𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 ✔

𝟓𝟕. 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

"The dungeon?" Cara repeated.

"Yes. It's located in the lowest level in this underground complex. They keep all of their prisoners there, usually for experiment, interrogation, torture, or all," Sugu explained.

She shuddered. "Do you think my friend has a chance of being alive?"

"If your friend is not already dead by now, they must have found out they're close with you. I told you, Mamba wants you. And he needs you alive, which is why he's using your friend...as bait."

"That means they'll be ready for us if we try and make a rescue," said Aiden. "We're walking into a trap."

"Yes, but at least we know it's a trap," Cara pointed out. "That way we can at least have some kind of advantage."

"What are these men like?" Aiden asked.

"Vicious, aggressive, and very skilled at what they do," Sugu replied. "Which means killing. That's what they do. Well, there is the occasional torturer...and of course the technicians. But you know what I mean." He turned a corner as the tunnel dragged on.

"Wow, that's very, very, helpful for us," Cara drawled sarcastically.

"...But, they don't really have intellect or a brain of their own. They carry out orders from the upperhands, they rarely know what to do if plans don't work. Very few of them have a special skill other than shooting a gun or slitting a throat."

"So killers with no intellectual thoughts. Nice to know."

"That's your advantage," he pointed out. "I'm assuming you guys have brains?"

"Of course we have brains," Aiden piped up, looking rather offended.

"Good. Come on, we're almost there."

They continued walking, twisting and turning for what seemed like an endless maze until finally, Sugu stopped walking.

"Is this it?" Cara asked. It didn't look like there was anything there, it sure seemed like the middle of nowhere - if this overly complex murdering underground station counted as "nowhere".

"Follow me," Sugu said before dropping to the ground and feeling around on the muddy surface.

The two younger people looked at him, slightly confused, before he found whatever he was feeling for. A thin line appeared on the ground, and soon, a trapdoor was pushed open.

"More trapdoors?" Aiden snorted.

Sugu nodded before disappearing through the trapdoor. Aiden and Cara followed, stepping down in the hole cautiously.

What they landed on was nothing different from the surroundings they were just in. A muddy ground and muddy walls. The room was small and cramped, and it looked nothing like a dungeon. There was an opening on the right wall, and faint sounds were heard from what was in the next room.

"This is the waiting room for the dungeon in the next room," Sugu explained, his voice dropped to a soft whisper. "That's where your friend will be. Do you have a plan?"

"No," Cara answered truthfully.

The former's jaw dropped. "You mean to tell me you went all the way over here without a plan?"

"We will have a plan in like two seconds, just let me think," she said irritably before jumping back up the trapdoor and motioning for Aiden to join her.

"When we go in there, Mamba's men will attack us, fully armed," said Aiden, ruffling his hair. "I think it's better for us to do something unusual, something they wouldn't expect from us."

Cara nodded. "That way, we can catch the men off guard and they'll have to figure out a Plan B, something Sugu mentioned they're not very good at."

"How are we going to get Taelyn out?" he mused, deep in thought. "We don't have the key to her cell and we need to make sure she's not hurt."

"Since we need to keep the prisoners safe, it's best not to start a firefight. So approaching them head-on and shooting isn't an option because only one of us can shoot, and we might hurt the prisoners," Cara pointed out. "So maybe we do something to lure the guards out?"

"Sugu can help with that," Aiden nodded. "Maybe he can distract the guards, say there's an emergency meeting and they need to report? And then we can rescue Taelyn when all of the men are gone."

"Plan?"

"Plan," he nodded.

"Let's go," she grinned before disappearing through the trapdoor, Aiden soon following.

"Sugu, we have a plan but we're gonna need your help," she said. "You're going to need to figure out a way to convince the guards here that there's some kind of emergency meeting at the main meeting room, and they have to go there at once. That way, you can buy us time to free our friend without a commotion. Got it?"

"That's going to be hard considering I don't work here anymore, but I'll think of something," replied Sugu, nodding.

"We're going to stay hidden when you make the announcement," Aiden nodded back before leading Cara out of the trapdoor and through the tunnel to a more secluded area that seemed to be a fake dead end.

Noticing this, Cara mumbled, "these criminals sure have their tricks figured out.."

"Let's hope that Sugu is doing whatever he's doing correctly."