The pylons did a good job of hiding Thaqib and Jazib as they speed underneath the steel-framed behemoths. The thick wires strung between them also hid them from view of the helicopters that frequently passed overhead.

Soon they were across the harbour and they saw the black walls of the Hexagon maximum security prison complex rise up overhead, it’s cement walls framed by tall guard towers which swept floodlights across the water. Thaqib slowed his shredder and chugged along quietly underneath the last of the pylons, Jazib did the same. He pulled in near the base of the last pylon and cut the engine. Jazib pulled up next to him and together they climbed upon the concrete base, keeping low and out of sight. They spied the prison sitting like a fortress upon the island.

“I told you it was a fortress, man, how can we possibly get in there?” Jazib asked.

“Everything has a weakness we just gotta find it,” Thaqib said. They sat there under the pylon studying the prison. The wind blew cold off the harbour and soon they were shivering. Apart from the occasional helicopter passing overhead all was quiet around the prison. From inside Hexagon’s walls, an eerie blue light glowed.

“What do you think’s going on in there?” Jazib asked.

“I don’t know but we’ll be finding out soon enough, look, Thaqib said, motioning to a drainage shaft. Looks like we can get in there if we can avoid the floodlights.”

“How do you know it goes into the prison?” Jazib asked.

“It’s gotta go somewhere doesn’t it? And right now it’s the best option we got. We can’t sit out here forever, who knows what they’re doing to Rast in there.”

“OK, I’m with you,” Jazib replied.

Thaqib looked to him. “Thanks for helping me out Jazib.”

“Rast has got me out of plenty of jams, if I can help him out of this, it’s the least I can do.”

Thaqib smiled, “You and me both. Let’s do this!” Thaqib said. Jazib nodded and they quickly made their way out from under the pylon, cautiously running across a piece of exposed rock that led to the island. They made it and hid behind a rocky outcropping. Upon the impossibly steep walls above, they watched a flood light sweeping the ground below.

“Alright, on my signal, run for the drain.” Jazib nodded. They sat and waited for the floodlight to finish its arc. “OK, come on!” Thaqib yelled as it completed the arc. They burst from behind the rock, running as fast as they could along the narrow bank between the wall and the water. They saw the floodlight coming back around behind them, approaching quickly. Thaqib had a sudden fear that they weren’t going to make it. “Jump!” he yelled. They dived just in time as the floodlight swept past. They landed in a ditch cut into the bank by the outflow from the drainage pipe. Thankfully it was empty. They crept up to the mouth of the pipe. It was covered by a grate but to their surprise the bottom of it had rusted away. Thaqib kicked at it, breaking enough of the bars for them to climb through. “Too easy,” Thaqib said.

“So much for maximum security,” Jazib replied.

Thaqib knelt down and climbed within.

Together they made their way up the drainage pipe and into the interior of the prison. They found a way up and a hatch leading into the drainage below the inner courtyard. As they moved closer to the interior, they began to hear a strange humming sound that became louder the closer they got.

“What’s that weird noise?” Jazib asked.

“Dunno, but it must be connected to that glowing light,” Thaqib replied. They made their way along and the passage became dark. They rounded a corner and saw the ribbed projection of light through a grate. They made their way to it, looking up they saw the sky. “Must be it,” Thaqib said.

“But where does it lead?” Jazib asked. Thaqib reached into his pack and pulled out a small mirror attached to a metal rod.

“Whoa, came prepared?” Jazib commented.

“Usually use it for scoping around corners when we’re writing, to check for Mako. Who knew it comes in hand for prison breaks too!” Thaqib said, poking the mirror up through the grate. Thaqib looked, and went quiet.

“So? What do you see?” Jazib asked. Thaqib didn’t respond, “Thaqib?”

Thaqib pulled the mirror down, when he looked to Jazib he had a eerie look on his face like he’d just seen a ghost. “Well? What did you see up there.”

“I—I don’t know.”

“Huh? Let me take a look,” Jazib said, taking the mirror from Thaqib and poking it through the grate. Jazib had the same reaction, bringing the mirror down in silence.

“Wh—what are they doing in there?” Jazib asked.

Thaqib still felt strange. “I don’t know—” he said still unable to comprehend what he’d seen.

“We definitely can’t go up that way,” Jazib said.

Thaqib nodded, “lets keep going down the tunnel.”

They continued on and came to another grate. This one revealed no sky above just darkness. “Looks like this one opens up to some kind of building,” Thaqib said. He listened a moment and then, content that the way was clear, pushed upward on the grate. It was stuck, but not completely. “Help me out with this,” he asked Jazib. Together they thrust upward, banging the grate until it began to loosen. After a few tries they manged to push it up and swivel it across on one of the bolts that still remained. Thaqib poked his head up cautiously. Around him he saw metal pipes and machinery. “Think we’re in some kind of pump room,” he said to Jazib. The two of them climbed out to indeed find themselves in a sewage pump control room. They saw a small window up on top of one of the walls. They both carefully climbed up via a series of pipes and peered out to see clearly now what they had only glimpsed from the strange perspective in the tunnel. Even with this clear view however, they found it difficult to understand what they were seeing.

Rows of people sat upon the ground, linked by heavy metal chains that bound their arms and legs to their necks and then to the person beside them. There were hundreds of people if not thousands, sitting in massive rows. The most bizarre thing however was that each of the prisoners held a strange floating blue orb before them. Their eyes, locked upon them with disturbing intensity. Above the prisoners rose black pylons upon which similar orbs seemed to float, rotating, crackling with electricity. In the center of the wide field that stretched between the black prison walls was a giant pylon, a similar kind to the ones they had ridden under to get there. This pylon however had no wires, just a swirling mass of the blue energy being collected in those orbs from the prisoners.

“What’s going on!?” Jazib said aghast. “Is that Vril!?”

“Yeah, looks like it,” Thaqib said struggling to grasp what he was seeing.

“They collect it from people?” Jazib said. “I knew something was going on here but I never could have imagined anything like this! What are we gonna do?”

“Right now we’re here for Rast. We can’t do anything about this. This is too big.” Jazib looked angry, Thaqib didn’t think he’d ever seen him this angry.

“I knew Babylon was up to no good, but this is on a whole ‘nother level!” Jazib said, steaming.

Thaqib scanned the area past the many rows of prisoners. He saw prison guards walking the lines of inmates, brandishing electrified whips.

“You think Rast is locked in with the rest of them somewhere?” Jazib asked.

“Nah, not yet, they only just brought him here. Must be some kind of holding area where they prep new inmates.” Thaqib spotted a large building that he guessed was the living quarters of the inmates. He noticed a helipad and next to it, rows of square buildings. “There!” Thaqib said pointing them out to Jazib. “I’ll bet that’s where they’re keeping him.”

“Looks as good a place as any,” Jazib replied. “We just gotta figure out a way to get over there, no way we can just stroll out in the open. I know I don’t wanna be chained up with the rest of ‘em, that look in their eyes give me the creeps!”

Suddenly there was a bang on the door of the shed and they quickly jumped down and hid. Someone came in, a man dressed in gray overalls. He went over to one of the machines and started checking over various gages mounted upon it. Before Jazib knew what was happening, Thaqib leapt out from their hiding place, unfurled his staff a thrust it into the man’s back. He flicked a switch and jolt of electricity zapped the man, sending him crumpling to the floor.

“Whoa! Is he alright?” Jazib asked looking down at the man sprawled upon the ground. Thaqib didn’t answer, instead kneeling down and starting to strip the overalls and cap off the man. Jazib looked at the scenario in shock.

Thaqib looked up, “What? I’m gonna disguise my self and walk over there!”

“What about me? There’s only one pair,” Jazib asked.

“You stay here and hide this dude out of sight. When we escape we’re gonna have to come back this way. Just keep the path ready.

Jazib nodded, “OK. You sure you can just wander out like that?”

“It’s the only way I’m gonna get over there without raising suspicion—I hope.”

When Thaqib was dressed up in the maintenance worker’s outfit, Jazib thought he might actually be able to pull it off. “Well you definitely look the part. Let’s hope none of the guards gets nosy.”

“Yeah. Now, keep an eye out OK? Be ready when I get back here. I don’t know what state Rast is gonna be in or if I’ll have any trouble getting him loose. We might have to gap it in a hurry.”

“Don’t worry about that, sooner we’re out of here the better,” Jazib replied. Thaqib made his way to the door steeled himself and nodded to Jazib.

“Good luck,” Jazib said.

Thaqib cracked open the door and stepped outside. As he closed it, he became acutely aware of the throbbing, pulsating sound coming from the orbs. He figured he better play it cool and not pay any attention to the prisoners. That maintenance guy didn’t look Babylonian, probably just a poorly paid employee. Either way, someone that worked here would have to keep their head down if they didn’t want to be added to the ranks of interlocked prisoners. A path led from the maintenance shed directly down to the helipad and toward the compounds where he hoped to find Rast. All he had to do was walk to it as casually as possible.

He’d gotten halfway down the path when a guard appeared, walking toward him up the path. Thaqib weighed his options. Take a turn off the path or just continue on. He thought better to continue, maybe it would look suspicious if he tried to dodge him. He stayed on the path keeping his head down to the ground, daring not to catch the eyes of the guard. The guard was definitely Babylonian, standing at least a meter over Thaqib, broad shoulders draped in green armor.

Thaqib felt his heart racing as the guard neared, his palms began to sweat, if the guard noticed anything suspicious he was done for. Suddenly the guard was upon him, to Thaqib’s shock the guard struck out a hand and shoved him off the path. Thaqib fell hard onto the dirt beside the path. Thaqib’s heart beat violently, he was sure this was the end, he’d been spotted. He heard laughter and footsteps continuing down the path. He looked up in confusion to see the guard continuing on his way. He just pushed me as a joke? He picked himself up and continued down the path, his step now quickening.

Finally he made it to the helipad. The field of prisoners and their strange pulsating orbs were now hidden behind the large residential compound. Thaqib found it a relief, a dark energy of despair emanated from that sight. He arrived at the compound and found a series of doors each with a small slit. He ran to one, in the darkness he made out a row of bunk beds. He was relieved, these did seem to be holding cells. But in this one at least, Rast was nowhere to be seen.

Thaqib quickly made his way down the row, looking into door after door until finally at the very end he saw the unmistakable silhouette of Rast, sitting up straight upon one of the bunks. Thaqib felt a sensation of joy at finally seeing him alive and well after everything that had happened. Then he heard footsteps, and a dark shadow washed over him.

“What are you doing here?” boomed the loud voice of a prison guard.