The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 54

XXXXXIV

DAKEN

One Bowel Movement Later

Daken's Cell, Brigade High-Security Containment

"Stupid Jonathan," Daken muttered to himself as he reached his arms through the cell bars. "Stupid lock. Stupid tools." The tiny iron lockpicking tools gave off a dull shine as they passed through the dim beams of light just barely illuminating the prison. Light tinking of cheap metal tapping against hard steel echoed throughout the chamber as they entered the cell's lock. "New policy: Friends don't give friends solid metal objects to swallow."

Daken's fingers nimbly shifted back and forth as he worked on the lock. He pressed his face up against the bars and grit his teeth as he felt the pins within the device clicking into place. Closing his eyes, he pressed his ear up against the lock and focused every last inch of his mind to the calculated ticks of the intricately wrought puzzle. As soon as a pin locked into place, another would fall. Daken cursed under his breath as he allowed a red spark to race down his arm and dance along his knuckles. Imbued with new speed and dexterity, his fingers shifted the tools in and out of the lock with the impossible precision. He deftly pushed each pin into place and smiled as the door opened with a satisfied clunk.

Gazing out into the dark void below as the cage gently rocked back and forth, Daken let out a low whistle. "Alright, step one? Open the door. Done," he said, glancing over at the swinging cage door. "Step two. Jump onto the door and get on top of the cage." Daken's palms began to sweat as he tensed his legs. "Here we go."

Daken crept along the rusted wall of his cage and carefully shimmied out onto the horizontal slats of its door. Hands tightly wrapped around any bar he could find, Daken carefully made his way up the door until he was balancing precariously upon its top. The cell shook disconcertingly as he made the short hop from the bars back onto his prison. Grabbing hold of the thick chain attatching the cage to the sprawling track mechanism above, Daken scanned the shadowy chamber until he spotted another small cell hanging at the edge of his vision.

"I can't make that. There's no way in hell I can make that," Daken said, peering down into the darkness below with terror. "Even with Bloodmoon, there's no way I can..."

Daken's voice trailed off as his eye caught a series of long, snaking shadows crisscrossing back and forth through the low light in the distance. "Chains," he murmured. "There are more chains. They're almost in a line, I bet I could make if I just..." Daken dropped into a three-point stance and began to crackle with red energy. He grinned. "Oh man, this is such a bad idea."

He fired forward, launching himself into the air. A red streak against black shadows and amber shafts of light, Daken hurtled towards the first chain. He fought the urge to shut his eyes as his body began to fall, instead fixing his gaze on the string of metal hanging just a few yards more. His arms shot forward as the chain swung back towards him. Time turned to a scarlet blur as his fingers brushed past his only chance at survival. His body began to twist in mid-air, every muscle straining in a desparate attempt to recover.

"Gotcha!" Daken shouted with relief as his hands wrapped around the chain. The momentum of his jump still propelling him foreward, Daken coiled his legs around the chain as he swung towards the next. Letting go at the top of the chain's arc, Daken was whipped into the air and slingshotted to the next chain.

He grabbed hold of chain after chain, swinging closer to the cell with each move. "Last one," Daken said softly as he took hold of the final rusty link, the cage within reach at last. Just as he began to swing close and high enough to land on its roof, the worn chain snapped. Daken was forcefully thrown upwards before crashing down violently on the top of the cell, his right leg punching through a corroded panel.