"I think we lost them." Millie huffed, panting as they turned a sharp corner, nearly slamming into the wall.

"Along with my daughter!" Stolas shouted, "I'm not leaving her like that! You have no idea how it feels!"

"Hello?! My husband is in the exact same situation as she is!"

The group had managed to escape Monte and Stella, disappearing down a long hallway as they waited for the sound of shouting and gunfire to cease. They now were trapped within the belly of the ship, caught in a seemingly endless maze of corridors and cabins, always ending up right back where they came.

Millie, along with Stolas, were having her judgement clouded by their shared worry for the ones still lost, having been taken away and hidden from them. Monte and Stella were probably ready to kill them at the slightest aggression. Her heart ached, being away from the one she loved for far too long, the two of them separated by a curtain that couldn't be drawn.

She swung around a wall, motioning for the others to join her where they would be out of sight on the off chance Monte and Stella came back, not wanting to be caught off guard.

Millie shouted, "Alright, so the ship is probably sinking, Mox and Octavia are gone, and we have two crazed lunatics with guns ready to kill us on sight. Ideas! Go!"

"Well, I've still got a gun on me if you wanna bullet those bitches!" Blitzo hollered, "Just give me the word!"

Normally, Blitzo's bubbly and almost childish demeanor would bring a smile to her face, but right now all it was doing was pissing her off. They didn't have time to be going around shooting willy-nilly. They had already tried it before, and those rich fucks had absorbed the bullets like a sponge to water, seemingly taking no damage at all.

"I think I have something that will help us find them," Stolas said, racing into his pocket and pulling out a key.

It wasn't a special key by any means, almost identical to the one she had in her own cabin. It was made of the same shining silver metal and golden keychain, along with a slot for it to fit on a door handle. The only stark difference was the room number.

256.

And she immediately knew what that meant.

Stolas continued, "When Monte and I were, ahem, 'toughing it out,' I hit him in the hip and this fell out of his pocket. I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but I think we have reason to believe that Octavia and Moxxie are in there somewhere."

"You didn't tell us about this sooner?" Blitzo hissed, "C'mon Stolas, you're fuckin' better than that!"
He had a point. Millie couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of anger at the thought of Stolas holding onto that key and not saying anything, even if it had only been a few minutes.

On the other hand, it was refreshing to finally have a lead after days of nothing, and her heart fluttered with elation with hope that her husband would be okay. Even if the chances were next to zero, it was better than nothing, and it was becoming hard for her to stay still, wanting to sprint down to the cabin and break in to find Moxxie herself.

"Would you have rather gotten shot?" Stolas asked, "And, I don't think you remember, but we tried following them and ended up here! Do you think I'm not worried about them?"

They began walking, towards where they hoped cabin 256 would be.

"Well, from what you said, it sounded like you wanted revenge more than anything," Loona said, "At least I was honest."

Hearing Loona's sass only enraged her further, all of Loona's insults coming back to her and making her remember just how unpleasant and uninviting she had been. Her and Blitzo both had a shit ton of making up to do if things somehow worked out and they were reunited with Moxxie. Perhaps this whole thing would be the awakening they needed for them to stop being so unbearable. It was one thing if it was playful jokes and remarks at everybody, but even Millie had noticed that all of their remarks were focused on Moxxie above all else. And she didn't imagine it was fun for him.

"Because you're so scared of 'having to hire a new assassin' instead of actually being worried about him, right?" Millie snapped, "You were nothing but an ass to him and now it's coming back to bite you, isn't it?"

"I do miss the little guy…" Blitzo mumbled, "Who else is going to bore me to sleep?"

She sighed.

You were in on this too, but at least you apologized.

Again, it wasn't that she believed Blitzo and Loona were bad people, far from it. It was their constant belittling that had become annoying to her, especially when it was directed at only Moxxie. Especially with Loona, she couldn't remember an interaction between her and Moxxie that hadn't consisted of some sort of rude sarcasm, threats, or just general assholery. And she knew Loona cared for the guy, at least a little bit, so why couldn't she fucking show it every now and again?

She stomped ahead to the front of the pack, not getting too far ahead but not wanting to stick next to them either. Tears welled in her eyes, and she tried to wipe them away indiscreetly, the emotions of the last few days pouring out. And she wasn't ready for it, not yet.

"We're coming for you…" she muttered under her breath, "Just hold on a bit longer.'

Out of all the people who deserved to be treated like this, and there weren't many, Moxxie wasn't one of them. The fact that those fuckers had taken him out at his weakest point, and we're treating him as seemingly nothing more than a pawn in some twisted game made her sick. If he ever got out of there, she wasn't letting him out of her sight again, as clingy as it might've sounded. Yes, their town back home had its own share of dangers lurking around, but at least she was close to him wherever they went. Plus, as long as he kept his head down and moved quietly, nobody would notice him and leave him alone.

Her nightmare from the first night felt like it had become a reality, and she almost didn't want to go in and find him, too nervous that she would walk in on a mangled cadaver instead of her living husband.

She jumped at the sudden feeling of a hand on her shoulder, swatting it away and ready to fight, almost convinced that Monte and Stella were right behind her.

"Watch it, fast and furious."

Loona's face greeted her, with an apologetic grin, darting her eyes back and forth to avoid eye contact. For the first time in a long time, the woman almost seemed nervous.

"Hey…" she sighed, running her fingers along the back of her head, "I...uh...wanted to...well…"

"Spit it out," Millie ordered, trying to keep her face composed, "I want to hear you say it."

Loona hesitated, running her hands together nervously.

"I don't like doing this shit," Loona sighed, "You know what I'm gonna say."

Millie grinned, "That's what makes it better!"
The hellhound took in a deep breath, before covering her face and choking the words out.

"Fine, I'm sorry for making jokes about your princess-husband. Happy?"

The words, although hurtful and passive-aggressive, were the closest thing to an apology that Loona was going to choke out, and Millie was satisfied. Watching her struggle a bit was good enough, at least for now.

"I wanted you to say it to him yourself, but whatever…" Millie sighed, tapping her fingers, "I'll accept it."

The two of them moved farther ahead, putting a bit of distance between Stolas and Blitzo, never going farther than ten or so feet. The ship was dead silent, the engines clearly not starting back up again and water probably creeping further and further into the ship, limiting their time. They were already moving as fast as they could, but now she wasn't sure if that was going to be enough.

"Look, sometimes he just gets on my nerves," Loona murmured, "I mean, for fucks sake, does that guy not have an off switch? I can only hear so many dumbass statistics before I lose my damn mind!"

"And you don't think you get on his?" Millie shot back.

"Maybe he deserved it-"

"No, he didn't 'deserve it'! How the fuck could you say something like that at a time like this.. Did you know that he almost quit working for I.M.P. because of you two? I don't give a shit what people say to me, but he does, and it was really hard to watch him come home from work looking so defeated and burned out. I'm surprised he sticks around, considering what huge jackasses you and your daddy have been to him!"

Millie bit her tongue, not intending for her words to come out in such a harsh manner, flowing out of her mouth before she had gotten a chance to stop it.

Even Stolas and Blitzo stopped upon hearing her outburst, staring at her like she had just murdered a puppy.

Aw shit.

That might've been a bit too much.

They remained silent as they began moving forward again, stopping to check a map mounted on a wall, awkwardly shuffling past each other to get a glance at the drawings, serving as their only chance at finding their lost comrades.

"It's on the other damn side of the ship?" Blitzo grunted, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"If we hurry up, we can still make it!" Millie said, trying to convince herself, "As long as that water stays away for just a little bit longer…"

Millie was usually fine with time constraints, usually having to stick to a narrow window of time when they went up to Earth and went about their killing sprees. But this one was different, since this time their lives were in mch more danger. For all the abilities that demons had, they couldn't survive torture, or breathe water. Imps like her couldn't do it.

"That berg fucked shit up," Blitzo said, "He'd better be okay…"

Seeing Blitzo show concern for Moxxie was heartwarming, even though she wished he had been less of an asshole before.

"And my Octavia, we can't forget her!" Stolas chimed in as they once again broke out into a sprint down the halls, the ship seeming to stretch on forever.

Every now and then, they plowed past a confused passenger or steward, probably wondering what a group of imps and a prince were doing down there. She didn't care, though, as long as she would be able to find that damned cabin.

She was getting to him if it was the last thing she did, as long as they could see each other one more time. She knew it was getting bad when Loona and Blitzo had seemed visibly worried, the two typically masters of apathy in the face of tragedy.

I sound like some damn damsel in distress.

Fuck.

At that moment, the group stopped at the sound of a gunshot, a lightbulb over their heads going out and sending glass flying down from the ceiling and onto the floor, nearly hitting them.

Oh no.

It didn't take a genius to figure out who was behind the bullet.

Millie turned around and ducked, barely missing a shot from Stella's handgun, seeming to have an endless supply of blessed weapons, firing shot after shot like they were nothing at all.

"Get down!" she shouted, "And get shootin'!"

This time, she noticed that Stolas wasn't hesitating with his gun, immediately taking aim at his wife and pulling the trigger, missing her by only an inch. She couldn't imagine how hard it must've been to shoot someone that you were married to, even if that person had turned out to be a murderous piece of shit with no concept of morality or mercy.

"Oh, Octavia is going to love hearing about this! That is, if we don't take her out first…" Stella chuckled.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Stolas hissed, firing twice, "You're a monster!"
"You wish you knew, didn't you?"

"You're gonna fuckin' pay for all this!" Millie hissed, "I'm not gonna take this shit lying down!"

Millie took out a knife and threw it down the hall, using her melee skills as best she could. It managed to scratch Stella's cheek, creating a scar eerily similar to the one on Stolas's face.

It took a moment for the gravity of her actions to sink in. Attacking a royal? That could very well mean a public execution, that is if Stella didn't get to her first. But knowing that this was the woman that had inflicted so much pain upon them, and was currently attempting to end their lives emboldened her to do the unthinkable.

"You're going to regret doing that." she said, Monte by her side, "Your head is going to look very nice mounted on my wall."

"Not if I slit your fucking throat first!" Millie hollered, throwing yet another knife, this one hitting Monte.

"We should've taken you instead," Monte said, "You'd be much more fun to beat up. All Moxxie does is squeak and whimper."

Oh no.

Oh hell no.

You did not just say that…

Her worst fears had been confirmed: Moxxie was being tortured.

Which meant she had almost nothing left to lose.

She didn't care about strategy, or sophistication, or anything else. All she saw now were two psychopaths in front of her who needed to be dealt with, and there was only one way to take care of scum like them.

A knife to the throat

The others seemed just as enraged as she was, ready to take on whatever those two had ready for them. Because they would rather die fighting than live in defeat.

"Eat this, bitches!" Loona shouted, ripping a light off of the wall and throwing it at Monte, the glass shattering on his face and cutting into his skin.

Having the upper hand for a moment, the group stepped forward, ready to do what needed to be done. Her hands shook with excitement, ready to finally give those two the payback that they deserved.

Millie leaped up and plunged a knife into Monte's back, while Blitzo and Loon went after Stella. Stolas stood to the side and held up his rifle, taking aim and ready to finally deliver the final blow that would end their reign of terror.

Monte screamed as Millie pressed the knife down into his skin. She knew it wouldn't kill him, but if it could keep him still, Stolas could take them out with his bullets. Plus, it wasn't like he couldn't feel pain, she knew that the knife was going to hurt him.

Little psychopath deserves it.

"Take that, bitch! That one's for Moxxie!" Millie hollered, twisting the knife and drawing more of that sweet, sweet noble blood, "And there's more where that came from!"

The lights around them suddenly began to flicker again, and Millie could already feel their advantage slipping, Stolas taking too long to load his gun and wasting precious time. If those lights went out, they were screwed.

"Again?!" Blitzo moaned, "You've got to be fucking kidding me!"

Almost like clockwork, and in a major "fuck you" from the universe, the lights shut off, Millie able to feel water lapping at her feet, just like earlier. The floor was also now at a noticeable incline, finally confirming that the ship was sinking if there had been any remaining room for doubt.

A gunshot lit up the room for a split second, enough for Millie to map a path to get the hell out of there. There was a staircase directly in front of her, the hallway splitting into a fork and going either left or right.

"Retreat!" Stolas shouted, "I can't get an aim in here!"

With that, she began a mad dash to the stairs, the water already up to her knees within a few short seconds. If they didn't get to that cabin soon, there was no telling what was going to happen to Moxxie and Octavia, since the cabin was probably somewhere deep within the ship, where the water was coming in and creeping further and further up.

"Follow me!" she shouted with resolve, "I think I know where to go!"

She didn't know, but she figured that anywhere was a better place than here.

Millie bolted up the staircase, nearly tripping in the suffocating darkness, and then swerved to the left, not sure where she was going to end up. The floor she had reached was dry, and she took that as a positive, buying her a few seconds to think about what the next course of action should be.

She could her fast footsteps behind her, not sure if they were those of a friend or foe. Just to be safe, she continued her sprinting, her throat beginning to burn and her legs beginning to buckle as the seconds stretched on, not sure what to do when her pursuer's footsteps kept pace.

Voices shouted out from behind, each one distinguished and recognizable amidst the pandemonium.

"You're fucking next!" Stella called out, "I'm not leaving until each and every one of you is dead!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Blitzo responded in poor taste, "Give us your worst!"

"Challenge accepted," Monte giggled, the click of a shotgun echoing through the hallway, "Say cheese!"

Even in the dark, the shots flew with astonishing accuracy, one of them grazing Millie's knee and scraping the skin open. Each muzzle flash illuminated the path, Millie spotting an elevator shaft towards the end of the hall.

Using what little power she had left in her, she turned around and hurled yet another knife, followed by an exasperated gasp from Stella. Which was good, the more targets she landed, the more time they would have to get away and regroup.

Monte's and Stella's voices faded slightly as they fell behind, Millie only a few feet away from the elevator shaft.

Water had begun to seep into the hallway now, rising with surprising speed, much faster than back in the brig. If they didn't get out in the next two or three minutes, the entire room would be underwater, and she wasn't going to stick around and drown.

"In here!" Millie shouted, grabbing the handle and swinging the door open, motioning for Blitzo and the others to join.

She bolted inside, followed by Loona. More loud footsteps were echoing out from down the hall. Anxiously, she waited for Blitzo and Stolas to show up, hoping that they would beat their assassins to the elevator and let them escape.

"Hurry up!" Loona called out.

But the only thing they saw were the flashes of Monte's and Stella's guns as they approached faster and faster, now only a few feet away.

She didn't want to do it, but what choice did she have? Wait here and let all of them die?

"I'm sorry." she said, flicking a lever and letting the elevator pull them up, the gate closing just as Monte and Stella reached it, angrily tugging at the metal before turning around, Blitzo's shouting audible in the distance.

Hearing his voice gave her faith that he and Stolas would find a way out of there. They were smart, and there were two of them, so at least they weren't outnumbered.

"Dad!" Loona called out, "Fuck-I mean Blitz! Get out of there!"

A lighted flickered to life over their heads, finally allowing them to see what was around them.

Millie fell down against the wall to catch her breath, feeling like she was about to throw up. With all the stress and exertion of the last few days, it was amazing that she was able to stand on her own two feet, and she could feel the energy slowly draining from her body. She had no idea how much longer she had until she gave out, but was fighting to the very end, until they could find Moxxie and Octavia and get the hell off of the ship.

Her stomach lurched slightly as they ascended, going up at a snail's pace. That was just what she got for taking the elevator, although she had hoped it would go at least a bit faster.

Loona began pacing back and forth anxiously, probably nervous for her father's wellbeing. And why shouldn't she be? The man had been more of a figure in her life than anybody else that Millie knew of. She probably felt as anxious about him as she was feeling about Moxxie, and she didn't wish that on anyone, especially Loona. As much as she resented her at times, Loona was still a person, and didn't deserve this.

"Those fuckers are gonna take them too, I know it!" Loona winced, "Dammit! Why couldn't they just leave us the fuck alone? She has a problem with the owl, don't involve us in it for fuck's sake!"

"I mean, she's pissed at Blitz too," Millie sighed, "If I saw Moxxie with someone else, I'd probably wanna kill them too."

She only grunted in response, pacing with quickened pace.

"Fuck this!" she shouted, "Fuck all of this! Why did it have to be us?"

"Don't ask me."

Their banter continued, tensions already high thanks to the horrible stress they had all been under.

"I wanna rip their faces off," Loona said, sharpening a claw, "And I want it to be long and painful. Serves them right for all the shit they're putting us through."

"Finally, we agree on something."

"We'll kick their asses together, right?"

"Hell yeah."

The elevator continued it's slow ascent, having only brought them up one floor. She hoped it would stop soon, antsy and anxious as the thought of Moxxie still being locked up kept her restless.

"Can this thing go any fucking slower?" she shouted, pounding her fist against the wall, "Hurry up! We have shit to do!"

"Tell me about it!" Millie said, scanning the wall for some sort of off-switch, finding nothing except for an empty wall.

Speed it up already!

We're wasting precious seconds!

We're gonna be fucked if we don't get out of here.

"Anything over there?" Loona asked.

"Nope, just an empty fucking wall!"

As if things couldn't get any worse, the light above their heads suddenly began to flicker, just like the lights in the hallway had just a few short moments ago, the ugly white light cutting in and out.

The two of them exchanged a glance of shared worry, knowing full-well what that meant.

"No," Millie muttered, "No no no no no no!"

"Not this again," Loona said, "Not right now!"

Right on cue, the elevator came to a total stop, the shaft bouncing up and down as the cables halted and kept them suspended in midair. The floor wobbled, and she could hear metal scraping against metal, the ear-piercing sound making her want to claw out her eardrums herself.

As the shaft stabilized, a suffocating stillness hung in the air, neither Loona nor Millie wanting to make a single move, as if it was going to have some profound impact on their future or something.

"I...feel like that could be a bad thing," Millie said, "Just maybe…"
"No shit, Sherlock!" Loona shot back.

Cautiously, Millie stood up, not wanting to throw off the shaft's balance any more. One wrong movement and the two of them risked sending themselves plunging back into the depths of the ship.

"Well, we finally stopped," she quipped, tugging on the gate that held them inside, "But the gate is still locked."

"Shit!" Loona muttered, leaping up and pulling at the metal herself, as if that would make any difference.

The two of them tugged at the metal with all of their strength, the bars holding firm despite their valiant efforts.

And then, in yet another cruel twist of fate, a familiar cold feeling began to wrap itself around her feet, the dim reflection of the emergency bulbs reflecting on the wavy floor. The water was seeping in fast, pushing in through the bars and filling the elevator with alarming speed.

This entire trip, fortune had smiled upon them, getting them out of one bind after another, and Millie was beginning to wonder if this would be the time that their luck would run out, succumbing to a water grave in the darkness.

"I hope you've got your shit together," Millie said as her ankles grew numb, "Because we might be outta luck this time."