Behind Lock and Key
Chapter 11: The Key to a Great Escape
The news of closed visits pissed her off greatly, and Ashe let out most of her frustration by brushing her hair harder than usual. The ripping noise and tugging feeling worked wonders in relaxing her, but her exaggerated movements received funny looks from her little cellmate, Vanille.
She had been rather talkative during last night's events, that was until Jihl passed down a set of officer's keys, which Ashe made sure to keep out of view from the younger girl. Her silence had probably meant fear; she may have assumed that Ashe now had a weapon; therefore silence was a wise choice.
The keys were wrapped in toilet paper before they were shoved uncomfortably into her bra the second Vanille turned her back, but they jutted out at awkward angles that showed through her navy blouse. She never wore baggy clothes.
"Would I be able to borrow a erm, hooded jacket from you today?" She crossed her arms to hide the weird shape. "There's a slight chill today."
Vanille, whose back was turned at that point, stiffened. She turned, rubbing her arms as if to agree with Ashe on the temperature. "Sure Ashe. Would a plain black one be okay?"
The girl fished the article from one of her drawers, and Ashe grabbed for it with one hand still pushed awkwardly against her chest. "Thank you."
"You seemed disappointed about the visits being cancelled until further notice," Vanille finally spoke up. It was by far the most she had said to Ashe since morning. " Did you have a visit planned?"
"I was hoping for one," Ashe said truthfully, but Rasler made it cryptically clear with his postcard that he was around. Somewhere.
With a set of keys in her possession she now owned a part of her escape plan… but Rasler needed her to create a distraction along the same scale that Jihl had. She thought hard as she tugged the borrowed jacket onto her arms, which she then zipped up. Even though Vanille was smaller, the larger fit left ample room to conceal her secret.
The only problem now was time. Did Governor Trepe realise they were missing?
She continued her morning routine, dabbing an extra bit of concealer under her eyes to mask her weariness. She would need to replenish her makeup soon at the small tuck shop, but they were only allowed to go there on Sundays, and maybe she should get a lighter…
After a quiet breakfast on her own, Ashe sat in the library, surrounded by a dusty smell in an otherwise clean room.
She recalled the last time she was here, when Jihl set fire to a piece of paper and scorching the desk in the process. The mark was still there; likely to be there forever, and Ashe lazily dragged her hand over the mark.
A fire would be perfect, but a few creases in the plan needed ironing out. Jihl was one of them, the fool. How could she promise her freedom when she was now stuck somewhere like solitary confinement?
Suddenly, Ashe wasn't alone. Grabbing any old book off the shelf, her first pick was a hard-backed book on the Yevon religion. Oh brilliant.
The keys jabbed into the side of her breast as she sat down, reminding her of the first problem she needed to tackle – where to hide the keys. It needed to be a place that no one would think of searching, somewhere of no interest, like the topic of this damn book.
Then, just as she was about to leave the library in frustration, an idea struck. The book. From the looks of it, no one had touched it in its entire time of existence, so why not hide it there? She'd need to backtrack to her room for a razorblade to cut the middle pages out, but it was a perfect spot, especially if the screws called for a cell search. It was time to get back in touch with Rasler.
Feeling high on life and energy, Fang's trip to the prison gym after her visit proved worthwhile as she broke her own record for as many sit-ups in two minutes. There was no one around for her to share her personal victory with, but the silence was good enough.
She lay flat, enjoying the ache in her muscles as it dawned on her that things were finally going her way.
Rosch and Jihl were out of her hair, whilst Lightning had been busy combing her fingers through it only hours before. Sprawled on the mat like a starfish, she smiled like a lunatic.
Staying out of trouble would be easy now, especially when her court case would be in a month's time. If she got out, there'd be things to sort out with Lebreau, such as getting all her clothes and stuff back and moving out. Speaking of which, she would need to get in touch with Lebreau, and pray the girl would stand at the docks to give evidence if it was called for.
Whether her ex would do so or not was not a worry for Fang. It was the heavy thought that she might not win that cancelled out the happiness. But she couldn't think like that. This was her inkling of a chance.
The sound of splashing brought her out of her reverie, confusing her greatly. It was as if someone was sitting in a bath and slapping the water. The noise travelled through the corridor outside as someone ran right to left towards the main wing.
With curiosity getting the best of her, she hopped up as promptly as she could and yanked the door open, noting water had even seeped under the door of the gym. If there was ever a time to regret open toed sandals it was now, curling her toes upon hitting half an inch worth of water.
The only place it could be from was the communal female toilets, shared by staff and prisoner alike. Not that she wanted to know what was causing a leak or perhaps blockage, but if someone ran away…
"Anyone in there?" she called, poking her head into the room.
Both doors to the stalls were open and vacant, and the toilets in each were like ugly water features, cascading down the bowl. Hesitantly, she waded towards one stall, standing on her toes to get a look in. Ripped paper floated around, some bits sticking to the side. Whatever had been on it was printed, that much she could tell, but the ink had ran and bled.
Was it some sort of official document?
"This you?"
Fang turned to find Fujin, staring at the mess with her one good eye. "No, I just found it like this."
Fujin paused, inhaling the air in a way that made Fang nervous. What a peculiar girl she was.
"Rich scent. Expensive."
Fang tried smelling the air, but could only find hints of bleach. "You can smell that?"
Fujin nodded. She was oddly likable in this way – to the point. "Do you know who was here?"
"Leave," Fujin folded her arms defiantly. "Or blame."
Well it wasn't a no, but she didn't come out and say it directly either.
She did as Fujin suggested, because snooping around came close to trouble, which she so desperately, desperately needed to avoid.
When she entered the prison wing via the cafeteria, she forgot her feet were wet. If she didn't want to place herself near the scene, she was failing miserably.
"Toilets are blocked," she said just as an officer opened her mouth to question her, flipping her gym towel over her shoulder.
"Hold up Yun," Officer Steiner called out. "You make this mess through here, expect that you clean up."
This fucking place.
She threw her towel to the floor to first wipe her feet on it like a doormat. She refused to get on her hands and knees to dry, so she used foot instead, much to the officer's vexation. She couldn't even blame Officer Steiner's attitude on being tired, because he was always like this.
"Are all Pulse creatures so unclean?" he asked a nearby colleague.
She stopped mid-clean, tempted to throw the damp towel in his smug face. It wasn't so much being called 'unclean', but the insult to Gran Pulse.
Once finished she threw the towel in the corner of her cell with the rest of her dirty clothes. Rubbing the muscles in her aching neck reminded her that Rikku was in med bay, and that Yuffie hadn't made an appearance in a while.
Fang didn't often buy chocolate on her weekly visits to the tuck shop, but she remembered she had a long forgotten bar tucked somewhere in her sock drawer.
When she entered the med bay, Rikku was lying on her front as if sunbathing, chatting away to Yuffie who sat on a plastic chair, feet resting uncaringly on the clean bed.
"Finally coming to see me, are you?" She still looked pale, and winced the second she lifted her head up at Fang's arrival.
"Sorry, I didn't think you'd be awake after how you left us." Fang glanced at the top or Rikku's shoulders, which looked thick and padded out. "You're a fucking idiot by the way."
"Don't worry," Yuffie said, kicking her feet off the bed. "I've already called her every name under the sun for scaring us like that."
There was a comfortable silence, which allowed Fang to look around the rest of the bay and its several occupied beds. None of which held Officer Rosch, but she hoped his bed was a cold slab in a morgue.
Before she forgot, she slid the chocolate from her back pocket and tossed it gently onto the bed. The Al Bhed's eyes widened enough for Fang to catch a proper look at the spiral shaped pupils of her eyes.
"Well you haven't missed much today," Fang said, grabbing a spare chair from a vacant bed. "Someone's flooded the toilets with pages from a book, and there hasn't been so much as a whisper about prick face. Oh and I'll be in court next month. It's going ahead apparently."
With her cheeks already puffed out like a hamster, Rikku pushed the rest of the chocolate down her gullet, choking slightly. "Whoa! You're gonna be the first out of everyone I care about who is getting out of here."
Rikku continued to hack and splutter on her foot, and without thinking, Yuffie smacked her on the back. The scream that erupted from the tiny girl was similar volume to last night's alarms, and just as ear piercing.
The Al Bhed pressed her face hard into the mattress, gripping the sides as she writhed and screamed.
"I am so, so, so sorry," Yuffie gasped.
"Fyed ihdem E kad uid uv rana! E's kuehk du red oui nabaydatmo yht drah csudran oui eh ouin cmaab!"
By now Yuffie was out of her chair and almost backing into the bed behind her. She held her hands up defensively, although Rikku hadn't moved. "What're you saying? Fang what's she saying?"
Fang bit the inside of her cheek, knowing she shouldn't find the girl's pain amusing. "Basically 'fuck you', Yuffie."
The commotion had an officer and a nurse run in, and both were telling Fang and Yuffie to leave. Fang was glad to at that point, but had to take Yuffie by the back of her t-shirt.
"Aw, come on! It was an accident, Fang." She could feel the girl's shoulders slump under her grip. "And I'm bored."
"Is my company no good anymore?" Fang was guiding Yuffie outside for some fresh air, but stopped when she spotted rain on the window. It looked like water of every kind was going to get in her way today.
She wasn't upset that Yuffie had found someone nearer her own mental age to hang around with.
"Afraid of a little rain?" Yuffie gasped, and dashed out regardless, throwing a smile over her shoulder. "We've got to go and see Nora!"
Either the cool air seeping through from outside made her cold, or her reminiscence of Nora, the sweet mother. Yuffie bounced across the grass towards the brightest patch in the prison, where they had placed Nora's memorial. The cherry tree wasn't much bigger, but the delicate pink petals reminded her of Lightning. Not that she needed reminding, not when she had had the same soft coloured hair tickling her face.
"Hey look, what's that up there?"
At first Fang looked straight to the sky, becoming blinded by the rain, until Yuffie roughly grabbed her by the chin and directed her to the roof. Fang squinted, the raindrops still clinging to her eyelashes making it hard to see past a blur.
"What am I looking at?"
Yuffie huffed, stomping towards the building. "I saw a cat."
Fang placed all her weight on one leg, crossing her arms not only to look sceptical but also to keep some warmth. "So?"
"I want it. Keep a look out for me."
There was nothing Fang could do to stop Yuffie running towards the wire fence, especially when she had sandals on. Her feet were already wet from plodding over grass, and whatever Yuffie was about to do definitely constituted to trouble. Something she chanted like a mantra to keep out of.
The thief leapt onto a large waste disposal bin already overflowing with bags, before leaping onto a wire fence that was usually locked. That was when she knew the girl wasn't kidding.
"Get down you idiot." She stood in a puddle hiding in the grass trying to get to Yuffie. "It's wet and you're not some kind of fucking ninja."
The fence rattled when Yuffie kicked against it, hoisting herself up with ease despite her deceivingly weak looking arms. From there she balanced precariously on the fence, supporting half of her body against the wet brickwork.
"Oh ye of little faith," Yuffie sniggered, sparing her a glance. "If you're that worried, go pray to that Lady Luck of yours."
Fang muttered a sort of prayer under her breath anyway, just as the thief leapt to a windowsill, grappling the metal bars of the window before she fell to the floor. Somehow her feet didn't slip, and now she was in a crouched position, clinging to the bars.
"Maybe I do need to work out some more," she panted from several feet up. "I'm sweating up here."
Fang huffed, corners of her mouth turning upwards slightly. "Then come down you idiot. I'll open the bin lid and you can have a soft landing."
"Not until I get the cat." Lucky for Yuffie, the roof was low. When she straightened her legs a bit more, she braved going one handed, using her free one to reach up and claw the flat roof.
"You're lucky it's not that high," Fang observed.
With one last heave Yuffie was on the low roof, and Fang had to eat her words. She took it all back; this girl was a ninja.
When she disappeared from sight, Fang moved back onto the grass. From afar it must've looked as though she was admiring the prison like some sort of artwork.
"Well?" she shouted up.
"I can't see it," Yuffie replied, the faintness in her voice signifying she was quite far away.
"I bet there wasn't a cat there to begin with!"
How Yuffie was planning to get down to earth with a supposed cat, Fang did not know. The thing would not only scratch her to death, but it would run away instantly.
After a few more cold minutes waiting, the thief slowly approached the edge, holding what was indeed a cat above her head. "Taa-daa!" It was all black, and slick from the rain, just like Yuffie's hair... and her own.
The victory pose didn't last. Without warning, Yuffie slipped – thankfully backwards, but it didn't stop Fang's heart leaping to her throat. The cat shot so high into the air so high it looked as if it was rocket propelled.
And then there was a smash, a thud, and silence.
"Yuffie? Yuffie!"
Fang had no idea where the girl had landed, but it sounded bad. Had she fallen inside?
In reality, her fall lasted seconds. Yet when it was happening it felt as though it would never end. After her stellar wall climbing performance, she had slipped.
And smashed through a sunroof.
Her back burned with a searing pain that Rikku probably felt when Yuffie had accidentally slapped her back. The room she was in had several high shelves, with one less now she'd ploughed through it, but all of which had different varieties of food. Packets, tins, boxes. Everything she could think of.
I've landed in a food gold mine, she realised, grabbing the nearest thing to her that wasn't rubble or glass.
Chocolate. Despite a sharp pain in her arm and shoulder, Yuffie picked herself up and cackled, having certainly hit the jackpot.
Glass speckled her arm, though none of which had impaled her and fell off when poked. If anyone had heard, they weren't rushing in to help her.
"You still alive?" She heard Fang say.
She lobbed a bar of chocolate outside the gaping hole in response.
"Whoa, what the fuck?"
And at that, she threw more.
Yuffie filled her pockets and stuffed her shirt with as much as she could, looking like a sack of potatoes with all the lumps and bumps sticking out of her. During her pillage she spotted a fire exit door, which thankfully, would lead her back outside.
She burst through the door, fearing there was an alarm on it that would activate. The door led straight back into the small fenced off courtyard with the waste bins and Fang.
Fang's back hit the wall in surprise; despite looking ready to scarper she obviously hadn't expected Yuffie to appear from an actual door.
"Fuckin' hell! What just happened? Lady Luck must really like you if your back isn't broken."
Yuffie threw a multi-packet of crisps at her, gesturing to the open yard. "She loves me so much that she let me land in the pantry. C'mon we need to stash this somewhere."
Fang took one unsatisfied look at the confectionary before throwing it back to Yuffie. "Hide it in the shed for now, but I want it gone by the end of the week."
Her shoulders sagged. The old Fang wouldn't be such as sissy. "Oh you're no fun."
"You're not the one who needs to be on good behaviour," Fang hit back. The taller woman turned on her heel and trudged back, clothes sopping wet. "I'm outta here!"
Clinging onto her goods for dear life, Yuffie half-limped, half-ran in the opposite direction.
"You're trailing water in again, Yun. What are you playing at?"
Her jaw clenched at Steiner's grating voice, and her fists balled in anger. "Sorry sir, thought I'd shower clothed today."
As she went to fetch a mop she prayed to Lady Luck that he would not catch Yuffie once she got back inside. Somehow the girl had escaped major injury, but there was no mistaking the fact she had had glass dusting her hair, a dirty face... and a slight limp.
Fang stopped just outside the supplies cupboard, with Officer Steiner close behind, watching her carefully. And what about cameras? Were there even any? She'd never spotted any before so maybe she was safe.
Officer Steiner let her into the kitchens, but not without an angry grunt ever few steps. If the kitchens were empty, then it possibly meant no one had heard Yuffie's great fall.
"Did you hear that?" Fang questioned, hand hovering above the cupboard handle.
She swallowed her nerves, not daring to look the man in eye.
"Hear what?"
Fang kept her face straight, feigning confusion. "It came from back there."
With a great sigh, Steiner retrieved his keys and shoved them in the lock. She didn't know what the damage was like inside, but when Steiner opened the door his face twisted from passive to shocked, red-faced to pale.
He promptly closed the door, gesturing for her to follow him out. "Yun, I'm going to ask you not to mention this to anyone else and wait for the next unsuspecting bugger to find this."
"What?"
"Paperwork, Yun. If I report this, I'll get the paperwork."
Fang shrugged, trying to remain cool but inside she was actually impressed at his reaction and low amount professionalism he displayed. She would've done exactly the same.
"Sure thing sir." She watched as Steiner inflated, pleased with her answer. "But you owe me. And you can start by giving me less shit."
It was a few days later when Ashe had the officer's keys stashed safely in a library book when she realised how incompetent the staff really were. Word soon spread of the collapsed roof, and along with Jihl's stabbing it was the only thing people spoke about.
Ashe didn't mind at first, but a mass of officers suddenly appeared patrolling the yard more than usual; just when she was organising to throw the keys over the wall. Still, it wouldn't – couldn't deter her. She had to stick to Rasler's plan.
She waited until the last meal of the day was dished out; knowing the greatest lull of the day was always then, at about six. Her own meal was brief, but she told herself it was because she nervous, rather than the fact she had no friends in Edenfell.
As it would happen, luck was in her favour.
The pitiful Al Bhed outsider entered the cafeteria like she suffered from serious sunburn. Only her usual friends rushed to her excitedly, sending a jab of jealousy to her chest. The way they greeted her sickened Ashe, because not only did the inmates exclaim how much they missed her, but the officers as well.
The plastic fork in her grip snapped as she tightened her hand into a fist. "Officer Strife?"
Elena was one of the more amiable officers who made an effort to speak with her, and Ashe remembered their little talk during the mail call.
"Yes, Ashe?"
"I was wondering if I could grab a book before we're locked in the wing? I know the governor has arranged for a movie night, but…"
Before Ashe could finish, Officer Elena placed a firm, but understanding hand on her shoulder. "Of course! Ashe it's not like we'd force you to partake. The only thing you're forced to do here is stay."
There was something about that answer that made Ashe laugh, which made the officer giggle too out of nervousness. Already Ashe picked up the girl's habit of tucking her hair behind her ears, a distraction from the silence.
"Yes well," Ashe said, breaking the quiet. She scraped the leftovers from her tray into the bin.
With the verbal permission from an officer, Ashe was easily let through the gates but not without being given a five-minute time limit. Pace already quickened, as soon as she rounded the corner she sprinted down the corridor, almost prancing on her toes to keep the sound low.
The library wasn't far from the wing, yet her lungs burned and the food in her stomach sloshed around, threatening to escape the way it came. When she entered, she practically flung herself into the room, overestimating the weight of a door she had opened plenty times before.
Manoeuvring her way along tables and shelves to the forgotten religion corner, her eyes fell upon the thick book of Yevon teachings. Pulling it hastily from its place, the book fell with a thump to the floor, opening right where she needed it.
She took the keys, kicking the book under the shelf and legged it. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, the closer she got, the more her heart beat wildly in her chest.
And she slammed full-bodied into the door. It was closed.
In spite of her hurry, Ashe took a moment to compose herself, rolling her wrist in slow, testing motions. With her other hand she shakily examined each key, looking for a thick mortice key. On her third attempt, she finally turned the key ninety degrees.
She thrust her thumb and index finger into her mouth and blew hard, sending a shrill noise throughout the courtyard. And then she listened.
Reaching the main wall that blocked her from freedom, she began to walk its length beside it.
Come on, whistle back.
It was hard to hear above the sound of distant tyres on wet road, and with about a minute left before someone would start looking for her, Ashe resorted to whistling in rapid succession. Using one breath after another, her head spun from the lack of oxygen she was keeping in her lungs.
Then she heard it – a whistle from the other side of the wall.
She whistled again, putting all her effort into it to make sure. The noise was close, and she deducted they were put a few metres off her position. Giving the keys one last look, she kissed them and threw them over the wall.
The keys either flew away or didn't land on a hard surface. "Hello?"
A charming voice dared to call back. It was one she recognised. "It'll all be over soon, Ashelia."
A/N: Just a head's up, but I've got deadlines galore next month, so I thought I'd fire out some chapters for this and The Other Battlefield. Please feel free to drop a review or a PM, I do read and reply to them. (I may be behind on some replies, I keep forgetting depending on where I am at the time!)
Until next time!