18: Rising Tension
Andromeda winced as Theseus and John sidled closer to the corner. “I hate to sound repetitive, boys, but I really don’t like this,”
Theseus gave her a contemptuous look. “C’mon, An, aren’t you even a little bit excited?”
“Excited?” she hissed, “Theseus, don’t you realise the danger we’re in?”
“I know. Nothing we can do about it now though, is there?”
Contrary to his words, though, he really didn’t appreciate the tense situation they’d found themselves in, she thought. The grey tunnels of the underground complex was patrolled by more guards than they’d seen in the entirety of the manor above, and every one was armed with loaded weaponry. It would only be a matter of time before someone noticed the guards they’d already knocked out, and they were hunted through the claustrophobic maze like wild animals. Andromeda wanted to escape, but instead the two boys had been drawn to this place. Four guards in tight, trimmed uniforms stood guarding a single set of double doors, weapons ready to fire at first sight of hostility.
“What d’ya think they need that sorta security for?” asked Theseus, after glancing around the corner under cover of the archaic holograms.
“That’s far more than they’d need for the girls,” said John.
“This could be the heart of it all, don’t ya think?”
“Affirmative. It may be the key to defeating Godhand for good,”
Andromeda shook her head. “Are you boys insane? You can’t seriously be thinking…”
“Think we stand a chance?” asked Theseus, checking the remaining ammo of his tranquillizer. Andromeda couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but at the same time, looking at the two of them prepare, it was all too predictable.
“Let’s just get out of here,” she suggested.
“We’ll never get another chance like this…” said Theseus.
“We’re not soldiers!” she said, hands flailing as she struggled to find an argument, “We’re just students! This isn’t our business!”
“Eh, An, in case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve been doing this for half an hour now,” he replied. Defeated, Andromeda chewed on her lip, knowing there was no dissuading them, and no turning back either.
“Theseus, we’ve got to act soon,” said John, “Under cover of hologram, we ought to be able to knock them out before they notice. You’ll have to make every shot count. At the same time, I’ll hack and disengage the lock. Once we’re in, I’ll secure it behind us, which should give us a few minutes at least.”
Theseus was trembling with an anticipation Andromeda only saw in him before a martial arts tournament. “And once we’re in, we use whatever guilty secret they’re hiding to secure our escape and the girls’ freedom,”
“My thoughts exactly,” said John, as he slid projector tape down the edge of the wall, “We’ll need to get in there before the next patrol passes, which will be in seventy-three seconds.”
“You boys…”
Theseus clicked the tranquillizer to life. “Phoenie’ll love it!” he smirked.
If we’re ever alive to tell her, thought Andromeda.
***
