Chapter 10
BitterCherries: The story of Tala's life is this: born and raised in the Abbey. The rest you'll find out next fic once I get around to writing it.
phoenix the 1st: Some people whine that the Demo Boys are written as nice too often. -_-
Jay Kamiya: You'll just have to wait and see. ^_~
Rai Akuma: Inspirational, huh? Explain further. I am intrigued
Matty KakaSaku rulz: You'll like this one better
russle: Spencer = 19, Bryan = 18, Tala = 17, and Ian = 12. And just for good measure, Panas = 21
Reiven: Sorry, I'm modest. I don't believe you. :p
Black Jaggan: Perfect bods, yeah. We've seen Tala shirtless, just wish we could see... never mind. #^_^#
Ashla: His Dad came back and had a fight with his Grandfather, then Kai had a fight with his Dad. That's it.
And now, the moment you've been waiting for.
Disclaimer: See first page
The sound of the first door opening jerked him from his sleep, causing him to raise his eyes toward the door, listening to the almost soundless approaching footsteps. He glanced to the side, taking in the condition of his comrade and realising instantly that he was in bad shape. He frowned, knowing that Boris would take advantage of that… no, it wasn't Boris coming. Then who…
"Tala? Bryan? You down here?"
Bryan raised an eyebrow, shaking his head as he sighed. "We're in one of the little side rooms with a closed door, Ian, you moron."
There was a shuffling, moments later the door swung open. Two figures appeared, backlit by a torch, one tall, one short. Ian stepped further into the room, eyes wide. "Jesus, what did he do to you?"
"Later." Bryan's lavender eyes narrowed as Ian went about unlocking the chains on his arms. "There are easier ways of getting yourselves under Boris's wrath."
"Boris is gone," Ian explained, finding the right key and releasing Bryan's arms, setting about freeing his legs. "The authorities are questioning him over the Biovolt thing. He'll be gone a week."
"So you decided to 'rescue' us," Bryan snorted, stretching his limbs, trying to work out the dull ache as Ian moved on to Tala. "Don't think this will make me like you."
Ian shrugged.
Spencer offered Bryan a hand up, Bryan accepting it and coming unsteadily to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. Spencer watched him. "You look like shit."
"Then I must look better than I feel." Bryan looked down, frowning. "I doubt you'll get Tal to come around. He's not used to it like I am. That last session took what was left out of him."
Spencer handed Bryan a cloak, crossing to kneel beside Tala, wrapping their captain up in another cloak before scooping him up into his arms, lifting him easily.
Bryan watched him. "So you just expect us to walk out of here?"
"It's taken care of," Ian told him. "We've got a hideout just off the boiler room."
Bryan looked at him for a moment. "I'm not sure I can make it that far."
"You've gotta try," Ian said, moving toward the doorway and glancing out. "Come on."
Bryan limped toward the doorway, pulling the cloak around him, legs feeling like pins and needles as the wound where Boris had stabbed him burned. He blinked back the fuzziness at the corners of his vision as he followed Ian, Spencer bringing up the rear.
Ian led the way through the dungeon and up the staircase, Bryan using the wall for support as he followed, Spencer frowning as he watched him. To Spencer, like the rest of the boys at the Abbey, Bryan had always been the indestructible one. Spencer had seen Bryan endure and walk away from things that would have brought a normal being to his knees, so to see him this close to collapse was unnerving.
At the top of the staircase, Panas turned, looking down at them. He nodded his greeting to Bryan, before turning and leading them along the corridor. They moved slowly and silently, watching for guards and avoiding the cameras. Reaching the open corridor by the dining area, they paused, Bryan shooting a questioning glance at Panas as the elder boy slid forward, gesturing to another of the boys seated at the closest table.
For a moment nothing happened, then one of the boys roared, throwing himself to his feet and accusing the boy across from him of cheating during a training battle. The other boy stood, throwing back accusations, then the punches started flying. They crashed into a couple of other boys who were all to happy to join the melee, and before too long the entire dining hall was consumed of battle cries, bodies throwing themselves at each other, fists and feet flying.
The guards rushed from their posts into the centre of the brawl, dragging boys from the pile and throwing them aside, trying to break it up. In the background, Panas led the group along the wall, using the pillars as cover. Bryan smirked, nodding his approval at the plan, shooting a look to the side and taking in the battle. A couple of the boys looked his way, eyes lighting up at the sight of him and grinning, before spinning around and throwing in another punch for good measure.
The group made it clear of the dining hall, moving at a steady pace toward the boiler room. Bryan drew an even breath, ears buzzing as the darkness began to creep into the edge of his vision. He fought it, but it continued to grow steadily worse, sweat running down his face as he stumbled slightly, pausing to lean against the wall, drawing a deep breath, collecting himself.
The others paused, frowning as they watched him. When he thought he was ready, Bryan pushed himself off the wall, eyes focused ahead as he swept passed them, cloak dancing around his bare ankles. Ian and Spencer exchanged a look, Panas shaking his head, his opinion of Bryan raising another level.
Reaching the boiler room, Bryan limped inside, glancing around and noting that it was empty. He paused, glancing back at Panas as the other entered, moving toward the junk pile at the side. The Demolition Boys watched as Panas pulled aside a couple of pieces of junk to reveal an almost invincible trap door, easily opening it and gesturing for them to follow.
Bryan gestured for Spencer to go first, the older boy nodding, shifting Tala in his grip before stooping to move through the doorway. Bryan followed, glancing at Ian before stepping into the darkness, the youngest member of the group closing the door behind him as Panas lit a lantern, leading them though the shroud of darkness.
Bryan stumbled on a loose rock, slamming sideways into the wall and swearing, squeezing his eyes closed as the pain shot through his body, the darkness growing ever closer. He felt a light touch on his arm and he opened his eyes to find Ian looking up at him in concern. Bryan narrowed his eyes, pushing himself off the wall and regaining his balance, moving forward once again, Ian following, watching his every move.
Panas hit the switch as they entered the room, a whirr indicating that the generator had kick started, light filling the area. As Panas had told them, the room had a fairly good set up. A table and chairs sat off to one side and looked to have seen better days, a portable cooking stove set up beneath what must be the ventilation shaft. Along the back wall was a bed covered in sheets that were the kind used in the Abbey, indicating they had been brought down.
Panas pointed to a doorway off to the side. "Bathroom. Has a toilet, shower, and basin, but that's it. All original, though we patched them up a bit. Water comes from a spring. We figure this place was the original owners escape for when they got invaded, and set up so they could stay down here for some time. All resources, water and electricity, are separate to the main building, so they cannot be traced."
Bryan dropped into a chair, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he took in his surroundings. "How long can we stay here?"
Panas looked at him. "We've got enough food down here for a couple of days, but it's not fresh. Some of the boys can bring food down for you, so you can stay here indefinitely. We've got a first aide kit around here too, in the bathroom I think. Fully equipped."
"So it's got needles and thread?"
"It does."
Bryan pushed himself up, moving toward the bathroom, opening the door and glancing back. "It's in here." He closed the door before they could question any further. Opening the kit, he located the needle and thread and turned the flipped the toilet lid closed so he could have a place to sit. Pulling down his pants far enough to find the wound, he cleaned up the area and set himself as he picked up the needle.
This was going to hurt…
So the other boys organised an all in brawl to distract the guards so they could escape, and they got down to the hideout, though Bryan almost didn't make it. Looks like some serious patting on the back is in order. One thing though: what the hell is Bryan going to do with that needle??? -_-;;