Danger Days

11

Frank removed the gauze from his cheek as gently as he could. It had been nearly three weeks now since the clash with Korse. Steve, Ricky, and Ray spent most of their time in Steve and Ricky's bedroom, plotting how to infiltrate BL/ind headquarters and get Opal back.

Frank hissed as he tugged the tape off of his face. His skin appeared to have fused together almost completely by this point. He was still very red and swollen, but it felt better every day.

He discarded the gauze and replaced it. He then exited the bathroom to find Mikey pacing back and forth in the hallway, waiting for him. "Mikey? What are you doing?" he asked.

Mikey turned on his heel and looked at Frank with frantic eyes. "I need to talk to you," he said quickly. He grabbed Frank's wrist and dragged him out to the back of the house. He released Frank and crossed his arms. "I... I can't stop thinking about what Ray said. About having... personal problems with Korse."

"Yeah." Frank sighed. "Me, neither."

"He was acting like he knew the guy," Mikey said with a shiver. "Fuck, what if... What if Gerard was right this whole time? And Ray really can't be trusted?"

"Woah, woah," said Frank. He put a hand on Mikey's arm. "What are you talking about? Ray's... Ray, he-he wouldn't do that to us."

Mikey chewed his lip. "Well, I doubt Korse would have cut out his eye if he was working with BL/ind," Mikey said. "R-Right? He wouldn't brutally do that to one of his own. Would he?"

"No. I don't think he would."

"And he's so protective over Opal, he couldn't be working with BL/ind. He couldn't be!"

Frank bobbed his head. "Yeah."

Mikey jumped at the sound of Steve throwing his bedroom door open, and the three men stampeding into the living room. "Okay, we have a plan," Steve said breathlessly. "It's-It's pretty much the same thing as before."

"Opal's probably being held in the S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W unit, which is on the forty-seventh floor." Ray held out a map of the building.

"How did you get that?" Gerard asked. Frank jumped, not realizing Gerard was standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

"Why do you keep asking that question like you don't know the answer?"

Gerard glared at Ray. Mikey sighed. "When should we go?" he asked.

"The sooner, the better," said Gerard. "We don't want to give them any more opportunities than they've already had to hurt Opal."

"I'll leave right now," Ray said.

"What?" Mikey looked at him. "No, you can't."

"Why not, Mikes? I'm okay, I promise. I only need one eye to know when I'm looking at Korse."

"I'll go," Frank said.

"Your face!" Gerard protested.

"I don't really need it. I'm alright."

Mikey chewed his lip. "If you two insist on going right this second... okay," he said.

Gerard sighed, defeated. "Goddammit."

That night, the group set off once again on their journey to Battery City, this time with one less passenger and zero unnecessary stops.  "Do you need directions?" Mikey asked as they got closer than they had ever been before.

"No," Ray said. "Thank you."

Mikey paused, then nodded. He folded the map and placed it in the console. It was silent inside the car. Everyone was on edge. Frank's stomach churned at the prospect of his own mortality.