Within Reach

Chapter 5: The Way Out

It was almost a little funny. Abe was the one who had seen the siege unfolding outside, and yet here he was calmly sitting on the couch and catching his breath while Vesper circled the apartment in a frenzy. Apparently when he said two minutes, he meant two minutes this time.

He had gotten dressed, even spared enough time to gel back his fur again, and pulled out a duffle bag and a suitcase that he proceeded to start filling with whatever he was going to need. Vesper might've been doing this extremely spur of the moment, but he was aware that the likelihood was that he wasn't coming back for a while, if he made it back at all. He was surprisingly okay with this.

"What happened with your mother?" The questioned had been poised as Vesper was darting past the back of the couch, so it caught Abe just a little off guard. He still willingly answered though.

"She wasn't there, but she was, and I know where she is now…" Abe paused cryptically before elaborating. "I met my "Guardian Angel" and he told me the Vykkers took her out of the city because they were afraid of all the Mudokons who've been escaping were going to come to look for her. Guess they were right… Now she's in one of their flying labs, Vykker's Labs number 13."

"I've seen those. How are you planning on getting in there?" Vesper asked as he started scavenging through one of the kitchen drawers. "And do you want any cans? The pantry's full, help yourself."

"I don't know yet. Maybe Alf will have an idea. He comes up with these things better than I do, I think too much about what could go wrong," Abe answered. He took the offer and headed to the pantry to collect whatever he could use. They had plenty more mouths to feed with the Mudokons he had been able to save from the Vykker Pavilion. "…He remembered me, the Angel. He said he saw her stitch my lips."

Vesper hissed sympathetically and turned to look at Abe as he continued making his rounds. "Did he say why?" he asked. He actually regretting asking it the moment after he did. "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

"It kind of does, to me. He said she did it because I wouldn't stop crying. If I would've kept crying that loudly, they probably would've just killed me… She saved my life." Abe trailed off then. Vesper turned to look at him again and could see his head down and his posture somewhat slumped, and he could only imagine how he felt. He couldn't help but sympathize and wished he could assure him better.

Abe had actually trailed off because he had stumbled upon a can of Maelworms in brine and was briefly reeling at the "crunchy, salty, and tasty" label underneath a cartoonized worm.

"She'll be alright. You'll find her," Vesper quietly assured. Abe snapped out of his trance.

"That's the plan," he agreed. He dropped the can into his bag, if only to sate his relentless curiosity. He started grabbing a few more before heading over to Vesper, who was just finishing up.

The duffle bag would barely zip shut, and the suitcase was already overflowing, showing it too would probably be difficult to close up. It was like Vesper cleaned out all of his drawers and tried to squeeze them in. Considering the eclectic collection of supplies, he probably did.

"I don't know, Vesper, are you sure you brought enough?" Abe asked. It almost impressed Vesper how genuine he could sound saying this, only giving himself away with the slow smile that crept up a few seconds later.

"Funny," he answered flatly. "And no, so be lucky I'm not shoving stuff into your bag too."

He slung the duffle bag over his back and pulled the straps over his arms. The suitcase was going to be significantly harder to lug around, but he managed to get it closed and hoisted it off the bed. It was almost a shame he couldn't take the bed itself with him, though he had shoved a rolled-up throw blanket in with his clothes. Now he was regretting never shelling out the moolah to purchase a proper tent.

Speaking of which- "Just one moment," Vesper requested as he quickly returned to the desk. He opened his suitcase again and fished out a booklet before scribbling something into it. Abe came over and curiously looked over his shoulder.

"What's that?"

"Nothing you've got to worry about. Just a little insurance to make sure my stuff doesn't get repossessed," Vesper explained. Looking closer, Abe could see him writing down a staggering amount of moolah onto the slip of paper in the book, enough to raise his brows at, and then labeled it as 'rent payment' and signed his signature. He then sealed it into an envelope.

"Alright," Vesper said. He turned and faced Abe with a toothy grin and held up the envelope. "Let's get this show on the road."

Abe slowly looked between him and the envelope before clearing his throat. "Are you sure? You don't have to come if you're not totally sure," he quietly reminded.

"What?" Vesper furrowed his brows. The Mudokon gestured to the envelope with his eyes and the Chiromor looked between both before pointing to it. "Because of-? No, don't read into this. This is just so I don't lose my stuff. If I can get to a phone, I can get Coakley to send someone to pick it up for me. I don't plan on coming back."

"Okay. Just double-checking," Abe said. He was honestly relieved to hear it, especially since Vesper looked and sounded sure… but he had the feeling that Vesper didn't really know what he was signing up for. It was going against even Abe's better judgement to ask him to leave his marginally comfortable life for one constantly on the run, but anything was worth getting him out of this city and having a little extra time.

He led him towards the front door as Vesper took one last look at his apartment. After last night, it wasn't that hard to leave it, but he had a hunch he would be missing these luxuries he had been taking for granted. He didn't dwell on it. Abe got to the door and stopped momentarily as though in thought, catching a glimpse of something to the side.

"But before we go, there's something you've got to know," he said. He turned around to face his companion. "The guardian angel?"

Vesper nodded for him to go on.

"This." Abe gestured his hands towards the TV. "But a lot of arms."

"Sounds horrifying. Thanks for not bringing it with you," Vesper said. With no further elaboration, the Mudokon turned and headed out, with the Chiromor following and locking the door behind him.

It was like night and day stepping out into the hallway. The sound of distant sirens was much more audible from here and Abe's tone shifted dramatically, sobering up and quickly making his way to the lift without a word. It wasn't until they were closed into the lift and moving downwards that Vesper broke the uneasy silence.

"So, how'd you find your way back?" he asked. Abe tapped his amulet. "Huh. Guess I must've left a good impression on her."

Abe got a small smile. "Wasn't just her," he admitted. Though that smile began to fade as his mouth tightened with worry. The closer they got to the ground floor, the more aware he became of what risks they were taking. He turned and offered, "It's not too late to turn back."

"I know."

"Because it's going to be rough out there. There's more Sligs than I've ever seen and once we get out of the city, there's no coming back-."

"Abe." Vesper finally met his gaze with solemnity in his gaze. "I'm sure. I want this."

Abe tightened his lips for a second before giving a nod of understanding. Vesper turned back towards the door, glancing up at the number before he continued.

"…I wanted this last night too. I changed my mind and tried to catch up with you," he admitted. Abe's eyes widened a little and Vesper shrugged, looking away as though embarrassed, free arm folded behind his back. "Didn't make it."

The Mudokon was surprised by this, being under the impression that the other hadn't even considered it with how their last talk in the elevator went, especially when he came back to find him still in bed.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who found that he couldn't let go. Arriving at the first floor, he felt anxious for another reason and lightly nipped a stitch as he watched the doors start to slide open.

"Y'know… I asked her to lead me back here," the Mudokon suddenly confessed. Then he stepped out into the thankfully empty hallway and made his way towards the front door.

Vesper smiled to himself and followed loyally at his heels. He only fell back to stop and slide the envelope under one of the doors.

Abe peeked out the front door to make sure there weren't any Sligs waiting right outside. He could see red and blue lights flashing in the distance and as he was watching a spotlight passed over the walkway outside. Could've been a flying Slig but the beam looked too wide. The heat wasn't dying down at all this time and the alarms still raged on as they searched for him. This was going to be a tight escape; he might've lost his window coming back here.

He took a deep breath and turned towards Vesper who was waiting behind him attentively, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "When we get out there, you're going to have to do everything I say, alright? If I tell you to stop or stay put, you have to do it, because it's gonna be brutal," he forewarned. Vesper gave a nod of understanding. "Okay…" Abe began to push the door open behind him. "Let's go."

Abe stepped out onto the pathway and looked around carefully to make sure they wouldn't immediately be seen, and once deciding the coast was clear enough, he beckoned Vesper and began to quickly jog down the path he came. Vesper managed to keep up even with the heavy luggage, though it was weighing him down significantly. Adrenaline helped push him through and the pace stayed quick but steady to keep an eye out.

There were Sligs everywhere, but most of them were congregating in the higher levels. Dozens of flying Sligs were taking up the sky, which was now turning yellow from morning light reaching the smog. There were the sounds of chaos erupting from the lower levels along with the clatter of much larger machines that wouldn't make it on these flimsier platforms. That didn't mean that security wasn't able to compensate.

This time, Abe knew where the lift was that would bring them closer towards the surface. He followed the same path he took to return to Vesper's office and passed through the same plaza of foodstuff and Sligarette Vendos. Passing the same metal arch between two buildings into the open pathways that would leap to the ramp up to the next level and lift and proceeded to stop in his tracks.

There were sniper laser-sights aimed down from above and onto the rampway, waiting for something to start coming up so they could shoot them down. Abe followed the lights to a platform to the upper right of him, almost directly above the walkway he was on now. It was held onto one of the buildings by scaffolding and was manned by three separate Sligs. Sligs who were entirely focused on where they were aiming.

Option one was to walk away and search for another way up, but time was of the essence, so the riskier second option was chosen. "Wait here."

"Got it," Vesper agreed. Though he become marginally more confused when the Mudokon turned around and started heading back. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to take out those Sligs. Just stay right here," Abe said. He turned to leave before hesitating. If something came up while he was gone, Vesper wouldn't have any way to protect himself. He reached back into his bag and felt around. "Here, take this," he said, fishing out an object and putting it into the other's claws. "If any Sligs see you, take 'em out with this."

It was a ball of hard candy with rubber bands wrapped around it.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Vesper asked dumbfounded.

"If a Slig comes by- if it sees you- throw it at them and it'll knock 'em out. Just try to aim for the head," Abe explained, mimicking the motion of throwing as though he wouldn't know how to do it.

"Abe, buddy, I don't think this is going to work," Vesper said with amused disbelief.

"Trust me, it will," the Mudokon assured. Then he turned and continued to hurry off, disappearing around the wall at the other end of the plaza and leaving Vesper alone. Well, not entirely alone. The Sligs were still there.

This all felt so weird and exciting to the Chiromor. He was nearly rocking on his feet with a pup-like eagerness that he hadn't felt in years, rolling the candy ball in his hand and pricking at the rubber bands with his claws. A few minutes passed and Abe hadn't returned. He was starting to slightly worry, but not enough to think something had happened. He trusted Abe knew what he was doing. It just seemed to take a while.

"Whazzat? Didja hear that?" one of the Sligs on the walkway suddenly yelled. Vesper looked up in his direction and his heart jumped into his throat.

There was Abe dangling off the scaffolding just beneath the edge of the walkway. He hadn't even heard him climb up there, guessing he scaled the building, and was now dangerously close to three Sligs who were looking for the supposed noise.

Holding on with one hand- something that caused Vesper to clutch the candy so hard that his claws nearly ground into it- Abe managed to pull what sort of looked like a canister out of his pack which he discreetly tossed up onto the platform near the middle Slig, then he went back to hanging there, waiting for something. What he was waiting for came as soon as the Slig turned and either bumped or stepped on the contraption.

There was a soft bang as the canister detonated and immediately two Sligs went down. The third spun around in a panic and Abe pulled himself up to throw something at him, which was followed by a whipping noise before he climbed up. Vesper lost sight of what was going on then, hearing a sticky noise that sounded like someone unpeeling a roll of tape but not able to get any visual. His heart was pounding, and he edged to the side to try and get a look.

He went far enough to see Abe doing something to the fallen Sligs before running to the edge and hopping off. He landed heavily on the walkway beside his companion.

Vesper, who watched this whole scene with widened eyes, managed a casual, "That looked like it hurt."

"Oof. Felt like it too," Abe answered. He got his bearings quickly before he jogged past Vesper towards the ramp. "Come on, let's go!"

"Took that fall like a champ though. Really impressed," Vesper prattled as he followed behind him. "How long until they get up from whatever you did?"

"They're not getting up. I took care of it."

This sent an uneasy chill through the Chiromor as he wondered what the other meant by that. He didn't have much time to think about it though, because on the way up the ramp he looked over and saw what Abe had actually done. The three Sligs were awkwardly bound in thick rolls of blue tape, with the one thrashing and the other two still unconscious. The chill was instantly replaced with relief and a small smirk.

"The lift only goes up a couple of levels, but the next one's not really- Oh no…" Abe's explanation was cut short as he slowed to a stop at the top of the ramp. Now he got a good look at the lift he had rode on only a little while ago and found that the situation had changed dramatically.

There were Sligs everywhere, there were Sligs on the lift, and they had brought in chant suppressors to hang in the air and guarantee that he wasn't going to get through them easily. Knocking out three Sligs had been easy enough, but this was about ten and some were wearing helmets, and there were sniper pointers here too. Obviously, the Sligs had wised up and decided that instead of scouring the city, all they had to do was watch the exits.

Abe could only stare with distress as Vesper ran up beside him, saw the scene, and whistled.

"There's no amount of tape in the city that's going to get us past them. We're going to have to find another way," he said.

"There's no point. They've probably blocked up all the lifts by now. They're all gonna look like this," Abe lamented. He started working through ideas of how to get by, but no matter how he looked at it he could tell it was going to be rough.

Vesper considered this for a long moment before suddenly getting an idea. "Not all of them. Let's check the emergency elevator," he said, beckoning him.

That sounded a little promising. Enough so that Abe followed Vesper's lead back towards the building and away from the outer pathways. Apparently, he knew where he was going as he led them down steps, past a few building fronts, and dipping into a would-be alleyway, another plaza with a few stacks of boxes and a couple of dumpsters. The later caught Abe's attention and he brought them to a stop.

"Hold up a second," he said, hurrying over to them. Vesper turned back just in time to see him starting to scavenge through the trash.

"Abe, come on, you don't have to do that," he said. Not understanding what Abe was actually looking for, he frowned as he watched him start pulling out empty bottles and shoving them into his bag. "You're welcome to anything I've got."

"Almost done," Abe said. Bottles weren't enough but it was worth bringing them along. "I do this all the time. You never know what gets thrown out." He fumbled through the next dumpster and found a bottle of floor cleaner with a little bit left in the bottom; he could use that. Into the bag it went. "Hold on, let me just..." Abe stopped at the wooden boxes stacked beside the trash, clasped his hands together, and then smashed through them with sheer strength alone. "Done!"

Vesper was staring for a much different reason now. Though that lasted for only moments before a new voice suddenly called down the alleyway.

"Did you hear that?! The hell was that?!"

It was a Slig; the sound of its squeaking legs signaled its approach. Abe and Vesper exchanged a panicked look before they both ducked behind the dumpsters, right on top of the splintered boxes. The Chiromor blocked them with his suitcase as best he could as the Mudokon peeked over the top of the dumpster. The Slig came charged in and began to scan the alleyway, almost spotting the Mudokon before he dropped down.

Abe started to go into his bag to get out a piece of Binding Candy when he was suddenly, though still gently, grabbed by the arm. He looked to Vesper to see that he had that eager look again, with the wide eyes and the wider smile.

"Possess him!" he mouthed.

Abe's eyes widened before he shook his head and held up the hard candy.

Vesper gave a dismissive wave and nudged him in the shoulder, goading him on, before clasping his hands together either pleadingly or expectantly. That look of exhilaration was enough to spread a flush of heat across Abe's neck and to his ears. He could hear the Slig coming closer to the end of the dumpsters and knew he had to do something soon, and that was what finally led him to cave.

With a sigh, Abe dropped the candy back into the bag and clasped his hands together. It felt weird having Vesper watch him chant so intensely, but he managed enough focus to quickly take control of the Slig before it knew what was coming.

Once he was in the unfamiliar body, he made sure the coast was clear before calling back behind the dumpsters, "A'right, I got 'em!" Vesper stepped out to look closer at the possessed Slig, almost startled at how normal he looked.

"So, you now have full control of this one," Vesper said as he stepped closer. The Slig nodded. "And you even have his voice. That's so peculiar."

"Nah, this is just from livin' with Sligs all my life. Never had one more than ten feet away!" He had the movements down too, Vesper realized. Just the way the Slig was gesturing and bobbling on its legs was just like the ones in his office.

"That's incredible!" he gushed. His eyes lidded with that much too interested look. "And also, very, very useful."

"Whoa, I know what yer thinkin' and it ain't gonna work," Abe said. He pointed a thumb back the way they came. "'Member those floatin' orbs outside the lift? Those are chant suppressors. I try to chant near 'em or I go up to one while possessing someone, and it's gonna be a nasty shock. Imagine that tasing ya got but yer whole body."

"So, you're saying they didn't just do that to humiliate me?"

"Eh, that too, but they were lookin' to make sure ya weren't possessed… That's the first time I've seen somethin' like that. Guess they're catchin' on…" Even in the Slig voice, Vesper could hear his worry. Considering this context, it made sense. "Can't risk it, so I'm gonna release the Slig and tie him up then we keep movin'. Got it?"

"Hearing you loud and clear," he replied, giving a thumbs up.

The Slig suddenly shuddered and collapsed to the ground with a pained sound. In moments, Abe was up and on him, tying him up with more of that blue tape. It had all been so brief and hadn't allowed Vesper to see much of his power at all, but it still thrilled him to watch, to wonder what else Abe was capable of when being less careful.

As soon as the Slig was tethered, Abe gave a quick, "Let's go," and they were back on the move again. Out of the plaza and back onto the pathways winding around the city.

It didn't take much longer to get to the emergency lift. There were a few more Sligs blocking the walkway to it, but in this case, there was an easily accessible detour that led them right up to the lift. This one was different than the public ones, much smaller in size with large metal doors closed tight and what looked like a Moolah Gate installed where the button to call the lift would've been.

"Looks like they already closed it up," Abe murmured, but Vesper was undeterred. He reached into his pocket and got out his wallet, thumbing through until he found a card that he proceeded to stick into the slot of the gate.

"Nah, it's always like this. See, they call this an emergency exit, but the only thing it saves is your time. It's just for impatient people to blow cash on when the lifts are clogged, and believe me, it happens. If we weren't under martial law, these streets would be packed," Vesper explained. The Moolah Gate took what it wanted and spat back out his card, which he returned to his wallet as he waited for the lift to lower to them.

They both stepped inside and began to ride up. A few long moments passed before the silence became so uncomfortable that Vesper had to break it.

"Now this lift is going to get us close to one of the tram stations. There should be one… That way," Vesper said, pointed off towards the front left. "Somewhere in that direction. Chances are it's not going to be looking any better than the lifts, but from what I know that's the only way out of the city." Abe nodded stiffly as the lift continued to raise as neared its destination. The other shot him a confident smile. "Nothing worse than what you've faced, I'm sure."

"Right," Abe agreed, trying to feign confidence.

This confidence was dashed when the doors slid open to reveal two Sligs standing only ten feet away and looking directly at the lift. Vesper instantly shoved Abe to the side and behind the safety of the metal doors, but it was too late.

"There he is!"

Vesper only had a second to pull back into his corner of the lift before bullets rained into it. They struck and lodged into the security doors with loud bangs and rattled around the inside of the lift. Both beings inside pressed as tightly as they could into the corner to avoid the gunfire. Abe crouching down and shielding his head while Vesper eventually slid down and tried to shield himself with his suitcase.

Eventually the Sligs emptied their clip and there was a brief respite, and in this moment, Vesper heard a familiar noise and looked over his suitcase to see Abe chanting. The Chiromor folded back his ears and dared to peek out around the door.

The first Slig was grabbed quickly with a full body shiver before suddenly seizing and collapsing to the ground unconscious. For a second, he thought the possession had been rejected, but then the same thing happened to the second Slig.

Vesper barely caught the lightning quick, "Run," as Abe sprinted out of the lift and down the pathway. He didn't need to be told twice, them putting as much distance between them and the Sligs as they could before they could rouse. He had so many questions but no time to ask them, they would have to wait until later.

It took a little longer than expected to get to the station, involving climbing up an emergency ladder to the next floor and having to slip past plenty more Sligs and their searchlights. It was rather uneventful compared to the trip there.

The station looked exactly like the one Abe slipped through when he arrived in Nolybab- it could've been the same one, he wasn't sure. There were two tramcars that crossed back and forth across the chasm between the city of Nolybab and the upper ledge surrounding it, leading to another station built into the side of the cliff that allowed access to the massive blimp dock on top of the cliff.

The tramcars were connected to and rode underneath two rails that stretched across the chasms and led directly into the station buildings. The insides had tiled floors, nice benches and cleaner vending machines, and electronic boards flashing advertisements to those waiting for the tram to return. Abe had seen all of this coming in, so he knew what it was going to look like going out.

Except that it was clear that the trams had been deactivated with both of the cars sat in the center of the rail with their lights off. It wasn't going to be as easy as pressing a button inside of the lift and riding to the other side. There was a closed in tower positioned only about twelve feet away from the station and connected directly to the railing by a thick yellow and black striped wire. It didn't take a genius to piece together that it was the control tower for the trams.

Getting closer revealed that there were Sligs inside of the tram station- their voices could be heard through the open archways- but none surrounding the tower. Possibly one inside and got out a piece of Binding Candy just in case. He beckoned Vesper and rushed around the back of the tower, hiding in the small space between it and a rickety chain length fence, standing amongst trash that had been discarded into it.

"Wait here. I'm gonna be in and out," Abe assured as he squeezed between Vesper and the wall. "…Hopefully."

By now, Vesper had learned to trust the Mudokon's plans, so he had no qualms with it. He gave a simple, "I'll be here. Be careful." Abe nodded and slipped around the corner and into the door.

That is, directly into the door. He thunked against it before he realized it wasn't going to open, eyes too busy on the station doorway to notice the padlock on the door. With a huff at himself, he reached into his bag and got out a tube with a peeling label. Vesper slowly edged around the corner to watch as the Mudokon squeezed the putty mixture all over the padlock before returning it to his bag and pulling out a lighter.

He lit the tail of putty he made and moved back just a split second before the mixture suddenly exploded, taking out the padlock and leaving a large stain on the door. Abe dove back behind the edge of the tower beside Vesper and peeked out warily to see if the Sligs were coming. Much to both of their surprise, none of them did. Either meaning that they hadn't heard the albeit small explosion, simply didn't care, or were given strict orders not to leave their post.

Abe exhaled slowly and shot his companion a thumbs up before dipping around the corner and into the tower.

"Sheeze, he's going to kill me," Vesper muttered, running his hand down his face. "He's going to kill himself and it's going to kill me."

Yet as he said that he couldn't help but think that everything was going pretty close to plan. Sure, there was a close call or two, but on the whole, it seemed like this was as easy as it was going to get. He could handle this for Abe.

Right as he thought this, there came an almost foghorn-like sound from the top of the tower and a distant whirring and clicking from the tramcars turning on and beginning to return to their stations. Abe must've figured out how to work the controls, Vesper realized, much to his relief as he doubted he would be able to figure them out easily.

That feeling didn't last long. Suddenly Vesper caught wind of a different noise and pricked his ears to catch the squeak of approaching Slig pants, and from the direction of the sound alone he knew it was one of the Sligs from the station. His heart leapt into his throat again and he stood there wondering if he should do something or leave it to Abe. He couldn't hear his footsteps on the metal stairs inside, so he had to still be up at the top doing something.

Once the Slig got closer, he was able to tell that he was heading directly for the tower door. He had to have seen and heard the trams get activated and was coming to fix the issue, which would already be an issue but also Abe was still up there.

Vesper realized he was going to have to do something. Suddenly remembering his only weapon, he reached into his pocket and snatched out the ball of candy and rubber bands that Abe had given him. It seemed so silly to use, but he had seen Abe use versions of this with success earlier. He knew what he was doing, so, again, Vesper was going to trust him. He took a deep breath and waited for the Slig to get right outside the door so it would be right where he needed it.

The second it started to step into the tower, Vesper dropped his suitcase and swung out from behind the wall before beaming the Slig directly in the head. It wasn't hard, the thing was less than five feet away and completely unexpecting the attack, and the candy clunked against its head loudly before bounding somewhere into the stairwell. The Slig collapsed forwards on the steps.

That was a lot easier than he expected. Vesper alit with excitement and decided to further mirror Abe by pouncing on the Slig and beginning to pickpocket him. He pushed his gun through the steps where it couldn't be reached, felt around for whatever he was carrying, and was rewarded with a wad of half-chewed gum and a crushed packet of Sligarettes. He almost considered keeping them in case Abe could use them.

"Hey, you! FREEZE!"

And suddenly that brief feeling of freedom and excitement was gone and replaced by raw fear. Breath hitching, Vesper shot up and spun to face the second Slig, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. He raised his hands defensively.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Vesper defended, unsure how much the Slig had seen. The Slig that currently had a gun aimed at his chest and his back against the corner of the doorway.

"You don't think I just saw that?! You just clocked him with somethin' and started stranglin' him!" the Slig accused. Apparently, he had been watching out of Vesper's line of sight, though he begrudgingly realized he hadn't been looking closely. The panic only grew as the Slig unhooked a radio from his pants and raised it to his face. "I've got a suit here actin' sketchy. What's the call?"

"I swear, I wasn't trying to attack anyone. I thought he was that Abe guy! I got scared, you've got to believe me!" the Chiromor rambled. He tried to sound as pathetic as he could hoping it would rile some sympathy out of the Slig. The fact that he had been labelled a 'suit' already suggested that he might get some amount of mercy, if only due to his monetary stature.

"Put 'em down."

But there wasn't going to be any mercy.

"Roger," the Slig agreed and went to replace his radio. During which Vesper pled his case as his blood ran cold.

"Th-There's no reason to get hasty here! Look, I made a mistake, but this guy? He's fine! Look, he'll be up in a few minutes," Vesper pleaded with him. Now becoming increasingly aware of what was coming, he began to reach into the pocket of his trench coat. "Maybe I can make it worth your while…"

"Sorry, bub. Orders is orders. No hard feelings, eh?" the Slig shrugged off. Though then he noticed the other reaching and quickly leveled his weapon. "13-37! Suspect's armed!"

"No, no! I'm just getting my checkbook! Just give me a second to show you…!"

…

…

It was something like a dead man's switch, the lever to bring the tram back to the station. After turning the system on, Abe had to hold it forward to get the cars to move. He couldn't imagine any Slig standing up here and doing this all day, so he guessed maybe the car would work once it arrived at the station and somebody pressed the button. At least, he hoped so, because elsewise he was going to have to figure out how to be in the lift and possess something from a wide distance.

From the window facing out over the chasm he had a good view of the tramline, watching the car sluggishly make its way into the station. They were almost there now, almost out. Soon Abe and Vesper would be in the airship heading back towards safer lands- safer compared to Nolybab at least. He still wasn't sure how he would explain Vesper to his new friends, but he was sure they would understand.

It was at that moment that Abe heard what sounded like a Slig's voice echoing up through the stairway. He reached into his bag without removing his hand from the lever and pulled out an IED before listening closer. If he heard it coming up, he would have more than enough time to toss it down before it reached him. He wasn't that worried yet and he wasn't that surprised.

Until he heard Vesper's voice. Abe's eyes popped open and a sinking feeling settled into his stomach. Due to the insulation of the tower and how high up in it he was, he couldn't make much of what Vesper was saying. His mouth started dry out as he continued holding the lever, checking to see how far the tram was to the dock so he could try to help. The car was sliding into the station, so if Vesper could stall for a few more seconds-

BANG!

A single gunshot and the world seemed to stop.

Abe was still staring out the window when he heard it. His widened eyes stared out through the glass but stopped seeing, his breath caught, everything slowed to a crawl, and he knew what happened. He knew exactly what happened.

He fell back away from the lever and broke into a sprint down the stairwell, throwing caution to the wind and not caring if he got spotted. There was still time, he pleadingly thought. Maybe it missed, maybe it was a survivable wound.

Abe came around the last landing and stumbled to a stop at the scene before him. There was Vesper staggering backwards up the steps with his hand clutched to his chest. His eyes were wide open and his face was struck with shock. There was a Slig lying on the steps just beneath him, but it looked like it was just unconscious. Abe ignored it and went straight for Vesper, grabbing his arm and pulling him back.

"Let me see," he said fearfully. His voice wavered as he tried to pull back Vesper's steadfast arm. He had horrible images of a deep bullet hole leaking blood and he had to see it so he could do something to stop him from dying. Vesper seemed frozen on the spot, unable to even speak, and Abe forcibly pried his arm away only to see what he had been clasping.

It wasn't a bullet wound; it was a handgun.

The moment his arm was pulled away, Vesper's hand released and he dropped the gun with a clatter. Abe stared down at it and then it dawned on him what actually happened. He hurried down the steps to flip over the Slig and found it was, indeed, unconscious. Then he hurried to the front door and looked outside, and there his suspicions were confirmed.

A second Slig lay dead on the ground. It looked like he had been shot in the head.

Abe breathed a relieved sigh and turned back to Vesper, only to find him still in that shaken state. "Vesper?" He took him by the shoulders and gently shook him. "Vesper, it's okay. It's over."

Vesper's eyes started to slowly focus in and he inhale deeply, then out poured his shaken voice, "I wasn't going to do it. I swear to Odd; I wasn't going to. I didn't want to, but he was going to shoot me. I-I-I didn't know what else to do…"

"Vesper, breathe," the Mudokon said. He did so too, guiding the other on how to breathe, just like Vesper coaxed him when he was overwhelmed. "It's okay. They would've shot you- and then they would've shot me!"

When the Chiromor blinked his eyes grew glassy and his ears slid back with guilt. "I killed him," he said, voice distraught.

It was so weird for Abe who had himself killed many Sligs. Though he, like Vesper, hadn't had an option. While he tried to spare as many as he could, many times it was a matter of him and his brothers or them. It was the same scenario and yet Vesper was having trouble seeing it for what it was. It hurt to see it because Abe felt like he let this happen.

But they only had a limited amount of time. There could've been more Sligs coming, lured in by the loud gunshot, so they had to get on the move.

"I'm sorry but we've gotta go. There might be more coming," Abe warned sympathetically. Vesper nodded stiffly but still seemed out of it. Taking a deep breath beforehand, the Mudokon cupped his cheek again. This seemed to pay off as it roused the Chiromor a little more out of his daze, enough that he was able to make eye contact fully. Abe didn't say anything though and after a few seconds Vesper nodded again and that was the okay he needed to leave.

Vesper picked up his gun and shakily hid it under his trench coat. For a moment Abe felt uncomfortable, realizing it had been there the whole time without his knowledge, but shook it off and took him by the wrist to lead him out. They stopped to retrieve his suitcase before hurrying to the station.

Apparently the two Sligs that Vesper had taken out, intentionally or not, were the ones guarding the station. There was a third that Abe soundlessly bound up. By now he was out of Binding Candy and the semi-precious rubber bands he used to make it, down to only another IED, a few candy balls, and a bunch of scrap that didn't exactly translate into supplies. It was a good time to be boarding the tramcar.

Alas, the tramcar was a good five feet out from the station because Abe had left it early. He stared at it awkwardly, but before he could explain, Vesper tossed his suitcase to the other side, got a running start, and jumped to the other side. Abe raised his brows briefly and then followed suit, easily making it to the other side and quickly hurrying to the middle of the lift to press the button.

He kept his fingers crossed as he pressed it and sighed in relief when the car responded. The car moved into the station the rest of the way before he pressed it again and it reversed its direction to slowly cross the chasm.

It was then that Abe turned his attention back to Vesper and saw that he wasn't doing much better. He was sitting on the padded bench with his head in his hands and his suitcase by his side. Abe's face fell and he made his way over to him. Maybe he hadn't felt exactly what he was feeling, but he understood it and he wanted to make it better. He crouched in front of Vesper and looked up at him with warm eyes filled with sympathy.

Vesper looked down at him from between his fingers and Abe gently began with, "You know, I… I've killed a lot of Sligs." Needless to say, this got a weird look- the other pulling his hands away from his face and staring with furrowed disbelief.

"I have. I had to. When you're running for your life, sometimes you don't get a choice except for "me or them". You have to keep pushing on, but you can't blame yourself for that. They draw their guns first, we just react," Abe tried to explain. He laid a gentle hand on the other's knee. "This is just what things are like here. People run, people get shot at… people die, but we've gotta keep moving."

Vesper stared at him for a long moment before his eyes widened and his teeth gritted with fear. "Oh, you have got to be kidding…" he muttered. He sounded freaked out and Abe could easily assume why, so he started to move back.

Only to has Vesper grab him by the shoulder and yank him forward. Abe turned his head at the last second and only through the corner of his eye did he see the red beam coming through the window and shooting through the car behind him.

Snipers, and from the direction they were coming through they were stationed at the station they were heading towards. They knew he was in there and instead of stopping the car, if they could, they were waiting for it to roll right into the station and deliver their target right to their feet- unless they could snipe him on the way over.

"Down!" Abe yelled. His only warning before he grabbed Vesper and forcibly dragged him to the floor, not that he was complaining. The snipers must've seen the movement as a few shots were fired, shattering the window and clattering into the hull. Both kept their heads down and covered until the laser sight returned, now accompanied by a few other lines.

"We're totally screwed," Vesper muttered. "Unless you've got some sort of magically charged candy that can fly a mile and hit them dead on."

Which Abe didn't, so he was going to have to look outside of his bag for an out. The other car had already rolled by, so it was too late to figure out a way to jump from one to another. Quick succession possession was not going to work with that many Sligs in one place, especially if they had chant suppressors, which he wasn't sure or not. He looked around the inside of the tramcar for something, anything.

Then Abe spotted what looked to be a maintenance panel in the floor on the other side of the car. He waited until the lasers raised a little before suddenly rolling underneath them. This was rewarded with a few blind shots, but Abe got over into the corner safely and immediately started prying up the panel. If there was some sort of fuse box underneath, he could forcibly stop the tramcar until he concocted a plan.

Except when he managed to overpower and yank the panel open, he found himself not staring down into a maintenance hatch, but into the chasm below the tramcar. The hatch led straight through and out the bottom. Desperately, he leaned down and poked his head through, and that was when he saw an out.

There were bars underneath the car that looked thick enough to support his weight. In fact, they very much resembled the ones beneath trains, which he knew for a fact could hold him. He turned back to Vesper, who had come up to the front of the lift and cautiously bellycrawled underneath the lasers to follow him.

"I've got a plan," Abe cautiously began. "…How good are you at holding on?"

"Depends. What am I holding onto?" Vesper asked.

"Under the car there's these bars. If we wait until we get closer to the station, we can climb out the bottom and onto the bars. Then we either lose the Sligs or find some other way off of this thing," Abe explained. The other looked between the panel and him as though in disbelief, but Abe reassured with a tight mouth and a firm nod that this was the plan, as insane as it sounded.

Vesper exhaled slowly and rolled his eyes over to look at the laser points, reminding himself what they were up against, and then back to Abe. "I'll manage," he said.

With that, Abe cautiously checked out the window to make sure they were close enough and then slid down through the opening feet first. It was just big enough to fit his chest and pack through with only some friction. He held on and dangled there to get his bearings, his arms just long enough that his head made it out the bottom of the car. He fixed his gaze on the closest bar, swung slightly, and then let go, catching it before he could plummet into the abyss.

Once he was sure his hold was secure, he turned around and hopped to the bar closer to the front so that Vesper would have room to climb down, which he did right afterwards. He landed on the bar a lot harder and it looked like he was scrambling for a good grip, but then quickly swung his legs up and wrapped them around the bar, much to Abe's relief. Against his better judgement, his eyes wandered downwards.

Abe wasn't technically afraid of heights. He was intimidated by them, especially when he was forced to dangle high in the air over them, but he wasn't exactly afraid of them as long as he had a secure hold. Just the distant sight of the city lights far behind them in the morning's gloam caused his pulse to quicken and his hands to tighten. Just a little longer, he reminded himself. They were almost out.

The Sligs' voices became more audible as the tram car finally slid into the station with a jerk. Cries of "Where'd they go?!" and "What the heck?!" could be heard as they stormed into the tramcar and found it empty, save for Vesper's suitcase. Abe didn't like that 'they' they referred to because that implied that they now saw Vesper as an accomplice, not just a possessed patsy. That limited their emergency options if something went wrong.

And something was about to go wrong, as the panel they had just come through, the one Vesper barely closed on his way through, was suddenly yanked back open with a clatter.

"I think they went down here! Stupid shmucks must've fallen straight through!"

A red laser pointed out the bottom of the car and started to slowly circle around dangerously close to Abe's legs. Fortunately, the depth of the hatch meant that the Slig wouldn't be able to get a good look unless he got down and leaned far through, something he wouldn't do when wearing pants like his. Something Sligs typically wouldn't do anyway due to a lack of effort. A second laser sight peered through the opening as another Slig joined in.

"Ehh, I don't buy it. Prob'ly hangin' off the bottom like a couple'a hocks of meat. Someone's gotta go take the lift an' check the underside and it ain't gonna be me."

"I'll do it. My trigger finger could use the workout." It was hard to differentiate the voices, but it wasn't hard to hear the thumping metal footsteps as one of the Sligs left the tramcar and made his way to the lift. Looking around quickly, Abe noticed a lower ledge with a railing around it. Probably a little too far to jump safely, but perfect range to be shot from, which meant their hiding spot wasn't going to be safe much longer.

There was a soft tapping, but instead of his guide it was the sound of Vesper's nails on the bar, trying to catch his attention. He looked up to see the other's borderline panicked look, barely keeping a level head.

"What now!?" he mouthed. Abe looked overwhelmed and shook his head with a partial shrug, to which the other frantically pointed at him. "Check. Your. Bag!"

But Abe knew this would be a dead end. Nothing he had in his bag was enough to take out this many Sligs. Which was a shame, because all he needed was one decent sized explosive or enhanced smoke screen to take out the entire car at once. It was the perfect setup, but he didn't have the tools for it. He didn't even have enough epoxy to make any more Binding Candy and he couldn't even possess while he was dangling.

As much as he felt the panic creeping up, he knew he had to keep calm and forced a few deep breaths. If he started shooting off sparks here, they were both doomed.

…Unless.

Abe suddenly realized that there was something else he could do. Something he had the opportunity to do earlier when he was saving Mudokons but hadn't done because it hadn't been necessary. Just thinking about it started to spur the familiar tingling of electricity at his fingertips and he swallowed thickly before letting go with his right hand. Vesper watched him dangle by one arm with a startled look as Abe reached down and tapped gently on his guide.

Apparently, she knew what he wanted. She tapped back, then glowed, and it felt like a wash of heat went through his amulet and into his chest. Once more the static shocks leapt from his body and reached across the metal, but unlike in the apartment, these were familiar and controlled. Vesper couldn't tell the difference obviously as a worried look and grimace took his face. Abe hoped he wouldn't be able to see much of what he was going to do.

"Wait here," Abe mouthed. He returned his second hand to the bar before leaping upwards, catching the edge of the tramcar and squeezing himself between it and the ledge it was docked against.

Vesper wanted to warn him to be careful but knew better than to so much as whisper with Sligs only a few feet away. He was as aware as Abe was of the impending danger. The only difference was that he knew nothing of the Mudokon's plan. As far as he was aware, he was planning on taking out an entire car with meager explosives, candy, and tape, which right now sounded like a death sentence- especially in his anxious state.

Though what he didn't know was that those 'anxious sparks' Abe was giving off were something much different to what he had seen before, and he was about to witness it firsthand.

He heard one of the Sligs yell, "There he is!" and what followed next was nothing short of an explosion.

A bizarrely loud and warping noise swallowed any gunshot or scream. A blinding light erupted and radiated through the tramcar, showing out from around it and beaming out through the open panel in the floor. It was so bright that Vesper was forced to close his eyes. He couldn't cover his ears though and the deafening noise rung through them, and he swore through the burning and crackling he could hear the roar of a beast.

The whole tramcar shook from the powerful blow and even the Chiromor himself could feel some sort of force rush through his body. Almost like being hit by a powerful blast of heated air if it had raced through him. It could've squeezed the air out of his lungs if it hadn't rushed through him so fast.

Then it was over. All at once the light and sound was gone and he was left dangling in the unsettled silence. He strained to listen but couldn't hear any trace of the Sligs, only the soft padding of what sounded like Abe's footsteps. It only caught up with him now that that had been him, whatever that was, and he stared in blank shock until a familiar tattooed hand popped out the bottom of the car and was offered to him.

Disregarding his revelation for the moment, Vesper detangled himself from the bar and started to climb back up, grabbing Abe's hand as he did. His hand was overheated and lightly shocked him when they touched, almost like static electricity.

Right when he was about to pull himself up and in, his ears caught the sound of squeaking sounding a little too close- pinpointing it exactly to right inside the ledge, seconds from walking out under him.

"Up, up, up!" he whispered. Abe got the message and helped him in with one big pull. Vesper's legs just pulled in before the Slig stepped out to see it, looking up to see the underside empty.

Abe pulled Vesper into the now emptied tramcar and gave him a moment to catch his breath. He knew there were going to be questions and didn't even know where to begin explaining what he had just done. It had been another one of those things he glossed over in his explanation of his escape from RuptureFarms, boiling it down to using non-descript scar powers to save everyone and escape. This wasn't the sort of thing you could explain in a few seconds.

Until Vesper looked to him and after a beat, and no questions, both suddenly scrambled to their feet. Mutually realizing they had to get a move on while they still could. Vesper grabbing his suitcase and racing after Abe out of the tramcar.

It took Abe a grand total of three seconds to locate the main lift that would take them up to the heeliopad, having rode down an identical one on the way in. This one did not have closed in walls, but he bounded into it like the ticket to freedom it was, letting Vesper squeeze by before slamming his fist down on the button to send them up. The railings raised up before the lift sluggishly began its ascent.

An alarm suddenly rang out which, due to its timing, must've been triggered by the lift's activation. Within seconds of it going off, Sligs who weren't caught up in Shrykull's appeared out of the woodwork and closed in on the lift, which was only about halfway up. There was no hesitation as they opened fire up at the two. Both ducked down and tried to hide behind the railing, but it wasn't enough.

Abe almost got clipped before he was forced to take refuge with Vesper behind his suitcase. It wasn't much cover; he had no doubt that a bullet would slice right through it, but it cut down on visual. Then it was a matter of holding out, ducking until his forehead was nearly touching the metal, grabbing Vesper by the forearm and forcibly dragging him down with him.

Just when the Sligs' aim was starting to close in- or it seemed like that- the lift reached the point where the metal flooring was enough to block the bullets, and even with the banging on the bottom of the lift it was almost smooth sailing compared to what they had just gone through. Not that it was going to last long. Abe sprung to his feet and pulled Vesper up insistently, not knowing what was waiting at the top of the lift.

The lift let out in a small building that resembled the stations they had passed through and through the open archways they could see the expanse of the heeliopad and the numerous blimps tethered to it. Abe sidled up on the edge of one and peered out. At first it didn't look like there were a lot of Sligs, but then something caught the edge of his vision and he noticed that, in fact, there were plenty of patrolling Sligs. Flying Sligs, which were searching around the blimps.

He leaned back into the station and tapped on his amulet again. "Which way?" he whispered. His guide began to glow, and a small beam of light showed on his chest. He turned around until it aimed at the wall behind him, then peered out of the doorway to get a look at which direction they would be going in.

They got luckier than he thought; she was aiming him towards the next heeliopad on the cliffside- which would still be a distance away, but not clean on the other side of the city. It would still mean getting off of this pad and then running along the barren cliffside, which wouldn't be good with all of these Sligs flying above. At least there were plenty of boulders and rocky outcroppings along the way.

"…H-Here's the plan," Abe said. He turned back to Vesper who was still looking shaken, but attentive. "We make a run for it. Get away from the blimps, the Sligs, find a rock or something to hide under, then slowly make our way back to the airship. That way they don't see us get on and try to shoot us down… Think you're up to it?"

"I think the alternative is getting shot, so yes," Vesper said. Abe gave a strained half-smile before adjusting his bag straps and looking out again. Regardless of what he said though, Vesper wasn't looking forward to getting shot at again. Just the thought of it made him break into a sweat, and he was already overheated as it was. He honestly wasn't sure if he could do it if he could willingly step out into that.

That was when Abe reached back for him and, without looking, felt around before gently taking him by the wrist. By now it couldn't do much to comfort Vesper, but it did ground him a little more. Reminding him that he didn't really have an option. He pulled his arm away- he didn't notice how Abe tensed up at it- so he could readjust and take his hand. He wasn't going to let go. He would sooner drop the suitcase, because letting go would be a death sentence.

A long moment passed as they caught their breath. Abe looked upwards and waited for the sky to clear just a little, but the closest he got was the Slig flying closest passing out of the way and leaving a window to run.

"Now."

With that, they took off out of the station and made a break for the end of the heeliopad. One of the Sligs spotted them and called out a warning, and then they all started to close in. Abe broke into a full sprint as he pulled Vesper behind him and led him for an opening between two closely tethered blimps. The gunfire began again and could be heard thumping into the ground behind them and whizzing past their heads.

Running between the bodies of the ships deflected some of the bullets, but it was short lived as the Sligs flew overhead and dove in. Abe reached back into his bag right as he heard one getting close enough and then turned momentarily to throw an empty bottle at it. The glass shattered in its face and it veered off to the side with a panicked, "I'm hit!" Inadvertently blocking the way of the second Slig and momentarily slowing it down.

This was long enough to start sprinting again as they came out from between the blimps and could see the railing at the edge of the heeliopad just ahead. It was just a long stretch of concrete and the Sligs closing in, and they were so close that Abe could practically feel the rocky dirt under his feet. Even as he heard a familiar noise and felt the heat of a flamethrower closing in from behind. It was all closing in: the fire, the panic, the edge, the way out.

Abe cleared railing in one go and between his weight and the other's fast reflexes, Vesper somehow managed to throw himself over and both fell over the edge right as fire licked over the railing. They fell only about ten feet, but the desperate jump left little time to brace themselves and both landed awkwardly; Abe flat on his face and Vesper flat on his back, under the weight of the suitcase.

Just as Abe pushed himself up, the Slig that had caught up to them lowered down with its flamethrower aimed to fire. The Mudokon scrambled back, back hitting the wall under the railing, and barely pushed up to his feet as he tried to reach back into his bag for something to defend himself. At the same time, Vesper saw what was coming and made a last second decision, tossing aside his suitcase and reaching into his coat.

He pulled out his pistol and held it with both hands as he leveled it on the flying Slig. His hands were shaking, he didn't want to do this. He really didn't want to do this again, but he had no choice. Without hesitation, Vesper fired off at the Slig's propeller blades. While the gun was so much smaller and slower than the Sligs' weapons, it was powerful, with the bullet tearing through the blades and defuncting the whole system.

"I've been hit! Going down! Going down!" the Slig cried as it fell out of the sky. It whizzed around, struggling to keep itself from crashing into the rocks, but before Vesper could see where it went down, Abe started pulling him to his feet.

Vesper scrambled to get the gun back into his coat as he grabbed his suitcase and started to run, Abe keeping a tight hand on his arm and forcibly dragging him away. The Chiromor tried to look back and see what had become of the Slig. He saw flames behind some of the rocks and tried to convince himself that the flamethrower just went off when the Slig dropped it, but he had a bad feeling that he was being overly optimistic.

They didn't get much further before Abe forcibly dragged him into a crevice in one of the outcroppings. It wasn't much of a hiding spot, but it was enough to lose the Sligs momentarily. They had come out above the cliffside to search and without the cover of night, they had to be careful or they would be spotted again. Which they were, the second they made a break for it, running about twenty feet before finding another place to hide.

The Sligs stayed right on their heels, always close enough to hear but still managing to lose them repeatedly. The escape had been slowed to a crawl, before suddenly picking up speed in the short bursts that they ran to the next hiding spot.

Until eventually Abe looked over the boulder they were crouched behind and realized that the Sligs had started to fall behind. They were still searching the last area they had spotted them in and while there were definitely more of them, they were much further away. He wasn't sure whether to celebrate just yet, but he considered this a step in the right direction.

"I think we're losing 'em," he whispered.

"Thank Odd," Vesper muttered.

"We gotta- We gotta keep being careful though. They could have a lot of security up at the next pad, and since the airship's behind it we're gonna have to lose any Sligs we pick up before we get there," Abe warned. He turned back towards Vesper and gave him a tentative smile. "But we're almost there."

Vesper nodded stiffly but said nothing more. Abe was a little concerned by the lack of enthusiasm, or of any reaction at all, but didn't press him. They still had to make the last leg of their journey before anything else found them.

Freedom smelled like rock sediment and smog.