gave Sleeg and me our breakfast. He was apologising for not being able to see me for the past week because he had been busy elsewhere in the prison compound; he also said that, as soon as he got back to work the next day, he would come see me. He was a very sweet Triceraton, but I was kinda glad that he hadn't been able to see me for the past week because of the way he and Cloak didn't get along.

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The beginning of the day was somewhat uneventful, but half way through the day I started to smell smoke coming through the air vents.

"Sleeg," I said.

"Yes," replied Sleeg; he was lying on his bunk not doing much.

"Do you smell smoke?" Sleeg sat up on his bunk and sniffed the air.

"Yes."

"Where's it coming from?"

Sleeg sniffed a bit more to locate the source.

"From the air vent," said Sleeg.

"Can you see out of it?" I asked.

Sleeg moved towards the air vent above the cell door and looked out.

"There's lots of smoke in the corridor," he said.

"Can you get out of the cell through the vent?" I asked.

"I don't have the lower body strength to kick it out."

I climbed up onto his bunk, gently pushed him out of the way, and then positioned my feet against the vent. I pulled my legs back at far as they would go and then gave a forceful kick to the vent. The vent fell out and Sleeg climbed through.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Go to the control room and open the cells to let everyone out," I replied.

Sleeg nodded and took off down the corridor. He was able to hot-wire the doors at the end of the corridor and started to make his way to the control room.

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After waiting a good thirty minutes I started to wonder if Sleeg would ever get the doors open. The smoke was starting to get thicker and my breathing was starting to get harder and harder (atmosphere converters apparently aren't made to filter smoke out of the air). I was starting to wonder if I should try climbing out of the air vent when someone busted the cell door down. I let out a squeak of surprise.

"Cal," said a familiar voice.

"Cloak?" I asked.

"Come on, (coughs) I gotta get you out of here. (Coughs.)"

"Thanks." Cloak took my hand in his and started to lead me out of the cellblock.

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Once out, Cloak led me to a small panel on the wall just outside of the cellblock.

"What's that?" I asked in-between coughs.

"(Coughs) It's a miniature control panel," Cloak replied as he opened it and pressed a big red button. He then reached over to a microphone and pulled to towards him.

"Everyone please exit your cells and head through to the transport shuttle docking bay in an orderly manner. That is all," Cloak said into the microphone and then he put it back where he had found it. I just smiled at him; I was impressed. Next he pushed and held a small green button and put his mouth near to a speaker-like thing.

"Sleeg, tell me when everyone is out of the building," Cloak said into the speaker-like thing; it was an intercom. Shortly after his call to Sleeg, Sleeg replied to us.

"Everyone is out except Cal, Cloak," said Sleeg over the intercom.

Cloak pressed and held the small green button again.

"She's with me; now get out and join the other inmates, Sleeg," instructed Cloak.

"Yes sir." Cloak then pressed a larger blue button and suddenly the sprinkler system started to pour down on us.

"Let's get out of here," said Cloak, as he started to lead me out of the compound.

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Once we were out of the compound we found the other inmates in orderly lines. Cloak told me to stay where I was and went off to some nearby hangars. While I was waiting for him to come back a very happy Sleeg ambushed me.

"I was so worried about you," said Sleeg, as he hugged me.

"Thanks for the concern, Sleeg, but, uh, do you have to be so physical?" I asked (I'm not terribly used to being hugged).

"Oh right, I should leave this kind of thing to Cloak."
"Would you knock it off?! You know full well that Cloak and I are just friends!"

Sleeg just smiled at me amusedly; he loved getting on my nerves like that.

"Cal! Sleeg!" called Cloak; he had managed to hot wire one of the transport shuttles.

"Get in here!" he ordered.

Sleeg and I didn't waste anytime and ran over to Cloak.

"Sleeg, I want you to organise our fellow inmates," said Cloak, as Sleeg and I came up to him.

"Yes sir," replied Sleeg, as he saluted Cloak.

"Have them line up in their cellblock groups and enter the transport shuttle one cellblock at a time. This shuttle can only take two cellblocks at a time so we'll have to make several trips."

"Yes sir." Sleeg scampered off to organise the inmates.

"Can I help in anyway?" I asked Cloak.

"Yes, stay here with me," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow at his reply.

"I just want to make sure you remain safe," he explained, as he put a hand onto my shoulder.

I just smiled at him.

"Now come on, we've got to get everyone out of here quickly," he said as he led me into the cockpit. Cloak sat down in the pilot's seat and waited for everyone who was on this flight to get in.

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Soon Sleeg came in and informed us that cellblocks A and B had finally boarded.

"Right. Can you stay here with the other inmates while I drop these guys off at the temporary compound?" asked Cloak.

"Yes, I can, but come back soon; okay?" asked Sleeg.

"I'll be back within two trigons."

Sleeg nodded and then went back to stand with the other inmates.

"Strap yourself in, Cal," instructed Cloak, as he started the shuttle moving.

I nodded, sat down in the co-pilot's chair and strapped myself in.

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We had to make twenty-six trips to and from the temporary compound, but it went well. All the inmates had been evacuated and the fire department had been notified about the fire at the prison compound; apparently the fire alarm hadn't gone off so they were completely oblivious to the fire. Fortunately for them Cloak's putting on of the sprinklers had hindered the fire's growth and it only took them a few minutes to completely put it out. Meanwhile, at the temporary prison compound, Cloak took complete charge of the inmates; putting them into the temporary compound's cells and checking that they were all okay. Most of the inmates were put into cells with friends of theirs to help them de-stress from the day's events. Cloak had kept Sleeg and I together and, after he had checked that everyone was settled, he joined us as well. No one was terribly hungry that night so we all just went to bed early to try to allow our bodies to relax. For some reason I woke up later that night and was slightly startled to see Cloak on the bunk opposite mine. It was kinda odd having Cloak in the same cell as Sleeg and I, but it was nice sort of odd. I guess he just made me feel a bit safer; being in a new place and all. I shrugged the feeling off and tried to get to sleep again.