Copper

Chapter Thirty Two

"I can't do it. I can't- I can't keep getting back up. I can't."

Back... in my cell.

Silently I pace back... and forth... and back... and forth... and back one more time.

I'd been escorted right back to my cell after seeing what they have done with the stone. I get the idea they didn't want me wandering or straying too far from the flock. Actually, the fact they took me straight back here makes me know they have something they don't want to see.

Unluckily for them... cells can't hold me.

After careful observation of the surveillance cameras in my cell, I notice that after around the clock cycle there is a five-minute gap where the red light will flicker off. A data dump that's become my window of opportunity. Yet... where is my window? There's no way getting through these walls and the door is electro-locked with iron thick intensity. It's an impressive prison. Far better than any I've ever been in- and I've been in a few more than I ever should've.

Alas, the way out always seems to remain the same.

Flicking my gaze to the ceiling I tilt my head at my escape route, "Hello my old friend." For the next few minutes, I lie in wait. Watching until finally the red light flickers off. Leaping into action I cross the cell in two bounds to grip the metal chair. With a solid grunt I haul it around and throw it right into the ceiling, covering my head to brace myself against the shattering ceiling light that I've eyed for days on end. Snatching a shattered piece from the floor I rush to angle the steel chair under the air vent, dragging over the side table to balance on top. "Please don't break your neck", I mutter quietly to myself, precariously climbing up the uneasy structure. Crouching to avoid smacking my noggin, I take the glass and twist away at the four screws holding the air vents grating securely in place.

Admittedly it takes me longer than I'd like but soon enough, I yelp with ecstasy when it comes popping off to land with a smack on the ground. Discarding the glass within my room I stare up into the vent for a few seconds, debating how well I'm actually going to fit inside "And that... is how it's done." Yet with only seconds remaining until the surveillance footage resets I don't have time for any more debate. Rising to my full height I reach into the vent, hauling myself up and inside with a feeble grunt. "Dammit", I pause for a second inside the air vent, resting my forehead against the steel to sigh "Ave you really gotta get back into cardio."