I can't help but stare at the man, even as he turns his head away from me, and starts to unshackle Lafayette from the floor of the truck. He asks for me to help him, and I clumsily follow his orders. Laf and Alex don't resist, but I can feel a prickle on the back of my neck. I lift my head up slightly to see Alex staring at me. He can't say anything while he's gagged, and while this guard is standing next to me, but there are words in his eyes. We hold eye contact for a moment, and I realize what he wants me to do. But I don't know if I can.
     "So... where are we taking them again?" I ask cautiously.
     "Straight to the Captain." he replies.
     "Uh- are you sure that's a good idea?" I question him, and he turns to look at me. Confusion in his blurred eyes.
     "Of course. The Captain wants to know."
     "You sound very sure." I comment.
     "Of course," he says again. "He's the one who told me to capture these two when I found them in the desert." My heart beats faster as multiple answers and questions flood into my brain.
     "Is he- is he with you? Like... in the truck?" I nervously inquire. The man lets out a light laugh.
     "Oh no. I was just communicating with him when I saw them nappin'." he responds. Okay, phew. But he didn't say how he was communicating with the Captain, and that still doesn't explain why his eyes are blurred. Maybe he was born defected? Or blind? No he can't be blind, he's definitely looking at those chains.
I look up once again after feeling Alex's stares.
"You know what you have to do." I almost jump when I hear those words, for a moment I thought they were my mothers. But it couldn't be, Captain George said he stopped doing that with me. But he could have been lying. It takes me a moment to realize I was imaging Alex speaking them to me. As if he wasn't gagged.
"I know." I think back, though he can't hear me. Maybe I'm going mad. "But I can't." Alex tilts his head ever so slightly, as if trying to decipher my facial expressions.
"Try." It's written plainly on his face. I inhale, and then exhale slowly. If we left him here... the three of us could escape. But if we wanted to get Hercules, we'd have to hide him somewhere. But if the Captain was communicating with this man, then it would be even more difficult. "Stop worrying."
"I'm not worrying."
"John, you're as easy to read as a book." Maybe Alex is right. Maybe I should stop worrying. Maybe worrying is what got me in this mess. Maybe I should just try.

"Holy shit," I whisper, the cold night hair of the desert turning my cheeks red along with the surprise of what I've just done. The guard with the bad leg is unconscious on the ground, laying flat on his stomach. While he was pulling Laf along with him, I grabbed a rock and knocked him unconscious with a blow to the head. "Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy-" Alex manages to tap my shoulder with his chin. I stare down at him and see he's still gagged and chained. "Sorry." I mumble, and untie his gag, and he then turns around so I can free him of the shackles.
"Thanks," he says breathlessly, as though he's been breathing heavily. "It's good to see you." I stare up at him incredulously. I just knocked out a man and the first thing he says is: "It's good to see you"? "I'm serious." he continues.
"Yeah right." I snort, and I move on to free Laf as well.
"John, are you okay?" Alex asks, stepping closer to me. I feel my hands shake on Lafayette's chains.
"No!" I shout, louder than I should. I feel arms wrap around me, and realize Laf's pulled me into a hug.
"I missed you so much." he whispers in my ear. These past few weeks made me realize that each day with Laf is precious. I used to take his cheerfulness for granted, because I thought no one should be that happy in any situation like the one we were in. But honestly, maybe if I was even as half as optimistic as he was, I wouldn't have sunk into such a deep sadness.
"I missed you too," I say, wrapping my arms around him as well. "Both of you. It's really good to see you guys as well."
"Where is Hercules?" Alex asks urgently. "Is he in the Captain's base?"
"No," I mumble as Laf releases me. "He's a slave again."
"Again? Didn't he stay a slave after the battle?" Laf questions.
"He-" I start, but Alex cuts me off.
"I'm sure we all have a lot of questions. Such as, 'why the fuck is John wearing a soldier's uniform?' But we're in a hurry. If the Captain is communicating with this man, we only have a matter of time before he finds out what John did to him. Right now, we have a truck which we can use to drive off in, but we need to get Hercules back." Alex says quickly.
"Right. So the only way to get down into the quarry is by the elevator." Laf mentions.
"John, you could potentially use it to get Hercules. You have a soldier's uniform, so the guards wouldn't notice you as much as they would notice us." Alex comments. I shake my head.
"I'm infamous around here, I'm noticed no matter what I'm wearing." I say.
"What about me? Would I be noticed?" Laf asks suddenly. We both stare at him.
"Not if you don't talk to anyone. People can hear your French accent from a mile away." I reply. Alex's nods.
"I think you can pull it off. John, if you gave your uniform to Laf, then he could sneak in and get Hercules while we stay here and wait for him." Alex agrees.
"What about keys?" I ask suddenly. "Isn't Herc going to be in a cell? If he is, you need keys to get him out."
"Ah fuck." Alex says, burying his face in his hands.
"I could try to speak in an English accent, and ask a guard for the keys." Laf suggests.
"Why would he give you the keys?" I shoot back at Laf.
"I could lie. Say I'm brining him to the Captain." he says.
"Yes!" I say, suddenly excited. "That would work because Herc was- he was... to sum it up they did shitty things to him. But it would make sense if Captain George did want to see him. He has a higher profile than other says."
"That's one way to put it." Alex mumbles.
"Wait- what did they do to him?" Laf asks, horrified.
"He's okay! I think." I answer.
"You think?" Alex questions.
"He's not exactly talking to me right now, but that's besides the point. We can explain everything once we're on the road out of here." I explain.
"What about the other slaves? Show we try and get them out?" Lafayette asks, still sounding shocked. Alex shakes his head.
"We will, eventually. But what we need to do is get you two back." Alex says.
"Why are we more important than the others?" I question, gesturing out towards the quarry.
"Because you two have an insider account on how horrible it is!" Alex says, clearly frustrated with us and himself.
"And they don't?" Laf wonders, looking out towards the quarry.
"To be fair, they are new slaves. They only came in about last week." I comment.
"But it isn't fair." Laf says, now focusing his attention on the sleeping quarters.
"Of course it isn't fair. But what I'm trying to explain is that John and Herc can explain more about the mines, the base, and the Captain himself than the other slaves. So we need them for our rebellion. We'll get the others out, I promise." Laf sighs.
"We're going to get them all out." I repeat Alex's words.
"I know. But for now our priority is Hercules," Lafayette turns to us. There's this strange look in his eyes I've never seen before. "I'm ready. Let's go."

     Uniform, check. No one around elevator? Check. So far, the first two steps of our plan have gone well. Truth be told they're simple steps, but I still have to be optimistic. Everyone is counting on me to rescue Herc so we can take the truck, drive across the desert, and go back to the rebels so we can aid them in any plans they have on freeing the slaves. So. No pressure. No ones going to notice you. I think repeatedly to calm my beating heart. I tell myself this throughout the creaky elevator ride, ignoring the countless ways this plan can go wrong. But non, I can do it. I have to do it. I have to do it for John, for Alexander, for Hercules. I have to do it so I can hear Herc say my name, smile when he sees me, and be able to talk to him again. I have to be there for him, because that's what you do for someone you love.
     "Oi! You!" a voice calls across the rocky chasm as soon as I step out of the elevator. Merde. But I should have guessed that this would happen, that elevator needed to be oiled fifteen years ago. The guard who walks up to me is surprisingly a woman. I assumed the Captain chose men to do his dirty work because he thought they were able to physically bare more work. I can only imagine the shit she had to go through to get where she is now. Even here, in this position, which must be better than working as a slave, she must still be discriminated against. Knowing that fact makes it harder for me to lie to her. But I have to try. The woman has a stockier build, and long, strawberry blonde hair tied in a ponytail. While examining her closer, I noticed she has a permanent dimple on the right corner of her mouth. For some reason, I can't help but notice tiny details about the person I'm currently talking to. Like, how John's eyes always seem to sparkle like they're reflecting thousands of stars, or how Alex always has a creased line of worry between his eyebrows. But most importantly, how Herc has dimples as well, on both of his cheeks, but they only show when he smiles. Or how his face seems to darken whenever John is upset about something. Or- "Are you listening?" the woman snaps her fingers between my eyes.
     "Ou- yes, sorry." I respond, snapping back to reality. While speaking, I'm trying to use my best English accent, although I can't help but I think I'm doing a terrible job. She obviously thinks so, because after I finished speaking she raises her eyebrows.
     "Name one thing I just said." she tells me.
     "I-"
     "Whatever, it doesn't matter," she cuts me off, waving an impatient hand. "What's more important is what are you doing down here. You don't have patrol down here right now, do you?" I rack my brain to think up an excuse, but nothings coming to mind. Then I remember what John told me to say.
     "I need the keys to the sleep quarters." I say, trying to sound imposing and important. Her eyebrows travel further up her forehead.
     "Why? Who sent you?" she asks.
     "The Captain." I say with as much righteous as I can muster.
     "Why?" she questions further, although she sounds a bit more panicky now.
     "He's requesting the presence of Hercules Mulligan in his office as soon as possible." I lie. She seems to think this over a moment.
     "Did he sign anything?" I gap at her. Why didn't we think of that? I'm sure Alex could have forged his signature. Wait, no. I can get around this. It's okay.
     "The Captain owns these mines, and he has sent me to retrieve one of his workers to speak with him. Are you suggesting that he needs to sign something to get anything done around here?" I shoot back at her.
     "No of course not," she mumbles, dropping her gaze down to her boots. "I was just making sure- I don't- alright, I'll grab him for you." And she walks off towards the sleeping quarters. Look at that, Lafayette. I think as soon as she disappears through the cell doors. You did it.

     The woman starts to walk back, but with her, a man walks by her side. I don't recognize Hercules at first, because he seems so... different. He's not like the boy I knew, back when I was a slave, who smiled half the time and made sure we were okay the other half. He seems so beaten down, so tired. Oh mon Dieu, what have they been doing to him? Herc has his head down, so he doesn't see me at first. But when they come to a stop, feet from me, he looks up at me. I can see his eyes widen, and the corners of his mouth start to quiver. But he stays by the woman's side, and I know it's taking all of his power to stay there.
     "You are just taking him to the Captain, then?" she asks.
     "Straight to the Captain then back." I answer. Without saying anything else, she pushes Herc towards me, he stumbles and falls over, but I catch him before he reaches the ground. I see the woman raise her eyebrows again. Evidently, guards are not supposed to save slaves. She brushes off whatever she wanted to say, turns her back, and walks away.
     I pull Herc onto his feet, and start to walk him to the elevator, trying to mimic the way the female guard grabbed his arm.
     "Laf?" Herc asks cautiously once we're on the elevator.
     "It's me." I say, expelling a breath I didn't even know I was holding in.
     "It's you," he smiles and then pulls me into a hug, wrapping his arms around my neck. "Laf, so much shits happened."
     "I can imagine. You'll have to tell me all about it, but first we have to get back to the truck." I reply, breaking away from him, but still holding his arms.
     "Truck?" Hercules mimics.
    "Long story. The short of it: Alex and I were captured in the desert, brought here. John happened to be standing outside when the truck we were chained in pulled up. He knocked out the guard, we made a rescue plan for you, I rescued you, and now we're going to drive away back to the rebels." I say quickly as the elevator door opens.
     "That's the short version?" Herc asks, like he's afraid to know the answer.
     "Oui! Come on! We have to hurry," I respond, and I grab his hand and start pulling him across the side of the quarry. Be both race to where we can see the truck, and three figures in the distance, one who was still on the ground... "I got him! I shout gleefully once we're in earshot of Alex and John.
     "Yes!" They both say together.
     "I saw you in the quarry with that red haired guard," John says once we're closer. "It was scary, I thought you were going to get arrested."
     "Not today, I'm afraid." I wheeze, coming to a stop.
     "Come on, we have to hurry," Alex reminds us. "Only two people can sit in the front, the other two have to sit in the back."
     "I'll go in the back." Herc says, speaking for the first time since he's seen John and Alex.
     "I will too." John offers. Herc stares at him, but John keeps his gaze on the sandy ground.
     "Okay, everyone in. We're finally all going to get out of here." Alex says.