"If all preparations are complete why not go now?" Lee asks.
"I want to be sure this plan will work. As long as they have Hamilton they have leverage over us, and we can't let that stand. We have to get Hamilton out now-" Washington answers.
"What about the others?" Peggy questions. "They could kill the others after we get Alex out. Or before."
"The life of a commanding officer is more important on the whole. No casualties would be preferable, yes, but we can't count on the British not killing off their slaves if they think it will affect us," Washington shakes his head. "Hamilton's a bright young man, we need him for this plan to work."
"But we don't have him! The British took him when they invaded our fortress. If he's as smart as you say he's probably rallying all the slaves to escape now." Angelica contradicts.
"Escape isn't as easy as you might think. I barely managed it myself, and how's Hamilton supposed to get thousands out himself?" Lee responds.
"Maybe he could start a revolt! And while they're revolting we can come in, kill the British, and save them all!" Peggy says hopefully.
"How horrible! Killing some of those innocent guards? Why, they're not in a better place then we are." Eliza gasps.
"Let's not forget the part that communication with Hamilton is impossible." Lee reminds everyone.
"I suppose your right. We can't count on Hamilton being in the right place at the right time." Washington sighs.
"How do we know he's not already dead?" Peggy asks.
"We don't." Angelica says gloomily.
"No he's not dead. If the British have any sense they're keeping him locked up to use as bait with us. They think they have our leader, we can't forget Hamilton sacrificed himself for Washington." Lee says.
"If they think we're running around unorganized, they're wrong!" Peggy screams.
"Peggy, we are unorganized. We don't now what to do, and that's exactly what the British were hoping for." Washington answers.
"Do we have any others in their fortress? Maybe we can try to contact them instead." Eliza suggests.
"Well, they have Lafayette. But he was taken three years ago, and we haven't managed anything with him since." Lee explains.
"Maybe we can send in a spy!" Peggy says excitedly.
"And how do you suggest we get them out?" Washington asks.
"Oh, I... don't know." Peggy muttered.
"Actually, the spy idea isn't to be ignored." Lee says.
"He's right. Maybe we just need to look at it from a different angle. Instead of sending someone in to be a prisoner, what if we sent a 'guard' instead?" Angelica agrees.
"Uh well... I have an idea....," Eliza says apprehensively. As everyone turned to stare at her, she lost some of her nerve but continued anyways. "Well... a-as I was saying, what do the British normally do with new slaves?"
"What do you mean?" Lee asks.
"I mean, how do they teach them? Like, uh, everything?" Eliza splutters.
"When I was a slave, I didn't get told anything. Except when the British yelled at me. Why?" Lee responds.
"I was just wondering... maybe we could send a message through... a guard or something? We could use code so he doesn't completely understand, but something that Alex would?" Eliza suggests.
"It's an interesting theory, but it's flawed." Angelica says kindly to her sister.
"We could still do some version of that plan." Washington says.
"I suppose." Lee grunts.
"So we know we have to send a message, and get Alex out, but we don't completely know how? That's useless!" Peggy shouts.
"I know it seems that way. But you must realize we're a lot farther along then we were before." Washington says kindly to Peggy.
"It's all my fault that Alex got caught." Eliza says suddenly.
"What? How do you work that out?" Angelica asks fiercely, clutching her sisters arm.
"If I hadn't got trapped under that rock, Alex wouldn't have needed to get help! If-" but tears started to flood her eyes, and spill down her face.
"No! Don't cry!" Peggy says, grabbing her sisters arms and pulling her into a hug.
"Maybe, if I had been a little faster while running I wouldn't have gotten crushed," Eliza wails. "I'm so sorry everyone!"
"No that's enough!" Angelica says firmly. "It wasn't your fault. It's the British's fault, and we'll make them pay. Okay? So don't cry." Angelica's eyes were filled with cold fury at the fact that her sister was crying, sinking to this low level, blaming herself for things she had no control of.

"I'm so hungry." Herc moans, laying on his sleeping ledge with the "blanket" covering his face.
"Moi aussi." Laf agrees. I was with them but I didn't feel like communicating at the moment, because the energy might make my hunger worse. We've been stuck in our sleeping caves for the last three days, and we were only given bread yesterday during noon. This is miserable, but as Laf said it's better than being in the mines. Maybe he was right, but at least we got fed.
"Well, they can't kill us off yet. They need someone to build their empire." Alex growls alongside his stomach. True, I think.
       "Well it's your fa- never mind." Herc starts, but then realizes he's to hungry to argue. There was a sudden clanging, and the gates opened to allow a British troop. He walked up the hallway full of the starving prisoners, tossing bread between each of the metal bars blocking the exit for our caves. When the food landed, most of the prisoners inside scrambled to pick it up, and then fought over it. But we stared at it for a while, willing to be true. Then realized it was, and I went to pick it up.
     "Hey!" Alex says.
     "What?" I ask, breaking off a chunk of the bread and tossing it to Laf.
     "Oh. Your sharing it." he says, accepting his piece.
     "Well yeah. Should I not be?" I answer.
     "I expected you to be like the others." he nods to the cell in front of us, where the slaves were now beating each other senseless.
     "Nah. Laf and Herc are my friends. If they're hungry and we have to share, I'm fine with that." I bite into my piece of bread, and can feel my stomach already start to churn as though expecting the food to come faster.
     "I would share too." Laf says. He already finished his bread.
     "I suppose I would as well, but my body's not used to low food supply." Alex confesses.
     "Oh? And I suppose you have some rich folks that are gonna bail you out of here in two days?" Herc glares at him.
     "My parents are dead. I got my food from somewhere else." Alex snarls at him. There was an uncomfortable silence, where only screams could be heard.
     "My parents are dead as well." Laf says sadly.
     "Sorry." Herc says uncomfortably.
     "It's fine. You didn't know," Alex says stiffly. Suddenly his face lights up, and the glitter I saw once before is back in his eyes. "Are we allowed to send letters?" he asks around the room. Send letters? Nobody has ever mentioned that to me. I don't think we are honestly.
     "I don't know. But who would you send it to anyways?" Laf asks. Alex bites his lip. I can tell he's on the verge of telling us but he doesn't want to spill important information to the wrong people.
     "Alright, I'll... I'll tell you. But only if you promise to help me," We all nodded, because we knew we had to stay silent. You never knew who might be listening. "I was taken from a fortress that's hidden underneath a mountain far away from here. The fortress was a hiding place for rebels. People who wanted to overthrow the British. We recently got found out, and I got captured and taken here." he said all of this in a rushed and hushed voice. "I still want to aid the rebellion that we were planning however, so I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Washington-"
     "Washington?" Laf suddenly says, almost too loudly. "Désolé, mais quel est votre lien avec Washington?"
     "I work for him," Alex answers. "I'm his right hand man, I write down notes or ideas on how to attack the British and slave the slaves. Why?"
     "I used to work for Washington as well." Laf replies.
     "Really? Did you get caught too?" Alex questions.
     "Yes, three years ago." Laf explains.
     "Wouldn't you know that? I mean, if you're really right next to Washington." Herc says suspiciously.
     "I joined Washington a year ago," Alex says. "I never even had a chance to meet Lafayette before I came here."
"We don't need to jump to conclusions anyways," I tell Herc. "Just remember who the real enemy is."
"Yeah, the British, I know. You don't have to remind me." he says.
"Can they get us out of here?" Laf asks suddenly.
"What?" Alex says. "You mean the rebels? I... don't know. We would need to contact them somehow which is impossible."
"Non! It isn't!" Laf says excitedly.
"What do you mean?" I question.
"Well, see, when I first came here the Captain took me in for questioning. He knew I was with the rebels. Anyways, when passing a room, the door was open and I saw one of the British guards talking on a phone. I think we was calling a family member. It sounded like that anyways," Laf says very fast. "My point is, if he can contact his family, maybe we can contact Washington."
"No, that's impossible for several reasons. First of all, the rebels don't have a phone, we'd be easier to track if we did. Secondly, we can't get into George's base without getting caught." Alex shakes his head.
"Oh. Oui, I see what you mean." Laf says dejectedly.
"Hey, now, Laf might be onto something," Herc remarks. "He's right. There must be some way to contact them." Laf gives Herc a grateful smile, which I'm sure contains more then thankfulness about protecting his idea.
"Do you know anyway we can contact Washington? Never mind the technology the British have." I ask Alex.
"Well... I know Washington sent messages from inside the base... I'm just not entirely sure how." Alex wonders. He mutters something unintelligible under his breath.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" I inquire.
"I said, 'do they check the mail'." Alex says more clearly. There was a stunned silence throughout the cave. The kind that pressed on your eardrums, and asks you questions of why you're remaining silent.
"We don't get to send mail." Herc finally says.
"Oh I know that," Alex says waving his hand at Herc's words. "But what about the British mail? Does it go through a screening process? Or do they trust their guards so much that they don't worry about what they're sending to their family members."
"Okay, that's crazy if they don't." I say.
"I'm not disagreeing with you, but it could work to our favor. Don't you think?" Alex asks.
"They must. Most of the British are as unhappy here as we are." Herc declares.
"It's true. But maybe they don't know that. Maybe they would get in as much trouble as we would if they complained," Laf states. "It could be worth the risk, no?"
"We could send it in a code. So even if they did check it, they wouldn't understand!" I add.
"Great! I could-"Alex starts.
"No. You couldn't do anything." Herc cuts in.
"What? Excuse me?" Alex says, offended.
"Think about it. You can't disguise yourself, they'd recognize you at once, John can't do it because he's been in there to often. There's a possibility someone might recognize Lafayette from three years ago. I'd have to be the one to send the letter."
"Non!" Laf cries. "It could be dangerous."
"It'd be more dangerous if you went." Herc says.
"But you wouldn't know which code to use!" Alex protests.
"You could tell me." Herc answers.
"And what if I don't?" Alex says firmly.
"Then this discussion would be a waste of time and our plan would be useless. I'd go anyways, even if you don't help me," Herc tells him. "This plan will work, it has too. It's our last chance."