Vagabonds

Chapter Fifty: Peekaboo

"Watch out!" Otto shouted.

Tori was already on it, training a revolver on the nearest upright body with one hand while the other whipped out her brother's Glock.

"Don't move!"

Joe skidded in behind her, panting.

"Tori, what —?"

"Untie them."

She didn't have to tell him twice. Joe stepped around the two scientists, moving to the table where Otto struggled against his plastic-padded restraints.

But the shock was wearing off. The soldiers were gathering. One of them reached for their belt.

"Don't. Move." Tori repeated, trying to keep her eyes on everyone at the same time. But the soldiers were splitting, moving apart with well-trained, tactical steps. 

Damnit.

"Joe..."

"It's locked!"

"That one has a key on his belt," Moose piped up, jerking his head at the largest soldier, a burly man with a sour expression. "I saw it when he wheeled us in."

"Put down the gun, little girl," the man said. "You don't want to do this."

She curled one lip. "Don't test me."

Terror was a living, breathing thing in Tori's chest as everything slowed, as her mind whirred, desperate to find a way out of this. Her eyes raked over the lab benches lining the room, the tubes of blood, the IV lines protruding from the boys' arms.

There.

A scalpel.

Tori took a deep breath. She'd only have a second.

Pointing the gun at the ceiling, Tori fired. Everyone jumped. Hands flew to weapons and the soldiers shouted and plaster rained down on the scene like volcanic ash. But Tori was already throwing herself to the side, grabbing the scalpel.

"Joe!"

He looked up right as she threw it. For a terrifying moment she wondered if the gangling nerd who had always been infamously bad at sports would be able to grab it before it hit him in the face. She needn't have worried. Joe snatched the scalpel out of the air with Moose-quick reflexes, bringing it down on the plastic padding.

A normal person might have taken precious seconds to saw through the reinforced straps, but Joe's arm came down in a powerful swipe.

And right away, Otto's arms were free.

"Hell yeah," Otto said, flexing his fingers as Joe sliced through the other restraints, releasing knees, feet, neck. Otto leapt off the table just as one of the soldiers took aim at Tori's head. "Not today, fucknut."

The soldier went down in a sparking tangle of limbs, screaming as Otto slammed a crackling hand into his chest.

Tori was backing away, but someone grabbed her arm. One of the scientists, face hidden by a fabric mask.

"What do you think you're —?"

But the hand disappeared as Joe flung the woman into her partner. Both bodies crashed into a table full of equipment. Vials of blood shattered, staining the white tiles.

"Get that one!" Tori shouted, pointing at the guard with the keychain hanging from his belt.

"I wanna help, I wanna help," Moose was chanting even as Tero and Daisy looked ready to faint. But Otto paid no attention as he circled the man with the keys, followed by Joe. Tori watched, hesitating, wondering what to do.

But then, with a chill, she realized something.

Where was the third guard?

She turned, eyes raking across the room, just in time to see the woman speaking into a radio attached to the wall.

"Don't!" Tori shouted, leveling one of her guns.

But it was no use. The message had already been sent. Tori leapt forward, cracking the handle of her Glock on the back of the woman's skull. The soldier staggered to the side.

Right then, the air was split by the wail of an alarm.

"Shit," Tori breathed, rounding on the others who were wrestling the keychain away from the now weaponless guard. "Guys, hurry!"

"You... asshole..." Otto snarled, smearing his hand over the man's face.

"You're not going to —"

But the snarl was cut off as Otto rabbit-punched the guard, knocking his head into the floor. The white-haired boy straightened, standing over the unconscious body with fresh slime glistening on harsh stubble.

"Fucker should hope he doesn't wake up anytime soon."

"Otto, hurry!" Tori shrieked in horror as the scientists stirred and two of the three guards shoved to their feet.

"Right."

"Me first!" Moose said, wriggling against his restraints.

Otto leapt over to his brother's table, unlocking the heavy chains. It took three endless seconds to throw off the final restraint, enough time for Tori to finally register the enormous, glittering, faceted eyes that took up half of Moose's face. She tried to swallow the natural revulsion, reminding herself that, goggles or not, he was still the same person who had cracked dumb jokes in the mansion basement.

And then Moose was airborne, eyes sparkling eerily in the light.

"Give me that," he said, snatching the keys from Otto.

He became a blur, darting between Tero and Daisy like a distortion of light. Otto took the opportunity to shock one of the scientists into unconsciousness while Tori braced herself against the door.

How long until the reinforcements arrived?

And more importantly, how would they escape now?

"Hurry up," Otto snarled.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Moose said, throwing his arms wide as Daisy and Tero swung their legs free.

"T-thanks," Tero stuttered, rubbing his arms, his chalky eyes huge and eerie in the flashing red lights.

"What do we do now?" Otto asked, looking at Tori even as his foot pressed down on one of the scientists, the only one still conscious.

"We have to find Aquila," Moose said. "That crazy lady kept him in the other place, the one upstairs, and I can't imagine it's for anything good."

Tori threw a glance at Joe, who was leaning against the wall with his arms tight around his torso, gulping deep, shuddering breaths. She swallowed. Straightened.

Sorry Eliza.

"We'll find Aquila later," Tori said, making a snap decision. "First, we need to figure out that cure." She strode over to where the shorter scientist was struggling to get out from beneath Otto's boot. "And you're going to help us."