Tw: strong language, blood, gunshots
Their footsteps echoed with a dry clatter as they ran across the metal floor of that inhospitable place. The corridors seemed endless and yet all the same, like a labyrinth in a nightmare. The walls oozed with suffering, with the screams and cries of prisoners who had passed through this prison. Neon lights illuminated the gloomy, windowless rooms, adding to the sense of sadness and fear.
The children followed Miss Maia and Frank blindly as they were pursued by an undercurrent of viciously shouted orders, gunshots and heavy footsteps that threatened to overtake them. They felt their presence in their bones, knowing that these guards could snatch their lives at any moment.
"Here!" Miss Maia shouted suddenly, assuming a fighting stance, her weapon held firmly in her steady hands. The group gathered behind her, and Frank immediately fiddled with the keypad on the door beside them, bringing his head close to it. The keypad began to emit static noises.
"What are you doing?" Yutani asked, stunned. This bizarre man never failed to surprise her.
"This mask is designed to interfere with electrical systems when in direct contact. They cannot forcefully remove my mask without killing me. Therefore, if they search me, I can still access electronic devices." Frank seemed incredibly calm despite the situation. A few shots could be heard a little closer than before. He tapped the nose of his mask and pulled out a very small USB stick.
"What's in this room?" Tricky's voice was full of tension and urgency.
"It's the room where they have the central computer. We know this because we have already been given a map of this place in case anyone in the group get arrested. If we want to get out of here, I have to interfere with the alarm system and the door control system. Otherwise, sooner or later they will trap us in a dead end and kill us." Finally, the keypad beeped and the door slid open.
The group? Are they working with other people? King wondered, but didn't dare ask the question out loud. He didn't want to inadvertently distract Frank from his work.
"I've got your back. Go." Maia started shooting, hiding behind the corner of the corridor. The bullets, coming from the opposite direction, shot fast, slicing through the air and taking small chunks out of the wall next to Maia.
Frank nodded and moved quickly into the room, followed by the children, except for Fresh who preferred to stay next to Maia. It was not difficult to find the central computer as it was placed on a large table in the middle of the room. Frank wasted no time in inserting the stick into the computer as soon as it was switched on. The screen remained black, but strings of code appeared on the screen. He began typing sentences in a language unknown to Jake and his friends.
"How did you steal the map of this place if it's so well guarded?" asked Tricky with a frown.
"Simply by accessing the databases of the power company in this town. Their cybersecurity is very poor compared to this prison, so it was much easier to access their data," Frank replied without taking his eyes off the screen. He worked calmly and gracefully, as if the sounds of gunfire behind him did not bother him in the least. "Once we saw the map of the electrical system, it was easy to see how the rooms were organised and where the computers were concentrated."
"Wow." Tricky sounded genuinely impressed. "I wouldn't want to be your enemy. Oh, wait. I was once."
"Tricky, not to be a bitch, but maybe it's better if we let Frank work." Yutani commented in a hushed voice, hoping not to offend her friend. She visibly gasped as Miss Maia let out a muffled cry.
Everyone except Frank turned to see her. She was continuing to shoot, but she was also holding her arm with one hand. Blood was dripping from a fresh wound on her forearm. "I'm fine, guys, don't worry!" she shouted as the blood began to turn her fingers a crimson red. Fresh was clearly panicking, not sure what to do.
Finally Frank spoke again. "Done." The gunshots weren't as loud anymore, they sounded muffled. Almost as if they were coming from behind a closed door. Frank stood up and suddenly kicked the computer hard, making the kids next to him jump. The computer fell to the floor with a devastating noise and shattered into a thousand pieces. "That should keep them occupied for a while," he said, gesturing for the children to leave the room. "Let's go now. We don't have much time."
Maia ran to stand in front of the group and lead them towards the exit. "Be careful. See the red lights above the doors?" Frank pointed quickly as they darted through the corridors. The children nodded, almost out of breath. "They're automatic. When they flash, it means they will open, but only briefly. Try to coordinate your movements with theirs to avoid getting crushed in the doors. If they don't flash, it means they're locked. Their system is on the blink and unstable, but if we pay attention we should make it."
"Fantastic. Killer doors," Fresh muttered bitterly, but still managed to pay attention to the movements of the doors.
"Miss... Miss Maia! I can't do it anymore. I can't. I feel like... my lungs are on fire." King stopped suddenly and bent his back forward, panting, trying to inhale every inch of air. He was clearly exhausted.
"Hmm. Don't worry. I think we're fine."
Miss Maia stopped beside him, pulled out a knife and quickly unscrewed the screws of a round grate on the wall. She leaned it against the wall and slipped into the hole.
"This is supposed to be a conduit for waste, the grate is big enough to throw things in, it should theoretically communicate with something. I hope they haven't closed it, but we have no choice. I hope to see you on the other side, whether we make it or not. Adios!"
Without giving the group time to react, she pushed herself into the void. The boys rushed to the hole, but there was no sign of Maia.
"Are we really going to slide down a dark, shitty tube without knowing if we might hit something?" Yutani was visibly shocked. "Is she crazy or what? We are doomed!"
Jake turned his head to look at the only adult still with them, "Frank, what do we do?"
"It's risky, but we don't have a choice. You're not fit enough to keep running for long, and there will probably be more guards waiting for us at the main entrance. We have to trust her. She is a very experienced boss," he said as he also slid into the hole. "It will probably be scary for you. Try to remember that if we die, we did everything we could to avoid it."
"That's not very comforting." King whimpered and Fresh became angry again. "Of course, such sick logic could only come from you."
"You have the freedom of choice. Good luck." Frank replied before sliding down and disappearing as well.
The group looked at each other with terrified expressions. In the distance they heard more gunfire and footsteps approaching.
"Come on, boys. Let's go. If we stay here, we'll die for sure. Let's at least try to save ourselves." She put a hand on King's shoulder and stroked it gently. The child was literally in tears, it was obvious that he was dying of fear. "If you want, we can go together, King, if you're scared."
After a moment's hesitation, King nodded slowly. Tricky took his hand and helped him into the hole before sitting down behind him. She took one last desperate look at their friends before pushing King and giving herself the momentum to slide down. They disappeared into the darkness with a chorus of terrified screams.
Fresh punched the air in frustration. "Damn!" He shouted before quickly jumping into the tube and sliding down on his stomach. He also disappeared into the darkness with a series of curses. No time to lose.
Only Jake and Yutani were left. They looked at each other anxiously. "Jake... I..." Yutani jerked at a particularly loud gunshot, prompting her to finally say the rest of the sentence. "I'm scared. Can you hold my hand while we slide down together?" as she uttered these words, her face gradually turned redder and redder. She hid her face in the hood of her one-piece, awkwardly trying to hide her embarrassment. Jake was not in a better position. He felt awkward and shy as well.
Despite the situation, all he could think about at the moment was how pretty Yutani looked when she was so embarrassed.
"Uh... of course! Everyone in the carriage!"
He covered his mouth immediately after making that stupid joke, but Yutani laughed quietly. Jake felt his heart pounding in his chest, racing like a wild horse on the prairie. Clumsily, he took Yutani's hand and helped her into the shaft. He sat behind her, hiding his face in his free hand.
"Let's go, come on." Yutani squeezed his hand one last time before taking the momentum to push them both down the tube.
Those seconds of sheer terror seemed endless. They were completely defenceless, there was nothing they could do but let themselves be carried away faster and faster and faster.
Each of them was confronted with his own fears and thoughts, even the most reckless members of the group. There were those who regretted following this crazy plan, those who thought of their families, those who had lost all hope and those who wondered if they had failed and if this was really the end.
Finally, this nightmarish slide came to an end. They were being shot at high speed into some kind of dirty water tank, and fortunately the sewage cushioned their fall, even though they hit each other like bowling pins. Someone screamed, someone cried and someone groaned.
"Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. Fuck. Fuck this shit." Jake muttered, still in shock. He was still processing what had just happened, but his brain only seemed to understand swear words.
"Language." Frank reprimanded him, a little annoyed to hear all those vulgarities.
"Well, he is right. This place smells like shit. I can't tell if it's our fault or if it's this water." Miss Maia chuckled, oddly amused by the adrenaline rush she had just received from this crazy ride. That gross water made her wound burn, but she didn't seem to care.
"Never again. Never again!" Tricky shouted as she slowly stepped out of the filthy water. "I'm going to puke. Ugh."
"Please don't. It's disgusting enough in here." Fresh commented, quite exhausted. He felt as if he had lost all the energy to get angry in the tube.
Yutani and King were completely silent. The girl continued to avoid Jake with her eyes, strangely embarrassed to deal with him now that they had all survived. King simply started dissociating, staring blankly into space and automatically following his companions.
"Alright group." Miss Maia snapped her fingers to get everyone's attention. "Follow me. There is a ride waiting for us. We all need a shower."
They all nodded and started to follow the lady. Fortunately, there was no need to run anymore. After wandering around the dungeon, they managed to find a rather rusty old service ladder leading outside.
"Don't scratch yourself or you might get tetanus." Frank warned them, but that only made Fresh more angry.
"Oh! Interesting! First you try to kill us, then you pretend to care about us? You want to pretend to be our father to make this situation even more sick and disturbing?"
"Fresh, come on..." Jake tried to calm his friend down, but to no avail.
"Jake, don't defend him! What's wrong with you? Don't forget who he is! Don't you understand? He is trying to manipulate you into thinking he cares about you!"
"Your friend is right about one thing," Frank commented as he finally reached the top of the ladder. "I'm not worried about you and I don't care about you. But he is wrong about wanting to manipulate you. I have made that observation because it is simple logic. I see no reason why I should engage in manipulation. I would get nothing from you, as I have already told you. I have lost interest in you since we returned to my time."
"Yes, of course." Fresh replied, "I still don't trust you. Maybe one day you will decide that you want to hurt us again. I will never trust the impulsive decisions of a person like you. My sister went to the hospital because of you."
"In my opinion you are too extreme, Fresh." Jake whispered to his friend. "Maybe there is some good in him. I feel lost enough already, I want to trust him."
"Suit yourself. I think it is incredibly idiotic and naive to be fooled by a criminal who has literally tried to murder us three times just because you are starving for affection."
Jake didn't answer. He just climbed up the ladder and joined the rest of the group at the top. The night was pitch black. It was impossible to see trees, buildings or lights in the distance of the prison. It was as if the building was in the middle of nowhere. The air was cold, but it wasn't refreshing. It had a strange smell of exhaust fumes.
Miss Maia led them to a special platform-like vehicle that floated in the void, supported by four turbines that kept it stable like a small ship. She made them all climb aboard before she climbed too and activated the engines. The platform rose into the still air and carried them away from that terrible place, gliding into the night. Maia watched the prison from a distance; it seemed to be in chaos. Sirens could be heard in the background and lights could be seen patrolling the perimeter of the prison and its surroundings. How satisfying.
But suddenly, Maia groaned in pain and squeezed her hand harder on her wound to stop the bleeding. Frank took off his red tie to use as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. "Try to keep your arm up." He tied it around her arm.
"I know Frank. I wasn't born yesterday, you know. I know the basics of first aid too."
"Then do it."
"Shut up."
"Thanks for saving me, by the way."
"You're welcome. It's my duty to help members in trouble. We can't afford to lose our super hacker."
Jake was also watching as the building receded and felt a tightening in his heart. He could not help but think of the poor inspector; he hoped with all his might that he was all right and that no one had harmed him or his dog.
Yutani was in exactly the opposite mood. She was fascinated by the shuttle controls and the turbines mounted below. She looked as excited as if she had found a pile of presents under the tree on Christmas morning.
"Miss Maia! This is incredible, but how do you make the turbines work like this? How do you keep them from becoming magnetic? It's fascinating!"
"I don't know, little girl. Engineering is not my strong point. You can ask Bruno when we get there. I bet the two of you will get on well together. Besides, it's about time he made some friends, since he's always alone with his robots and machines."