Chapter 6.

It was late, Miranda burst through the front door of the penthouse, startling her dozing daughters who were sprawled out on the couch watching a film. They whipped their heads around and watched their mother bound toward her bedroom, no Andrea.
"Mom?" Cassidy called out.

"Where's Andrea?"
Miranda stopped at her bedroom door. Just hearing her name pierced her heart; it was like a searing knife to her chest. Andrea, Andrea, Andrea, her mind repeated like a mantra.

My beautiful wife.

She turned around and walked back into the living room. Before appearing from the hallway, she wiped away the tears that had wet her cheeks. It was futile. She had not looked at herself yet but she was sure she looked terrible. Her children would know, and she would have to explain.
They looked at her with wide, worried eyes. They were so young. She had shielded them from most of life's misery but she was about to fling them into a life of nothing but. It was no longer a choice.

"They" she began, but emotion caught her throat and she struggled to speak.
"They took her, she's in prison." She sat down in the chair next to the windows, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes to the floor, a distance about her that they did not understand.
"What? Who took her mom? Why is she in jail? What did she do?" They asked. An onslaught of questions she wished she had a choice not to answer. All she wanted was to crawl into her bed, never to rise again. She wanted to disappear into the mattress and just be at peace. This was all too much.
Their white haired mother looked up at them. It startled them; she had a look about her, almost as if Andrea had died. Grief, anger and melancholy painted her features with a darkness they had never seen in their mother.

"The council, the people I've been working for. The reason we are here. She couldn't keep her goddamn mouth shut!"
She couldn't sit, not now. Her nerves were everywhere, flying inside of her trying to escape, and she wished they would, just to feel some relief from this pain.
"They are going to k-kill h-her" She wailed. Burying her face in her hands, scalding tears rolling down her cheeks, she had cried so much now that it physically hurt. Everything hurt; her entire body ached as if she were ridden with illness.
They both jumped up from their seats and grabbed their mother, clutching her on each side, just like when they were children when they were frightened of something. She wanted to comfort them, but she couldn't do anything but cry.

She took several deep breathes and suddenly a calm came over her. She was experiencing a moment of clarity; she knew what she had to do. She gave both of her girls a squeeze and realized they were crying too. She kissed them both on their cheeks, giving them a weak but genuine smile.

"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked through her tears.

"We're leaving bobsey." She said as she broke away from her girls.

"Go to your rooms, get a backpack and pack 2 pairs of pants, sweaters, t-shirts and an extra pair of comfortable shoes, as much as you can fit."

"What about Andrea? Are we just going to leave her here?" Cassidy's face was unbelievably red, her eyes wet with tears.

"Of course not, I am going to take you two to the entrance, the elevator, remember? I will go get Andrea and you will wait for me to return with her."

They looked at her like they hated the idea of being left alone. They would have to deal with it. Taking them with her to bust Andrea out was not an option.

"But my babies, there is a possibility that you will have to leave without us, if I do not make it back, you will have to be brave and you will have to leave Andrea and me behind."

"No! Mom, please don't leave us alone!"

"I cannot bring you with me and we cannot stay here." She pulled away from them and headed toward her bedroom again.

"Pack your bags." She called out over her shoulder, her voice commanding their cooperation, just before she shut her bedroom door.

She opened her closet and yanked a couple purses from their places. She reached inside of a beige clutch and pulls out several small metal parts and a motherboard. She grabs three more small purses and finds 3 large metal pieces; she puts them all on her bed in a pile and assembles the device quickly.

It was a gun, but one that she had designed herself. No one else had this weapon; the technology inside of it was exclusively hers. She had been working on it for years and had just recently perfected it. It was laser technology. It allowed her to make projectiles from any solid surface, therefore never running out of ammunition and it also allowed her to move large objects with the help of high frequency beams. It was easily concealable, no bigger than a derringer, fitting perfectly in the palm of her hand.

She laid it on the bed and grabbed another set of comfortable clothes from their hangers and began to stuff them into a black knapsack. She quickly pulled off her clothes and then pulled on black pants, a black sweater with a hood and then slipped on a pair of dark boots. She had to do something before they could leave. She needed help from someone in security if they had any hope of getting out of here alive.

She grabs the pack by one strap and walks back into the living room. She set it on the couch before she grabbed her glasses and slipped them onto her face.

"Girls, I will be right back. Keep packing. We will leave as soon as I get back."

"Are you going to get Andy?"

"No, I have to go see a friend. We need his help. I promise I won't be long."

"What if they come when you're not here? What do we do?"

"Do not answer the door for anyone but me. If they make their way in, don't let them know that you know anything about Andrea or that you were packing. Tell them I have not yet returned home."

Miranda steps out of her building, onto the streets of Metropolis. She pulled her hood over her head, masking her signature white locks. They would immediately give her away to any passerby. If they were looking for her, they would only have to search for her silver head in a crowd and would find her quickly. She walked briskly with her eyes to the ground. The glasses and her hood over her head allowed her to somewhat blend into the crowd in the streets.

The building she needed to visit was not far from here, but her heart pumped inside of her chest angrily, adrenalin spilling into her bloodstream. This was her only hope, without this man's help, she was sure she would die just trying to get to Andrea in her cell. Everything relied on him. She prayed as she walked that the lord would provide the man with the courage to say yes.
She easily found his building and slipped inside a back entrance and up a service elevator to the 12th floor. She had little trouble sneaking into his small apartment. He was not home yet. He was likely still at the bar with his friends. She would wait for him in the darkness until he came through the door.

Not long after she knelt down in the shadow of an armchair in the corner of the room, the front door clicked with the lock being turned and the door being opened. The man stepped through with a slight stumble, obviously a bit lit from his time at the bar. She took her chance when he closed the door and locked it, before he had the time to turn on the light.

She stepped lightly until she was behind him. She pointed the nose of her gun to the back of his naked head. He jumped a bit at the coolness of the nozzle and she saw the chills break out down his neck. He gasped and a shiver ran down the length of him

"Who are you? What do you want?" He said as he put his hands up, his voice giving away every bit of his fright with its tremor.

"Nigel, I don't want to hurt you. I just need your help" Miranda replied, still out of his view.

He didn't need to see her face to recognize her voice. His shoulders relaxed when he realized it was his old friend. He somehow knew that she would not hurt him, In part because he would do nothing to make her.

"Miranda? What is it? What do you need?" He said as he slowly turned around to face her. She lowered her weapon when she could read his features. When she knew for sure that he was no threat to her.

"Have you heard about Andrea, yet?" She asked as she walked over to the windows and shut the blinds and then the curtains. She wanted no witness to their encounter.

"Yes, of course. Nearly every security officer knows." He said with a look of great sadness.

"I'm so sorry Miranda." He said as he reached for her in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't do that. Not yet. I need your help." She said as she pulled away from him. Her nerves entirely too shot to accept anyone's touch. She knew his meant to comfort her because Andrea was as good as dead, and she refused to accept that.
"With what?" he pulled his hands back to his sides, sliding them into his pockets.

"Help me get my girls out of here. You are the only person I trust in lunar command to help us. "

"Miranda… I don't know if I can do that. If they catch me, they will do awful things… I've seen what they do to traitors. They'll torture me... I…"

Miranda closed the space between them and roughly grabbed onto him, clutching both of his arms and making him look into her eyes. He needed to know how serious this was. That it meant more than his life to say no.

"I'm begging you Nigel. Although I will do this with or without you, without you I know that I will not make it. Once they find out it's me, they won't take the risk. They will get rid of my entire family" her eyes were crazed. She was more intent than he had ever seen her.

In that moment Miranda contemplated dropping to her knees; she would if that was what he wanted, if it would make a difference. She would beg him, bow to him. She would do anything. She needed his help, or her chances of success were slim.

He looked into her eyes, saw everything that she was trying to communicate but could not say with words, and it stung him deeply. It was an awful thing to think of her children and her wife and the end that they would come to. Just as he thought of her, he thought of his own end and images of knives, fire and a pool of water for him to be drowned endlessly flashed inside of his mind. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Miranda. I can't."

She dropped to her knees, not out of supplication, out of exhaustion and a feeling of great loss. She could not stop the tears from flowing or the terrible noises that came from her as sobs wracked her frame. He had never seen a thing so pathetic, so sad in his entire life.

"Oh god, Nigel. I never knew you to be such a coward!" She wailed at his feet.

She stayed there for a long moment, letting the emotion overwhelm her, she had to let herself get it out but she couldn't lie there forever. She gathered herself before she stood again. She brushed herself off and took steadying breaths. She slowly slid her hood back over her head, slipping on her black rimmed glasses and heading to the door. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She wanted to shoot Nigel for his cowardice and she came very close to it. But it would do no good. She gave him one final look, a look of disdain, disappointment and grief. She needed him and he refused to help.

She understood his reasons, but she hated him for his choice.
Without another word she left the apartment, leaving Nigel to his thoughts in the darkness of his tiny home. When he was sure she was gone, he fell to the floor on the very same place that she was just moments ago and cradled his bald head in his hands as he cried. He hated himself, but more, he hated this place for making him decide between his life and the lives of his dear friend and her family. He knew he had to help, he just couldn't find the strength in him to do it.

Miranda walked as fast as she could without running back to her penthouse, her mind was racing. She needed Nigel, She needed him and he would not be there. Her thoughts stormed inside of her head, she could almost see the angry rain clouds and the lightning striking, the great thunderstorm inside of her personifying. Anger overwhelmed her. She had to get a grip on herself, she knew they would be coming to question her soon. She did not want to be there. They would see straight through her lies, when it came to something so important to her, lying was something she couldn't get away with. The truth would be written in her features. She had to get out of here, fuck Nigel.

When she got back to her home, her girls were ready. Their back packs stuffed full and the both of them dressed similarly to their mother. She smiled weakly, seeing the determination in their eyes, and in their stance. They wanted to get Andrea back just as badly as she did. They equally wanted out of here, especially now that they knew what this place was and the people that controlled every alley and mind of it. They were frightened but ready, as ready as they would ever be.

"How did it go? What did your friend say?" They stared

"We can't count on him." She said as she walked into the kitchen, stuffing some water bottles and a jar of peanut butter into her bag. She gave one final remorseful look at her home and sighed.

"Let's go" She flung the bag onto her shoulder and she opened the front door.

Their entire walk to the entrance to Metropolis was nerve wracking. She was aware of everything around her, treating every person that passed them as a potential enemy. She was worried they would be obvious with their big backpacks on their backs but no one had noticed them. There was a small clearing before the entrance to the elevator. Just before the doors, there was a group of large pine trees. She knew it would be a good place as any to hide the two of them while she went to retrieve Andrea.

She led them down a small dirt path and sat them right beneath the farthest tree to the city. She looked up at the night sky and could not see the moon. It was a temporary blind spot for the LC. She knew they would be safe, but only for a short time.

"Alright, stay here. Do not move until I get back." She said before cupping both of their reddened cheeks with regret and indecision shining all too obviously in her eyes. This was a horrible feeling. She wished she could be in two places at once. She wanted to stay and make sure they would be protected, but she had to make her way to Andrea soon or her window of opportunity would pass.

"I love you, babies. Remember what I told you?" She said, tapping on the digital watch on Cassidy's wrist. "That door will open at 12:58, If I'm not back by 1AM, you have to leave without us." Miranda sat down her bag with the girls.
They looked at each other and then at their mother and nodded. They sobbed their goodbyes, knowing begging there mother to stay would be useless and would only waste precious time. They held onto each other while watching Miranda leap through the pines and back out into the clearing. They sat in silence as they counted each second until her return.

This was it. Miranda had to stay focused. She moved stealthily toward the corrections facility east of the Capital plaza. It was a great distance from the entrance. Each step she took forward felt like a mile between her and her children. She tried her best to remain calm. She began to recall every bit of her training from the academy so long ago. She remained conspicuous in the crowd, unseen, unnoticed. She walked with her head down, only peaking up every so often; to make sure she was headed in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Nigel was arriving for his night shift in Lunar Command. It was only he and two other men in charge of the surveillance of the entire city for the next couple of hours. His eyes watched the huge screen of video feeds in front of him. One of the squares alerted him to suspicious activity from someone on the streets.

He dragged the image to his table top and zoomed in, watching the person closely. He realized quickly that it was Miranda. She was doing it. At this very moment, she was on her way to get Andrea. He felt panicked, he suddenly thought of every possible way to distract his two colleagues long enough to help his friend. He even thought of getting rid of them all together. He was shocked by his insolence, but seeing Miranda acting it out, seeing her doing it, and all alone, he couldn't stand by and watch. Saying no, was not nearly as easy as he thought it would be. He walked over to the break room and began to brew a pot of hot coffee.

It was easily the longest walk of Miranda's life. She clutched her weapon in her pocket, feeling herself sweating against its metal pieces. She was so goddamn nervous, she could hardly stand it. She wished there was another way, and she wished more than anything that Nigel would have been there for her. She kept moving forward with determination. She was ninety percent sure she would die in her attempt, but that small ten percent of hope was enough to propel her toward her wife, whatever will come, she would at least see her one last time.

The stream of dark liquid from the coffee maker turned to a slow drip and Nigel knew it was ready. He sat three mugs on the counter next to it and poured a generous amount into each. He put two sugars into his, and he sat his mug aside. He pulled a small vial of liquid from his pocket and poured half of it into one mug and the rest of it into the other.
His heart raced as he shoved the vial back into his pocket. He took his cup to his desk and returned to retrieve the two others. He walked over to Mark's cubicle and handed him the steaming brew. The man took it with a smile and a nod of appreciation. Nigel handed the other cup to his other colleague, Daniel, and the man accepted it without expression.
Nigel walked calmly back to his desk and sat, eyeing the feed of the suspicious person on the glassy surface of his workstation. He sipped slowly at the sweet, hot liquid in his hands, and waited.

Thank you all for your patience these last couple of months. I don't see how some of these other authors manage college and keeping up with their stories. I have awhile before my summer courses start so I'll try to do as much as I can. I never forget about my readers and I appreciate every single view and review. It means a lot to me to know you guys are digging it. Stick with me!

-X