Life Goes On Part 28
Throughout the night, the nekos took shifts in standing by the door, armed with whatever they could get a hold of from the cell that could be considered a weapon. Not knowing when the next time the guards would come for Duo, they didn't want to take any chances in being taken by surprise when they finally did.
Sleep did not come easily for those that were not on watch. The anticipation of their impending attempt to escape kept them on edge. Every now and then, the neko standing by the door would stiffen and press their ear closer to the wall as the others waited on pins and needles. So far, however, nothing happened- other than maybe a creak or a drip from a leak on the other side of the door that would soon be deemed a false alarm.
When it was Solo's turn to stand on watch, he gripped the wooden beam that he managed to break free from one of the benches and headed for the door. After what felt like a good twenty minutes of standing there, he gasped at the sight of Duo stirring. With a deep groan, the braided teenager's violet eyes blinked open.
Cassie was quickly at his side with a worried frown. Afraid to touch him, she kept a hand just above his shoulder and called softly, "Duo?"
His eyes widening, he lifted his head and his brown ears twitched. Blinking in surprise, he smiled, "It's gone. The pain's gone." Quickly sitting up, Duo looked to the expectant faces watching him and cautiously tested rubbing his arms. Sighing deeply in relief, his shoulders sagged. "Whatever they gave me must have finally worked its way out of my system," he thought aloud.
As he looked around the room once more, Duo's violet eyes widened much more when he took in the items sitting close by each of the nekos. "What's going on?" he asked with a deep frown. "Apparently, I missed something while I was out."
The others chuckled deeply and Andrew lightly patted his new cellmate's shoulder. "We're getting the hell out of here. Thanks to that little piece of information you got when you were back in the lab, we decided that we've had enough of this. Soon as those guards come back for you, we'll be ready for them."
Sitting beside her boyfriend, Jenna nodded, "Hopefully, we can fend for ourselves enough to get help. If all goes well, you should be back with your family soon." She bit her lip and lowered her head with a quiet, "None of us ever meant for you to suffer like this."
With a small, sad smile, Duo rested a hand on her shoulder and nodded, "I believe you. Especially since I can't say that I would have acted any differently if I was in Solo's shoes." His violet eyes locked on the wide brown ones of the said neko at the door. "My family is everything to me as well. If they were in danger, I'd do everything I could to protect them, too."
Solo swallowed hard at that. Bowing his head, he said quietly, "Thank you. I don't deserve your understanding, or your forgiveness, but I'm more than grateful." When he raised his head, he asked, "Do you think we might have a shot at pulling this off? You've seen the layout of the rest of the floor."
Carefully rising, Duo fought the slight dizzy spell that followed before answering, "It's pretty much a straight-away down the hall from here to the elevator. As long as even one of us can get in there, it's all we need." He glances to the others watching him, he grinned, "I think that we can make it." His new friends all smiled and whispered excitedly amongst themselves that they might actually have their freedom.
"I've never seen more than two guards on watch at a time whenever I was moved from here to the lab," Andrew supplied. "With the six of us fending them off, we should be able to get someone through."
Little Danny frowned, "Hey! What about me? There are seven of us with me." Folding his arms, he pouted, "I want to help, too."
Cassie winked to the child, "You're the one that's going to slip through, buddy. Andrew was just referring to the six of us that will make sure you can get through safely." The boy's eyes lit up and widened in learning his responsibility.
Bending at the waist, Carson smirked, "That's right, kiddo. Being the smallest of all of us made you the most important person in our plan. You've seen the elevator before, right?" When Danny nodded, the grey-furred neko nodded firmly, "Good. When you get in there, you have to reach for the button with the big 'L' on it. When you press it, you'll go up to the ground level where you should be able to find some help."
Duo bit his lip in worry. He didn't like the thought of a child having to try something so dangerous. Once Danny was on the ground level, there was no telling who up there was a friend or not. But, not having much of a choice, the braided teenager reluctantly had to agree with the idea. The boy was small enough to slip through as the guards were given a time.
A huge smile tugged Danny's lips as he bounces on his feet, cheering, "I won't let you guys down! I'll make sure that I find someone to help and bring them back here!" He was rewarded very warm smiles a rub to his head that made his purr.
"I'm sure that you will, Danny boy," Carson whispered as he pulled his hand back. "I'm sure that you will." The child wrapped his arms around the brunette's leg tightly.
Taking a deep breath, Duo eyed the room for something that he could arm himself with. Finding a metal beam that had been screwed into the floor as a means of keeping one of the benches on place, he smiled. The other nekos watched as the braided neko crawled under the bench and used the long nail of his index finger to slip into the grove of the first screw.
With his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth, Duo turned at the screw until it loosened enough that he could work it out with his fingers. Quietly working his way down the length of the metal beam, he did the same with the remaining screws until he took up his weapon. Crawling back out from under the bench, he appraised his long nails and snorted, "I never thought I would be so glad to have these things."
As he stood up, Duo gripped and raised the cool beam with both hands to examine it. He never liked the thought of hurting another person. Violence was never anything that crossed his mind before. But, these people were more than willing to harm, even kill him. They were willing to do the same to the other nekos as well.
More than anything, however, Duo just wanted to get back to Heero. He wanted to live the rest of his life with his lover in peace. And the people holding him captive were intent on seeing that he would not have that opportunity.
He would have to lash out. He would have to fight. It was the only way out of that cell and he knew it... even if he didn't particularly like it.
Slowly walking towards the door, Duo leaned his back against the wall opposite of Solo. When the blonde frowned in confusion, the braided teenager shrugged, "Better to have two here at all times in case more than one guard enters."
Blinking his brown eyes in surprise, Solo's white ears perked and he smiled, "Good idea." His own hands wrapped tighter around the wooden beam in his hand as he fought his nerves. Even with having another person close, he was on edge. Knowing what was about to come was one thing, but not knowing when it would happen was quite difficult.
Everyone around remained sitting up, no longer attempting to get the sleep that they knew would only elude them. From the time that passed, they knew that morning had to be drawing near. With that, it wouldn't be long before someone came through the door. J always liked starting his day with a visit to the lab.
They had plotted and planned all that they could. A plausible idea had been formed and they were all ready to carry out whatever it was they needed to do in carrying it out.
All that they could do now was sit and wait.
* * * * * *
Stepping into the elevator a couple hours later, Howard sighed deeply and leaned his back against the furthest wall from the door. Silently, he wished that he could have just called out today to be with his friends as they waited to hear back from the investigators for the results of their tests.
At the very least, he could be at ease knowing that it was only a matter of time before they finally found Duo. He kept his cell phone on so that he could receive a full update when the results were in.
When the elevator opened to his floor, Howard blinked in surprise at the sight of the person standing there and grinned, "Hello, J." He raised his empty coffee mug and chuckled deeply, "Top of the morning to you."
"Howard," the metal-armed man greeted with a pleasant enough grin and a nod. "You're early, as usual. I always did like that about you." When his friend did not make a move to step into the elevator that he had been waiting for, Howard took that as a sign that he wanted to talk. So, he stepped out and let the doors close behind him.
Leaning in, Doctor J told his old colleague quietly, "I'm sorry to have to inform you, but I had to let Liz go this morning. She just was not working out."
His eyes widening, Howard gasped, "Not working out!? What do you mean? She was one of my best students!"
J simply waved his robotic arm in a nonchalant gesture and shook his head, "I'm not inclined to get into the details, Howard, but I am overstaffed and had to make some cuts. Liz was just one of them." With a sad frown, the old man sighed, "Now, it's going to be a very long day with my having to inform the remaining people that I have to cut loose. If you'll excuse me."
Howard nodded stiffly as J stepped into the elevator when the doors reopened for him. Moving towards the lab, he ran a hand through the hair that remained on his head with a deep frown. In the few days that he knew her, Howard saw Liz as the only friend that he really had in the facility. Now that she was gone, he felt terribly alone.
But then, through his shock and sorrow for the girl, Howard began to wonder why Liz would be one of those chosen to be cut back. As soon as the question ran through his mind, the chiming of the elevator bell filled the air. With it, the old man straightened with wide eyes as a chill ran down his spine.
"I am such a damned moron!" he shouted with a slap to his forehead. 'The elevator! Of course!' he screamed in his head. He'd been so preoccupied with Duo's kidnapping that he had completely forgotten about the findings that Liz had made regarding the mysterious floor that was closed off. And now, not two whole days after Duo's disappearance, she was let go. Somehow, being at the wrong place at the wrong time had caught up with her.
His hands shaking, Howard reached into his coat pocket and retrieved his cell phone. Quickly dialing, he placed the received to his ear. "Howard, I was just about to call you," Danielle's voice answered almost immediately over the sound of sirens in the background. "The lab results are in and everything is pointing to J!"
Nearly falling onto the stool behind him, the old scientist's heart fell into his stomach. Duo was literally right under his nose all this time. "I know," Howard finally answered. "I just came to the discovery, myself. I'm at the lab now."
Danielle sighed deeply, "Good. Trent and I are on the way there now with a search warrant and a half-a-dozen officers. We'll be there in about ten minutes."
Rising back to his feet, Howard moved over to the supply table and carefully removed the vile from his pocket. As he filled one of the syringes with the clear, green liquid, he responded, "I'll meet you in the lobby, then." That said, he closed his cell phone and stuffed the syringe into his pocket.
* * * * * *
"Did you hear that?" Solo whispered. His white ears twitches closer to the door as he pressed his face near the crack. "I thought that I heard footsteps." Duo pushed himself off the wall and instantly regretted not having its support when the dizzy spell returned.
Solo pulled away from the door when the heavy footsteps neared the entrance. With an urgent, "Get ready," to the other teenager, he gripped his beam and raised it high over his head. Duo did the same with his own weapon just as the door flew open to miss him by inches.
The remaining nekos were huddled together at the opposite side of the cell, sitting atop their own tools and making the guards that entered head right for them in quick and steady steps past the entrance without an inkling of what was waiting for them. "Where the hell is he?" the first man gritted to the trembling group before him.
Once both brutes were past, Solo was the first to act and struck the second man with a powerful down stroke that knocked the man out before the other even knew what happened. Duo wobbled on his feet just as the first man turned to face him with wide eyes. Only gathering his senses enough to raise his metal beam like a baseball bat, the braided neko recovered to swing with all his strength behind it.
In the moment of hesitation, the tall guard was able to get his own wits together to grab onto the weapon before it could hit his face. Pushing back on the beam hard, he managed to knock Duo of balance. As the neko swayed, the guard pulled the weapon from his hands and moved to strike the braided teenager with a cried, "Big mistake!"
Just before the man could hit Duo, Andrew yelled and lunged forward along with solo. The black-furred neko reached the target first and struck him in the lower back with the pipe in his hands. Screaming in pain, the guard fell to his knees and dropped the beam as it clamored to the floor. Solo moved in and finished the job with a blow to the man's head to keep him down.
Cassie was instantly at Duo's side as the shaken teenager panted heavily from where he had fallen to the floor. "Are you all right?" she asked worriedly. Before she could get her answer, the sound of someone just outside shouting for backup reached her ears. Carson was already standing with Andrew and Solo by the entrance just as two more guards entered.
Much more prepared for a fight than their fallen comrades, these guards dodged and blocked the initial blows easily. When Jena tried to help, she was kicked in the chest and knocked to the ground. Solo was easily beaten down with a punch to the head that stunned him for an instant.
As the struggle continued, the bell from the elevator filled the air along followed by the heavy footsteps of at least four more guards approaching the cell. Duo, Cassie and Jena were both back in the thick of the struggle as Solo, Andrew and Carson managed to push the two men that they had been fending off into the hallway.
When they were out in the open, the new reinforcements were just arriving. Looking over his shoulder to his little brother, Carson shouted, "Now, Danny! The boy simply nodded and was off in a flash.
Moving towards the elevator, Danny narrowly avoided being snagged up by hands of the approaching guards that were reaching for him. Their frustrated grunts of effort turned into enraged screams and orders for someone to get him. Never paying mind to anything but the elevator just a few yards ahead of him, the child ran with abandon.
The elevator doors were closing just as Danny flew past them. One of the men that had stayed on his heels reached for him, but was a second too late and he slammed into the closed doors. Panting heavily, Danny reached up to the 'L' button with his long, tan-colored tail.
From the other end of the basement, the lab door flew open as Doctor J stormed out at the end of the fight. Approaching the scene just before the cell, he noted that each of his guards had taken hold of each of the nekos, holding their arms and hands tightly behind their backs and forcing them to their knees. Everyone bore a cut or bruise of some sort during the attack, but that wasn't what had the old man concerned. "Where is Danny!?" he bellowed to his men.
The guard holding Solo sighed deeply, "He managed to get into the elevator. We called to the rest of the team to be on the lookout for him. He won't get past the front doors before he's taken back into possession."
Satisfied with that, Doctor J turned his focus on the six teenagers kneeling before him. Duo looked to be the worst off, struggling to stay up even that much as he swayed. Glaring heatedly at Solo, the scientist hissed, "You couldn't just leave well enough alone, could you?"
"Not after we learned that you lied to us about those chips you supposedly installed into us," the blonde snapped back.
Laughing loudly, J shook his head, "Of course I lied to you about that. Besides..." Reaching into his white lab coat, he removed a revolver and aimed it at Solo's forehead as the teenager froze with wide eyes. "I don't need them when I can just as easily kill you like this," the white-haired man gritted.
Cassie gasped sharply with tears in her eyes and cried out, "No!" Helpless, she and the other nekos watched in horror as he pulled back on the trigger.
Just as the bullet was about to be released, a woman's voice called from down the hall, "I wouldn't do that if I were you, J!" Several officers ran into the scene with their own weapons drawn and it was the doctor's turn to freeze.
Danielle smirked as she entered, a search warrant in one raised hand and Danny's waist wrapped by the other. With a wide smile, the boy had his arms wrapped tightly around the red-haired woman's neck. His face turning pale, J slowly lowered his weapon and let it fall from his limp hand.
Nearly collapsing when the hands gripping his wrists together fell free, Duo blinked up to the young woman. With sweat still running down his face, he laughed breathlessly, "Not a moment too soon, Ma."
TBC...
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