Troy looked down at the cuffs, wondering whether he could really get himself to do it. Simply pulling hard had done nothing to get him out of those steel circles, but just a bit more pressure to his thumb could elevate his chances of escape considerably. How he wished he had lost that digit already so he wouldn’t need to consider breaking the bone. He knew he could do it, knew that it had a chance of working. But how much more would he need to break after to escape? He couldn’t know for sure and that was what scared him.

Terrence was just over in his cot enjoying himself. The man had his eyes closed, whistling a tune Troy felt old just by listening to. There was nothing good happening lately and he just couldn’t get over that. As he looked down at the skin he knew would be broken soon enough, he began to press down. Gritting his teeth, he tried to stop any chance of tears falling as a certain digit was pushed beyond its limits. It resisted to start but-

“If you really want to get out, I could help you, you know,” Terrence muttered, stopping Troy from completing the action he was about to take. The young man didn’t want to accept he would’ve stopped anyway.

“What do you mean?” Troy questioned, using the same silent volume the other man was talking in. They were barely opening their mouths, barely breathing out air. It would be a surprise if anybody could hear from more than a meter away but both men had been lucky in their abilities for good hearing.

“I can get us out,” Terrence repeated, the smile on his face growing ever-wider. “You seem like a fellow who suddenly has a passion for getting out of this comfy place. I can respect that. So, if you want me to help you, just ask and I’ll see what I can do.”

There were no more words spoken, the man going back into his pretend sleep. Troy just looked at the man before looking back at the hand he was meaning to break. Or, he supposed both would need to be broken if he were to get out of those cuffs entirely. The cuffs were still chained to the wall, after all. And, even then, he would need to get through a certain door.

The cuffs weren’t meant to be an issue yet Adam’s help was still not arriving. More than a day had passed by so it should have been activated by now. Had… had it not worked? Or had it already been done while he was still asleep? Troy didn’t know, had no idea how he was meant to figure it out. And that was what worried him. There was no real way to know if waiting would bring salvation or death. He just knew that every second that passed was a second closer to his demise. And if there was one thing he didn’t take lying down, it was a death sentence.

“If you can do anything that can get us out within the next hour, I will do anything,” Troy pleaded. He didn’t want to sound desperate but he knew that ship had already sailed the moment he came in with tears in his eyes.

Terrence rose from the bed at that, stretching his arms and legs as if he had gotten the best naps in the decade. Looking over at Troy, he smiled wider than ever. With a beckoning hand, the two met in the middle, a few whispers coming forth. The more they talked, the less Troy wanted a part in it. Yet, he had no say in what followed, knowing he couldn’t run lest it would all begin. Taking a deep breath, he jump-started the escape with a step away from Terrence.

------------

“Dr Fidelis is a man I have only met once in person. At that time, he spoke with a wide smile and a cheerful tone. He was clearly confident in himself, his works and the attitude he had towards this country was something we should always admire,” Grunwald said softly, Cassandra and Jared hanging onto every word. Even the two automations in the background were keeping quiet so as not to disturb the mood. “But, that one minute of us meeting is the only time I had the chance. The next time he contacted me was for other purposes. There were sometimes arrest orders which he wanted me to take care of, there were a few interrogations he didn’t want to do himself, and just a few times I had to escort a prisoner to a car. Where they drove I will never know. And none of you will either.”

“Why?” Jared asked. “Isn’t it law to know where we are escorting people? The treaty for Guardians states that-”

“The guidelines, laws, and deals we’ve made over the years don't count when we want to be quiet about something or someone,” Grunwald cut in, his tone sharper than ever. It seemed like he wanted to stop Jared from saying the wrong thing rather than actually caring about the contents themselves. “These people are the ones making sure the worst doesn’t come into the light. They keep it all in the dark so the population doesn’t cry bloody murder. I only know this because I worked directly with one of these people. You only get to know it because you will be taking over this position of mine soon enough.”

“Wait, what?” Cassandra interjected. “Take over? You are decades away from retiring.”

“I am only seven years away from being forced out of duty,” Grunwald corrected with a sombre tone. The older man leaned back in his chair, his face showing off a truly aged life. “But, I will do it freely. Time is moving forward quicker than I can manage and it will be best to not let colleagues be in danger because of my slow reactions. And with this situation handled smoother than anything else, I have recommended the doctor to use you two in the future instead of me. Expect a promotion or two in the next few weeks, by the way. You will likely get sent into the larger city soon.”

A promotion… everything Casandra had dreamed of for so long. She was getting one and maybe more just by staying in place? Just what was her life turning into? This was grand, good, and everything else at the same time. She was on her way to glory.

Yet it was at the price of following somebody she couldn’t figure out anything about. She had never met this man but she likely would in mere hours. Could she look upon the doctor’s face and see the same as Grunwald had done himself? Or would she see the mand who would torture children for bio-weapons and regret not doing anything?

“These things kept in the dark,” Cassandra began to ask. The starting words made Grunwald furrow his brows at her but she continued. “Were they… breaking ethics? Were they doing things that would start a war?”

“Through the years, I have learned that you shouldn’t try and question what goes on in your country,” Grunwald said with clear sadness in his eyes. Cassandra had no desire to know why. “Whenever secrets come out, you can never truly get yourself to believe it’s true. That people in the background have done it all, that they helped make it happen without ever blowing the whistle. But, maybe that’s just what working for this place means. We follow the orders given to us and try not to think why or who we are helping. The end goal is to make sure the country survives and that the citizens get to live another day. Taking comfort in that is the best we can do.”

… Cassandra wasn’t happy with that answer. The man was giving her a job he didn’t want to take, that he was stepping into retirement for soon enough, and they were expected to take it at face value. The most disconcerting thing of all was that Jared hadn’t questioned it yet, the man just sitting and sipping his tea as if the world hadn’t just stopped spinning for an entire minute. Had he been told before or was his reaction to play as dumb as Grunwald.

The things heard. They weren’t words of madness. They knew that something wrong was going on. They knew nothing of the sort should’ve been allowed. And they did nothing? What was the point of power if it wasn’t used to stop that which wasn’t good for all? The deaths of innocent people to gain the upper hand was not the way life were intended and Cassandra couldn’t understand why anybody would ever let that happen. Was the act of looking away simply so powerful?

‘We have a situation with the prisoner,’ Jules sent in over the general broadcast. ‘A fight seems to be ongoing between the two cellmates. A hit to the face has left one bleeding. Further injury is possible.’

“Cass, break them up. Jared, find supplies we can use to mend any possible injuries. I’ll go get a new cell ready,” Grunwald ordered, all three being out of the room within ten seconds. Jules and Nero joined up with their respective partners as each began their duties as public servants. But Cassandra… She had other plans.

‘We skipped the hallway to the jail right there, you know,’ Jules commented as they ran in the wrong direction. ‘Shouldn’t we turn back?’

‘We have to get something first,’ Cassandra corrected, trying to remember the right room. There were too many of them, cursing herself for picking a too good location. Where were proper naming conventions when she needed them? And then, ending off in a screeching halt, she found the right door. Pushing it open with pure force alone, breaking the lock in the process, she found the gear they had gotten from a certain somebody. Things were in play.

She hoped to god that she was making the right choice.

------------

The fist to the chin hadn’t done Troy good, the force enough to make him fall to the floor in pain. He was used to being hit but that old man had a way with his fists. They felt like steel wires, slicing open a piece of skin easily. It hurt more than expected, and the blood dripping onto the floor was a good indicator of why he didn’t like plans like these.

“I think we should-” Troy tried to say but a kick to his stomach made any chance of talking impossible, air, spittle, and anything else in his body at that moment coming out of his mouth. It seemed he had been fed lunch recently. Who knew?

“Shut up!” Terrence shouted. The man had quite the lungs, the voice echoing through the room. He gave another kick to Troy’s stomach, though this one was considerably lighter even though it looked more powerful. A small moan came out anyway, the pain still being a pain in the end.

Angry pacing began, the man looking angrier than ever. His face was red, a vein looking ready to pop on his forehead. He looked like the maddest of tyrants. The muscles on his arms are ready to be used for the crushing of skulls. Troy had to wonder just how much he had practised that role as he got ready for another swing against his body.

It never hit, however, the cell door opened and in stepped a certain officer. Troy was on the officer's side in only a second, Terrence making sure of that by throwing him towards the officer. Yes, that was the plan. Get hit and then hit the officer before they could close the door, finding the key to their cuffs in the process. They were wireless, yes, but even the most extreme still needed backups. Electronic cards were often used and that was exactly what Troy was meant to search for when they got the officer down.

Which they didn’t, sadly. The flung body was simply deflected with a push to the side, Troy instead meeting the wall before the chains on his cuffs met their end and he experienced quite the whiplash on his neck. It was more than a little painful, making him unable to focus as a pair of gloves were thrown onto his face.

“I see you are already trying to escape,” Cassandra noted. Troy gave a mumbling in return, the ability to utter words lost on him. His head was hurting. “If so, I recommend that you stand up and get ready to run. The other two should be wiser in a few minutes and we have to be out by that time.”

“... What?” Troy finally asked as he got a hold of himself. There weren’t spots in his vision, which was weird since he was reasonably sure he had brain damage. “You are… helping us?”

“I am helping you,” the officer corrected as the cuffs on Troy’s hand fell apart. “I’ve been given the information that what you’re saying might be true and… I had to make a harder choice. Now let’s get running before we both end up shot in the head.”

The automation to Troy’s side began to help him up. It was the one that Adam had hacked so long ago. But, no, this wasn’t making sense. His attempts to explain had worked? Even more importantly, however.

“Get Terrence out as well,” Troy ordered, even as they began to leave the room. “He helped me.”

“He’s in here for a very good reason,” Cassandra corrected, not giving it a second’s thought. “Now come one. I can’t do this while carrying you. And put on those gloves.”

Troy stopped walking, standing in the doorway with his arms holding it defensively. The automation didn’t push him at that point since it would’ve injured him further. Cassandra looked backed at him with no real sympathy on her face.

“Are you coming or what?” Cassandra questioned.

“Let Terrence out first and then we can leave,” Troy said. Looking back at the older man, Troy found him to be just sitting on his bed with an incredulous look. He was having fun with it all.

“... Fine. But he isn’t coming with us,” Cassandra said.

“That’s fine with me!” a voice said from inside the cell. “It’ll be easier if we split up.”

“I hope they catch you again,” Cassandra muttered as she pulled along Troy. Breaking into a run, they went down the hallway faster than anything before.