Jailbreak

Sitting together, the plan was simple. Using small lengths of copper wire pilfered from behind the light switches in their rooms, they could create a continuous circuit around the collar while punching the hinge pin letting them slip the restraint. Putting all of the collars in one corner of the room, covering them with mattresses to try to direct the blast, they were going to attempt to use the charge in the collars to blow a hole through the plastic. Depending on the size of the hole, would determine the next step. Hopefully it would be large enough and the plastic sufficiently weakened they might create an opening big enough to get Hector through, him being the smallest of the nine.

The day of the attempt was not unlike the ones preceding it, everyone did the same thing and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

After night lock down, Hector slipped out of his cage, testing to see if there was anyone or thing was monitoring his movements. When he sensed the all clear, he alerted the others and one by one the men made their way to Mordred’s cell, deciding to use his as it was the cell furthest away from the common room security door, lest the muffled explosion create more noise than anticipated.

“What if it’s triggered bio-electrically? You know, once it no longer detects a pulse it automatically detonates?” Maynard asked, arching an inquisitive eyebrow, mocking expression on his face.

Jack frowned, “Now? You bring this up now? You might have deigned to have shared that consideration with us earlier,” he growled.

Maynard grinned, “Where would the fun be in that, that stunned looked on your mutilated face is positively amusing,” he chided.

Jack stared at the doctor a moment, fingers on his right hand curling into a fist.

“Jack,” cautioned John, placing a hand on the one eyes man’s shoulder. “None of us thought of it.”

“The idea was mine, I shall test the theory,” offered Mordred stepping forward.

The process of punching the pin proved more difficult than anticipated, and there was some concern with the amount of time it took. Once it was finally out, Mordred shed the collar and deposited it on the mattress and stepped back. Everyone stood still, unsure of what to expect. There was no explosion, no electric shock, nothing.

“Fuck you Maynard,” Jack quipped, smirking at the doctor.

The arrogant former physician rolled his eyes demonstrably and shook his head.

Removing the rest of the pins whiole keeping the copper circuit intact proceeded fairly quickly compared to the initial collar and after all the collars were removed, they were piled on the floor in a corner. There was no way to remove the improvised copper circuit jumpers simultaneously to coordinate the collars to go off collectively, but it was thought if the copper bypasses were removed at relatively the same time, the hope was that it would create a large enough cumulative effect to generate a more forceful blast and punch a hole through the plastic wall. Shredding a sheet and braiding a tight rope with an end resembling a cloth cat o’ nine tails, they were tied to the copper strand. The idea was to yank the ‘rope’ and remove the copper all at once. Once it was in place, they grabbed a few other mattresses and piled tem over the collars.

“Wouldn’t it be a bitch if they were lying about the collars and they are no explosives, just so we wouldn’t fuck with them,” joked Hodge.

“Dude, that is not even funny man,” commented Marcellus, scowling, standing near the back of the room.

Letting out an exaggerated breath, Maynard quipped, “Perhaps everyone should evacuate the room and close the door to contain the explosion and focus all of the energy,” he said, shaking his head as if speaking to ignorant children.

Everyone shuffled out of the room, the makeshift rope under the cell door. With everyone clear, John jerked the rope. There was a low sounding series of booms in rapid succession, followed by a single concussive wave, strong enough to buckle the door and spiderweb the metal grid security glass panel inset in it.

“Guess they weren’t fucking with us after all,” chuckled the big black man.

“Nope,” agreed Hodge.

Pulling the door open, John peeked in the room. Small tufts of mattress fiber and filler floated inside the hazy interior of the darkened room, weak light spilling through the open doorway. There was an unpleasant smell like burnt hair strong in the air.

Hustling across the floor, John crouched down beside the spot where they had set up the disengaged collars and ran his fingers over the site of the blast. Examining the wall, the paint was stripped away and there were some darkened char marks, but the material itself appeared pretty much undamaged.

Looking up at the others, John pursed his mouth and shook his head, “Not even a scratch,” he commented, tone disappointed.

“Well now, that certainly puts us all in a pickle come the morning when our handlers come and find we have removed our collars,” Maynard said sarcastically. “I say we all return to our little boxes and try and get some rest.”

“I say fuck that, make them bitches come in here and try and put that shit back on. I’ll snap that little girl’s chicken neck,” growled Marcellus, making a breaking motion with his big powerful hands.

“I got a better idea,” said Jack, eyes fixed on the ceiling over the corner where they had detonated the collars. From his vantage, it appeared as if the whole ceiling had been lifted up and shifted slightly askew, creating a gap in the corner nearly eighteen inches wide, blackness beyond.

All eyes turned to him, then followed his gaze.

“It’s like the roof was one solid panel that’s been blasted out of place,” Russell observed, shaking his head.

“Forced it up, like a firecracker popping the lid off a coffee can,” Hector stated, smirking.

“Interesting,” mused Mordred.

“Enough jaw wagging, we need to see what’s on the other side,” John said, standing up and brushing his hands together.

“I’ll go,” volunteered Hector. “I’m the smallest and it might be harder for them to spot me if they’ve manned the guard towers.”

John turned to Jack, “You’re the one who spotted it, your call?”

Jack nodded to Hector and looked up at the gap.

Marcellus and Hodge offered to boost Hector up, but he shook his head, running up to the wall and launching himself up, grabbing an edge and pulling himself easily through the hole and vanishing into the gloom.