Not long after the clock struck midnight, everyone was in position and
ready to execute their plan. In the back of everyone's minds was the
reality of what they were doing. In the likely event that they were caught
they would all surely die.
Wufei silently slipped down a set of spiral steps, holding a large parcel in his arms. He came upon a large oak door that was rotting in places. Fumbling with the lock he swung the door open slowly and looked at the five expectant faces below him.
He pulled Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Duo and Zechs into the stairwell then shut and locked the door again. Without saying anything he handed them each a bundle of fabric. Each boy retreated to a wall and got changed into these fresh clothes. When they were ready Wufei whispered to them.
"These clothes signify that you are guards." He explained. "I got a girl here to sew maps of The Fort inside the jackets so you can navigate your way around."
The others nodded and then followed Wufei back up the stairs. They emerged in a dim corridor, which was thankfully deserted.
"Duo and I will head straight for the main gates and disable the guards there." Wufei said. He then pointed down the passage. "That is the way to the prison cells. We are lucky, part of the other wing where prisoners are held collapsed a few nights ago, so all the prisoners a\re in one area."
"Quatre, Trowa and I will head down there immediately." Zechs said. "We intend to steal the keys from one of the guards. We'll release the women from there and then follow the plans that we laid out."
"Where is Relena?" Heero asked.
"She and the other high security prisoners are being held in the top-most tower." Wufei said. "The guards on their cells is due to change in twenty minutes, but I have rigged it so that there will be a slight gap when no one will be guarding those prisoners. You will have less than ten minutes to get them out of there."
"That's time enough for me." Heero growled. The group said their goodbyes and headed off in different directions, each knowing what duties they had to perform.
As the moon slid behind the cover of the clouds, Duo and Wufei slipped unnoticed into the guards' headquarters. Without so much as a grunt from the guards they quickly dealt with them in any way possible. Duo stood above the three guards whom he had knocked out. Wufei dragged five more to the edge of the room.
"I drugged their coffee." He explained. "Hopefully more guards than these will have drunk the coffee and be falling asleep too."
Duo and Wufei then settled down to await their next move, but this couldn't take place until the others had finished their work. Wondering how they were getting on, Duo sat back with his feet resting on a table and listened intently for any signals.
After getting lost twice Zechs and the two Gundam boys managed to find the correct passage. Shaking his hair back and motioning the two boys to stay behind, Zechs strode purposefully forwards.
"Who goes there?" A guard emerged from the shadows and fixed Zechs with a piercing stare.
"I have been told to relieve you of your duties." Zechs said. "You are to report to the west tower for briefing." His eyes barely flickered in the direction of the two wraith-like boys moving forwards in the shadows.
"Who authorised this?" The guard asked suspiciously. Another guard came to join him and they squared up to face Zechs.
"Are you the only guards on duty in this area?" Zechs asked.
"Yes we are, as it happens. There are so many locked and bolted doors here that only two guards are required. Besides, the women are too weak to give us any trouble." The other guard laughed. "But we will ask you again, who gave these orders?"
"WE DID!" Quatre and Trowa jumped out from the shadows, knocking the men to the ground before either could say a word. Zechs walked over calmly and held a tissue over the mouths and noses of each guard. They struggled for a moment before their eyes glazed over and they slipped into a deep sleep.
"What was that?" Trowa asked as they dragged the men into a corner and pulled the keys out of their pockets.
"I'm not sure, Noine concocted it for me." Zechs said. "One of her home remedies or something."
Zechs walked over to the doors made of bars that lead to the next corridor and inserted a key. The door clicked open and squeaked as he pushed it open. The three men walked into the corridor. It was long and narrow with only a couple of flaming torches attached to the walls for light and warmth. The place stank and was damp and airless.
At intervals down the corridor doors made of metal bars were set into the walls. Now the pathetic light illuminated a couple of faces peering interestedly through the bars.
"Wake up all your friends." Zechs announced. "We are getting you out of here."
A few of the girls looked at him with fear and anticipation in their eyes, but none moved. "What are you waiting for?" Quatre asked. "We're busting you out of here!"
"How do we know that?" One girl asked miserably. They turned to see a pale, thin looking girl standing near them. Her long, white blonde hair hung limply to her knees but she still showed a hint of defiance in her eyes. "How do we know that you aren't officers spying on us, testing us to see if we are obedient or not?"
A few of the other girls nodded in agreement. Long weeks of bad treatment at The Fort seemed to have led them to trust no one, especially not men.
"We are friends of Relena." Trowa said quietly. "I trust you know who Relena is?"
"Of course we do!" A woman with curly brown hair stood next to the pale haired girl. "She escaped a while ago and was taken back in only yesterday. But how would you know about that?"
"They are spies Catherine!" The blonde girl said.
"I don't believe that they are!" Another woman appeared in a cell further down the row. Gratefully Zechs walked towards her. "My name is Lady Une." She said. "You will have to excuse the others, they have not the ability to trust anymore."
Zechs fumbled with the keys to her cell as she spoke. "Catherine, Dorothy, everyone!" She announced. "What lives do we have here? I would rather try to escape and die in battle then die a slow and pointless death in here. Who is with me?"
After a pause girls started to nod. They began awakening their friends and calling for Zechs, Trowa and Quatre to unlock their cell doors. In less than half an hour all of the doors were open and the women were standing in the corridor, listening intently as Zechs told them exactly what they would have to do in order to escape.
Wufei silently slipped down a set of spiral steps, holding a large parcel in his arms. He came upon a large oak door that was rotting in places. Fumbling with the lock he swung the door open slowly and looked at the five expectant faces below him.
He pulled Heero, Quatre, Trowa, Duo and Zechs into the stairwell then shut and locked the door again. Without saying anything he handed them each a bundle of fabric. Each boy retreated to a wall and got changed into these fresh clothes. When they were ready Wufei whispered to them.
"These clothes signify that you are guards." He explained. "I got a girl here to sew maps of The Fort inside the jackets so you can navigate your way around."
The others nodded and then followed Wufei back up the stairs. They emerged in a dim corridor, which was thankfully deserted.
"Duo and I will head straight for the main gates and disable the guards there." Wufei said. He then pointed down the passage. "That is the way to the prison cells. We are lucky, part of the other wing where prisoners are held collapsed a few nights ago, so all the prisoners a\re in one area."
"Quatre, Trowa and I will head down there immediately." Zechs said. "We intend to steal the keys from one of the guards. We'll release the women from there and then follow the plans that we laid out."
"Where is Relena?" Heero asked.
"She and the other high security prisoners are being held in the top-most tower." Wufei said. "The guards on their cells is due to change in twenty minutes, but I have rigged it so that there will be a slight gap when no one will be guarding those prisoners. You will have less than ten minutes to get them out of there."
"That's time enough for me." Heero growled. The group said their goodbyes and headed off in different directions, each knowing what duties they had to perform.
As the moon slid behind the cover of the clouds, Duo and Wufei slipped unnoticed into the guards' headquarters. Without so much as a grunt from the guards they quickly dealt with them in any way possible. Duo stood above the three guards whom he had knocked out. Wufei dragged five more to the edge of the room.
"I drugged their coffee." He explained. "Hopefully more guards than these will have drunk the coffee and be falling asleep too."
Duo and Wufei then settled down to await their next move, but this couldn't take place until the others had finished their work. Wondering how they were getting on, Duo sat back with his feet resting on a table and listened intently for any signals.
After getting lost twice Zechs and the two Gundam boys managed to find the correct passage. Shaking his hair back and motioning the two boys to stay behind, Zechs strode purposefully forwards.
"Who goes there?" A guard emerged from the shadows and fixed Zechs with a piercing stare.
"I have been told to relieve you of your duties." Zechs said. "You are to report to the west tower for briefing." His eyes barely flickered in the direction of the two wraith-like boys moving forwards in the shadows.
"Who authorised this?" The guard asked suspiciously. Another guard came to join him and they squared up to face Zechs.
"Are you the only guards on duty in this area?" Zechs asked.
"Yes we are, as it happens. There are so many locked and bolted doors here that only two guards are required. Besides, the women are too weak to give us any trouble." The other guard laughed. "But we will ask you again, who gave these orders?"
"WE DID!" Quatre and Trowa jumped out from the shadows, knocking the men to the ground before either could say a word. Zechs walked over calmly and held a tissue over the mouths and noses of each guard. They struggled for a moment before their eyes glazed over and they slipped into a deep sleep.
"What was that?" Trowa asked as they dragged the men into a corner and pulled the keys out of their pockets.
"I'm not sure, Noine concocted it for me." Zechs said. "One of her home remedies or something."
Zechs walked over to the doors made of bars that lead to the next corridor and inserted a key. The door clicked open and squeaked as he pushed it open. The three men walked into the corridor. It was long and narrow with only a couple of flaming torches attached to the walls for light and warmth. The place stank and was damp and airless.
At intervals down the corridor doors made of metal bars were set into the walls. Now the pathetic light illuminated a couple of faces peering interestedly through the bars.
"Wake up all your friends." Zechs announced. "We are getting you out of here."
A few of the girls looked at him with fear and anticipation in their eyes, but none moved. "What are you waiting for?" Quatre asked. "We're busting you out of here!"
"How do we know that?" One girl asked miserably. They turned to see a pale, thin looking girl standing near them. Her long, white blonde hair hung limply to her knees but she still showed a hint of defiance in her eyes. "How do we know that you aren't officers spying on us, testing us to see if we are obedient or not?"
A few of the other girls nodded in agreement. Long weeks of bad treatment at The Fort seemed to have led them to trust no one, especially not men.
"We are friends of Relena." Trowa said quietly. "I trust you know who Relena is?"
"Of course we do!" A woman with curly brown hair stood next to the pale haired girl. "She escaped a while ago and was taken back in only yesterday. But how would you know about that?"
"They are spies Catherine!" The blonde girl said.
"I don't believe that they are!" Another woman appeared in a cell further down the row. Gratefully Zechs walked towards her. "My name is Lady Une." She said. "You will have to excuse the others, they have not the ability to trust anymore."
Zechs fumbled with the keys to her cell as she spoke. "Catherine, Dorothy, everyone!" She announced. "What lives do we have here? I would rather try to escape and die in battle then die a slow and pointless death in here. Who is with me?"
After a pause girls started to nod. They began awakening their friends and calling for Zechs, Trowa and Quatre to unlock their cell doors. In less than half an hour all of the doors were open and the women were standing in the corridor, listening intently as Zechs told them exactly what they would have to do in order to escape.