by Amanda Rose
“Kazuo said it was this way,” Mei said point with her right arm, and helping Kato in with the other. He looked to the direction in which she pointed as he hauled his lower body in, “Right… Heh, this is gonna be some show, eh?” “One no one will soon forget,” Mei concurred. Kato stood up with Mei, and they swiftly swept down the hall.
“Hurry Vince! … Phew! We sure got loaded with the brunt of this, hmm? Haha!” Suako hadn’t been more joyful since anytime she could remember. Finally, the day came for revenge. It was bittersweet. “We’re making good time. Damn this is heavy though!” Vince remarked as he jogged along side her. His breath was running short. Heave! Pant! “You’re not kidding. This is gonna be great… I hope the others are safe,” she replied.
Footsteps rung into the chamber of the hallway. They were back on the bottom floor, only barbaric torches lit up the cell area. Clouds of dust rose from beneath their feet as they persevered forward. At a four-way intersection of the halls they stopped. “I’m going this way. We’ll meet back here as soon as we’re done. Be quick… be careful,” Vince kissed Suako on the forehead and then dashed off into an engulfing darkness. On her lonesome Suako went in the opposite direction. Disappearing into the shadows…
“Do you think they’ll make it Mack?” Jenko asked, hope in his voice, as they ran down the hall. Yu-Lee and Kairu followed up the rear. “We can only hope. Adamu is the only one who can navigate a ship, and Seresuto’s strong willed, so I’m sure they will. We can only hope that they get there quickly. Those boats they have now… If we’re lucky they’ll be there and back in two weeks. Right now, let’s focus on our job Jenko,” Mack said pragmatically. “Right,” Jenko nodded. Mack’s boots slide on the floor as he halted; they had reached an elevator door.
“All of these elevators are monitored. We can’t just get in and go up. Any ideas?” Mack asked. His small dispatch neglected an immediate response from Jenko, the concentration of their minds, while on the edge, was poorly managed. “I know!” Yu-Lee suddenly exclaimed. Mack and Jenko flinched fearfully, startled by her exuberance. “Oh sorry. Listen to this. I used to do a thing called ‘Glamour Magick’. I can use it for us now…” she began to explain. “‘Glamour magick’?” Kairu asked, without a clue, his innate curiosity present, showing a glimpse of his leadership skills.
“Yes. I can use the ‘Life Force’ to manipulate our appearances temporarily. Other people won’t be able to recognise us. We won’t be able to see any differences ourselves, and anyone who knows us, like Yoshida, won’t see the guise either. It’ll hide us from the guards though. What do you think?” Yu-Lee suggested. Everyone excluding Mack gave a sign of approval. Mack took a step toward her with a blank face and reached his hands to her head. Nervously, in the confusion of his sudden and strange action, Yu-Lee hadn’t any idea what to think. Then Mack leaned forward and planted a kiss on each of her cheeks. Pulling away he looked at her with a goofy happy smile, “You’re a genius,” he declared. She laughed bashfully. “Let’s do it!” Mack approved.
“It reeks down here… Yuck…” Seresuto complained as Adamu lowed her down a manhole. “It’s the only safe way out of here. These documents mean the survival of, well… everyone! So just grin and bare it will ya?” Adamu barked. Seresuto stood knee deep in the cities water run off, looking dumbfounded; Adamu had never talked back to her. The seriousness of the situation was really hitting home. She bit her tongue from there on in, feeling guilty for her selfishness, “Adamu you’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s do this!”
“Everything went alright?” Suako asked when Vince re-emerged from the tunnel. “Yea. You?” Vince nodded. “No problems,” Suako confirmed. “Let’s take this one together, then onto the next floor. We need to speed this up. Mack need us to…” Vince said. “I know, I know, let’s go…” Suako agreed.
“Is this it?” Mei asked. “Dunno. I can’t see shi’ in here its so dark,” Kato sighed. “Well at least help me try and figure it out… It feels like it could be… Oh, this is so stupid. I don’t hear anyone. Just turn on the lights for a minute,” Mei complained. “No Mei, too risky. I’ll help…” Kato said. There was a long pause as they worked their way around the room. Only lit up button lights prevented the total opaqueness of the darkness.
It was frustrating and stressful; everything needed to be relatively timed to the plan Mack had drawn up. Like invalids they navigated the room, touch allowed their imaginations too much room to play. Mei’s patience was running thin. Turning to go across the room, she kicked her foot on a hard something, which sent Mei spinning around, but she caught herself on some sort of desk. Her hand hit something on the way down which grabbed her attention.
Mei’s eyes flew open. “Kato! Come here, please tell me this is what I think it is,” Mei excitedly called him. He made his way over in the vision crippling room. “What?” he asked. “Here!” Mei took his hand and planted it down. The object was a mix of plastic and metal. It stretched long horizontally, like a stapler, it pressed down and made a click noise.
Kato reached his hands back, and like a blind man he began to identify his surroundings with his fingertips. Trying to envision the object in his head, he closed his eyes to block out the distracting lit up knobs that his peripheral sight caught. At first nothing logical would present itself. He scrunched his face as he thought. What the hell is this? Smells like copper. It feels like…! It can’t be! “Morse code?” Kato said opening his eyes. “I thought so too! Do you know any?” Mei asked excitedly. “Yea I do,” he said. “Listen, I have an idea. …” Mei continued.
Ding! The elevator door slid open; it was empty, they stepped in. Cloaked by a shield they could not confirm to be working, they faithfully trusted it. In military garb they fit in as soldiers. Ding! The shifting door closed, and up the vertical column they climbed. The hum of the lights above sounded like a colony of bees working away in their nest.
A few floors up the elevator stopped, and a few employees stepped in. There were no questions asked, the employees just carried on the conversation they’d had going before. “…So, then the generators in Atani have been low in production?” one asked. “Yes. We haven’t received conformation on why yet. I’m having some of the soldiers look into it,” a second replied. “Koto won’t be pleased. He’s been getting tired of these setbacks. If he ends up going out there to check it out, well... I can just see my pay check dropping a few notches,” a third said. “Don’t worry about it so much. Koto has been keeping busy with some of our other departments. He’ll probably dismiss it, or just send someone else to go check it out,” the first one said. Ding! “I hope you’re right. Now what about…” Their voices faded as they stepped out and the door closed. Again, they went up.
“Who’s ‘Koto’?” Kairu asked. “He’s the chairman’s son. He’s just as dirty as his old man,” Kazuo replied. “Koto…” Yu-Lee said beneath her breath in thought. It didn’t go unnoticed by Jenko, “What is it, Yu-Lee?” Her head slowly rose to look at him, “That name… sounds familiar. I don’t like it. I just… No, never mind,” she suddenly shut off her will to prattle on. “Yu-Lee?” Jenko worried about her sudden discretion. “It’s all right. Really, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” she tried to reassure him. “Are you sure?” he touched her arm. “Yes,” she met his eyes, “I’m positive.”
Onward they ascended. The hum of the light became soothing the longer they were in the elevator. Over exerting hearts lessened their pace. The counting ticker above the doors accumulated. There were many swirling notions in their overactive brains, and it induced silence among them. So many questions, and nothing but time coming to pass could cure their devouring power. Ticker read: 38
“Vince? … Vince!?” Suako ran around. She called for him fretfully. Behind her, a door creaked open, and he appeared. “Vince!” she exclaimed, and flew into his arms. “I was thinking. This is going to take too long. We’ve already planted on the first two bottom floors, we should just do every other floor for the rest of the way up. … V
ince? Vince, what is it?” Suako asked. He stood there looking dazed, “It’s...” was all he could muster to say. Like a zombie his body gave out, and he fell back to lean against the wall behind him, and slide against it to the floor. His head sunk and he balanced his forehead on his hand. Suako crouched next to him, trying to make sense of his babble, but her efforts failed.
The door from where he’d came stood open an inch. Looking closer she saw the faded sign on the door: Authorised Personnel Only. Suako pushed herself up with her leg, feeling the muscles work as she did. Something was pulling her in, something was in there; there was no doubt about it, she had to go in. Some cosmic force was drawing her internally, and the rest of the world lost any attention she had been granting it. Suako had tunnel vision for this task.
Suako felt her pulse race as she pressed her fingertips against the door, it was cold to the touch, and incredibly heavy. The tendons on her arm stood out. She applied pressure to the door, and her fingers went white from red as she pushed. Gradually the door opened, the hinges squealed like a dying boar as it did. The light in the laboratory was sterile, the incandescent blue cast a hue over everything.
Despite the urge to run, Suako couldn’t turn back. Nervously she stepped forward, crossing one leg over the other. She shook, like leaves on trees on a rough windy autumn day, but she did not turn back. No one was inside the lab, no scientists prowled around this hellish room, which she had so long ago condemned. The smells remained the same, that of flesh and chemicals. The sickly strong scent of bleach was nearly overwhelming.
Some instruments were scattered across the floor, a scalpel, some scissors, and a few needles, beneath an out of place tray, were among the clutter. The compression of an air pump periodically hissed, as it performed its objective duty. Beep!... Beep! The most distracting device in use sounded constantly, it was the vitals monitor, and it tracked a heart rate.
Mortified Suako still couldn’t go back; her legs walked forward without her permission. She could not deny them. Suako heard herself breathing, heavy and brisk. Vince had come in behind her but she did not hear him. One step closer, closer, closer…
A chair, all to familiar to her, showed its back to her. Step... Cords from the monitor swept down towards it. Step... That chair she vowed never to go into again, so close to her now. Step… Breathing… Step… Someone was in that chair now. Step... Their hair-raising breaths persisted in constant intervals. Step... Each one a struggle. Step... A will to survive. Step… Or lack of courage to die. Step... Who is it? Step, step, step…
Suako gasped and feel to her knees, shock gripped her, and then she burst into an outpouring of uncontrollable tears. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, and started to struggle for air, like a fish out of water. Her right knee had landed on a sharp prodding tool, which had pierced her skin. She was bleeding, but ignored it. Her left hand clasped over her mouth. Between short exhumed breaths she managed out, “No! No! No! …” continuously said, with no distinct sound to them.
Struggling on her knee’s, the object digging further into her skin, Suako squirmed. A limp arm, bruised and scabbed, rested over the armrest of the chair. Suako took the hand in hers, it was frigid. Hoisted up she looked at the weak depleted leftovers of the woman resting in the chair. Half clad, and left alone to starve and suffer in the pits of this imitated hell. Remorsefully Suako spoke out to the scarred creature, which lay before her. Her voice was flat and weak. Suako looked on at her sister, and choked as she spoke her name through warbling lips, “…Renee…”
Floor: 64 Be ready. Be prepared. Don’t forget to breathe, don’t forget to breathe…
“Hey Mei, what ‘bout dis’?” Kato asked as he groped a cylinder-shaped object in his hands. “Hmm? Let me feel. … It’s hard to tell. There’s a panel over there, but I can’t read it. What do you say we just trash it all?” Mei suggested mischievously. Kato’s big arm swept around her waist and drew her near. He kissed her affectionately, “Oh babe, I love ya’…” he had a dopey grin as he leaned over her. Mei giggled. “Let’s do this!” Her eyes burned, and pierced like a feline’s. Up she lifted a massive wrench.
“Wait…” Kato put his hand on her upraised arm. “What?” she asked impatiently. “Let’s do this right,” he told her and lowered the wrench down. Mei looked upon Kato curiously. He closed his eyes and then took a long, deep, soothing breath. Again, a deep inhale. Mei now understood and joined him. After a moment of relaxing, solitary being Kato spoke, “For Jake…” Mei opened her eyes and turned to look at Kato, “For Nayu…” Both of them now jointly prepared the wrench, brandishing it high above their heads, “Lights out!” …
There was a rumble to the ground, and Seresuto lost her balance and fell face first into the disgusting dirty water. It wasn’t an earthquake this time. The constant electrical hum that had never ceased now stopped. It gave one last belch, which faded low until it dissipated. It rung in their ears for a while. Adamu helped Seresuto back onto her feet. Looking up he spoke softly, with true sincerity, “Good luck you guys.”
The elevator came to a screeching halt. They had slid down the shaft, but only by about a floor before the emergency brakes has stopped them. When it stopped gravity caught up to them, and they felt themselves being jostled around harshly. They had been alone in the elevator when it happed, and the light went out. An emergency backup, from a small generator attached to the elevator had kicked in, which had engaged the brakes that keep them from falling to untimely deaths. A red bulb lit up in the elevator, just as one had in the train to Tomakomai.
“Is everyone alright?” Mack asked, as the world stopped spinning. “I’m fine,” Yu-Lee replied, pressed tight against the rear wall next to Jenko. “Same here. Hit my head, but I’ll live” Jenko said. Kazuo and Kairu checked in, rattle, but alright too. “Anyone catch the last floor we were at?” Mack questioned, his eye gazing up at the deadened ticker. “It was at 71,” Kairu answered. “So, we’re around 70, you think?” Jenko asked aloud. “Probably. Let’s get these doors open…” Mack skimmed his hand across the surface to find the dividing break.
Kairu and Jenko went to help. Yu-Lee and Kazuo stood like bystanders in the back, watching and waiting anxiously. Using brut force, and synchronisation, they pried the stiff doors open. “Yu-Lee! The pins!” Mack grunted in spurts. “Oh! Sorry!” she pulled them free of the backpack she’d found in the room they met Kazuo in. She quickly went over to the door, dropped onto her knees, and carefully she inserted the pins. The small metal holders somehow kept the doors from shutting.
Between floors, the moonlight threw windows shone in from above. The top of the elevator entrance was at the bottom of the floor they’d stopped at, giving them only two feet at the top of the elevator door to get out. Mack looked around and saw a plaque posted by the stairwell entrance read: Floor 70. They were where they predicted to have stopped; the brakes had worked incredibly well.
Everyone tossed their things up out the elevator door, onto the floor above. Then Jenko and Kairu formed a stair with their interlocked arms for Yu-Lee the climb up on. Partially up, her bust laying against the cool marble floor, she pulled herself out. The floor was so clean that it reflected her image to her back to her like a mirror. With the strength of her arms she managed to wiggle the rest of her body up. The hall was empty, though she heard a few footsteps above her head, and murmurs from a vent linking to the floor below. The voices complained of the power outage.
The C.D.F.P. building was one big electronic machine. Without electricity the run it, none of the mechanisms could function. The employees had heavy reliance on there technology to work, so the disturbance worked just as planned. They had completely lucked out that this floor had no one up and about, Yu-Lee thought as she stood up in the empty hallway. “The coast is clear, come on out,” she told the others, and offered Kazuo a hand up.
Once they were all happily out of the elevator, they gathered the few things that they had brought along. “Hey! What’s that?” Kairu’s keen youthfu
l ears perked up. The others silenced themselves to listen, and after a moment, could hear the stomping of feet was drawing in. “Shit! C.D.F.P. soldiers? Probably following up on the power outage. We’ve got to hide,” Mack insisted, searching for an escape or hiding place. “Over here!” Jenko called twisting a door handle. The door swung into a dark office, and they scurried in. The same emergency red lighting was on inside the office.
Jenko began to tug the door shut, but Kairu ran out. “What are you doing?” Jenko harshly scolded, in frightened bewilderment. “The pins! If the doors are open they’ll know something’s up…” Kairu replied as he ran. He had taken Mack’s shotgun and used the nozzle to flick away the pins. They clinked around as they flew away, and the doors closed. The hasty group was getting closer. “Kairu!” Jenko waved him back demandingly to get in the office room. Kairu flew in like a breeze, in just enough time, Jenko closed the door behind them. The gentle penetrating latch slid into its slot as Jenko let the door handle slide back through his fingers.
Noiselessly they stood holding their breaths. The pattering footsteps grew and then passed right by them, but two soldiers stopped dead cold near the stairs. Someone told them to stay there and keep watch for ‘suspicious activity’. For now, they were stuck; it was too early to start a commotion.
A translucent respirator tube had been inserted down Renee’s throat. Emotionally distraught, Suako forced herself to gather her wits. “R… Renee? It’s me, Suako… h…honey, I’m gonna pull, pull this tube out… OK?” Suako’s skin folded between her eyebrows as she looked mournfully at her sister. With her right hand she lovingly stroked her fingers through Renee’s hair. At first, Renee flinched when she was touched. It was instinctual, since as long as she could remember, human contact had been only done to torment, and she couldn’t help but be wary. The small reaction alone flooded Suako with guilt.
