DATE: September 17-October 21, 2002 CAST: Anise, Basil, Mallow and Oliver Long Term Prison Cells The Long Term Prison Cell is created much like the short term chamber. With walls made of twigs, cemented into holes bored into rock to prevent their movement. This chamber, however, is lined with very large rocks, making any tunneling in or out impossible. The door a thick slab of mahogany, is blocked with a large twig held fast by stone shelves carved out of the walls. This cell is rarely used, as the inhabitants are well disciplined, and the penalties for long term or life imprisonment, are very few. Hence the musty odor that abounds when it /is/ entered. Sitting quietly in the near black darkness of the prison cell, Basil looks onward from Mallow to the door and back. "Well, I'm ready as I'm going to be. How about you?" The beige ant whispers softly to his companion from East River. Was he an ambassador? Kinda hard to remember since life in the prison has made his mind wander more than even /he/ would be comfortable in contemplating. A couple non-descript sounds of the guard outside the door echo quietly into the tunnel leading to their location, but no action is expected. "Be patient, lad." Mallow watches for the guard outside, idly fingering the beautiful painted old snailshell whistle hanging on a thong around his neck, an authentic Shellblower. He wonders again why the guards never bothered to take it from him. It would fetch a small fortune back in East River. "We must wait for the other fellow, the one I told you about, young Oliver. You remember what you must do, yes? We talk with Oliver a bit while you feign being sick. Then, when I signal, you fall to the floor and moan like somebody just tore your leg off. Right?" Outside the cell, a guard sits stiffly in a less than comfortable chair, at a less than sturdy table, under a less than effective glowing mushroom fixture. Guards aren't afforded many luxuries, which might explain this one's irritable demeanor. For awhile the guard simply looked bored. Now he looks edgy. Downright cross, really. He completely ignores the mumbling prisoners. Darn those prisoners anyway, he wants to go home. If only that kid would get here already and relieve him. Any time now. Any time. Basil has to pause momentarily as the image of his leg being torn off fills his mind and sends a very slight shimmer through him. "Yeah, no -- no problem." Imagination has been just a little overactive down here as well. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, uh what do you plan to do after the guard gets over here, and I collapse?" Just a slight part of him would rather not know, but it's best to ask. Okay, the doorway is his first-- and when it happens, only target. But the unexpected can happen. Mallow's face clouds for a moment. "Don't you worry about that, lad. We do what we have to do, for Queen and Colony." He stretches his legs for a moment, his right leg stiff and sore from the damp coolness of the cell. Injured when bandit-bugs had attacked his diplomatic party of three just before they reached West River, it still troubled him. He missed the others, Sandcrawler and poor Mr. Toothwort, killed in the fighting. But the thought of returing to tell his story to his queen hefted his spirits. "Right then, good lad. Ah, if only I had a few of the old lads from my old outfit here. Then we'd make a real show of it, wouldn't we?" Mallow slaps Basil on the shoulder as if he were one of the old lads from the old outfit. A little shadow flickers just outside the entrance, quickly taking the shape of an ant as the sound of rapid footsteps drift into the lower level prison area. Before long a young medium blue ant, perhaps not yet even in his twenties, comes running in. Despite the alacrity of his gait, his eyes are bleary and tired-looking. He blinks innocently at the glaring visage of the other guard. "I'm not late am I?" "Not late am I?" the older guard mimics. Don't have to listen hard to find the sarcasm here. "You should have been here a quarter of an hour ago!" Basil snickers softly as he hears the interplay from guard to guard coming into the chamber. "I guess he'd be the one to fool," reffering to the latecomer, "though I kinda feel bad for him." The earlier slapping feeling causes a momentary blank expression on the younger ant's face to flash nearly instantaneously. Mallow has gone on about the past, and while it was interesting the first few times, it's getting a little tiresome. Immediately Basil shakes himself out of this state, fearing he'd drift back to his old self before he left West River the first time. Doesn't play to be like that, no_matter_what happens. "Oliver's a fine young fellow, make no mistake," whispers Mallow. "The others wouldn't show enough decency to fall for this, so we've no choice I'm afraid, unless you'd like to continue to enjoy your queen's hospitality. For me, I must escape, for I fear that my Queen will be certain your people attacked my party, and this ridiculous fighting will go on forever." Mallow pokes at Basil's stomach. "Good time to start thinking of that belly-ache, lad." "Oh," the young guard known as Oliver mumbles. "Sorry. Overslept. Thought I could slip in forty winks. More tired than I thought." He rubs one of his eyes and swallows a yawn. Hard to maintain some semblance of a life during the day when you have to stay up most of the night on guard duty. The older guard rises, unmoved by Oliver's apology and appearance. "I'll _report_ this you know. Keep it up and you'd better not expect to be a guard for much longer." With these charitable words he stalks outside, leaving his post to the young fellow. Nodding a couple times to show he's cognizant of the information the older ant is delivering, Basil closes his eyes to the ever increasing anxiety filling him. Nope, acting a stomachache won't be hard, given the circumstances. Being reminded of the possibility of life in this wretched pit doesn't help either. "Don't worry about me. I don't plan to retire here," is whispered with a trace of humor. After the other guard leaves, Basil places a hand to his belly and begins to moan, with tone increasing sharply. "Mallow? Are you in pain too?" He asks with a groan of mock suffering and a wink in his eye to show he's begun his performance. "No lad," Mallow replies, no longer whispering. "But then I didn't eat today. Food didn't smell right to me." Changing back to a whisper, he tells Basil, "There's a chance we may not have to go through with this. Let's see what Oliver has to say." He moves over to the door. "Oliver my boy, is that you?" Instead of looking dejected, Oliver nearly brightens. Oversleep and say goodbye to guard duty? Hmmm. What a marvelous idea! But unless he wants to face the wrath of his formidable father--and who knows if he'd ever get a chance to encounter Mallow again. Mallow and his tales are one of the few things that's made the hated job tolerable. Scrap that idea then. Speaking of Mallow... his gaze is drawn toward the cell. "It's me," he replies, quickly approaching. "Is everything all right in there?" That moaning doesn't sound too good. Through gritted teeth, Basil speaks back amidst sharp sounding groans. "Great! Why didn't you- OH!" A hiss of 'pain' comes out at high pitch. "Why didn't you warn me! Much thanks, /lad/." A little sarcasm seemed a good touch. "Uh! OH GAH! What was /in/ that anyway, bad mushrooms?" More belabored moans and hisses come loudly from the beige ant as he shows a little smile, but becomes serious again. "I'm going to lose it, Mallow!" Mallow peers out of the little access hole to get a glimpse of Oliver. He curses the pitiful light, for Oliver's mis-matched eyes, one blue, one brown, fascinate him, being a mark of good fortune back East River. "It's Basil. Food's not agreeing with him today. He's a stout fellow, he'll be fine. But how are you lad? How's your family?" Oliver bends over slightly to get a better look through the hole. Not that he can see much of anything. It's pitch black in there. How any one can stand being there day in and day out and keep their sanity is beyond him. "I can't complain, and they're all right enough," he replies. He stifles another yawn. "You know, I tried talking to people who'd have the authority to do something about letting you out, at least for a fair trial. All they had to say this time was that I was hired to guard, not /think/." His voice adopts an edge at that. "I'm sorry, Mallow. Doesn't seem as if anything can be done." Basil now redoubles his efforts on playing out a sickened ant. "Urp... BLEAH!" Was that what it sounded like? From the outside it just might sound like vomiting, but Basil is still playing the acting game. "Oh wow! Mallow, I'm losing lots of fluids. Could you ask-- Bleah! --Ugh!" A minute or two delay follows the awful sound. "Could you ask Oliver if he could send a little water in?" groans Basil deeply. Disappointment mixed with sorrow floods Mallow's features as he looks back at Oliver. "I'm sorry too my boy. It's not your fault. You did your best." Mallow pauses to look at the young blue ant, wondering where he'll be a few years from now. He hates what he has to do, but too much time has passed already, and either colony might do something rash at any time. He considers not going through with this, when Basil begins his act in earnest. Very well, for Queen and Colony. Mallow coughs twice loudly, the signal for Basil to collapse and finish the act. Oliver can't stop himself from grimacing at the unpleasant sounds coming from within the cell. "Right then, hang on." He moves away from the mahogany door to retrieve some water from one of the containers on the table. Stale water, most likely, but that's all they have down here. He pauses as he comes upon the door. "Got it. I can slip it through the hole here when you're ready." Well, this conversation between Mallow and Oliver isn't helping matters. He feels just a little more guilt at what they're doing, but it's a little too late to turn back now. Probably get the guy into trouble he doesn't deserve. "AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH" screams Basil as he 'drops' to the floor, perhaps a little too literally, but it does add to the effect. Painful sounding whimpering and moaning is emitted as he lies on his side with his back toward the door, while clutching his stomach. "Oh Heavens!" Mallow exclaims. He makes a show of rushing over to the fallen Basil. "Basil old lad! Basil! Oh no, it's all my fault, I should have said something about those berries! Oliver! Oliver! We've got to do something! Water, anything!" Oliver's eyes somewhat widen. All those moans and screams don't sound good, to say the least. He rises at once and hefts the twig that bars the door, sliding it out of place and tossing it aside. With that done, he pries open the heavy wooden door and steps inside quickly. Amazingly enough, the water droplet has remained intact during all this activity. He starts to approach, to get a better look at this ant who sounds like he's being tortured to death or something to that effect. "What in the world...?" First the sounds of the twig barring the door shut being moved, then the sound of the door coming open brings new hope to Basil. Then the rush of fresh air only adds to his desire to escape. Now if only what he thinks Mallow is going to do wouldn't be necessary. "Ugh! Wha... *moan*" That's pretty much it. He makes no attempt to move, worried he might trigger doubts in Oliver's mind. "Water..." is barely gasped out in mock suffering. "It's those cursed berries they give us," Mallow says. "They're rotten half the time. Oliver, here, lift his head and try to get him to drink some of that water. I'll get a bit of leaf from this cot to prop his head up." "Right." Oliver kneels down beside the beige ant on the ground and attempts to follow Mallow's instructions, guiding the droplet towards his mouth. "Sounds like we might need a medic here. But getting one down here--" he doesn't finish the sentence. He knows it's an unlikely thing. A doctor is likely to put a prisoner low on the list at best. Mallow gets up and steps behind Oliver as the young guard crouches over Basil, bringing water to Basil's lips. But instead of heading toward the old leaf-cot, Mallow turns around to face Oliver from behind. "Forgive me, my young friend." Mallow brings his doubled fists down hard on the back of Oliver's head, just above the neck. The combined force of Mallow's fists knocks Oliver out like a light. In a second he's a medium-blue heap of ant on the floor. The droplet he held slaps to the ground, shattering and seeping into the earth. The young guard isn't likely to be in a position to do anything for awhile. Basil feels the young guard ant physically move him but keeps eyes closed as the water is pressed to his lips. Upon hearing Mallow's apology, the 'sick' ant's eyes pop open to see what his captive companion is about to do and snaps his eyes shut tightly, wincing hard. 'Oh man' Is bemoaned in his mind. 'Oliver, I am /so/ sorry to do this to you.' After the stricken ant crumples to the ground, Basil gets to his feet and offers a melancholy look to Mallow. "I'm sorry you had to do that. If there was any way..." Quickly, indigo eyes gaze at the opening, then to Oliver. "He'll be okay. We'd better go. Now!" Mallow seems not to hear Basil. "Irresponsible," he says, looking down at Oliver. "Criminally irresponsible. Toothwort's envoy mission was doomed from the start, not by bandits but by idiots who aren't fit to dig dirt. What fools we were." He bends over Oliver, lifting his eyelids to see the younger ant's eyes. "Basil my good fellow. Give me a hand here. Help me get him over to the cot." Oliver is in no condition to resist, much less even know what's going on around him. Mercifully he is also unaware of the nice headache he'll probably have once he finally wakes up. Basil sighs softly. "You're right. Selfish of me. Let's at least put him in a better place than the floor." Having said that, assistance is given to Mallow as he gently aids in placing Oliver onto the cot located off to the side of the prison. "Oh, but try not to worry about him. I've seen ants take harder blows in tunnel accidents that came out fine in a few days. Albeit a nasty little headache..." This time a visible wince shows upon his visage. "Two good ants are dead, and now this. What a waste." Though no doctor, Mallow has seen enough injuries in training and combat to see that Oliver will recover. He is about to be led away by Basil, when he pauses and slips his beloved Shellblower whistle from about his neck and places it around Oliver's neck. "Farewell my friend. Maybe this incident will change your path for the better." He turns to Basil. "Right then, let's be off." Basil watches Mallow remove his whistle then place it around the fallen ant's neck. A barely detectible shake of the head occurs as he contemplates the other ant's words. As glad as he is to be free of the confines of this prison, Basil knows he won't be seeing Oliver again, or his old home as soon as he is safely away. Clearly any type of return is far too dangerous. But maybe his family will come and look for him. "Right. Let's get out of here!" Beige feet are pointed toward the doorway and swift motions make toward its threshold. Mallow follows his companion out of the cell. He pauses a moment, for this is the first time he's seen his prison quarters from the other side in a long time. "We could be seen and recognized at any moment, but it's nighttime and that should help us. Not too many ants about. What's the quickest way to the colony entrance? I figure we'll have a fight on our hands there, but they won't be expecting us. I give us one chance in four. Not bad. Action at last!" "One." Swallow. "One in four?" gapes Basil slowly. Oh he'd had hoped for better odds then that. "Well, under normal circumstances the stairwell leading to the top would be the quickest way out." The younger escapee looks at Mallow and thinks he notices just the slightest bit of peculiarity? Nah, he's just been locked up; nothing to worry about. "Stairwell you say? Right then! Reminds me of our raid on that red ant colony back when I was just a lad. Snuck in to free some prisoners they took, got trapped and had to fight our way out. Rather exciting, that. Lead on, Basil!" "Uh, Mallow?" Eyes grow just a little wider as the older ant regales Basil with his tales of battle and escape. Oh boy. "Let me finish. I was going to say that the stairwell is the quickest route /if/ we weren't worried about being seen. However, I know of a tunnel that's very rarely known just two levels up, that we can take to escape that should be much safer." 'That should get his attention,' thinks the beige ant as he leads the way to the same said level. Mallow hesitates a moment and considers what Basil said. He hadn't imagined escaping without a fight, but that would improve their chances somewhat. "Ah. A stealthy approach. Good thinking Basil. Very good." He follows Basil into the upper levels of the colony, his bad leg troubling him a bit and causing him to limp. Upon reaching the second level, Basil begins the quick trip toward the hidden tunnel located at the end of this current one. In looking back, he notices Mallow limping toward him. "Oh, your leg. I forgot." He then quickly heads back toward the East Riverian to see if any help can be given. "Can I help?" An earnest offer of help is given, as he places himself next to Mallow in case a physical support could help. "No no, it's just a twinge," Mallow replies. "Picked this little injury up on the way here. The doctor here didn't seem to have much time for me when I arrived. The soldiers weren't too gentle about it either, when they found me on your borders. Anyway, I'll be right along behind you. It's not too far is it? This tunnel of yours?" Basil feels a little more comfort, yet feels pity for Mallow's injury. "I'm sorry you weren't treated better. Oh, and the hidden tunnel? It's not far, just this 'dead end tunnel' that actually has a rock blocking the entrance, but we should be able to move it. I did so with an ant not quite as strong as you, so I'm sure we'll get through." The lighting isn't a lot better in the tunnels connecting the prison levels to the rest of the anthill. Most of the sickly mushrooms in the lower levels seem to be glowing their last. It's as if somebody made the area depressing on purpose. Up ahead, footsteps and indistinct voices can be heard. Mallow looks ahead and listens. "Is that the way? I thought I heard something. Antennae not what they used to be, I'm afraid." Basil's antennae bounce back a bit as the footsteps and voices echo toward them. "Close, but if those ants are where I think they are, it might not be close enough." A quicker stride is adopted toward that 'dead end' but the sounds also seem to be coming closer. In the dim light, an old brown leaf door appears to be covering a chamber of some sort, possible escape from whomever might be coming, or even looking for them. "That might be a good place to hide," states the younger ant nervously. The sounds become more audible and distinct. Someone is definitely coming this way. "I'm telling you, the condition of the lower tunnels is /intolerable/. Someone needs to send a repair crew down here. And fertilize these mushrooms. I can hardly see where we're going." Perhaps it's a good thing the mushrooms aren't shedding as much light as some do in West River. The approaching insects can't readily be made out, visually. Mallow pauses to gaze at a particularly sad looking mushroom casting weak illumination in the passage. "Pathetic, that's what it is. Just look at this thing. The maintenance-ants here really deserve a good thrashing. Why, in our colony--" Normally Basil would agree with Mallow's critical observation of this tunnel. He too was into tunnel construction and has a deep passion for the work, despite the time he's been away from his job here at West River. "Shh! Quiet!" demands the beige ant in a soft whisper yet leaning toward a somewhat harsh tone. He then pulls Mallow aside, to a place just inside the doorway covered by the old wilted leaf door that sits inset from the wall. Therein lies enough room to not necessitate the need to push the door aside, but to stay out of view. "Stay down and be quiet. If they do come this way, we'll be hidden in the shadows." A yelp of pain. "Ah, ah! See that? Because I can't, and I just tripped over it. Ow, my toe." Amidst the more loquacious of the two ant's muttering, his companion murmurs something to the effect of him needing to be more careful. "Well I would if I could see a blasted thing," the first ant snaps. By now they have drawn close to where Basil and Mallow were just standing. "And did you hear something? I didn't think there'd be anyone else about at this time." Just inside the doorway, Mallow grimaces in pain as his bad knee begins to swell and stiffen from all the activity. He waits anxiously for what the others outside might do next. Basil can feel his heart pounding strongly within his thorax. Doesn't help the tension one bit. "If we stay put, I'm sure they won't thing to look in here." Softly whispers the younger ant, in part to calm his own troubled nerves. Eyes look around the room, but little gives to his senses, as the only thing he can see is a tiny bit of the rock walls from the light that's seeping in around the spaces between the door and the rock-hewn doorway surrounding it. Luck for them it was empty. The second ant reminds his companion in a low tone that they're here, so why not others? "Yes, well, I know," the first ant concedes. Footsteps draw nearer to the fragile leaf that separates the darkened chamber from the tunnel. As if he hadn't acknowledged the point, the first ant says, "I don't see anything--well of course I can't!--But it sounded like it might have come from there." The leaf rustles faintly as a hand settles on it, meaning to brush it aside. Mallow freezes, daring not even to breathe. The shadows are deep here, and the other's eyes used to brighter tunnels. He prays they won't be seen, as a fight here would be bad, particularly with Basil clearly nervous. With mind in a whirl, Basil focuses a glance to the location of the sound that seems to be from someone making contact with the leaf door. Suddenly a lump fills his throat the size of 'A strawberry' he thinks in this moment of terror. Why did he have to have /that/ image come to his mind right now? Probably feeling similar fears from when he and Walter made their escape in those strawberries some while back. Fear has mostly paralyzed this ant, so if they are found, virtually no hope is had in escaping. "What do you mean 'wasting time'?" the more vocal ant pipes up in response to something his companion says. "I just want to see, that's all." A bit more light trickles in as the leaf is pushed aside, though it doesn't do much about all of the shadows. A partial silhouette of an ant's head appears, peeking inside. After a moment, the head withdraws. "Can't see much of anything in there. Looks abandoned. See, that's exactly what I was talking about. No one cares." The leaf whisperingly slides back into place. Wanting to laugh as he always does when tension eases away, Mallow instead quietly gives Basil a reassuring pat on the shoulder. It appears they will not have to fight here after all. He happily increaes their odds for escape from one in four to one in three. More relief could not be felt as the sounds of the guards voices trail off toward the end of the tunnel. As soon as if seems safe, Basil plops over backwards and lets out a most belabored exhale. "I thought we were dead!" The sarcastic words rush out in a hurried tone. Eyes afterward slowly open and as they adjust to what light is present, something about the room feels eerily familiar about the room. "Mallow, I have a feeling our luck might be getting even better. Stay here, I'll be right back." The beige gets to his feet, and as he walks to the door, pokes his head out cautiously then motions to slip out into the tunnel. Mallow watches in surprise as Basil departs. He hopes the others outside have since passed by. A little grunting can be heard along with the sounds of dirt cascading to the floor, followed by Basil quickly returning to the room, clutching a rather sickly looking phosphorescent mushroom. "If I'm not mistake," begins the glowing mushroom's holder as he oversees the room, voice pausing intermittently as he inspects the wall. "Then this room," progress is then made toward one of the back corners of the chamber, "is a hidden opening to the tunnel we are looking for." Hands then inspect the rocks that make up the wall, perhaps looking for signs that only a tunneling expert would recognize. "Wow. They hid it better than I thought they would." Mallow peers in the dim light to see what Basil has discovered, "What then? A hidden passage? Very good! We'll get out of this yet." He glances about the dilapidated chamber for anything useful. "Weapons, that's what we need. What do you prefer, Basil my boy? A good thorn knife would be my choice for this sort of day. Can't see a blessed thing of any use here though. Have to make do as we are, it seems." Basil attempts to not begrudge Mallow as he talks about fighting. But getting himself into hand-to-hand combat, on the other hand, this he'd rather avoid. He backs to a fair distance from the wall, and motions for his fellow escapee to approach with the wave of his left hand. "Mallow? Would you hold this mushroom for a moment, please?" Eyes then shift back to the wall, as they study the rock formations before him, anticipating the release of weight from the mushroom in his right hand. Taking the weakly glowing mushroom from the younger ant, Mallow observes Basil's seemingly experienced actions. Basil eyes the rocks for a few moments longer, than without any warning, runs full force into the wall, sending the momentum of his rather meager weight into the rock arrangement. "Oohh!" Stumbling back a big to gain his balance, he takes another full run toward the wall, this time delivering an even harder blow. "Gah!" The stumbling becomes even more pronounced this time as he attempts to regain his balance. "Hopefully that will do the job." A gentle rubbing of the right side shoulder and hip occurs, due to the ramming action having significant effects on the combatant. Meanwhile, no motion or sound comes from the ant-impacted wall. Mallow eyes both Basil and the wall dubiously. "Pardon me lad, but what job is that?" "Wrecking nut. I'm afraid," grimaces Basil as he eyes the wall before him. Still nothing. "Normally we'd use a large heavy nut, tied with a vine to a framework to break through walls like this one, but since you're hurt and I'm in better shape." A small pebble drops down from the wall, followed by a couple rocks. Eyes shift back to the wall, then his right hand's index finger extends. "One, two, three, four..." a pause is made as the finger points at the wall in time with his next word. "Five!" As if the wall had antenna, it seemingly obeys the ants words and quickly comes tumbling to the ground. "Works every time." Hand goes to chin, followed by a wry smile. "Well except that time when Joseph made that one attempt..." "Good job, lad, oh very good job!" Mallow brushes aside a little of the rubble and shines the mushroom into the hole. Beyond lies another passage, partially blocked by fallen rocks and roots. "Rough going, but passable, at least as far as this pitiful fungus can shine. This will take us out? Here lad, take the mushroom and lead the way." Basil gives Mallow a bright smile. Perhaps in part to show that he too has a few hidden skills of his own. "Yup, this leads directly out." The glowing fungi is accepted, followed by a few steps into the mouth of the tunnel. "We never did get a chance to fully clean out the roots and debris, as the work on this tunnel was halted. Council didn't feel right about it's location. Too much a risk because of your colony, I'm afraid." Eyes inspect the tunnel ahead. "But up on the upper surface at the base of the anthill lies the other end, never sealed in case the council changed their minds. We should have no trouble in escaping undetected." "I'd say our odds of success are better than fifty percent now! But we should hurry. We'll need the night to get as far away as we can." Favoring his bad leg, Mallow steps into the hole and waits for Basil to lead the way. "Have you thought of where you'll go when we are in the open? A lad of your skills and pluck would be welcome in East River." Basil takes the lead into the tunnel, making sure that Mallow is able to keep up. "I appreciate the offer, Mallow. That is if your colony would accept me." A pile of loose rocks is side-stepped while a hand is pushed up against a wall to aid in keeping balance. "But I'm going to head back to Ant Island. I have a home, as well as friends there who I've missed dearly. I just hope they haven't begun to worry about me, like my family. From there..." A foot-step is taken over a low lying root. "From there I'll send a message back to them. They need to know I'm alive." Mallow has a difficult time following, but manages. Periodically he glances back over his shoulder to check for pursuit. As he walks down the tunnel, he considers Basil's divided loyalties. A fine lad, he'll do well, Mallow thinks. "How much further to the exit?" he asks as he navigates past a twisted root. "About five minutes," states Basil dryly, then looks over his shoulder at Mallow and his difficulty in travel. "Better make that ten minutes." Coming upon a bend in the tunnel, which afterwards is a mostly straight and steady incline toward the top. Three roots and one large rock: That is until the next bend." "Right." Mallow takes the rise in the passage with some difficulty. "Sitting on my abdomen in that cell for so long has taken its toll, I'm afraid. Sorry to slow you up my boy." Despite his growing fatigue, he plods on steadily. Basil now begins to realize that this individual whom he's spent so much time with, and having spoken to and helped to keep his sanity will depart from him, probably to never see again. "Mallow. Before anything happens, I just want to thank you for helping with the escape and even more importantly keeping me company. I have no idea how you managed to do so well as you did alone." The first root is reached and easily ducked under. "But /please/ don't apologize for holding us up. I owe you my eternal appreciation. I'd never get out of there alone." "You're welcome, quite welcome. But neither of us would have done it alone. Team effort lad, that's the way." Mallow marches on, passing under the root Basil just cleared. "That's the way our colonies should be as well, a team. They might yet, might yet. Did you realize I have family both here and at home? Shellblowers on both sides. I've spent long hours thinking of my friends and family. Saw me through the dark hours down there, that and Oliver." "Both sides!" emulates Basil in a dumbfounded manner. "It's a shame these people don't see what's in common rather than what's different, or rely upon old rumors." For the next few minutes Basil says nothing more but keeps these things in mind. A few more obstacles are passed and dodged, as they reach near the end. "The opening should be just beyond that next bend." An index finger is idly pointed toward the goal. Mallow puts a hand to Basil's shoulder. "Basil lad. Until we're clear of West River's patrols the situation could still turn sour. If we run into a spot of difficulty, don't linger for me, my boy. Make a break of it and get away. Return to your island friends. Make a fine life for yourself away from all this fighting nonsense. I ask one thing of you if I'm caught. Try to get a message to my people. Tell them what happened. Tell them the truth. You'll do that, won't you?" Basil forces a smile as he feels Mallow's hand on his shoulder, but his thoughts aren't quite so agreeable. 'Yeah right am I going to just run off and let you get captured like that' he thinks defiantly. Mallow is far too kind an individual to be treated the same way again. "Let's just not either of us get caught, shall we?" A soft sight is exhaled. Now the anxiety builds again. "A good plan that, not getting caught." Mallow begins moving ahead again. "Now, we'll need a bit of luck in the form of an overcast sky, for if my count of days hasn't failed me we'll have a moon tonight." "Oh swell," offers Basil sarcastically, regarding the news of a brighter moon. "All we don't need." Soon the entrance of the tunnel is reached and sure enough... the moon is out. But so are a number of clouds in the sky, some of which quickly blot out the light of the heavenly body over them. "Looks like our odds are down again, but not out, eh?" A look to the ominous sky, then to Mallow causes Basil's head to shift. Three ants, guard ants to be specific, are huddled around a flat stone serving as a table near the exit. They are engaged in some sort of card game under the sickly glow of a single bioluminescent mushroom. The light of the moon that occasionally finds its way inside seems more effective than another pitiful excuse for a fungus. Mallow stays in the shadows of the entrance, practiced eyes surveying the situation. "You weren't expecting this, were you?" he whispers to Basil. Basil turns head and looks directly at Mallow. "To be honest, it really doesn't surprise me. With West River sending out scouts looking for colonies to find support in case of war with your colony, or so they assume, they're probably on high alert in case 'an attack' happens." The words 'attack' are stated with much sarcasm. "When will this nonsense end?" Without awaiting an answer he continues. "But in the mean time, these guards are the biggest worry right now." So far, none of the guards notice anything odd. It's too dark and they're too wrapped up in the game. "Guh. Not the Queen of Spades again." The guard who speaks shakes a fist in mock defiance at the one who gave him the card. "You cutthroat you." Mallow nods in agreement with Basil. A small patch of clouds passes over the moon, briefly cloaking the scene in darkness. Mallow looks up at the sky for a moment then studies the guard's positions. A thicket of grasses lies not far beyond. An idea forms in his mind. "Look there lad, see that big patch of clouds? If we wait until they pass over the moon, we might be able to pass by these fellows with none of them the wiser. We need only make for that patch of grasses over there and we'll be in cover again. Not far at all. What do you think?" "Excellent idea Mallow. I'll wait until it gets dark again, then I'll go ahead. I have more mobility than you do." With that he awaits the clouds and as soon as the moon is covered, swiftly yet quietly makes his way to the said grassy area. Perfect. Now it's Mallow's turn. Eyes look back to watch the other ants progress. "I should think you'd be used to it by now," the other guard replies, sorting through his cards. As the moon's light is quelled again, he frowns. "This would be easier if we at least had another mushroom." He leans closer to the glowing fungus. The two other guards do similarly. And still they take no notice of the newly arrived ants. Seeing how well the plan worked for Basil, Mallow waits until a patch of clouds passes over Moon's face, then steps out of tunnel, moving quietly and staying clear of the weak light of the guards mushrooms. Barely clear of the tunnel exit, his foot catches on a stone, and his swollen knee betrays him. Choking back a curse at his luck, he staggers to the ground, attempting to muffle his fall as best he can. He glances up to see the trailing end of the clouds about to clear the moon. In moments he'll be in clear view of the guards! Basil watches Mallow as he waits, then quickly depart the tunnel for the grass clearing, then as he falls and drops to the ground. 'Oh NO!' shouts Basil in his mind as a really deep and awfully sick feeling fills his entire form as eyes quickly dart toward the guards then the sky above. Panic fills him as the moon is about to makes its light and presence shown again. "I can't... uh." If the guards see Mallow, there will only be seconds to spare. Little hope now remains. One of the guards' antennae boing up. "Say. You hear that too?" He turns his head toward the sound, the other two following suit. "I'm going to check it out." He gingerly lays his cards face-down on the table and moves toward the exit. "And no looking at my hand on the sly." Mallow watches helplessly as he sees the guards look up. Run for it? I'll never make it, he thinks. He turns his head and barely makes out Basil's form at the edge of the grasses. "What are you waiting for?" he mutters under his breath. "Run Basil, run now." Mallow sees the last of the clouds clearing from the moon. Well, I made a good show of it anyway. Good luck to you, friend Basil. Oh, that does it. It really only takes a few moments of decision before Basil does what he knows what he has to do. "Hey! Over here! That's right you bunch of larvae! Come get me!" Then with a rapid spin on heels he takes off for the hills, knowing full well that his chances of escape are virtually impossible. He will not let Mallow be captured again without doing what he can. Heart begins to pound from fear, activity, and the acceptance of being put back into that awful place again. But it's what he must do. Mallow has suffered far more than he, and deserves to go home. "You! Halt!" the guard shouts, as if he expects that will bring about the desired results--oh, but really, a chase is more exciting than a card game. At once he sprints after the retreating ant. The two other guards throw down their cards and join in the pursuit. For a moment Mallow is struck dumb by what has just happened. He gets to his feet and begins to run after the guards, but he has no chance of keeping up with them. "Think, you old fool. You can't help Basil, and you'll just get yourself captured and his bravery will be for nothing. What can you do that'll do some good?" At the edge of the grasses, Mallow makes a decision. With a final salute to Basil, he turns eastward for home and his long-overdue report to his Queen. Basil manages to look back to Mallow as he salutes and departs. "Over here!" The narrow framed ant calls out and waves again to the guards. "Looks like you guys aren't any better then when I was exiled!" he taunts heartily. Then it's decided that once guards get within seeing distance, he'll attempt to escape, but only quick enough to give Mallow the distance he needs. While he sees little hope in escaping the guards without any of them losing track of him and perusing Mallow, he'll do whatever he can to help himself without compromising Mallow's newly acquired freedom. "Aphids! All of ya!" The taunting affects the guards to no small degree. All three are fully immersed in the chase, running fast and furious after Basil; not a one seems to have spotted Mallow, and at this rate they probably never will. But the space between them and the retreating beige ant is disappearing fast. Okay, now the chase is on. With all in pursuit, Basil makes his best efforts in keeping distance from the guards, but having spent time in prison with little action or chance to move much seems to be hampering his progress. A few grass blades are pushed aside as he makes his way farther from the colony, but it's the third one that has the strongest effect, and with the condensation that's settled upon the broad piece of foliage, he loses grip as it whips the mildly weakened ant back hard and fast to a tumble in the wrong direction: toward the closing guards. "We've almost got-" the leader of the guards is abruptly cut off as their target suddenly tumbles in their direction. He is already running at full speed, and it doesn't look as if he'll be able to halt in time. He attempts to slow down, but at the same time veer out of the way to avoid a collision. In the meantime, one of the other guards in pursuit isn't able to stop in time and slams right behind him, sending the first guard tumbling. Basil predictably tumbles, or more like slams into the first guard, who then cascades yet again in the original direction. Upon making contact with the ground, the narrow framed escapee come to a dizzying thud, but manages to get to his feet, eyeing the other guards in their collision. Without another word or action, Basil begins to run as quickly as possible, hoping this little diversion will give him the necessary distance to escape. While the two fallen guards work to disentangle themselves from foliage, the third guard, who was able to see the predicament in time, resumes the chase without incident. He does not offer his companions any assistance; they'll be fine enough. What's important is capturing this fleeing ant. Even before the fallen guards finally get to their feet he leans into the effort, charging full-force and finally leaping at Basil, aiming to pin him to the ground. Hearing the scuffle from behind only causes Basil to increase his speed, but not enough to avoid the grasp of the third guard from behind, and so is quickly apprehended. No words are uttered to the guard as Basil is pushed to the ground feeling the weight of the pursuing ant upon him. Head shifts toward the other two guards, anticipating their inevitable arrival. "I've got him!" the guard shouts, while leaning much of his weight on the recaptured ant. There is no way he's going to let this one get away. "Help me out here." In response the two other guards rush forward to help apprehend the ant. "Boy are you going to get it..." It really takes no imagination in behalf of Basil to know what he's going to get. Despite his still pounding heart, it sinks deeply as the other two guards approach, anticipating their grasp and his being led back down to that cold, black, awful prison. In some ways he wishes that blade of grass could have done him in permanently as he now sees very little chance of getting out again. Oh, and he can just imagine how Anise will react. No, on second though, he'd rather not, to which he pushes that image as far away from his mind as he can. The guards are none too mild in the way they handle their cargo as they proceed back to the anthill. Two guards keep a firm grip on the beige ant to see to it that he doesn't dart off again, while the third keeps a look-out. As they reach the tunnel entrance where their game of cards awaits, another ant rushes out to meet them. A small female ant, who nonetheless made it on guard duty somehow. "Your Highness, I think I see them now! They must have recaptured at least one of the prisoners," she announces. Behind her, the shadowed from of an ant with curled antennae peeking out over a floral tiara can be made out. As if his heart couldn't sink any lower. Significant discomfort is felt in the areas where the guards keep hold of Basil, causing him to wince, but hearing the female voice call out 'your highness' and seeing the curled antenna and the tiara tells him his worst nightmare is about to be realized. Several ideas race through his mind, including begging for mercy, saying nothing or attempting to explain the events, none of which offers a best-case scenario, or even any possible help, for that matter. "Another one?" one of Basil's captors calls out. "All we saw was this one. We'll search the vicinity for him. In the meantime, what do you want us to do with him?" For a moment there is no response. Although Anise cannot be clearly seen, it would seem she is glaring intently at the prisoner. As she steps forward, she seems to take her time in analyzing the visage of each guard, as if to commit them to memory. Finally, very calmly: "Put this one back in the cell on the lowest level. Tie him up. Give him only enough food to survive. If someone is _incompetent_ enough to let him escape again," her eyes narrow, "I don't want to give him any chance to run back to East River Colony." By and large it seems that silence is in order, but for what ever reason, Basil finally decides to speak up to clarify one thing. "I have never been to East River. Nor do I have any desire to go there. My home is Ant Island." Thus stated, he awaits to be taken back to the prison, to a most horrible existence, and then probably a premature end. Anise's response is little more than a deathly glare. One of the guards moves to elbow Basil sharply. "Ignorant snipe," he growls, "you're addressing the princess. And like as not you'd lie about your origins, just like some sneaky Easterner--" He gets no further when Anise suddenly raises a hand, a command for immediate silence. "I gave you all an order," she tells the guard, with a chilling look. "I expect it to be fulfilled /at once/." She stares unwaveringly at the guards as they prepare to drag the prisoner off. The impact of the guard's elbow sends pain radiating throughout the thorax, causing Basil to wince deeply, but he chooses to not retaliate. At this point, he would normally make attempts to plea bargain, offering the princess anything she wanted, but knowing Anise the way she is, nothing at this point will change her mind. So without any resistance, the beige ant chooses to be freely acted upon and be taken to his prison cell below. Anise remains perfectly still as the guards begin hauling Basil away, only her eyes moving to follow them. And these visual orbs are riveted most hatefully on their burden. "You're beginning to be more trouble than you're worth," she says under her breath. Her right hand nearly tightens into a fist, but she puts a stop to it once she's aware of the involuntary reaction. There are too many occasions in which keeping one's composure is essential. She turns to the female guard. "You have done well to come to me first. I would not want something to unnecessarily interrupt what precious little rest my mother the Queen can get. You may return to your duties. I shall see to Oliver myself." And with that, the princess begins to depart. 'Oh, poor Oliver,' thinks Basil as he's lead off and away from Anise. 'He was only doing the right thing, I'm sure.' Head shakes back and forth in remorse at the outcome of this situation. As he is led down to the prison level, Basil feels hopelessness deeper than he's ever felt in his life. He knows that after being bound, locked away and given only enough food to survive, he'll never have the ability to escape on his own, and certainly the guards won't make the 'mistake' of letting him escape again, nor would anyone know of his imprisonment. It would seem that the cell that he is now returned to will be his final place of residence. [END LOG] Related Story: Darkness Next Log: Make Haste Return to: Unexpected Journey logs.

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