Maitho watched Bevan look at the monitors and squint at one section that showed the lobby of the building. The black and white video showed a woman with long curls saunter towards the front doors. She paused before the doors and called someone on her smartphone. A quick conversation later, she disconnected the call and tapped something on the phone's small screen with her thumb.
A few seconds later, Bevan's phone began trilling in his pocket, a melodious bell-like tune reverberating in the room. The Scottish godlike answered his phone, throwing an apprehensive look at Maitho.
On the monitor, Maitho could could see Brigid speaking into her phone. When she stopped speaking, Bevan respond. "He's still here."
More movement of Brigid's mouth, with Bevan nodding repeatedly, as though he was afraid that the woman on the other end of the phone could somehow see him. When she was done, he spoke again. "Don't worry about me. I don't think anyone in their right mind would challenge a shotgun."
The call was disconnected shortly after and Bevan moved to the doorway. "Now is the perfect opportunity. We have enough time to get you out of here. But we have to watch out for the cameras. They might-"
"-be recording. I know." Maitho completed the other man's sentence, joining him at the doorway. Bevan looked impressed.
"Do you know the best route to take?"
"Down the stairway and out the alley. Look Bevan-"
The red-haired godlike raised his hand. "Speak no more, my friend. I brought you into this mess. And I will make sure you get out of it." He looked at Maitho as though he suddenly realized something. Without a word, he walked up the weapon's compartment and picked up a handgun. Returning to Maitho, he pushed the weapon into the other man's chest. "For emergencies," he said, providing an encouraging smile that betrayed the guilt in his eyes. "Once you get out of here, we don't know who is going to be looking for you."
"By my prediction, it would be the same people looking for you and your teammates." Maitho accepted the offering, realizing that if he was indeed going to escape, then he might as well be armed.
Bevan nodded. "That's true." A moment of silence succeeded his words, the Scottish godlike looking like there was more he wanted to convey. His expression molded from dolefulness to thoughtfulness, before finally settling for a cheerless smile after a soft sigh. "I can't come with you. I have been ordered to keep watch so I can warn the others of any surprises."
Maitho gripped the other man's shoulders. "Put me back on that room. We'll figure out another way."
The Scottish godlike gently removed the hands placed on his shoulders, still plastering a somber smile on his face. "You don't understand what's happening Maitho. This is not your fight."
Despite everything that happened, Maitho filed the words of the godlike in his mind. Perhaps it was his curiosity or perhaps he had, for good reasons, become genuinely accustomed to someone else's company for the first time in a few years.
"I have to get back and keep watch for my friends," said Bevan, his eyes practically pleading to be understood. "Get out of here while you still can. Please."
As if on cue, his phone began ringing again, cutting off any further communication the men could have expressed. The last member of the Scottish team answered the call, his expression attempting to convince Maitho to accept the path to freedom.
With a final look that conveyed his intentions, Bevan disappeared into the room with monitors, speaking "I'm right here Brigid" into his phone.
Maitho looked at the doorway to the room, as though it could give him words of wisdom on the right course of action to take. When no answers were forthcoming, and his mind already a jumbled mixture of memories, ideas, and suppositions, Maitho decided to heed the advice he was just given. He tucked the handgun at the back of his jeans. Pulling his shirt to conceal his weapon, he walked towards the entrance to the apartment. He pushed away any suggestions that contradicted his eagerness to leave, only keeping his attention on the task at hand – to get as far away from any living soul.
He practically sprinted towards the door, yanking it open at the last minute. Closing the door behind him, he hurried to the stairway. As he descended the stairs, his pace making him practically leap towards the next landing, he tried to piece together his next course of action. He still had time to stop and turn around. Perhaps with other people, he might be able to find a solution to his problem better. Then again, he wasn't exactly received with open arms. The situation that was currently unfolding at that moment with the arrival of Raiden wasn't of his doing.
The more he allowed himself to justify actions, the more he realized he was only convincing himself of what is right. His confirmation bias was on overdrive, conjuring reasons to support his beliefs and rejecting ideas that contradicted them.
But what of it? Didn't he truly just want to leave?
Was there anything wrong with claiming freedom?
His heart thumped in his chest, and it was not just because of his physical exertion, but because of his growing mental unease. His captors were aggressive, yet deep down, he understood their motivations. They were not violent, but forced into violence from the tragic events in their lives. The addition of a strange phenomenon in the form of Jonathan Cray served as an extra weight on the burden they already carried.
When Maitho finally reached the bottom landing, his still hadn't decided what he would do. He stopped running, his cautious instincts kicking in. In front of him, narrow windows on double doors revealed a brightly lit hallway beyond. He approached them slowly, peeking through the windows into one end of the corridor, as far as his eye could take him. Then he shifted his position and looked through the other window. With the limited view that he had, he did not notice any signs of life. But he still didn't know where each side of the hallway led to.
He slowly pushed open one door and stepped outside. In front of him was another double door, an ichor-red EXIT ceiling sign above it. When he turned around, he noticed the corridor connect to the building lobby.
He saw Brigid pacing left and right near the front doors, animatedly talking into the phone. The expression on her face and her arm movements indicated deep frustration.
Perhaps she had found out about me, thought Maitho. For a brief moment, he considered walking up to her and perhaps even offering some form of assistance. That moment passed as quickly as it had made its appearance.
He quietly directed himself towards the exit. The doors could be locked, for all intents and purposes. When he pressed down on the push bar handle, the door opened without so much as a squeak.
Maitho exited the building and entered the alleyway. He checked both ends of the narrow path he found himself in and noticed that both ends of the alley connected to a road. Now it was just a matter of avoiding the road where he would find Raiden.
He would have taken a few seconds to reach into his memory for actions. But those few seconds were robbed away by a figure walking in his direction.
She looked like a casual stroller. Her black and white striped shirt and beige cargo pants, her white canvas, her bright auburn hair tied back into a braided ponytail, and her lackadaisical walk gave her a non-aggressive demeanor. Yet something about the way she was examining her surroundings broke her illusion of modest behavior.
She must have sensed someone was looking at her. By the time her eyes had settled on Maitho, he was walking towards her, gazing intently above her shoulder, as though he was interested in something in the distance.
The woman turned around unconsciously, trying to discover the source of Maitho's curiosity. She must heard the hurried tap-tap-tap of footsteps, since she quickly swiveled around. Her hands reached into the side pockets of her pants, pulling out a snub-nosed revolver. The trajectory of her arm would lead her weapon to point in Maitho's direction.
She never got to bring up her weapon to its intended position. Her hand was grabbed and twisted slightly, her fingers splaying automatically to avoid damage. The gun slipped, making a hasty descent, as though it was eager to meet the ground. Before it could accomplish it's mission, it was suddenly kicked away, flying away from the duo who were about to enter a violent dance.
The woman gave a snarl of pain, and quickly followed her reaction by loudly – without shouting – saying the word "Stop!"
Maitho felt his whole body become jelly. It was as though he did not have any arms or legs or other parts. The sensation was disquieting, as though his body had ceased to exist. He fell forward, his knees hitting the asphalt surface with enough force to send a jolt of pain running up his thigh. His upper body, already off-balance, was tipping forward, reading to welcome the ground in a collision of pain.
While he was falling forward, he felt a jab of pain below his left chest. His mind realized that he had been kicked hard seconds before the side of his face slammed into the ground.
Pain flooded one side of his face, ripping through his cheeks and ears. He could not move his eyes and found himself staring at a pair of white shoes. One shoe disappeared from his vision. Maitho realized that the woman had lifted her leg. It could only mean one thing.
He felt the shoe slam in the exposed side of his face. The feeling he experienced was like placing his face between two surfaces and bringing them together in a strong force.
Fortunately, pain wasn't the only sensation going through Maitho. He regained control of his body. When he could feel his arms move, he reacted instinctively. His hand closed into a fist and shot out. There wasn't much energy behind the punch, but he wanted to do some form of damage to distract the woman.
His fist impacted the woman's ankle. She gave a yelp of pain, her leg shooting out from under her. As she was falling, she managed to snarl "stop" before her body impacted the ground.
Once again, Maitho lost control of his body. His mind rebelled in frustration, but it had no effect. He lay there, immobile, while the woman beside him was already lifting herself up.
If he was going to receive another face stomp, then it might cause permanent damage, maybe even the loss of his eyesight, if the leg met his vital organ of sight. His mind, filled with panic, refused to acknowledge rational thought. It took considerable will for him to focus on his surroundings. When he did, he noticed something odd.
The woman was clutching her head. She blinked her eyes a few times, turning her attention to the man sprawled on his back near her.
She had hit her head, thought Maitho. That's one point for me, but it still does not provide me with any advantage.
She opened her mouth and spoke for the third time.
All she could manage was a "Staaph."
Her inability to pronounce the word correctly would be the cause of her loss. Maitho felt his body's sensations returning. With all his might, he pushed himself off the ground, literally leaping towards the woman, his hand clenched into a fist. He saw her about to speak her paralysis inflicting word again.
"Stop."
Maitho lost sensation to his body.
Which did not stop his body from moving. Since he had already propelled himself towards the woman, his body continued to move, without his control. A second after the woman had spoken the word, his fist connected with her solar plexus.
He heard a loud cough above him, as though the woman was expelling all the air from her body.
When Maitho fell to the ground, he saw the woman double over beside him while clutching her midsection. Her teeth were clenched in a grimace.
"Sta-" She couldn't complete the word as a series of coughs wracked her body.
"Staff. Staav. Staaf."
Maitho did not know if she would have succeeded in getting the word right on her fourth consecutive try. He could control his body again. The woman, on the other hand, discovered what happens when feet meets face as Maitho's shoe connected with her lips.
Her head snapped back, as though someone had pulled her hair from behind. When her back hit the ground, she immediately covered her mouth.
The opportunity was ripe for another attack. A huge blow to the head or the throat could immobilize the woman. It would definitely prevent her from using her power.
Maitho instead chose to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. He wasn't going to inflict more damage than necessary and he hoped his decision was a sound one. The handgun tucked in his jeans was still secure, and he was thankful for the fact that his shirt hadn't lifted itself high enough to reveal his weapon.
He headed for the mouth of the alleyway closest to him. His knees ached with each step that he took, but he pushed himself forward. Before he could round the corner, he stopped.
A man's voice spoke out, both mellifluous and confident. "It's been a long time Brigid."
Without thinking, Maitho had headed for the exit that led to Raiden, who now looked like he was addressing Brigid. Which could only mean one thing.
The woman had stepped out of the building.
"What do you want Raiden?" A woman's voice. More specifically, the voice of the leader of the Scottish team.
"Tell me Brigid. Do you know what happens when the body is hit with a current of 10 milliamps?"
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