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"So, that's your plan?"
Honey had just gotten ready with all her gear, the layers of leather hiding both, knives and handy firearms from undiscerning eyes. Frowning the hybrid tilted her head with a frown, first at the board and afterwards at Rayana. Who shoved a reddish-golden strand behind her ear and raised an eyebrow: "Are you doubting me? I surely don't need to remind you whose fault caused us the whole disaster!"
Apart from her widened eyes the blonde didn't seem affected by those words, however her marks started to glow dangerously bright: "Mind me reminding you that it was me who had to stay back and defense Yuuna after the dear Princess's failed shot? It wasn't my fault that Mitternacht managed to take Lin away-"
"No", another voice disrupted her, grieving and resigned, "... it was my fault. I should have never let this happen." With her head in both hands, Destini sighed before she gasped and held her chest in pain. This last fight against at least half a dozen opponents had caused several broken ribs and internal injuries, not to speak about countless bruises and even burns. Yet the fighter's worst breach was the one of her ego; as the bodyguard of their leader she had failed her task.
"Stop it now – it wasn't your fault." This was Ashlynn who laid a hand onto Destini's unharmed shoulder. The purple-haired shook her head, both icy-blue eyes narrowing as she looked around: "That's not the time to discuss whom is to thank for Mama staying overnight at Mitternacht's quarters! So, keep it together – and focus."
In an instant it fell deadly silent in the room. Rayana bit her lips and inhaled deeply while Honey dropped her shoulders with a sigh. No split second later the glow on her marks faded while the hybrid once more looked at the board: "... the side entrance is located perfectly, the approach down the avenue where the van will be waiting grants us many opportunities to hide."
"Exactly, and the patrols along this street aren't as numerous as on the other side of the building – we just need to take care of the video cameras – which are located ..." Now Miah stepped over to the board and took a yellow crayon: "... here, here ... and here."
Elise and Lily still needed time to prepare themselves, right now the black-haired loaded her gun and checked the telescope. If things didn't go as planned, the sniper couldn't allow herself to miss any target.
"They won't be a problem – you know my motto." The mechanical click when Lily shut the magazine resounded from all four walls in the room: "One shot, one hit."
"Not this time, Lily. You will keep your position once we arrive, leave the cameras to Miah", Ashlynn said while Rayana nodded: "Remember, Miah knows the area and the technical facilities. She will make sure that we won't be noticed as long as possible – in the ideal case until we found Mama and got out of there."
"I can bring you inside safely but yet with Ashlynn's help there won't be more than fifteen minutes until the alarm starts ringing. If you aren't out of the east wing by then, you're captured." The brunette narrowed her eyes in a warning everyone got aware of.
Failing was not an option!
"So, Honey and me will follow Miah with some distance and take care of the lion's share before we reach the east wing?", Elise repeated and put on her gun belt. Now she was done preparing. Ashlynn replied with a nod: "Correct. Keep in mind that their armory is close to the east wing – and that some of the scumbags might use laser weapons."
Just after ending the sentence Destini gave out a moan and reminded them all to rather not face those dreadful arms. Honey appared to be the only one who at least stayed unimpressed to the outside: "Team Bad Blondes's gonna rock the house!", she said, taking Elise's hand who bit her lips and nodded determined.
"As for myself I will take this way after we entered the building – it's longer but less good observed. After meeting up with Miah we will make sure that you two and Mama can escape with close to zero opponents in your way." Then Rayana's features twitched before she continued after clearing her throat: "... after all we have no clue in which state she will be once you find her ..."
The short but distressing silence was disrupted by a ring of Rayana's phone – and immediately the tension in this room got this bad that nobody dared to breath. With trembling hands she answered the call, absent minded swirling a coloured strand of hair around her finger.
However just a second later she exhaled, causing the rest of the group to relax again: "Are you sure? ... but they don't suspect you, do they? ... Alright, thanks a lot. Get back here as soon as you can afterwards – yes, sure. Take care of yourself." For a moment she closed her eyes, before looking back at everyone else.
"Yuuna?", was Elise's only exclaim, watching her breathless until the blonde did as her counterpart when Rayana nodded: "Yes – they finally got the commitment for Mitternacht's headquarters in the north of the city. Which means that tonight in three days most of those bastards will leave the area – our crucial benefit." Then the corners of her mouth twitched: "Honey and you shall kick some asses for her."
"That's my profession!", Elise replied and grinned with bared teeth: "So, girls, let's get Mama out of there!"
It was so dark that even as soon as her eyes got used to it, she couldn't see anything. Definitely no usual obscurity. That much was clear to her in the meanwhile. Careful she got up little and took quite some effort to shove her long tied legs to the other side. A joyless smirk tugged on the corners of her mouth. Being tall was a blessing, they said. Long legs were to make her successful, they said.
Fools, each and everyone of them.
A groan slipped her lips when she tried to sink down to the ground again as cautious as possible; her whole back, buttocks and thighs were in pain, every little movement an enormous strain. The bleak, chilly ground beneath her legs and the rough wall in her back she barely recognised anymore. More important was it to prevent her limbs from getting numb. Whenever she could Lin carefully changed her position. If the girls suddenly stood in front of this door, she had to be able to walk at least. To run, for the best.
If they came ... would they? After more than two days inside this room resisting had turned into a tremendous struggle. Right in this moment the sting of headache reminded her again that the Devil Libre she had have together with Yuuna was her last beverage up to now.
Abuse. Humiliation. Neglect. Apart from the brutal questioning nobody spoke to her but after all they've put her through so far they were almost meticulously careful not to cause any permament physical damage.
It wasn't about breaking her body but her mind.
And if she was right, they would force-feed her soon. Just enough to stay alive but too less to take flight on her own. The beating up right after the first attempt had made Lin spare her strengths. And the salty taste of blood still lingered on her tongue.
The sudden creak when they opened the door yanked her off from the nap she had taken. Dizzy Lin barely managed to lift up her head and squeezed her eyes; the cold light hurt and with a gasp she turned to the side.
"Slept well, bitch?" The noise resounding in her ears right afterwards was this penetrating that Lin groaned in a hiss and grit her teeth. At least in the very first moment; little by little she got used to it and even remembered it origin. It was the heater that powered the room – and even the ground as Lin found out in the process of this newly displeasing visit: "Come on, now – you know what we want. A few names aren't too much to ask, are they?"
"Names, locations, contacts – like the dirty little police slut you've been drinking with the other day ... apropos drinking." Now the bastard took out a bottle how it seemed while the ground beneath her legs and feet got warmer and warmer. Intuitionally Lin tensed and tried to focus. Meditation had been helpful in a lot of situations and would help her to suppress the painful impulse.
For a while at least.
"You must be thirsty, whore. Let me serve you a sip – returning the favor from all those nights you served me back then. Remember?" As she didn't answer, a hand grabbed her hair and roughly pulled back her head: "Remember me, whore?"
Lin's first impulse was to spat him in the face but her mouth was utterly dry. Through narrowed eyes she barely recognised the face of her counterpart.
"... just another ... son ..." It was hard to form syllables and words as the ground underneath her bare legs began to burn. Tensing Lin bared her teeth as the dude let go of her hair and wrapped his fingers around her neck, ckoking her: "I can't hear you, bitch."
Laughters filled the room while Lin slowly felt her consciousness drifting away; just before she actually passed out he freed her and her body acted on its own accord, her lungs screaming for air. Coughing she took a long moment to calm down again, forgetting even the hot undersurface.
But it didn't take too long anymore before it became unbearable. Wriggling and gasping she gave her best to suppress any whimpers, much to the amusement of her tormentor until Lin couldn't hold back anymore.
"Ahhh, what a lovely song – gonna make you sing for me again tomorrow!" Once more Lin was shortly before losing consciousness as her ears got the dark dangling of her bonds. She barely realised how she was pulled onto her feet and thrown onto something which could have felt paradisiac if Lin didn't know that she was in her own literal hell. Today it were at least three men which enjoyed her body, she got it by the different tunes of voices when they came.
Back on the now cooled down ground in her bonds she was left behind in utter silence and darkness. Tomorrow, how they said, there would be a feast awaiting her. And they were probably right; every bite of dry bread or a sip of vapid water would be a blessing.
At once, the questionings would get even more nasty; after realising she wouldn't talk there was only one thing left to do: reminding her where she had been coming from once, what she had been doing, what they had been doing.
And who knew for how long they would enjoy this game.