2016-08-07 - spike - Trapped 5 Revenge

Author: spike
Title: Trapped 5: Revenge.
Date: 07 August 2016

Chapter 9

“ZUYI!”

Yi-erwu sprang up onto his feet and snapped to attention before he’d even fully woken up. He looked down, the sleeping bag was falling down to his ankles. Confused, he looked around only to see Greg gripping his sides in an attempt to suppress fits of laughter.

“If you do that again, I’ll do to you what Barker intended for ME! That was NOT FUNNY!”

Finally unable to contain himself he collapsed onto the ground laughing. Eventually catching his breath he finally managed to get out “Sorry… Couldn’t resist! Oh god…”

“You pronounced it wrong anyway, it’s “ZHUYI!” I take it that means you got google translate?”

“Yeah, got it on my phone now, it does do English to Chinese, even does both the symbols and how it’s said or written using our alphabet.”

“Good, cos I’ve been thinking about my little missive… Got the pad, pen and envelope?”

Greg nodded.

“Right then, best get this done before you have to go to school.”

“God I envy you, sat out here rather than there, in class.”

“No point in school for me now, I’ve learned all I need to learn from that shithole, anything else I need to learn I can look it up. When the time comes you’re welcome to join us if you like.”

“I did like the look of that place, but it’s a big wrench, giving up on everything and everyone you know.”

“Tell me about it, been there, done that. Right, I dictate, you type, I copy and check the alphabet version to make sure it sounds right. Start simply… To the commandant (for the envelope)”

Greg tapped away on his phone.

Yi-erwu looked at the symbols, “Trust them to be so intricate!”

该指挥官 [/align]

“How about just commandant?”

Greg deleted the first bit and the characters changed.

司令官 [/align]

“That’s better, think I can handle that. This is gonna take ages though, never was good at art or drawing. Better idea, can you get into the library, print out the script as I tell you now? You can nip out at break time and pass it to me?”

“Dear commandant,
My deepest condolences on the lost of one of your best slave workers, Yi-erwusiyisan in the mine collapse yesterday.

Sidenote, Greg. Don’t write Yi-erwusiyisan into goodle translate, make sure you write the numbers as words. One two five four one three. Same for lingwu, zero nine four one three. That should guarantee you get the correct symbols. If you wrote them as numbers it might try to translate as one hundred and twenty-five thousand four hundred and thirteen. Anyway...

Please find attached to this note a boy who may prove an adequate replacement.

He is strong but undisciplined, he also knows no Chinese just as Yi-erwusiyisan knew no Chinese on his capture.”

He paused. “I’m going to hate myself for this.”

“What??”

“This next bit.”

“The boy is capable of learning but an experienced teacher would speed his productivity. I recommend Lingjiusiyisan as his mentor. He has proven himself worthy in teaching Yi-erwusiyisan who was witnessed near the end of his life speaking almost fluent Chinese, despite the fact he knew not a word 6 months prior.

With sympathy

A friend.

Oh god that makes me feel sick.”

“Why?”

“Putting him in with Lingjiu is the best way to ensure his safety, I’ll always know where he is for one thing, but… It would make him my brother!”

Greg collapsed into fits of laughter again.

“Yeah yeah, lap it up, but I want revenge, to make the bastard suffer, not kill him. If he got put into any other hut ANYONE could end up being his mentor and I know Lingjiu. Fluent Chinese in six months is quite a feat, and he’s probably learned a few tricks in teaching me so he should be better at it a second time around.

Besides, he’ll welcome a few days off the work crew. I’ll follow his progress from a distance to see where they put him though, just in case they don’t put him with Lingjiu.”

“Won’t that risk your capture?”

“Nah, I’ll follow from a distance in a nice place just on the edge of the nuked worlds”

“You can do that?”

“Of course, it’s only about five feet away, well within range of following, that’s what those ghosts everyone took the piss out of me about were, people in nearby words, remember, I can easily lock onto someone from a few feet away.”

There was a ping from Greg’s iPhone. “Shit, best be off, nearly gonna be late.”

“Before you go…”

“Oh yeah, nokia… baseball cap… and…. “ Greg reached into his pocket… “Will twelve quid be enough?”

“Might be, just hope looking like this, I don’t end up having to pay full fare.”

“So, where to meet at break?”

“Back of the school? By the gates is the best bet, don’t want to be seen on school grounds, someone might recognise me.”

“See you there at around ten then” Greg dashed off to school.

Yi-erwu got busy, he began collecting more reeds from the canal side and laying them criss-cross fashion over his bed. The last thing he wanted was some random passer by finding it, picking stuff up and seeing it vanish or stealing his sleeping bag. Then he began collecting up the sods of grass he’d pulled up earlier to camouflage it. As an afterthought he pulled out the tasers hidden in the hole and shoved them in his jacket pockets. Then continued covering the hole with the grass.

Realising he didn’t have enough he decided, as he was going to be here a while, it might be a good idea to dig himself a latrine on the far edge of the clearing and use the grass cleared from that to complete his camouflage. By now the idea of actually sitting on a toilet was ludicrous anyway, squatting was much more efficient, though he would need some bog roll.

He looked at his work with some satisfaction, no casual passer by would notice anything unusual there. Finally he vaulted the fence back onto the towpath, cupped his hands in the water and gave his face a scrub, remembering the photo Greg had taken of him that night. His stomach was starting to growl in protest having missed the meal the night before. He knew there were some cafés.

He went to investigate.

He walked along the main road for a while contemplating food. He’d considered getting a full English but decided to err on the side of caution. He’d not eaten anything but a perfectly balanced wallpaper paste for over half a year, last thing he wanted was a case of chronic indigestion before he’d even begun to enact his plan.

Settling on the cheapest he got himself a round of toast, some jam and a cup of tea.

Warm buttered toast, jam… His tastebuds exploded, he’d really forgotten how good stuff could be.

How could people be so flippant about food when even the most simple fare was so good?

He leaned back in ecstasy for a while and then noticed the clock on the wall.

He ran out and up to the back of the school.

Greg was looking at his phone impatiently when Yi-erwu came pelting ‘round the corner.

“You took your time!”

“Sorry, really, had to do stuff. Dig a latrine at the other end of the clearing, get something to eat. Oh god, toast and jam! Heaven on your tastebuds, lost track of time a little. Not a skill you worry about as a slave, believe me.”

“Would’ve expected you to dive right in, I remember how much you loved your fry-ups”

“After what I’ve been eating I don’t want to take the risk. My body’s grown accustomed to a perfectly balanced diet, didn’t want anything too… well… bloaty. Anyway, did you manage to get it?”

“Oh yeah, here.” Greg handed him a sheet of paper with the printed characters he needed. He checked to make sure Lingjiusiyisan and his name were there correctly. They were. “Don’t worry, I also got you the English input just for you to check” handing him another sheet.

“Thanks, that’s perfect” he shoved the letter into the envelope he’d already addressed. “Really hope he goes the common route, that’s where he first saw me do it.” he grinned.

“Better get back, bell’s about to ring.”

“What’ve you got?”

Greg groaned.

“Oh god, not double maths?”

“Yep, and you interrupted my homework last night!”

“Well, I did always say stop leaving it til the last minute”

“Smart arse. Anyway, gotta go.” He ran back into school just as the bell began to ring.

“Damn… 5 hours of nothing, what to do.” He considered the irony. A week ago that would’ve been a dream come true but now he felt at a loose end, he had so much to do and a limited time to do it. He decided to get Angie in on the deal, she knew his abilities after all and no matter how shocked she might be at his appearance he thought she had the common sense to keep it to herself.

He’d need Greg for that though, he had no intention of calling her directly until she’d seen him and fully understood his predicament.

He decided to go up to Greenfield. After all, he’d only seen one small patch of it. The whole camp must fill most of the valley below the reservoir.

He caught the bus buying a day ticket, the driver didn’t question if he was a minor or not, if he’d been charged as an adult that would’ve been a serious chunk out of the money Greg had lent him.

Getting off at Greenfield he walked directly to where his bunk was in hut 4. He allowed himself to drift but this time, he shifted his view at the same time, directing the corridor in the direction of his drift so he could stop himself before he fell into the black post-apocalyptic patch. The place he’d carried Lingjiu and the others, that should give him a vantage point he could watch for guards safely from, he just needed to extend his senses in that direction… and… got it. He locked onto a passing guard, switched to normal view and began to follow the guard around the camp dodging around bushes and trees as he went.

It was quite exhilarating being this close to a world he’d been trapped in for so long but now having the freedom to follow the movements of anyone in it from a few feet away and safety.

He watched as a gang of slaves appeared to shovel knee deep snow off the parade ground. He assumed it was snow anyway. When a guard approached them he followed the guard for a while, the guard spoke to the commandant! Oh the subversiveness of it all, he couldn’t resist following him. He didn’t seem happy. He followed him as he walked up invisible stairs, watching him from below as he sat in his invisible chair and began writing furiously on his invisible desk.

Yi-erwu had never considered it before but why was it only living things that he could follow? It was different when he’d locked on to an inanimate object because that was what he directly looking at, but why not see the walls and stuff too? In this case, he was enormously grateful for it. For the next two hours he observed the commandant. He saw a guard enter, salute and begin talking at length. From the body language, it looked like he was talking about the cave-in. He was convinced at this point an expression crossed the commandant’s face which was quickly suppressed. Sadness? Or was it just unhappy he’d lost his best worker-ness. Either way he tapped his pocket happy with the wording of his letter.

He realised he’d got a good enough lay of the camp, he was pleased he’d managed to spy on the commandant, but it was time to return to the school. They’d be coming out in about an hour and he wanted to be there ready.

* * * * *

He got the call from Greg at 3:30 on the dot, the bell had only just rung.

“Greg! Brilliant, where is he?”

“He’s goin’ across the fields.”

“Excellent, I’m almost there, I’ll run around to the other end and wait. Try to keep an eye on ‘im, just in case he takes a different route.”

“OK”

He ran up the road and down a street that backed onto the fields, at the end both came out near the bus stop. He looked at the phone for the time, thankful for it for another function. There should be a bus coming any minute, if he timed it right he could ensure he got on the same bus as Barker.

Hiding around the corner he watched his nemesis approach the bus stop.

There was a throng of children around it waiting for the bus, Barker shoved them all out of the way and stood at the head of the queue.

The bus finally arrived and Yi-erwu watched as Barker went upstairs.

Yi-erwu smirked, perfect. He knew what stop he normally got off at and prepared himself, running to the end of the queue.

Finally getting on the bus, he showed his ticket and sat in the chair he’d planned and waited.

As the stop approached Barker came cockily down the stairs shoving a few younger kids before him, Yi-erwu met his gaze, stared directly into his eyes and then looked away with a look of mock-fear on his face. Barker stood stock still for a moment staring, then sat back down on the bottom deck drilling his gaze into the back of Yi-erwu’s neck.

It was another forty minutes before the last stop at Greenfield approached, all the time he felt Barker’s gaze and all the time he tried to suppress an evil smirk. Finally, the bus began to approach its terminus and it was time to get off. The moment his foot hit the pavement he ran as Barker would’ve expected him to but he didn’t run far. He’d estimated the boundaries of the camp from the behaviour of the guards he’d observed earlier. He didn’t want to drop him off inside, that might raise too many questions, but outside? He was pretty sure there were regular patrols.

The moment he knew he was in the right place, he stopped, turned, began concentrating on a shift and watched Barker approach. He knew it might take five minutes but he’d love to see the look on Barker’s face when he used one of Marty’s old tricks. He put on an exhausted stance as if he couldn’t run any more and held up his hand as if you say “OK, you got me”.

He’d not realised how good a runner Barker was, he was almost as fit as he was, he was barely out of breath when he stopped nose to nose with Yi-erwu. “FINALLY GOT YOU YOU LITTLE SHIT!”

“I’m afraid you’re wrong. I’ve got you.”

“What the fuck do you mean by that?”

“Six months ago you demanded to know how I got away from you, how I vanished, well, now I think it’s time I share a little secret with you.”

“You better had because if you don’t, I’m going to beat the living shit out of you”

“I’d love to see you try. But I have other plans for you.”

By now, Barker was beginning to realise this wasn’t the scared little boy he’d been bullying for the past 8 years. He was self confident, he was STANDING UP TO HIM! He had a malicious glint in his eyes and he was sure he looked a couple of years older and a lot more bulky. He looked to his side nervously.

“Well? Do you want to know how I vanished? Where I’ve been for the past six and a half months?” He palmed a taser as he removed his jacket to reveal the manacles and collar. I’ll tell you everything if you like, but no-one would believe you, the story’s too ludicrous for that.”

“Go on then!”

“That time you saw me vanish on the common was just a freak early manifestation of my powers. Oh yes, I have an ability few people have. I can walk to other places, other timelines, places where things turned out differently. Nuclear war happened, World War One lasted forty years. When you cornered me in that alleyway, my ability kicked in again, and I ran away terrified Nothing. you could do would scare me now after what I’ve been through. And I did run, but I ran” he could feel it coming, he relaxed and embraced it “In THAT direction”, he said, pointing down the corridor.

Barker stared at the truncated arm in horror and threw a punch, Yi-erwu caught it and held it with little effort. “Is this the hand you broke punching the wall? It would be such a shame if you broke it now, they wouldn’t like that”.

“Who?”

“Your new owners of course. Your masters. You see this collar? These manacles? THAT’S where I’ve been these past months, held prisoner in a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Forced to do hard labour for a bunch of sadistic Chinese overlords. You don’t believe me, do you? See this sequence of symbols? That’s my name. The name they gave me when they enslaved me, and it was ALL YOUR FAULT.”

“You’re mental! You’ve gone bonkers again!”

Yi-erwu released Barker’s fist, pulled off his t-shirt and pointed at his tattoo. “Bonkers? Really?”, he turned around, “Just thought I’d give you a little preview of what I have in store for you.”

Barker recoiled in shock at the sight of his back.

“I don’t know what your name will be but it sickens me when I think it night end in Siyisan because that would make you my brother. But then, I suppose everyone has someone in their family they hate. Enjoy your new life. SLAVE. Oh, one tip. Don’t try to speak English to anyone outside your cell or the toilet room. They don’t like that.”

Before Barker could utter another word, he shot him with the taser. Barker screamed, convulsed and collapsed onto the ground. The moment the wires withdrew he grabbed the unconscious body to prevent his uncontrolled drift and began to shift his view again in order to control where he stopped. He shoved the letter into Barker’s outside pocket.

He suspected the temperatures there would rival the north pole right now, so did as he had done before and awaited a guard, obviously this time on patrol, he didn’t look happy with his assignment. As he watched another guard approached from the other direction, he began to time them, five, ten minutes, guard. Five, ten, guard. Good. It was too cold to just drop him then and there, he had to ensure they picked him up almost immediately. Just as a guard was on the edge of his perception he let go and locked onto Barker.

The guard didn’t see the prone body until he tripped over it, he looked down, called his companion who came running over, they hauled him up out of the snow and dragged him towards the processing centre.

Yi-erwu followed. He watched as they stripped and searched him. He watched as a guard ran towards the commandant’s office. He watched the commandant approach and snatch the letter from the hands of the guard, tearing open the envelope. He watched the smile form on his lips along with confusion. He noticed the nod of satisfaction as he read the letter.

Yi-erwu could guess the thoughts crossing his mind “Where the hell are these strange boys coming from?”

A guard was dispatched and soon returned with a set of shackles which were promptly applied and Barker was carried out of the room and across the quad. For a moment Yi-erwu grew worried when they veered off towards another hut but they were just walking around something, perhaps the slaves clearing the snow again, he had his attention entirely focussed on Barker.

“Good… Hut 4!”

The guard dragged a shivering naked and unconscious bully to his new home, they dumped him on Yi-erwusiyisan’s old bed, threw a blanket over him and attached the chain to his old ring in the floor.

Oh, Barker was in for the shock of his life. It was just getting dark by the time he dropped the t-shirt and followed it back “home”.

He phoned Greg immediately.

“Greg, mission accomplished. This world is now officially a Barker free zone, For the time being at least.”

“I can’t believe you did it! What happened? Did you manage to keep track of ‘im?”

“Yeah, he’s in my old bed under Lingjiu, looks like the commandant saw sense in what I wrote. He won’t die, not if he heeds Lingjiu’s advice at least. If he kicks off he’ll soon learn after a few sessions in the flogging frame.”

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Almost, but not quite as much as Linglingyisan’s demotion, that had a sense of occasion about it.”

“So you’re committed now, to rescuing them. If he dies there you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself.”

“I was already committed, those men in that room are more important to me than a school bully, but when they get rescued, his rescue is just a little bonus. I’ll go back there after lights out and talk to Lingjiu in Chinese of course, I don’t want Barker waking up and understanding a word we say, it might give him hope. No idea how long I was out when I got shot with that thing, all I know is it was daylight when I was zapped and pitch dark when I woke up.”

“So what happened with the actual trap, how did that work out?”

“Oh, perfectly, from the bus where I deliberately sat on the flipchairs facing the stairs so he’d definitely see me, to me acting all “ooo no, I’m so scared” to him chasing me to the exact spot I wanted him. Even tried punching me, I just caught his fist and squoze a little before I let go to show him my scars. Didn’t believe a word of course, he just thought I’d gone bonkers again.”

“Well...”

“Don’t start. Actually… this may be a bit of an imposition, but… Could I borrow your iPhone? I want to video his reaction, I can show you the place I’ve been living too. Not going to risk venturing outside the camp buildings though, so you’ll have to miss out on the ensuit sewer and the icecold jetwash room. I could also show the men in the room a sample of the life I have in store for them. You did video canal world after all? You HAVE still got it haven’t you?”

“How on earth could I ever delete that? Especially when I didn’t think I’d ever see you again!”

“Still on your phone? As I said, want to see their reaction to the world I have planned for them”

“No, but I can put it back on when I get home, nearly there now, when’re you going to appear for them?”

“Tonight, gotta check Barker’s OK, it was FUCKING COLD there again when they carried him naked back to the cell”

“They did WHAT?!”

“Well, it’s not as if they had him walk, like they did with us. Too cold for that now definitely but it only took them a couple of minutes to get him from the processing centre to the hut, he was still unconscious after all. He’ll feel like he’s pulled every muscle in his body when he wakes up, tasers are nasty, but if it’s the only way, it’s the only way.”

“You really have developed a cruel streak. That place might’ve made you stronger, but it seems to’ve made you a lot less pleasant.”

“I can live with it, anyway, can I borrow the phone, I’ll have it back to you later tonight, unless they don’t get shipped back after their detail til midnight, but I hope the little gift night’ve put the commandant in a good enough mood to let them finish early rather than late.”

“How often did they work that long? Dawn til midnight? That’s inhumane!”

“I did a few, not that many. Remember they don’t even see us as humans, we’re lower than animals, property to just use til there’s nothing left and then replace. You do what you’re told or suffer, that’s how it is there”

“I’m still gobsmacked you survived, I doubt I would.”

“You’d be surprised. Anyway, the bus is coming, I’ll be down there in an hour, then hop on the next bus up again, hopefully they’ll be back then.

“How are you affording all these bus rides?”

“I know your dad drives you everywhere but come on. You must know the amazing power of the day ticket, anyway, bus is here, see you in an hour”.

By 8pm, he was back, iPhone swapped with the Nokia so he could remain in contact with Greg. Observing from a distance, the prone form of Barker still lay in the bed, asleep and shifting uncomfortably but the rest of his gang still hadn’t arrived. Yi-erwu really hoped they’d been on one of the mine details today, he’d not been able to see the actual weather but he’d seen the effects it had on the people.

At about twenty past, the door burst open and they all shuffled in as usual, chains connected to hoops, the guards left, the door slammed and just as he was about to climb into his own bunk Lingjiu appeared to give an excited exclamation, checked the bed and his face sank.

Unable to bare seeing his brother hurt, he sank down beside the bed so as not to be seen by the bastards at the back of the room and allowed himself to drift in.

He decided the Chinese option was the best bet.

“Down here”

A look or relief wiped away the disappointment he’d seen a moment ago. “Who’s this? Is this your doing?”

“Meet Barker. Or… as he’ll be known from now on…“, Yi-erwu grabbed the shackle and stared, “DAMN! Some people get all the luck.”

“What is it?”

“I get a tongue twister for a name, he gets Lingwusiyisan. Makes me sick to the stomach to say that too, him as a brother, But I wanted him to suffer, not die and the best way I could figure to do that was to put a note addressed to the commandant in his pocket. You’re the best mentor and teacher I’ve ever had so I recommended you.”

“You didn’t...”

“Reveal myself? Sign my name? I’m not a fool… Hang on…”

He held up the printout he still had in his pocket.

Lingjiu stared at it blankly. “What is it?”

“Damn, of course, you were only 5, probably never got the chance to learn to read English, I’ll have to teach you all after we escape, only fair after all. You all taught me Chinese. Have to return the favour.”

“So what can I expect from this one?”

“He’s a bully, a coward, a thief. But he’s strong, he’ll probably see the whip a lot more than I did in the first few weeks but hopefully he’ll be all the better for it.”

“So that’s why you’re chatting in Chinese?”

“Cos he’s here, yes. Don’t want him overhearing anything that might give him hope. Recommend no-one else in the room do that either. Tell him exactly what you told me, he’s here for life, he fights he’s punished, continues to fight, he dies, only way to get these things off is by dismemberment, etc. Think I might’ve come up with an idea about that though, just need to find a way to trigger the loosening mechanism more than one notch, four might be enough.”

“So what did the note say?”

“Oh, sorry, reading this in English… I want it to leach into his brain if he’s not becoming conscious already.

Dear commandant.

My deepest condolences on the lost of one of your best slave workers, Yi-erwusiyisan in the mine collapse yesterday.

Please find attached to this note a boy who may prove an adequate replacement.

He is strong but undisciplined, he also knows no Chinese just as Yi-erwusiyisan knew no Chinese on his capture.”

“The boy is capable of learning but an experienced teacher would speed his productivity. I recommend Lingjiusiyisan as his mentor. He has proven himself worthy in teaching Yi-erwusiyisan who was witnessed near the end of his life speaking almost fluent Chinese, despite the fact he knew not a word 6 months prior.

With sympathy

A friend.”

Yl-erwu switched back to Chinese. “Sorry if I’ve dumped you in it, I wanted this to be something to teach the little shit some humility, not a death sentence, every single piece of advice you gave was truer and more helpful to me than anything anyone ever said before I came here. If I’d not left the note they could’ve assigned him to any hut, maybe even shipped him off to any other camp and then he WOULD’VE been here for the rest of his, possibly very short, life”

“Dump me in it? Listen, those three days off last time were a god send. You know how valuable rest days are. Just hope the commandant treats him exactly the same way he treated you, you did say undisciplined, good choice, very nicely worded letter overall, that will probably mean a first day flogging. From what you’ve said about him he needs a bit of sense beaten in and a lot of attitude beaten out.”

By now, a few of the other nearer bunks were beginning to chip in upon hearing Yi-erwu’s whispered voice. Expressing relief he’d succeeded in his escape.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot.” he dug the phone out of his pocket

“What’s that thing?”

“When this world exploded on itself, if it was anything like mine it was on the cusp of a technological revolution. Home computers began to become available.

“Yes, I think I remember that, my dad got one, little thing it was, thumpy keyboard, had me playing letters games on it trying to teach me to read. Didn’t last long before the bombs dropped though”

"Well, that little computer was just the start, things got smaller, faster, more powerful, more versatile. This is a mobile phone from last year, it’s about a million times more powerful than that little zx81 you had.”

“That’s a phone? Where are the wires?”

“It’s a MOBILE phone, it uses radio but you dial on it just like any phone. It’s much more than that, it’s a very powerful computer in its own right, look.”

He woke it up, the screen lit up showing an array of icons. He selected the video player and hit play on the video of the world he had planned for them.

“It’s not just a phone, it has a camera that can take photos and record videos, films, look.”

Lingjiu stared at the screen in amazement, he saw the bright sunlight, men and boys in shirtsleeves towing canal boats and leading ponies.

“Is that where you’re from? It looks wonderful!”

“No, just another world I stumbled upon, but as I was curious to find out why it was so different to mine I went into the library for a little history lesson. Their great war, what we called world war one lasted forty years. Their able bodied male population was wiped out, it took them years to recover to the point they’re at now. They’re still massively in need of manpower, that’s where I propose I send you if I ever get that taser sorted out.”

“You’re a good judge, it looks ideal. Won’t a thousand men popping out of nowhere cause problems there?”

“I’ve had an idea about that too, as most of their population got wiped out by the war there must be dozens of villages that died or got abandoned when there was no-one left to live in them, one of the things I’ve got to do over the next week between these” he shook his manacle, “and this”, he pulled out the taser.

“I’ll try to return every night… but before I go...” he pulled out the penguin unwrapped a little “just a nibble, chew it quickly, it’ll be gone in a second, it’ll drift back once it leaves contact with me.”

“What is it?”

“Trust me.”

Lingjiu took a nibble and began to chew rapidly. His eyes lit up, “Oh my… chocolate? I’d completely forgotten”, tears welled up in his eyes. “Thank you”

“Once the lights go out, I’ll go around the others, show them the same thing, give me a warning if he starts to wake up though, don’t want him to see me for a while. While we’re waiting, what happened after the collapse?”

“You got incredibly lucky there.”

“How?”

“A guard heard the ceiling start to give and ran around the corner to investigate just in time to see it come down on top of you. Your death was reported almost instantly. The commandant commanded you be dug out but every time they tried, more came down, you made a really good choice there, from what I’ve overheard from various guards, Yi-erwusiyisan is now stricken off the roster, the shackles beyond reach, you were the last man they will ever call Yi-erwusiyisan, and one of the best. There was a bit of a mystery too. Couple of guards at the entrance lost their tasers. What with all the frantic running around after the cave in they didn’t notice until they reached camp, You I presume?”

“Yeah, that’s where I got these from” he grinned just as the lights went out.

Once he’d gone around all the bunks of his original Siyisan brothers he started the video camera and began introducing everyone, explaining that it was recording images for his friend in the other world. They each said a greeting, then he took a sweep of the room and pointed the camera at Barker, zooming in on his shackles and the symbols on them.

There was a groan. The bed shifted, then creaked violently as if someone had sat up with a shock. “Where the FUCK am I?!”

Yi-erwu slid back into the shadows and began to shift “home”.

The rest of the room apart from the ex-guards were in on it this time. They knew to react as they had before, they did exactly that. Then the voice from the bunk above spoke.

“Shut up boy, English is forbidden here!”

Yi-erwu smiled at the sense of deja-vu, the corridor opened and he left his brother to it.