The Prison Quest Read online

  THE PRISON QUEST

  by

  Michael Campling

  Saffron Bryant

  Freedom - the one true quest

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Two Authors - Two Offers. Grab Both!

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Epilogue

  Two Authors - Two Offers. Grab Both!

  Also by These Authors

  Connect With the Authors

  Copyright

  Two Authors - Two Offers. Grab Both!

  Get Michael’s Free Starter Library & Much More

  Get Saffron’s Free Action-Packed Book

  This book is dedicated to gamers everywhere, not forgetting the old-school die-hards who hoarded floppies, saved up for soundcards, and knew how to fix MS-DOS so the damned game would load. May your mechanical keyboards never fail.

  You are in a maze of twisting little passages, all different.

  – Colossal Cave Adventure, Will Crowther

  Michael Campling

  michaelcampling.com

  Saffron Bryant

  saffronbryant.com

  Cover

  Cover art by Dean Spencer

  www.deanspencerart.com

  PROLOGUE

  He sits at his desk, flexing his fingers before pulling the keyboard toward him. Today is going to be the day. The solution to the problem is fixed in his mind. The night before, he hardly slept as competing ideas fought for his attention. But as he lay awake, testing his plans and looking for flaws, the kernel of a strategy solidified in his mind. And now he is ready.

  He begins to type, the code flowing easily from his fingertips: side quests, levels, characters, points. It’s all there, fully formed. It’ll work this time for sure, he tells himself. He’s finally figured out how to smuggle his modifications into the system, piece by piece, without alerting the system monitors.

  But there’s only so much he can do. He can’t make it too obvious or the company will have his balls for breakfast.

  He stares at the screen, taking in the beauty of his handiwork. “That’s one hell of a thing,” he tells the empty room. “Cleanest code I ever wrote.”

  His fingers hover over the keyboard, then he types the final command:

  execute

  Holding his breath, he hits the return key. The screen goes blank, the system icon whirls for a second, then the blinking cursor returns.

  He allows himself a grin. Not a single error report. That has to be a record. He stands, patting the top of his monitor. Nothing to do now but wait. He’s done his best. The pieces are all in place. Now all he needs is someone brave enough to make the first move. Brave enough, smart enough, and tough enough. This isn’t going be easy, and it’ll take a special person to get through to the end. A very special person indeed.

  CHAPTER 1

  Cody ran down the deserted corridor, her heavy boots slamming hard against the steel floor, the sound bouncing from the metal walls and echoing all around her. Trickles of sweat streaked down her cheeks, and in seconds the over-zealous air-conditioning turned her perspiration to chilled lines. But Cody hardly noticed. It was always cold in the headquarters of the Vortax Corporation. Cold and soulless. Every surface was clad in spotless stainless steel, and every breath she took was filtered, chilled, and dehumidified: the servers needed it that way. And like every other employee, Cody had been given a simple message on her first day: What’s good for the servers, is good for Vortax.

  That’s why this is dynamite, she told herself. This is it. This is the break I’ve been waiting for. Her heart fluttered against her ribs. Her boss had to pay attention this time. He had to listen. And then maybe, if she played her cards right, he’d reconsider her application and let her try out for V Division. Cody pictured herself in the V Div black body armor and the rugged helmet over the distinctive dark goggles. She could almost feel the reassuring weight of an assault rifle in her hands. A shiver ran through her, and this time it wasn’t the air-con.

  She jogged to a halt outside her supervisor’s office, snatching her ID card from her pocket and smacking it against a black panel set into the wall. The panel flashed green, and with a faint hum, the door slid sideways.

  Cody squeezed in through the gap before the door was fully open. “Sir! I think—”

  But her supervisor did not even look up from his desk. He simply raised his hand to cut her off and carried on reading from the huge monitor that stood on his desk.

  Cody stopped short, holding her tongue. But not for long. “Mr. Chalmers, sir, I really think you should listen. It’s important.”

  Chalmers took a long breath, then he sat back in his chair, staring at Cody, his eyes glittering in the cold, blue light of his massive monitor. “Oh really? You have something to say, Ms. Milbourne? You have something important, something that just can’t wait?” He made a show of checking the time on the wall clock then returned his attention to Cody. “Isn’t that interesting? Because it seems we have different ideas on what’s important, like turning up on time for the morning briefing for example.”

  “Wait. I can explain. You see, what happened—”

  “I don’t give a damn about your lame excuses,” Chalmers sneered, then he stood, leaning forward, his hands splayed on the desk. “This is the fifth time this month you’ve missed the briefing, and I warned you last time, didn’t I? Did I not make myself clear to you?”

  For a heartbeat, Cody hesitated, but she’d deal with the recriminations later; right now she had to make Chalmers see sense. “Yes, you made it clear, Mr. Chalmers. But I was looking into that glitch in the power supply on level three, and when I checked the energy usage monitor, I noticed—”

  “Enough!” Chalmers snapped. “Stop talking.”

  “But the readings are way outside the normal range. Perhaps we should—”

  “Hell’s teeth, Milbourne!” Chalmers bellowed. “I said enough!”

  Cody gasped, biting back her words. Any second now he’s going to realize what I just said. She studied his expression, waiting for the moment when her supervisor would finally understand.

  “Right,” Chalmers said, swiping his hand down his face. “I warned you last time. I told you that if you continued with your attitude, I’d have no choice but to report you to the section chief and recommend that you be stood down from the personal security detail.”

  Cody’s heart jerked. “What?”

  “You think you’re something special, but I know a hundred people who’d take your job in a second, and any one of them would cause me a lot less trouble than you.”

  Cody moved her lips wordlessly for a second, then: “Mr. Chalmers, sir, that power glitch was very suspicious. Something is going on here.”

  Chalmers pulled himself up to his full height, flaring his nostrils. “What does it say on your badge, Milbourne?”

  Cody frowned. “I don’t…what do you mean?”

  “Wha
t does it say, right there, on your badge?”

  Despite herself, Cody glanced down at the badge she wore on her chest. “Cody Milbourne. Personal security.”

  “Right,” Chalmers said smoothly. “It doesn’t say anything else, like for instance, qualified electrician or server technician?”

  “Well…no…”

  “And it doesn’t say private investigator?”

  “No.” Cody dropped her gaze to glare at the desk. A dark storm of rage roiled in the pit of her stomach, but she wouldn’t let Chalmers see it; she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

  “What about secret informant?”

  She looked up, forcing her words from between clenched teeth. “No, sir. I know what it says on my badge, and with respect, so do you.”

  “Exactly. You have a simple job, Milbourne—you keep a close eye on our highly valued personnel. When called upon, you patrol the building, you check the doors, and you take your turn on the gates, same as everybody else. And that’s it. So how could it possibly be okay to miss the briefing because you took it upon yourself to examine the company’s power usage?”

  Cody fought to keep her tone neutral. “Sir, you have to listen—”

  But Chalmers didn’t let her finish her sentence. He slapped his meaty hand down hard on his desk, the noise filling the room. “I don’t have to do a damned thing. You, on the other hand, can either do the job you’re paid for and be on time, or you can get the hell out of here and I’ll put your last paycheck in the post. Clear?”

  Cody nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “I swear, if you show up late one more time I’ll have you thrown out of here faster than you can say but.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand.”

  Chalmers jutted his chin upward as if satisfied that he’d made her squirm enough for one day. “Good. You can get back to work, but from now on, you’re assigned to the parking lot. Maybe that will give you an opportunity to get your priorities straight and think about your attitude.”

  “The parking lot! Seriously?”

  Chalmers glared at her, his eyes piercing her to the core.

  “Right, the parking lot,” Cody said. “Understood.” She turned on her heel, stalking out the office, her head held high, and she kept walking, her shoulders square and her back straight, all the way down the corridor until she got to the elevators. She pressed the call button, and when the doors opened a few seconds later, she was grateful the compartment was empty. Cody stepped inside, but when the door slid shut, she let her shoulders slump, then she hammered her fist against the unyielding metal wall.

  “Why?” she whispered. “Why wouldn’t he listen for once?” But deep down, she knew the answer. Chalmers was a company man through and through, with a cozy job and one eye on his pension; he’d do anything rather than rock the boat. It’s a damned shame. Those energy surges were worth investigating—she was certain of it. Chalmers should have rewarded her for initiative, not sent her out to freeze in the parking lot. If he could see past his giant monitor for two seconds, then maybe he’d see what was going on in the real world. But he never did, and he never would. So if she was ever going to get her shot at joining V Division, she’d have to find her own way. And somehow, she’d have to do it without Chalmers finding out.

  The elevator emitted an electronic beep, and a synthetic voice announced her arrival on the ground floor. Cody put her game face on and strode out as soon as the elevator doors opened. She crossed the marble-floored lobby as quickly as she could, keeping her eyes on the glass doors of the main entrance.

  Cody walked up to the metal detectors and flashed her badge at the guards standing on either side.

  “Go ahead,” one of them said, waving her through.

  But Cody hesitated. “Are you guys new?”

  The men exchanged a look, then the same guard spoke again. “Sure. Just started today.”

  “And you’re working the lobby already?”

  The other guard piped up. “Yeah. We were called in at the last minute. I think the regular guys got the flu or something.”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” the first guard said. “Flu. Too bad, huh?”

  “First I’ve heard of it,” Cody said. “But listen, I have to head out to the parking lot, so you guys have a good shift.”

  The guards smiled and Cody headed for the main doors, barely pausing while the glass panels slid open in front of her. As she stepped outside, a blast of icy wind tugged at her uniform, flinging fistfuls of freezing sleet into her face. Her eyes streamed and her cheeks stung as though she’d been slapped, but she flipped up the collar of her jacket, hunching her shoulders against the cold, and trudged along the path, her boots crunching on the light covering of snow until she reached the vast expanse of asphalt that served as the company’s parking lot.

  Over ten thousand people were employed in Vortax headquarters, and from the look of the sleek cars in the lot, most of them were well paid. Cody paused, studying the Bentleys and BMWs in the executive parking spaces nearest to the entrance. She knew their registrations by heart, so there was no need to check their parking permits. Instead, she stomped across the lot to the first row of ordinary cars and pulled a small tablet computer from her pocket. She held it out toward the first car, activating the scanner. The screen flashed green, so she moved to the next car, repeating the process all the way down the row. Then the next. And the one after that.

  At the start of the fourth row, Cody took a break to rub some life back into her frozen fingers, and she looked up at the Vortax building: a soaring monolith of glittering glass, its windows heavily tinted. The dark glass reflected the sharp rays of winter sunlight, and Cody shielded her eyes against the glare. High above her, picked out in a silvery finish, the company’s logo shone out: a huge letter V surrounded by a pair of concentric circles.

  Cody pursed her lips. How many times had she seen that logo before she’d even arrived at work? It was on the back of her phone and on the side of her computer. It popped up in her browser whenever she went online, and since Vortax ran the TV cables and satellites, the badge appeared during the commercial breaks of her favorite TV shows. And it seemed as though every time she turned on the news, a well-groomed representative from Vortax was singing the praises of the company’s latest breakthroughs; advancements in every technological field from prosthetic limbs to space travel.

  Cody tore her eyes away from the building to stare at the navy blue Mercedes next to her. She considered giving it a miss. She could invent an excuse and go back inside to grab a coffee. Maybe she could even say hello to the new guys working the lobby and see how they were settling in. But she shook her head. She had a job to do, and she’d damned well do it to the best of her ability.

  Cody carried on, scanning every vehicle, but by the time she’d completed her circuit of the parking lot, she’d only found two cars without valid permits, and the end of her shift was still hours away. She kept moving, digging her cold hands deep into her pockets, then she headed back toward the far end of the lot, her mind numb. She waited a while, stamping her feet to keep the blood flowing, but there was nothing else to do, so she set off on another circuit. And as time wore on, she was forced to admit one thing: Nothing is going to happen today. Not a damned thing.

  What she needed was a good workout in the gym or a nice long run; something to get her muscles working. She paused to stretch her back, feeling her vertebrae click, and as she rolled her shoulders, a sudden movement near the lot’s entrance caught her eye. She tensed, her hand flying to her radio as she marched toward the entrance, looking rapidly from side to side. But she came to a sudden stop when she recognized the man hurrying through the gate. “Joseph? How come you’re out here?”

  Joseph lifted his chin in acknowledgment. “Cody.” He met her gaze for a moment then glanced over his shoulder.

  “Where’s your car?” Cody asked. “Don’t tell me it broke down again.”

  “No, nothing like that.” He fiddled with the strap of his bag
where it crossed his chest. “Just felt like a walk today, that’s all.”

  Cody raised an eyebrow. “A walk? I mean, don’t take this the wrong way, my friend, but when did you last walk anywhere?”

  Joseph gave her a grin, but there was no warmth in it. “Anyway, good to see you, Cody. I should be—” He started forward, checking over his shoulder and darting between two parked cars, putting a row of vehicles between him and Cody as he headed for the building, moving fast, his head down.

  “Wait, is everything okay?” Cody called out. She took a parallel route, catching up with him and matching his pace.

  Joseph glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Yes. Yes, everything is fine.”

  “How come you can sign in so late? Man, I wish I had your job. You should’ve seen the dressing down I got just for missing the briefing this morning. But this is way past your usual time.”

  “Oh, you know,” Joseph said, his throat bobbing, “we don’t have strict hours. Do the work when it needs doing, that’s what I always say.”

  “Right.” Cody studied Joseph’s face. It was paler than usual, and his glasses sat skewed on his nose.

  Joseph rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at her again. “Are you assigned to me today?”

  “I wish I was, but I’ve been banished to parking lot duty as punishment. I think Jayde is looking after you today although she should have met you at home if you were walking in. The company doesn’t like its important people wandering around unprotected.”

  “Oh, I suppose I should have told them. It was just an impulse.”

  Cody slipped through a gap in the cars to walk at Joseph’s side, close enough to smell the faint tang of sweat on him. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hmm?” Joseph shot her a look, his brow furrowed. “Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

  Cody snorted. “Please, how long have I been known you? I can read you like a high-def screen. Something’s wrong, Joseph, so you may as well come out and say it.”

  “No,” Joseph snapped. “I’ve already told you. Just…leave it, Cody. All right?”

  Cody frowned. It wasn’t like Joseph to be short with her; he didn’t have a mean bone in his body. It was as if he was putting on a show, being deliberately rude to get rid of her. “Come on, Joseph, you can tell me. What happened, did you miss a deadline again?” She threw him an impish grin. “I’ve told you before, you don’t need to worry about things like that. The company needs you. They know you’re some kind of genius—everybody says so. They’d never fire you for getting a little behind on your schedule. Me, on the other hand…”