Chapter 9: The Only Way

Have I not walked without an upward look/Of caution under stars that very well/Might not have missed me when they shot and fell?/It was a risk I had to take—and took.

~Robert Frost, "Five Nocturnes III. Bravado"

Aerrow hadn't planned on just jumping into this. No, he had to plan things out. First, every time they were in Tunnel 13, the tunnel that leads off to the tunnel with the Fire Pit (which, according to Finn, was a bad sign), they were to listen. They were to study the patterns that the eruptions came and went. Hopefully there were certain times when it was active and certain times when it wasn't.

Unfortunately, the one thing they learned through this observation was that the eruptions were unprecedented, unplanned, and certainly not on a particular schedule.

"So that means we can't do it, right?" Finn had asked.

Aerrow smirked confidently. "We'll just have to wing it."

"We're gonna be fried." Radarr churred in agreement, for once siding with Finn instead of Aerrow.

Aerrow just lifted and eyebrow, still smirking. "You're both so negative," he stressed at them.

"Hey!" Finn exclaimed. "I'm not negative!" Then he thought about that. "Uh, what exactly does that mean again?"

Radarr rolled his eyes and face-palmed at Finn's obvious stupidity.

So, with that decided, Aerrow knew they needed supplies, like food and water.

"And how are we supposed to get that?" Finn asked. "And what will we carry it in?"

"Good point," Aerrow agreed. "Guess that kills that idea."

"It's the Wastelands, man!" Finn reminded him, as if he needed reminding. "We'll starve!"

"We'll manage."

Finn just blinked at him a moment. "Dude, you've totally lost it."

Aerrow just smirked. Finn was really getting tired of him smirking.

So in the end, the boys decided they were going to escape in the middle of the night with no supplies, no particular plan . . . just the nametag.

The Talons had neglected to ever ask Aerrow where he had buried it. So, now that they needed it, Aerrow dug it up. Thank goodness everything was crystal-powered instead of using old-fashioned lock and key. Now they had their way of opening security doors . . . like the doors to their cells.

Everything was set, or as set as they ever would be. As night settled on the prison and everyone went to their beds, the plan was underway.

Long after the doors had been shut, Aerrow lay awake, waiting, listening to the sounds around him. Radarr was next to him with ears pricked, looking like a gray statue in the darkness. At last, he nudged Aerrow's arm.

Aerrow knew what that meant. Radarr had heard nothing out of the ordinary. It was time to go.

Tiptoeing to the door with Radarr hanging off his back and his extra clothes under one arm in the bag he had brought them in, Aerrow reached through the bars of the window on his door and stretch his arm out as far as he could, nametag in hand. Try as he might, he couldn't seem to reach far enough for the nametag to go over the sensor and open the door. Aerrow reached until his arm was strained; he couldn't let them fail because of this one little detail.

Straining with everything in him and nearly dislocating his shoulder, Aerrow still couldn't get the door to open. Desperate, he jump, jarring Radarr into squeaking.

To Aerrow's relief, the jump worked. The scanner beeped, and the door clanked open, echoing in the cave-like prison. Aerrow staggered forward as the door swung open with his arm still hooked through the bars of the window. In mid-swing, he pulled his arm free, banging his funny bone. Now out, he stood quivering and holding his tingling elbow, rubbing it and looking around.

If Radarr's squeak didn't wake anyone, Aerrow knew the beep from the scanner and the clank of the door would. Heart pounding, Aerrow froze, and Radarr went still on top of him, his little fingers and claws digging into Aerrow's shoulders. They waited in silence, ready in case any guards started running their way.

But there wasn't a sound except for someone snoring softly in the next cell. They stood for what seemed like eternity before Radarr nudged Aerrow again. Aerrow was hesitant, but he trusted Radarr's more sensitive ears. He started forward, heading toward Finn's cell.

When they reached it, they heard soft snoring and murmuring from within. Finn must be sound asleep. Shaking his head and wondering how anyone could sleep at a time like this, Aerrow put the nametag over the scanner. With another clang, the door swung open, Aerrow catching it.

The sound woke Finn from what must have been a sound sleep. He sat upward with a loud, "Huh? Wha—?"

Thankfully Radarr dashed in, leaped onto Finn's bed, grabbed his head, and put a paw over his mouth to keep from talking, all without making a sound.

Aerrow rolled his eyes and followed, glaring down at Finn, who looked between him and Radarr with startled eyes. Laying his fingers over his lips and shushing him, he said, "Ya wanna wake the whole prison?"

With Radarr's paw still over his mouth, Finn shook his head.

"Then quiet!"

Finn nodded. Radarr let him go.

Finn grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, dude," he whispered. "Fell asleep." He squinted at him. "You move ghost-like. Make your hair white instead of red, you could be a ghost."

Aerrow shushed him again. They weren't going to make any more sounds than they needed to.

They finally got past the cells and were heading down into the mining tunnel when they heard a voice. "And where do ya think you're going?"

Aerrow and Finn whirled around. Aerrow's eyes widened in surprise. "Who's there?"

The mope-haired boy who stood in the shadows had his arms crossed, and he blew upward at his crazy purple hair to get it out of his face. He was part of Grimsley's group, the older boy. "Twister," he answered. His eyes stared at them hard.

Finn looked astonished. "How'd you get out?"

"There's a hole in my cell behind the toilet," he explained. "I widened it. Tunneled. Over time."

"Wish I'd thought of that," Aerrow muttered.

"Dude," Finn gasped. "I didn't know you were that smart!"

Twister's eyes flashed in the darkness at the comment. But then he smirked sinisterly. "Guess I don't have to feel bad about my little brother ratting you out, then," he said.

Aerrow's face hardened in realization. The two boys who followed Grimsley around—Twister and Kite—were brothers.

Twister turned to Aerrow. "I heard your escape. Those doors aren't quiet."

Not knowing what else to say, Aerrow could only agree. "No. They're not."

For a moment, the boys stood in uncomfortable silence.

Finally, curiosity got the better of Aerrow. "If you have a tunnel out, how come you've never escaped?"

"I can get out of my cell," he said. "I'm not stupid enough to try to escape the prison." He gave them a lopsided grin. "Besides, I can't leave my buddies, and I can't get them out."

"You call Grimsley a buddy?" Finn asked. "Dude, I don't think I'd call a bully who calls my brother stupid a 'buddy.'"

"Why are you with him?" Aerrow asked. "Why do you follow him all day and keep quiet?"

Twister just looked at them a moment, as if deciding if he could trust them. At last, he said, "Grimsley is smart about some things. He knows how to get out without getting killed. Besides, I know the kind of guy to hang with. Better to be with him than against him. And as long as he thinks I'm dumb, he won't expect much of me."

Aerrow stepped toward him. "You don't have to be with him or against him," he said. "We're getting out. Tonight. You could come with us."

Finn turned to Aerrow. "Dude!" he whispered in Aerrow's ear. "Are you crazy? I don't want him—"

But Aerrow stamped on his foot before he could say more. They were all boys stuck in a horrible situation. He was willing to forgive for the past if they would help each other escape. Besides, what else could they do? If they let Twister go, he could give them away.

"I've got my brother to think about," Twister reminded him. He looked skeptical. "I doubt you'll get far," he said. "How're you doing it?"

"Through the abandoned tunnel," Aerrow explained.

"The Fire Pit." Twister said the words quietly, weighing each one. "You're insane."

"That's what I said!" Finn piped up.

"But your going," Twister pointed out.

"I'm not staying here."

Twister just stood quietly, but now he was looking at them from under his heavy lids as if he were superior. "There's another way out, you know."

Aerrow knew exactly what he meant. "We're not Cyclonians," he hissed. "And we never will be. This is the only way."

Twister looked away. "Then you'll die," he said. "Either way you look at it, you'll die. Even if you make it, Cyclonia will win the war."

"How do you know?" Aerrow asked, his temper rising at the very suggestion.

"Cyclonia's strong," Twister said. "It's the only way to go."

"Grimsley's filled your head with lies!"

Twister remained calm. "Grimsley," he said slowly, "has nothing to do with it."

Aerrow glared at him. Even when he thought he was dumb, Aerrow would never have taken Twister to be the kind to choose Cyclonia by himself.

"Well, we're going," Aerrow said. "You can stay here and rot or go out and be a servant of Hell, for all I care!" He turned and stomped away, Radarr still hanging over his back.

Finn spared Twister a bewildered glance before following after. "We can't just leave him here!" he gasped. "He'll tell on us!"

Aerrow stopped and looked back, glaring. Finn was right.

Twister just smirked after them. "Tell you what," he said. "I'll give you guys a fair shot. I won't say a word. See how your little escape goes. If they bring you back and beat you, don't blame me."

"You've got your loyalties seriously mixed up," Aerrow snarled.

Twister just looked on calmly. "Not all of us fit into nice, little categories, Aerrow. You may see the world that way, but there's more than that."

"Maybe I don't see more."

"Maybe that's 'cause you're not looking."

Aerrow had enough of this mind game. He put his hand on his hips. "You swear you won't tell?"

"Why would I? I'd give myself away."

Aerrow nodded. Twister certainly wasn't as dumb as he'd thought. "I hope you know what you're doing," he told him.

Twister met his eyes. "Likewise."

As Aerrow, with Radarr still hanging off him, and Finn turned to leave, Twister called after them. "And one more thing." Aerrow looked back at him over his shoulder to see him smirking. "That's my hairstyle," he said, referring to the crazy mope on both of their heads.

Aerrow smirked back. "I had it first."

And with that, he, Radarr, and Finn left Twister standing in the darkness.

Finn trembled once they were out of earshot. "That guy gives me the creeps," he said. "I liked him better when he acted stupid."

But Aerrow wasn't listening to him. "I can't believe he picked Cyclonia," he grumbled.

"Let it go," Finn answered. "We'll probably never see him again."

"Hopefully," Aerrow agreed.

As they headed toward the exit of the main prison, they grew quiet. They had talked about this. Two guards stood in front of the doors, in the unlikely case that prisoners like themselves would try to sneak into the tunnels. Aerrow was to split off from Radarr and Finn so they could each take on a guard (Aerrow and Radarr had agreed that Finn may need more help than Aerrow).

Everything seemed to go as planned. The place was nearly pitch-black for the prisoners' need for sleep. Aerrow, Radarr, and Finn snuck up in the shadows, each getting behind their respective guards. At the same time, they leaped at them.

Aerrow jumped up and wrapped his legs around the guards waist, covering his mouth with his hand and then give him a heavy fist right on the head. He had a little trouble untangling himself as the now-unconscious Talon fell over backward, and he made an unorthodox landing on the floor next to him.

Finn failed at this technique, however, and the only thing that kept the guard from turning on him and raising the alarm was Radarr leaping up onto his head and covering his mouth with his paw. As the Talon danced, trying to get Radarr off, Finn reached for a volcanic rock by the doorway and slugged it at the Talons head before Aerrow could even scramble to his feet. Aerrow stared, worried Finn would hit Radarr. Surprisingly, it didn't even brush the animal's fur but hit the Talon square on the forehead. Radarr leapt clear and landed gracefully as the Talon fell on the floor, out cold.

Aerrow looked down at the guard with a raised eyebrow, surprised by Finn's skill. "Next time I'll just give you rock," he said.

Finn smirked. "Yeah, 'cause the Finnster is awesome!" But then he frowned. "I'd have done better with a slingshot, though," he added.

They opened the doors as quietly as possible, again using the nametag. Luckily just about anyone in earshot was unconscious on the floor.

Once into the soot-covered tunnel system, they headed at once for Tunnel 13. "I really don't like that number," Finn kept muttering. "It's a bad omen."

"Do you even know what that means?" Aerrow asked in amusement.

"Yes!" Finn answered. Then he thought about. "Maybe."

Aerrow rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Finn defended himself. "I know it's bad!"

At last, they reached the abandoned tunnel where the Fire Pit was. Finn looked down into it, looking nervous and jittery. "Perhaps we should wait till it goes off," he suggested. They both knew that there was always a minimum of ten minutes before it would spout again after one eruption.

But Aerrow shook his head. "That could be awhile, and someone'll find the guards soon and raise the alarm. Besides, then the floor'll be covered with lava."

"How do we know it's not covered with lava now?"

"It's not glowing."

"Oh." Finn blinked. "Right."

So, with Finn trembled and following behind and Radarr brushing against his legs and shivering, Aerrow led the way into the tunnel.

It was smaller than the rest, proudly because it wasn't dug out very well and because each eruption adds a new layer to the floor. But because of their age, Finn and Aerrow weren't that tall, and they didn't have to duck all that often. The only sound in the cave was their footsteps on the dried lava and Finn muttering, "We're dead. We're so dead. We're gonna die. We're dead," the entire time.

At some point, the floor began to dip downward. And then Aerrow froze just as he almost lost his footing at the edge of a cone-shaped rim. At the center of the dipping rim was a deep, deep hole. Smoke and steam rose from it, creating such a temperature in the tunnel that both boys were sweating all over, and Radarr was in lather. Deep within, the ground hissed.

Aerrow coughed on the poisonous gas. "That must be the Fire Pit," he said.

"Yeah," Finn grumbled. "Ya think?"

As carefully as possibly, Aerrow scaled the rim, doing his best not to slip and fall inside. There wasn't much space between the sides of the hole and the wall.

As they passed it, Finn went from muttering to whimpering, and Radarr felt glued to Aerrow's legs. Aerrow tried to calm his breathing, not only because he was scared, but also because the sulfur was making it hard to breathe properly.

Everything seemed fine. For awhile, they descended into the darkness, and the Fire Pit seemed like a distant memory. Aerrow's spirits rose. Perhaps they wouldn't have any problems.

Then at last they saw it, the light glow in the distance from the light of lava. "That's from the Wastelands!" Aerrow gasped. "We're almost out!"

"'Bout time," Finn muttered. He'd given up whimpering awhile ago.

Then they heard it, the slight hiss that signaled an eruption. The three friends whirled around. "Not good," Finn gasped.

Aerrow heard the gurgling grow louder. The Fire Pit. It was going to blow! "Run!" Aerrow cried.

The trio started off as fast as they could. Finn nearly lost his footing and stumbled to keep up. Radarr ran on all fours at Aerrow's side, skimming along the ground with each long stride. But Aerrow knew that if they didn't make it in time, not even Radarr could outrun the lava.

The three burst through opening just as the eruption went off, deafening them with a roar, shaking the entire tunnel. Finn, just leaving the exit, lost his footing in the shakings and fell right on top of the other two. "Get up, get up!" Aerrow yelled, trying to struggle to his feet with Finn still on top of him. He knocked Finn off and got up with Radarr and Finn scrambling after him.

They ran clear of the exit just as the lava began to spill down and pool below it. The roar of the eruption could still be heard, but it was quieter now, as if it was starting to taper off.

Aerrow didn't stop running until he was fifty yards away, at last leaning on a rock and breathing heavily, desperately trying to catch his breath in this sulfur-filled air. Radarr collapsed at his feet in exhaustion. Finn, late as usual, had just staggered up on him. "If we . . . survive . . . this," he said between gasps, "I'm . . . going . . . to kill . . . you."

Aerrow, finally catching his breath enough to speak, just smirked at him. "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?" Aerrow asked.

Finn just glared at him.

Aerrow tried to reassure him. "We made it past the Fire Pit," he pointed out. "And we're still alive. Not even a burn. After that, there's nothing we can't do."

"Ever heard of impossible?"

"Don't believe in it."

Author's Notes: I was just going to call this chapter "Escape", but come on! Like that's never been used before. Besides, I try not to use the names of episodes for my chapters. And I do like the title I finally settled on.

Okay, y'all know the drill. Leave a review, tell me how great this is, how horrible this is, what I did wrong, you know, all that good stuff.