We drudged on, through mud, sand, swamps and marshes. Coming upon a steep down grade, Jenn slipped and injured her ankle. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’ve seen better days. . .Oww!”

“What?”

“My ankle, I think I’ve sprained it.” I walked over to her and helped her sit on a rock.

“Can you move it at all?”

“A little. . .OWWW!”

“I think it’s broken.” I commented, surveying the nearby trees. I got up, broke a branch into two pieces and attempted my best to make a splint. “This might hurt.” I stated, putting the two branches on each side of her leg. She winced a little. I took of my shirt, and ripped it into two pieces. I tied these pieces into a knot around the branches and her ankle. “Now, see if you can put pressure on it.” She tried and failed.

“Leave me, I’m not worth you’re effort. You must rescue Tracy!”

“Nonsense. I wouldn’t dream of it.” I picked her up in my arms, her head lying against my right shoulder, and her legs draping over my left arm. “Now just relax, we’ll get you to a doctor in no time.”

We traveled for at least an hour, when it started getting dark. “Let’s rest here tonight.” I said. I went about gathering leaves and things to keep us warm. I was tempted to start a fire, because I knew that Jenn needed to keep warm, but a fire would certainly be seen from the sky. I covered her as best as I could, then sat down next to here. “Get some sleep Jenn, we’ll be there in the morning.”

“Now I can see what this Tracy sees in you.” And with that we went to sleep.

The next morning, I got up and picked Jenn up to continue our journey. We got into another swamp, and over another hill, when finally Jenn said, “Look, Adam. There!” She pointed to grey edifice. “It’s the main building. We’ve made it.” She excitedly remarked. We hurried through the remaining jungle in order to meet the others. At the base of the building, Noah, Stacey, and the rest of the gang were there.

“So glad you could join us.” Noah said.

“Well, we almost didn’t make it. Have you figured out where Tracy is?” I asked.

“Yes and no. We know where she is now, but we don’t know where she will be if we don’t hurry.”

“Then we must move quickly. Where is she now?”

“Eating breakfast,” Stacey said.

“Mmm. That sounds delicious.” Noah commented.

“Noah, control your appetite, just this once. Okay, do any of you girls know how to fly a chopper?” One nodded. “All right, you and the rest of the girls go warm up the chopper. Noah and I will join you shortly.”

“I want to come too.” Jenn argued.

“There’s no time to argue. Go!” I commanded. They started to leave.

“I will not, you wouldn’t let me give up, and I won’t let you down. Besides, who knows their way around the best in there? Me.”

The time came for our escape, right after the volleyball game. The five girls and I went back to the complex and freed Noah. We all went into the dining room, where Jenn fished out the shirt and jean “halves” and the girls quickly started putting them on. “You know, I think I like them better without the jeans.” Noah commented.

“Can it Noah! Remember, you almost didn’t leave with us today.”

“All right, all right. I get the picture.” All dressed, I led the group out of the dining room, down the hall, and out of the building. Outside, I saw no one coming. We all ran toward the fence and leaped over it. Once over, we tried to get bearings on the way to go to get to the main building. After we had got our bearings, we made camp a mile away from the building. “What are we stopping for?” Noah asked.

“Obviously, by now, the girls back at the complex have noticed that we are gone, and are going to try to find us.”

“Obviously.”

“So, I think we should split up into groups of two, all going separate correct ways, to the main building. We’ll meet there.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Jenn and I will go off East. Noah, you and Stacey will go straight ahead. The rest of you will head west. Go out about a hundred yards, and then head for the building. Hopefully, we’ll be there by nightfall. If not, camp out and we’ll see you there.” We all bade each other good luck and continued on our way.

Jenn and I headed east, and then turned ninety degrees to head toward the building. We were well on our way when Jenn asked, “So, who is this Tracy person?”

“Tracy is my girlfriend. She was kidnapped last Wednesday, and I’ve come to find her.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah she, and a bunch of other secretaries for a Building and Loan in Nanopolis, Oregon, was kidnapped, and I was hired to protect her. Only I couldn’t. You see, I’m a detective.”

“Oh.”

“Is that all you say, ‘oh’?”

“No.”

“Good. Jenn, may I ask where you work?”

“I work here.”

“Huh?”

“I was on Skid Row for the longest time. Then, one day, this man came to me and a bunch of my friends. He offered a life, friends, and a job. How could we refuse? So, we came here and started working. How were we to know that we would be humiliated, and forced to do menial tasks? I never thought I would be hurting anyone.”

“So, you have no idea who’s behind this, or what it’s all about?”

“Not a clue.” She responded.

“Gotcha. Now, you had better get some sleep. Breakfast is at 7:00 a.m.” Noah and I fell asleep.

The next morning, that girl came and escorted me to the dining room. “This is it?!” I asked, looking at the four girls in front of me.

“Yes, Adam.”

“Hey, how’d you know my name?”

“Stacey here told us.” She pointed to Stacey.

“Who all is here?” I asked.

“Well, I’m Jenn, there’s Stacey. . .,” she went on stating the other girls name.

“The first thing to do is to get you some decent clothes.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“Well, I’m dressed differently than I was the day before. Who changes my clothes?”

“I do.” Jenn said.

“Well, it’s simple. Keep the clothes you take off me.”

“But they keep track.” Stacey said.

“So, cut the legs off and fold up the rest to make shorts. Give them the legs and make up and excuse. Cut the shirt, making it a half-shirt.”

“Now, there’s an idea,” one said.

“Do you have any colored dye?”

“Sure,” another said.

“Dye the shirts and pants green for camouflage.”

“Breakfast is over for you,” Stacey said, “We have to take you back to the cell.”

“Okay, we’ll make our break in three days. We’ll go and get Tracy, then get off this big beach!” They took me back and locked me in, getting Noah and taking him to breakfast. The morning passed slowly.

Lunch came and went. At about one, Stacey came to the cell door. Opening it she escorted me out, and down the hall. “What’s up?” I asked.

“Beach Volleyball,” Stacey started. “We do it every day at one. Jenn got permission for you to come out and play.”

“Great. This would be a great time to get away!”

“No, there are both loyal and non-loyals playing. One whistle from one of them, and we’re dead in the water. Plus, your friend Noah doesn’t have permission to play.”

“What did he do?”

“He, um, kinda had an accident with one of the loyalist’s bikinis.”

“Oh. I kinda figured that would happen. What’s their opinion of me?”

“Oh, they love you. After the game, I’m allowed to take you to the lounge.”

“Wow! Will they give me a change of clothes?”

“It depends.”

“On what?”

“Do you sweat?” We went outside and another girl and I were Captains. It just so happened that it was the loyalists versus the non-loyalists. The ‘nons’ won. After the game was over, I was escorted to the lounge by Stacey. We sat on a couch. There was no one in sight.

“Where are the rest of them?”

“They are on break. Except for the one guarding Noah, everyone’s in the pool.”

“I thought that today was your last day here.”

“So did I, but I got a message that I was going to leave with Tracy.”

“Might I ask, Tracy seemed in the master’s control, if it’s that powerful, how come you’re not affected?”

“Well, it’s quite simple, see this ring.”

“Yes.”

“Well, there is circuitry inside which turns off the brainwashing. You just have to pretend that you are in a trance.”

“Oh.” I said. We talked for a while, and then I was taken back to my cell.

“Adam, where have you been?” Noah asked.

“Well, I’ve been mingling with the locals.”

“Oh. I’m sorry about that slip. When do we leave?”

“In three days.”

“Oh. I guess I can wait that long.” He stated. The two days flew by, leaving us to the morning of the escape attempt.