BREATH . OF . LIFE . ~ { ReGenisis Chronicles Book I }

Chapter Fourteen [Part 2/3]: A Rope To Rescue?

                      -Jake Aylesbury -

I'd fetched one of Amy Norton's old dresses from her belongings. Now usually black wearing Rin was wrapped in colour. Green, Amy's favourite. Like one ghost wearing another's skin.

Rin was leant up against the wall, ready to go. Just gathering her strength. Her wounds had wept into the material, looking almost a dark magenta mixed with the pale mint. Skin glowing in the dim of my room now that she was all cleaned up, winter snow covered in spring. Her eyes misty pearls.

"Are you sure you'll be able to do this?" I asked, holding out the weapon she'd stolen from one of Unit Two's now dead members. She nodded very slightly, slowly taking the katana from my hand, air like fingers lingering.

"If there's any hope in winning, we have to outsmart someone who believes they are three steps ahead. And out of the two of us, which is more likely to make it to Andersen with proof?" She smiled subtly, waiting for me to glance up from where both of our hands were still wrapped round the hilt of the sword.

"Well you got this far alone," I nodded, reluctantly removing my fingers from the hilt and taking a deliberate step back. "You're capable of the impossible."

"No, simply the improbable." She hummed, holding her hand to the hidden wound at her side. I'd helped her wrap it tightly with bandage, but that didn't stop it from affecting her.

"Okay, I've trashed what I can of the room, and changed the bloody sheets. Now it's for you to make this look convincing." I was about to start babbling, nerves rattling through me. She lifted her hand to my cheek and I stopped.

"Close your eyes," She whispered, and I did. Unsure of what to expect.

The sound of whirring metal, I clenched my muscles so that I stopped myself from moving out of the way, and I felt the sharp sting of her sword slicing my skin. Once, twice, by the third swipe I was on my way to the floor. My eyes opened for a moment, to see a boot, one size too large for her, coming towards my face. The room went black.

             * * *

Jennings, Hudson and I all crossed paths near cell sixty-six, where we were all going to be held. All of us surrounded in our respective parts of Unit Four.

Hudson seemed stunned, a little confused maybe. Jennings tried hard to hide a smirk under his battered visage. Lip busted up, body bruised and bloody in places. "Captain," He bowed his head to me respectfully as he stood by my side.

Half of Unit Three came round the corner just then, their Captain absent, still with Andersen no doubt. "We've been given orders to see those compromised by a traitor into their cell." Immanuel's second, Lieutenant Ashington, announced, nodding her head out to the side for the other four Unit members with her to fan out a little.

"That must be a mistake, we were given that order by Daniels himself. We can handle it." Young Mina Harrison argued.

Tanner held his hand up, "It's just some crossed wires, don't worry about it."

"As you were, we shall just stand to confirm they go into cell sixty-six." Ashington's eyes wandered towards the cell door. Expectant.

Tanner and Harrison both turned to unlock it, before feeling a strike to the backs of their knees that sent them to the floor. One of Unit Three agents was a Nocturnal, who was very good at hitting the right points to disable targets without killing them. He quickly threw Tanner and Harrison into the cell themselves, whilst the rest of Three turned their rifles on Unit Four.

I held my hands up to catch a sword being chucked at me by Ashington herself, and turned to face them also. We'd thought of using a relaxed attitude and about half the usual amount of Unit members to surprise them at the last second. But I hadn't foreseen outside help that shouldn't have been aware of this, or on board if they had been.

Jennings and Hudson were both tossed weapons also, and joined Unit Three, as we stripped them of their weapons and ushered Four into cell sixty-six.

"Our orders came directly from Cole, he believes Daniels is a traitor and that you've been compromised by his instructions. Until further notice, you are prisoners of Trinity Science and your actions in conjunction with Daniels shall go under full investigation in due time." Ashington informed them before shutting and sealing the door with a high level access code. She turned to me then, eyes a little narrow. "I don't know if you're traitors or not, I'm just following orders, Captain Aylesbury, don't make me regret it."

"Thank you all the same," I sighed out a breath of relief.

Ashington held a hand up to her ear, she was wearing an ear piece for a secured frequency. I tuned in to Cole's voice.

   Daniels is a Nocturnal now, apparently of ultra Scavenger class. Stay out of his way if you can. If not, swords are suggested.

"Sir," She nodded, then looked up at me. She didn't repeat the information, as she'd gauged from the fear on my face that I'd heard I suppose. "You'd better move, don't want to be a sitting duck."

"Yes ma'am," I saluted, superior or not, she was a good agent and after today I may not be able to call her an ally again.

She looked at me with confusion running through her brown eyes and then she smiled. "Sir," She saluted in return. "Come, we're to let Unit Zero go their way. Cole thinks they'll do much better left to their own devices." With that, the half of Unit Three who'd come to our rescue were moving down the halls away from us.

"Captain," Jennings stared off at them in wonder. "What the heck just happened."

"Whether intentionally or not, Cole just handed us some time and breathing room to play with." I said, staring down at the sword in my hand and the way it glinted under the cellblock lights.

"Or rope to hang ourselves with." Hudson muttered grimly to himself, arms crossed.