Celes should stay close to Jack. You too, Sebastian, at least until we can get you armed.”
Sebastian picks up one of the Others’ guns. It’s a bulky combat rifle that seems at odds with the man holding it. “There, is that better?”
“Except for the parts where you aren’t wearing body armor, you’ve only recently escaped captivity, and you aren’t much of a shot at the best of times?” Lionel asks.
“Aside from that.”
“Then everything is fine. Come on. Or were we going to stay until every enemy in the Fortress shows up?”
We get moving, hurrying after Lionel. Jack sticks close to his father, near the front of the group, obviously intent on keeping him from harm. Grayson stays close to my family, presumably to help protect them. No, I realize, not just for that. He’s staying close because he’s a face they know and trust, whereas everyone else, including me, is just some heavily armed stranger. It’s enough to make me push closer to the front, not wanting the pain that comes every time their eyes skim over me without the faintest hint of recognition.
That’s why I’m there when Jack comes skidding to a halt, grabbing Lionel and yanking him back almost quickly enough to send everyone else crashing into him. I only just stop in time as he kneels, hand raised for us to hold our positions.
“What is it?” the major asks.
Jack nods to the floor. Or, more accurately, to a space about six inches above it. He takes something from his bag, an aerosol spray of some kind, and sprays it, revealing a series of crisscrossing red beams of light.
“Alarms,” he says.
“They weren’t here when we came in,” Lionel observes.
Sebastian steps up for a closer look. “Well, they’re here now. Richard must have turned them on as he came in after us. If I know him, they’ll be wired up to the lockdown sequences for the building. Trigger the alarm, and we’ll quickly find ourselves trapped.”
That doesn’t sound good. Particularly not with a whole group of angry Others operatives just a few hallways back from us. “Can we disarm it?” I ask.
Jack nods. “If I can get to the control panel, at least.”
“And that is…”
Jack points to the other end of the hall, beyond the beams, and I can just make out a small panel on the wall. “Everybody else, wait here.”
It’s hard to watch as Jack tiptoes his way through the beams. It’s not just that he could hit one at any second, though I know he could, even though he was somehow able to pick up on the danger presented by the beams before. It’s also how far in front of the rest of us he has to go. If one of the Others were to come in now, he’d be incredibly vulnerable.
A guard rounds the corner at the far end of the hall. I go to shout a warning to Jack, but I know it’s already too late. There’s nothing I can do as the guard starts to raise his…
Pfft.
I can’t place the sudden noise until the guard falls back, dead, and I look around to see Lionel lowering his silenced rifle. It’s an impressive shot. A very impressive shot.
“Just like being back in… well, never mind.”
Jack makes it to the end of the hall, and it turns out that the guard has a key card for the alarms. Jack uses it, and we’re able to move on, trying to make up lost time. At least, we hurry until Sebastian stops outside one of the Fortress’s many doors.
“What are you doing?” Jack asks. “We don’t have time to stop.”
“We’re in the heart of one of the Others’ key operations,” Sebastian says. “Some of their biggest secrets are in this building, and this might be the only chance we get to uncover them.”
“It’s also a chance to get us all killed,” Jack retorts. “This is meant to be a rescue. We have Celes’… the Caines to think of.”
“We have the whole future of the planet to think of,” Sebastian says, and reaches for the door handle.
Jack’s eyes widen. “Wait!”
For once, he’s not quick enough to stop what is
Sebastian picks up one of the Others’ guns. It’s a bulky combat rifle that seems at odds with the man holding it. “There, is that better?”
“Except for the parts where you aren’t wearing body armor, you’ve only recently escaped captivity, and you aren’t much of a shot at the best of times?” Lionel asks.
“Aside from that.”
“Then everything is fine. Come on. Or were we going to stay until every enemy in the Fortress shows up?”
We get moving, hurrying after Lionel. Jack sticks close to his father, near the front of the group, obviously intent on keeping him from harm. Grayson stays close to my family, presumably to help protect them. No, I realize, not just for that. He’s staying close because he’s a face they know and trust, whereas everyone else, including me, is just some heavily armed stranger. It’s enough to make me push closer to the front, not wanting the pain that comes every time their eyes skim over me without the faintest hint of recognition.
That’s why I’m there when Jack comes skidding to a halt, grabbing Lionel and yanking him back almost quickly enough to send everyone else crashing into him. I only just stop in time as he kneels, hand raised for us to hold our positions.
“What is it?” the major asks.
Jack nods to the floor. Or, more accurately, to a space about six inches above it. He takes something from his bag, an aerosol spray of some kind, and sprays it, revealing a series of crisscrossing red beams of light.
“Alarms,” he says.
“They weren’t here when we came in,” Lionel observes.
Sebastian steps up for a closer look. “Well, they’re here now. Richard must have turned them on as he came in after us. If I know him, they’ll be wired up to the lockdown sequences for the building. Trigger the alarm, and we’ll quickly find ourselves trapped.”
That doesn’t sound good. Particularly not with a whole group of angry Others operatives just a few hallways back from us. “Can we disarm it?” I ask.
Jack nods. “If I can get to the control panel, at least.”
“And that is…”
Jack points to the other end of the hall, beyond the beams, and I can just make out a small panel on the wall. “Everybody else, wait here.”
It’s hard to watch as Jack tiptoes his way through the beams. It’s not just that he could hit one at any second, though I know he could, even though he was somehow able to pick up on the danger presented by the beams before. It’s also how far in front of the rest of us he has to go. If one of the Others were to come in now, he’d be incredibly vulnerable.
A guard rounds the corner at the far end of the hall. I go to shout a warning to Jack, but I know it’s already too late. There’s nothing I can do as the guard starts to raise his…
Pfft.
I can’t place the sudden noise until the guard falls back, dead, and I look around to see Lionel lowering his silenced rifle. It’s an impressive shot. A very impressive shot.
“Just like being back in… well, never mind.”
Jack makes it to the end of the hall, and it turns out that the guard has a key card for the alarms. Jack uses it, and we’re able to move on, trying to make up lost time. At least, we hurry until Sebastian stops outside one of the Fortress’s many doors.
“What are you doing?” Jack asks. “We don’t have time to stop.”
“We’re in the heart of one of the Others’ key operations,” Sebastian says. “Some of their biggest secrets are in this building, and this might be the only chance we get to uncover them.”
“It’s also a chance to get us all killed,” Jack retorts. “This is meant to be a rescue. We have Celes’… the Caines to think of.”
“We have the whole future of the planet to think of,” Sebastian says, and reaches for the door handle.
Jack’s eyes widen. “Wait!”
For once, he’s not quick enough to stop what is
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