Warning for past child abuse and past character death
It was another hour or so before the truck finally came to a stop.
The occupants of the truck headed towards the base to greet the agents at the door, giving Purple a chance to lead the others away from the truck before they got caught.
One glance at the lead mercenary, the tall black stick Green described as the one who beat their asses the day prior, and Purple knew he wouldn't stand a chance.
None of them would've stood a chance against all of them.
Luckily, the parking lot was filled with trucks, giving them a perfect amount of cover to escape into the base.
From there, they had to find Second and Yellow, hope to God they didn't get captured, and pray that King got there in time to save their asses.
Purple still didn't know how he would be able to get past them without the staff. Yellow probably didn't have it, and even if he did, the guards would have confiscated it when he was captured.
And all they had were a razor knife, a box-cutter, and a few sharp blades.
Purple would have gladly taken the kitchen cleaver if they hadn't been backed into a corner and there was a way to sneak back into the kitchen without being spotted. But, the blades were sharp enough for clean cuts, and if he went deep enough, maybe even capable of killing, and Purple knew how to use them without hurting himself.
Thank God King knew what he was doing when he taught Purple about using the knives. Purple had used the box-cutter since he was ten, so that wasn't a big issue.
But Purple had only had the knife and blades for under a year. He hadn't needed to use them since King had taught him about them, so he barely remembered how to work with them.
"Where the hell are you, Yelly?" Blue whispered, rounding a corner after Green had confirmed it was clear.
A sudden banging made them jump.
"THE HELL DO YOU PEOPLE WANT FROM ME?!"
"Yelllow!" They whispered together, afraid that shouting would warrant unwanted attention.
And getting captured.
Once Green double checked that it was safe to move into the corridor, Purple grabbed a paper clip sitting at the bottom of his satchel and followed Green and Red into the hallway.
"What's that gonna do?" Blue asked as Purple bent the clip.
"You can pick a lock with a straight and small object, like a paper clip. I've done it once, and now's a perfect chance to do it again."
"God, you are smart."
"I live with someone who did program an entire parkour course by himself."
"Now I know King's your dad."
"Shut up." Purple didn't hide the smile. He knew it was basically true.
"Hey, Yellow! It's Green. We're gonna get you out of here." Green whispered, tapping on the bars of the cell.
"Green! Thank Alan! I thought they took you guys!"
Blue reached out to Yellow, grabbing his hand. "Nope. Kicked our asses, then left us alone," He gestured to Purple. "We were able to get help."
Purple smiled, waving to Yellow.
"You brought Purple? No offense, but how can he help?"
"Well, for starters," Purple held up the straightened paper clip. "I can bust you outta here." He gently inputted the clip into the lock.
"Work, you little bastard." He whispered, finally hearing a small click. The bars squeaked as the opened.
"Yes!"
"Nice work, Purple!" Yellow said, gently prying Blue off of him. "Now let's find Second and get the fuck out of here."
"And pray King gets here in time." Red said.
"If he even comes." Yellow said.
"Hey!"
"Sorry."
"It's fine. Let's just find Second." Purple said, ignoring Yellow's sincere apology and following Green down the hall.
Blue stared at the departing figure. "I think you hurt his feelings."
Once the coast was mostly clear, Green led them into another room, where a giant white box sat in the center.
"Holy shit. Chosen!" Red said. Although the room and the surrounding area was empty, they still didn't want to take chances.
A sealed cage sat beside it, and as if a bird had said it, everyone knew who was inside.
"Think you can pick that lock, Purple?" Blue pointed at the sealed cage.
"Probably. If they're all the same, it won't be too hard." Purple grabbed the paper clip again.
"We'll see what we can do about Chosen, but I doubt we'll be able to do much." Green said, glancing at the box.
"Poor guy looks like he's been tortured." Blue said, casting the unconscious hollowhead a pitiful look.
"He was." A muffled voice grumbled, making Purple jump.
"Second?"
"Purple?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Ask Green." Purple retorted, inserting the clip into the lock. "This better work." He whispered to himself.
As if God answered his prayer, the iron curtain around the cell lifted, and sure enough, it was Second.
"Thank God you guys are alright." Second whispered as Purple opened the cage.
"Well, we just rescued Yellow, so don't be too relieved."
"They think Yellow's an accomplice to Chosen or Dark," Second explained. "That's why they wanted him."
"Woah, woah, woah. They think I'm an accomplice to the guy who murdered me?!"
"You did program Alan into helping us destroy the shit out of Dark, and they saw it." Second shrugged his shoulders.
"Hold up a second, what the hell am I missing?!" Purple snapped, staring between his five friends in confusion.
"So black hollowhead there dragged us into some battle a long ass time ago, and we helped him defeat The Dark Lord." Blue said.
"The Dark...So The Dark Lord is real?! I was told that it was just some legend!" Purple exclaimed.
"Well, whoever told you was probably high because it was real, and we helped defeat him."
"That's...actually really cool." Purple said.
"Yeah, it was."
"Is he still alive?"
"Probably not. Got his ass royally beaten." Second said.
"Anyways, let's figure out how to bust Chosen out then get the hell outta here." Yellow said.
"Nice try, boys," A voice behind them said.
The silver guard from the neighborhood raid was standing there, a smirk on their face.
"Well, well well," They said as the six teenagers took fighting stances. Purple's hand hovered over his pocket knife, still in the satchel. "If it isn't Purple Rose."
Second and Yellow both turned their heads to Purple. "You know them?" They both asked.
"Silver? Yeah. Unfortunately."
Silver's smirk grew. "Surprised to know my cousin is still alive after all he's been put through."
Purple sighed, his hand tightening around the knife. "The hell do you want?"
"First things first. Guards, separate Purple from the others," Silver ordered.
"Me and him have some unfinished business to take care of."
Purple was reluctantly dragged away, completely oblivious to King and Maroon hiding in the rafters above, watching the entire ordeal.