[5:01PM]

“It’s about time for everything to start, right?” Eliot asked Fang, walking down one of the main corridors in the Diamond Pillar.

Absent-mindedly looking around them, Fang responded, “I think so, but it’s Vincent we’re talking about.”

“That’s true,” Eliot giggled. He then lifted up the briefcase in his hand. “We just have to wait until it’s our turn to do something.”

The two of them continued on their casual, yet tense stroll. Even though their conversation seemed light on the surface, the indisputable fact was that the feeling that hung between them was anything but that. There was a sense of built up potential energy, so compressed that any action would cause all hell to break loose.

Fang then stopped and looked at the key that they held in their hand. “I think we’re almost to his place,” they commented. “Hopefully we have enough time to—”

Suddenly, a slowly oscillating screeching noise filled the corridor. As it continued to fade in and out, a voice began to play overtop of it. "Attention patrons. Attention patrons,” the voice said. “There has been an emergency situation reported in the casino. I repeat, there has been an emergency reported in the building. Avoid the Gold Pillar and the Collider, and remain in your rooms until further notice.”

Eliot and Fang just looked at each other.

“Do you think…” Eliot began to say.

Answering the undefined question, Fang said, “I’m pretty sure that’s our signal.”

The two of them then picked up the pace and started to run towards their destination. It took another couple of minutes, but eventually they arrived at the familiar exterior of Zander’s office. Using the key in their hand, Fang unlocked the front door, and they both made their way inside.

The interior of the office was neatly organized as it always was. The lighting was dim and gray, but that was because each of the windows were blocked by a thick curtain. In the very back was the steel door that led to the storage cellar.

Taking out another key, Fang attempted to put it into the lock of the cellar door. When it didn’t fit, they turned around towards Eliot and said, “Uh oh.”

Eliot looked at them with a horrified expression on his face and panickedly said, “What are we going to do?”

“Uh, um, crap. I don’t know.” Fang then looked at their arms.

“I’m just messing you,” Eliot replied, patting Fang on the back. He then pulled out a key from his pocket. “I have the key for this. You forgot it on the table when Zander gave it to us.”

Fang closed their eyes and let out a small laugh. “You’re the worst.”

With the door unlocked, they hurriedly made their way down the stone stairs and into the dark hallway below. Even with the lights turned on, the lighting within was dull at best. Not only was the light dull, but the air was stagnant and cool. Both of those factors contributed to the feeling of sorrowful dread that filled every inch of the cellar.

One by one, Eliot and Fang began unlocking each and every cell. Dozens of rusted doors swung open—some more gracefully than others. After the last one was opened, the two of them began to tell each person in a cell to leave.

“Let’s go, you’re free now!” Eliot exclaimed. But no one moved.

“Come on out, everyone,” Fang said.

“We’re not here to hurt you! There is a rebellion taking place right now. You no longer have to worry about suffering here anymore! Hope is here!”

And still, not a single body moved out a cell. Eliot shot Fang a worried look after basking in the silence for a few moments. He then took a peek inside one of the nearest cells. As he looked inside, his glance was met with the hollowest expression he had ever seen. The man who was slumped against the back wall looked back into Eliot’s eyes with complete apathy.

“Don't bother,” the man quietly croaked.

“W-What are you talking about?” Eliot hesitantly responded.

“That doesn’t exist here.”

Eliot didn’t know what to say. His mouth moved, but he couldn’t find any words. His lungs refused to give him any air to fuel his speech. Even his brain failed to understand what to do. Finally, Fang walked up behind him and asked, “What do you mean? Why won’t you leave?”

The man in the cell, whose head was now facing the ground, somberly replied, “Because it don’t matter. I’ll just end up back here in worse condition. Happens every time.”

“But this is for real,” Fang argued. “If you all just leave, then this entire place will crumble to the ground.”

“That’s what they all say.” The man then laid down on the ground. “I’ll leave the moment someone else leaves.”

Quickly, Eliot began to hurry to every other cell, begging someone, anyone, to get up. Every time he asked someone to walk out and into freedom, they refused. Some of them said nothing, some of them weren’t even conscious, but most of them echoed what the first man said. They all stated that they “wouldn’t be tricked again”.

Hopeless tears began to fill his eyes. Eliot collapsed to his knees and began to shake. “Why won’t anyone just leave,” he began to repeat.

Not long into his pity party, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Fang looking down on him with a smile. That being said, it didn’t really make him feel any more hopeful. The smile was appreciated, but there was an empty promise behind it.

“It doesn’t matter Fang,” Eliot began to say, “no one wants to leave. I feel like we failed Zander and Vincent.”

“We haven’t failed them yet,” Fang tried to reassure him, “we just have to find another way.”

Just then, a voice—one as soft as a whisper—found itself tingling the inside of Eliot’s ear. “Um, excuse me,” the voice said. “Can you come here?”

Eliot looked up from his sad state and made his way towards the cell where the voice came from. Looking into it, he saw a small figure towards the back. The figure stepped forward and into the light. Eliot saw that the voice belonged to an Egyptian girl, no older than 19.

“Are you serious about that?” the girl asked.

Eliot took a second to answer. He didn’t know why, but something about her tripped some kind of trigger in his head. After a few more seconds of thought, he finally realized what it was. “Of course,” he answered with a smile.

The girl took a gulp and shakily took a step forward. “I still can’t believe that I’m seeing you again.”

She took another step.

“I…” Her legs began to sway from side to side. “I want to believe in you like it seems like my brother does.”

She took another step forwards, now inside the frame of the door.

“And I want to thank you and your friend for saving Baako’s life.”

She took a final step, exiting the cell. Now bathed in the light, Zahra stood next to Eliot and Fang. Immediately, Eliot wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. She reciprocated the act.

“Thank you,” Eliot sincerely said.

After a few more moments, they let go of each other. Zahra took a breath and said, “I will believe you, even if it goes against everything I know. After all, if your friend Vince is crazy enough to punch a recruiter for making me upset, I can believe that he’s crazy enough to take on the top powers.”

“That he is,” Eliot agreed.

Zahra shook her head and then looked around at the rest of the cells. “Everyone! I choose to believe in them and in the hope of our freedom!”

One by one, slowly, every cell began to empty. Every person that was against Eliot’s proposition began to make their way into the hallway. Even though some were more reluctant than others, in due time, not a single cell was occupied.

“So what’s the plan?” Zahra asked.

With a relieved smile, Eliot replied, “We run. We run as fast as we can towards freedom.”