create

5. outbreak

"SYLVER!", Goldie cried, but the dim light was not enough for Sylver to be found immediately.
"Where did the fucking acid come from?", Sylver managed to think through the pain. By some miracle she managed to stand up again. Her arm was lost anyways, so she may as well use that to her advantage. She extended her arm again, keeping a close eye on the pillar. But no acid came from anywhere. The cubic stone began to suddenly glow in the same green light Sylver had seen out of the corner of her eyes earlier, and the pain set in again.
Sylver only halfway managed to stay upright, but that didn't stop her brain from screaming, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
And it was right. How was this possible?
"How is your Focus possible then?", Goldie always used to say whenever Sylver complained about anything being impossible. For fucks sake, how difficult was it for that woman to just find her?
"SYLVER?? SAY SOMETHING!!", Goldie cried out. She was seriously scared, Sylver could clearly hear that, so she said, as loud as she could, "I'm here, still in the corner!"
But Goldie couldn't possibly have heard, for at that exact moment a shrill alarm went off, all the lights went out, and Sylver immediately knew that they didn't have much time anymore.
"That fucking snitch!", Sylver screamed, and ten seconds later Goldie was at her side.
"SYLVER! What happened?", Goldie called over the alarm and hugged her.
"Turn on the light on A.I.D., but don't turn the light in my direction, please... we need to get out of here...", Sylver said, and she could almost feel the concern in Goldie's face. But Goldie wouldn't look.
"How many stones did you get?", Goldie asked while she helped Sylver up. Sylver's silence was enough of an answer, so Goldie continued, "I got quite a few, over 20 at least! I grabbed the stones from every pillar I ran into in the dark as well, just so we get the maximum possible! In any scenario, we can definitely start a revolution with these! Well, if anyone can find out how they work or what they do, that is!"
Goldie leading the way with her A.I.D., her left hand squeezing Sylver's right hand, they could already see the wall that lead them outside when Goldie tripped over something, dragging Sylver down with her, who landed on her right arm and screamed in agonizing pain.
"Sylv...", Goldie began, but she couldn't continue. While Sylver lay there, rocking to and fro, A.I.D.'s light pointed directly at her, and Goldie saw her arm, three fingers having fallen off already sometime earlier.
Goldie was silent for a few moments. Sylver knew she was calculating, thinking about whether her hand could be salvaged, whether she herself could be salvaged. They both remembered their agreement. If one was out cold and they needed to run, they would run. Leave the other behind. They cared enough for each other to want at least the other to survive. And Goldie was calculating if that was the case.
"Goldie, there is no time, we have to get moving! If I need to be left behind you can do that later as well!", Sylver said, and she was afraid that Goldie hadn't heard over the alarm, but Goldie just answered with worry in her eyes, "What happened? Was it a trap of some sort that you couldn't feel? I didn't come across any of this..."
"One of the stones did it. I don't know how, it must've been active as some sort of defense mechanism or something. It was the first stone I tried to touch and also the last. But let's get moving now, okay?", Sylver answered, and Goldie frowned deeply.
"Okay. But if that is the power these stones provide then we really need to be careful... maybe it would be better to just lock them away...?", Goldie said, helping Sylver up. But before they could get out Goldie picked up what had made her fall over in the first place, and she said, "But while I can touch them I'll take every single one possible with me!"
In her hand was a jagged, purely white stone that seemed to fit perfectly into Goldie's hand. It had no pattern, no reason to be formed like this, no sense. It was not a cube, or round, or oval, it was the most random stone imaginable, and yet its form was unimaginable. And damn, that stone seemed to cry out to Sylver.
"Take it. Yes. Don't leave it here. This... this one is important!", Sylver whispered. And Goldie understood, maybe by the intensity of Sylver's face, and she put the stone to her heart. Of course she couldn't have heard. The damned snitch and his damned alarm.
Goldie's arms made a wide arch. I will guide you. Sylver smiled. Goldie took her A.I.D. and opened the door. To their surprise, there were no guards here yet. Probably because of the unavoidable traps.
Sylver didn't have her Focus anymore, but that was no problem for getting out. They had both memorised the tiles they had already stepped on, so getting back was easier than opening the door had been for A.I.D..
But of course, leaving the trap-filled room was the easiest part of the escape. As the alarms have been rung, and certainly from their former partner, they had to take a different route, out of a window from the main hall down into the lake surrounding the Watcher's stronghold. A drop they couldn't survive, several hundred metres down. That is the reason it was such a good plan. There were no security sytems for dropping enemies, only for attacks from above, so their parachutes would be an easy and yet 100% effective plan.
They left the room and ran through the secret tunnel until they reached the Watcher's living room. Well, one of them.
Goldie started towards the right entrance when they heard heavy footsteps, and many at that, coming from that direction.
"Plan C!", Goldie called and ran towards the left, where stairs led upwards. Up to the Watchtower, where the chances of not running into the Watcher personally were around 1:1000000.
Sylver hated Plan C, but she ran after Goldie, and they took the stairs three at a time.
"How high are our chances that the Watcher is not up there?", Sylver panted, and Goldie actually found the breath to laugh before she said, "Who are you trying to fool here Sylver? You already calculated that! Your hand is literally falling apart, rather concentrate on that, to keep the edge off, yes?"
Even through the pain Sylver still managed to snort. She hoped Goldie wouldn't miss her too much when she realised that she had to leave Sylver behind.
The footsteps behind them got faster, and with every second they became more, and they lost even more time when Goldie reached the top.
"Left or right?", she asked while a door to their left opened. Without a comment they hurried through the one to their right.
Sylver only checked her surroundings halfheartedly while Goldie got the string and grapple out of her bag. Without hesitation she shot it upwards against the only wooden strip going through the ceiling of glass.
She looked at Sylver before swooping upwards. That was when the door behind Sylver was kicked open and guards dressed in the typical dark green uniforms stormed the room, surrounding Sylver. Goldie broke through the glass and made it rain splinters, but none of the guards flinched, just a few pointed their guns upwards, the rest pointed theirs at Sylver already.
"I'll come back for you, I swear!", Goldie cried. She didn't attempt to come down again or rescue Sylver. Both knew it was pointless.
In unison the guards parted to let someone through. Somebody of a higher rank for certain, as he was dressed in black.
His gaze was fixated on Goldie as he came to a stop and said, "I will spare your... unarmed... friend down here if you come back down and give back what you stole! It is the only way you will survive this ordeal!"
He chuckled at the word 'unarmed'. Sylver looked up and saw Goldie meeting her eyes.
I will guide you.
Goldie nooded and Sylver screamed, "RUN!!!"

Shots. Shots from every direction.
Sylver could see Goldie running. Getting hit somewhere. Almost tripping. But going on. Dropping what was in her hand.
Glass was shattered and it rained down on everyone. Rain. Rain. And in the middle of it the last thing Goldie had held in her hands before disappearing over the edge.
Sylver stumbled forwards. Bullets pierced her body from every direction, staying in her body or leaving it again. But every single one hit its target. Those bastards were good.
Sylver was surprised that she didn't slip in her own blood. She only fell when a bullet destroyed her kneecap.
But she continued forwards. Crawling. Inch by inch.
The rain of bullets stopped. Sylver could, in a last clear moment, make out what Goldie had dropped. It was that jagged stone.
Another inch. The stone began to glow, its aura flared to life.
'More pain... great...', Sylver thought. But she didn't mind. Goldie had touched this stone. Nothing else mattered. And maybe now she would finally go out with Sylver after all.
Strengthened by that thought, Sylver dragged the bloody mess of what was still remaining of her body forwards for one last heave.
'Goodbye, Goldie. It was awesome...', Sylver wanted to say, but she could only think it. She extended her arm, and touched the stone.
And her world exploded into light.