Game Of Saviors - ONC 2021

Chapter 11 - Now or Never

There's a storm tonight.

The thick concrete floors beneath Norae's feet, that normally feel so solid, seem to be swaying along with the rest of the ship. One hand placed against the wall beside her, her fingers trail along steadily as she walks, ready to hold on if the raging winds decide to hit.

She's back to her nightly routine, but this time she isn't exploring. She knows her destination, and has a clear goal in sight. Now she just needs to figure out if the how of it all.

She can hear lightning hit outside. The sound of the heavy downpour battering against the steel exterior of the ship is deafening. But it's also the perfect cover, easily drowning out any sound her footsteps make.

Thankfully, the approaching guards' handheld radios are still audible, signaling Norae to hide. From a dark corner, she watches the two men come to an automatic door, swipe their keycards, and pass through. This is where she hits her expected roadblock.

See, through that door is the soldier's quarters. Countless nights of carefully following soldiers to this door makes her certain of it. In there is her best chance to steal a keycard, so she can get inside that elevator she and Mikayla found. But yet again, the current lack of a keycard stands in her way.

Heedfully stepping closer to the door, Norae evaluates her options. She can't just break the panel to open the door, that would be far too obvious. She doesn't have the skills or knowledge to hack her way in. So what options do I have left?

Then she remembers today's training, and Nash's words appear in her head as if right on cue. Think outside the box. There's always another way.

"Another way..." She mumbles to herself as she takes a step back to look around. With a new outlook on the situation, suddenly she notices the access hatch to an air duct. How has she never seen this before?

Bending down, she can immediately tell that with a little pull, she should be able to get the door open. Another lightning strike reaches her, and gives her an idea. She begins to count, barely making it to twenty before the second strike hits. The storm is close.

She starts to count again, wrapping her hand tightly around the hatch's handle. 17... 18... 19...

A metallic screech sounds from the hatch as she yanks it open, but the noise is easily masked by the well-timed lightning. Norae doesn't waste a minute, crawling into the vent on all fours. It's a tight fit, and she struggles to reach behind her to close the hatch again. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic.

Oddly enough, she feels herself overcome by a sense a safety. No one is going to find her in here. Carrying on, she makes sure not to move too quickly, to minimize the noise coming off her steel surroundings. The vent leads her up and around a corner, until finally she comes to a grate that allows her a glimpse inside the room on her right.

Breathless, she stares at the sight. She's definitely in the right place. But now she doesn't feel so safe anymore.

Messy locks of dark blonde hair lay sprawled across his face. His mouth hangs open an inch, releasing deep, slow breaths. Out of his usual uniform, he's wearing an A-shirt and loose fitting pants, half covered by a blanket. Norae stares at him for a moment, noting the strangeness of seeing Lt. Brass like this. He almost looks human.

Then she notices a few of his personal items, lying on the nightstand next to his bed. There it is!

Leaning forward, her eyes zero in on the keycard. This is her chance, but she has to be extremely careful. If she accidentally wakes up the lieutenant and he catches her here, who knows what'll happen.

The universe appears to be on her side, because when she gently pushes against the grate, it opens easily and soundlessly. There's a bit of a drop, so she takes her time to slowly lower herself down onto the floor. Scared to move or breath, she watches the lieutenant like a hawk, freezing every time he even moves an inch.

The grate falls closed behind her, as if she were never even in the vent to begin with. Good. With the keycard, she'll be able to exit through the hallway. Let's just hope the other guards are sleeping as soundly as Lt. Brass.

Tiptoeing over to the nightstand, her heart stalls in her chest as she reaches out, her fingers carefully sliding the keycard off the table and into her hand. She can't remember the last time she took a breath.

Backing away and towards the door, she keeps her eyes on the lieutenant until the very last moment. But as she pushes down the door handle, she's onto other concerns. Is the hallway clear?

Cornered between a sleeping lieutenant and two guards casually strolling down the hall, Norae waits anxiously for an opportunity to escape. The two guards chat happily, but the words don't reach her. All she can hear is her heart pound at 500 beats per minute.

Once the guards disappear around a corner, Norae rushes towards the exit. Quickly swiping the keycard, she sprints through the open doors like a bat out of hell. Returning to her previous hiding spot in a dark corner, she exhales for the first time in what feels like 10 minutes.

Holding up the keycard in her hand, she permits a little smile. Finally, now I can get into that elevator.

And hopefully, find a way off this wretched ship.

⌬

The next morning Norae leaves for training room 37 early. At this hour Lt. Brass shouldn't be there yet. Then again, he's probably going to be held up today anyway, now that his keycard has gone missing.

Shane is seated on top of the large metal desk in front of the flatscreen, calmly chewing the last bit of a sandwich. She looks tired, just like the rest of the initiates, but still appears to be maintaining her cool demeanor.

Mikayla is pacing back and forth around the room, head angled downward as her face contorts into different worried expressions.

As soon as Norae enters the room, Mikayla shoots over to her. "Did you get it?!" She demands, her voice reaching a volume greater than she had intended.

Looking from Mikayla to Shane and back again, Norae nods. "I got it."

Mikayla releases a sigh of relief as Shane smiles gently. "Well done, super spy." Shane praises.

"And with no time to spare." Mikayla warns, her expression no less anxious than a minute ago.

"What do you mean?" Norae asks.

Jumping off the desk, Shane cues in. "We talked to some initiates from a different training unit. Apparently, they overheard a few guards talking about a big move that's coming up."

"A big move?" Norae echoes.

"As in they're going to move us." Mikayla clarifies. "For all we know, they'll be moving us to a prison, or a warzone, or something worse."

Voices announce themselves from the hallway, growing closer. Mikayla reaches out and grabs Norae's arm, squeezing it lightly, her voice low as she stresses her point.

"If we're gonna escape this place, it's now or never."