Raven's Will

21. Rescue? You?

"Huh? You actually made it?" Moxie sounded genuinely surprised. "You actually found our guy?"

"I'm at the door," Jett said coldly. "Tell me how to get through." He wasn't in the mood for her verbal games. All he wanted was to be done this mission.

"Whoa, easy there, Mr Grouch." Ah, there was that mocking tone to her voice he knew so well. "No need to get your panties in a twist. Just gimme a second."

Silence fell between them. Jett waited by the door motionlessly. His heart rate still had yet to slow after the fight with the two soldiers; it pounded in his ears with an unstable rhythm. He listened to it with a numb sort of interest. It was the only thing he could hear right now.

"Okay," Moxie's voice came back. "You still got the thing I gave you?"

"Yeah." Jett dug down into one the coverall pockets. His fingers felt the surface of small, hard object, which he withdrew. It settled in the hollow of his palm, a slightly misshapen square piece of metal. Cracks marred its surface in an intersecting pattern, one that was clearly manmade rather than naturally occurring.

"Oh good, I thought you would lose it. Since you failed in that, stick it on the lock."

Failed to lose it? Wouldn't that be a positive thing? She made it sound like a bad thing. Wordlessly, Jett did as she asked. As soon as the little piece of metal neared the lock, it became clear it was magnetic for it automatically stuck to it. Jett eyed it coolly, wondering how she managed to manufacture such an odd little thing.

Or maybe she didn't make it. Maybe she had stolen it from somewhere. Somehow, that thought was a lot more believable.

As he watched, a tiny little red light began to flash in one corner. Moxie's voice shouted in his ear. He flinched at the volume. "Ha, yes!"

For a few moments, the only thing he heard was her breathing. Then he heard something shifting within the lock. It clicked, and the light on the little gadget abruptly blinked green.

"I am so good," Moxie crowed. "That worked even better than I thought it would. Heh. Now it's your turn, kiddie boy. Go get our man. Oh, and bring my key back with you. It took a lot of work to make a working one, y'know?"

Jett silently grabbed the metal 'key' off the lock. The magnet was quite strong, so he had to use a fair bit of force to get it free. He stuffed it back into one of his coverall's pockets.

The door loomed in front of him. Behind it lay his goal. He reached up, laying a hand flat against its surface. The pressure barely registered; his fingertips were too numb to feel. They trembled slightly before his gaze even as he pushed forward.

The door opened with a soft groan.

Within was a plain concrete hallway, brightly lit by a row of bare bulbs along the ceiling. The light given off these bulbs was nearly blinding, illuminating every square inch of the hallway with unforgiving attention. Jett cast his gaze downwards, squinting as he fought the urge to shield his eyes with an arm.

Four doors lined this hallway. One of them held the prisoner he was looking for. At least, it was supposed to.

He went to the first door. A small observation window was set in the door at a convenient eye level. For taller people, that was. Jett was forced to stand on tip-toe to be able to see through it. The first room was dark and empty.

The second door told an identical story. The third one, however -

Jett leaned against the door, straining on tip-toe to peer through the window. A wide-eyed face stared right back at him on the other side. For a moment, Jett and the face stared at each other, their noses mere inches apart, separated by a thin pane of tempered glass.