Paelen opened his fingers. The key he had taken from the orderly’s pocket was still resting in the palm of his hand. He manipulated the key into the lock on the handcuff. With one hand free, it was little effort to open the second cuff.
Paelen knew his body was mostly healed. The burn on his back was gone and his broken ribs no longer hurt. They had left the casts on his legs. He suspected they had done that to keep him from escaping. But as he stretched out his feet and flexed his calf muscles, he felt the plaster on the two casts crack. He felt no pain from the bones in his legs.
Paelen sat up, threw back the covers and started to break away the casts from both his legs. Before long, his legs were free. He tested his muscles. They were a bit stiff from lack of use, but apart from that, the bones had healed.
With both legs free, Paelen climbed quietly from his bed. He pressed his ear to the metal door and heard activity in the hall. There were still a lot of people out there.
He recalled the orderlies making plans for the evening. They were going home for the night. As Paelen stood by the door listening, he heard the guards outside change. Two men were leaving. They were reporting the events of the day to the one man who would remain outside the door for the rest of the night. Paelen would wait a while longer before he made his move. He always did his best work late at night.
Paelen waited. Somehow he would always feel when it was time to move, rather than plan anything specific. As he lay back, he recalled everything he had seen of the facility so far. He knew they were deep underground. There were multiple halls, countless doors and several levels. So far, he had been taken to three different laboratories for testing. They were all two levels below this one.
Each time they took him from his room, Paelen had been careful to memorize where they went. He had been taken past a set of doors with a symbol of stairs above it. More than once, he’d seen people enter or exit at that point. That would be his escape route after he had found the lab containing Pegasus’s bridle and Mercury’s sandals.
Paelen now concentrated on the air vent above his bed. The sounds of people in the rooms connected by the tunnels faded slowly. Moment by moment, the facility was shutting down for the night.
When more time had passed, Paelen felt that strange tingle that told him it was time to move. He walked quietly back to the door. He heard nothing from the outside except the faint sound of paper being shuffled and a soft breath being taken. The guard was still out there. But he was alone.
As he looked at the key pad that controlled the sound lock, Paelen counted twelve buttons. To open the door, the men always pressed four. But which four? From his angle on the bed, he had never been able to see exactly which buttons. This left only two options. To start pressing buttons until he heard the sound combination he needed, or simply use his strength to force open the door.
Neither option was particularly appealing. As pressing buttons always made sounds on both sides, any attempt he made would be heard by the guard. However, there was an equal chance of the guard hearing him force the door.
Finally Paelen chose the first option, but with a slight change. Even though the tingle in his senses told him to go, he held back. Waiting … waiting …
He eventually heard movement outside his door. The guard was saying something about leaving his post for a toilet break. A moment later, another voice gave the authorization. Immediately the guard left his desk, leaving Paelen’s door unattended.
Paelen looked at the buttons on the key pad. Starting with the number one, he closed his eyes and pressed the button. He listened to the distinct sound it made. It was not one he’d heard before.
One by one, Paelen pressed the twelve buttons, familiarizing himself with their sounds. When he hit the last one and heard its unique tone, he smiled. He confidently reached up and pressed the correct sequence of four buttons to open the door. A faint click immediately followed. Paelen pulled the door handle. It gave without any resistance.
Paelen saw no one. He dashed down the hall in the direction of the stairs, entered the stairwell and descended two levels to where all the laboratories were located.
Remaining in the stairwell, Paelen lowered himself to the floor. All of his senses were alert to any sounds. There were two people in the laboratory corridor. Paelen heard their voices drawing near, and then passing the doors and fading in the opposite direction.
When they had gone, he entered the hall quietly.
A series of doors lined the long corridor. Paelen recognized the first laboratory he’d been taken to. He shivered when he recalled what they’d done to him in there.