Chapter 17: Preparations in Motion!
Lincoln sat down on the log he was sitting on for the past 45 minutes now after he recently got up to stretch his arms and legs. "Alright, I'll tell you my plan but I hope you don't leak this to any of Zing's guards."
"Please," Jasper scoffed. "As if I leaked such important information as an escape plan to our enemy."
With her perishing Lincoln's thoughts of the perfect quartz betraying them dashed. Lincoln began to explain his thoughts of how the can escape quietly. "Alright everyone, I only have two plans for how we can escape."
"Two?" Milo asked.
"Why only two plans, my Diamond?" Emerald asked.
Lincoln was about to explain why he only have to plans when Jasper spoke up.
"Don't any of you know about contingency plans?" Jasper asked. "It's in case the runt's plan fails, we fall back on the backup plan."
"Um... yes. Thank you Jasper." Lincoln thanked the Quartz who grunted in response before the boy cleared his throat. "As I was saying, first things first. We need to split into three teams. One to distract Zing and his forces, another team to rescue Roger and for the rest of us to escape."
"Well, there's multiple problems with that plan." Globgor spoke.
"Really, like our collars?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, yes." Globgor spoke to the white haired kid. "But also Aquamarine and Eyeball too."
Lincoln honestly forgot about those two as he facepalmed himself. "Well, if we do encounter those two, we'll just have to fight our way past them... well just Eyeball because Aquamarine can't fight, only direct now that Topaz destroyed her freezing wand."
"True." Milo said. "But that raises another problem. Foster has that remote for our collars, so when he notices that we're trying to escape. He'll just be able to shock us back into our place."
"Aha!" Lincoln said, having a eureka moment. "That's where the team that'll rescue Roger comes in. As not only will they be able to try and rescue. him but will try to get and break not just the remote but Zing's scepter too."
"Okay, but you will be on what team, Loud." Dan asked.
"The people that will be on the distraction team will be you Dan, Zoe, Sinbad, Milo, Globgor, Eclipsa, and Meteora, and Jasper."
"What?!" Dan and Jasper said in unison as the latter march over and grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up to her fiery glare.
"You expect me to work with HIM?! No way!" Jasper said as she was immediately struck from behind. She turned around and saw that it was Holly who had her whip out.
"Put. My Diamond. DOWN!" She demanded as everyone got into a fighting position just in case a fight was going to break down.
Lincoln spoke again, unintimidated by the Quartz's aggressiveness. "Now Jasper, I know that you don't want to work with Dan with him being the petty berserker he can be. But trust me, that is a reason for you guys to work together, I won't say what that reason was so you're going to have to figure that out for yourself. It's called teamwork and I know you hate relying on others. But if we're going to get out of here, you're going to have to work with us. Even with us "weaklings". Now if you will put down, I may continue if you would let me."
Jasper began to think about her options here, on one hand, she could try to force Lincoln to tell her what reason is but then she would get jumped by everyone else in the room. On the other hand, she could simply put him down and avoid all of that.
Begrudgingly, she did the latter as she dropped Lincoln, who landed back on his feet and continued.
"The team that will rescue Roger will be me, Leggy, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy, and Sara, Holly and Emerald." Lincoln explained. "And the rest of the prisoners will fight the guards in the ensuing chaos." Lincoln explained. "Any objections or questions on my plan?"
"I have one." Sara asked. "What happens if your plan fails?"
"If that fails, we'll just have to capture Zing and make him let us leave!" Lincoln said. "It'll be difficult though, so let's hope that it doesn't come to that."
Meanwhile, Eyeball was cradling the cracked and glitching Aquamarine in her arms as the two walked out of the damaged coliseum and into the elevator closing as soon as the two entered it.
"S-u-r-e w-e c-a-n t-r-u-s-t h-i-m?" Aquamarine said as she glitched out.
"Well, we have too Aqua!" Eyeball insisted, pushing the button to the throne room. "We have no other options for us, Lincoln's not gonna be able to heal you and even if he did have that ability, he is not going to heal your cracked behind."
"W-e-l-l, w-h-a-t i-f w-e f-o-r-c-e h-i-m t-o h-e-a-l m-e." Aquamarine suggested.
"An ultimatum, huh. But how?" Eyeball asked.
"H-i-s f-r-i-e-n-d-s y-o-u d-u-l-l-a-r-d." Aquamarine said. "All we have to do is capture one of his friends and force him to heal me?"
"Okay but what if he doesn't have that ability?" Eyeball asked her blue love. "What do we do then?"
Before the cracked high class gem could respond to her partner's question, the floor finally stopped, indicating that either the two have reached the throne room or that the elevator was stuck.
The door then opened up, showing that the love gems were now on the floor that Zing's throne room was on.
"Halt you two!" one of the alien emperor's guards demanded. "State your business!"
"We wish to seek an audience with Zing." Eyeball said. "It's important."
The two guards looked at each other for a few seconds before one of them told them to wait here as the other one opened the door and entered the throne. After a few minutes have passed, the alien guard exited the room with the emperor himself poking his head out of the door.
"You said that is important, right?" Zing said, raising an eyebrow. "Make your request and be quick."
Eyeball then pleaded. "Please, emperor. Aquamarine can't stay like this! Do you have anything that can heal her?"
Zing thought about how to go about this. He could just turned them away and go on about his day. But on the other hand, he could help them out... for a price of course.
Zing smirked a bit before he responded. "I do but you'll have do something for me in return. Come into my throne room and we'll continue to discuss our terms."
Eyeball looked down at the glitching Aquamarine who hesitantly nodded.
"For Aquamarine." The little red soldier thought to herself as she carried the endangered gem into the alien's throne room.
Unknown to them, Zing had a sinister smile growing on his face as he closed the doors behind them...
To be continued...
And so the plans from both sides are now being made...
One plan is of liberation and getting back home to a planet that banished...
The other is of sinister notions and control.
Which plan will prove to be superior in the end?
Find out next time on" The Exiles"?