Ash Ketchum: The Prisoner Of Cell 25

Ch. 48 Overload the Circuit

   Hearing that Marnie was on the other side of the wall sent chills through me.

  "Ash, we've got to get out of here," Serena said.

  "I need to finish. Cyrus could still kill all the prisoners. Shauna, Korrina, get out of here."

"We're not leaving you," they said simultaneously.

Sparks bounced off the floor as Kiawe completed the second cut.

"He's halfway through," Serena said.

"I'm not going out without a fight," Clemont said. He ran from the prison doors and turn off all the collars."

He turned to me. "We've got to stop them."

Serena went to the flamethrower. "You go, I'll do it." She crouched doen next to the machine as Clemont ran back to the console and started hitting switches.

I hit the central VOX button. "Attention, prisoners. This is Ash Ketchum. We are freeing you. We're unlocking all the doors. Your collars will soon be deactivated. As soon as the light goes off, take them off as quickly as you can. We're under attack, so we don't have much time. Brock, Calem, and Zeus will help get you out of the building. Do exactly as they say."

"How does this work?" Serena said.

"Just pull the top trigger," Clemont said. "But not now. It will set the floor on fire."

"Ash!" Calem shouted over the intercom. "We're coming up the stairwell to rescue you!"

"Just be careful."

"Hey!" Clemont shouted. "Zeus is coming back up the elevator."

I looked over. "What? Tell him to turn back."

The cutting had started again and Kiawe completed another line in the wall.

"He's almost through!" Serena yelled.

"Clemont, are you done?"

"Just about."

"Brock, all the collars are just about off. I don't know how long we can hold the floor, so use the elevators with caution."

"Got it, Ash."

The front elevator door opened and Zeus walked out.

"What are you doing here?" I shouted to him.

"I need to face Cyrus," Zeus said.

"Send him an email. Marnie's with him. Take the girls and get out of here."

"We're not leaving," Korrina said again.

Serena looked back at me and shook her head. "I'm not leaving you alone."

"Korrina, Serena, these are Cyrus's personal guards. They'll kill you. They'll kill all of us. Just get out. Please."

Just then Kiawe completed the last cut and the thick plated metal fell forward, crashing onto the floor. A concussion grenade flew through the hole at us, exploding in the middle of the room. Serena screamed, falling to the floor behind the flamethrower.

"Put down your weapons," Cyrus shouted, "or we'll throw in real grenades!"

"They have those?" Clemont asked.

"I don't want to find out," I said. "Okay!" I yelled. "Serena, back away from the flamethrower."

A moment later a guard stuck his head through the hole in the door. He looked around, then stepped inside. He was wearing a different uniform than I'd seen before—a darkened white, rubberized suit with a helmet and bulletproof vest. He pointed his gun at us, as if daring one of us to engage him. Then Cyrus, wearing the copper helmet, stepped through the hole behind him, closely followed by Marnie and two other guards. Cyrus looked around the room and said to me, "Quite a mess you've made of things, Ketchum."