Backstab

Chapter 13: Depths

A/N: Hi! I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is still reading, because looking back to my previous chapters just after Babydoll and SweetPea escaped the institute, they were a little slow (boring, not exciting) and I'm appreciative for everyone who read through it. At the moment it seems like that's only Wolfie-chan, unless a new review shows . . . (hint hint). Regardless, here's the next chapter.

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I stood with my back against the cool metal door, Tyler and SweetPea doing the same. We were all breathing hard, more from our own fear rather than actual exhaustion. Though the adrenaline pumping through my veins was difficult to ignore, I managed to keep still, patiently waiting for signs of trouble. However, after a few minutes standing there with no evidence of pursuit, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ok," I said, taking charge of the situation and walking to stand in front of SweetPea and Tyler, "any idea where we are?"

Taking that as her cue, SweetPea slid the map out of her bag, carefully unfolding it and laying out on the floor before us. "I'd say that we're somewhere around here," she pointed to a small, purposeless hallway on the west wing of the building. "And Rocket should be somewhere around here," she pointed to the circled cluster of abandoned offices on the 2nd floor of the building.

Tyler frowned. "But how are we going to get over there without being spotted? This map shows that the only way is through the main hallway, and if we cut through there we're bound to be caught."

"We could sneak around back outside." SweetPea began thoughtfully, though it was clear by the hesitation on her tone that she inwardly opposed this idea.

I shook my head. "The crash has already drawn their attention for a while now, and by this point the guards have probably returned to their posts. There's no doubt that they'd catch three kids trying to sneak out of the institute."

"Not to mention that there's no closer entrance door in that area except the loading garages," Tyler commented, referring to the map.

SweetPea slumped back against the wall. "So what can we do? We can't cause another distraction or sneak back outside without being seen, and we obviously can't just waltz through the main hallway. Where does that leave us?"

I turned away from them in thought, scanning the narrow hallway for inspiration. It was mostly similar to the rest of the institute, with its dull prison-like walls and floors, illuminated by a few barred light fixtures hanging above our head. My intial thought had been to sneak through the air vents like we had during the last dance, but it was clear that the Lennox House had been specifically designed so that such was impossible.

Frowning, I drifted slowly down the hallway, trying a few of the doors as I did so. For the most part they were all open, leading to empty rooms or abandoned storage closets. Or at least that's what it seemed like. As I tried one of the last doors before the passage connected to the main hallways, I found to my great surprise that it was shut tight. Curious, I pulled tighter, finding that I was unable to budge it.

"Tyler, SweetPea come over here!" I call-whispered to them, watching as they turned from their positions and approached. "This door is locked; it's the only one on this entire hallway that I haven't been able to open."

"You think there's something in there?" Tyler asked.

I shrugged, struggling to control the flaring hope within my chest.

Noting my reaction, SweetPea's eyes widened slightly, and she quickly checked the map. "It doesn't say anything's there…but it also says nothing where we think Blue's hiding Rocket."

I turned toward Tyler, only to find that he had already pulled out the master key, gripping it tightly with anticipation.

"Right," I nodded, and SweetPea and I took up positions on either side of the door.

Slowly, Tyler reached out for the lock, his arm muscles tensing as he did so. The moment he had turned the key, Tyler burst into the room, his hand still on the doorknob in case we needed to make a speedy exit. His expression was hostile and vicious, though it quickly faded as he examined the room's contents.

"There's no one in here, but you guys might want to take a look," he said, lowering his guard and taking a step to the side.

Instantly curious, we peered around the corner and inside. The first thing I noticed was that, instead of looking into a typical square treatment room, it was more of a long narrow closet, lined with old uniforms, cleaning supplies, and bed sheets. The second and perhaps more prominent thing we noticed was the smell, which resembled fungus mixed with rotting corpses.

"Ew what's that smell?" SweetPea exclaimed, covering her nose.

"I don't know but it's horrible," Tyler added, stepping back into the hallway for fresh air.

I was about to make an additional comment, when suddenly an idea began forming in my head, one that made me forget about the horrible stench.

"That's it," I murmured softly, my eyes scanning the assortment of items in the room.

"What's it?" SweetPea probed, having caught my remark.

I turned to give her my full attention, suddenly excited. "SweetPea, I need you to find some wearable uniforms, ones that look as new as possible. Tyler, grab all of the bed sheets you can carry, it doesn't matter if they're torn or whatnot. I have a plan on how we can get to Rocket."

Confused, yet willing to oblige, SweetPea nodded and began searching for suitable orange suits. Tyler likewise began his search, though he was understandably a bit more wary.

"And what is your plan, exactly?" he asked, confused as he bent over a large pile of sheets.

"As we've said before, poking our heads around the facility as we are now is a bad idea, especially given our notoriety with Blue. So I figure that if SweetPea and I can find good uniforms, we can sneak into the main hall with the rest of the girls. I doubt the institute keeps tabs on all of the girls at all times, so we should be safe as long as we don't call attention to ourselves. Then, if we wait until meal time when there's a big crowd, we can sneak up to the second floor in the commotion and hopefully find Rocket."

Tyler hesitated for a moment before commenting, undoubtedly going over the threats of the plan in his mind. "Sounds risky," Tyler breathed, glancing at SweetPea, "and dangerous."

"And what about Tyler?" SweetPea added, stepping out from the closet holding two of the slightly less- soiled uniforms that had been left inside. "Since this is a girl's only asylum, he'll stick out like a sore thumb if he tries to follow us."

I nodded my agreement, having come to the same conclusion. "I need you to help us prepare an escape route. If we're right about Rocket being held on the 2nd floor, I figure that you can use the sheets to fashion an escape."

Tyler snorted. "Are you kidding? I won't last a minute out there. It's like you said earlier, the guards will definitely see me, especially if I have to drag around a pile of sheets as well. I'm with you two."

To my surprise, SweetPea continued the argument for me, literally coming to stand between me and him. "Tyler, please, this may be our only chance to save her. I know it sounds risky and possibly even stupid, but so was Baby's first plan to escape. And it worked. You have to trust her on this one, trust us." SweetPea insisted.

As I watched Tyler's emotions conflict, I couldn't help but notice the irony of the situation. When I first met Tyler, I was having trouble putting much of any trust in him, especially after the listening to the advice from the old man. But now I watched Tyler in the same situation, unsure of whether or not to trust me on this mission that could undo all of the work we had put into escaping the first time.

Eventually Tyler agreed, and SweetPea and I quickly slipped into the familiar uniforms, leaving Tyler with all of our stuff excluding the map.

"Wait," SweetPea stopped just before we proceeded down the hallway.

She spun around toward Tyler, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. For a moment I thought I saw Tyler jump a little in surprise, but he didn't back away. After a few seconds they separated, SweetPea's face a pale red.

Tyler smiled, giving SweetPea one last, loving gaze. Then he stepped back and disappeared out the door.

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