Any Means Necessary. Shane Britten

had been there all along. I’d taken the slight shadow to be the result of the struggling exposed bulb outside the prison, but it was a person. I could only see a sliver of her from the gaps in the slats, but the voluminous brown hair, edge of a narrow chin, high, elfin cheekbones and the one pale blue eye I could see made me fairly sure it was the First Daughter, Jessica.

      ‘Have you come to bust me out?’ I murmured jokingly, pulling the shirt back over my head with a groan.

      ‘I came to see the fool who attacked WOLF security,’ she replied with an acerbic tone.

      I laughed, something that my ribs hated me for. ‘Fool for sure. I’m pretty sure my attack came about a second before theirs was about to be launched. Pre-emptive strike.’ I pushed myself up, steadying against the bricks as my head swam and couldn’t work out which plane the world was on. ‘What now?’ I asked. She shrugged and turned to go.

      ‘Wait,’ I called out, moving on tentative steps towards the padlocked door that separated us. ‘I’m Valen,’ I offered.

      ‘I know,’ she replied, continuing to move away until she faded from sight.

      Well, I was worse for wear and imprisoned, but I was reasonably confident I’d found 50 per cent of my mission. I pushed against the slats for a moment, debating testing out a kick or two against the wood and confident I could get through it, despite bare feet. On the other hand, a poor kick was entirely possible, given my body condition, and escaping with a broken or damaged foot would be a challenge too far.

      In the end, I resigned myself to temporary captivity and retreated to the mattress, lowering myself with a few murmured curses. I glanced down at myself and heard the old man’s voice in my head. Appearances…

      Shut up, Philip.