As we turned a corner in the tunnel, we encountered the first sign of human security. Red lights crisscrossed across our paths, heat radiating off of them in waves. An angry hum cut through the air.
Castiel stepped to the front of our group, removing a glove as he did so. With all of us stood behind him he tossed it forwards into the red lights. The glove danced within the lights. They were not so forgiving, they tore and shredded through the fabric of the glove mercilessly. When it finally reached the floor, the glove was nothing more than glowing cinders.
"Lasers that burn? I thought that only existed in films." I stated as I waved my hand in front of my face. My eyes were focused wholly on the smoky remains. "And more importantly, how do we get past this."
The only way to turn off the lasers appeared to be the small numbered keypad embedded into the wall.
Lucius had the same idea as he moved to stand before the keypad and leaned close so that his nose was just a few millimetres away from the keys. He frowned, his lips pursing as he focused on the task at hand.
"Nope, it's not going to work that way." He muttered under his breath.
Stepping back, Lucius shook his head and then drew back his sword arm. Then, with sheer brute strength, he brought down the blade upon the keypad. Sparks shot out of the side, the metal casing exploding off of the wall and scattering all over the floor. When he pulled his sword away, there was nothing but a black charred mark and a bunch of exposed wires.
The laser kept humming but the whine they emitted grew shriller. Lucius put his hand into the box, wrapped his fingers around the now exposed wires and then pulled. There was a small popping sound and then slowly the wall of lights flickered before fading completely.
"Well that was dramatic." I added dryly.
Then, when no one made any attempt to move forwards, I rolled my eyes and took a step forwards. The action caused every single male to push and shove their way so that they could be first. I snorted and followed behind them at a more sedate pace, Binah at my side.
"They never change. They have always done the same with me." She advised her voice low so that the others couldn't overhear. "You will take care of them all won't you."
Shaking my head, I turned my head to look at her. "You cannot be having this conversation now. You cannot. It's not time yet and I am not talking about your death before it is time for me to say goodbye."
We lapsed into silence, both of us walking side by side and yet completely apart. I didn't even feel guilty. We had people to save and her talking about unrelated matters wasn't going to get us all out of here safely.
"If you are worried about anyone," I added when I couldn't take the silence any longer. "Keep any eye on Caspar. No matter what he has been though and what he is destined to be, he is still an untrained young man with a knife and a pair of guns at his disposal. I would rather he stay out of this fight completely but no one ever listens to me. I will too busy trying to keep everyone else safe. You can focus on him."
There was no immediate response and when I turned my gaze, I felt myself tearing up ever so slightly. She looked so sad; her beautiful skin was off colour and had an almost greenish tinge to it. She looked heart sick.
"Take care of him so that you can have the happily ever after that you deserve."
We breached several security doors and dismantled several booby-traps. Finally we reached a fork in the tunnels. Both were well lit. One had a large, heavy duty door and the other curved around and then out of sight. It was strange but we hadn't run into a single soul so far. No doubt they already knew that we were coming.
"Let's split up into two teams. Savannah, Castiel and Clem, you're with me. Binah and Casper, go with the twins. Take the left fork." Lucius ordered, his finger pointing the route while he turned to face the large ugly green solid steel door. "We're going through that way."
There was no lock or additional security on the outside of the door, just a large wheel controlled how the door was opened. It was a simple mechanism. Lucius and Castiel stood with their swords raised in defensive positions on either side of me. I then stepped up and grabbed onto the huge wheel. I kept waiting for the alarms to go off and for the enforcement to appear. But there was nothing.
So, putting my entire body into the movement, I wrenched on the steering wheel. There was a large groan and then with a clank the wheel moved and the lock disengaged. Pulling, I used my entire body to pull the door free from the frame.
Stagnant air rushed out of the doorway, its odour so strong that it burnt the inside of my nose. Still, I pulled the door open wider.
Once it was fully opened, it revealed that we were on the upper level of a two storey cell block. The ceiling was now more than a foot or two above my head while a set of stairs to the right of the door led down to the lower cells. A large concrete walkway created a path to all of the upper level cells. Stepping forwards, I reached the metal safety railing and peered over the edge.
The smell of unwashed people, faecal matter and urine were heavy on the air. It wasn't surprising. Every cell was occupied by one poor soul or another.
"I think there are more than ten people here." I murmured helpfully.
Whatever we had been expecting, it had never been this. There had to be at least forty cells on each level and some cells were double occupied, their occupants clinging to one another as they huddled in the corner of their cell. There were so many tormented souls here and I could feel their agony even from this distance.
"We need to rescue them now." Clementine ordered, turning left on the walkway.
Castiel shrugged and took the right while Lucius and I chose to tackle the lower levels.
My booted feet slapped against the concrete as I descended, the smell not improving. I walked down the steps and my soul felt bruised and weary. In every dirtied and sad face sat behind the bars I saw myself. I had been in their position not long ago. It brought reality back to me in startling clarity. It could have been me.
Reaching the bottom, I almost walked into Lucius' back. He had stopped before a cell, his face pale as he stared inside. Coming to stand beside him, I followed his gaze and sucked in a sharp breath. She looked like me. There were differences, if one looked past the dried blood and grime which coated her face. But it was the dark hair, the colour of his skin and even her nose which looked so like my own.
"This could have been you," he murmured echoing my own thought. His gaze was focused upon her dark unseeing eyes.
She was dead. There was no flutter of eye lashes, no movement of her body as she breathed. And on the air I could smell it – death.
"I hope the end was peaceful." I murmured to pacify myself. There was nothing peaceful about this woman. Even in death I could see the sheer agony she had suffered just moments before she had drawn her last breath.
"She'll be with father now. He'll take care of her and help to heal her soul. She'll be okay." Lucius spoke softly, his arms coming to rest around my shoulders so that he could comfort me.
I drew in a deep breath and gathered my strength about me, taking strength and courage from Lucius too. No matter what happened in our lives, I knew that he would always be there to support and comfort me when I needed him most and I needed him right now.
Stepping out of his hold, I walked to the next cell and looked in. there were three people in this small cramped cell. If I stood in the middle and spread out my arms I would easily be able to touch both walls. It was too small for one person.
There were three girls in the cell; the eldest looked no more than eighteen. Her dark sepia coloured skin was cut and torn, fresh blood still oozing from her wounds. Her eyes were fierce as she lifted her head from where it had rested upon the youngest girl's head and send a glare our way.
I gasped. Her hair had been brutally shorn away so carelessly that I could see scabs on where entire section of her scalp had been shorn away with the hair. Bile rose up my throat. How could any human being find it acceptable to treat someone so callously?
I stepped closed the bars on instinct, the need to protect and comfort too great. The young woman immediately shrank away while clutching the two younger girls closer to her. It was like she was hoping with that one gesture she could protect them from the horrors we might unleash on them. Despite her attempt at protecting the young girls, I could see a few bruises on their lighter brown skin, their frames emaciated from the food deprivation they had most likely been forced to suffer through.
"We're not here to hurt you," I promised, my eyes holding hers.
There was a dark promise in her gaze. If I so much as tried to lay a finger on those girls she was going to attack. I nodded my head. We were at an impasse. Lifting my sword, I continued to meet her bold stare as I brought the blade down on the bars, all of my will urging her to cut through the metal and free these poor beaten souls from their captivity. The handle grew hot in my hand but I ignored the sensation and instead put more of my strength on the blade.
The door swung open and I smiled sadly at the terrified trio.
"You're free. We do not mean you any harm, I promise." I spoke quietly, keeping my face as free and open as I could so that she could see the honesty in my intentions.
Tapping Lucius on the shoulder, I nudged him away and we stepped up to the next cell. With each door that we opened, with each brutalised person we freed, I felt with more certainty than ever that Victor Lyle would be meeting his death. And it would happen soon.
By the time we had reached the last door, I turned to survey all of the cells. And noted every single occupant was still cowering in the corners, not having moved an inch despite the fact that the doors had been opened for them.
"Why aren't they leaving?" I asked, looking for a sign that someone would take the opportunity for freedom.
"They're too scared. They've been cowed by their tormentors." Lucius replied grimly, his hand reaching out to take mine.
I lifted my head and noted that Castiel and Clementine were having the same issues with the inmates on the level above. Castiel leaned over the metal railing and shook his head. Looking down I sighed. How could we save people if they were unwilling to save themselves?
"We're going to have to force them to leave aren't we?" I asked.
I had barely uttered the words when the ground beneath my feet trembled and an ominous rumble echoed all around us. Cracks formed in the walls growing larger as the seconds passed.
"We need to get out now before the entire place comes down on our heads. There's structural damage here and I don't know how much it can take before the entire place comes down around us." Lucius advised, speaking loud enough that not only Cass and Clem could hear but so that all of those in the cells around us to hear too. Then, under his breath he murmured, "Pull the fire alarm."
Subtly, he pointed to the wall opposite. To my surprise, there on the wall was a small red box. It was incredible that a secret underground bunker would even have a fire alarm. Still I hurried to the box, broke the glass and pressed the button within.
The shrill alarm was hard on the ears but it finally managed to do what we had not been able to do. It roused the captives into the land of the living. A few screamed in panic but all pushed to their feet and staggered their way to the open doors.
I allowed my sword to become incorporeal. "Come on," I called out, waving my arms to get their attention. "This way."
Turning towards the stairs, I led the charge up the steps while Lucius was hot on my heels. As we reached the upper level, we were almost forced back down the stairs but the hoard of people who had gone from listless zombies sitting in the corners of the cells to a desperate stampede, pushing and shoving past one another as they raced for the exit.
Lucius hands on my back stopped me from falling and then he urged me forwards, nudging me every time that I slowed. Soon he didn't have to keep pushing. I was so caught up on the tide of people that it would have been perilous to fight the stream as it flowed out into the main corridors.
"Go left!" I shouted over the panicked din.
Those who heard immediately heeded my instructions and flowed towards the left and the way that we had come while others streamed towards the right and doubtlessly towards the danger and the fighting.
"Cass, you have to lead them out of here." I called out, snagging his hand and pulling him to my side when the hoard would have carried him away from me. "I trust you to keep them safe and get them out of here. Take Clem and get them to safety."
The fallen angel hesitated before I tilted my chin and gave him my best 'I'm the boss' glare. His eyes flitted to the man standing behind me and then he bowed his head in acceptance. Releasing my hold on his hand, he drifted away from us as he effortlessly wove between the panicked humans.
Glancing back at Lucius, I smiled sadly. He leant down and placed a chaste kiss on my lips – a kiss which spoke of so much. It was so brief that it left me wanting more but it was neither the time nor the place to explore Lucius' kissing abilities. Sensing my dilemma, he smirked and then he took off into the crowd. When he was a few feet away he sent a cheeky smirk over my shoulder.
Cursing loudly, I hurried after him. While he seemed to be able to navigate everything with ease, I felt like with every step I took I was being buffeted on either side. It took me several minutes to push my way through and escape the flow of people into the other tunnel. The sudden lack of people was disquieting but I pushed by my own unease as I tried to regain my breath.
Now that I had enough space, I allowed my sword to become corporeal once more. Then, after another moment to regain my breath, I set off at a run towards the last place I had spotted Lucius.
There was movement in a corridor to my right. I danced to the side just as a gunshot cracked through the air. The sound reverberated off of the wall. My ears rung under the onslaught of the both the gunshot and the continuous wailing of the fire alarm. I knew it would be a long while before I could hear normally again. Even with the impairment, I darted forwards, straight towards the gunman, I charged him with my sword outstretched. It cut through his armour and his flesh like a hot knife through butter.
I yanked my blade free even as the man let off another gun shot. It clipped my leg and left a burning line of fire across my flesh. Sometimes it felt like my previous human state affected my ability to cope with injuries as I never stopped feeling the pain of my wounds; I was just a bit more resilient to their effects.
As the man fell to the floor, I kicked at his hand so that the gun when spinning from his grasp and came to a stop several feet away. The wound I had already inflicted had merely incapacitated him and as I looked up at his face, I could see that he was nothing more than a boy in a uniform. Still, he had pulled the trigger. He had aimed for the kill without thought. I couldn't risk him pulling the trigger on someone else.
Meeting his eyes, watching as they changed from defiant to scared, I turned my sword on end and brought it down on his head. The hilt hit his forehead and a moment later the man's eyes were rolling back as he slipped into unconsciousness.
I didn't wait to see if the effect was lasting, I started running even though my leg throbbed. Without my sense of hearing to help me I felt handicapped. I pushed myself harder and faster.
As the tunnel curved around, I found myself in the middle of chaos. Swords were flashing, weapons were firing and people were falling.
We were in what had probably been some kind of command centre. There were upturned desks, broken laptops scattered amongst the feet of the fighter and there were a few obliterated office chairs.
As I stepped forwards my foot skidded. I glanced down. The floor beneath my feet was slick with blood. Despite the fact that our side were vastly outnumbered, we were winning. None of our team had more than a few nicks on their flesh while dozens of the enemy lay upon the floor where their lifeblood was seeping from their wounds.
Taking a step forwards, I slashed my sword through the air and then spun to deflect the knife which had been launched at my head. Instinct drove me from that moment on. I ducked just a fist came flying towards my face and then swept out my foot so that the attacker's feet were pulled out from underneath him. Keeping my momentum going, as his back hit the floor, I turned and then threw a fist at the dazed man's face in order to incapacitate him.
Over and over again I slashed and sliced, kicked and punched until it was nothing more than one body after another. I was so caught in the moment that I almost missed it. The arm raised, the gun pointed at the only truly vulnerable member of our group. Caspar didn't even see his life flashing before his eyes.
The shot fired. His body jerked. He glanced down and pressed a hand to his stomach just as a second bullet entered his body. And then he was falling to the floor.
With all the anger I possessed, I launched my sword but felt no satisfaction as it honed in on its target and went straight through his heart. Instead, I closed in on the boy who had fallen to the floor.
Binah was already at his side. I dropped down just as she grabbed on to the poor boys face. For the first time since I had met him, Caspar face was terrified. His face was drawn and blood coated his lips. The pool of red around his prone form was getting bigger and bigger as the seconds passed.
"Caspar, listen to me." Binah urged, he hands slapping his face to get his attention. His eyes kept trailing away as he struggled to focus. "I'm going to take the pain away okay but I just need you to hold on for me. Can you promise me that?"
Caspar weakly raised his bloodied hand and pressed it over her hand to hold it to his cheek. "I promise," he mouthed, his chest struggling to rise and fall.
Binah looked over at me then. "This is it. I'm not too sure what will happen next."
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking from her to the fading Caspar.
"I've never done this before. It's never been done before it's too late. It is now or never."