Chương 4: All-Or-Nothing

With the deadline of an unknown fate by the Toydarian soldiers, we spent every spare moment devising a foolproof escape plan that had been in the making for quite some time. After all, this operation could be the only thing standing in between us and death. The thought of death didn't scare me, I was already lucky enough to have escaped her clutches once, but that didn't mean I wanted to die. Despite not having anything to really live for, helping these kids, who have become my only connection to sanity, is the only thing I can think of. Besides, Callista looks and acts too similar to Caroline for me to not try and give her the life she deserves.

"So any questions on how this goes?" I was tweaking the final steps of the plan, and so far all four of us play an equally important role that we must have memorized, as a physical plan is too risky to make. With us currently in the ore-refining factory, there weren't any guards nearby, so we were able to talk more freely than our cell.

"Uh, yeah. Why does AJ get to be the one to take on the guards?" Dahlia seemed annoyed at not getting the chance to cause pain to our wardens.

"How about you arm wrestle for the position if you want it so much?" Callista seemed mildly amused at the childish question, so she offered a solution she knew Dahlia could never win in; after all, there was no way she could beat AJ in anything that requires strength.

"That's no fair Cal, I could never stand a chance and you know it."

"I believe that's the point of her suggestion, Lia. I'm in this role because our best bet is stealth, and shooting their blasters is not only too loud but also way too bright, so brute force is obviously the way to go." AJ seemed equally as amused as Callista towards Dahlia's antics but instead decided to give the actual reason to placate any complaints she may have about it. "Besides, you have arguably one of the most important and difficult jobs to do, seeing as your part relies on your Zeltron pheromones that none of us can replicate."

With his point made, Dahlia pouted about being proved wrong by everyone, though there was a clear hint of anxiety about her part, and it is well-deserved; she had only just recently gotten able to bring about her pheromones, and they weren't strong enough to have total confidence against a non-near-human species that was capable of withstanding mental force manipulation. Though there were many things flawed with the plan as a whole, this section was one of the diciest as it relied purely on the effectiveness of one species special traits over another, especially since the guards were full adults and Dahlia was still just a single teenager.

AJ gave Dahlia a confident smile, the kind that completely counteracted his usual cynic and sarcastic self. "I know it's probably more pressure than we could understand, but I believe in you, with every fiber of my being!" After that sentence, there seemed to be a wave of relief that washed over Dahlia, though it wasn't very strong it was still present. She gave a grateful smile to him, saying an unspoken thank you, before turning back towards me.

"So, I feel like there is one question that none of us wanted to think about. What are the chances this fails?" Unlike her usual cheerful and reassuring self, Callista looked greatly troubled and from the looks of it, was questioning if she could pull off her part of the plan.

Locking eyes with her for a second, I stared into the deep scarlet pit that threatened to swallow me if I was not careful. Once again receiving a twinge of pain from her likeness to Caroline I hoped I hid well, I answered without sugar-coating my words. "Honestly Cal, there's a very high chance this fails. Each of us has a part that, if failed, would result in god knows what treatment by the facility. The only thing we can do is our best, and hopefully, things go as planned."

"But what if they don't?" Dahlia seemed mellowed out as she tried to not think of what could happen to them if they do fail. "What if something happens that we couldn't account for? What happens if that man appears before we can get far enough away? What happens if, if one of us falls behind?" She seemed to get slightly more scared with each of her questions, and rightfully so as those were something I had thought about as well.

"Something will happen because without all of the necessary information this plan is based solely on what we have seen, or what we were shown. The chances of him getting involved are low, but I have done my best to avoid any interactions that could lead to our meeting. And if one of us gets left behind, there's no point in continuing. At least, for me that is." I know my answers weren't soft, and maybe I could have been a little more gentle with them, but they needed to be said to get my point across the right way.

"If any of us gets left behind, I would gladly fight to the death for you; regardless of how likely I am to die in the process." AJ's eyes shone with conviction, the kind that was integral for an all-or-nothing mission like this one.

"And I would do the same. I've already lost everyone I called family once. I would sooner die than leave any of you behind." Carrying determination and some lasting childhood pain, Callista wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to the all-or-nothing terms of this mission.

"Then it seems we have it all settled, and we all know our jobs for this plan to work. Remember, it doesn't matter how each step is done, just make it out alive and do what you can." And with my final sentence, our shift at the factory was over. We all got up, nodded towards each other, and made our way back to our cell for the last time in silence, knowing that either way, it will be the last time we will ever need to be in this cell ever again.