"What are you doing?"

Kurt was still in this state of shock that it took him a moment to whip around, seeing his husband wide awake and staring at him with bewilderment.

The key card worked. He had doubted that it wouldn't, that Isabelle had somehow tricked him and it only set off blaring alarms and surely put them in more trouble than they already were. But then again, he knew he had to try. If a tiny inkling of hope said that he could save him and Blaine from certain death, he had to take it.

And now their cell door was ajar, and no Officers were coming at them.

"I…" Kurt stuttered, fiddling with the key in his hand. His heart pounded loudly under his ribs. There couldn't be much time, he knew that, but Blaine was getting up and making way towards him.

"How did you…" Blaine said, mouth hanging open at Kurt and then the door and then back at Kurt.

He took a deep breath, steadying his thoughts. "We're getting out of here. Now."

Whatever master plan Isabelle had, it was working. Blaine and Kurt crept along the cells, fast but not running. Kurt led the way, always checking at the watch tower in the center of the prison. Even though he couldn't tell, thanks to the tinted windows, he wondered if any Officers were even stationed there. How could anyone ever tell?

Other prisoners were either asleep or simply not caring enough to notice them hurry by in the dim light. Blaine, while following close behind Kurt, was still incredibly confused on the situation, for he hissed, "I don't understand, how did you get that card?"

"Isabelle gave it to me, it opens all cell doors," Kurt whispered back, trying to remember how to get to the elevator.

"Isabelle Wright?"

"Yes, it was my mother's last request for her to look after me."

"So she set up this escape plan?"

"Yes, Blaine. Now we need to get to the elevator and fast."

"Wait," Blaine caught his arm, stopping their frantic escape. For a split second Kurt was absolutely furious. Blaine should know time was of the essence here, but his husband's face was wide-eyed with scared realization. "Cooper."

"What?"

"Cooper is in one of these cells. I remember...when I first got here an Officer made a comment like, 'oh look another Anderson kid.' Kurt, we have to get him too."

"Blaine-" His skin itched with how bad of an idea this was. He didn't know how long Isabelle had security off. And whoever was waiting in that elevator wouldn't be there forever. But how could he say no to rescue his husband's brother when they had the chance?

So now they had a mission to hurry to Cooper's cell, which thankfully wasn't as far away as Kurt feared. Their footsteps echoed across the eerily quiet prison, and their panting breath wasn't any quieter. Though they had no clue, Blaine had heard rumors. Down one level and around the other side of the watch tower was when Blaine finally skidded to a halt, out of breath, and pressed his palm flat against the glass. "It's him."

Blaine's brother wasn't asleep, but sat on his cot with his head tipped back against the wall. He looked up when Kurt swiped the card and opened the door. Squinting, Cooper realized they weren't Officers here to see him.

Kurt stayed behind Blaine, glancing between his husband and brother-in-law. Blaine hadn't seen Cooper in almost ten years. They had the same dark hair, though Cooper's wasn't curly. He had blue eyes instead of hazel, with deep bags shadowed underneath. A scruffy, short beard grew along his jaw. Yet, just like every other Anderson, he had expressive eyebrows that right now bunched downward.

"Coop…" Blaine exhaled.

Cooper tilted his head, blinking a few times before realizing with a hitch in his chest, "Blaine?"

Time kept ticking. Now their group grew from two to three escapees. Blaine tried to explain everything to Cooper as they rushed up to the elevator. Kurt heard them talk behind him while he led the way, "...so it turns out Dad wasn't crazy-"

"Well, no shit, I could've told you that," Cooper remarked. "By the way, I can't express how happy I am that I'm still taller than you."

"Thanks. Anyway, I got Matched to Kurt, who now has a key card to get us out of here-"

"You're Blaine's Match?" Cooper asked, attention at Kurt while they hurried up the stairs. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our dysfunctional family! Congrats, though, on getting the second handsomest brother."

"Cooper."

"What? You can't deny I rock this beard."

They finally made it to the elevator. It stood like a beacon of hope. After coming to a stop, Kurt fumbled with the key card, heartbeat racing in his ears, and he heard Cooper say, "Tell me I'm dreaming. In no scenario does my baby brother and his husband show up and break us all out of prison."

In the midst of Cooper's jabbering, Kurt didn't even have the chance to swipe the door open, for the elevator opened by itself. A white-uniformed Officer with a sleek black helmet stood inside it.

In a flash Kurt's hands flew up in surrender and Cooper cursed under his breath while Blaine grabbed at Kurt's arm, instinct trying to pull him away from the door. However Kurt remembered Isabelle's instructors soon enough, and noticed how this Officer wasn't fazed at all by their appearance.

"A-are you here to help us?" Kurt stammered.

"Get inside," the Officer ordered, the voice oddly familiar.

Cramped inside the fluorescent-lit elevator, Blaine with a hand still on Kurt's arm as Kurt stared at their newfound ally. They ascended up, up, up, and he personally knew this journey would take several minutes so he asked the Officer in a surprisingly even voice, "Who are you?"

The Officer turned their head, reached without hesitation with one hand to unfasten the helmet, and pulled it off before tossing their blond hair and smiling.

Kurt's jaw dropped as he and Blaine both said, "Sam?!"

"What's up, guys?" Sam grinned wider.

"Wh-what are you doing-?"

"How...why-?"

"Well, long story short, that Matching lady Ms. Wright came up to me at work and said she needed help. And I was like, whoa important government business! And then she said that you and Blaine were in jail unfairly and I was like...oh, man. And of course I was going to help free you guys. Like, you're my best bros out there, ya know?"

Then Sam paused and looked over them. "But who's the other dude?"

Cooper beamed. "I'm Blaine's older brother!"

Oh, what a night of weird introductions.

Sam had his helmet back on when they reached the surface. He told them that in order for this to work, they had to keep their eyes low and their hands behind their backs. Sam then got a tight grip on his weapon, putting on the demeanor of serious Officer.

Air stopped in Kurt's throat once they departed and made it outside. Utopia's Capitol glittered in the muted midnight. Black sky above was the backdrop to the purple-ish hue below. Sam nudged them with his gun to keep them walking. Kurt couldn't help but notice which direction they were being lead.

The monorail station nearest to the Capitol Building was their safest bet. Their footsteps seem to grow louder the closer they reached it, in Kurt's opinion. His breathing quickened, his senses on hyper alert. Everything was working too smoothly, too perfectly. From learning his entire life that every action was kept a close eye on, it was now Kurt was out in the wide open committing the most illegal act one could do.

A monorail waited at the station, its engines on, like a patient beast. Sam stood positioned besides the opened door, nodding for them to enter. Cooper went in first, then Blaine, looking over his shoulder for Kurt to follow. Kurt lingered for a moment, lifting his head up at Sam, and mouthing, "Thank you."

He heard Sam inhale under his helmet, then saw him give a tiny nod in return.

That's when all the yellow streetlights turned red.

Kurt snapped his head up, panic stabbing through him but Sam had roughly grabbed and shoved him inside. Then taking the monorail's doors, he yanked them shut himself, yelling towards the front of the train, "We're in! Go! Now!"

Before asking any questions, the monorail violently lurched forward and the four passengers on board were thrown to the floor. With pain flaring in his right elbow Kurt twisted around, searching for his husband from the shaking ground and apparently asking, "Are you okay?" the same time Blaine did.

Whoever drove this thing must have taken it off the auto-controls, for no monorail should be traveling at this alarming of speeds. From his spot on the floor Kurt felt the rough vibrations under his hands and legs. They made it out of the Capitol quickly enough, but he still saw glimpses of the red lights from a nearby window. Over the whizzing of the train he swore he heard the blaring of alarms.

He swallowed harshly. They knew.

Sam, who had tossed off his helmet again, was awkwardly reaching for support, and he motioned for the others to do the same. As he struggled to stand from gripping onto a seat, Kurt saw blurs of houses zoom by them, along with more red streetlamps. They must be traveling through First District. Was the alert sent everywhere?

Cooper kept being jostled down to his rear every time he attempted to get leverage. Blaine was beside Kurt, having better luck than his brother, and managing to actually sit down on a seat before anyone else. "Need help?"

Another rough lurch and Kurt almost went toppling over again. He nodded and accepted Blaine's hand.

The incredible speed matched with the rise of panic made Kurt's stomach churn. Wincing, he wrapped his arms around his abdomen and tried taking deep breaths. He felt Blaine's hand smooth across his spine, though the monorail shook them both greatly.

Funny, Kurt couldn't help but think, the last time your stomach was this upset was on the same monorail, the night of your Matching Ceremony.

Once out of Second District the sirens grew faint and the monorail actually slowed down a bit. Blaine and Kurt lifted their heads up. Cooper, defeated on the floor, noticed the decrease in speed as well and scrambled to his feet, beaming when he didn't fall over. Sam was already making way towards the other end of the monorail.

Cautiously, Kurt and Blaine followed, and Cooper soon at their heels. Kurt felt Blaine's hand slide into his, their fingers lacing tight, and he felt the brush of a cool metal ring. Shoulders relaxing, Kurt squeezed lightly and continued down the aisle.

The monorail hummed all around them. Wheat fields and wide night sky now passed by the windows. As they neared the cockpit, Kurt remembered learning in school that Utopia's trains needed no conductor, that they were programmed specifically by the government. Well, for this enterprise that meant there needed to be a conductor, but the question was who…

Sam, leading the group, reached the open cockpit first. Windows wrapped around wide enough one could see the tracks and surrounding landscape. Panels of holographic controls made a half-moon around the conductor's chair, showing percentages and graphs of fuel and speed and everything in between. Kurt's eye caught attention to a certain flashing red box on one screen, warning that autopilot was disengaged.

Slapping a hand on the large seat, Sam leaned over and said to the driver, "Nice escape there, dude."

"Hey, it's the first time I actually drove one of these things, cut me some slack."

The chair swiveled around, showing the face of their conductor. Actually, he was tall enough to fit in the seat perfectly, and he smiled over at Kurt and waved. "Hey."

Kurt's eyebrows pinched in confusion. "Finn Hudson?"

"Rachel's husband?" Blaine whispered, sounding just as puzzled.

Finn turned back to the controls. "Yeah, we all went to school together. I know it's weird, 'cause we didn't really talk much then, but I worked with your dad, Kurt!" He craned his head over his shoulder. "He was like, my mentor, you know? Anyway, before he, uh...passed away he gave me...these!" And Finn lifted up a worn manila envelope. "Told me not to open them until 'the time was right' or something. And then Ms. Wright-you know, the Matching lady-came to me one day asking if I had them, and now that I know what they are I'm helping you escape!" He grinned, handing the envelope over to Kurt.

Kurt accepted it, feeling a bit dizzy with all this new information. He turned the envelope over in his hands, still listening to Finn talk, "They're secrets to get out of Utopia. Burt deciphered most of it already, like how to hijack the monorail. But others, like to turn off the border, they're still unsolved."

"Turn off the border?" Cooper repeated.

"Yeah. Ms. Wright said Kurt would know how…"

Even with the speed, their arrival to Third District wouldn't be for quite some time. In this chaotic night, there was finally a moment of standstill. Kurt could breathe, examine the envelope, and walk a few steps away from the cockpit.

"You okay?" Blaine whispered, right beside him again, hand on Kurt's elbow. Kurt glanced up, actually looking at him for the first time since their escape. His husband's hair was a mess, his unflattering prison clothes a bit damp around the collar from sweat. Blaine actually seemed more collected than Kurt with this whole circumstance, even though it was Blaine who had no idea this would be happening, who found his brother after almost a decade, who was now on this mission towards…

"Finn?" Kurt asked, a slight crack in his voice. "Where are you taking us?"

"To the border," Finn replied, like it was obvious. "Did you read the instructions yet?"

Inside the envelope were countless handwritten papers. Kurt couldn't even fathom reading them all right then. He and Blaine found themselves seated as they tried filtering through them all. Cooper started making small talk with Sam, mostly about the border, which Cooper had his fair share of experience with.

Every note began with, "Dearest Burt," and ended in, "Sincerely yours, Elizabeth." Each were written rather hastily, as if Elizabeth was running out of time. Some words were scribbled out or smeared. Burt's handwriting was etched in here and there, where he put the puzzle pieces together (How long had he'd been doing this…?). Kurt found the one on how Elizabeth figured out how to hijack the monorails, though he didn't quite understand the locomotive language. His mother's version of love letters to his father were intricate steps on how to break out of the city.

"Here," Blaine said, lifting a paper from his pile, "it's about the border."

Kurt snatched it and scanned it in record time. Over the knocking of his pulse in his ears he at least understood Elizabeth had help from a friend (oh, I wonder who) to reprogram the back-up code to turn off the border. The bottom half of the page showed a sketch of the panel at one of the huge electric pillars, yet the new code wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Kurt vaguely remembered back when he found those tapes and Elizabeth mentioned a code, but it was meant to decipher, so could it also mean this? I mean, it was a special date for us, he'll figure it out…

"Do you understand it?" Blaine asked.

He shook his head slowly. "No...I don't."

The next moments were silent. Finn drove them past the factories, which were closed down for the night. Cooper had finally shut his mouth after running out of things to say and now occupied himself by examining his beard on the reflection of Sam's helmet. Sam stayed next to Finn, arms crossed. Kurt sat next to Blaine, folding and unfolding his fingers and wishing his heart would slow down.

Hope told him it would be okay. Logic countered that Utopia didn't have the greatest track record of just letting felonies go.

Blaine nudged him with his shoulder. "Hey, we made it."

Kurt gave him a half-smile. "Not yet."

"So? We made it farther than our parents ever did. This'll go down in history for sure."

That made him smile a bit wider. Then Kurt laughed, despite himself, and rubbed a hand across his face. "I broke out of prison today."

Blaine laughed too, loud and joyful. "Yeah, you did."

"And now I'm on a stolen monorail."

"You are the definition of a deviant."

"I just...I can do anything now, right? I could run naked through that field. I could stick my head out this window and say-" He paused, lighting up with an idea. With a gasp he reached over to the seat's window, fumbling with the latch and then sliding it open, the night breeze whipping past.

After a noise of worriment from Blaine, Kurt grasped tight on the window's edge and poked his head out at the open world, the wind making his hair fly wildly. He grinned, staring back at the shrinking city in the distance, his chest fluttering with this new delight. Sucking in a breath, Kurt shouted with all ounces of bravery,

"Fuck you, Utopia!"

Blaine made a shrieking cackle somewhere inside the monorail. Kurt only laughed again, cupping a hand around his mouth to yell, "And fuck you, Mayor!"

For a little bit, everything was okay. Kurt might have labeled the atmosphere as 'peaceful.' Hand linked to Blaine's, he could feel his pulse steady. Maybe he could believe everything will work out.

However, just as Third District began to appear in their vision, Sam looked over at the now-closed window next to Kurt and asked, "Wait, what's that?"

Everyone's head turned in that direction. Kurt frowned, peering out and unable to find anything interesting except dark night sky and dusty fields. "What's what?"

Sam came forward, leaning over the seats in front of them to see better himself. "There. Those red lights…"

Blaine and Cooper were cramming to get a look as well. Finn was asking from the conductor's seat, "What's up?" as Kurt studied further, trying to see what on earth Sam was-

Red lights.

Coming from the city were three, maybe four, tiny red dots in the sky. They were becoming larger, which Kurt realized meant they were coming nearer-

"God-this isn't good," Sam hissed, posture incredibly tense.

"What is it?" Finn called.

"Choppers," Sam replied. "Four of them coming in from the city. We need to go faster!"

Thankfully they were actually seated when Finn accelerated the monorail. Kurt gripped the sides of his seat, body vibrating with the momentum as he stared over his shoulder, eyes on the red dots. Blaine was asking, "What are choppers?"

"Flying machines," Sam told him. "You know back in the old days the government had helicopters? Sort of like that, except from what I know is that these things were invented as a, like, last resort option."

"What are they gonna do?" Cooper asked.

"Well...hopefully they don't fire at us."

Third District grew nearer and nearer by the second. Sam whipped his head at Kurt, blond bangs scrambled over his forehead. "Did you figure out those notes?"

He had completely forgot about them at this point. Kurt gathered them into his lap, stammering, "Um…"

"Well?!"

"What am I supposed to do? They make no sense!"

"Kurt, that's supposed to get you out of here!" Finn yelled from the front.

"Are-are you guys not coming with us?" Blaine cut in, glancing at Sam then at Finn.

Sam paused, face softening. "Finn and I still got family here, man."

"They'll capture you," Kurt told him. "You aided in freeing prisoners."

Sam shrugged. "And maybe they won't. Gotta hold out on a little hope, right?"

The station came in sight as the choppers flew closer, given the noises that soon became present. It was an odd sound, like the buzzing of blades. All four red lights became spotlights, and they all circled the monorail.

"What's the plan?" Blaine asked, staring along with Kurt out the window.

Kurt turned back to Sam. "You're dropping us off at the station, correct?"

He nodded. "Isabelle said you'd run to the border from here. Then, you'd know how to turn it off, then you're free."

Ignoring the fact that he clearly didn't know how, Kurt went on, "But now we have the choppers."

"Well," Sam said, reaching for his weapon. "I could try to hold them off for a bit."

"Sam-"

"Hey, I'm a good shot. If anything, I could take out their lights. That'll make it harder for them to find you. Plus, an advantage we have here is that the choppers aren't programed to fly over the border." He winked. "I learned that in Officer training."

With a tight chest, Kurt nodded. Then, hesitantly, he looked across the aisle to Cooper. "And...there's no other way to cross the border?"

His brother-in-law widened his eyes, frowned deeply, and shook his head. "Since climbing those damn poles didn't work, I'd say Plan B is our best bet."

"But I don't know-"

Brakes were applied and the monorail started screeching to a rough halt, interrupting Kurt's protest. In the moments it arrived to Third District's station, Sam had taken his gun and gone to a vacant seat towards the middle, yanking a window open and pointing the nose of his weapon out of it. He began firing shots once Finn stopped the train completely, and Kurt couldn't even flinch at the chorus of bangs with the limited time they had.

The doors flew open. Cooper was first to leave. Kurt looked behind to catch a last glimpse of Finn or Sam, to thank them for everything. He did see Finn's smile and his thumbs-up for good luck, but unfortunately couldn't say a word in return for Blaine was steering him outside.

What else would he have said besides a thanks? If he had one more minute with either of them…I'm sorry you got dragged into this mess, neither of you deserve it. Tell Mercedes I love her and I'm sorry for leaving. Tell Rachel goodbye for me, I did like her. And Finn, you're a good man, I'm sure my dad would've been proud of you today.

Third District was as silent as a grave when they ran through it, weaving under clotheslines and in between homes. The choppers could be heard overhead, louder out in the open. Cooper led the way, clearly knowing a path to the border better than them. His long legs kept him farther in the lead, but he kept looking over his shoulder to say, "C'mon, boys! Right this way!"

Dull yellow streetlights lit the path until neighborhoods were no more. Open field of thin grass and dry dirt was all that was left between the three of them and the dominating border in the distance. The towering pillars marked the edge every hundred or so feet. Kurt gulped between his pants, pumping his arms and continuing to run as fast as possible. He heard Blaine next to him, their feet pounding against the earth.

That was around the time red spotlights began to appear. Sam must've taken out one, but that was all. Kurt first witnessed one ahead of them, the circle wandering towards the left. Another appeared quite closer. A third brushed against Blaine's arm.

"Hurry up, you two!" shouted Cooper.

That was when bullets started hitting the ground.

The first shower missed their path by about ten feet, but Kurt still yelped and staggered on his feet, terror ripping through his chest. Dirt kicked up when another row fell nearer to Cooper, though he just swore in response.

They were almost there. Delayed sirens went off in Third District, but there was no point now when chopper's blades battered through the air.

Kurt could see, at this distance, the tiny panel on the bottom of the pillar his mother mentioned in her papers. Then he lost breath, because he remembered the plan, and how he couldn't finish the plan because he didn't know the code-

They were less than fifty feet away when Blaine screamed and tumbled to the ground.

Kurt immediately stopped in his tracks, turning around and forgetting the danger of bullets were still falling and the spotlights still following them because his husband clutched his shoulder from where he lay crumpled on the ground. Through the limited light, Kurt spotted Blaine's sleeve stained dark-

His gut dropped through the earth and his brain went numb. Nothing else mattered. He couldn't even feel his legs moving towards Blaine until a hand was jerking him backwards and away-

"Keep going!" Cooper shouted, and suddenly everything was loud again. "I got him, just get to the border!"

Kurt should've shouted right back at him. He should've shoved him and gone to his husband, who was crying in pain. But the choppers were deafening and the bullets pelted the earth next to them and so Kurt's brain temporarily went on autopilot, and with wide-eyes and short breath he staggered away, slowly starting a sprint to the pillar ahead.

He didn't have his mother's notes. They were still on the monorail, god damn it. Had Officers stopped to search it at this point? Were Finn and Sam caught and arrested, or shot on the spot? Those thoughts swam and swam into a maelstrom as Kurt slowed, halting at the pillar with his palms out. The steel tower was incredibly larger up close, and rose so high he had to crane his head to see it all. Then, one look at the panel and his mind blanked.

He opened the lid easily and there it was inside, with a small keyboard composed of the numbers zero to nine. His heart made quite a racket under his ribs as he tried to tell his brain to just think and oh god the red spotlight was directly on him now, shining bright against the pillar-

Think, think, think, think.

One code to turn off the electricity. He could hear its deadly humming, though it was invisible from pillar to pillar. Another set of bullets rained down too close to him, missing Kurt and hitting the electric fence, sizzling to dust at the touch.

The set of numbers mocked him, giving no help to Kurt, who stared at it with all the pleas he could muster. He couldn't remember what the page of notes looked like. Had Elizabeth left an extra clue on it? Had he missed something?!

Think! Think! Think!

He heard footsteps-slow, dragging footsteps-behind him, meaning Cooper and Blaine were coming. If they stayed there they'd be sitting targets. The marksmen in the choppers would kill them in a matter of seconds.

It was a special date for us, his mother had said. He'll figure it out…

The tapes message indicated Burt would be the one to know the code. In a desperate flash, he punched in his parent's wedding anniversary. After hitting the green confirming key he was given a negative beep sound, and the electric humming continued. Cooper screamed, "C'mon, Kurt!" right before more bullets scattered down, barely missing them.

He tapped in his mother's birthday. It again greeted him with negative sounds.

Special date for us.

What else is there, mom?

He'll figure it out.

His hands shook, and that's when an idea dawned on him. But he hesitated, because no, that was too coincidental, too easy. Would his mother, who didn't want to bring a child into this evil world in the first place, really revolve all of their grand plans around…?

But, desperate on any sort of hope, he punched in the numbers 5-27-2153.

The electricity turned off at once.