Backstab
Chapter 3: Breaking Out
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A few minutes later I was inside the vent, huddling in the shadows as SweetPea made her way through the opening. It was a bit of a tight fit, but by shifting our bodies around a bit we managed to get into a semi-comfortable crawling position, one that involved placing our knees and elbows on the floor of the shaft and pressing our backs against the ceiling. Not exactly roomy, but it was manageable. As SweetPea closed the grate behind her I felt myself shiver ever so slightly, still not used to the feel of the cold metal against my bare skin.
Thankfully it wasn't long before SweetPea had finished securing the gate, shifting her limbs so as to turn her body back towards me.
"Come on." She prompted softly, "We should get moving before more guards arrive."
Nodding, I spun away from the light, feeling my way through the darkness in what I hoped was the right general direction. Though it had started out relatively narrow, the vent seemed to widen out a bit as we went on, and there soon became enough room to comfortably crawl on our hands and knees. However, even with the newfound breathing room, the vent was still bathed in darkness, so our trek was painfully slow and confusing.
Cautiously leading the way, I navigated us through the maze of metal walls, feeling my way with outstretched hands and trying to make as little noise as humanly possible. But even the sound of our breathing was magnified in here, bouncing off the walls until it reverberated through what seemed like the entire network of vents.
Quite a few times as we traveled, we heard angry shouts and shuffling noises beneath us, which undoubtedly belonged to the remaining soldiers still searching for us. And each of those times, we would stop short, not moving an inch until all was quiet again.
By some miracle we weren't discovered, and eventually reached the vent overlooking the meeting room. Slowly approaching the grate, I felt my heart begin to hammer in my chest, and I prayed that I was the only one who could hear it. As I inched forward, I saw the meeting room gradually came into view.
The room was dimly lit, with only one long, ceiling fixture providing light for the entire room. The floor of the room was almost completely occupied by a long, thin table, which was decorated with official-looking papers and cold, clenched hands. Spaced evenly around the table were the owners of said hands, all of them holding a note of pride and power in the way they sat.
And sitting with his back to us, only a few feet from the vent, was the high roller himself. He was speaking confidently to those gathered, shouting long speeches in an unfamiliar language. These speeches were always followed by a loud chorus of applause and congratulations from the other officials.
I looked back at SweetPea. "He's distracted, at least for the moment. And since the meeting is still so cheery I doubt that the guards have informed them of our presence yet." I whispered softly, shifting so she had a clear view of the high roller.
She nodded. "I'd say that we're lucky, but that means they can easily barge in any minute." Hesitantly, I saw her reach for a thick black belt slung around her mid-stomach, pulling from it a long silver dagger. Unlike the lowly cook's knife from the real world, this one was a professional hunting knife, designed with jagged edges designed to tear through flesh.
"Is this… really the only way?" Her voice was heavy with regret as she looked at the knife. "We can't just..."
I felt my expression soften slightly. "You don't have to kill him, just wound him enough that we have a distraction."
SweetPea looked down at the knife, wincing as if imagining blood that would soon coat its sleek exterior.
"For Rocket," I urged her, looking deep into her eyes.
She hesitated for just a moment longer before nodding in agreement. "For Rocket." Switching positions with her, I watched as she slowly approached the vent, the knife gleaming in her hand.
Please, I prayed to anyone listening, watching as she slowly removed the bolt from the grate. Don't let her fail.
With that, SweetPea suddenly burst through the air vent with a screech, her dagger held high above her head in the beginnings of a deadly downward arch. Before anyone could register what was happening, she swung at the high roller.
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SweetPea stepped back, wrenching the kitchen knife out of the man's back with a spray of blood. In an instant the high roller cried out, doubling over in pain and hugging his arms to his chest. Snapping out of their trance, his men began surrounding him anxiously, frantically trying to find out what had happened. None of them were paying attention to either me or SweetPea.
In the middle of the courtyard, I was breathing loud and hard, so much so that I barely heard SweetPea cry for me. She was sprinting for the gate, her gaze shifting quickly between me and the high roller. Exhausted as I was, I immediately ran after her, just as the high roller recovered enough to command some of his men after us. With shaking hands we shoved the key into the lock, grabbing the gate together and yanking it open. Like specters we slipped through, thrusting the gate back into place a second before the high roller's men slammed against it.
"You worthless whores!" they screeched, flailing their arms through gaps in the iron in an attempt to grab us. "Open up this god damn gate right now or-"
Their cursing was cut short as the high roller shambled over, still wincing in pain. A blood stain was beginning to form on the back of his suit, but the cut wasn't deep. Scanning our faces, his eyes quickly locked with mine, widening slightly in recognition.
"So… it's you," he growled slowly, speaking only to me. I instinctively took a step back.
Her smirked slightly. "Blue told me you were feisty, but I never imagined…" He was breathing heavily through the pain, his eyes streaked with anger. "But you can't just run away… little doll. Really, what did you think, that you could just run away from everything, and live… like a normal person?" he laughed maniacally, before shifting his gaze towards both of us. "You may be out, but you haven't escaped yet. Trust me. This is just the beginning."
Shocked and horrified by his dark threat, SweetPea and I backed away slowly, unable to look away from his cold, furious gaze. And when we did we ran, ran and never looked back.
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A/N: Review if you haven't already (and even then!). Thank you to all the Sucker Punch fans out there. Keep on reading!