Chapter 38
The group of four quickly left Deet's Solitary Confinement, sneaking past the camera again and getting to the elevator. They all piled in and Dr. Milldred pressed the button for the fourth floor. The doors closed and the small, moving room took them down by one level before opening its doors again. There was a camera directly in front of them, aimed at the elevator.
"Shoot!" Dr. Milldred hissed, everybody pressing their backs against the walls of the elevator, out of the camera's line of sight. "I forgot about that camera."
"I don't think it saw us." Penelope said.
"You're right, but we can't be too risky. We need to get past it carefully."
"Which way to Dr. Leeroy's lab?" Rian asked.
"To the right."
"Alright then, this way." Rian had everybody pressing their backs onto the right side of the elevator. He glared at the camera thoughtfully. It wasn't moving like the last one was. "I need something to throw at it and break it."
"A broken camera may make the security guards suspicious." Dr. Milldred frowned. "But it's worth a shot. Does anybody have anything?"
"Oh! Here. Why not use this?" Deet suggested, pulling out a silver spoon from her pouch. "I liked the way it looked, so I kept it."
"That might work." Rian nodded, taking the spoon. "Alright. Stand back."
The others stood back and watched Rian carefully as he took a deep breath. He then quickly stepped in line of sight of the camera and reeled his arm back, throwing the spoon as hard as he could at the camera.
The spoon hit the camera with incredible force, smashing the lens and nearly tearing the device off the wall. It sparked and hissed before it suddenly died, it's red light dimming to nothing.
"Well done, Rian." Dr. Milldred nodded. "Let's go. Quickly. This way."
The little group followed the young woman down the hall and to Dr. Leeroy's lab. Dr. Milldred peeked through the window and quickly backed up. "Shit."
"What's wrong, sis?" Penelope asked.
"Dr. Leeroy is in there."
"What is he doing?" Rian asked her.
"I think he's asking Ms. Seladon more questions." Dr. Milldred frowned, looking through the window again. "Looks like she's not cooperating though."
"Oh no." Deet frowned. "If she's not cooperating, then that means."
"… The collars!" Rian gasped, realizing that he and Deet still had their collars on. "If Dr. Leeroy shocks Seladon because she's not cooperating, we'll be shocked too."
"Dammit." Dr. Milldred hissed. "Why didn't I think about that before?" She looked back through the window. "He's pulling up the button."
"What do we do?" Penelope whimpered. "If Mr. Rian and Ms. Deet are shocked, we'll be caught."
"Don't worry, looks like he's just showing her for now." The older human answered. "I'll think of something before he actually presses it."
"Is there any way we can set the diversion off now?" Rian asked.
"No, that's too risky." Dr. Milldred shook her head. "We may get caught trying to free Ms. Brea if we do."
"We have to get Dr. Leeroy out the room somehow." Penelope frowned.
"Hold on, I'm thinking."
The Gelflings and the little girl were silent as they watched the human woman, wondering what plan she could possibly be coming up with now. Dr. Milldred nodded. "Ok, I think I have a plan. Ms. Deet, can you still shoot lighting out of your fingertips?"
"Small explosions now, but yes." Deet nodded.
"That's perfect. A small explosion is all we need."
"What's the plan, sis?"
"Dr. Leeroy's office isn't too far from here. If Deet can cause an explosion inside, he'll hear it and he'll go to check it out. Ms. Deet is supposed to be in Solitary Confinement, and he knows nothing of her power, so there's no way he'll suspect her."
"That sounds like a good plan to me." Deet nodded. "I'll do it."
"Then let's go. Rian, Penelope. You two stay here and out of sight."
"Got it." The two nodded.
Dr. Milldred nodded and quickly led Deet to Dr. Leeroy's office. Luckily, it wasn't locked, giving the two easy access inside.
"Where should I aim at?" Deet asked.
"Hmm." Dr. Milldred hummed in thought. She didn't want to be too mean to her co-worker, but she still wanted to blow up something big in order to get his attention. "The computer." She decided. "It's hooked up to a work network, so his work shouldn't be lost."
"Alright." Deet nodded, and held her palm up to the big screen on the desk. Before either one of them could even blink, a shot of purple lightning flew out of Deet's hand and slammed into the computer, causing it to explode and combust.
"What the fuck?!" They heard a muffled shout from down the hall.
"Quick! Behind the door. Now!" Dr. Milldred ordered, pulling Deet to stand and hide behind the door. It was at that moment that Dr. Leeroy came running into the office, pulling his hair out with his hands as he saw the condition of his work computer.
"Dammit! How did this happen?!" He cried, going up to his computer to try and put the small fire out. "Damn old piece of junk!"
"Go, go." Dr. Milldred quietly urged the Grotton, silently pushing her out the door and back down the hall to Rian and Penelope.
"We were almost caught." Penelope said when they approached. "We didn't know where to hide once he left."
"Luckily, the door opened outward and we were able to hide behind it." Rian nodded. "That would've been a nice detail to know, Dr. Milldred."
"You're right, I'm sorry." The woman sighed. "I'll try to be more descriptive in the future. Now come on, we don't have much time left. Once Dr. Leeroy has put out the fire in his office, he'll be back, so let's make this quick."
They nodded and followed Dr. Milldred into the lab, staying close to her once they stepped in. Seladon, sitting sulkily in her tank, with Baffi in her arms, looked up and gasped when she saw Rian and Deet, with Penelope and another human scientist.
"Rian! Deet! Penelope!" The All-Maudra said excitedly. "I didn't think I'd ever see you three again. What's going on? Who is this?"
"Ms. Seladon, this is my sister, Dr. Milldred." Penelope explained. "She's helping us get you and your friends out of here."
"Then, that explosion…" Seladon frowned. "That was you, wasn't it?"
"It was, Ms. Seladon." Dr. Milldred. "But now's not the time to talk. We don't have much time left. Ms. Seladon, where is the key to your tank?"
"I think Dr. Leeroy has it in one of those drawers." Seladon nodded, pointing to a desk. "I don't know which one though."
"Don't worry, we'll find it." Dr. Milldred nodded before looking down at her sister. "Penelope, I need you to keep watch in case Dr. Leeroy comes back."
"Sure thing, you can count on me." Penelope nodded before going back to the door, keeping watch for the scientist.
Dr. Milldred ran up to the desk and started to frantically search through the drawers, shifting papers and pens around, looking for that one silver key. "It's an utter mess in here. How is he supposed to find anything?"
"Keep looking, Dr. Milldred." Deet urged.
"I'm looking, I'm looking, but it's so crowded in here I'm afraid of missing something."
"What if we just break the glass?" Rian asked. "That's how I got out."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Seladon frowned.
"If we push your tank off the table, the glass will smash against the floor and it'll free you."
"No, we can't do that." Dr. Milldred shook her head, now taking the papers out of the drawers to find the key. "Breaking the glass will be too loud, and it might get Dr. Leeroy's attention. We don't want that, so we must be as quiet as we possibly can."
"Finding the key may take too long." Deet gasped. "We have to try."
"Or…" Dr. Milldred said, sitting up and holding a silver key up. "You can just trust me."
The Gelflings were silent as Dr. Milldred walked over and opened the tank up with the key. Once the glass door was open, Seladon climbed out with Baffi in her arms. The Fizzgig growled lowly at the human, but the Vapra snapped at him. "Baffi, that's enough. She's here to help us."
"Alright," Dr. Milldred nodded as she closed the door and locked it again, putting the key back in the drawer she found it at. "When Dr. Leeroy comes back and sees the tank is empty, but the door is still locked, he'll be confused. He may set the alarm to say that one of the experiments has escaped, but as long as we stay calm, we'll be fine."
"Alright then, let's go get Brea." Rian nodded.
"Guys, hurry!" Penelope suddenly opened the door and gasped. "Dr. Leeroy is getting ready to come back!"
"Come on!" Dr. Milldred ordered, grabbing her sister's arm as they all started running back to the elevator, trying to get there before the man saw them.
"Hold up! Dr. Milldred, what do you think you're doing?!"
The group stopped in their tracks and they turned as one to look at Dr. Leeroy, who had just left his office to see them trying to escape.
"Oh crud."
"Dr. Milldred, what is the meaning of this?" Dr. Leeroy asked again as he approached the group. "Why do you have three of the four experiments with you? Especially the one I'm in charge of?"
"Look, Dr. Leeroy, it's not what you think." Dr. Milldred started, approaching the man calmly. "I just wanted to… do the right thing!"
Caught off guard, Dr. Leeroy soon found himself getting his arms grabbed and pinned back. Dr. Milldred hoisted his arms upward painfully as she kicked him in the back of the knees, sending him to the floor.
"Dr. Milldred!" The Gelflings gasped at the sight.
"Go!" She ordered them. "Get to the third floor! I'll meet you there so we can get Ms. Brea out! Go!"
"Be careful, sis!" Penelope pleaded before she and the Gelflings went into the elevator, the doors closing behind them.
Dr. Leeroy grunted in his hold against his co-worker. "What are you doing, Milldred." He demanded. "Helping the experiments escape, are you? Why?"
"Because it's the right thing to do, Leeroy." Dr. Milldred frowned. "We can't keep them here and treat them like animals. They have a home and family and friends that need their help. It'd be wrong to keep them here."
"But what about the benefits of the Earth? Of the people?"
"The people will be fine without a second Earth. They've been fine before, they'll be fine now."
"You'll never make it out." Dr. Leeroy hissed. "You'll be caught before you even reach the parking lot. And even if you do make it out, we'll have the police send out an alert for your arrest for theft of private property.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take, Doctor. If doing the right thing will get me sent to jail, then I don't wanna know what will happen if I do the wrong thing. You can't stop me, Leeroy. Nobody can."
"Dr. Milldred, please think about this."
"I already have." She frowned before she took one hand and started pressing on the points in the back of his head, just above his neck. "Now, go to sleep."
Dr. Leeroy felt himself getting dizzy and sleepy. He slowly fell to the floor and closed his eyes, falling asleep under the pressure. Dr. Milldred sighed and got up, stepping over him and going to the elevator. Once the doors opened, she stepped in and pressed the button to the third floor. The doors closed and off she went.