A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the late update, it's that ruddy Skyrim again. But I won't hold you any longer, read on!
Prison Break: Phase 3
Heller was stood in front of her bed, her belt was laid out along it and she had just finished packing the many pouches of it. She picked the belt up and fastened around her waist and then shifted it so it sat slanted at an angle. Like the other Rear-Admirals, her private quarters were located in the central hub, beneath the War room. She slipped the marine jacket along her shoulders and squared the cap on her head before heading out into the chaos which had begun minutes ago. She took a deep breath and then stepped out into the bustling hallway, she didn't have to move to avoid anyone as they saw who she was and bended around her.
She looked to her left and caught sight of the tall Pidar Iskin coming out of his room and as he caught her eye they both nodded and headed in opposite directions. Heller kept her calm as she strolled through the throng of Marines, nodding her thanks to Captains and the like who saluted her. During an emergency, it is decreed that the lower ranking marines do not salute in order to undertake any orders they are under in order to solve the situation effectively and efficiently. Which at this particular point, they were.
As she exited the inner ring, out into the corridor which held the doors leading to each Leg, she caught sight of Chiketta pushing his way through the marines to get to her. Brilliant. She thought as he got close enough to show he was sweating heavily.
"Heller! What the hell is going on!" He said through clenched teeth.
"Sir? It looks like it's a riot; it's a good thing we were in a perimeter lockdown for practice."
"A riot? Why have the Rear-Admirals allowed this to happen?"
"We didn't allow it to happen, we were at out monthly meeting. This has been carefully planned by someone in order to coincide with it. I suggest we stop wondering how it happened and get to courtyard 7." She started to walk past but he stepped into her way.
"Why a courtyard? Why that particular courtyard?" He asked, seemingly desperate for something.
"All the Rear-Admirals and Commodore's are meeting there to get things sorted and 7 was the first one that came to mind. Now can we stop chatting and get to the courtyard!" she pushed her way past and increased her pace in order to pressure the Vice-Admiral. He's already tired, this will be even easier then we thought; we just have to keep him away from water! She rounded the bend and saw Karnel knocking an inmate out with the butt of a steel rapier, the long thin blade glinting in the light.
"Where'd the sword come from Karnel, I've never seen it before." Heller asked before she could stop herself.
"Oh I only use it rarely; it was a gift from my mother a long time ago." He said with a shrug before dodging a barrage of gunfire, which left a fair sized hole in the wall, and sliced through some inmates who had somehow got hands on firearms. "That could be a problem. Anyway, come this way and I'll let us into the courtyard." He unlocked the large doors with 7 embedded into them and the two followed him in, allowing him to lock it behind them and then followed him out into the courtyard, where they found Pidar Iskin, Lucy Feath, Oskar Riddle and Jordane Freiman.
"So we're only missing Lodestone and Odder." Just as Iskin spoke, a figure appeared through a side door in the 6th leg and stepped into the courtyard, smoke pluming off his burnt clothes.
"Where the hell did the inmates get hold of a flame thrower?" Avery Odder asked as he brushed himself down. "Luckily he was subdued quickly but it hurt like hell."
Heller ignored him "Have you seen Lodestone?"
"Yeah, he was charging into the 1st leg for some reason."
Karnel cursed quietly to himself. "Then we continue this without him." Heller said as the Rear-Admirals gathered close to her.
"What about the Commodores?" Feath asked, glancing at Chiketta.
"I think we can stop pretending now; Iskin, Odder, did you lock the doors you came out with?" The two officers nodded. "And I know Karnel locked the door behind us so we're all set."
"What are you talking about!" Chiketta called and started to walk towards the group, only stopping when Heller spun around sharply and glared at him.
As they stared at each other, the Rear-Admirals spread out so they made a slightly curved line in front of Chiketta with Heller in the middle, trapping the Fishman between a wall of rock and a wall of flesh. Chiketta didn't say anything but it dawned on him as Heller started to crack her joints, and the others drew weapons or stretched off.
"You've been trying to get me like this for days, haven't you?" He growled, pulling his marine coat free and throwing it to the floor.
The others didn't reply but copied his movement, removing the marine coats and letting them fall to the ground behind them, Heller adding in removing her hat and throwing it to the ground. Then she closed her fist, staring at it for a couple of second before looking up at Chiketta.
"Not at all, we only decided the plan yesterday really. It's also lucky that for some reason you already seem tired, why is that?"
"None of your business anymore, since I declare you traitors and you're all under arrest."
"Nice try Chiketta, but that doesn't mean anything if you are dead, and without any water for you to hide in, you can't beat one of us; let along 7 of us."
Chiketta swivelled around, as if looking for a way out, but the three sides in front of him were blocked by the Rear-Admirals and the wall behind him was too thick and strong for him to break. "You'll regret this, I'm a Vice-Admiral!"
"Correction, Chiketta, you were a Vice-Admiral. Sadly, you were ambushed during the riot by Leg 5 prisoners and together they managed to overpower and kill you. It is a pity…"
"I'm afraid that Heller is right, Chiketta." Iskin said, as he spun two long daggers around his hands. "You need to be removed from the delusion you seem to be living is."
Karnel suddenly laughed wickedly. "Also, you're an asshole."
Chiketta snarled, as much as he could with a fish face anyway, at the group "You are forgetting something, traitors." A look of confusion passed across everyone's face except for Heller's "I'm a Vice-Admiral and all Vice-Admirals are taught the art of Rokushiki, I can still fight." A look of concern followed the look of confusion but Heller stepped forward slightly and barked a laugh.
"Don't worry guys, he's bluffing. Although he tells the truth about Rokushiki, he doesn't know any of it. It is something that Fishmen are unable to learn, just as humans cannot learn Fishman Karate. So he has nothing except his natural Fishman strength and without the water to give him energy, he'll be finished within minutes."
Chiketta took in a couple of deep breaths and suddenly roared in anger, charging towards the Rear-Admirals. The seven marines suddenly tensed and took up fighting positions, ready to take on the power of a Vice-Admiral. Heller started to take a step back, locking her elbows into her sides, but before anyone could do anything the outer wall exploded in spectacular fashion, showing the courtyard with bits of rock and hiding everything from view with a cloud of dust.
The ship belonging to Lin and his crew was now back in open water, floating as close to Supaida island as they dared to avoid being spotted by any scouts that may be looking their way. However, the prison wouldn't be the only one scouting, and they weren't; Nemo was in the rigging, balancing skilfully on the ropes, with the scope to his eye, scouting out the area for a final time. The deadline he had set for Lin, one week to escape the prison on himself, had passed 45 minutes ago and he was trying to decide if he should wait any longer.
"Come on! If we're going to go through with this plan, we need to act now!" Marshall was shouting from the base of the mast, his long hair blowing in the wind. "His week is up, come on!"
Nemo didn't answer however, because as he watched the island multiple explosions erupted around the complex and suddenly the outer walls were guarded by soldiers that were never there before. "That could complicate things…" he said and climbed down quickly and handed the scope to Marshall without saying anything.
Marshall in turn didn't say anything as he raised the scope to his eye to look at the prison. This is where his silence ended "Well that's odd, that's a perimeter lock down, used when there is a riot going on…" he paused as he scanned the walls. "Except that there's a wall missing guards, what the hell is going on?"
"It doesn't matter; we'll go in through the wall without any guards."
"Uh without sounding like an idiot, isn't that obviously some kind of trap?" Marshall said, gesturing towards the prison.
"I suspect that it is, but not for us." Was all Nemo said before he turned and started to lower the row boat down the side of the ship. "Have you made up with Mayo yet?"
Marshall cringed "No, if we're all going in together then she'll probably try and kill me." He said it without any hint of a joke.
"I'll talk to her."
"There is nothing to talk about…" Mayo's voice said as she appeared from below deck, she was wearing her leather jacket and her swords were at her waist. She didn't look at Nemo but walked straight up to Marshall and stopped a couple of feet in front of him. "I'll let you live for this, but the moment we have Lin and we're off the Island, your life is mine." She said and then turned her back to give Nemo a hand with lowering the boat.
"Fine, but don't think I'll give it to you so easily." He said, adjusting the swords at his shoulder as he did so.
Once the boat was in the water, Mayo lowered the ladder and climbed down, taking the seat at the very front so she could keep her back to Marshall throughout the small journey they were going to make. Nemo was next down, his jacket flapping in the wind as he landed gently in the boat, just behind Mayo, his pipe now in hand. Marshall was last down but instead of climbing down the ladder, he jumped out to grab the pulley rope and used that to slide down to the boat, where he removed his swords to lie them down along the length of the boat and take up the oars; the job he lost to Nemo in Janken to do.
It took a couple of minutes longer then expected to reach the prison as they had to circle around some of it to get behind the wall that was empty of guards. Silently cutting through the mostly smooth water, Marshall managed to get them all the way up to the small rocky beach and they tied the tug rope to a small boulder that was sitting there. Nemo got out first and turned to face the other two with his sleep-deprived eyes, placing a finger across his lips in a shushing motion.
Marshall nearly snorted with laughter, he was about to smash a wall to pieces but Nemo was telling them to be quiet, but kept it in, coughing quietly to cover it up. He was last out of the boat and as Nemo and Mayo crept up to the wall, he slowly unhooked Ryuujin Toorima and held it low across his body. Nemo was on his right and Mayo was on his left as he reached the wall, both of them pressing themselves against the stone, as he lifted the large sword up high and pointed it towards the sky.
With a silent roar, he grasped the long handle with his other hand, and swung down with the force of an earthquake, which is basically what happened. His blade hit the stone and cut through it with ease and as it hit the rocky floor the gouge he had cut into the stone exploded outwards to leave a rather large gap in the wall; throwing all the broken bits of wall forwards into the space. Without so much as waiting for the dust to settle, Nemo and Mayo dodged into the gap and into the dust, followed swiftly by Marshall.
A/N: And so it begins…keep eyes and ears peeled for the next chapter heading your way and thanks for all the reviews so far!