Danganronpa: Painful Truth

Security

I somehow managed to stay calm as I followed Kyoko into the prison complex. Her demeanor was perfectly natural, as though she were simply running an errand. All I could do was stay silent and hope that my presence didn't blow her cover.

I nearly panicked when we were stopped by an enraged young guard at the front desk. Even while he interrogated us, Kyoko's confidence never wavered.

"I assure you, my business here is well above your pay grade." She tapped a finger against her arm impatiently. "If you simply stand aside, we'll be gone in less time than it would take to explain."

"Well then, lemme just call somebody above my pay grade, bitch!" the guard snapped, pulling out his cell phone smugly. He went to unlock the screen, but nearly threw it in surprise as it rang in his hand.

"Ah, good, that must be the confirmation we were waiting for." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Aren't you going to answer?"

The guard narrowed his eyes defiantly as he raised the phone to his ear. "Yeah?" He listened for several moments, the rage in his eyes increasing exponentially. "God fuckin' dammit boss, how the hell you expect us to work like this, huh? You gotta warn me when some uppity bitch--huh? Yeah, yeah, I'll stay outta the way. Asshole," he added under his breath as he pulled the device away from his face to hang up. I thought I could hear the sound of apologetic laughter through the speaker before the connection was cut.

Kyoko watched him expectantly, a satisfied smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Well?"

The guard gritted his teeth with impotent fury before stomping away from the desk. "Do what ya want, old woman, I'm on break."

Once he was out of earshot, Kyoko brought a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "That was strange, but not altogether unexpected." She headed further into the main building of the prison without hesitation.

I followed closely. Now that we were behind enemy lines, I didn't want to imagine what could happen if I let myself become separated from her. "What do you mean?" I asked, keeping my voice too quiet to be easily recognized.

"Based on Ayu's description of the facility where you and your friends were being kept, there was a suspicious lack of interference with your escape. Even their automated defenses displayed only non-lethal tactics, despite clearly being capable of more." She glanced at me over her shoulder. "I assume this matches your experience?"

I nodded slowly. At the time, my only concern had been moving forward towards the possibility of freedom. Now that I had the time to consider it, however, she was right. The whole process had been entirely too easy. Even those who had been captured had managed to escape with no problems. There was only one possibility I could think of that matched the evidence. "So you're saying...there may be some sort of double agent?"

"Something like that," she agreed. "And the level of control they have over the security of these facilities implies that they're a trusted and high-ranking member."

I fiddled with the brim of my hat as I pondered the information. "Well, that's certainly comforting, in a way," I mused. "But what would they stand to gain from helping us?"

"Ending the killing game, of course." A low, calm voice spoke up from behind me. "What else?"

"Huh?" I jumped and spun in surprise, wondering how anyone could have approached us so closely. Thanks to my paranoia, I hadn't been able to stop myself from scanning the area for movement every few seconds. Even facing the direction of the voice, I saw no one.

The deep voice sighed. "Down here."

I lowered my gaze, recognition dawning on me before my eyes even reached the person speaking. An excited smile spread across my face. "Ryoma!"