THE NEW WORLD ↠ TERRA NOVA [O.H]

2| THE GREAT ESCAPE

The alarms pounded through the concrete walls of the Golad prison. Emmy had just managed to escape—for the second time, and hopefully for the last time. She had noticed over the last year that the guards seemed to have an opened time table during the shift changes. Emmy assumed that they expected her to forget about the first incident that happened five months into her arrest. But she wasn't that foolish. With the guards being preoccupied and unable to find out exactly where Emmy had run off to, it left her with the open opportunity to get out unseen. At least until she got to the lower level of the prison.

Even four years after Tanya had last visited, Emmy still remembered that she promised to get her to Terra Nova. She wasn't sure how Tanya was able to keep up her end of the bargain, but she somehow did. During Emmy's time in prison, three other pilgrimages followed after Tanya's, meaning that the sixth pilgrimage was scheduled to leave soon. When she glanced at the small clock on the wall, as she ran passed, the electronic blue date showed up, it was 2146. Underneath, in small blue lettering, a notice came up reading that the next pilgrimage was scheduled to leave in just over two hours.

A smirk was spread across Emmy's face as she ran down numerous hallways. The horror of being trapped and lost crossed her mind, but the small white markings on the wall gave her hope. Tanya had managed to get a message across to 2143, during the third pilgrimage when the time fracture was open, and to a man that their family had been friends with for quite some time. Each year, without fail, Tanya had sent a message to Michael Ashford—the man who helped raise Emmy when her father had disappeared—about a plan Tanya had about getting Emmy out of Golad. Although Emmy had been sceptical, she was finally seeing the results.

Michael had visited her each year after Tanya had left, each time was a day after her birthday. He had managed to send through small gifts, that the guards had somehow missed during their searches. Every time he visited he had explained to her more of the plan. Emmy was now twenty-two. The day before her birthday, Michael had given Emmy a laser knife inside a new rebreather. She knew that it was now or never since Michael was two days earlier than normal. Michael had said that he had hidden a spare bag and her I.D. card outside one of the train station platforms. That had given Emmy the extra boost of confidence that she needed.

As Emmy ran down the corridors she could hear the yelling of guards. She cursed to herself violently, they had already found her and she wasn't even out of the building yet. She continued to follow the white markings, ignoring the guards as she ran faster until her legs began to ache, but even then, she pushed herself. A small black door was at the end of the corridor. When she reached the door, she glanced back, the shadow of the guards crept around the corner. She turned back and noticed a small card on top of the key pad. Michael must have left it there for her. She picked it up and swiped it against the keypad, the red light flashed green and the door opened to a blinding light.

"You're early? You're meant to visit after the pilgrimage tomorrow," Emmy questioned as she stood up from the ground of her cell. Michael stood outside the in the light, a smile ghosting over his wrinkled and worn features. She watched as he handed her a new rebreather. Great, another year of waiting. She thought to herself. This could only mean that Tanya wasn't able to get her through to the next pilgrimage.

Michael shook his head with a grin. "Not this time, kid." Emmy's head snapped up to his, her eyes scanning his face to see if she could detect a lie. But there was none.

"Wait, so you mean—?"

"You're going on the sixth pilgrimage to Terra Nova." He nodded to her and watched as a smile spread widely across her face. She glanced down to the rebreather before looking back up worriedly.