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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 2212089" data-attributes="member: 6294">"Total Escape" - Part 8"Well those buildings are all identical.  Probably prisoner barracks." Fury muses, "And the one on our right is obviously the guards' barracks, so I guess that means the big iron shed is our best bet.""Astonishing.  Logic."Fury's deduction proves accurate as he pushes open the door of the large metal building.  The cavernous interior is filled with large steel tanks, from which drift fumes that look suspiciously like the work of a dry ice machine.  The Captain wrinkles his nose."Something stinks in here."On each side of the building are flights of stairs, which lead up to a walkway that runs around three of the four walls, and also has two cross-ways, one over each of the giant vats.  A Targ technician walks across one of the walkways, running a hand along the guard-rail as he does so.  Spotting Fury's entrance, he waves his clipboard and clatters down the stairs to ground level.  He speaks, and Archie translates the words for the Captain."Good.  You're here.  Fetch some of the sedative from the store room. We're almost ready to serve their next meal."Fury snaps a salute, eyes darting around for signs of the storeroom."Storeroom?" he whispers to Archie."There is a door at the rear of the building.  It has a sophisticated locking mechanism.  I suspect this is the room in question."Fury strides purposefully in that direction, casually adjusting his grip on the disruptor he's carrying."You can open this 'sophisticated' lock, right?" he whispers as he walks, "Because otherwise I will have to shoot my way out of here.""I am sure it will not present any trouble." Archie sounds like he would be rolling his eyes, if he had any.Reaching the door, Fury stands close to the electronic lock, as if punching in the access code.  Archie scuttles down his arm and extrudes a cable into the mechanism.  There's a rapid series of beeps, then a click as the lock disengages."A simple fourth-order recursive polynomial." the robot sniffs his disdain. "Child's play."Inside the store room are shelf upon shelf of small grey boxes, labelled in Targ.  Fury picks one up and peers at it curiously, then - after a quick glance around to make sure there is no-one watching - shoves it in his backpack."Analyse the contents, Archie." he instructs as he picks up another box, "Maybe we can find a way to reverse the effects."Returning the main chamber, Fury closes the store room door and then hands the box over to the technician.  The Targ takes it, then points to the corner."Put it in the pot over there, then fetch one of your compatriots.  We'll serve it immediately."Moments later, Fury and one of the Targ soldiers waddle out of the shed with a large iron cauldron between them.  The 'pot' (as the technician described it) is nearly four feet in diameter, and filled with a lump grey goo."Well now I know what was causing that stench." The Captain sounds like he is fighting the urge to gag, "This smells worse than week-old boiled cabbage."Whatever Fury's opinion of the food, the Venusian prisoners do not seem to have any qualms about it.  They assemble quickly when the Targ bangs on the cauldron with a ladle, and then briskly file past, each holding out their cupped hands, into which the soldier splots a ladle-full of the goop.S'Ondra's dirty, ragged form appears amidst the crowd.  Fury frowns, trying to discern if it is 'his' S'Ondra, or her duplicate.  As she draws closer, he hums a few bars of the United Earth anthem, but she makes no reaction other than to shove out her hands for food.  The Targ gives her a ladle's worth, and she moves on.  Seconds later, another S'Ondra appears in the crowd.  Even if he had not already seen the other, Fury would have known instantly that this was the 'original'.  It's obvious from the grace with which she moves, the proud tild of her jaw, the supple curve of her limbs, the -"Who is that she's with?""Unknown, Captain." Archie's synthesised voice replies. "He appears to be a fit and healthy Venusian, of similar age to the Princess.""Well, what's she doing with him?" Fury wants to know, "This is a delicate mission!  She can't be going around fraternising!""Is it not usual to attempt to forge relationships with prospective allies?" Archie wonders."Well ..." Fury huffs, "... yes.  But how do we know we can trust him?  He could be a Targ spy!""I doubt it.  He seems like a very nice boy.  Much cleaner than most of the others.  He could be a useful ally in our battle with the Targ.""Well, I hope the battle starts soon." Fury glares at the pair as they take ladles full of the food and move away, "I really feel like killing something."</blockquote>

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