A Very Timely Hostage

**Angro’s POV**

Everything happened in an instant, a flash of decisions that left me no time to think. There was no room for doubt. The officer who approached us was dangerously close to discovering us, and we couldn’t allow that. My body reacted before my mind. In one swift, fluid motion, I grabbed him from behind, locking his arms in a tight hold and squeezing hard. I felt his initial resistance, but a second later, he was immobilized.

Before anyone could react, I slipped the ion pistol from the officer’s belt and pressed it firmly against his head. I knew even the smallest mistake could cost us our lives. The sound of metal scraping against the uniform echoed in the room, and everyone present fell silent, their eyes fixed on us. My voice came out hard, in the eteri language, making sure they understood I wasn’t playing around.

“Stop!” I shouted, pressing the pistol against the officer’s skull. “Nobody moves, or he dies right here.”

Zania, always quick to adapt to the situation, understood what needed to be done. While I held the officer hostage, she lunged toward a nearby sub-officer, capturing her with the same efficiency. The woman let out a sharp gasp as Zania immobilized her but didn’t try to resist.

The eyes of the other officers and soldiers in the room widened in panic, but none dared to move. Wasting no time, Zania dragged the sub-officer into the operating room where Shaira was still sedated, unaware of everything happening around her. The cold lights illuminated her motionless body on the operating table as the surgeon continued his work.

The tension in the room was palpable. I could see some of the soldiers slowly reaching for their weapons, but they knew they couldn’t risk a sudden move while I had the officer at gunpoint. If any of them made the wrong move, this man would die on the spot. And they knew it.

“Listen to me carefully!” I announced loudly, still speaking in the eteri language, ensuring everyone present understood. “We’ve come for the girl you’re operating on. She has confidential information about our people and has been accused of espionage. She must answer to opranchi justice.”

Of course, everything I was saying was a lie, a desperate maneuver to protect Shaira in case she ever fell back into the hands of her people’s military. If they believed she was a traitor, working against them, it might give her a chance to escape. I needed them to believe she was no longer one of them, that her loyalty had shifted. She was one of us now.

The surgeon, with trembling hands, glanced up at Zania for a second. She didn’t say a word, just aimed the pistol she had taken from the sub-officer’s belt at him. There was no need for further explanation—her expression said it all. He finished closing the tiny wound on Shaira’s head with a laser, sealing the skin as if nothing had happened.

Zania approached the container holding the translation device. It was a small chip, no bigger than a lentil. She held it between her fingers for a second, as if she wanted to crush it right then and there, but she restrained herself. That tiny device had been the link the eteri used to track Shaira’s every move, but now it was out of her body. They would no longer have control over her.

“Hurry up,” Zania ordered the surgeon. “You’re done here. Now we’re taking her out of this place.”

The surgeon nodded slowly, not daring to look around. The officers, the soldiers—they were all in shock, too paralyzed to act, but it wouldn’t last long. I knew time was against us. We had minutes, maybe seconds, before they regrouped and overwhelmed us with numbers.

“We’re taking the girl,” I repeated firmly. “Once we’re outside, we’ll release the two hostages. But if anyone tries to stop us before we leave, they’ll pay with their lives.”

Sweat dripped down my forehead, but I couldn’t afford to lose control. I glanced at Zania, who remained calm despite the tension. We couldn’t fail now, not when we were so close.

Zania began guiding the surgeon and the sub-officer toward the door, never taking her aim off her target. Meanwhile, I kept the officer under control, slowly moving toward the exit with him. I knew that if one of the soldiers decided to take the risk of shooting, it would all be over in seconds. But I had to trust they wouldn’t dare endanger their superior officer.

Every step we took toward the exit felt like walking a tightrope. One wrong move, one reaction too fast from any of the people present, and the plan would collapse. My mind raced, calculating how many more steps we had left, how many more soldiers might be outside.

When we reached the door to the operating room, Zania gave me a slight nod. Her expression was pure determination, and I knew she was ready for whatever came next.

“Stay calm,” I whispered, more to myself than to her.

The officer under my control was breathing heavily, surely aware of the gravity of the situation. My muscles were tense, every fiber of my body prepared to react in an instant.

Zania and I exchanged one final glance before we crossed the door with Shaira. We were about to face the hardest part of the escape: getting out of the fortress with her unconscious and without raising a general alarm. But we knew there was no turning back.

This was the moment of truth.

Shaira was still unconscious, completely defenseless, and with every second we remained inside that fortress, the situation seemed more impossible. Zania and I exchanged worried looks as we calculated how we were going to get Shaira out of there. Every corner was filled with soldiers and officers, and there wasn’t a single path that didn’t present a deadly risk. Time was running out.

“We can’t keep going like this,” murmured Zania, looking at the door and then at the bodies of the unconscious soldiers. “They’ll find us any minute.”

I knew she was right, but we couldn’t leave Shaira behind. My mind raced, searching for a way out. That’s when something occurred to me. The translator. That cursed device that had been tracking Shaira’s every move. Now that it was out of her head, it was our only chance to prevent them from tracking her again.

“Zania,” I said, “destroy the translator. Now.”

She didn’t hesitate for a second. She threw the small chip to the ground, and with a heavy stomp, shattered it into a thousand pieces. The crunching sound under her boot echoed in the room like a release of tension. At least now, the eteri would no longer have control over Shaira. But we were still trapped, and the way out didn’t seem any clearer.

Just then, the door burst open, and for a moment, I feared our time had run out. But the figure that entered wasn’t an armed soldier. It was a young officer, her uniform immaculate, but her face reflected urgency, not threat.

“I can help,” said the officer calmly, her eyes moving from Shaira to me. “Let me take her out of here. The stretcher is the best way to get her out without raising suspicion.”

Zania, always suspicious, tensed immediately, raising the ion pistol in her hand as she eyed the officer warily. “How do we know this isn’t a trap?” Zania asked, her brow furrowed.

“She’s a friend,” I said firmly. “I saw her talking to Shaira the night they took her prisoner. We can trust her.”

Zania looked at me, clearly unconvinced, but she knew I wouldn’t make such a claim lightly. There was no time for doubt or second-guessing. The officer might be our only chance.

The young officer stepped forward, trying to remain calm. “I can get her out, but I need you to release the hostages. I’ll take their place as your hostage. That way, no one will suspect I’m helping you.”

The proposal was risky, but it made sense. If we wanted to leave without raising the alarm, having someone from the eteri army on our side was the only viable option. I looked at Zania, who still seemed hesitant, but finally nodded.

“Alright,” I said, turning to the officer. “But if you betray us, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

The officer didn’t flinch. “I understand.”

Zania released the sub-officer she had captured, letting her go with a silent warning. Meanwhile, I kept the ion pistol pressed firmly against the officer I still held hostage. I knew we couldn’t let both go without some guarantee. The officer approached me calmly, taking the hostage’s place with a coldness I almost admired.

“Let’s go,” she said softly. “We need to move before anyone else shows up.”

With the eteri officer leading the way and Zania watching closely, we began our journey out of the complex. The hallway felt narrower, as if the walls were closing in on us. Every step we took, I felt the eyes of the soldiers on us, waiting for the slightest movement to intervene.

As we left the medical wing, the atmosphere became even more tense. A large group of soldiers had gathered near the fortress entrance, pointing their weapons directly at us. My muscles tensed, and Zania raised her pistol slightly, ready for anything.

“Stay calm,” the officer whispered. “Don’t do anything rash. I’ll handle it.”

We moved slowly toward the exit. The soldiers were still there, their eyes filled with suspicion, their weapons ready to fire. Everything depended on the officer keeping her composure. My heart pounded as I carried Shaira over my shoulder, her body still heavy from the anesthesia. It felt like I was carrying the weight of the entire situation on my shoulders, not just her.

When we reached the door, one of the soldiers raised his weapon slightly higher, as if waiting for a signal to shoot. I held my breath. One shot, just one, and everything would be over.

But the signal never came.

The officer exchanged a quick glance with one of the soldiers, who gave a slight nod. They didn’t want to risk a hostage situation turning bad. They let us pass. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, but the danger wasn’t over yet. The real test would come when we were outside the perimeter of the fortress.

We crossed the gates and entered the jungle. The shift from the fortress’s cold, metallic atmosphere to the humid heat of the jungle was like a slap in the face. But at least we were outside. For now, we had won.

“We have a few hours before they realize what’s happened,” the officer said, walking alongside Zania. “There’s a route we can use to disappear without a trace.”

We moved quickly, delving into the thick underbrush of the forest. Each leaf crunching underfoot reminded me how fragile our situation was. I carried Shaira over my shoulder, her limp body still alive, and that was the only thing that mattered at that moment.

Zania kept her ion pistol aimed at the officer, never lowering her guard for a second, though we knew that at this point she was as invested in this as we were. The weight of the situation hung over all of us, but for now, we were safe. Just for now.

“We need to move faster,” I said through clenched teeth, my mind already planning the next phase of our escape.

I knew freedom was fragile, but now that we had escaped the fortress, every second felt like a victory. Still, there was a long road ahead.