Marucho pressed the button on the pole to stop the bus, standing from his seat and stumbling as the bus slowed.
"What's happening? Is it broken?" Dan asked, shocked as to why they were stopping. He had seen them stop before but never in the middle of the road.
"No, we're as close as we can get. If we wait for the next stop we'll have to walk a long way." Marucho explained, walking hesitantly towards the doors. The two boys stood, following after the group, their previously calm nature gone replaced with something much more mature. Them before the amnesia.
Their faces were solemn, hands clenched by their sides and eyes set on the children ahead. An air of seriousness surrounded them.
They shared a brief glance and nod before climbing from the bus. The group stood by the path, their eyes darting around, paranoia setting in them. They knew they were close, and they knew that every step they took closer was a step closer to immense danger.
The two stood before them as the bus pulled away, driving slowly, almost tauntingly.
"Come on." Julie broke the silence that fell over them, forcing cheeriness into her tone.
They complied, watching the bus vanish around the corner before turning to the map Marucho had produced. He circled the spot they were at with a pen he'd discovered in his pocket. Tracing his finger across the paper towards their destination he marked out their route, sighing in anxiety as he realised how close they truly were.
"Maybe we should have waited for the next stop." He absently mumbled to himself, not intending for it to be aloud.
"Don't be that way Marucho, you're supposed to be confident. We can do this. I just don't really know what we're doing."
"Simple, we're going to save grandfather and stop Barodius."
"How? We're just kids."
"Marucho, stop it. Don't doubt us now, come on, we're almost there. I don't believe in fate but I'm sure this is. What're the chances of you and Julie running into kids from the future that have the same goal we do? That's too big a coincidence for me to swallow." Runo ranted, finding herself more than a little mad at the blond.
He looked down at the path beneath his feet, not answering, instead he started walking, hearing a soft approving sound from the bluenette.
The group followed Marucho, trusting him with the map. Julie walked beside her giving her a knowing smile.
Dan and Shun stood at the back as usual, watching as they walked, their eyes saddening as they thought to the conclusion of the day. Even if all went their way today it wouldn't be something to celebrate. They had accepted the consequences of their actions back home, and upon the return of their memories they found they couldn't face it with the same emotionlessness they had prior.
Before, it was only them. They were each-others family. Now though, they had friends, ones they'd hurt greatly if they succeeded. Dan almost wanted to turn back, but a hand from Shun to his shoulder brought him back to reality, a smile working onto his face as he stared at his calm friend. No matter what was happening Shun always seemed to be collected, it was a fact he greatly envied.
"Just a little further guys." Marucho piped up, unaware of their silent conversation. They snapped from their almost trance like state and took in their surroundings. The buildings that had once towered over them making them feel like insignificant ants had gone, replaced with wide open spaces.
Dan looked around in confusion, had they really been out that long? Glancing behind him he saw the buildings hadn't diminished in size. He breathed a sigh of relief, seemed they'd stopped near the border of the city. It was somewhat of a relief.
Not too far away a small building was beginning to come into view. It looked more like a shack than a headquarters but the blond didn't look put off. He merely ran his finger across his guide on the map and nodded his head.
"That's it alright."
"Are you sure? It doesn't look like much." Alice noted.
"I am, there's nothing else here and that's where the phone was traced." He assured, but he didn't look completely convinced. It definitely wasn't what he expected.
Alice nodded, accepting what he'd said, she'd trust the blond, he hadn't let them down before.
It took almost ten minutes to reach what they hoped was Barodius' hideout. But as they got closer that hope faded, the shack held no door, the rusted hinges swinging slightly in the breeze. Inside was clear, rotting wooden beams lined the inside, the building looked as though it had never seen human hands.
All eyes turned to Marucho who shrank under their questioning gaze. He laughed nervously, running from them to find his mistake. The girls formed a circle whispering to each other, Dan and Shun stood away. Dan ran his eyes around the desolate land, his eyes taking in the features, a smile curving his lips.
Before his eyes his world of two hundred years later came to life.
The desolate ground sprouted tall trees, the shack morphed into an intimidating research facility that would forever haunt his dreams, the far off distance would shroud the home of an inventor who'd saved them and sent them back to right the wrongs of the past.
"Hey guys!" He yelled, drawing all attention to him. Shun merely smirked, already knowing what the brunette was going to say. "We're here, this is the right place."
Their eyes drew together in confusion.
"What? How do you know?" Runo asked, her voice holding an accusing tone.
"This is where we escaped all those years in the future." Their jaws dropped in sync.
"Really?" The bluenette asked, more than a little dubious.
"Yes, though it looks much different now. This becomes a forest, and the shack turns into a huge research facility that kidnaps children and forces them to become weapons." He explained, motioning to everything as he spoke, and the more he spoke the more detail he could see. He could see the trees he and Shun ran through on that night all those years to come, he could see the birds in the trees cawing. Giving away their location. He could hear the dogs in the background. And he couldn't have been happier because now everything made sense, what was foggy remembered futures were now as clear as the bright blue sky.
Despite not being specific to them they believed him, something about the smile gracing his face convinced them more than a million words could.
"Alright, let's head in." Julie declared, snapping the brunette from his wonder, she placed her hands on her hips, grinning.
She led the way, marching into the shack.
Once inside they stared around, if this was where they lived in the future why wasn't there anything here now? Surely they weren't mistaken. Dan looked so sure, there was no way he was wrong.
The two boys walked in, heading to the far corner of the miniature shed. A collapsed door laid on the floor, the only object in the room.
Shun tilted his head in confusion, that door wasn't familiar, that he was sure. But the position definitely was. Crouching down beside the door Shun tried to figure it out, why did it seem so familiar?
When he looked up to see the others it clicked. Their escape route was under here, they'd come up from here to escape.
Pressing his palms against the door he tried to push it but it was heavily bolted. Furrowing his brows he ran his finger against the joining of the frame to the floor. There was no sharp edge of the frame leading him to believe they were attached. And if it was it was expertly hidden. From near and far it appeared to be an ordinary door. Not for his future experience he'd have overlooked it completely.
Looking to Dan the other followed silent instructions and called the others over, his voice holding no room for discussion. They all came from the other side of the room, looking at the questioningly.
"What's wrong Dan?" Runo asked, looking less than pleased that she'd been dragged from her conversation with Julie.
The brunette stayed quiet, watching as Shun grabbed onto the door handle and wrenched it up. The groups confused faces changed to ones of awe as the door lifted a path of wooden stares was revealed.
"How did you find this?" Marucho gasped, trying to find the joint in the door and floor.
"Future experience." He answered simply, elaborating slightly as their confusion didn't lift. "We escaped through this when we were in our time. It looked a lot different I can tell you. But there was no doubt in my mind this was the staircase. Come on, we've wasted enough time."
Righting himself he took his first tentative steps into the unknown.
Lights were non-existent, but they ploughed on, running their fingers against the wall to guide them. The two teens lead the way, their future experience of navigating these tunnels allowing them to easily guide them. Everything was plain and different yet familiar. Rooms hadn't been built yet and tunnels not added, but the foundation was exact.
They could find their ways to the labs which had been partially installed, though they looked much more primitive than what they were used to. Large body test tubes used to punish the children weren't there, but lab tables and various instruments were. They could find their old cell block, already completed though empty.
They continued on in silence, the two knowing it was time to take them to the director's office. Barodius was sure to be there, whether he knew of their intrusion or not. The two fought the urge to lead them the wrong way. They had prepared for this the first time they spoke with the man who sent them back. They knew exactly what was going to happen and had accepted it completely. But that was before they made such strange friends.
They didn't lead them wrong though, and much sooner than they wanted they were stood before the director's door, this one looking very familiar. Of all the rooms in the institute this one was never to be touched, it was the most important rule and it had been followed for over two hundred years. The tall thick oak wood was varnished till it glowed chestnut, the brass handles carefully carved with meticulous precision. Grand designs chiselled into the woods by hand.
The two boys stood in awe of the door, though the others seemed less than impressed. As far as they were concerned it paled in comparison to the rest of the building. The intricate tunnels, the horror show like laboratories. A pristine door didn't quite cut it for them.
"Well, knock then." Julie whispered, startling the two from their trance. It had been the first time anyone had spoken for a while and the sound was quite foreign to them.
"Uh, right." Dan rapped his knuckles three times on the door, wincing as he dreaded the answer inside. It was forbidden to touch the door.
Seconds ticked by and nothing happened, there was no scraping of a chair being pushed back, no dull thud of footsteps, no creak of hinges forced to bear the strain of the humungous door. Nothing.
"Maybe you should knock harder." Runo suggested, and he did, while his heart tried to hammer out of his chest. Still, nothing.
"Guess they're not in, we should head back." He couldn't explain his nervousness to the others, only Shun was able to comprehend what they'd done. Not many things were forbidden in the institute, but what were were punishable by death.
"No, come on, I'm not going back now." Runo grabbed onto the handles of the door, slowly wrenching them open, the sound of wood scraping against stone grating in her ears. Light from inside the room washed over them, blinding them. And once enough room was made Runo, covering her eyes, marched in.
please read review