Cleo drops down into the vent space.
The vents in the prison run in overhead pathways mimicking the hallways of the prison itself.
She sprawls out on her stomach and proceeds to crawl forward, imagining the blueprints in her head.
Left, Left, Right, Left.
It is dim and the ice cold metal presses against her abdomen.
Cleo slides into what appears to be a dead end but when she feels a gust of steam, she knows she has arrived at her destination.
She forcefully pushes at a grating, dislodging it, before carefully pushing it aside.
She proceeds to jump vertically down into the room from the overhead vent.
Every wall is lined with a combination of rust coloured pipes, big and small, as they criss-cross over each other.
There are several valves attached to which are spinning wheels painted red and blue which control the water pressures.
Cleo hides herself between some pipes and begins to morph, her brown skin flipping over in tiles.
Her braids melt away into baldness, and her entire physique changes to that of a generic middle aged white man.
Even her clothes melt away to be replaced with a long sleeve shirt tucked into slacks complete with the worker mans polished black loafers. The whole outfit is navy blue, the official prison guard uniform.
Cleo catches her own reflection in one of the gleaming pipes, happy with her transformation.
She lifts her sleeve to check her stopwatch.
14 minutes 25 seconds.
She marches out into the halfway confidently.
From here she knows she is near the control room, which is where she needs to be.
Kaida had set it up so she would emerge away from the cell blocks, and thus there would be no checkpoints or sea of guards.
Although, they are still around.
Two guards turn a corner and walk towards Cleo, down the wide white hallways, stark blinding and unnaturally bare.
She nods at them and they nod back as they pass her.
She rests her hands on her belt, adopting the mannerisms of a guard as she marches on.
With a sharp turn, she is in the hallway adjacent to the control room.
Everywhere looked identical so she had done an excellent job at finding her bearings.
She is about to get the copy of the keycard out, celebrating prematurely when she heard a voice call out to her.
"Hey, you!"
Cleo instinctively freezes but plays it off and turns around.
A guard approaches her but telling from his slightly different uniform and the way he carries himself, he outranks her.
"Yes, sir?"
The Chief Officer scrutinises Cleo's face and squints.
Cleo catches her reflection again in his shiny badge, she still had the outward appearance of a man, she just had to act like one.
"I have never seen you around here before. New?"
The Officer's eyes are scarily alert.
Cleo just nods.
YOU ARE READING
𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆'𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐘
Romance[Completed - Book 2 of the Blood Court Series] ❝ You are mine. The thought of anyone else apart from me having access to you, it could drive me mad. You do not know the lengths I'll go to...
