~Escape~1217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbJQMPa3nf
1217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgMDEiBj4G
"Please, let me out! I don't wanna die! Please! Please!" The man's cries became more desperate as he was dragged closer to his cell. The prison escorts on either side of him were stone faced and silent as they gripped him by the arms. They wore thick fur coats and gloves while the man wore only his prison uniform. The man tried to kick his way out of their grasp but he was too weak and starved to put up much of a fight. "Please." He sobbed violently, finally going limp as they reached his cell. Wrists and ankles were chained to the wall and the two guards left after locking the cell.
Summer watched the scene with disinterest. She had stopped caring who was in the same prison with her a long time ago. Before, it had been a sort of game to try to figure out who the fellow prisoners had been before being sent here. Now, it held no amusement to her. Besides, the man was so weak-willed, judging by his weak protests, it wouldn't have mattered who he was. She closed her eyes again as the man seemed to quiet down.
She wrapped her arms tighter around herself in an effort to retain some body heat. Even though she knew from the thousands of times she had performed the same action before that it would make no difference whatsoever, she just couldn't help it. The cold was uncomfortable but familiar, though the wind was the worst part. It seeped into your core and stayed there.
'At least it's not wet and freezing.'
The freezing hell of Impel Down had become a sort of home for Summer. Strange as it may seem, part of her was happy she wasn't out in the world. Being out there meant there was a possibility of being captured by Him. That risk was enough to keep her here. At the same time, she wanted him to pay for everything he had put her through. Shaking her head, she mentally kicked herself.
'You aren't strong enough. Not yet at least…'
One day, she would be out of here. The opportunity just had arisen yet.
"Hey, did you hear? Boa Hancock is visiting the prison! She's here right now!" Two prison guards were conversing as they passed by her cell. The other man looked surprised.
"What could she possibly want here? Someone of her beauty shouldn't be around a prison full of scum."
"No idea, but they say that she is going to see Fire Fist Ace before he..." The guards were now too far away to be heard. The conversation had definitely piqued her interest.
'What would a Shichibukai be doing here?'
Far off somewhere, Summer could hear the elevator that went to the sixth level slowly making its way down to the lowest floor. It was faint, but she could just pick it out of the loud wind.
'They're coming down to get Ace for the execution.'
She wasn't sure how she knew that. There was no way to tell time down in this prison, so she had no way of knowing if today was even the execution day. Part of her just knew.
After the elevator had long past left the Freezing Hell level, Summer still listened for the return ride going up.
Summer didn't personally know Fire Fist, nor did she necessarily like him, but she respected that he was a powerful individual and the values he believed were important to uphold. The story of his quest to avenge his comrade's death was a well-known one. To go to such lengths just to kill a friend's murderer is truly something to be commended for.
If she remembered correctly, he also had a brother. Luffy was his name. The boy was said to have achieved great things for being a rookie pirate. She didn't have the strength to think of all of the feats he had performed, but the list was lengthy. Summer smirked.
'Quite the eccentric, isn't he? I'm sure he'll make things interesting for you, World Government.'
The elevator returned into her field of hearing. She opened her eyes, despite the impossibility of seeing the elevator itself. It was built into the walls of the prison, far away from her reach. The slow ascent must feel even slower to the occupant inside. She silently sent her condolences out to Fire Fist, knowing he would never hear them.
Somewhere, a large commotion was taking place. Crashes and explosions could be faintly heard from the levels above. The earth seemed to shake, and the vibrations from whatever was happening shook Summer awake. She lazily opened one eye, not fully conscious yet, to search for the source of the noise. Once it became apparent it wasn't nearby, she opened the other one. Another crash caused her to look up. All she saw was the stone ceiling.
"Hey! What's going on? What's happening?" A prisoner in the cell across from hers asked the prison guards. The guard was stressed and upset as he spoke quietly into a snail phone. He spun to face the prisoner.
"Shut up! This doesn't concern you!" He turned away and ran towards the entrance of the prison level. Something in Summer began to stir. It was a feeling that she hadn't experienced in a very long time and for a moment it left her confused. She searched for a word to describe it.
'Anticipation.' Summer smiled.
'This is your opportunity.'
The noises continued for a long time. Prison guards from her level rushed to the ones above or took up defensive positions around the entrance. Many began shouting into snail phones, and she listened to their communications.
"The intruder has reached Wild Beast Hell and is progressing to Starvation Hell! Stop his advance!" The guards gave each other worried looks and nervously checked over their weapons. Several minutes of frantic updates came from the snail phones. "There are two other prisoners with him!"
"The entire second floor is in chaos!" Several guards from this level left, presumably to help with the upper floors.
"Massive prison escape in progress!" More guards left their position.
"We can't contain Level 4!"
"Where is Magellan? We can't reach him!"
Summer was now smirking as she listened to the close conflict on the level above her. It was obvious the prison had no grasp of how to handle the situation. A single intruder had managed to make his way down to level four of the supposed 'impenetrable prison.'
'Who would be crazy enough to try?'
"Don't let them through!" The guards in front of her cell shout, before all of them begin shooting at something in the direction of the entrance. A man with odd face makeup came into Summer's line of sight. With only a few kicks, the guards lay unconscious on the ground around him. His fighting style closely resembled the dance of ballet, which Summer found very odd. The surprised guards didn't stand a chance against the prisoner as he finished off the last few men.
He paused for a moment to catch his breath, but Summer could see he was in a hurry. He eventually noticed her presence, coming closer to the cell.
"The Newkama Land is rumored to be somewhere on this level. Do you know where it is? It's urgent! A boy's life is on the line!" He said. His fingers gripped tightly around the frozen bars. "Please, if you know, tell me! My friend is in danger!"
Summer had heard the rumors. The infamous Level 5.5, supposedly ruled by the Okama Queen Iva, spoken about only in whispers. The prisoners who were supposedly 'demoned away.' The guards acted as if nothing was going on, but she knew they were aware of the strange occurences. The fact was, there was nothing they could do about it unless they found the entrance, which was next to impossible. She had wondered about it herself for a time, but dismissed it as a means of escape fairly quickly.
Summer nodded her head in response. The man leaned forward in expectation. She looked to the right of her cell and nodded her head in the direction the prisoners had been 'demoned away' from. "Forest…" Speaking was difficult, but she was strong enough to tell him that much. She wanted to tell him the truth, that actually finding the Newkama Land was just about impossible, but she didn't have the strength nor the heart to do so. The man's face broke out into a relieved smile.
"Thank you." The man rushed to go but suddenly he stopped. He turned and looked at her a moment. His face turned thoughtful, as if debating something over. He reached some sort of conclusion because he leaned down over one of the guards and grabbed the ring of keys. Tossing them inside near her feet, he gave her one last nod before running off towards the forest.
'Finally.'
Summer quickly moved and snatched up the keys, inserting them into the chains. Her wrists came first; the metal restraints fell loudly onto the ground at her side. The ankles were a bit more difficult. The simple act of leaning over was difficult after maintaining the same position for so long.
Slowly, flexing each muscle so as not to strain herself, she stood. It felt stiff, all the joints in her body protesting. She didn't mind the pain. It was a welcome change to being numb all the time. Her first steps were jerky and hard. Eventually, she made her way to the cold metal door of her cell. Her fingers clutched onto the keys with a death grip, as if she expected someone to take them away from her. The guards were all unconscious so as far as she knew, she was safe.
It took several tries before the door swung open with a loud shriek. The noise caught the attention of several prisoners nearby.
"Hey! Let me outta here too!" A cry of agreement rose up from the others. They pounded on the bars, creating a deafening noise, demanding Summer release them from captivity.
"I wanna go home!"
"I'll give you half of my treasure when I get outta here! Just let me out!"
"Give us the keys!"
The men's demands only annoyed her. Glancing around, she noticed many of them were well-known wanted criminals. This was level 5 after all. Odds were, once they were back out in the world they would continue to commit the crimes they were in here for. None of them looked too friendly, and damn her if she actually believed any of their promises. Without a word, Summer relocked her cell door and threw the keys inside near the back wall. It grew deathly silent before angry shouts erupted.
"You bitch!" Hands reached out through the bars in an attempt to grab her, but they were too far away to do anything. "Who the hell do you think you are, huh?"
'A monster. A freak. Hell itself. Take your pick.'
Summer smirked. If she had the ability to retort back that she was, in fact, a very dangerous person, she would have. Unfortunately, she knew her voice wouldn't be working properly for some time.
She looked at her situation thoroughly in her head, tuning out the other prisoners. She was out of her cell, it was difficult to move but after walking around a bit that should clear up. It was freezing and she didn't have the proper clothing to last very long outside. The cell walls had protected her from the worst of the strong wind that blew throughout the level. Now that she was in the open, she had no protection.
The prison was in chaos. She'd have to have the luck of the gods to successfully make it out by going through the path the intruder took down. No doubt, the place was crawling with guards on alert for any escaped prisoners. Her striped uniform made it impossible to try to sneak anywhere.
Her gaze fell upon the guards on the ground and she got an idea. She then recognized the consequences of carrying it out. It was a humiliating thought. Knowing she had no other option, she stripped down to her undergarments. Ignoring the catcalls of the other prisoners, who most likely hadn't seen a woman in years, she put on the guard's uniform. Her face was red as she fixed the outfit. Luckily, the clothes fit relatively well. The shirt was a little tight in the bust area, but there was no helping that. The unfortunate guard was left on the ground in his polka dot boxers and socks.
After adjusting the hat and picking up the guard's weapon, she reassessed her plan. Now she could blend in with any threat and access better means of escape. Which still left the most important question.
'How do I get out of Impel Down?
The answer came to her quickly.
'The elevator.'
Making her way towards the wall, Summer tried her best to walk normally. Each step was painful. She felt unbalanced and unsteady. Inwardly, she cursed the state she was in and vowed to get back in shape when this was all over.
The walk to the elevator was quite long. Longer than she had expected. Luckily for her, there appeared to be no other guards on this level so the walk there was uneventful. The door to the lift was large and made of stone. It was darkened and imposing, glaring down at her. Next to it on the wall was a number panel. She sighed.
'Damn it, I need the code.'
There were no guards nearby to force to open the door. Even then, she didn't want to risk anyone knowing there was a disguised prisoner on the loose.
She examined the panel closely. Some numbers were slightly worn away, their buttons tarnished. From this, she knew the code was made up of the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. She deadpanned as she realized.
'You have got to be kidding me. It couldn't actually be…'
She punched 1-2-3-4 into the panel and a green light appeared. In the distance, she could hear the gears of the elevator beginning to turn. Summer facepalmed.
'What idiot makes an elevator code in Impel Down 1-2-3-4? Most secure prison in the world my ass.'
The doors opened a few moments later. Inside were several guards equipped with guns of all kinds. They wore expressions of shock.
"We were told all the guards on this floor had been taken down." One said. Summer didn't have to fake stumbling forward thanks to her weak state. Dramatically, she doubled over coughing. Weakly reaching forward, she gripped the side of the elevator.
"Have to…give…report…Main Floor." She breathed out. At her words, the nearest of the four guards rushed over to help her inside. His strong arms supported her small frame as she was guided in.
"Are you alright?" She nodded her head. They all looked worried. A woman in the car came over and checked her over for wounds. Summer assumed she was a medic of some kind judging by her calculating gaze.
"You don't have many wounds at all. How did you manage to escape?" She asked. Summer looked away, quickly thinking up a lie.
"I…hid. I'm a…coward." She broke into another fit of coughing to keep up the act. "But now…I have to redeem…myself. I'll give my report." The woman shook her head slowly.
"With that cough you'll most likely come down with a sickness. You're in no shape to give that report. Let me take you to the infirmary and I can give it for you."
Summer thought quickly. If she was taken to the infirmary, there was a great chance of being found out. They wouldn't let her out of their sight either. She shook her head vigorously as she took a shot in the dark.
"You all…probably have your own orders…to do. I have to do…my duty and…give this report. You do yours. For…the sake of the people." She didn't mean a word she said but she forced herself to sound determined.
To her relief, it worked. The others seemed to be emboldened by her little speech and wore determined looks of their own. The nurse smiled slightly.
"If you're absolutely sure. But I expect to see you right afterwards in my office." She pushed the button for the main floor and the doors closed. The rest of the ride was mostly silent except for Summer's random bouts of coughing and the sound of chaos outside on the other levels.
She half expected there to be cheesy elevator music while they rode. At this point, nothing would surprise her more than that ridiculous code they used for the elevators.
A loud Ding! signaled that the lift had reached the floor. The door opened to reveal an empty hallway. No one was up here, which was no surprise. All able guards were sent to take care of the intruder. Summer moved to step out of the elevator but a strong hand pressed down on her shoulder, keeping her in place. She froze.
"Hold on there." She didn't move a muscle, expecting his next words to be something along the lines of 'You're not really a guard.' She slowly turned to face him. Despite her internal panic, her outward appearance was calm and collected. His face matched hers in seriousness. Summer dry swallowed, mentally preparing herself for a fight she knew she wasn't ready for. Four guards against a weakened prison inmate had an obvious outcome.
"I have to thank you for reminding me what it means to be wearing this uniform. I guess I had forgotten how important our duty actually is." He pointed towards her. "You are the true embodiment of a marine, Miss…" He waited for her to give her name. Fortunately, she had experience in giving fake names and created one off the top of her head.
"Rose. Rose Priest. And thank you, sir." He nodded, sticking out his hand for her to shake. She reached forward and took it. He had a firm grip.
"Good luck to you then. Now, we'll be off." He stepped back into the elevator and the door closed after them. Summer breathed out in a sigh of relief and turned her attention to the main floor.
Seeing any place that wasn't the snowy mayhem of Level 5 came as a sort of new-found discovery. She could barely remember the day they brought her through the exact doors she stood in front of now. The most prominent memory was the 'baptism.' She passed that room and quickly moved on, wanting to be away from such a place. The feel of the scalding water was too long ago to remember, but she remembered the pain. She could also recall being angry. Angry at herself and at the world.
That anger had slowly subsided and now she walked through the doors with indifference. The sun blinded her and she stopped walking, holding up a hand to shield her eyes.
'The sun…'
She couldn't remember the last time she had stood in the sun. She didn't think it could ever have felt as wonderful as it did now. The faint warmth it gave off was heavenly bliss. Her still-frozen body couldn't feel anything but the higher temperature didn't give her pain like the cold had. It was gentle.
Finally breaking out of her thoughts, she looked ahead to see a ship docked at the main bridge. No one was out here, not a single person.
'Of all the places to guard, you would think the means of escape would be the first choice…'
Her feet brought her all the way to the deck of the ship. Her plan was to stowaway on one of the ships and sneak off at their next stop. So far, so good.
She silently searched through the lower deck. There was the kitchen pantry she could hide in, but she didn't want to risk hiding in a high-traffic area. She seriously thought about the engine room for a time but came to the conclusion that mechanics would be working there constantly, thus limiting her chances of escaping unnoticed.
Finally, she came across an old storage room near the back of the ship. Inside were cleaning supplies and extra blankets. No ammunition or weapons, thankfully. If she was right about Fire Fist Ace's execution, Whitebeard would definitely be making an appearance and the marines would be looking everywhere for every gun they had available to them.
She knew it would be some time before the prison would calm down and anyone came back to the ships. Closing the door and locking it behind her, she walked further inside. Taking several blankets, she made a makeshift bed on the floor behind a bunch of boxes. There was nothing to use as a pillow, but Summer didn't mind much.
Exhausted from her so-far-successful escape, Summer instantly drifted off to the first good night's sleep she had experienced in over a year.
ns 15.158.61.39da2
