A kidnapping in good faith

The major's mansion was probably the less stinking and ruined building in town, since it was mainly made of bricks. It was in the center of the city, right in plain sight, which of course complicated Rufus' rescue/kidnapping mission, so it was clear that acting at night would favored him.

Armed with a plunger, a hairpin, cause it's always handy, a flashlight and, as he usually said, "everythingthatmaycomeinhandy" he found here and there, he waited for the night to come.

Approximately at 2 am, he sneaked in by the back door, the one the cooks used for the kitchen, using the hairpin to pry the lock open.

The mansion was pretty big, so it may took time to find the girl, he lightened the flashlight, opened the door that faced the corridor and furtively started to check room by room.

Sometimes he had to pretend to be a lamp wearing a lampshade on his head, some other times he laid on the ground like a carpet or hid between an opened door and the wall in order not to be seen by the guard.

He quickly entered into the last door at the end of the hallway on the first floor, he turned his back on the door with a sigh of relief, but…

-What the hell are you doing here?!- the major was standing and holding papers in his hands.

-ehm I…what are YOU doing here- said Rufus.

-What? I live here- answered the major, apparently confused.

-No, you don't- retorted Rufus.

-Yes I do, you're in my office- answered back the major.

-You liar, that's my office!- Rufus kept on saying in a serious tone.

There were a few moments of silence, while the mayor was turning purple.

The only thing Rufus came up with was to pick up the plunger and quickly put it on his mouth so that he wouldn't scream.

-Shhh mister major, if you scream they'll hear you, it's nighttime and people are sleeping- said Rufus calmly.

The major moaned with anger, blushing, and shortly after he fainted.

-oh…I didn't do anything, I swear!- Rufus raised his hands and dropped the stick the suction cup fell from, then walked out the door with stealthy step, heading to the second floor.

At this point he was sure he would have found the girl in one of the rooms and, as a matter of fact, he was soon satisfied. The first door he opened was the right one, the young girl seemed to be blissfully asleep lying in bed with her face on the pillow.

Rufus approached and started to shake her, at first slowly…then more and more vigorously.

-hei pss, we don't have much time- he said –We need to get out of here- he whispered.

-FIND HIM, HE'S HERE SOMEWHERE- the major's voice echoed down the hallway.

Rufus didn't have time, he grabbed the girl and opened the window.

He looked down, the garbage would soften the fall, he was used to it by now, luckily there was a pile nearby.

He jumped with no hesitation and slowly slipped to the ground, then he ran away in a hurry without looking back.

He climbed a hill, the same where he had failed his 184° attempt to reach Elysium that morning. With no little effort, since he was carrying the girl too, he managed to reach its top, where a cart had been put on some old rails.

He laid the girl down in it, then he jumped in. Now all he needed to do was activate the lever to unblock the wheels. He took a deep breath.

-Farewell, smell of sweat and rotten- then he looked at the girl –welcome fresh and clean air- he said exhaling.

-So you've decided- Tony had been there for a while, he wasn't surprised.

-Yes, if I stay here I'll never reach Elysium- he said with determination.

The girl, who was having a cigarette, giggled and at the same time was melancholically inhaling.

-I may miss your disasters-

He shook his head.

-You're wrong, Tony, I'll miss you- he said in a cocky way.

She smiled.

-Fine, I'll go!- and, that said, Rufus pulled the lever right before the major, though crawling because of the effort, reached the top of the hill.

-Wa…Wait, damn you- he said with a heavy breath.

But the cart had already left, heading down the valley to who knows where, no one had used that rails in centuries.

-Goddammit- added the major when he put himself together.

-That's useless, Patrick, you're not stopping him, no one will- said Tony.

-I know- he answered –but we both know he'll be back-

The girl looked at him thoughtfully and sighed.

-So it has begun- she said eventually, putting out the cigarette butt with her foot.

-That girl proves it- said Patrick, who was still looking at the silent trails.

-Don't worry, he'll be fine, he's tough and pretty good at healing from scratches, broken bones, abrasions, fever and infections- she added after noticing the major's concerned look.

He raised his eyebrows.

-Oh but I'm not worried about him- he said honestly. They looked at each other and burst in a restrained laugh.

In the meantime, the cart kept descending, Rufus looked forward…It had just started to dawn, garbage all around, but that cart would have stopped somewhere and, once their destination was reached, Rufus would have waited for the girl to wake up and then asked her a lot of questions and curiosities about Elysium.