A Second Generation Whateley Academy Adventure

Jailhouse Lock

by

MaLAguA

 

Part Four

 

Sunday, January 30th - 6:34pm
The Stonewall. Building A - Corridor

As the power was cut and the backup generators were sabotaged, darkness claimed the corridors. And in that darkness, Obscura was queen. Her eyes allowed her clear sight of the world, and her own nyctosensitive aura expanded throughout the area, giving her a better degree of awareness and certainty of the world around. Perhaps, sometimes, a little bit too cozy for her taste.

<Alright, Obscura,> Lifeward said through the enchanted clip on her pointed ear. <You’re currently the only piece on the field that can move, and the guards are in disarray. They’ll probably point lights the moment they catch sight of you.>

“I know it’s all up to me. Are you trying to get me nervous?”

<No, I’m telling you to be careful,> Lifeward chided, which got Obscura to smirk. <Your first stop is Cellblock 1 to meet up with Seth. Once you’re done there, round back to Cellblock 4 to get Cole out.>

“Understood.” Obscura halted at the corner. Her ears picked up the sound of guards trying to navigate their way around, asking each other if they had flashlights. And one of them did; the beam of light waved around, narrowly missing her. Even if it didn’t exactly reach her, her aura tingled at the presence of the high contrast. “Am I free to engage the prison guards?”

Lifeward sighed. <Yes, you’re allowed to. You may use the gear we provided you.>

“Awesome.” Obscura reached back into her utility belt pocket to produce a folded-up glove. For what it was supposed to do, it was made of surprisingly thin fabric, with plaques of metal to hide the electronics and hard contact layers with built-in claws at the tip of the digits.

As she put it on her left hand, Lifeward repeated the explanation. The girl rolled her eyes but let the supervisor feel better. <The silent fox glove is designed to deliver an adjustable nonlethal electrical discharge strong enough to stun or even knock out an adult. To do this, you have to make contact with the target using the thumb, middle and ring fingers. Be mindful of the charge.>

“Sounds cumbersome? Why not all fingers?” Obscura asked, admiring the way the equipment fitted her.

<Safeties to keep users from shocking themselves.>

“Fair enough.” Obscura tested it by clapping her hands together. <Oh, we can use this to jumpstart Fulminant’s powers.> She then let the three specific fingers touch together to hear and feel the electricity crackle and course through her fingers.

<Only on anyone that gives you trouble… anyone but him. Do you understand?> Lifeward was dead serious.

“Copy that.” And then she was running down the corridor, towards the guards

Her entrance was heard in the dark, and yet before the beam of light could be aimed down the corridor, she’d already disappeared through the other wall.

“What was that?!” The guard with the flashlight waved it around, looking for clues to the passing shadow.

“What did you see?” the guard behind asked.

And then, as one of the guards stepped forward to check, a figure emerged from the wall, tackling the man against the opposite surface. The two disappeared as though through a hole. There was a scream, suddenly cut off… but by the time the light swept around, there was just the wall.

The man was dragged through the dark void into the other side. This should’ve gotten them into Cellblock 3, inside one of the cells that had been, mercifully, closed at the time. His attacker slammed him against the bars of the cell and, by the time he recovered, she was already leaping up on the bed and scurrying her way through the corner of the ceiling.

“Where did he go!?” the guard with the flashlight, back in the corridor, demanded, now finding himself in panic at the realization of an attack. “Did the nullifying collars malfunction on one of the mutants?-”

That was as far as he got before a figure emerged from above, meeting his shoulders feet first and driving him down to the ground.

“What is that!?” said the third guard in place as the flashlight rolled around to reveal a partial outline of a figure reaching out to place three fingers against his thigh.

The result was an instant electrical discharge that had the guy’s body convulse and sap the strength of him, letting him collapse to the ground unconscious.

“Wow… these things are fun,” Obscura mused as she pinched the neck of the guard she’d landed on to knock him out as well.

With a grin, she picked up the flashlight and turned it off before resuming her sprint down the corridor. She sidestepped her way through the wall as she spotted guards on the move in her direction as well as emergency lights illuminating patches of hallway. It would be a ziggy-zaggy way, but she should still make it.

She just hoped that the Techno Revenant, Seth (as per Cole’s comment), would hold on. Especially as she noticed the guards were fighting with the inmates from Cellblock 3. Had the Coyotes broken out of their block?

“Better hurry,” Raffina said to herself. She ran to the side to avoid the conflict.

Sunday, January 30th - 6:36pm
The Stonewall. Building A - Cellblock 2

In the dark, the inmates of Cellblock 2 were getting rowdy. The fact that they were among the better behaved groups didn’t mean that they weren’t conniving enough to not recognize an opportunity–or desperate enough to consider seizing it. 

A couple of minutes later, one of the guards showed up with an electric lantern, bright enough to provide some light and keep the prisoners from knowing what a person was from a second floor handrail.

That was enough to spur some to action. Groups formed themselves around the doors to the corridors, looking to pick the lock with pieces of wire or paperclips they happened to find. Others were of a more overt style, smashing the locks with pieces of metal and rocks they’d pocketed from the outside. This did not go unnoticed by the guards at the doors, who had been waiting with their handguns raised ever since the lights went out.

“Hey! Hey! What are you doing?!” they called, threatening the inmates with their weapons but not daring to fire. Instead, they were constantly looking down the corridors, as though the enemies would soon come in pouring at them. And considering the ruckus that could be heard in between each breath, that might well soon be the case.

“I’m warning you,” the other guard said. A beat later, he fired a warning shot at the ceiling. Many of the inmates ducked from the debris, but they weren’t deterred. They still kept on working. This could be their chance. They might be able to make it out! So they would think. All the while, Nico wondered if that was even possible, if they could just run through the front gate of the compound as these guys seemed to think…

“Cooperate and we will refrain from using lethal force!”

“How about you cooperate, give us the guns and we won’t hurt you?” one of the inmates from the side of the door offered.

“Why you…” The guard growled, pointing the gun as though he was about to pull the trigger. But he didn’t. He just held it, his grip shaky under the lantern lights as he knew that in this situation, every bullet he had left on him was precious.

There was a silence that lasted a second too long, interrupted when eyes and flashlights turned down the corridor. They had to back away–run away, even–as a group of inmates passed by.

“We’re taking over the prison!” one of them announced in a euphoric frenzy before wrenching open the door to Cellblock 2. A great flow of people coursed through, running to the left and hot on the heels of the two guards, to where the office area and the yard were located.

Nico went with the flow, at least as far as the door, before stepping to the side. As much as he was tempted to join the mob, he turned the other way down the corridor, on the path to one of the interconnecting hallways that would get him to Cellblock 1.

Around the corner, Nico came across other inmates trying to break into a supply closet in which two of the guards appeared to have holed themselves up. One of them pointed at a stolen flashlight his way. “Who the fuck is there?!”

“I’m not a guard!“ Nico arched his steps to keep his distance. His words and his own prison jumpsuit were enough to get him a pass, and they kept at the door, slamming it with their shoulders.

“You wanna help? We have some guards cornered. We plan to take them out and steal their uniforms and keys,” explained the big guy trying to force his way through the gate. 

“Maybe escaping would be the better option,” Nico answered, looking behind him to see more people going with the flow.

“I’ve been telling you that,” another of the guys next to the door added. “The keys aren’t worth anything if the guards break the armory or if the cavalry get here first!”

“I know but… but…” the big guy tried to object.

“We have to get going.”

“Where are you from?” Nico asked, not really having the time to hear out their conversation. “What cellblock?”

“Uh? We’re from Cellblock 1.”

“So you got out as well?” Nico said.

“Yeah, some guy there was really good at lockpicking.”

“Did you happen to see people from the Coyotes run past?”

“Yeah, some guy and two thugs did.”

Nico’s feet began to pick up the pace. “Was the guy tiny, thin and very wrinkly?”

“Yeah.”

“Shit!” was all Nico had time to say before breaking out into a hasty sprint down the corridor.

Strides later, he was at the Cellblock 1 entrance, from which the last remaining inmates trickled through. They were all turning right towards the yard, presumably to try their luck there rather than take the annex to the reception building. Finding their way through the dark was a tricky business on its own, but the noise and their own voices announcing their passing made it easier for someone to navigate their way through.

Nico made it to his destination, emerging into the second level walkway just in time to pick up Rodrigo’s mocking voice. “…That’s a technicality. You were asked to deliver something for us, and you didn’t.” Without losing any time, he ran to the side to find the stairs winding down to the same level. In the darkness of what was going on, the emergency lights appeared oddly weaker, but still bright enough to indirectly see something. “Not just that, but you also ditched us for the enemy. If that’s not betrayal, I don’t know what that is.” His words were punctuated by the sound of hollow metal striking the bars. 

“I did nothing of the sort.” Seth’s voice sounded labored, but that still meant he was alive.

“Doesn’t matter. That’s not what our boss believes.” 

When Nico made it to ground level, he saw Seth being held to the wall by the two men, while Rodrigo rested his hand on the broken pipe he planned to use to kneecap the old man. There were other prisoners around, but they opted to remain and lock themselves in their cells in the hopes of getting good conduct recognition. So it was just the four of them and Nico as his feet touched down at ground level.

One of the thugs noticed him, and the light was low enough to prompt Rodrigo to turn around.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?” Rodrigo warned.

“Leave Seth alone. I was the one who pushed your guy and started things in the cafeteria.”

“Ah, Nico! So that was you, huh? I always knew I should’ve kept an eye on you… Well, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, this man here set us up.” Rodrigo raised the pipe to point. “Or did you come here to rescue your friend? You know, maybe that’s what I’ll tell Carlos. If you play your cards right, I can leave out your part in the incident. God knows he’s not happy about it and wants someone to pay.” To punctuate this, the man swung the pipe into Seth’s leg. The old man groaned and grunted to stifle a scream.

“Stop it!” was what Nico wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut and instead took a sidestep out of the faint, indirect light. Then he hurled himself at Rodrigo.

The Coyote’s lieutenant swung the pipe at Nico, only to miss as the younger inmate ducked under in a sprint, aiming and succeeding at tackling the man to the ground. The two of them went down in a mad scramble to find out what was what in the darkness.

“He has a weapon. He has a weapon,” was the main thought in Nico’s mind as he desperately sought to find Rodrigo’s arm or shoulder. And the moment he did, he realized it was moving itself for a back swing. It hit him on the shoulder before bouncing off to the side of his head. It was painful, and dizzying, but Nico still powered through. The man’s hit hurt, but it lacked the strength to do serious damage. Instead, he used the opportunity to capture the hand with the weapon as his own fist swung down to force a connection upside Rodrigo’s head.

God, that felt good. After how the guy had been an overall prick and yard bully, Nico couldn’t help but indulge, driving another fist into that ugly face. And yet that was when he missed in the dark, painfully scraping knuckles on the concrete. The tables were turned as one of the thugs put his hands on Nico’s shoulder and tossed him aside.

“Puta mierda! You hit me!” Rodrigo spat as he scrambled back up on his feet, wobbling as he ran fingers over his face.

“You okay, boss?”

“Where’s my shiv?! Fuck! My nose is bleeding.”

Judging by the stinging feeling on the side of his head, Nico was sure that he also had an open wound. Still, he slowly got up and raised his fist to prepare for the first real fight of his life. And as one of the thugs stepped into the fray, his outline immense in the dark, he felt himself falter. What have I gotten myself into… he thought to himself, but there was no way to back down now.

“(Get him! He’ll just be another casualty tonight.)” Rodrigo ordered, even though his men were already on it. The first goon shoved Nico to the side before he could think of running, just for the other guy to drive a fist into his face and send him down. “(Was that all the bite you had? Wait! Wait! Make him watch as I kill the old man!)”

Nico struggled, but the two men were stronger and had a better grip of his body, clasping his arms and shoulders to keep him on his knees, having him pointed at the scene. Seth, leaning back against the bars of one of the cells while Rodrigo positioned himself to swing the bat. He trusted that the man’s bad leg would keep him from moving too quick.

“(You coward!)” Nico spat. “(He… he’s Syndicate!)”

“(What?)” Rodrigo said, pausing for a moment.

“(He… he’s with the Syndicate. They’re coming here to rescue him.)” Nico blurted out. By now, he had to fully believe that his dream had been true and that all this was connected!

“(What are you talking about?)” Rodrigo snorted,

“(A-All this. The blackout! It’s their doing. A-And if you kill Seth, they will come after you! And not to free you!”).

“(What would they want with a powerless old man?)” Rodrigo snorted.

“(I… I…)” Nico mumbled. “(Because he’s a villain.)”

Silence lingered for a moment as Rodrigo paced around, facing Nico before turning towards Seth, like he was actually able to see in the dark. It was about that time that Nico spotted something: a figure emerging from the second walkway, climbing on the handrail.

“(You’re bluffing)” Rodrigo finally decreed. “(And it’s a bad bluff at that.)”

“No!” Nico said as the group’s leader took a step back for the next swing.

In that small moment of distraction, the figure on the handrails disappeared into the darkness, only to re-emerge right above Seth, leap down, bounce off the wall and then drive her feet into Rodrigo's face and shoulder. The two hit the floor, but it was the stranger who immediately got up and assumed a low fighting stance within the glooming darkness.

The assailant stood much shorter than the two thugs and was far slimmer than any of the men present. The subtle curve of her outfit and the long queue of hair made it clear that this was a girl. And if that didn’t make her out of place within the walls of the prison, she also balanced on the balls of her feet with a tail slithering in the air behind her. With a twitch, the long appendage grew a sickle-curvespike at the end. She wasn’t human…

“Obscura?” Nico said, loud enough for the assailant’s eyes to glow in his direction.

“What the fuck…” Rodrigo stammered as he tried to get back up, only to scream at the sight of his attacker. “El diablo! Get it! Get it!” he cried out.

The men hesitated.

“I’ll get you everything you want if you take it down!” Rodrgio snapped. The promise was enough to get them to act, throwing Nico aside before charging the assailant.

With arms outstretched, one went for the grab while the other swung a fist. They were hoping that overpowering her would be an easy feat. And yet, no one in the room expected her to just weave herself around the attacks, sidestepping back from the first swing with ease before ducking under the grab and delivering what Nico assumed was a punch. Their steps drifted off into the darker spaces. It was too dark to tell what was going on for anyone of those present and yet, judging by deep grunts that corresponded to the clear punches being traded, Obscura clearly had the advantage.

“Obscura… Oscura,” (Dark) Nico realized what this girl was all about.

After more punches were thrown, it was, surprisingly, one of Rodrigo’s men who stumbled back into the more ‘visible’ space. As he staggered, he hit and toppled one of the tables. Obscura emerged from the shadows with bounding strides, touching the man with a single hand. And then the characteristic crackling of a taser filled the air as the man grunted and squirmed where he lay.

His buddy wasn’t far behind, trying to take advantage of Obscura’s distraction. He emerged screaming from the shadows, ready to bring his fist down against her–only for her to turn around and drive her palm up into his chest. The end result was the same; the scream became a shaky grunt as his stiff body spasmed before falling down.

Rodrigo stared blankly. The assailant had managed to take down his thugs so easily and now, she was coming after him, taking calmed and relaxed steps as she dusted off her hands.

“Seth Millar?” she said in a clear girl’s voice, which cemented her identity to Nico.

“I’m here.” Seth pushed himself up. His leg was weak enough threatening to fall after the first two attempts.

“I have a delivery for you.” Obscura’s eyes glowed as they settled upon Rodrigo.

“Listen… Listen. I don’t know who you are, b–” Rodrigo began. He tried backing away, only to hit the concrete wall just as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t have time for this.” The tasing sound was heard as an electric current surged through his body. His words devolved into a gurgled mess before he collapsed, passed out. Her gaze then turned towards Nico.

“You don’t need to harm him,” Seth said as she walked towards him. The faint light of the space revealed just enough for Nico to see her dark skin and pointed ears. It made her look like some sort of imp or shadow demon.

“Oh, I wouldn’t think of it,” Obscura said, extending a helping hand. “Thanks for keeping Seth alive. I’m Obscura, by the way.” That was addressed mostly to Seth.

With some trepidation at the dark figure before him, Nico still accepted the hand, finding himself pulled back up. The girl, despite her thin frame, was deceptively strong. 

“I thought Cole was going to come to pick me up,” Seth noted. “But I guess it wasn’t part of the plan to get the warden to lock everyone down in their blocks.”

“I know. After this, I have to fetch him. Did they hurt you badly? Can you still walk?” Obscura said as she guided Seth to the table nearby.

“Old injury flaring up. Getting hit by a metal pipe didn’t help.” 

“This’ll be more complicated than I thought if you’re going to have trouble walking,” Obscura said.

“Maybe this will help,” Nico said, offering Rodrigo’s steel pipe as a cane.

“Better than nothing,” Seth said, tapping the thing on the floor, testing leaning his weight on it. “Horrible, but it’s not like I have any other options.”

“Good,” Obscura noted, though her doubtful tone echoed Nico’s concern about him being unable to move as fast. “Anyway, I was told to come here and give you something.” She reached into a bag strapped to her belt and spilled the contents onto the table. Nico and Seth just heard the sound.

“Um…” Nico said.

“Oh, right.” Obscura placed something on his hand. It was cylindrical and metallic, with a button on the side. A flashlight. “I took it from one of the guards. Don’t point it at me, okay?”

“Okay,” Nico said as he turned on the light. With what they’d been going through for the past whatever the time, felt like hours, this was a refreshing change.

Casting the light on the table revealed the dropped items: smooth coppery pieces of tech of different sizes and forms, with sections that appeared to fit together.

“Modular pieces?” Seth said as he stepped up to the table.

“Yeah, you know how to use them, right?” Obscura said.

“Of course, I do.” The old man picked up each of the pieces for a quick cursory inspection, noting where they popped open, split, twisted, or bent. Nico couldn’t make heads or tails of what they were. “Yes, these’ll do.” And with that, he stopped inspecting and began to fit the pieces together like someone assembling a handgun.

“Glad to hear,” Obscura said before looking at Nico. “So, how about you? Did you decide to join the effort?”

“I…” Nico stammered. What were his options? To live in a prison and emerge as a poor old man? Or to join a life of dangers and crimes, risking going back forever? “Yeah, I’m in. Er, I’m joining the effort, as you say.”

“Good then…” Obscura paused for a moment before nodding. Nico guessed she was listening to someone in her ear. Then she addressed him in a more formal manner. “Do you understand that I represent the Syndicate? And that our intentions are to prioritize the rescue of Seth Millar?”

“Um… yeah.”

“Do you swear to ensure his safety, even above yours, understanding that failure may be interpreted as betrayal out of malice or cowardice? Which carries the chance of punishment from the organization?”

“I…I do.” Nico was starting to feel intimidated.

“That’s good enough to me,” Obscura said, taking a moment to mumble. “Do you have to make this so formal? I know about protocol and covering your bases… but still, it sounds uncool.”

Nico chuckled. Obscura really was a teenager.

“It is hard to believe the Syndicate employs agents this young,” Seth noted as he inserted one piece into another, hearing them click before sliding another piece on top until the safety locked it into place. A couple moves later and he was done. The old man hefted and held the combination of all the pieces with all the care one would for a gun… because it was one, in a sense. It was definitely more advanced than the classic handgun, with a slightly thicker barrel and a chamber at the back that lit up the moment the last piece was inserted.

“There we go,” Seth said, as he turned the weapon around, inspecting it from all sides. The trigger was wide and split and, upon pulling the lower one, a crackling sound echoed as electricity coursed between the two points at the end of the muzzle with a flashing crackle. “Obscura, you’ve been through the prison, yes? Do you happen to have the keys?”

“I do.” Obscura reached into her pockets to produce a small keyring. “I took these from some guards hiding in a closet.”

“Good.” Seth took a moment to inspect each of the keys under the light. Fortunately, each was marked with the name of the door they opened.

“You won’t need it, right?” Nico asked.

“I don’t need keys… but I do need to be on my way and get Cole out of his cell. But… before I leave…” Obscura reached into her pocket and placed two things on the table. At first glance, they looked like pieces of ceramic, one long and slightly curved, and the other curled. “These are enchanted communicators.”

“Enchanted?” Nico said.

“You put the curly one in your ear to hear, the long one in your coat to speak to.”

“I see,” Seth said, heeding the instructions and putting them on only to blink in surprise. “Huh… I hear you… Lifeward, is it?”

“Oh my god, what have I got myself into…” Nico thought, and yet felt happy butterflies in his stomach at the idea of breaking free from this place.

“I’ll be on my way,” Obscura said. “We’ll meet up later by the courtyard’s west wall for the extraction. So stay safe until then.” She walked into a corner of the cell block and disappeared.

“Okay… we’re on our own,” Nico muttered as he carefully sidestepped a knocked-out Rodrigo. Seeing the gangster down there under the light of the flashlight made him want to give him a kick or another punch… but that might wake the man up… and speaking of which, how long would the Coyote trio remain down?

“Should we be getting out of here?” Nico asked Seth as the old man tested his steps with the pipe cane.

“Yes, yes, we should.” Seth held out his hand, flipping the gun around to present it to Nico.

“What?” he blurted out.

“I hate to ask this of you,” Seth said. “But with my leg as it is, I have to rely on the cane. Between this and the keys, I have no other hands to use.”

“I see…” Definitely it would be awkward to do anything with both hands busy… not to mention the old man didn’t appear to have the most stable of stances. So that meant he would be the one in charge of the weapon and light.

Guess I did swear on his safety, Nico reasoned as he picked up the weapon, feeling the weight.

“The lower trigger is a taser, the upper one fires an electro-bolt that should incapacitate any man we run into.”

“Incapacitate, right?” Nico said.

“Yes, incapacitate,” Seth repeated, tapping the back of the weapon where a bright blue bar was on display. “Be mindful of the energy cell’s remaining power. The shot will take a lot, so use it conservatively. I would suggest using the taser if and when possible.”

“I’ll try.” Nico was not thrilled by the idea of getting up close and personal with anyone. But they needed to get going.

“Let’s be off, then…” Seth was already moving forward.

“Wait… that’s not the way to the courtyard,” Nico stammered as he followed, lighting the way with the electrogun at hand. Fortunately, with all that happened, the inmates left in Cell Block 1 were even less inclined to get involved. “We have to go the other way.”

“I know. But I have to get back one of my personal belongings,” Seth said, using the keys to open the doors in the western side of the building, pushing it open with his door, waiting for Nico to take point.

“What are you after?”

“Something important…” Seth said. “I can’t leave without it.”

Nico hesitated but took a deep breath to strengthen his resolve. “Okay… Okay,” he said, stepping through the corridor, holding the flashlight and electrogun at the ready to point the weapon at any sign of trouble. It didn’t help that gunshots rang out in the far off distance.

“It’ll be a small detour,” Seth said walking behind. “Just keep straight till we get to the annex…”

“I still remember where the deposit is,” Nico assured, pointing the flashlight forward.

“Hm…” Seth said, his voice low enough to not interrupt Nico’s focus. “I’m honestly surprised to know that you were already involved with the Syndicate.”

“Obscura happened to pop into my cell yesterday, and she asked me for directions,” Nico said. “Told me she was here for three people: Stones, Fulminant and Techno Revenant.”

“Techno Revenant…” Seth spat. “If I hadn’t needed to come up with a name on the spot, I would’ve thought of something better… So you knew? You came back because you knew I was a criminal and could be used as your ticket out?”

“No… I mean, I wasn’t sure you were Techno Revenant. I suspected it, but wasn’t exactly sure. I mean. I wasn’t even thinking about escaping. I was too scared to take her offer then and there.”

“I see,” Seth said as they carried on through the hallway, reaching the annex. “Why?”

“Well… I was scared of being labeled a criminal, practically chose to stay behind hoping things would turn out better.” Nico took a moment to look down different hallways before picking a path, turning off the flashlight as they spotted the light from emergency lights. The sounds of men appeared to become more prevalent, running around in the distance. 

“Things don’t just turn out better because you hope…” Seth whispered. “And, for what it’s worth, I was worried I was going to be leaving you behind.”

Nico blinked. “You were?” 

“Of course. You’re not a criminal, just someone who got the bad end of the stick. You don't deserve to be here,” Seth said.

“Don’t think I ever told what I was in here for,” Nico said.

“You didn’t need to. It just showed.” Seth paused and reached into his pocket for the enchanted ceramic piece. “One moment. Lifeward is asking to speak with me. Don’t mind me.”

Sunday, January 30th - 7:06pm
Syndicate Operation shack

“Talk to me, Seth,” Lifeward said to the floating orb through which all the enchanted pieces were connected. Right now, one side of its surface glowed with particular markings, signaling the number ‘3’ so as to single out the ‘frequency.’ “How far have you gotten? Are you close to the west wall?”

<Not exactly?> Seth Millar’s voice came through. <We’re actually in the main office building.>

“In the… main office building?” Lifeward repeatedly, perplexed. Her hands went over to the holographic display, moving over the snapshots taken from the compound. “You’re way off course.”

Before she could ask, Seth explained. <There is something I need to recover from among my personal belongings. Cole promised that he would help me get it. That is, before the warden instituted the lockdown.>

“Cole promised? Is it something important?” Lifeward said, her voice restraining her concern. “Be mindful that you’re taking a risk by doing this. And not just on yourself.”

<I know…> Seth said. <But this is something of importance to me. Would you trust me when I say this, Lifeward?>

“I…” Lifeward began but sighed. “Alright… I just hope that you know that you know what you’re doing.”

<Good… because among the personal belongings is also the concealed microchip that would grant me access to the money I stole from Trireme.>

“Just be careful on your quest.” Lifeward moved to bring in the controllers of the stealth drone she’d been using to survey the premises. “Unfortunately, I can’t help you on this matter. All I can do is relay the orders to Cole and have him hold up his end of the promise and catch up to you.”

<Much appreciated,> Seth said amicably, pausing for a moment before whispering some instructions to his assistant, Nico.

“Any problems with the guards?” Lifeward asked as soon as she felt Seth’s attention back on her.

<No, we just heard one yelling orders at another… They appear to have broken out the armory.>

“Makes sense,” Lifeward said as she managed the drone controls to have it fly lower. She had to be wary of the lights of the flashlights and the occasional muzzle flashes. “There is a conflict going on in the yard. Long story short, the Coyotes managed to smuggle in rope and makeshift hooks and are using them to climb the northern wall. The guards are trying to interfere but are finding themselves stymied by suppressive fire from the stolen rifles Other inmates are wanting to escape as well, which is complicating matters for everyone.”

<But not so much for us, if that keeps them busy,> Seth said. <Is that all the guards?>

“I don’t have an exact number inbound, but I would estimate that the bulk of them are either trying to foil the escape or at the front gate to make sure no one makes it out that way.”

<What about reinforcements?>

“Already taken care of; sabotaged the roads so they would be delayed. But even then, that can’t have bought us more than half an hour.”

<Noted,> Seth said.

“I’ll check on Obscura. For the time being, you two be safe.”

<Will do,> Seth said, his voice fading off as Lifeward’s hand passed by the orb. The magic shifted the luminous inscriptions on its surface, altering the stylized ‘3’ to a ‘1’.

“Obscura?” She was able to hear from the girl’s breathing that she was on the move. “Where are you?”

<I… I’m on my way,> the girl answered. <It’s quite a trek to Cell Block 4, you know?>

“Are you feeling tired?”

<Me? No no no. I can do this all day.> The girl hardly sounded sincere… but then again, when did she ever?

“Pace yourself.”

<Aren’t we running against the clock?>

“Yes, we are. But if you burn out, then we’ll fail regardless,” Lifeward said. “You do have one of our ‘mana’ potions to recover if you need it.”

<Okay, okay.> Obscura took a deep breath as she steadied herself.

“Be careful,” she warned before checking down the time on her work phone: 7:12. “Listen, Obscura.” She tapped the ‘recall’ button on the drone’s controller before getting up and grabbing the enchanted communications orb. Then she turned off the holographic display and instead brought a small laptop with her. “I am en route to the pick-up location.”

Sunday, January 30th - 7:16pm
Building A - Rooftops

<I am en route to the pick-up location.> Lifeward’s voice rang in her ear. <In the meantime, I’ll leave you be. Proceed at your own discretion.>

“I can do that,” Obscura noted.

<Do tell Cole that Seth and Nico have left for the personal item deposit.>

“Wait, what?”

<Yeah, they need to pick up something. Let Cole know that he has to catch up to them as soon as you get them out.>

“Sure. I can do that,” Obscura said as the extra layer of sound within her ear disappeared. She took this as an opportunity to catch her breath under the cloudy night sky. She thought it would be better to get to the roof and cover the rest of the trek to Cell Block 4 rather than continuing to jump through cells and avoid the passing prisoners.

She leaned over the side of the building to look at the yard, where a battle had broken out in the north side. One of the gangs was busy throwing hooks over the wall while trying to use suppressive fire to deal with the guards as they tried to foil the attempt. In between the bangs, she could hear a big man yelling orders to the rest, sending some of the men running away from the crowd in different directions. There was a plan at play, one that she hoped to avoid for the time being. “Things are heating up down there.”

Losing no time, as she recovered her breath, she resumed her path into Cell Block 4, where Cole and Stones waited for her to get them out. And something told her that it wouldn’t be as easy, as her ears could pick up the sounds of chaos coming from the space below.

Her foot traced along the solid concrete surface, creating a gash of darkness she jumped into. A quick cross through the dark dimension had her emerge on the other side, landing on a steel beam from which the lights hung, leaving her overlooking the three levels that comprised the cellblock and a full view of the chaos that ensued.

Below the fading emergency lights, all she could see was a pile of writhing figures going at one another, throwing punches and screams to claim supremacy. Large people of dark and light skin tones faced each other in a free-for-all death match confined within the parameters of the space. She saw men with the physique of bodybuilders throwing smaller ones around the crowd, while a team toppled another down with a cell door that had been knocked off its hinges.

“Geez…” Obscura mumbled, keeping herself close to the beam to get a better look. She couldn’t see Cole at this distance in the chaos. From what she heard, he would probably be on the second floor–but even then, trying to get any closer was a risky maneuver just because of the sheer density of people. A girl like her would find herself easily crushed in the crowd.

“If that’s the problem then…” Obscura said. She hung herself upside down, with her feet gripping and unsheathed sickle blade coiled around the beam. “Then I should at least try to ease the pressure.” She loaded a mini explosive in her wrist-mounted gadget.

With one eye closed, she lined up her sights, aiming for one of the exit doors along the base level. The large set of double doors had remained locked and sealed throughout the entire conflict. There were a couple of dents from attempts, but with everyone deeply stewed into conflict, no progress had been made. That was where she came in. Pulling the hidden trigger within the Silent Fox glove, she sent the pellet on its way.

The sound of the shot was too slight to be noticed. The explosion wasn’t.. It hit hard and loud, like a firework, and it demanded the attention of those nearby– those who weren't blown back by the shockwave. The sight of the door with its now-blackened lock ajar spelled out fortuitous freedom. The inmates didn’t even question it as they began to pour through it, though they never stopped fighting.

“Man, I love these gadgets.” Obscura pulled herself back up and sat on the beam as she observed the results down below. “That should take some of the pressure off.”

Those that wanted nothing to do with the apparent race war were among the first to scamper out. Then came those that wanted to carry on with the fight outside. That just left those too lost in the fight to care… them, and the people that had already been, hopefully, knocked out.

And then, she spotted Cole and Stones, in a fight down at the bottom level against a Nazi bodybuilder who looked like he should be able to crush skulls barehanded. And yet, try as the bastard might, he couldn’t land a hit on the Syndicate infiltrator. He might throw a haymaker, only to get punished with a backhanded strike or a kick to drive him further into anger.

‘Anger makes you sloppy,’ Obscura mused, reciting her instructor’s lesson as she saw it in practice. The moment the buff Nazi gave him the opening, Cole stepped forward and drove a fist right into the stomach in the blink of an eye, forcing the man’s head forward. In the next moment, another hand swerved in to strike the side of the Nazi’s neck before an open palm to the solar plexus sent him staggering back and tripping on one of the fallen combatants.

With the nearby enemies dealt with, that gave the two men space to catch their breath. Stones rested his hands on his knees while Cole looked upward in Obscura’s direction.

“That’s my cue,” she mused as she leapt off the beam. She touched the third level’s handrail before spinning and sliding off to the side, scaling her way down until she reached the floor–much to the surprise of the inmates who happened to spot her.

Not that she cared. She touched down with a graceful landing, startling Stones.

“What the…” He assumed a fighting stance until he actually saw Obscura’s outline under the faint emergency light. “W-what’s a girl doing here?”

“Easy, Luther,” Cole said. “She’s our ticket out.”

“But she’s just a girl,” Stones said in disbelief.

“Just a girl?” Obscura said, making offended noises as she moved her way into the empty cell. “I am the way out.”

“Obscura is one of my students.” Cole said, gesturing at Stones to follow. “Have any trouble on the way here?”

“Not really. This has all been just one big obstacle course for me.” Obscura let a tinge of sarcasm through as she pressed her hands against the wall. From that point of contact, the darkness flowed through to cover the surface. “After you, gentlemen.”

“Walk through,” Cole told Stones. “Unless you prefer to fight our way out the other way.”

Stones glanced back over his shoulder at the rest of Cell Block 4–in particular, the exit hallway where the fight was still going, clogging the space.

Cole smirked. “Either is fine by me.”

“You Syndicate guys are certainly something else.”

“I’m technically an intern,” Obscura quipped as Stones slipped through the portal over to the other side.

Cole followed and Obscura sealed the portal by slipping through, before one of the men from the Black Fist gang could get any closer.

The three emerged out into a corridor, removed from all the fighting that was going on. Stones had the look of someone who’d just found hope in the most surprising of places. “I can’t believe it…”

“What did I tell you?” Cole said, patting the man’s shoulder. “I did say I would get you free from this.”

“I didn’t believe you… within reason,” Stones scoffed. “I mean, what Syndicate operative would plan an escape from within the prison? That made no sense.”

“You trusted me in the end,” Cole said.

“Well. When I fought you that day, I just had the feeling that you weren’t a normal inmate.”

“Alright, alright. We get it. We all know how to fight,” Obscura interrupted. “What do we do now? Lifeward said she’s on her way and that the prison reinforcements are, too.”

“We go after the other two fellow rescuees.”

“Let’s go get them,” Stones said with eager team spirit. “Who are we going after?”

“Fulminant in Building B,” Obscura said, pointing west. “And Seth who went after something at the Personal Item Deposit.”

“Seth? The old man?” Stones said.

“The deposit?” Cole sighed. “Right… he wanted to get something and I promised to help him. But the place must be crawling with guards now.”

“Really? Because they appeared entertained with the wall up north.”

“Even then, the guards would probably use the space to set up a defense,” Cole said. For some reason, in the low light, Obscura could see an odd look of concern in her trainer’s eyes. “That would mean a lot of light for you to infiltrate covertly.”

“I’ve dealt under the light before. No big deal,” Obscura half-lied.

“By this point, they would be more willing to use lethal force than before…” Cole thought for a moment, pressed under the time, he made a decision. “Alright. Obscura, take Stones over to the wall for the extraction.”

“What about Fulminant?”

“I’ll get him later,” Cole decided.

“You’re planning to get them both? Go from one side and then run on to the other? Seth had a bad leg when I left him, and even with the help he already has, I don’t think you can get them both before the reinforcements arrive,” Obscura objected. Why was he hesitating? The option was quite clear for her. “I could go back and fetch Seth?”

“I’m not putting you in the line of rabid guards, Obscura.”

“Then I'm off to grab Fulminant from Building B.”

“No,” Cole cut in immediately.

“You have to let me help. We can get this done faster!” Obscura ushered, already taking three steps towards the west. “I’m quite sure that’s what Lifeward would say.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone…”

“Maybe I could go along with her,” Stones chimed in.

Cole hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Fine. Go get Fulminant, and then meet us at the agreed extraction point. I’ll try to get there as fast as I can.”

“Great!” Obscura took a couple of steps away,and peered around the corner to make sure the coast was clear.

“Remember what I told you,” Cole told Stones. “Don’t leave her side.”

“I’ll protect her like I would my own daughter,” Stones agreed with a firm hand.

Cole only nodded before turning around and sprinting down the opposite direction.

“Hey! Stones, right? We should hurry.” Obscura was already creating a black gap in the concrete wall.

“Coming!” Stones said, preparing himself for a fight.

Sunday, January 30th - 7:24pm
Administrative Building

Nico and Seth carried on through the hallways as fast as they could while also trying to be as covert as possible. This was something that was much easier said than done. There were no places to hide and the floor lacked a carpet to muffle the sound of Seth’s pipe cane. Every step on the way, it made a distinctive tap or a soft screech as they moved. Of course, the old man didn’t appear concerned enough to call off the quest.

So they carried on as best as they could. Nico’s finger sat on the trigger, prepared for whatever might happen. Even then, he knew that all it would take was for one man to sound the alarm and the guards would be on them in a heartbeat. They could hear the guards running around up and down, yelling orders to one another.

“The prisoners are trying to escape!”

“Where are the reinforcements!?”

“Call again!”

“I can’t hear anything. Signal is being blocked.”

“By who?!”

It was all chaos and it always felt both close and far.

“How’s your leg, Seth?” Nico asked in a whisper.

“Still hurts like hell,” the old man answered. He put the cane under his arm while he used the wall to lean against. It was a much quieter approach, especially as they reached a corridor where the lights danced around. “There’s three people around the corner.”

“I know…” Nico said as he stood at the edge of the corner. “Let’s wait.” He decided against running, while his hand was prepared to pull whichever trigger was needed… although at this rate, he would end up pulling both long and short range weapons.

Seth didn’t answer, and instead rested against the wall. A gamble felt overly risky as they heard guards running back down the way they’d come as they tried to find a way around and take control of the yard. Fortunately, the men missed the two wayward inmates by a turn of the corner. So the decision turned out to be sound.

“What are you doing here?” the voice of Warden Smith was clear to pick up within the crowd. “This is an emergency situation and you’re all loitering in place. Go up to the wall and open fire over the prisoners’ heads until they get the hint!” In that moment, the lights which drifted around the other corridor disappeared from Nico’s view as they turned towards the Man in Charge.

“Let’s go,” Nico whispered, moving back to put Seth’s arm over his shoulder and help him limp across.

He held his breath all the way through. Being quick and quiet, he didn’t bother to look down the corridor, awaiting the moment someone would call them out or for the warden to stop talking. Fortunately, nothing happened and the conversation carried on uninterrupted.

“… go make yourself useful. You, Hoskins! Go down to help the others fix the generator! Davies! Go and check the gate to the compound, reinforcements should be on their way. They must be. Rollins! You keep on patrolling the area and yard.”

“Yes, sir!” All the men barked back, though the replies grew much more distant as Seth and Nico hastily made their way out and turned towards the right, following the mental map.

“We should be close by,” Seth noted.

“I think I used all the good luck I’ve got on me, if not in my life there,” Nico mumbled as they stopped before a closed door. Briefly flashing their light over the tag revealed their destination: ‘Prisoner belongings’.

“There is no such thing as luck. Just plans that didn’t pan out.” Seth used the pilfered keys Obscura left them to open the door. They rushed in and hastily closed the door behind them.

Once alone, the flashlight shone around to reveal two long hallways of shelves, each stacked with baskets containing a prisoner’s belongings stuffed into plastic bags. The problem was that none of the baskets had a tag or ID they could catch at first glance.

“This prison really sucks,” Nick mumbled, feeling the pressure of time on his shoulders.

“Let us begin our search…” Seth was already moving alongside each of the shelves, tipping over baskets to inspect the contents.

Sunday, January 30th - 7:35pm
Building B

“Where are they? Where are they?” Fulminant growled as he paced around the confines of his concrete room. His fists were ready to hit the wall again, despite that not having worked thus far, and he was feeling hungry in more ways than one. Oh, how he wished he could just stick a finger in a light socket and then raze this place to the ground. Crack the concrete walls with a single punch and then stomp the Warden under his heel.

“Come on, come on… why are they making me wait? Am I not the VIP?” he grumbled. Something had definitely happened. The lights around had suddenly gone dark, forcing the emergency lights to step up and cast weak illumination. Some places were lost to pitch darkness.

With a frustrated huff, he rested against the wall with his eyes looking out the small window into the hallway of doors. “That cutie said they would be here… has it been enough time yet?”

And yet, just as his head touched the wall, he jumped back up and moved to the cell’s small window. His ears had caught something: The footfalls of two people stepping down into the building’s basement. One of them was much like most of the gang members in the prison, buff from having nothing better to do than work out, and yet that paled when compared with the one next to him. That one stood at least six foot four, with clearly defined muscles that bordered on the obscene. And as he stepped under the emergency lights, his gray stonelike skin was revealed. That had to be one of the special inmates from the first floor. The ones whose GSD couldn’t be turned off by an inhibitor collar.

The two figures quickly made their way over to a few select doors. They must have known exactly where to go and were using stolen keys, to judge by the jangling of the keyring, to open the doors. There was a quick mumble before the released prisoners were directed upstairs. No doubt this was some gang rescuing their own: Coyotes, as was confirmed right after as the smaller man stepped under the weak lights near Fulminant’s door.

“Alright everybody!” the smaller man said in a latino accent. “We bring news from the outside world, as well as a special offer for everyone involved! There’s a blackout going on, we’re fighting the guards to escape, and we’re looking for extra muscle to help us do it. If you become honorary members and help us, we’ll allow you through. Any takers?”

That got a good number of people raising their voices. “Yes! Me! Get me out! I’m game! Just get me out of this prison!” And among those voices was Fulminant’s. Whether this was part of Obscura’s plan or not, he would be a fool to not take it!

Due to proximity, the large man with stone skin approached Fullminant's door first, his hand sifting through the keys in the ring. The anticipation made the supervillain metaphorically salivate. But then the smaller guy put his hand on his partner’s wrist before he could use the key. “Woah, woah. Easy there, Piedrita,” he told the guy. “You don’t know it, but this guy is a Nazi.”

“Ah, Nazis,” the man spat with a deep gravely voice.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Fulminant snapped, getting himself close to the door’s window. “I’m not a Nazi.”

“You’re with the Aryan Broth-”

“Out of convenience. You think I’m going to be fine in prison on my own?!” Fulminant scoffed. “Those guys are real crazy degenerates! They think that the Fourth Reich is going to come rescue them!”

“Oh yeah, they’re stupid,” the Coyote joined in Fulminant’s laughter, but didn’t really share it. “But we aren’t. We know the kind of monster you are. Think we’ll take our chances without you.”

“Do it! Let me out! I can help you,” Fulminant pleaded.

“You’re no hero. Even here, we heard about your little escapade in the city. Maybe if you’d chosen to do a fly-by to help us out, we would’ve considered it. But nah. Need you as much as we need a battery with no charge.”

“You fucking cunt!” Fulminant quickly dropped any pretense. “Get me out or you’ll be the first person I’ll be coming for once I get this collar off my neck.”

“Then I hope you never get it off your neck,” the man said as he took the keys from the man with the GSD, and walked off to open another one of the doors.

Fulminant snarled and let out his anger by kicking the door. Predictably, that did nothing, but he didn’t have much else he could do. He would’ve followed with a punch or a slam, but he knew that the Coyote would just find it entertaining.

But not all hope was lost as, the moment his eyes focused on the window again, he spotted two figures dropping from the basement’s ceiling. The smaller one had a very appealing figure. “There you are,” he murmured with a small grin.

“Hey! Over here!” Fulminant snapped, getting the attention of the Coyote, the rock man, and the prisoner they just released. “Come on and get me!” He said as loud as could be.

“I told you! We’re not getting you out!” the Coyote snapped.

“I’m not talking to you!” Fulminant could hardly contain the laughter as the two intruders used the distraction he provided to close the distance.

The cutie slipped through with feline grace, her fingers hooking the key ring from the Coyote’s hand. “Yoink,” the girl, Obscura, said playfully in that brief moment before spinning around to deliver a quick, compressed kick and sending the baseline gang member against the concrete wall.

The man the Coyote released, bulky from a life in the prison yard, tried swinging a fist in Obscura’s direction. She saw it coming, and ducked under before prodding him with three fingers. With a sudden jerk, he spasmed and stumbled back.

Even if no spark was seen nor tick was heard, Fulminant could recognize a taser when he saw one. That meant energy! Power! “Yes! Yes!” he called out, thrilled. “Give that to me!”

Obscura was pleased at her own double takedown. She even thought she heard Fulminant cheer her way. She wondered if her instructors would give her full marks. Probably not; the larger man, while stunned, was still struggling to get back up.

And yet, before she could deliver another dose of the taser glove, a large thud from the side drew her attention to Stones’ fight. The man had just gotten slammed to the floor by a heavy, backhanded punch. His opponent, the man with rock skin, settled his eyes on her–and in particular, the keys in her hand.

He made his move and, in a brief moment of panic, Obscura chose the wrong evasive action, stepping back rather than down. The rock’s hand pushed her against the wall, pinning her there by the neck.

“Hey! You bruise her! You pay me!” Fulminant threatened.

“Shit,” Obscura blurted as she felt the pressure on her neck increasing. Her instinctive reaction was to go for his skin: Thumb, middle and ring finger to activate the glove while tossing the keys away. She heard the ticking of the energy being discharged, even feeling the output as it grew. It got to the point she could smell the smoke from the glove, and yet the man appeared unphased by any of it!

“Shit… Rock beats electricity…” Obscura could do little more than quip as the thug pulled his fist back to deliver a punch. She braced herself, only to get saved by Stones at the last second as he jumped in with a strong punch squarely into the other inmate’s jaw.

Stones bounced back before the counterattack, shaking his hands as though he might’ve broken something. “Fuck man! I really wish I had my powers.” Still, he didn’t let that stop him, instead taking a step forward to deliver a thrusting kick into the rock guy’s knee. That worked better, forcing him to turn away.

That was the opening Obscura’d hoped for. Feeling the pressure, she fished around her utility belt, finally pulling out a small container. With desperate hands, especially as Stones got pushed aside by the GSD inmate, she found and twisted the head of the small container before thrusting it forth.

The canister let out a violent hiss of purple smoke that shot straight into the rock guy’s face. Hacking and coughing, he tried to wave the thing away, but the pressurized release made sure that it stayed in his face. And she could already tell that it was working as his grip on her was waning… but not fading completely.

“Come on, come on!” Obscura grumbled as the canister ran out of the Cuckoo Channel’s Knock-Out #4. The stuff was well-rated for the baselines they’d planned on maybe facing in here, but not this guy. “Shit!”

Despite that, it did have some effect on the inmate. Stone-man wobbled and struggled to keep his head up… but it wasn’t enough to fully knock him out. His other hand was already reaching up to grab Obscura’s face.

That was when Stones leapt into action, throwing his full body against the GSD inmate’s torso. With a strained groan, he hit the other inmate with a rough rugby tackle, raising the guy’s legs off the ground before charging all the way against the wall and Fulminant’s door, leaving it dented with a huge crack in the upper threshold. That was enough to knock the stone man out, his body falling over Stones as the two collapsed with an earth-shaking thunk.

Obscura let out a long sigh of relief. Her gaze swept the floor in search of the keyring to open Fulminant’s door–although given how dented it was, she wondered if the lock even still worked.

It’s okay, she thought, I’ll just break the emergency lights and pull him ou–. Suddenly, she was interrupted by a large figure from the right. The man she’d tasered at the start of her attack had taken the time to recover and make himself present by driving a fist right into the side of her face, sending her against the wall.

She tried to quickly get up, but it was too late; the man moved in to deliver a kick that landed squarely in her stomach, knocking all the air out of her. Her vision dimmed as she tried to recover, but the man was unrelenting as he sent her against the wall.

She heard banging; she felt it up against her back. But she couldn’t think about it, instead raising her hands to protect her face and head from the avalanche of blows.

Stones? She glanced away, seeing how he was struggling to get out from under the rock man.

But help came in regardless when the large crash resounded from the side. Fulminant had broken through the dented door and stepped in swinging, driving his fist into the thug's face, just in time to keep the next kick from hitting Obscura.

Fulminant was ruthless as he pushed them aside and against the wall, driving his fist into the man’s face over and over. The inmate tried to defend himself at first, hoping to block the next punch, but the villain just switched targets down to the stomach.

“That… that’s enough,” Obscura tried to say as she recovered her breath… but by this point, the inmate wasn’t even fighting back. His arm hung limp as Fulminant kept on punching. Outside of the faint light, no one could see how bloody the man’s fists were, but Obscura could. Something about the sight or the glee that Fulminant had about him made her sick. Enough for her to call out louder, “Enough!”

Her words got to Fulminant who stopped his fist right after one last attack. “Ah… Sorry,” he said casually as he let go of the inmate’s jumpsuit and let the man fall to the ground. “Where are my manners? Fulminant, your knight in shining armor at your rescue.”

“I’m the one supposed to do the rescue.”

“Right, right,” he said in a politely cavalier tone that felt more like thinly veiled condescension. “I just can’t stand seeing a woman get hurt.” And with that, he offered her a helping hand to get her back up on her feet. “But if you wish so, then you can be my rescuer. That’s what you’re here for, right?”

Obscura stared over at his bloodied bruised hand. “That’s right. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Are you bothered by this?” he said, wiping his hand against the jumpsuit before offering it again.

“I’m just an agent of the Syndicate. I don’t make judgments,” Obscura answered as she imagined Lifeward would before reaching to grab it, only for another person to awkwardly step in to grip her wrist.

“Let me help you,” Stones said before pulling Obscura back up on her feet.

“Well, that was rude?” Fulminant scoffed. “Who’s this? Is he your flunky?”

Stones snorted. “More like bodyguard.” 

“Some bodyguard you were,” Fulminant mocked.

“It is still my duty to keep her from getting hurt,” Stones warned, stepping between Obscura and him.

“I don’t need a bodyguard or a knight!” Obscura said, stepping in between. “I’m here to get you both out. You two are just jobs to me.” She moved over the field, searching a second before locating and retrieving the empty canister of knockout gas. A general rule for this sort of operation, as Lifeward dictated, was to try to avoid leaving behind evidence. “Now, all we have to do is wait for Cole to get to us. We should get on to the extraction point.”

“Great. Awesome!” Fulminant said before stepping around in Obscura’s path. “But first… would you mind testing something?”

“What?” Obscura asked.

“Zap me. Zap me with that glove of yours.”

Obscura frowned. “Why would I do that? You want to try to jumpstart your powers?” 

“You’re wearing an inhibitor collar,” Stones pointed out.

“They’re not a hundred percent effective,” Fulminant rebutted. “Even with this on, the warden has been extremely anal about not letting me anywhere close to electricity. He probably fears that it’ll break the collar.”

“That would just create more trouble…”

“That will give you all the help you need. A high powered taser shot should give me the ability to fly over the wall.”

“We can’t risk that.”

“Then you’re an idiot. Why not rely on the biggest gun?” Fulminant scoffed at Stones.

“Enough. No idea why you two are so on edge,” Obscura scoffed before looking at Fulminant. “My glove’s either broke or ran out of juice… either way, it doesn’t work.” She made the silent fox pinch to demonstrate it, feeling neither electrical current nor hearing the sizzling sound it should make.

“Fuck!” Fulminant cursed.

“Anyway, we better get going,” Obscura said, leading the way up the basement stairs. “Now we just have to hold on… easy–”

However, the moment she set foot on the first floor she heard more sounds of chaos from all around the yard. Men screaming, bullets being fired, and the sizzling blast of energies. What was worse was the distinctive thrumming of helicopter blades slicing through the air just above them.

“Attention, reinforcements are here!” a man called out through a megaphone. “Surrender now!”

While the saving grace was that the prisoners refused to give up their best way to escape, Raffina could see high powered lights sweeping by the front of the buildings.

“Shit…” Obscura muttered.

Sunday, January 30th - 7:39pm - seven minutes earlier.
Administrative Building

Box after box, Nico searched through, hoping to find Seth’s belongings. He undertook the task knowing that Seth couldn’t keep up the pace with a bad leg. Fortunately, while the baskets which lined the shelves lacked any sort of tag or identifier, the plastic bags themselves were tagged.

“Come on, come on,” Nico muttered as he pulled, checked and pushed yet another back into place before moving on to the next.

“Is there no order to these things?” Seth wondered in a low voice, trying to offer insight while frustrated at the chaotic mess.

“I don’t think there is,” Nico replied, sifting through the contents. “Come on, come on, we’re low on time…” Nico’s words trailed off as he spotted ‘Nicholas Sandoval’ tagged on a plastic bag within the basket he just pulled. His personal belongings…

‘Gosh, I even forgot about what I wore when I got here…’ he thought. He could see his jeans, T-shirt and shoes, all bundled and stuffed into the bag. The question of ‘can I take these with me?’ popped into his mind, trying to justify carrying it under his arm when the situation needed it the most.

“Did you find it?” Seth asked.

“No.” Nico felt a little bad about it, but he still ripped a hole in the bag and snatched his old wallet before pushing the basket back in place… And then he stopped for a moment and smiled as the light shone over to the side. “Yes! I found yours, Seth.”

“Good, good. Bring it over. I just need a couple of things,” the older man insisted as he limped his way over to a nearby table. Once Nico set the basket on the table, he was quick in upturning the contents and ripping through the plastic coverage. Nico’s flashlight revealed a plain old pair of pants, a plain shirt, a belt, and an old cellphone. And nestled in the midst of everything was a simple locket on a chain, beautifully ornate and carefully polished. Seth’s fingers appeared to hesitate to press the button that would pop the thing open.

In the end, the old man decided not to do it, instead slipping it around his neck before searching through the belongings again. He pulled out the belt and fidgeted with the buckle. It almost looked like he was trying to break the thing–until it did in a way. The buckle broke apart, revealing that it was hollow in the inside. From it fell a small, glittering, cylindrical piece of plastic. A chip, maybe? Seth didn’t elaborate, instead storing it within a secret slot of his locket.

“Let’s get going,” Seth declared, handing Nico back the electrogun before picking up the phone from among the belongings.

“Is that everything?” Nico said.

“All that matters,” Seth said. “Let’s go.”

“Yeah, let’s lea–” Nico stopped short as they heard the doorknob turn. The door swung open, revealing the light behind. The outline of two guards, and especially their guns, were the first things Nico noticed. He didn’t wait to notice anything else.

“What’s that ligh–Hey what are you—bzzrt!” The man sputtered in mid sentence as a straight shot from the electrogun left his body in spasms. The visible blue energy coursed through him, sending him flying. Nico counted himself lucky that he had the advantage of being prepared on that one. The same couldn’t be said about the second guy who quickly hid behind the wall the moment his partner got struck.

“Who’s there?! Show yourself?!” The guard’s voice, Nico recognized from recent events. It was the douchebag who’d beat him just two days ago: Rollins.

“Walk away and I won’t do anything to you,” Nico bluffed, probably the only thing they could do considering they were stuck in a dead end.

“Wait… I’ve heard that voice before…” Rollins trailed off before laughing, somehow gaining some confidence despite the situation. “You’re that prisoner… I thought I was facing some sort of Syndicate enforcer. Instead, it’s just nothing.” The guard may have boasted, but he still refused to peek through. “What are you using?

As he spoke, Nico felt a quiet tap on his shoulder. Seth gestured at him to pull the trigger… and then for the gun. He was asking for him to hand it over? Nico’s gut reaction was to refuse. The thing between his fingers was the only thing keeping them from getting shot. Any moment now, the guy would peek in and see them unarmed, and that would be it… but then again, the stalemate wouldn’t go anywhere even with the weapon.

“I’ll ask you again,” Rollins called. “Are YOU going to be trouble?”

The hesitation must’ve lasted for two more seconds before he relented.

“Yes! I’ll be trouble!” he yelled, pulling the trigger to send a bolt of electricity up against the wall, exploding and releasing its energy with a persisting crackle. The sparks appeared to drift upwards, towards the light fixture. “Does that seem like nothing?” Nico called out as he handed over his weapon to Seth. The man deftly went to work on it, stripping the pieces–in particular, removing the power source from the back while turning levers and notches.

“What is that? Where did you get that?” Rollins snorted.

“Hah. Do you wanna know? Why don’t you peek in and see?” It was the dumbest thing he’d said in months.

“You think I’m going to fall for that?” Thank goodness for the power of reverse psychology.

“So are you just going to hug the wall?” Nico carried on, as Seth handed him back the electrogun put back together. “I mean, I’m sure it’s lonesome or something.”

“Throw this” Seth whispered, handing Nico the phone that had been among his personal belongings. “And shoot near it.”

And yet it was Rollins who answered. “How’s this for hugging the wall!?”

The guard swung his rifle through the doorway, blindly pulling the trigger in hopes that the automatic fire of the rifle would find the targets. It would’ve if Seth hadn’t thrown himself against Nico, dropping the two of them to the ground.

“Ha ha! Got you!” Rollins laughed, hearing the thud on the ground. Still, he wasn't dumb enough to peek through right away. Instead, he let his assault rifle waver off in the air pulling the trigger as if trying to blindly give them the double tap. “Bet your lawyer will be happy to know he doesn’t have to worry about your sorry ass anymore.”

“Asshole.” Nico growled and pushed himself up enough to slide the phone forward and aim the electrogun at the vicinity before pulling the trigger. The end result was a much stronger, chaotic shot that was absorbed by the piece of metal before exploding and rebounding everywhere… but in particular, latching itself onto the gun held by Rollins. It made his arm spasm for a long while before the guard’s convulsing body fell to the ground next to his partner.

A sigh of relief escaped Nico as the silence resettled itself.

After two breaths, Nico was quick to ask “Are you okay?” as he tried to get back up and help Seth as well. For a second, he dreaded that the old man had fallen victim to the barrage… but fortunately, he heard breath and felt movement.

The good fortune didn’t last long. “I… I got hit…” Seth muttered as he pushed himself up, stopping for a moment to clutch his lower abdomen.

“Oh no!” Nico panicked.

“It’s okay… this is on me,” Seth grumbled. “I chose this plan.”

“We have to get you help…”

“Get me out first and then we can get me help,” Seth growled, just to get Nico to focus. “Let’s go. We have what we need!”

“Right… Right… Let’s go,” Nico muttered as he hastily reached for the flashlight that had been left flickering after the light’s show, only to feel a painfully sharp electric sting course from the tip of his fingers down to his leg. “Ah!”

“Don’t touch it! Don’t touch anything. Just walk around everything.”

“Right… right,” Nico repeated, now helping Seth up. The flashlight might be dying from a surplus of electricity, but it did so pointing at the exit. Seth and Nico tiptoed their way around the guards. That last shot left such an impression in the space, he could feel his ankles tingling just from being in close proximity to the phone.

“What was that?” Nico asked as they sidestepped clear of the danger and through the charged area. With a brief pause to deliver unto Rollins a kick to the face as payback from earlier.

“I changed my phone’s battery… just in case,” Seth explained, chest heaving. “Made it so that it would burst if overcharged… which is what that shot did.”

“How’s the pain?”

“Think it hit me along the edge of my abdomen? As long as I apply pressure, I can make it… I think.”

“Okay… okay.”

“Why not leave me and go?” Seth asked.

“You said I didn’t deserve to be here? I don’t think you do either,” Nico declared.

“I told you what I did. I’m sure I hurt people.”

“Maybe, but I get that some of them really deserved it.” Nico thought for a second. “I mean, you made someone pay for what they did to you, right?”

Seth snorted. “I am not a hero,” 

“Yeah, you’re the Techno Revenant,” Nico said with a bit of mocking to his tone, enough to hear a weak laugh from Seth. “Plus I did promise the Syndicate to help you make it out alive.”

“Then focus on the path,” Seth grumbled. “Think you can remember the way?”

“I’m trying,” Nico answered. It was hardly a sure thing, blindly staggering his way through the darkness, guiding himself by the wall while also supporting Seth on his shoulder, but he managed.

“We had better hurry. Not sure how much we can do without a gun.”

“I… huh?” Nico looked down at the electrogun, particularly at the display on the back, only to see that the energy indicator was in the red and fading to black. “Crap!” That was enough to up the speed of their stumbling in the dark.

What made it all the more tenuous was the sound of multiple footsteps echoing just a couple of hallways ahead. Far more than before, along with the sound of gunfire and men screaming, presumably, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”

“Down to the ground. Learn your place,” ordered a man with a deep muffled voice. The command was punctuated by the sizzling of an electric weapon before a scream followed.

“That has to be the reinforcements,” Seth whispered.

“This is insane… this is insane!” Nico mumbled as they somehow covered a good distance. They were almost to the gate that separated the cellblocks from the main building.

“You’re doing well… you’re–” Seth tried to quell the concern, but in his panic, Nico’s hand slid onto something, a framed photo that fell off its hook in the quick sweeping motion, which hit the ground on a corner and shattered. To that, all the old man could do was sigh and whisper “Pick up the pace!”

“What was that!?” they heard one of the guards call from a distance.

Caution thrown to the wind, Nico picked up his strides. His hand fortunately found the steel doors of the annex before his face did. And they were still unlocked and open.

And yet victory still wasn’t at hand as, the moment they crossed through the second set of doors, they stepped into the prison’s hallway right behind a group of men clad in riot gear in the process of cleaning up the prison. And at the sound of the steel door, the men were quick to turn around and point their rifle-mounted flashlights at the two.

“Is this the end?” Nico thought as he tried to cover his eyes. The bright lights were so blinding, especially after treading in the dark for so long, that he couldn’t really make anything but white.

“You two!” one of the men snapped. “What are you doing there? Raise your hands!”

Nico and Seth had no option but to heed the order, with the latter still leaning against his shoulder. And the electrogun still in his hand.

 “Shit…” Nico thought, realizing the error of what he just did. “Wait wait! I can explain!”

“He has a gun!” one of the guards called out. And at the word, everyone raised their rifles at them, ready to open fire.

Nico closed his eyes, expecting the worst.

And then came the sounds of movement, of punches, and the grunting of guards as they toppled.

“Who goes there!? We’re under attack!” one of the men screamed before the sound of a rifle going off filled the world. Nico shuddered each time a bang rang out, expecting the burning impact… but he opened his eyes after the first barrage to find himself safe and still standing. The lights danced around as hints of a stranger were seen and missed, only for whoever it was to throw his opponents down and away, using the hallway to his advantage as the men were shoved onto another or the walls before being struck down.

Soon enough, there was just one last guy recovering from an unexpected impact against the wall, about to raise his rifle. The other person shot back with a stolen weapon, hitting the guard square in the chest. 

And the wielder of the last rifle remained standing. Dismounting the light from the rifle barrel, he pointed it down at the four knocked guards, daring any of them to get up. No takers. He pointed it at Nico and Seth before revealing himself with it. One of the members of the Black Fist gang. One of the more recent ones. Nico recalled seeing him sparring against Stones earlier. “Glad I made it in time…” he said relieved, though that quickly faded into concern as he spotted Seth's pale face. “Are you okay?”

“Cole,” Seth said. This was the other person from the Syndicate sent to pick them up. “It’s just a bullet wound down in my abs… A muscle hit. I think I’ll live.”

“Just hang in there.” He moved over to shine the light. Behind Seth, a bloodstain had formed where his hand had pressed

“Will he make it?” Nico asked

Cole didn’t say anything on that matter. Instead he ripped off the sleeve of his jumpsuit and folded it over. “Let’s get you to Lifeward as fast as we can.” That was enough to get them to start moving forward. “You did well. Nico, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you with us?”

“I want to get the fuck out of here. So yeah.”

“Good,” And, without asking, Cole grabbed his hand and placed it against the folded cloth pressing against the gunshot wound, forcing a pained groan out of Seth. “Apply pressure here and follow me–”

The words were interrupted as the steel door clacked. Someone was opening it. Someone had made a tactical error without even realizing, as Cole’s first reaction was to immediately open fire with the stolen rifle.

“Unknown shooter! Unknown shooter!” a guard shouted. Cole fired a couple more shots to rattle the guards on the other side.

“That should keep them cautious for a moment.” Cole moved around, putting Seth’s other arm across his shoulder and directing their moves by quietly counting a pace that Nico could easily follow. With the beam of the flashlight guiding their way, they were flying, whereas before they’d been merely crawling.

They made their way through Cellblock 1 at a brisk pace. Fortunately, the crowd appeared to be out in the yard, with the only people remaining being the well-behaved inmates who knew what would happen to them if they tried to escape… Well, them and Rodrigo and his men who were trying to get back on their feet. The Coyote bastard did a double-take when he saw Seth and Nico walking their way back.

“Tu! Maldito! Te voy a matar–” Rodrigo began only to suddenly shut it when Cole placed a lone bullet into the wall next to his head. That was enough to rob the man of his voice and make him crawl back into the cell. After that, they pretty much had free passage.

“That was the last of the bullets,” Cole confided, tossing the gun aside as soon as they made it back into the hallway.

“How are we getting out?” Seth asked.

“Obscura is getting us out… that is, as long as the conditions are met,”

“Which are?”

“Total darkness,” Nico interjected, having just pieced together what he had seen of her power.

“Correct,” Seth confirmed. He looked to the side, where the prison riot had turned into a full-blown war. Gunshots rang around the field, notes against harmony of screams as men yelled orders or screamed out how they’d been hit. Grenades flew around, spewing shades of colored gas, either as a smoke screen to defend the prisoners or a tear gas cloud that would weaken them. But the more concerning part was the several spotlights combing the area. The largest was directed by the sound of a helicopter as it flew by.

“That’s going to be a problem…” Cole trailed off, pressing his hand against his ear. “Lifeward? Did you make it?”

The man had an enchanted earpiece as well, Nico assumed.

“Good to hear… because we have someone injured with us…. It’s a shot in the back… Near the intestines… Yeah, he’s bleeding, but not as profusely… Trust me, I’m trying to get him through… We’re cruising through Cell Block 2.”

Effectively, they were in the process of crossing Cell Block 2, which by now saw prisoners returning to their cells. The smart ones preferred to live through the rest of their sentence than taking their risk with the Coyotes’ escape plan. However, none of them paid much attention to Cole, Seth and Nico as they made their way through. If anything, being the smart ones, they moved out of the way.

My cell, Nico thought, spotting the space he used to occupy in passing. “So long,” he said with a bit of relief. Whether he made it out or not, he wouldn’t be coming back here.

Pushing through the unlocked door, Cole continued, “We’re almost to the rendez-vous point. Think you can do something to make our escape easier?”

Sunday, January 30th - 7:53pm
Road outside of the prison

“I’m on it…” Lifeward said, specifically to the enchanted orb in her hand. She took a deep breath before looking into the rifle’s scope. From above the escape vehicle, she could see quite a distance, across a small marsh and over to the six meter wall of the prison. And above all that, hovering around, was the helicopter with the spotlight. “Give me a second to line up the shot.”

Cole’s voice came through. <Are you really going to use the sniper rifle?> So did the tone of doubt.

“I brought the thing with me, Cole. I expected to use it,” she answered with a bit of boldness. She needed to land the shot. She needed to get rid of the helicopter just to prevent a getaway chase.

<Okay. Don’t overthink it. And remember, full breath out before pulling the trigger.>

“Thanks Cole,” Lifeward said as magic sifted through her fingers into the control orb. “I’ll turn off comms now.”

As Safety, the use of guns wasn’t something she would ever have considered, even if they were used defensively. As Lifeward, she had to train in the virtual sims as part of the job. Once the voices were silenced, she gripped the rifle and took aim.

The thing was of an outdated military model with a pair of downward facing spotlights attached to the sides, making passes back and forth. The helicopter swept around the prison, in search of any stragglers or pockets of resistance. She needed it to stop doing that. The sights moved along the front, spotting the pilot and three more men. Two of them leaned off to the side to survey and yell out orders through a megaphone.

The helicopter listed to the side, giving Lifeward a good view of the attached lights.

She emptied her lungs and pulled the trigger.

The silenced shot still hurt the ears as it flew through the air, shattering the lamp glass. This didn’t go unnoticed by the pilot as he quickly steered the helicopter out of the way in an impromptu evasive maneuver that threw one of the men over to the side–to his death, were it not for the tether cable that left him dangling. With the chaos going on below, the helicopter retreated to the side as another shot bounced off the hull. A third one took out the other attached lights.

“There we go…” Lifeward got up and activated the enchanted orb, now having it shine with all three numbers representing the channels. “I dealt with the helicopter, the time to escape is now!”

<Ah. I see Obscura… and the guards are approaching along the wall,> Cole reported.

“I can’t help you there…” she said, leaping off.

<They are carrying the high power lights.>

<They will point the lights on us the moment they see the crowd move,> Seth said. Lifeward was relieved that he still had the energy to talk, a reminder that now she had to get the homeostasis spell ready. <Can we make it out?>

“It’s okay. We have a countermeasure for that,” she explained, leaping off the truck with the rifle in hand.

<Ugh…> Obscura’s voice grumbled through the enchanted orb. <This is so not cool... >

“You’re not on this job to be seen, Obscura,” Lifeward told the girl. She threw the rifle into the car and pulled out her custom-made weapons. With just a swing, one of them transformed into a club. “A bit of a warning, be careful when you step out. There’ll be a welcoming committee on the other side.” She shined the lamp ahead into the marsh, where alligators woken up by the ruckus were on the move.

Time to scare up some help, Lifeward thought as she pulled a small electrogun from her belt.

 

To Be Continued