Casper returned to his cell after being freed of the handcuffs and be guided for that same Ridire who had brought him.
Finally, he could breathe. He was receiving a lot of pressure in that conversation.
In the end, he could accomplish all his goals there. Now that Vick was out of the game, he could play as he pleased.
Even if Vick found some way to get him out of there, he would still possibly be in extreme danger on the outside, because he was a criminal. He was not willing to choose between Halden or whatever other prisons in District 42.
What he needed now was to make everything by himself. Prepare the terrain. This way he could get his freedom again without the need to worry about have troubles out there.
The first steps for his plan would start on that same day if everything went well. He just needed to be careful.
Casper entered his cell. Anton was awake, doing nothing in particular.
The soldier waved to the Ridire, who looked angry towards him, and then left.
"Ok, Anton, today is the day."
"Yeah, you mentioned at some point that you would take action in the next Dark zone, right? You still don't told to Anton what you are planning to do though."
"Yeah, and it's better if things keep going this way. At least for now. But bit by bit you will understand what I am trying to do." Casper seemed to be pretty confident about his plan, which left Anton a bit more at ease, but he was the type of guy who appreciated knowing about things beforehand.
"Now we wait…?" He asked the obvious.
"Yeah… I just need to survive the Dark zone from today. If everything goes well, we will have a big step done."
…
At lunchtime, Casper went to talk with Olaf.
The man was sitting at the table he always sat at, so it was not so difficult to find him.
Casper went to get his food and then headed to the table where he was, taking a seat there and pretending just to be eating silently there for some moments.
Olaf could interpret what was going on, although he was generally the naive and slow type. That was one of the reasons why Casper could play with him so easily, and maybe what made him so little when compared to the other prisoners, even though he had connections among the Ridires.
Casper looked right to left and saw that the warriors guarding the canteen that day were not eagerly looking at them as in the other days.
"First of all, I need a control. I worked at the Main Lab, and I know that Ridires have access to a type of control that can connect with some kinds of devices. Generally computers, televisions, doors and so on. And also, ask them if they have a way to stop that ring-like device and bring the solution to me. I need these things until our last outdoor time, got it?" He whispered, still looking to the sides.
"Got it. I got it. Leave this to me." He nodded energetically.
"I will also need ammunition, but that's a long-term kind of thing. However, the sooner the better."
"Yes. I will try my best… But…"
"Don't worry about your mask's restrictions. I know you can't say some types of words, like guns, weapons, and so on. I wrote everything in a paper that I am holding under the table right now."
Olaf stretched his right arm, the only good one by the way, and started to search for Casper's hand. When he did, he took the paper and hid it in his pants.
"I will do whatever I can. Do you need something more?"
"Hmm… No, for now, that will do."
This way, Olaf started to eat again, pretending to do nothing important at all, and Casper finished his food, leaving the table and going to sit with Anton again.
"Ok, Anton, I finished this part. Now, I have a doubt."
Anton was darting his eyes around the place, particularly towards the guards.
"Say quickly, they suspected that you changed the table all of a sudden."
"Is there someone who knows how to build weapons from scrap?"
"I can find one." Casper nodded for him, satisfied with his response, then started to talk about trivial things again.
…
It was the afternoon outdoor activities. That was the last event of the daily schedule before the Dark zone.
Casper's heart was racing with anticipation, and he could not stop to think that this part of the plan was so crucial to the point where failures could not be accepted.
He was aware that these thoughts were just sabotaging him. What he needed in times like that was to clear his mind and just focus on the objective instead of being a pessimist.
Maybe he was not recovering his composure so easily as always because of the chain of events and conditions that lead to that point.
Casper had just failed in a mission that was basically his specialty. Nothing happened according to his plans since he put his feet outside his apartment that night. To make it worse, he had a displeasing battle just before being arrested.
Casper never lacked confidence. He was always conscious of how far he could go with his skills. However, it seemed that he was just being unlucky, not incompetent, and it was frustrating to think that maybe he could fail because of something out of his control.
That time in the courtyard served for him to cool down a bit while interacting with some different inmates and trying to distract his mind.
Anton was walking around there, conversing with different prisoners who were in the scrap metal pile crafting items to kill the time. He was trying to find someone who could help Casper with the guns.
At some point, Alfar appeared and wanted to talk with him, which left Casper without any options instead of tag along.
"So, what do you want?" He questioned.
"It has been a day since we spoke. You had said that you were going to prove your worth. I was thinking of what do you have in mind. Some of the faction members from your block said that you are not acting so out of the common."
Casper knew that, at some point, Olaf, Alfar, or even Anton would suspect him, since the plan was a mystery for everyone, and Casper also did not let them interact and converse about his requests.
"Hmmm, that's good then." Alfar looked confused to him. "You see, the first precaution here is to not be flashy. If I am doing it without drawing attention, everything is good."
Alfar kept looking at him for some more time. Casper noticed that the man was trying to read him, but he could not. First of all, he was not even a Ridire or Frelsi, he was born and raised never seeing what a human's face looks like. He could never read Casper's expressions.
"Don't worry, man." He put a hand on Alfar's shoulder. "I am the one being proven here. I should be nervous and anxious, not you."
Casper, then, walked away. Olaf was waiting for him, and he needed to take those items he had ordered at the canteen.
…
The Dark zone finally had started. After all the lights were turned off, the Ridires started to appear and drag the prisoners with them.
The noises, screams, fights, everything started again. The same disturbing and grotesque scene from every day.
It was no wonder that every prisoner feared the Dark zone. It was a true scene of madness and despair, even cruelty.
Anton was already going crazy in the corner of the room.
After some hours of unremitting turmoil, a Ridire appeared on Casper's cell.
"Hey, we need to fix the schedule of these two. Bring just the one without a mask and let the other inside, tomorrow will be his time."
The warriors entered. One of them raised his arm and used that ring-like device, which made Casper pass out.
The Ridire carried him like a potato bag, and the others followed him.
…
When Anton woke up, it was already morning. He could not see the sun or look to a clock, but his keen and sharpened mind was always counting the seconds, minutes, and hours of each day.
He woke up at 6:43:02. It was just some minutes before the breakfast.
Anton remembered to be driven crazy again last night, but he was not dragged to the laboratory to be studied or something.
"Ah, right, they probably can't keep up dragging Anton and Casper at the same time every day, so they just got Casper yesterday…" He realized.
Anton looked to the ground and saw Casper laying there, visibly shaking. There was foam coming out of his mouth, and he was on top of a puddle of his own vomit and other excrements.
It was a pitiful scene.
"Hey, Casper. Hey, can you see Anton?" He crouched next to him, not minding the dirt at all and looking to Casper's eyes, which were still opened.
His eyes were empty, and he was with a strange spasm in the eyelid. Sometimes, he would say something, but it was indiscernible.
"Casper…?" Anton called again. But he knew that his partner would not respond.
That was a clear example of completely insanity.