They had split up before they went inside Magma-dan, which, frankly, did not make sense to Daichi.
Daichi tried not to miss Kei as they- Drew and him- followed Shu down a dimly lit, stone corridor. He glanced back to see if anyone was following them, but he only saw two silhouettes of the guards they had knocked out and shoved behind the door, gagged and bound.
"Where will we meet up?" Daichi asked, making the Hayden bothers jump when his voice echoed loudly.
"Can you speak any louder?" Shu hissed, glaring at the ginger.
Daichi shrugged, "I can, but I don't think it will bode well with keeping the infiltration a secret." Shu glared at him some more before taking a sharp right. "Do you even know where you are going?"
Shu kept on walking and Daichi huffed, making a punching motion at the raven's head. Drew snorted and Daichi flashed him a grin.
"Was it wise to send the girls alone?" Daichi asked after they had taken a right again. Shu slowed down a little.
"Carlos and Damon are with them."
"My question still stands."
This time, both the Hayden brothers snorted. Daichi was about to say something else when Shu stopped walking and turned around. He grinned. Before Daichi could question the odd behavior, he felt something tug at his collar. Before he could understand what was happening, he found himself being pulled back in a dark room, so dark that he could not even see his hand, and landed on his back. Before he had time to even make a noise, the door opened again and 2 people stepped in.
"You were saying something." Daichi jumped at the familiar voice behind him.
"What the….what…" He spluttered before a hand on his shoulder made him jump again and sent him scrambling to stand up.
"Geez, Dai! Sit down-ow!- for god's sake!"
"Chiyo?"
"Who else? What did you think?"
"I…I thought….what are we doing here?" Daichi asked, reaching out in the dark, trying to touch Chiyo.
"Rendezvous point. We are meeting here." Shu replied, sounding somewhat amused.
"Daichi?" Said a voice which sounded like Carlos.
"Yes, Carlos?"
"Will you get your hand off my butt?" Just as he said this, someone lit up a lighter –most probably Damon, being the only one who smoked.
Damon was crouching in a corner, one hand splayed on the wall, searching for a weak spot, while other held on to a lighter. Shu and Drew were still standing at the door, looking amused. May was sitting in a corner on a box, a brown….sack at her feet; Chiyo was sitting behind Daichi, who was still sitting on the floor with a hand still on Carlos, who was standing on an upturned bucket, looking for an exit in the ceiling.
Daichi turned red quickly, and retrieved his hand, ignoring the clipped 'thank you' Carlos threw at him. "What are you people doing in a….in a….supply room?"
"Waiting for you, obviously." Damon replied, handing the lighter to Daichi and turning back to his job.
"Shu," Chiyo started, turning around to face Shu, removing her hand from Daichi's shoulder, "we found …." She pointed in May's direction.
They turned to her and watched as the brunette threw off the brown sack off a….boy.
"He's a guard, probably won't be much help but he can still help us navigate the building." Chiyo explained, ignoring the boy as he struggled against the ropes tying his limbs and glared at the girl.
"Drew, take off his gag, will you? Help May to sit him upright." Shu said, and Drew immediately went to his girlfriend. The teenagers made the boy sit upright, the task made harder with his constant struggling.
Just as soon as the gag fell from his mouth, the boy found himself staring into a gun's barrel. His olive eyes widened, with a hint of fear as he looked up at the man holding the gun. The others surrounded him, making a semi circle in front of him, and the two teenagers sat behind him.
"Shu, that's a little harsh, isn't it?" Chiyo chided, "He's just a young boy."
"A young boy who can scream as loud as he want." Shu reminded her and she sighed. She turned to the boy and her gaze was just a little softer.
"Now, we won't hurt you if you just cooperate, alright? We are not the villains here." Chiyo assured him.
"But one wrong move and I'll blow your brains out." Shu added, glaring slightly.
Drew's POV
I took a deep breath as I watched my elder brother point a gun at a boy, and threaten to blow his brains out. I looked to my left and saw May looking at me. I smiled slightly at her, my hand falling down from my lap to interlace my fingers with her. She smiled at me and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back.
"Why don't you begin with your name?" Chiyo addressed the boy while glaring slightly at Shu.
The boy didn't say anything, though I can't say if it was with terror or defiance, since I can't see his face. I nudged him from behind, making him jump slightly, "A-a-alex."
"Right, Alex." Daichi said, having collected himself again. He was sitting on an upturned bucket, holding a mop in his hand and pointing it threateningly at Alex, "what post do you hold here?"
"G-g…" The boy's shoulders heaved as he took a deep breath, "A guard."
"You know the ways around here, then?" Chiyo asked.
"Even if I do, so what?" the boy said defiantly. I watched my brother's eyes narrow and I leaned forward, leaning over Alex's shoulder to speak in his ear, "That is not a good answer. Talk properly, I don't doubt him. He will kill you."
Even I did not believe that, but it seemed like a good thing to say, and it worked since Alex's shoulders slumped and he replied with a slight tremor evident in his voice, "I do. Most of them, anyway. I've not been on duty for as long as some of the older guards but I still know most of the ways." I looked up at Shu and he gave me a small nod of approval.
"Alright, kid." Daichi stood up, towering over the boy, "We want you to take us to where your bosses are."
"Where…where bosses are?" The boy sounded frightened, "I…don't know where…where they are!"
"Liar." Chiyo declared and crossed her arms, staring intently at the boy.
"Tell the truth, boy." Shu said, pushing the gun closer to him, "Do you know where they are? Do you know where Maxie is?"
"I…I do." He admitted, sounding frightened out of his wits, recoiling slightly from the gun being pushed at his head. I could see his fingers twisting nervously from where his hands were tied at his back. "But! But….I don't know where the place is…"
When Shu glared at him, the boy flinched, "I swear, I don't! Believe me, please."
Chiyo stared at him closely, probably studying his face for any signs of lying. After a moment or so, she leaned back and sighed, "He's telling the truth. He really doesn't know."
We sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating the next move. May broke the silence this time, making the already nervous boy jump, "But he knows the approximate location?"
Everybody turned to Alex, who seemed to shrivel under the combined stares of Chiyo, Shu and Daichi, "I….yes."
"Great." Daichi announced, looking around at us. Shu nodded and brought the gun away from Alex. He visibly relaxed, releasing a huge breath as if he was holding his breath during the whole interrogation. Daichi and Shu stepped back as Chiyo stood up, "Hey, Carl-"
Everybody paused.
Damon and Carlos were standing on a wooden crate, which I was having trouble believing could hold up their combined weight, whole body pressed against each other's, their chins almost touching as they both looked up at the ceiling, hands outstretched, trying to push something.
As it was, at Chiyo's voice, when both the boys looked down, their faces were so close to each others' that Damon toppled back, trying to move back, and landed on his arse.
The silence was broken by Alex's whimper, "Maybe you could…ya know…untie me….please?"
"Shut up, kid." Daichi said absently, helping Damon back on his feet. "What were you two doing? This isn't the place for you to…ya know."
Carlos turned red, and spluttered, "It isn't like that!". Damon just rolled his eyes as he dusted off his jeans.
I heard May giggle next to me and I smiled at the voice, pulling her closer to me and wrapping my arm around her waist.
"What were you two doing?" Shu asked, walking over to where Carlos was standing on the crate and looking up at the ceiling.
"Carlos thought he found something up there and I was helping him push it."
"It may be a trap door or something!" Carlos looked at us excitedly, "I swear it moved!"
"Of course it moved." Alex grumbled, drawing everybody's attention to himself, "But I doubt you'd want to go up there."
"Why, where does it open?" I asked.
"The second floor's lobby. Behind the reception desk. Not exactly where you'd want to be if you are trying to hide. Plus, the bosses are in opposite direction."
Everybody sighed, and Carlos stepped off the crate. Damon rubbed his neck, "Okay, then. Whatever are we going to do now?"
"Alex will take us to where his bosses are."
"Are you-!" I clamped my hand on Alex's mouth and everybody stilled when we heard the sound of rustling outside the door. Daichi extinguished the lighter.
There were sound of someone running and someone shouted. There was more running, and then silence. We heard with baited breath, standing still in the darkness for any more sounds. But there were none.
Daichi lit up his lighter again and I slowly removed my hand. Alex took a deep breath and looked back at me, glaring slightly, "You could have just asked me to be quiet."
He then turned back to the front and spoke calmly, "You can't just go gallivanting around the headquarters; you'll be caught in a second."
"That is why we are taking you with us, idiot." Chiyo replied, "You will help us get around the guards."
"Every entrance, every corridor is guarded. It's impossible to avoid them. Intruders will be thrown out, or thrown in lava pits!"
"Not the guards though." Everybody turned to Carlos and Damon, who had their backs to us and were bending over something. They were surrounded by boxes.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, straining to look past Chiyo. Carlos straightened up and turned around, holding up a black and red…uniform.
"Magma uniform!" Chiyo breathed.
"Both male and female." Damon said, rifling through the boxes sitting at the very back corner of the room.
"How did you…" Alex trailed off.
"There was a big stack of boxes. Thought we'll take a look." Carlos shrugged, holding the uniform up, sizing it.
"Most were taped up. These were open. Uniforms, these will help, yes?"
"They won't throw out Magma guards, will they?" I asked Alex.
He nodded slightly, looking up at me with a slightly un-nerved look in his olive eyes, "If the uniforms fit you, I can get you 'round quite easily."
"Perfect!" Daichi exclaimed and the 5 admins turned to the boxes, fishing out their perfect uniforms.
"What is it, Alex?" I looked at May, who was staring intently at the boy.
"I…I don't know." Alex admitted, trying to flip the wisps of blond hair out of his eyes without his hands, "It just doesn't feel right."
"What doesn't? It's perfect, isn't it?" May asked again. Alex shifted uncomfortably.
"A little too perfect, don't you think?"
Just then, Shu called us to get out our own uniforms and change quickly. We both stood up and walked over to them. I saw May brush the boy's hair back as we passed him and I smiled at her. She smiled back and leaned over to give me a chaste kiss before turning to the boxes to pick her own uniform, leaving me with Shu and Daichi, squabbling over a black t-shirt like 5 year olds.
Okay, so I know not many of you are still reading it and those who are reading it still, you won't want to hear my excuses. But in my defense, I was busy with my final exams.
I have the chapters written till chapter 36 now, and I hope to update more quicker. I will seriously bring this story to conclusion before this month ends, promise.
Until then, please bear with me. Review, please. Thank you.
SA2208