They came off the bus and next to a large steel door, which looked like it would split in half as it slid apart. Here they came to a stop as Mr. Calvin took out his cellphone and began to have an involved conversation with someone. As Rey tried to take in her surroundings, Maki suddenly tugged at her sleeve. "You don't want to get caught up with this man, don't do anything to protect me...just leave while you still can..." She was saying quietly, but Rey would not be convinced so easily. "I have my own reasons for being here, so don't worry. I'll protect you, and all of the other students." She asserted sternly, keeping her eyes on the man who was the apparent cause of this bizarreness. It looked like Mr. Calvin was done with his conversation, and he released the latch on the door, and it split and opened and the trio walked through. They appeared into a very wide hallway, which had smooth walls, and a very pristine nature to it. The air was cool and it clung to their clothes as they walked along. The two girls couldn't help but admire the strange feeling the structure embedded into them. It felt like they were in some kind movie as the teacher continued to march them along in till he came to a stop. "Alright, my dear students, on we go." He directed them bitterly, as they stopped in front of a smaller door, which was of a similar mechanism as the first. It seemed liked a rather high tech establishment to Rey as she observed every detail so she may have a more solid report to give when this was all over...what would her father think of this?
No, I can't do this for him! I'm doing this for me...but, why am I really here? One second ago I was skipping class and somehow I ended up here? What exactly am I doing? Somehow thinking about it made her nervous so she pushed it completely out of her mind as she looked down at Maki who didn't seem scared at all anymore, even though minutes before she seemed so timid and shy. The young girl's face was set as she stalked alongside Rey like a ghost. There was something hidden in that calm face she held so boldly; there was anger and hatred. Her observation of the girl ended when they walked through the new door, which lead into a room that looked like a movie screening room. A large camera was set in the center, aimed at a large screen which they could see through a giant glass panel. There were many rows spanning out in the theater. Rey and Maki could see the students slowly being escorted in and seated. "You see," Mr. Calvin began. "We bring the students to our own little private movie theater, to teach them about our business at Senba." He stated sitting back in his chair. The cameraman who was operating the camera didn't seem to care that they were in there.
Rey crossed her arms and frowned. "So you brought the entire student body here, just to show them some promotional ad of your company and how it's run? You could just do that at school this already seems pointless." Rey said coldly, and the strange teacher chuckled for a moment. "Oh my, it's not that simple Rey. Not only are the students going to watch it, but it is advised that the teachers and faculty watch it as well. You of all people should know! How influential the Senba Organization is, here in Stadweld...they ought to experience it outside of the classroom." He turned and smiled at her and she looked away at the movie screen, then it occurred to her that she had never given him her name. "How did you know my name?" She asked, realizing she had never said who she was, and the man laughed again. "It's not like the biggest Mafia threat in the city can go unnoticed Rey..." He said, with a sneer, which made her scowl. "I see..." she said slowly turning to sit down herself. "Are you planning on watching?" He asked. "No. My future has been decided for me. I don't need to watch some promotional crap from my competitor." She replied, despite the fact that she didn't want to continue the family movement her father was running; but using it as her strength made her feel powerful. "How about you little Maki? Do you want to watch the video?" He said and the girl turned to him with anger welling up in her eyes. "Don't talk to me." She ordered.
Then glass panel was suddenly blocked off with a metal screen so they could no longer see the movie. Mr. Calvin was on his phone again. "Alright close up the garage, we're going to descend soon." He was ordering over the phone. Rey tried to see what Maki's expression was, and noticed that the girl's fist was clenched tightly. 'I know this aura...I know that feeling, I...I have felt it, boiling up inside of me...what is this girl...what is she going to do?'
***
They raced across the ground between the two domes, not saving a single moment to look back to see if anyone was following them, or had even noticed them. Their hearts throbbed inside their chests as they worked hard, the adrenaline rushing through their veins peaking. It was constructed so that the two domes had their garage entrances facing each other. It was just a matter of distance and speed that could get you from one opening to the next, and in the safety of cover they could begin their respective searches.Just moments before reaching the entrance of their own exit, a horizontally positioned door began to slide over the top of the far entrance, and if it were to complete it's motion, it would eventually seal off the opening all together.
"Ah hell!" Dare shouted as his legs turned like pistons in an engine. He was surprised at how fast the silent girl was, who sprinted alongside him. Though he had little time to observe her physical skills as it appeared that they would miss their chance to make it inside of the other dome. He tried to increase his speed, a lot more than he thought possible, and now it was coming down to the wire. There was no time to think about whether or not it was a good idea, or if they should look for another entrance. Whatever thoughts pounded in their heads, they pounded at the same time as they both dove forward into the quickly closing gap, and just mere moments after they tumbled into the darkness, the entrance was completely closed off, as well as the only known exit.
He could feel his body throbbing in pain as he slowly got to his feet. "Are you alright?" He asked as he turned around completely in the darkness. He wasn't even sure if Maki was really here, but it didn't matter. Either way both of these domes were bad news, and he would do everything he could to make things right. Yes but why Dare?A voice resonated inside of his mind. Why help people who would never help you? I guess it's because you are such a good person.'
The sound of the girl standing up next to him pulled him back to the here and now. She coughed for a moment before brushing herself off. "Still not gonna talk to me are you?" He asked and the silent reply answered his question. "Well that's okay, let's just go straight ahead then. No need to talk." He kept his thoughts about her silent. It never occurred to Dare that she might be unable to speak. There must have been some reason why, but he had a feeling that eventually she would talk. Eventually...if they made it out of this mess alright. It was there, while walking through the dark tunnel under the dome structure that he began to realize just what he was doing. This was an impressive structure to say the least, it would require a large budget. For Stadweld, there were two budgets: the corporate income lead by Senba, and the underground money lead by the mafia. The mafia wouldn't build a conspicuous dome structure on the outskirts of town, so this had to be something constructed by Senba. The level of power they had was surprising. It didn't occur to him that maybe, just maybe, this act wouldn't even reach the courts. A problem swept under the rug. Death was more than possible. There was no time to continue thinking, 'this may have been a bad idea'. For practically all his life, the things he did were 'bad ideas' and he was still here at least.
After a while, something became clear in front of them. A dim light, which allowed them to take note of the other five buses they had seen earlier at the school. It's cargo was already off and packed away, probably in some kind of lecture hall. It occurred then to Dare that he had no idea what they were keeping inside of this structure. The girl next to him tapped him on the shoulder, and when he looked he noticed her pointed to a steel plated door, in which a man was standing next to it smoking a cigarette. "A guard? How strange." He hadn't noticed either. It was too late to think about the deep mud he had stuck himself in, it was time to complete the task at hand. Chances were though, that this young man had a gun. But it didn't mean he couldn't talk to the guy! He came up from the darkness, and called out. "Hey man what's up?!" He asked, and the man suddenly turned, his actions were quick as he dropped the cigarette and pulled out a gun from his side pocket. There were no questions, it was all one fluid moment as the man pulled the trigger, and only be sheer reflex did Dare drop to the ground and roll out of the way. He slid under the bus, and kept rolling in till he was on the other side, maintaining a crouched position he watched carefully as the man began to walk around. 'Shit, this is more dangerous than I thought! Yet as he watched, prepared to make another daring escape, he noticed the quiet girl, as silent as a mountain lion stalking it's prey, creep upon the guard. In one fluid motion the girl jumped onto the man's back, and by the element of surprise, she smashing him into the ground, and using her knee she pinned his gun arm to the ground. Dare jumped out of hiding and removed the gun from the squirming man's hand and slammed it into his head, knocking him out.
"Here, you take it." Dare said handing her the gun and she looked it over for a moment before nodding. He then picked the guy up by the arms and dragged him onto one of the buses, a well hidden spot underneath one of the seats. "You know how to use that thing right?" he asked, and she looked it over again, and then handed it back to him. "Ha-ha alright then." He took it and then they examined the steel door. "What do you think is inside eh?" He knocked on it, and she slapped his hand back. "Don't do stupid things." She whispered under her breath. For a moment he was going to say something like, "Oh so you do talk!" but things like that often make people less likely to speak again. "Alright you're the boss on this one. Just tell me what to do then." He replied stepping back and folding his arms. She gave him a strange glance before pressing her ear to the door.
It was the first time in Lei's short history that someone had allowed her to do as she pleased without protest. This overly rash, cliche gangster was really not as bad as she originally thought. He certainly had a reason for being here, and seeing that he was going this far..."Come." She said, originally planning on not saying anything, it was as if now, her voice was strength. She slid the door off to the side and walked into the open room before them.
As they came into the hallway, they could tell that something wasn't right. It even took the breath away from Dare as he stood at the hallway which was quite wide and spiraled upward it seemed. The hallway was filled with backpacks, shoes and other garments. As the pair silently walked through the hallway they noticed that it all lead up to a doorway on the side where a strange buzzing sound could be heard. The two of them stopped. Dare was tempted to go and open the door, but he waited to see what the girl would do first. Suddenly there was a hissing sound coming from the walls, and for a moment the two of them jolted, unsure of what was happening, in till Lei grabbed his arm and began to lead him up the dome. "Whoa!" he exclaimed as the dome began to jolt and vibrate. The two of them tripped over some backpacks and were tossed about as the dome began to spin, or so they felt. "what the hell!" He exclaimed. The rumbling continued for a quite a while, and even the lights began to flicker. It wasn't in till the structure stopped shaking that they stood up. "What...do we do now?" he asked, but Lei was just as stumped as he was. "We move."
It was shortly after Lei spoke those words that a familiar hissing sound surrounded them as it would seem it were coming out of the walls. Although nothing could be seen, the girl knew that chances were, it wasn't good--especially if it was some kind of gas filling the chamber. The chances of the hallway been under surveillance was also highly likely, as they did have a guard protecting the only known entrance. She lead them forward, continuing up the spiraling hallway, in till Dare fell down to his knees. It was odd to think that someone of his size would go down first, but the girl didn't have time to contemplate it as she went back and helped him along. Shoving and pushing she managed to haul against the wall, where she noticed a door in the hide of the hallway, and before she even checked what it was, or where it led to, she slammed into it, and it gave way as it slid open and the duo collapsed inside of what appeared to be a living room.
The door closed behind them. Lei was having a hard time moving as Dare's dead weight was weighing her down, and in the time it took for her to finally stand on her own, the resident of this strangely familiar room came walking up casually. "Eh? what the hell do you think you're doin'! That gas out there is pretty strong stuff ya know?" He said waving his hand and walking over to the door and pressing a button on a keypad, Lei assumed he had locked it. The girl was instantly on the defensive, and the man held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa...why don't we calm down huh? Have a seat, ugh, what? did he get knocked out?" The man, who had dark, dark red hair [Lei guessed it was dyed] and traces of what used to be a beard, slowly walked over to one of the two couches and slouched on it. He adjusted his suit and tie, and looked extremely uncomfortable in them.
Lei still hadn't moved from her position near the door, and the unconscious Dare. "What? You're not gonna sit down? Well I don't care, I'm not a good host anyway. Chances are they'll just come in here and steal you away...it's too much trouble asking who you are, or what yer doin' here. I figure it's just all pointless now." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Ahh first my girl dumps me, and now the TV's out, ever since we plunged underground...ah hell why am I talking to you? It's not like yer gonna say anything." He added. It was true, that the TV set up on the far wall was nothing but static. She took the time now, deciding to ignore the overly laid back man who probably served some kind of job in this structure, and checked Dare's vitals. He was still breathing. She watched the man for a moment who was acting as if he had the worst headache ever.
Then the TV screen flashed on and a woman with blonde hair appeared, who was probably somewhere else in the dome structure. "Wake up Tama...wait, what the hell? Who are those guys?" She was shouting, and Lei suddenly had the urge to leave, but she didn't know the code, and she didn't want to have to drag her unconscious companion away. "Huh? Oh...Meri...geeze...calm down." The man, Tama, said, slowly sitting up and stretching. "Who are those two?!" She asked again and the man turned to them and shrugged. "Hell if I know, they wont talk to me Meri, it's really sad."
"Stop saying my name damn it! Ugh! Sometimes I wonder why they don't just fire you!" She seemed hystical. "Ah...why you gotta be like that huh? Sen doesn't do jack around here either..."
"That's beside the point! You're the head of security!" Tama laughed. "Yeah, that's me. Well I got these two down here, you might as well send someone down to pick em up." He gestured back at them. "Oh? And who's going to do that?"
"Can't Calvin do it or something?"
The mentioning of her nemesis made Lei cringe for a moment. She would like nothing better than to silence the man who had intentionally dragged her into this mess. She would like nothing more...
"Calvin is busy with Maki and that Pichanto girl." The woman replied. Pichanto? Why? Why is she here? The school captain? Lei suddenly found herself shocked and surprised at the realization of just what be happening. If Rey was here, then that could mean her life was already incredible danger. She wish she could just leave. "Ah have one of the drones or something pick em up!"
"Watch what you say damn it! That's highly classified information..."
The intense conversation continued for quite a while in till finally the screen blanked out and Tama slowly turned around and let out an awkward kind of sigh. "Yeah, she's kind of a hot head..." He said pausing when he noticed that Lei had taken the gun that Dare was holding and was pointing it directly at him. "Damn it...you were hiding that the whole time? Okay, whattya want me to do huh?" He asked sticking his arms in the air. "I want you to keep that door locked." She exclaimed stepping around Dare and near the far end of the room. "Oh, alright...but you know they'll probably just unlock it from the outside." He added, which seemed awfully stupid of him unless of course he honestly didn't care, or didn't want to get shot. "Move him." She said pointing the gun. It was mainly her only bluff. She had some idea of how a gun worked, but in all honestly, she had no experience with it. "Ah man this is a lot of work..." he said slowly dragging Dare away as she directed into what appeared to be a closet. "Good. Now open that door." She commanded, and he did just that. She then walked out of the room and left the proclaimed head of security to his own devices, as she stepped out into the newly scented hallway, which seemed to be recently gassed. But now it seemed safe, as she continued along the hallway.
Meanwhile...
Mr. Calvin held the two girls inside of the camera room. They realized that it was sound proof as none of the audio from the film reached through. "Alright, it's time to begin." He said pulling a gun from out of his suit and aiming it directly at Rey he pulled the trigger. At first the girl's eyes widened with a sense of fear of death, but when the usual sound didn't explode from the barrel of the gun, she noticed that it was some kind of tranquilizer, and then she felt her body go numb as she slid down to the floor and blacked out. "Alright...now for you..." He said aiming the gun at Maki when suddenly the door opened and the teacher instantly switched the gun to the man who walked in and raised his hand. "Hey..." He adjusted his glasses and coughed for a while, before looking down at Maki with a slight smile on his face. "What are you doing here, Sen?" Mr. Calvin asked with distaste in his words, and the other man laughed for a moment placing his hand on Maki's tense shoulder. "I've been given direct orders from the top. This girl is going to straight to Johannes." He said with his eyes narrowing, and the man lowered the gun slowly. "Ha, whatever. Don't you just love to spite me, Sen?" He asked and the other man shrugged, slowly trying to lead Maki out of the room, and she was surprisingly willing.
The door closed, and the man began to lead her down the hallway. 'I'm alone now, and this man doesn't have a gun out, Rey is here to see so I can use it here, I can escape, and then...' The man suddenly stopped which interrupted her thoughts. "Don't worry little Maki..." He whispered quietly.
No comments:
Post a Comment