Another note from the author: hi all, wow, nearly finished the full story. And i wish to make a note. i apologisw for my mistake in chapter ten. i made 004 say 'Frauline' when it's actually 'Fraulein'; thanks to Aureali for pointing it out.
Chapter 7 - The flight for freedom.
It's tonight, dear god; I didn't sleep last night, or the night before. I can't bring myself to eat much more than is absolutely necessary; if I don't eat Kuroda will notice and then alarm bells will ring and then the plan will be ruined. 001 also reminds me that I need to keep up my strength; if I faint mid-escape everything will be jeopardised. I just want this to be over; I want to go home, to my life, to my family. And you will, says the petit bebe 001. We just need to get through this one night and we'll be free; you can go home after this. We all can; just be strong.
Be strong? It seems an alien concept to me; these past few weeks have been a constant nightmare and the other two aren't making things any better. 004 only ever has some nihilistic comment to add about how terrible this whole thing is and 002 calls everyone weaklings; I'll be glad to be rid of the two of the forever. The clock on the wall strikes 2100 hours, time for two hours' sleep; as if. I consider myself under control for simply not screaming; I'll never sleep until I know I'm safe. 002 sleeps like a baby himself; I can tell who's asleep now by their breathing and heartbeat. 004 doesn't sleep either but I feel scared when I talk to him. I'm so tense: every time I hear someone's footsteps within the distance of two floors my heart races; any of the people outside our room could be on their way to destroy us.
At about 2200 hours the building goes quiet, - and when I say quiet I mean the people become quiet; the rest still goes on, heard only by me - we're supposed to wake up at 2300 hours to have enough time to prepare. I wish I could just go over to 004 and talk to him; I'd bet any amount of money he's nervous too. But he seems to be determined to stay alone. I spend the lingering parade of minutes focusing on the task at hand and reminding myself what I have to gain and to lose from this manoeuvre; I used to do that when I was nervous about dance recitals in ballet. It helped for the most part but sometimes the test would be so big I'd only end up becoming more nervous because I'd reminded myself just how much I had to lose if the test went wrong.
I get shaken awake by 002; I actually drifted off for fifteen minutes without realising it. It's now 2320 hours and the room is so tense any one badly placed word could make the rest of us jump right out of our skins; I stare up at the clock. How can something be going too fast and too slow at the same time? After an eternity of no time we hear 001's voice in our heads. Let's go. Don't lose faith now. With those words to prompt us we go forth.
004 shoulder charges the door, it collapses underneath him, and we charge outwards; all of a sudden everything becomes a blur for me. I've never done anything even remotely like this. All I do is charge along with the other two, 001 in my arms, and do as I'm told; I see someone coming, I raise the alarm. I duck when 004 yells to duck. Bullets fly out from his hand. 002 dashes forward and sends the men flying as though they were nothing. I see a man approaching from the left, I yell out for 004 to duck, he only just gets out of the way as a man with an automatic rifle charges towards us, screaming like a madman. 002 charges forward and then disappears for a second; the man with the rifle suddenly goes flying back and 002 re-appears. 004 yells out. We need to get under cover! Find a good point of defence! He sends more bullets from his hand at the oncoming soldiers.
All of a sudden I begin to panic; the noise around me is deafening, all these people are dying and I'm right in the centre of it. I begin screaming and crying. 004 turns and hits me across the face. Verdammt! This isn't the time to lose momentum; save it for when we're safe! I cry out as two of the robot men advance. Look out 004! He tries to take them down, 002 joins in; they both get caught and held up by their necks. Then 001's eyes glow and the robot release their grip; but there are so many soldiers now. And behind them, shrouded in black, him; the Black Ghost himself. We all hear his voice in our heads. It'll never work cyborgs; you're not ready for this kind of power yet. Get them men! The soldiers fire gas canisters from their rifles; everything is fading. 001 tries to put a psychic barrier between us and them but his powers are faulting. Just what is Black Ghost that he can stop 001's powers without a second thought? 002 and 004 fall next to me; I try to yell out as I descend into blackness. It's useless, we are alone. I pass out. C'est vraiment par-dessus déjà ?