Hopefully, one of the best chapters!
Not sure if you're going to cry or not...
Eh, enjoy!:*
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The plan was all relying on the security of Adam’s old hiding. Fortunately, the place had the entrance outside the enclosure of the Centre, which was starting with a long tunnel all the way to the Centre’s basement. Adam sustained that the tunnels have been built during the 2nd World War by the people who wanted to protect their families. Those tunnels were spread all around the city.
The first thing to do was to avoid the guardians and to disconnect the security check – the doors and the coded panels. Adam’s hideout was placed around the back area of the Centre, which wasn’t protected too much so we could filter very easily into the main building. Once we entered we could see that each blocked door had at least one guardian.
The Centre was not a very important one; the Principal Premises was located somewhere in Toronto; so that meant the protection wasn’t overly ensured for only a lost building. I could’ve sworn that the guardians were only starting to secure the most populated area. They didn’t have cells because they had nobody to hold as a hostage. Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe I haven’t seen the rest of the Centre. I knew they had a laboratory and I even met a group of doctors and researchers which included a past middle age lady: Adelpha Barton. She was the chief of the group. Her job consisted of examining the effects of some experiments. I had the opportunity to talk to her, but I acknowledged that I was still a prisoner who couldn’t carry the things too far to satisfy my own curiosity and it’s needless to say she was vigilant when speaking to me. I literally couldn’t trust anybody there.
Christina had her own guardians who were following her everywhere. They were both acting so professional, like her protection was the only important thing, no matter what happened around them. Their names were Aden and Hardy. While Hardy, having certain hoariness, knew exactly what his job was asking for, Aden was much younger and, I supposed, a novice at those kind of stuff. Hardy had a firm stance every time, with no hesitation, no distraction. Aden was sometimes pissed that he was younger and less powerful which made him irritable and he was sick of Christina’s orders that were underestimating his strength and knowledge. I got to know Aden very well because he was around me all the time: in the cafeteria, on the way to my room, outside the building, at my meetings with James… He was never talking, but sometimes, when he was in a good mood, I could see a mustered grin on his figure. I’d be far if I thought I could create a friendship between us, but his spite for Christina could make him give me some answers or even be my ally.
However, not these guards were the main problem.
We took two days to settle the plan perfectly and to get what it takes to defeat the security. Besides the information Adam owned, he was, surprisingly, also a pretty good and clever nerd, which included hacking systems, defusing bombs, using different weapons and so on. I could not manage to do all that, but I was pretty confident that I knew how to use a gun or a Taser. My father didn’t teach me how to use my body to defend but to control a deadly weapon so I can put my enemy out of action quickly. At first I had difficulties because I was afraid of even holding a gun, but as the time passed and as I was practicing, it became very easy and, obviously, useful.
So as everything was going perfectly, we decided to break into the building at night. If we could turn off the electricity, the building would turn into a complete dark and blind chaos and we could move easier.
The fences were normal. A little bit too high but no source of electrocution devices. Adam jumped first and told me to wait on the other side until he was sure nobody was patrolling the area. So I did. He came back with a ladder and helped me jump over the enclosure.
The subway wasn’t in such a good shape. The halls that Adam created were now destroyed, the ground fell and there was no space to move. It was clear that nobody bothered to take care of the hideout. We advanced slowly until the end of the tunnel and we discovered that the door was opened and the room was empty.
“So it seems someone was here…someday.” , said Adam while he was forcing the door which was leading into the main hall.
“We’re in. Don’t go too far and watch for the guardians silently. The panel is right at the end of the hall so you have to back me up until I reach it and turn it off. You have the gun to defend. Can you handle this?”
So secure. He knew what he had to do and it wasn’t easy. We were about to break into a high-security-level-building and he still had time to care about me.
And as he crossed the hall, reached the panel and opened it, the alarms started screaming.
“NO! No! I cut the wrong one! How is that possible!?”
“There’s no time!”
“I need to cut off their electricity!”
The building had gone crazy. I could hear footsteps coming from every side of the hall, walking in and breaking everything that stood in their way. Adam destroyed the panel for good by rending all the wires and give way to a horrible chaos. Then he was gone. I couldn’t see anything. The light bulbs were exploding and the alarm sound was deafening so I ran. I had the gun. I could defeat. I could escape. But Adam, he could be caught by now. This should have not happened because I didn’t come here to lose both of them.
Everything was happening so fast, so confusing and suddenly everything was dark. I was totally blind. I realized that I descended one floor and I found myself standing at the end of the cells hall. They were opened and empty. Adam ran away and now I was alone and I heard the guardians coming towards me. Closer and closer…
Then I got grabbed. I wanted to scream the fear out of my lungs but I couldn’t. The man sneaked his hand around my arms and covered my mouth with the other one. Then he turned me around. I was staring into the eyes of a pale, tall and frail guy but ready to smash anything that represented danger to him. He looked so familiar.
“I’m sorry…James.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m sorry too. Now that you’re safe, I need to be sure you remain like this. Keep quiet.”
“After the guardians leave, you need to follow me. I know who can help us.”
I don’t know if he had heard me before he grabbed my hand and sneaked along the corner. We went through the hidden spots of the halls for about 2 floors but when we reached the entrance. There were guardians with guns hanging by their shoulders and tens of eyes watching our every move. James was undressed, fully exposed and he was cold. He was standing in front of me. In a split second he jumped over the guards and the sound of broken bones and the smell of drops of blood gave flow to the action. Everything was happening so fast. James was literally flying over the dead bodies waiting for more assailants to attack. He wasn’t struggling too hard. He was dashing enemies into the walls like some rags with the same motion with which you throw something in the trash or keep away a fly. He was unstoppable.
His skin was now as white as a sheet and his hair was no longer wild but sharp and carbon black. The web of the eyes was darkened and the iris was bloodshot. He was covered in blood reeking like fresh flesh, gun powder and metal. James kneed and looked into the ground downcast, then leaned on his arms slowly. He was injured so hard, he’s been shot in the leg but he didn’t hesitate and took the bullet out without making a sound and I shuddered when it scraped the floor. James inhaled deeply and straightened his back, now, looking into the ceiling.
His body was altering, going back to normal, and the deep wounds disappeared. Then he fell on his back.
My mind was telling me to get outta there and be careful that this monster would not follow me, but my legs and my arms ran straightly to him and caught him before his head hit the floor. I was moving quickly, but I felt like it took one year for me to make those moves. My mind perceived my movement in slow motion but my body was on fast forward.
“Run, Andrea.”
“Hell no! Who did this to you? What… are you?”
His cheeks were burning that I was afraid to touch them and a cold purl of tear came down his neck spreading on the floor.
“James, stay with me! The entrance is…”
He killed all the guardians! It’s impossible to be others!
“Andrea!”
I knew this voice and the feeling of relief filled up my ears. He survived, he was altogether and able to help.
“I’m here, Adam, right in front of the entrance!”
My heart wasn’t beating at that moment, I hold my breath until I saw him clearly alive right next to me.
“Is that…Is that James?!”
“Get him out, please!”
Adam fished out a small syringe with a weird, viscous, green liquid inside, and when he pricked James, he crept sickly.
“You can’t imagine the agony he’s struggling with right now, but he will be alright.”
Adam dragged James to the car and laid him on the backseat until we got home. After we left the Centre, no one came after us.