Man On The Moon

Chapter 15: A New Hope

As they press against the cold wall of the alcove, they hear the footsteps approaching closer and closer. Vettel holds his breath, his heart pounding in his chest. Firefly's eyes are narrowed, her body tense and alert. The footsteps stop, just outside the alcove. They hear voices, sharp and authoritative. Two guards, seemingly patrolling the corridor.

Guard 1: "Did you hear something?"

The other guard grunts.

Guard 2: "I thought I did. Could've been just the pipes, though. They're always making noise down here."

The first guard seems unsatisfied with that answer.

Guard 1: "No, I'm sure I heard something. It could be those prisoners. Maybe they're up to something."

Guard 2 scoffs.

Guard 2: "Yeah, right. Like those fools could do anything against us. They're all sitting in their cells, rotting away. They're not a threat."

The first guard sounds somewhat convinced.

Guard 1: "I guess you're right. But still, we should report it to the boss, just in case."

Guard 2 groans.

Guard 2: "Fine, have it your way. I'll head to the control room and tell Kafka about your little hunch. But I'm telling you, it's just paranoia."

As the voices of the guards fade away, Firefly lets out a soft sigh of relief. She gives Vettel a nod.|

Firefly: "That was close. We need to be extra careful from now on. Come on, we need to keep moving."

Vettel nods back, his heart still racing. The encounter with the guards has only added to the tension and stress of their escape attempt.

Vettel: "Let's go. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Firefly leads the way once more, her steps even quieter than before. They continue through the cold, dimly lit corridors, moving with stealth and purpose. The silence is so oppressive that it feels almost tangible, and every small noise - a shifting of their feet, a rustle of fabric - seems to echo like a loud thunderclap in the empty halls.
As they turn a corner, they suddenly come face to face with another cell. Peering out of it is a familiar face - March 7th. The Trailblazer looks a little worse for wear, but her eyes light up in surprise when she sees Vettel and Firefly.

March 7th: "Vettel! And... Firefly? What are you doing here?"

Before either of them can respond, Firefly quickly moves forward, shushing March 7th and nodding towards the corridor behind them.

Firefly: "Keep your voice down. Guards are patrolling the corridors. We're trying to escape."

March 7th's eyes go wide with understanding, her voice immediately dropping to a whisper.

March 7th: "Escape? But... how? We're all trapped in these cells. Where are you even going to go?"

Firefly glances at Vettel before turning back to March 7th.

Firefly: "I know a way out. A secret exit near the main control room. If we can get there unseen, we can make our escape."

March 7th looks sceptical.

March 7th: "But... won't the guards spot us the moment we try to leave the prison? And what about the security systems and alarms? I can't imagine they'll just let us waltz out of here without any resistance."

Firefly looks grim.

Firefly: "It won't be easy. But it's our only option if we want to get out of here. As for the guards and security systems... we'll just have to deal with them as they come. But we have no chance if we just sit in our cells and do nothing."

March 7th nods, albeit somewhat reluctantly. She seems to be weighing her options, clearly feeling vulnerable and stuck in her cell.

March 7th: "I... guess you're right. I don't want to stay here and rot, anyway. So... I'm in. How do I help?"

Firefly eyes her, grateful for her cooperation.

Firefly: "Just follow us. Try not to make any noise, and watch your step. We're going to have to move quickly and quietly if we want to get past the guards undetected."

March 7th nods again, her expression determined.

March 7th: "Understood. Just lead the way, and I'll be right behind you."

With a final glance around to ensure no one is watching, Firefly begins to lead the way once more. Vettel and March 7th follow, all three of them moving through the dimly lit corridors as swiftly and silently as possible. As they progress, their path becomes more difficult. The route to the exit seems to be fraught with potential danger. Every shadow seems to conceal a threat, and every sound seems to portend imminent disaster. The tension in the air is palpable, and the three of them move with a sense of urgency, each acutely aware of the precariousness of their situation. They reach a junction in the corridors, forcing them to pause momentarily. Firefly glances down each corridor, her eyes narrowed as she tries to decide which path to take. Just as she's about to make her decision, there's a sudden noise from one of the corridors - the sound of footsteps approaching. Firefly's eyes widen with alarm, immediately grabbing both Vettel and March 7th and pulling them back against the wall. All three of them hold their breath, staying perfectly still and silently praying that the approaching footsteps don't turn in their direction. As the footsteps get closer and closer, the tension in the air mounts to almost unbearable levels. The footsteps come to a stop, and they can hear low voices just around the corner. It seems a pair of guards have stopped to have a conversation right outside the corridor they're hiding in. Firefly and the others stay frozen, their hearts hammering in their chests. The guards' voices are low and hard to make out, but they can catch snippets of their conversation.

Guard 1: "You checked on those prisoners yet?"

Guard 2: "I was just about to. You know how Kafka is. She'll have our heads if we don't keep those idiots under constant supervision."

The first guard grunts in agreement.

Guard 1: "Yeah, she's a real hard ass, that one. Alright, I'll come with you. Let's go see if our guests are still in their cells where they belong."

There's a moment of silence, and then a third voice cuts in - deeper and more authoritative than the others.

Guard 3: "Hold up. What's that?"

The first guard sounds confused.

Guard 1: "What is what? What do you see?"

Guard 3: "Looks like one of the cell gates is open. Someone's escaped."The second guard sounds alarmed.

Guard 2: "What? How could that be? We just checked on them less than an hour ago. How could one of them have gotten out without us noticing?"

The first guard sounds angry.

Guard 1: "I don't know, but we better go find out. We're going to get in so much trouble for this..."

The three of them begin to move, their footsteps echoing off the corridor walls as they approach the open cell. The footsteps come closer and closer, the tension in the air mounting. Vettel, Firefly and March 7th remain frozen, silently praying that the guards don't happen to look their way...The footsteps pause just outside the cell, and they can hear the guards murmuring amongst themselves.

Guard 2: "They can't have gone far, right? We should go notify Kafka. She's going to have our heads for this mess..."