The first quake happened as Vi was settling down in her cot, trying to sleep. It must have been a big explosion, because it shook her almost out of her bed.

She sat up fast. Haze. There was no question. She knew - like a sure fire in her soul - Haze was here, and he’d brought the fire with him.

More crashes sounded out over their heads. The slaves rushed together to huddle in one cell.

One of the male slaves muttered, “I don’t understand. They’re supposed to drop the metal grate around this cell. Seal us in.”

Hurriedly, Vi stood up in horror. “Are you serious? If everyone dies, we’d be stuck in here forever.

The slave shook his head. “We’re stuck in here forever, regardless,” he said, pointing at the main door that could only be opened from the outside. “Just keep yourself down until whatever it is, is over. They’ll review the tape later. If you didn’t, they’ll make sure you regret it. Trust me on that.”

“Like hell,” Vi said, standing up. She moved to the edge of the glass cell and walked outside the room to the hallway, keeping herself against the wall. No way was she getting trapped in that cell if a guard remembered to do his job.

There was a moment of intense shouting outside the door and the sounds of guns going off.

Silence stretched endlessly as she held her breath.

The locks clicked and the kind-seeming soldier from before came rushing in, waving his hand at them. “Hurry, all of you, hurry. They’ve come to get you out.”

“Don’t trust him,” the same male slave said. “He’s one of them. Stay put. We’ll be rewarded.”

The guard held the door open. “You have to hurry,” he repeated. “We don’t have much time.”

Vi stood up. “No, I think it’s Haze. He’s come to rescue us. We should go, quick.”

A shot sounded out, and the guard crumpled.

Vi gasped and knelt back down. Still crouching, she rushed back toward the cell but was still unwilling to go inside.

“The traitor jammed the gate,” someone yelled from outside the room. Ah, no wonder they hadn’t sealed them all in yet, Vi thought. Five guards rushed in and surrounded the cell the slaves were in. One of the guards aimed a weapon at Vi, and she moved herself the rest of the way back into the glass cage.

There was more gun fire and explosions; smoke billowed into their level. Vi blinked her eyes rapidly as she watched the entrance.

A large form crashed through the door, rolled across the floor, and came up with guns flourished. He leaped into the air, his guns still outstretched, firing rounds as he somersaulted in a magnificent display of aerobatics. The guards fired wildly but fell to the floor like a game of dominos.

He came to a stop near the door. She could only glimpse eyes above his face covering. He turned back to survey the room as he unhooked his mask and tossed it to the floor.

His skin was a muddy, off-colored shade, but it was definitely Haze. “Sorry it took so long,” he said.

“Haze.” Vi breathed out the word like a joyous chorus that reverberated inside her. Was it really almost over?

Haze nodded, a pained look on his face. His eyes flicked back to the others. Vi looked back as well. The slaves had come to their feet, but they were huddled together, nervously.

He raised his voice. "Any that want to come with us, now’s the time.”

Haze turned back to face the door, his guns held at the ready should any other guards make it into the room. “Let’s go. The back exit is covered by our guys. This way.”

Twelve broke off from the group and rushed to stand beside them. She gripped her tail between her hands, and her eyes were filled with a mixture of hesitant hope and confusion. “There’s no back exit,” she said.

Haze nodded his head as another even louder boom went out and shook the ceiling. A cloud of smoke rolled into the room, slowly dissipating and revealing a hole in the back wall.

Haze grinned in a ferocious way that filled Vi’s heart again. “There’s our exit… for all of us.” He glanced at the girl and back to Vi. “You ready?”

“Yes,” Vi breathed.

He squeezed her hand. “This way.” He took a few steps toward the opening, but Vi didn’t follow him.

A few slaves hovered at the door, uncertain, but many still stood in the middle of the main cell, clustered together. Their eyes, though, spoke volumes about their desire to come, to take the risk.

“Let’s go,” Haze said. “We don’t got a lot of time here.”

Vi raised her voice, hoping to give their feet courage. “This place sucks. Don’t stay here,” she urged them. She made eye contact with the tall yellow-skinned slave. The woman took a step forward.

“Whatever waits for us out there…” Vi pointed her hand over her head. “It’s a mile better than here, right?” With that, she turned to follow Haze, rushing after him.

“There’s our exit.” Haze pointed toward the opening above, created by the blast. Haze grinned. “…Used to be a closet, but I think, it’s a much better use of space.” Haze glanced around as the other slaves joined them. He waved them to the side, against the wall.

“Everyone stay out of my line of sight, all right? Someone comes through the door, you’re not going to want to get in my way, right?” The slaves hurriedly moved out of the way.

“Good,” Haze nodded. He waved the slaves toward the opening. “Now, three at a time should be fine. Hold on tight. When you’re at the top, do what they say to keep the closet clear for the next group coming up.”

Vi leaned into the opening. Several ropes hung down from above, attached to a short, make-shift platform, hanging slightly in the air. A man poked his head down and encouraged her. “Climb on, quick, girl.”

Vi started to clamber onto the platform but saw the others waiting. “Here, let me help you. Quick, quick.” She loaded three onto the tray. They were pulled up to the next floor, then the tray was lowered again, and she guided the next three onto the platform, helping them to balance until it was raised out of sight.

She continued helping people until rapid shots sounded behind her, loud and in her ear. Vi went cold and froze, but she realized quickly that she wasn’t in pain. She shook it off and blindly reached to help the next slave, when she realized it was Seventeen. Seventeen had an arm around Twelve and was guiding her forward.

Another couple shots rang out and Twelve bolted forward, climbing onto the platform, her tail wrapped around one of the ropes.

Haze called up the hole, “Ammo!” and a square box fell to the ground. He scooped it up and reloaded his guns.

“There, we’re almost there,” Seventeen murmured into Twelve’s ear. “We’re ready,” she called up.

Vi moved her hand in the air to signal the next group, but no one came forward. She looked around and realized they were the only two left.

“Haze,” Vi said.

“I saw. Good job getting them all out. Let’s go.”

He climbed to the center of the tray and pulled her next to him. As the platform rose into the air, it vibrated. Haze’s arm went around her, holding her close. The warmth of his hand seeped through her back, steadying her.

His chin rested a moment on her head. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, so quietly she almost couldn’t hear him.

She leaned into him, clutching his side. Soft tears burned at the edges of her eyes, unshed. She just wanted this to be over. Really over. With no take backs.

A moment later, they were through the ceiling. A couple of brown, lightly-furred, alien men were there, and they pulled the platform toward them. “Everything’s ready, Haze,” said one.

Surprise washed over her to see these strange aliens taking orders from Haze. A lot seemed to have happened while she was stuck here.

Haze stepped off the platform and gave Vi a hand, helping to steady her as she clambered off too.

There was a scuffle below.

“Cut it!” Haze commanded.

As the rope and platform clattered to the floor below, a few wild shots fired off into the air around them. They leaped away, and Haze tossed a couple of explosives down the hole after the tray.

Vi made her way out of the closet. The slaves were there, clustered together, looking around with large eyes. There were a few more men with guns that Vi didn’t recognize.

“Quickly now. The fun’s not over yet,” Haze said, moving to the lead, pulling Vi next to him.

They moved down the hall and around a corner.

Vi gasped. Twenty-Five lay on the ground, pressed against the wall. Two of his hands were pressed to his side where blood pooled. His other two hands were in the air, shielding himself from whatever other shots may come.

She rushed over and bent down. The slave stared at her with glazed eyes. It didn’t look good.

“Haze.” She looked up. “Can you help him?”

“Not here.” Haze pulled the man up and threw him over his shoulder. “We have to make it a little further.”

The merchant and his bodyguard waited in the middle of the next hallway, at a side door. The merchant held a gun in each of his outer hands.

Vi pulled up short. “You’re the ones helping us? These are your men?” she asked, confused.

He nodded with a smile. “Haze made a strong case for acting now,” Yarda said. “Looks like it was the right call.”

The two men that had run the lift came jogging up. “This floor’s clear,” one of them said. “We count two hostiles on the stairwell and at least three on the floor above.” He shook his head. “If we want to keep this quiet, we’d better step things up.”

The bodyguard turned toward the merchant Yarda. “Boss, I’ll keep most of C-Range here and handle the mop up. You and Haze can take Branson and Radner to get everyone to safety. I’ll signal the AirBuses that you’re on your way to the rendezvous.”

“Thanks, Ollie.” He gripped the bodyguard’s arm for a moment. With his other two free hands, Yarda opened the door and waved the slaves through.

The men fanned out around them, searching for targets. Vi kept her head down, racing with the others to the large shuttle vans, and clambering onboard.

She came to a seat toward the back of the van, aware of her heart beating a thunderclap, squeezing and tightening, so she thought she would faint. She looked around. No Haze, no one she recognized.

The shuttle made a screeching sound as they lurched down the road at high speed. They were all piled in the back, and they jostled around as the vehicle careened around corners.

She got on her knees and crawled toward the front. Haze wasn’t driving her van. It was the men, Branson and Radner.

She tried to think back to when she’d last seen him. He’d grabbed Twenty-Five for her, then she’d just… just focused on getting out.

“Haze, where is he, please?”

“What?” the driver called back.

“Haze - the big green guy — I don’t see him.”

“He’s probably in the other one. Just sit, lady. Let me do my job.”

They careened around another sharp corner in the road. This was definitely a different route than the way she’d arrived.

Vi stopped breathing when she saw a barrier up ahead.

“Now,” the driver yelled. The man beside him pushed a button.

There was a terrific explosion. The vehicle leaped through the divider, and they were free to the open road.

“The other shuttle’s through. Let’s head to the rendezvous.”

It took about thirty minutes before the shuttle came to a jerky stop.

The two men up front climbed out, and it was silent. The slaves in her shuttle looked around with wide eyes, fear filling their faces.

Vi knew that Haze would never let anything happen to her, but these people had risked everything, with no reason to believe they weren’t about to be sold to even harsher Masters.

“It’s okay. I promise. It’s really okay, now,” Vi said.

Finally, the doors opened, and the bright sunlight blinded her.

Vi looked across, and another vehicle had parked there.

The others in Vi’s van began to pile out, but it seemed to take forever. She could sense their reluctance and nervousness. She craned her head to try and look outside, trying not to push herself forward.

Finally, she was at the door of the shuttle again and could step out. She squinted in the bright sun as she tried to peer across to the inside of the other vehicle. The door opened and the merchant Yarda got out.

Then she saw a man come around the back of the van. Haze.

He froze when he saw her and shook his head.

Vi hurried over.

“I couldn’t save him,” Haze said.

“Twenty-Five is dead?” she gasped. He’d been so close to his freedom. It was so sad, just beyond words to express.

Haze nodded and drew back for a second. “Listen, I…" He lunged forward, pulling her into his arms.

Her heart went rat-a-tat-tat as she felt his strong arms hold her close again.

He pulled her into the air, spinning around with her. “You’re safe.” His face buried against her neck, resting against her. “You’re safe.”

He swung her back and forth in his arms, kissing her neck, softly. “Mah lo ma… Mah lo ma… Shah la mah lo ma.”

His words swam through her mind, his voice filled with relief: [My mate, my woman. This woman is my woman.]

As relief filled her with the realization that she might truly be safe now, she felt a tear roll down her cheek, escaping her control. Then his lips were on hers, one arm wrapped tight around her, a hand cradled behind her head.

The world faded away for a moment as they kissed.