Terrestrial Undead

Chapter 8

003 watched with cold certainty as 009 slumped forward. Only one thing left to do, and then they could focus on getting out of here. Chuffed, they gave the elusive receptor a final inspection, and clamped the wife end of a spoon over it. Then, carefully, they pulled out a small prod, which sparked ominously as the mechanic tested it. Holding their breath, they touched the spoon with it.
Immediately, 009's body jolted, and they cried out.
"No!" They screamed. "Stop, stop, stop!"
003 had nothing else to smother the sound with, so they pushed her face into their stomach until they stopped struggling.
"Shh! It's okay! You're okay! It's done!"
009 blinked up at them.
"Wha-? It's you. I'm awake."
"Nightmares, huh? It's okay, I don't think anybody heard."
"Flashback," 009 murmured grimly. That train of thought was soon derailed as they both noticed her hands, that hitherto had hung limply at her sides, were clenched. As she slowly opened them, her face all wonder, 003 could finally breathe again. Their friend was free.
"I thought for a moment you'd done me in," she confessed shakily. "But I can move..."
003 noticed her eyes were going shiny again.
"Go on," they coaxed, "I doubt those restraints can hold you now."
009 strained, and sure enough, the buckles popped open one by one. Stepping down uncertainly, she began to laugh her rasping laugh.
"Hah! You did it! You really did it!"
As she said this, she took 003's hands and they looked at each other for a moment.
Recollecting herself, 009 stepped back and began to outline her escape plot.
They were to release a decoy craft first, in the hope that the Captain would pursue it while they made their escape on a second. Hopefully, she said, that would give them a head start.
"Alright," 003 agreed. "Sounds like our best shot. We'll wait until we hear the next turnover, and once all goes quiet, I guess we'll start. If you're ready."
009's eyes burned in the gloom. 
"I'm ready."

After all the time they had had to size up the door over the past few days, reverse engineering the lock wasn't hard for a cyborg and a mechanic.  After taking a cautious peep, they emerged squinting into the breeze and wordlessly parted ways. It was agreed that 009 would trick the starboard emergency AI into releasing their decoy, while 003 would head port and prepare their escape craft with anything they could swipe. If this worked, who knew how long they'd be on the run. The freight area would be abandoned by now, and was port side as well, and heart in their throat, that was where 003 was headed. 009 had torn a pipe off the wall and handed it to 003, 'just in case'. Now their knuckles where white around the metal as they entered freight carriage.
Ducking behind wooden boxes, 003 assessed the situation. They could hear voices in the freight hold. Cursing under their breath, they realised it must be inspection day. They couldn't turn back now however; they would need food on the journey, and there were only a few inspectors by the sounds of it. They pulled the fine screwdriver they had used on 009 out of their jumpsuit and got to work.
No joy— just sheets of metal. 003 tried to lower the lid quietly, and moved to a different area.
The next box proved fiddly, and 003 held their breath as the lid opened with a creak.
"What was that?"
003 could hear footsteps approaching, and was forced to leave the unscrewed lid as it was and head further into the carriage.
The sliding sound of a baton emerging from a suspicious inspector's case told 003 they had noticed the lid was awry. If they decided to close off the area now, there would be no way they'd escape this far away from the door, so they chanced another box.
As 003 lifted the wood, the ship shuddered, and they dropped it with a slam.
The inspectors stumbled, and looked in their direction. They froze, ready to run, when—
"All guards and inspection personnel to the bridge immediately. Unauthorised escape craft launched."
They'd taken too long! 009 would be headed Portside already.
The inspectors left quickly. 003 lifted the telltale lid— dry biscuits. It would have to do.
Grabbing a box, they sprinted for the exit. Inspectors and guards were emerging from different doors outside, forcing them to make a beeline for a side door. It led to the narrow lower catwalk, and 003, nerves shattered, tore along it like hunted prey— right into a guard.
He looked stunned for a minute before reaching for his baton, but 003 was quicker. They brought the pipe up and down between his eyes, two handed, with a full metallic thump. He cried out and stumbled, grabbing 003 by the throat. They struggled while a rhythmic mechanical clanking sounded from over head.
"009!"
She pulled a panel off the upper catwalk and hopped down, landing square on the guards' shoulders. He crumpled with a sound not unlike a bag of chips being crushed.
"Are they chasing fake us?"
"Yes. What's taking so long?"
"Biscuits!"
009 held up the limp guard under his arms like a child might with a rag doll.
"Oh no... 003... I think he's..."
003 didn't know what to say, apart from, "... accident?"
"Oh hell. We'll have to take him with us now, or people will know we've been here."
They had no choice but to keep going.
They had just reached the launch bay when they heard a thunderous explosion that made them both stumble.
"What the hell—?"
A cheer and applause sounded from the direction of the bridge. 003 didn't think it was possible, but the skin visible above 009's mask had gone even more pallid.
"They didn't chase fake us. They blew fake us up."