NormalAbnormal
The halls were dark and cold. Most of the building lay dormant, waiting for the sun to rise halfway. Then it would begin its hectic, usual day, with only a few slight changes from the day before. Noin was nervous, though she found no reason why she should be. The halls were empty. There was no one to catch them, and the possibility of running into a soldier loyal to Rakael or even to the evil man himself were very small. But then again, very small was still something.
After a few minutes and a few soldiers later, they had drawn upon a familiar face. One of the friendly young men that had brought them their meals was leading them through the corridors with an encouraging smile on his face. Noin walked behind him, and Zechs walked next to her, and every once in a while one of his legs would give way and he would almost fall. He didn't complain, though, and Noin felt that it would be too awkward if she lent him a shoulder to lean on. She flinched, though, every time he drew a ragged breath.
The man in front of them started to gesture them down a hallway, but then paused, signaled for them to stop, and listened, concentration etched on his face. Noin glanced around. She didn't see anything, nor hear anything, but her senses were still slightly altered, and she trusted the man.
Zechs seemed to hear it, though, and turned willingly when the soldier ushered them into a nearby doorway.
Seconds later, the footsteps of half a dozen men thundered past through the hallway they had almost entered.
They waited for the footsteps to fade, then continued on. Their pace was now brisk, and the smile had disappeared from their escort's face. Noin didn't dare say anything, but kept up with them and winced more as breath of the young man beside her became quick and shallow. Her heart pounded in her chest, and fear flashed in her eyes.
"Here." The soldier drew their attention to him. He pointed down a short hallway. "Go down there. Take a left. Briane will be there. He will lead you on." He paused and smiled. "Good luck." And he ran away, following the path of the other soldiers.
Zechs and Noin followed the corridor, rounded the hallway, and were confronted by a very nervous-looking young man. Far away, a shot rang out.
"What's going on?" Noin asked, glancing behind her from where the shot had come.
"Someone told Rakael that you're still here. That you're escaping." Briane said, and drew his gun from its holster. "We must run."
Run they did. The hallways melted into one another as they dashed through them, doorways flashed by as if they weren't even there at all. Zechs lagged a few feet behind. Every few minutes they would pause for him, but before long they were running again.
Noin's eyes drifted to the floor, where shadows and tiles drifted together to form patterns, which were continuously swept away behind her. Her mind swept away with them, and she almost ran into Briane when he suddenly halted.
Noin looked up.
And froze.
Before them stood a wall of soldiers, their guns cocked and aimed, sorrow marked on their faces. With them stood the corrupt Rakael, and evil grin pasted across his face.
Braine grabbed their hands and darted town a side hallway just as they fired, and pushed Zechs and Noin on.
"Run!" he yelled, and fired his gun at the oncoming soldiers perched around the corner. The odds were incredibly unfavorable, and Noin wasn't ready to leave the man, but Zechs pulled her hand.
"Down the hall, take a left, and you'll be at the hangar. There should be something there you can get out of here with. Go!" And around the corner came the enemy, just as Zechs and Noin disappeared around another.
~*~
The hangar loomed before them, huge and formidable. All around them loomed mobile suits and heavy machinery. Concerning transportation, there wasn't much to choose from.
Zechs had entered and activated a suit within a second, and Noin did the same. The loss of the kind young man they had, in away, helped kill, flooded her eyes with tears. She tried, though, not to linger on the thought, for she had something else to treasure.
