Chapter 1: Old Comrades
A lone boy was sleeping in a dark cell. The cell was a really small one, and he took up most of the space by just sleeping on the floor. He wasn't sleeping on a bed, but rather, the remains of a broken down straw bed. The door of his cell, despite looking very old and broken down from age, was as sturdy as ever. The rusted lock still managed to contain the boy in the cell, despite being half broken.
The boy was quite a light sleeper. There was a faint clanging sound, and then there were footsteps, along with somebody dragging something along the ground, or most likely, someone. There was the sound of a door being unlocked, and someone could be heard being thrown unceremoniously into a cell. The kid shifted slightly in his bed, and he figured a newcomer had just joined his ranks.
The door was locked tight, and when the footsteps died down, there was complete silence. The boy could not hear anything for a while, but within the next few minutes, he could hear the occupant in the opposite cell start to move around. A single tap on the wall, the shuffling of feet. The boy merely chuckled. No doubt, this person was trying to find some way to escape this God-forsaken place by checking the room for any chance of finding a weakness in the room that contained him. After all, who wouldn't?
" You know, don't want to disappoint you or anything, but don't bother trying. If there was even the glimmer of a hope that you can escape, I would have been long gone from this place," the boy replied speaking to his new 'cellmate'.
The noise died down, and the person on the other side probably understood what he meant. " I've been here for 4 years now. You'll get used to the place, no worries. I'm here for life, so I don't know how long my sentence is actually gonna take. How long are you in here for, and why? Should be something serious, cos you got put in the same level as I am," the boy replied.
There was no reply.
" Not the talkative type, huh? Me, yeah I talk…it keeps my mind sane you know. I've been going crazy a bit now. They moved or killed all the inmates on this floor, so I've been kinda lonely. Almost considered trying to talk to myself, but that would be crazy right?" the boy replied. " Do tell me if you want me to shut up. I do tend to get annoying sometimes."
" …This is indeed surprising…I thought you were dead the last 4 years, Carrier," the person in the opposite cell spoke to him, almost with a tone of affection.
The boy jumped out of his bed in an instant, his face white with shock when he heard those words being spoken to him. His heart was racing rapidly, his mind almost numb from the revelation. He knew this voice, it was all too familiar to him. He moved himself immediately towards the door, peering through the small barred window. Very quickly, he slipped off his fingerless glove on his right hand and slipped it out of the opening of the door. Concealed behind the glove was a small tattoo on his arm, a figure of two pairs of wings at the side of a halo. The newcomer didn't respond for a while, but after a few seconds, Carrier could see the boy put out his right hand as well, and a similar tattoo could be seen from his hand. Carrier could barely hold his breath.
" Holy shit! I can't believe it's really you!" Carrier exclaimed excitedly. " You are not some ghost, right? You are the real Ghost, right? I mean, the one that obviously cannot walk through walls."
" Looks like you are as excitable and talkative as ever. Glad that annoying feature of yours hasn't changed over the years," Ghost answered.
Carrier could barely contain himself. He had almost given up hope on leaving this place alive, but after four years, he had managed to meet up with a long lost companion. " Chirst man, what took you so long? I was wondering when you'd show up. If any of us were supposed to survive that assault, it would be the consummate survivor," Carrier replied.
" I'd like to apologise in advance. I did not come here to rescue you specifically," Ghost answered.
" …You are here for Crimson?" Carrier asked.
" Well, that confirms that she is here then. Is she still alive?" Ghost asked.
" Yes, but barely, I think," Carrier answered. " You came here specifically to rescue her, but not me. Okay…I am a guy, and you are obviously not gay enough for me to reward you with a kiss, but did you really hate me that much?"
" Don't get it wrong. The reason I didn't come here to rescue you was because I thought you were dead," Ghost answered.
" Thanks for the vote of confidence, buddy, really helps with the morale," Carrier grumbled.
" If I recalled correctly, you were at Section 13 when the bombs went off. The Residential sector there took the largest hit, and I figured you died along with the rest in the area," Ghost answered.
" Close. I was actually on the way towards the restrooms when the bombs went off, so I was spared from the damage, but I was grievously hurt at that point, so I didn't take part in the counter attack you all initiated, which might also play a part in why you thought I was dead," Carrier answered.
" Not dead enough to not know we actually held a counter attack. You weren't hiding, were you?" Ghost asked sarcastically.
" The twins, Rex and Tex managed to find me and drag me along to one of the rooms to tend to my wounds. That was when they told me about it," Carrier replied.
" Forgive me. I guess you aren't that weak as I thought you were," Ghost replied, chuckling slightly.
" Being weak or strong had nothing to do with it. It was pure luck that I managed to survive until today," Carrier replied, withdrawing his hand from the door. " …I suppose it is just me being hopeful, but is there any of our old buddies who managed to escape?"
" Of course. Survival was what we were bred to do. Including you, the members of the Archangel force that are still remaining is now 9, at the very least. I have been attempting to track all of you down, and right now, I am starting with Crimson. I guess finding you is a boon of sorts for my attempts," Ghost answered.
" ...How are the rest doing?" Carrier asked.
" Fine, I suppose. This Morrocan prison is my first try at gathering the rest of the crew, since Crimson is the only one in the most danger. I've been stealing records, and I know she has been incarcerated her under the torture chambers for long enough. It may have been badly planned, but I needed to enter this prison fast," Ghost replied.
" …You mentioned 'gathering'. What are you planning to do with rounding us all up?" Carrier asked.
" …Revenge, of course…" Ghost answered coldly.
Carrier sort of expected the answer. If anything, Ghost was probably the only one amongst all of them to want to see this through.
" Our members were massacred in cold blood, and the authorities covered up the story. There will be no justice, no karma for the people who murdered our comrades for money and safety. I will not sit idle and let their souls weep. I barely knew any of them personally, but they were my family. Anyone who harms my family will pay dearly for their foolish act," Ghost answered with some tension in his voice. " Yes, I am finding the rest of the surviving members so that we can come together again, and show that no bad deed goes unpunished. You have been through what I have. I am sure you will agree with me. I am out for blood. What do you say?"
Carrier took a moment to collect his thoughts. He had been stuck in this cell for 4 years, day in and day out; he had been carrying out this mundane existence. If it was something Carrier detested the most, it was going into a fight, which was ironic because that was what he had been training to do most of his life. Not once did the thought of revenge crossed his mind, since he loathed violence.
Pressing his head against the bars of his door, Carrier broke out into a dark grin and answered " What's the plan, Ghost?"
" Amazing…for once we agree on something," Ghost replied.
" Actually, we do agree on a lot of things. You just never bothered to give a shit about me, that's why," Carrier replied. " I assume you have some plan of sort to get us by."
" Not really, but having you here really speeds the process," Ghost answered. " I need information about this jail. As much as you can possibly give."
" 4 years worth of experience. Fire away," Carrier replied, relishing the challenge.
" What is the exact dimensions of this jail?" Ghost asked.
" An exact square at 500 by 500 meters, with the internal building covering a 400 by 400 meter area.. It is by far the biggest jail in Morroc. Not under any jurisdiction, but the local lords, traders and royalty pooled their resources together to fund this place, where they can throw in people who they don't like as they please. For a fee, someone from somewhere else can pay a small fee to keep whoever they want here prisoner. This jail doubles as a dungeon as well, since it has 3 storeys above ground a 2 below. Morrocans like fancy things, but not for their prisons. The basic layout can be placed the four wind directions: north, south, east and west, each area corresponding to the parts where they point. The underground dungeon is slightly larger than the top, covering an area of 450 by 450 meters. Two exits, one at the north side and one at the south side. The guardhouse, canteen, bathing area, communal center, weapon and supply stocks are all located at the ground floor. For the most part, the two floors that go up and go down all house us, the scum of the universe, so to speak," Carrier answered.
" I was asking for the dimensions, but I guess too much information cannot be that bad of a thing," Ghost replied. " Where is Crimson located?"
" Basement Level 2, North side. It's pretty much like maximum security prison cell for her. Not pretty. They drag her off and torture her about once every week, and the cell conditions there make mine look luxurious. Granted, I've never seen the faces of the prisoners in the north block, but the guards periodically go there and beat the shit out of them. At least I go out once in a while. I think Crimson hasn't seen sunlight in like 2 years," Carrier answered.
" Is she still alive?" Ghost asked.
" She has bitten off 4 ears, 2 noses, 1 tongue, fractured three guard's wrists, 2 femurs and poked out 4 of their eyes, each on a separate occasion and still counting," Carrier answered, with an almost proud tone in his voice. " The reason she was brought in here was because some local lord bought her off the slave market and tried to do something 'funny' with her. Heard she bit his privates off while he was having fun with her."
Ghost gave a slight chuckle. " That spunky attitude of hers always gets her into trouble," Ghost mused. " Guard shifts?"
" 24 hour surveillance, cos they are paid well to do their job. They patrol mostly the outer corridor. They come in about every hour to check on things, 2 hours from 8pm to 4am. 20 guards per corridor, two per section. There are 10 cells in this area, 2 guards always outside. 3 shifts per day, starting at 4am. All in all, an estimated 650 guards and wardens working in this jail. The numbers change often, so I can only give an estimate, but there are at least 320 guards on duty all the time, give or take. Level of security drops the more levels you go up," Carrier answered.
" I see. You said Crimson is in the lowest floor at the north side, right?" Ghost asked.
" Yeah, Corridor 3, Cell 2," Carrier answered.
" …You said you've never seen her, nor have has she been brought out since," Ghost mused. " How the hell do you know her cell?"
" Your skepticism is getting on my nerves. You know what are my qualifications in the Archangel corps, right? I deal with information. I am an absolute genius in collecting information. Intel based missions were my forte. I have been in this shithole for 4 God damned years. I can list the names of all the darn inmates here if you need them," Carrier replied.
" Oh, you are proving to be very useful this time around. 4 years have changed you slightly," Ghost answered.
" Screw you," Carrier snapped.
" Just joking," Ghost answered. " …Still can pick locks?"
" If you got a good lockpick, I'm always good to go," Carrier answered.
As a reply, Carrier was greeted by a sickening sound of flesh being torn apart, like Ghost was ripping apart is skin. Faint drops of liquid hit the floor, most likely his blood, not before Ghost slipped his hand out and handed a long piece of wire which was dripping in blood.
" Aw shit…where did you hide it?" Carrier replied, taking the metal wire.
" My forearm," Ghost answered.
" I know you have quickened regenerative abilities, but that has got to hurt," Carrier replied. " Heck, you don't even know how to pick locks. Why even bother with a lockpick in the first place?...No wait, you were planning on using this as a weapon, not as a lockpick."
" Yeah, being flashy is who I am, but I suppose since you are here now, we may as well make full use of you," Ghost answered.
" Glad to be of service," Carrier replied sarcastically.
" Don't bother about it now. If there are less patrols at night, we will attempt to break out then. We have located Crimson's location, assuming you are correct, which you usually are. If things go as planned, we might even get out of here tonight," Ghost said.
" …Tonight? How? You plan on taking on 320 guards?" Carrier mused.
" No need for that. This is Morroc after all. Poisons are their specially. I am sure they have stocked them up somewhere," Ghost replied.
" Sure they do," Carrier replied.
" I was thinking of mass poisoning," Ghost replied.
" That's kinda hardcore, even for our standards," Carrier answered back.
" …I was thinking of maybe some kind of a poison that induces sleepiness," Ghost replied.
" Oh, why didn't I think of that? It's not like I can read minds, right?" Carrier sarcastically replied.
There was some movement that could be heard from the distance, something like a lock being unlocked. There was the grating sound of grinding metal, followed by the hollow echoing sound of footsteps.
" The guards are coming. We will continue later. Break us out on the 12 midnight shift. We will continue our conversation then," Ghost replied, not before withdrawing into the depths of his cell.