Friendship Knows No Bounds (a sasusaku fan fic)

Chapter 43

~Temari~ 

After saying goodbye to Gaara and Sakura, Konkuro and I made our way to the musuem. 

We borrowed a van in order to fit our stuff but also to provide us with a good getaway car as it had some defense against bullets. 

When we arrived, we were sure to check the surroundings. We doubled checked the Akatsuki's instructions, making sure the guard count added up as well as the security cameras. We, or really I, hacked into the footage, counting everything on the inside, noting guards, security panels and anything else that might hinder our progress. 

Once we get everything we need, I set a loop on the cameras so that we won't be seen and the guards won't be able to track us after all this was over.

Diedra wanted us to enter from the rooftop, using ropes and harnesses like in the spy movies. Granted it was one of the most easy and effective ways of gaining access to a building but, I didn't trust him so we would be using the vent system instead. As if it wasn't dangerous enough, Konkuro and I both expected that this was a trap intended to catch Sakura and get her out of the way- including anybody who might be helping her. It made Konkuro and I extra wary and extra cautious. 

After parking the van and composing ourselves, we set our plan into action. Once we reached the vent, I hold up a finger to Konkuro, signaling for him to wait while I disabled the alarm. 

"30 seconds. . . go," I told him. He hurriedly worked on the grate covering our opening. As this was an advanced security system, I could only disable the systems small fractions at a time. They were coded to reset themselves and if they were left disabled for too long they sounded anyway, alerting someone that there was a problem and getting us into trouble. 

"15 seconds." 

He pulled off the grate and we both clambered inside. 

"10 seconds."

He shifted the grate back into place just as the button on my phone screen turned red. 

Now, let me tell you, being in a vent isn't as glorious and fun as the movies make it out to be. For one thing, it's cramped, not nearly enough room space for a grown ass adult. These types of missions were more suited to the young children learning and training in the agency. Konkuro and I were squirming around on our stomachs, trying not to bang our elbows on the sides as we attempted to army crawl. Another thing worth mentioning is that air vents are incredibly stuffy and this one was hot. 

Movies seem to leave out the fact of what are actually used for; carrying hot and cold air throughout the building. Since it was falling, heading into winter, the air was hot, leaving the metal warm/ hot under my hands; enough to burn if I lingered to long. 

Just then we heard a click and I got a blast of hot air in my face, making sweat bead on my forehead. 

"Of course," I grumbled. 

"Out of everything, we just had to come this way."

I couldn't look back at him but I knew he was glaring at me. I could feel it. 

"You weren't complaining about it an hour ago," I hiss at him, "Now be quiet before we get caught."

We shuffled through the system, making our way to the room we wanted to be in. The air vents could only take us so far, no vents led directly to the room the gem was in but we would be getting out just one room away. 

At the end of our path, the vent suddenly drops, letting out on the ground behind an exhibit. 

Another misconception movies love to use is being able to slide down an air shaft; I have yet to encounter one that gives me the pleasure. You see, most air shafts go straight down meaning you would have to do an odd little shimmy to get down. If you were to jump down or try to use one as a slide, you would most definitely break both of your ankles. . . good luck with that.