When night did fall, it wasn't that obvious in the cell. There were no windows, and the interior was lit by hazy yellow bulbs, making it impossible for Bo or the others to hide in shadows or count on the darkness helping them. However, it did mean that the guard put his display screen away with a yawn and slumped in his seat. He stared at them for a few minutes, but then his eyelids drifted shut. He jerked awake a few seconds later, but each minute or so, his eyes grew heavier and his head nodded forward, until he was snoring in his seat, his grip on his gun lax. Helga launched into action only a few seconds later.

"I think it's the metal bars," she said, rushing to Bo's side. She'd been standing by the bars for a while, but Bo had thought nothing of it. Now she realized that Helga had been working even when it looked like she was just resting.

"What about them?" Bo whispered back, walking with Helga to a section of the bars that right next to the cement wall. Helga pointed to a crack that ran along the floor hallway, away from the cell and down toward what were presumably more cells. The crack ran into the wall of their own cell, which Helga kicked. "These support walls are newer than the base of the building," she said. "See the coloration difference between the wall and the floor?" Now that she was pointing it out, the beige of the wall was much brighter and of a slightly more yellow tint. The floor looked old and faded in comparison.

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Bo asked.

By now, Esme and Khan had joined them. Khan leaned against Esme's shoulder, watching intently as Helga ran her boot across the crack on the floor, to where it met the metal bars.

"I think the hurricane destroyed some of the walls, and caused some damage to the foundations. They patched it, but this crack unsettled these two bars at the end here." She placed her hand on the two bars in question. They looked as sturdy as the rest, but when Helga pushed against them, they shifted a fraction of an inch.

Bo leaned in, excitement sparking in her eyes. "We can move them?"

Helga nodded. "The crack gives them some wiggle room, and I think they built the wall in slightly the wrong spot. That means the last bar is already a little too far away from the wall. If we can shift that one closer to the wall, and this other one a few inches away from the wall, we might get a gap big enough to squeeze out."

Bo checked on their guard, but he was still slumbering on his chair. She didn't know how loud moving the bars would be, but hopefully not loud enough to wake him. The militia often overworked their men and women, and Bo hoped that was the case with this older soldier. If he was exhausted from long hours and hard drills, he might not be as alert as he should be.

Helga directed the moving of the bars, and for once no one minded her ordering them around. She had everyone take off what layers they could spare, and placed some around the base of the two bars to muffle any noises they'd make scraping across the concrete. Then she took Bo's crimson jacket and Khan's brown one, and twisted them tightly around the middle of the bars.

"Bo, you take that one," she said, nodding to the bar farthest from the wall.

"What should we do?" Esme asked.

Helga frowned. "No offense, but you and Khan aren't exactly in the physical shape to be of much help at this point."

Esme, while looking disappointed, didn't press the issue. The thing was, it was fairly obvious that she wasn't quite up to strength yet. Her captivity under the Judge had done a number on her body, and she was about as thick around as the cell bars themselves. Bo made a note that she should help Esme regain muscle once they returned... but then she wondered if they ever would return. This plan was haphazard at best, and Bo had no idea what waited for them even if they managed to make it out of this room.

Khan and Esme stood by the wall while Helga grabbed Khan's jacket, still twisted around the bar, and leaned backward. Bo grabbed her own jacket, following Helga's lead. And then they both pulled with every last bit of strength they could muster up. Helga's face went beat red and Bo felt her skin tingling as she held her breath and put all her weight into leaning backward and tugging on her jacket. The crimson leather ripped at seams, but held on enough that the cell bar slowly began to move. The concrete around the base screeched against the metal, but it wasn't as loud as Bo thought it would be. In fact, Esme and Khan, who kept an eye on the guard, didn't even flinch. He was still sound asleep.

The concrete powdered around the base of Bo's bar, letting the metal shift a few inches. But that was as far as the damaged floor went. The bar hit the solid concrete with a jolt, and Bo felt immediately that she wouldn't be able to shift it anymore. She let her jacket go with a huff of air, feeling her muscles screaming at her from the strain. She was out of breath and her hands burned, but the bar was two inches further than it had been before. Helga's, unfortunately, had barely moved at all. She still pulled on the jacket, face getting redder by the moment. Bo ran to join her, looping her crimson jacket around the bar, but even her strength did nothing to move the bar more than the half inch it had already gone. When they finally gave up, Helga let loose a string of curse words under her breath.

"I thought this one would be the one to move the most," she muttered. "It's almost directly on the crack."

Bo looked up to where the bar was attached to the ceiling. "Maybe the metal is stronger than the other one. Since it's still attached to the ceiling, it would have to bend to move."

Helga exhaled slowly, glaring at the gap they had made. It was barely big enough to Bo to even begin to squeeze through, and she knew she'd never be able to force herself out.

"We're not getting out this way," Bo said. "We'll need to make it bigger somehow."

Helga grunted. "I'm going to try anyway."

Bo rolled her eyes as Helga stood sideways and slid between the bars. She barely got her arm and leg through.

"Helga, not to be crass, but you're way too curvy to even dream of fitting," Bo said. Helga retreated back into the cell, blushing and swiping her blonde braid over one shoulder.

"Well, you're not going to fit either, so what's your point!" she snapped. "You want us to just sit here?"

Bo shrugged, about to retort, when Esme slid out from under Khan's arm, where she'd been supporting him. She glanced at the bars.

"I'm used to getting through things like this," she said. "We used to perform similar tricks when I was still with my tribe."

Helga bit her lip as she looked from Esme to where the guard was still snoozing. "I don't think it's a good idea."

"You said yourself that I'm skinny and small," Esme said. "I'll easily fit."

"You may fit," Bo answered. "But I think Helga is worried about you having to face off with the guard."

Esme placed her hands on her hips. "I either get out and try to get the keys, or we stay in here and rot," she said. "You know as well as us all, that the longer we stay here the less chance Adam has of being alive. So we need to get out. YOU need to get out."

Bo clenched her fists, knowing Esme was correct. She just wished she didn't have to risk the girl's life in an attempt to save Adam's. But there was little choice.

While Khan watched with a stormy glare, Helga and Bo helped Esme wedge herself between the bars. It was still a tight fit, but with her narrow frame and flexible limbs, she managed to scoot between the bars and finally out into the room at large.

Once she was free, she wasted no time. Dashing forward, she grabbed the gun out of the soldier's lap and raised it up to smash the butt down on his head. He woke only momentarily, let out a strangle gasp, but was soon rendered unconscious. He slumped forward, falling out of the chair and just narrowly missing pinning Esme to the ground with him.

As she lay face first on the floor, Esme dug through his pockets until coming up with the keycard. It was a clear rectangle of plastic, with circuitry embedded within. She held it up triumphantly, and scrambled to swipe it through the lock on the prison door. For a heart-stopping moment, the light on the lock flashed red, and Bo wondered if they had somehow been caught after all. But then a cheerful chime floated on the air, and the light flashed green as the locks thumped backward and the door clicked free.

Helga slid past Esme, making straight for the guard who she checked to make sure he was properly blacked out. Bo grabbed his rifle, relishing the feel of safety in her hands once again. With fire power and freedom, they might make it out after all. If luck was on their side. A lot and lot of luck.

"Let's get out of here before someone comes with a meal or something for this guy," Helga said, nodding her chin at the slumped soldier. No one argued with her.

The hallway the soldier had first appeared from led to a double door made of metal. Two windows sat at eye-level, but their glass was frosted and impossible to see through. Whatever was on the other side, it was as unknown to them as Adam's fate was.

Esme, now back under Khan's arm to support him as he shuffled along, swiped the keycard in the lock. It chimed like the last one, and one of the doors slid open softly. Helga grabbed its handle, pulling the door inward and taking a step out.

She nearly bumped into the back of a group of four militia soldiers, laughing and talking amongst themselves, their guns held in front of them.