The ship's daily routine was simple.
Four people took turns guarding their cell, all Yikki's subordinates. From what Kuzou had been able to hear through the walls, two more patrolled the same deck and served as intermediaries between the party that was responsible for escorting them and the pirates. They were fed twice a day by those same guards, just enough not to starve. None spoke to them. Kuzou knew it was out of fear. They had done a great deal of damage until they were caught, after all. When they (thought) they were out of sight of the prisoners, though, they did not know how to keep quiet. The former agent thanked them for that.
However, they were not the only ones who had difficulty not speaking. His colleagues were not used to that kind of situation. Keeping silent, deprived of information, especially by Kuzou, was driving them crazy.
"You know, when I said you guys had to be careful, I didn't mean you had to go three days without speaking a word," the former agent finally released.
"For fuck's sake!" Exclaimed Yan. "Couldn't you have said that earlier?"
"I wanted to see how long you guys would endure," laughed Kuzou.
"You..." began the nomad.
What he wasn't going to say was that the silence had been very useful. It increased the dread of the guards and allowed him to concentrate on the surroundings. Three days of pure calm, without demands or attacks, had not been bad either.
The friends seemed to relax, as if they had been holding their breaths the whole time. Their situation had not improved, but Kuzou preferred to leave them like this before they ended up asphyxiating. Fortunately, in the hours that followed, they seemed to understand better what they could and could not do.
He had not been as successful in formulating an escape plan, however.
His biggest problem, Kuro of the Black Water, did not bother to watch them and he seemed to be at odds with both the escort group and the pirates, which kept him away and isolated. These matters seemed to be beyond his contract, but Kuzou knew he was somewhere on the ship, ready, should a new job opportunity arise. A word from the commander of their escorting party and he would be on top of them again.
This same commander, incidentally, was the second problem. He had only been on their deck once since Kuzou came back to consciousness; and as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone, without even getting close to the cell. All the guards went silent when he appeared, their uneasiness as clear as day. None of them liked the commander, something they made very apparent in the chat that followed. What they didn't say, but the former agent noticed nonetheless, was that they feared him. All these details made him a dangerous unknown variable.
These two variables hindered any kind of minimally acceptable planning. They didn't have all the time in the world, however. News of the Abomination's capture would undoubtedly have arrived on dry land, and their destination was still unknown. Reinforcements could appear at any moment, and the former agent doubted the reception upon arrival on land would be any easier to deal with than the current situation.
No, they would have to act soon, and it would be all or nothing.
The guards' sudden silence interrupted his reasoning.
Speaking of the devil...
The commander's footsteps echoed across the silent deck.
Kuzou did not intend to let that chance pass. He took the screw he had removed from the handcuff that chained him to the floor and adjusted it between his fingers. He aimed carefully between the door bars, doing the calculations in his mind, while waiting for the right moment. When he realized the steps would not come any closer, he fired.
The bolt flew, surprising his cellmates, bounced off the opposite wall of the corridor, and hit its target.
"AH! Fuck, my eye!" The guard on the left yelled.
The screw didn't have the strength, nor size, to scratch skin, but considering the target, none of that was necessary.
The friends turned to him, shocked. Kuzou ignored them, focused on the events.
As expected, the steps began to approach.
"What the fuck was that?" continued the stricken guard, while his colleague went to his aid, confused.
"Is there a problem?" Said the commander, becoming visible between the door bars.
Kuzou froze.
"N-no, sir," the guard stammered, composing himself. "Just a... speck in the eye."
As planned, wanting to get rid of the commander's unwanted presence as quickly as possible, the guard made up an excuse and bowed his head.
But Kuzou didn't care about that anymore. Their situation had just gotten even worse.
As the commander turned to leave, the former agent's mind started racing as fast as possible. An opportunity now presented itself, but he had mere seconds to assess whether that madness was worth it.
He looked at the people who shared the cell with him, all staring back, scared and worried.
The pressure he was putting on his fists relaxed. Lowering his face, Kuzou smiled sourly.
When did I get so soft? He laughed.
The commander was already walking away. Resolute, the former agent began to hit his two platinum-wrapped wrists, producing a rhythmic sound. He ignored all the attention he received and just focused on producing the clatter.
The steps stopped for a second. And then they went on, away from the cell.
It's done.
Kuzou stopped beating his handcuffs, sighing deeply.
There was no turning back. There was exactly one chance now; if he failed in his bet, they would not escape. All or nothing, indeed.
"Kuzou..." whispered Ember, nervous. "What is happening?"
"I'm sorry, my friends." replied the former agent, never before this serious. "But from now on, you will have to go without speaking."
The next few hours were not easy.
The tension in that cell was eating away at his friends in ways never seen before. The fact that Kuzou was so serious and worried terrified them. The former agent, for his part, noticed this detail clearly, but knew he could not do much for them. The situation was serious, and they had to understand this and learn to deal with the new circumstances from there on. It was probably only going to get worse.
Kuzou deduced it was around three in the morning when he showed up.
His colleagues did not notice his presence, nor the absence of the guards. Now that he knew whom he was dealing with, he was understandably more cautious. The same could be said about Kuzou.
The ghost of his past appeared between the door bars, his eyes clearly visible despite the, undoubtedly manufactured, darkness of the environment.
"It's been a while, Xeng Lao," hissed Kuzou.
His companions jumped when the silence was broken, but soon froze with fear when they noticed the shadow that faced them.
They are too easy of a prey, thought the former agent.
"To think you would be found here, of all places," the commander was amused.
"Yeah, life is full of surprises."
"Being captured in such a way... you're not the same, Kuzou."
"Maybe that says more about you than it does about me," he replied, acid.
That hit a nerve. The shadow's smile faltered.
"How's the civil war going?" continued.
He could see by the faces of his friends that they were beginning to understand the situation.
The agent did not respond immediately. Only the two of them knew the amount of analysis that went into each answer given; how much information could be shared, while avoiding wasting time on traps too complicated to be worth the effort. Sometimes even honesty could be effective.
The commander smiled sourly, reaching that conclusion.
"The Dai Li is divided, as you may have imagined. Two factions, each on one side of the conflict," he said, grim.
"The Dai Li itself is in a civil war, therefore," said Kuzou. "It must be difficult for you," he went on, mocking.
"You could at least try to pretend you're not happy about it," said the agent.
"Waste of time, you know the truth."
"Why, are you in a hurry, by any chance?" Xeng Lao smiled.
"Who knows? I haven't had much time to handle things calmly these days."
"Yes. I'm aware of the facts. You people weren't exactly... subtle."
The agent looked at Rohan, analyzing the man accused of being the biggest target the organization has ever had. The giant, despite the apparent restlessness, managed to sustain his gaze.
Good one, big guy, thought Kuzou.
Then his gaze went to the other two. Ember and Yan were unable to maintain eye contact for long, but they held their heads high, without wavering. The agent soon lost interest in the two, finding them irrelevant. Kuzou, on the other hand, was proud of his colleagues.
"I can't deny that I'm intrigued. I cannot fathom what led you to get involved in this circumstances" pondered the commander, turning his eyes back to the supposed Abomination.
"Dai Li's greatest enemy: chance," replied Kuzou, with a slight smile.
"This makes me even more curious," Lao smiled back.
"Good. Perhaps it is possible to sate this curiosity."
"Really? And how do you intend to do that?" He asked.
"We will have plenty of time to talk when we are working together again."
The agent's smile faded. His friends were unable to hide their surprise.
"Explain," demanded the commander, curtly.
"I offer my help in the civil war."
Silence washed over the room, accompanied by the smooth rocking of the boat.
"Why would I believe you would do such a thing?" inquired Xeng Lao.
Kuzou showed his wrists, held by a large chain that came out of the ground.
"Does it look like I have a choice?"
The smile returned to the agent's face.
"And what makes you think we would need you? A single man?"
"You seem to need any help you can get" Kuzou sneered in response, stealing the smile from the commander's face again. "Besides, there would be four people."
Xeng Lao turned his eyes to his colleagues, who did not know who to look at in that situation.
"Your request got even more ridiculous," he scoffed.
"What?" Kuzou said, pretending to be offended. "Are you telling me that having the alleged abomination in Dai Li's exclusive care does not interest you?"
The agent did not respond.
"Do I really need to explain to you how you literally have nothing to lose? If Dai Li reached such a deplorable level..."
"Don't push your luck, Kuzou." threatened.
"Far from it, Lao. I am not lucky enough for that. I push bad luck," he countered, looking at him, sinister.
The agent narrowed his eyes. The tension in the room seemed to double as the two challenged each other. Yan didn't know how much more of it he could take.
Just as it suddenly intensified, the tension relaxed.
"One last thing, Kuzou," said the commander at last.
"All ears."
"Is he the Abomination?"
His friends seemed to freeze. Their nervousness increased even more, something that seemed impossible before. Kuzou, however, responded immediately.
"No."
The eyes met again, testing each other.
Kuzou smirked.
"Thankfully, right?"
Without deigning to answer, the agent withdrew, leaving only silence behind.
None of his colleagues dared to break the stillness.
It was done.
Allowing himself to relax, Kuzou leaned against the wall, trying to ignore the weight of his chains.
His cellmates stared at him, with a myriad of feelings stamped on their faces. Despite this, they did not have the courage to release their voices. Something ironic, considering that was probably the only time they could talk. He calculated that they had at least one more minute before the guards returned from wherever Xeng Lao sent them.
"And now?" Kuzou released, remembering the question they always asked at times like that. And without a doubt, their attention doubled when they heard that. "Now, my friends… we wait."