Amber & Ice

Chapter 33: That's All?

Dyo and Orion ushered Athena into an abandoned shop on a quiet side street. The writing on the bottle green sign outside had faded to the point that it has become illegible. Empty wooden bookcases filled the window displays, blocking the inside from view completely. More bookcases had been arranged on the other side of the door, creating a corridor which led into the central space. Anyone who wanted to see what was going on in the shop would have to venture quite far inside to do so. The corridor was dark and Athena could see nothing more than the shelves on either side of her and the subtle blinking red lights of what must have been Ismene’s security cameras. As they turned another corner, the darkness was abated and a gloom begin to filter through. Once they rounded the final bend Athena had to blink to shield her eyes from the startling glare of the brightly lit room. The shelves had been arranged with extreme precision; outside, the shop had appeared dark and uninhabited.

From the further shelves lining the walls, some occupied by the occasional dusty novel, Athena surmised they were in a disused bookshop. The tills had been moved aside and replaced by Ismene’s surveillance gear, which showed the surrounding streets and the makeshift corridor Athena had just travelled through. 

Bree and her usual shadow, Don, were stood beside one of the bookcases, deep in conversation. Ismene was talking to Ajax by the till. 

“What the Hell happened?” Bree demanded as soon as she saw them. Her hair was pulled back in a hasty, dishevelled bun and matched the bluish tinge visible beneath her eyes. No one had made it to bed before the news broke. 

“We don’t know any more than you, Bree.” Dyo sounded just as exhausted. “Orion and I had missed calls when we left here, but neither of us could get through to her. Athena couldn’t either. We only discovered what had happened from the feed blast, same as you.” Athena took his hand in hers and squeezed it. 

“We should never have let her go in on her own.” Bree’s head was in her hands, Don’s arm wrapped around her shoulder. She looked younger; no longer their fearless leader, but a young woman feeling out of her depth. “What are we going to do?”

“We will get her out,” Dyo replied, simply. “But we are going to have to do it fast. Have you worked out where she is being held?”

Ajax nodded before replying. “She’s in a holding prison close to the Tower. I’ve been speaking to Artemis, who’s always in and out of the legal buildings with lecture students, and she doesn’t think that the security around her will be too tight. But we need to get to her before she is tried. I think we can safely assume that she will be found guilty and be transfered - we’ve got no chance of rescuing her from the Tower, or one of the high security facilities outside of the capital.”

“Could Artemis get us in to the holding prison?” Dyo asked. He sounded hopeful for the first time since the blast. 

“That’s what we’re about to find out,” Ajax said,just as a group call came across on their glasses and Artemis’ face appeared. Her keen brown eyes were wide awake, although her grey-flecked hair was slightly unruly, suggesting that she, at least, had been asleep before the news broke. 

“I’ve just finished speaking to an old friend who works in the holding prison. She confirmed we should definitely be able to go in.”

“Wasn’t she confused why you were calling so late?” Dyo’s brow was creased. 

“She works the night shift, so was up anyway. I told her I had a seminar tour planned and wanted to check straight away so that I had time to plan something else for the session before the morning. She’s used to me planning lectures at 3am, so didn’t find it suspicious.”

“Okay,” Dyo continued. Athena shot Bree a quick glance; Dyo was definitely taking charge and she wasn’t sure their leader would be happy about it. But to Athena’s surprise, Bree was still stood with Don, watching Dyo with a mildly relieved look on her features. “What would normally happen on on of your tours, in case anyone asks what we’re there to do?”