Return : Book One in the Return series

Part 12 - Pitfall

The crew made their way through the labyrinth of corridors, each one the same as the last, closing in, forming a maze of blank, empty, white halls.

Even as they rounded the next corner, they were faced with the same blank hall, only a couple of strip lights lining the ceiling, locked doors on either side. Vulture cursed and kicked at the nearest door, to no avail. It stayed firmly shut.

Vulture said , "We need a plan. We can't just try and stumble through this maze, it' ll take forever to get to the target."

Sitting down, he tried to get his mind in place, hoping to find a useful way to find Matthew that wouldn't take forever.

Finally, he got it. He pulled out a small combat knife, and made a deep grove within one of the doors. He then kicked it down, and seeing nothing but a normal office, closed it again. He said to the team, "Mark every door after checking, hopefully we'll find the right place much, much faster."

  Through this process, they quickly made their way through multiple corridors, finally reaching what seemed to be the last one, with no other available exits in sight. Pushing open the door, the group lifted their weapons to see...

  An empty room, blank for anything but a TV screen.

  It flickered to life. Sledge's face popped into view, veins showing. He spoke.

  "Now I know you'll be wondering where we are. You, are in a prison. I, am in my own research facility. And of course, none of you were smart enough to realize that I'm not dumb enough to put a high value prisoner such as this in the average prison! No, he'll be staying with me for the time being. As for you, well, look at that, you're right where you need to be! I hope you give up trying to find us, as it's useless, and you'll be too old to try when you get out of prison on your "good merits", so to speak."

  He grinned, slightly laughing and veins popping on his forehead. The group could hear muffled screaming in the background, quickly shut away. The screen turned off, just a black, useless mirror now.

  Klaxons blared, the room getting washed in red light. Guards rushed in, throwing concussions and shooting rubber bullets, and the crew washed out in a wave of bullets.

  Kunai and Big Sister were the first to fall, getting knocked out easily by the heavy guards.

  Vulture fell next, a shotgun blast knocking him cold.

  Juggernaut took much longer, taking out several guards and requiring being dosed by sleeping gas before being taken out, but they all fell one by one.

  Stretchers came in, and each person was transported to a cell, and with a ominous click, the cells shut, leaving them as just four more prisoners, nothing more.