Fang's POV:
At this point, it had been about 10 hours since they had taken Alix. Dylan had rejoined with us along with Iggy and Nudge, making it just the seven of us. I desperately hoped it would be eight, and soon.
After a few minutes of talking, we decided they would have had to take her to the nearest lab, which was in Arizona. We had just arrived, and were searching for the lab desperately.
Eventually we saw the telltale hill where the lab was, built under the earth.
The sky was dark and stars twinkled and lit the earth in a blue glow. I flew down and landed by the opening. We had to plan a way to get in, and we had to succeed.
I needed my sister.
Alix's POV:
We made an absolutely EPIC escape plan, if I do say so myself. We decided we would not just break ourselves out, but as many prisoners as we could. A girl, Karma, who had been here far longer than me, and could remember far longer than Aqua, helped us out with the planning. She told us when the lab shut down and the scientists left, and she pointed out the most vital part of our plan- the birds nesting in the rafters.
And so, when the scientists left and the building was empty save for us, our plan began. If only I knew how to do the first part...
I took a deep breath and summoned a little brown bird from the rafters, calling him down to me. He chirped quietly and jumped along the bottom bar that went across my cage, and I spoke to him.
Listen, I need your help.
Chir-chir-chirp How?
I need to shift my shape. Can you help?
You will know, don't worry. He chirped, and then shoved his beak into his feathers and pulled out a feather, and dropped it on the floor of my cage. He then flew back up to the rafters. Gee, very helpful. I picked up the feather and twirled it in my fingers. An odd instinct hit me. I put out the pointer and middle finger of my left hand, and placed the feather on them. I took a deep breath and felt a churning in my heart, and I blew on the feather. It floated up into the air, and dissolved into an explosion of fine silver dust that fell all over me. The dust pushed in on my body, reshaping it and bending and flattening my arms into wings and feathers pierced out of my flesh and I was compacted and squished into a bird smaller than my fist.
The feeling was not entirely unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't comfortable. When it was through and done I was a small bird just like that which I had called down, and just small enough to fit perfectly through the bars of the cage. I fluttered out, and landed on the floor in the middle of the room. I blew through my beak, and I changed back. Thankfully, I still had my clothing... Unfortunately, I didn't have my shoes. I suppose the rubber couldn't shape change.
I went to Aqua's cage first, and pushed the button that let her out. Then I went around and pushed all the other buttons. Only about half got out. The others remained motionless and staring, the sight making me sick to my stomach.
We all went to the supply closet to get out what we had planned to use. We then went to our designated areas in the lab, to begin laying our traps. We had approximately 6 hours to have everything set before the first wave of scientists came in.
We would have just walked out, naturally, of course that was too simple. The doors were locked, bolted, and reinforced during closed hours, so no one could get in or out. So we went about using what we had.
They began setting up contraptions, like hanging the jar of marbles by wire so when they dropped it it would throw marbles everywhere. They set up similar things with lightbulbs, and they spread glue in front of the doors so that their shoes would stick to it. Beyond that the glue, we had the lightbulbs so the broken glass would hit their bare feet. They set up scissors like darts, and pens like needles.
I set about breaking brooms into super sharp shards. I then punched holes in the ceiling and climbed up inside of it, using wire to tie the ends of the brooms in such a fashion that there would be one wire coming down from the ceiling, and if it were to be released the shards would fall in either a cage wall or razor sharp spears... depending on my intent at the time. Wire was used to create trip wires and nets, and by 5 hours and 50 minutes we were done.
We took up positions, and we waited. The doors bleeped as the clock hit 5 AM, and they unlocked. Scientists began to come in. First came the glue and light bulbs from the West Wing. Screams and chaos resounded through the lab. Then from the East Wing, where marbles and scissors attacked. The scientists where we were, in the North Wing, started running to find the source of the chaos. Karma yanked a trip wire, sending the first wave of scientists falling onto a net that snapped into the ceiling. The stragglers sprinted to avoid us, which I promptly dropped my door to stop. Unfortunately (and disgustingly) one was caught under it, and her blood stained the marble tiles crimson. I looked away, covering my mouth.
In mere moments, all the scientists were down and we sprinted for the escape. I paused for a long moment, and then realized what I was missing. My animals. I knew they were here, they had to be. I spread a frantic call out, and found their responding voices. From that lab room, right where I had been tested, in the North Wing, about 6 feet from my right. I ran inside, and looked but didn't see them. It looked much the same as before: the operating table, the treadmill, the things covered with fabric... The things covered with fabric. I jumped out and snatched away the cloth, and saw the curved bird cage and the squared dog cage that held my falcon and my wolf. I opened the doors, and they flew/pounced out, Eld to my shoulder and Lupa was out the door.
Alix, we must hurry! Lupa's voice echoed in my head. I hit the hall at a dead run, following the rest of my group out and into the sweet glorious dawn...
And ran smack dab into my brother.
