Family Matters

Chapter 15: Operation: Arcade Escapade

As they reached the other side, light suddenly beamed their way, blinding them for a moment. Fear struck them, and for a moment, the same thought crossed their minds. Are we caught?

But the guard was only turning to look at one of his colleagues. The light passed over them without him noticing, allowing them to dive back into the darkness.

Taking their places between the consoles, they heard Butch mutter, "Took you guys long enough. Were you playing around in there or something?"

"I don't know what they were doing, but apparently, they didn't notice the guard leave," Brick retorted.

When the blues heard that, the red that covered their faces was so bright, they could have given away their location.

"Nevermind that," Blossom interjected. "We've already spent too much time in this place." She glanced up at the light beams. "It looks like there are only five guards, so Boomer, I want you to stay here and keep a look out for us when we find the key. Once you have it, signal us by turning on one of the machines."

"Okay," Boomer said.

"Who made you the boss of us?" Butch demanded.

"Fine, you take the lead."

Butch spluttered a little at this. "But you said the plan already! What's the point of telling me to lead if you've already told us what we're supposed to do?"

"Just let it go for now, Butch," Brick interrupted him. "You can complain all you want later. Right now, remember our top priority."

Butch inwardly groaned from this answer, but let the matter drop.

"You know, it might be better if you leave the doll Boomer," Blossom suggested, glancing down at his doll.

"What? Why?" Boomer clutched the octopus.

"It's bright orange. You'll get caught easily."

Boomer looked so much like a kicked puppy as he left to put Octo back into her cupboard, they could almost see the dog ears and tail on him. "Okay, fine..."

"We'll meet back here once Boomer has the key, got it?" Brick added. His companions nodded in agreement.

When Blossom gave the signal, five of the metahumans dispersed to find their targets. Boomer remained where he was, but kept a watchful eye for any signals from his comrades.

At first, there was nothing. Boomer continued to wait, occasionally slipping into different places in the room to have a better vantage point.

Boomer had just finished switching places once again when a frantic wave caught his eye. He shot up instantly and, after doing a quick scan of the area, zoned in on a hand swinging somewhere in the middle of the arcade.

Boomer was just about to use his super speed when he remembered the cobalt blue light he emitted whenever he did. The six of them had been trying very hard to avoid detection, so he would give them away if he used his super speed now.

So, rather than use his super speed, Boomer ran. Fortunately, the other guards were all at many different places. All he had to do was make a few quick avoidances, and he was able to reach the person who waving at him.

Except for one problem: it was Bubbles.

The moment he saw her, Boomer's face burned and skidded to stop, their earlier position coming to his mind like a flash of lightning.

Bubbles wasn't feeling so cool either. She was so embarrassed, even her ears were red. She could still remember the way his fingers played with her hair, could feel the pressure on her lips from when he stroked them. "U-Um..." she mumbled.

"That one is the guy with the key, right?" Boomer cut in, pointing at the man behind her.

Bubbles almost forgot about him. Quickly whirling around, she found the guard turning around, along with his treacherous flashlight, which was only an arm's length away from her.

Clapping her hands over her mouth to suppress a scream, Bubbles hurried over to one of the consoles and signaled Boomer to do the same. They had just stepped in front of the machines when the guard's flash passed through the area in between.

An instant later, the guard's tall form came into the same corridor. Boomer and Bubbles stood very still and very quiet against the consoles, too anxious to do anything. The guard was only a step away from them. Even the smallest indication—the slightest breath, or a shift in movement—could give them away.

The guard turned, swinging his flash in Bubbles's direction, the light just barely missing the blue puff. As he moved, a faint tinkling sound caught Boomer's attention.

His eyes immediately shot to the guard's belt. A carabiner was clipped to the leather, and attached to that carabiner was a small ring of keys.

Boomer felt his heart jump in his ribcage. There they are! Without thinking, he swiped at it.

However, his shot went wide, and his fingers jostled the keys rather than grab them. A loud jangling noise shook against the guard's belt, startling everyone in the vicinity.

The guard whirled around, whipping his flashlight with enough force to send it flying.

"Who's there!?"

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Oh no. Now, that's a problem. Their mission was supposed to be quick and quiet, but it seems like that isn't going to happen. The key was just in his reach--if only Boomer was more patient. How are the metahumans gonna get away from this? (¬‿¬)

Sorry for leaving you guys for so long. You all must be mad at me right now for pausing my work, but I'm planning on returning to my usual schedule, and I hope I can stay on track this time. As an apology, I've published two chapters for you to read. This is is the first one, and the second one will come in a bit. Hope you enjoy! ヾ(￣◇￣)ノ

Oh, and please come check out my blog and my DeviantArt. I've been lagging behind lately on these things—totally my fault—but I'm not giving up on my stories or my artwork. As a booster though, can you give me some encouragement in the comments? It really helps a lot when I see people checking out my works. (*‿*✿)

I'll leave all the links down here!

My blog:

blackandwhitepersona.wixsite.com/penandink

My DeviantArt:

www.deviantart.com/bwpersona

- BlackAndWhitePersona