"Finally, we found it!"
Tom shouted in relief after seeing the ventilation system they were looking for. It was a small, circular opening in the wall, not much larger than a person could crawl through. An iron gate stood in front of them, designed to prevent unauthorized access.
Lowering himself down to its level, he carefully removed the gate with nothing but his bare hands, surprisingly weightless and easy to finger open. "Ready?" He asked, looking behind his shoulder with anticipation.
Kneeling down with Tom, Sunny nodded quietly, his eyes darting around cautiously, making sure no one was coming their way as the stale smell of metal permeated through the atmosphere and the blaring alarm reverberating throughout the entire building. "Let's go," he answered, showing firm determination in his face.
Crawling inside the narrow shaft, the two young men felt the cold and metallic surface against their skin when the duo advanced forward with the utmost caution.
They could hear the footsteps and shouts of the angeloids echoing outside of this cramped tunnel, making them feel anxious and vulnerable.
The sound of their own breathing is amplified by the tight space, making it rather difficult to breathe properly due to the feeling of claustrophobia entering their field of consciousness.
The vent was a maze of twisting tunnels, interconnected chambers, and hidden passageways, a labyrinth designed to transport air of warm or cool temperature to the many floors of the Central Tower.
However, the worst part of all of this isn't the claustrophobia or the air being filled with dust and dirt, but the fact that Sunny is forced to crawl behind his friend, where he can smell the guy's fart penetrating his nostrils, causing him to wrinkle his nose in disgust and horror at what he has gotten himself into.
Sunny wanted to cry, to scream, and to fight against the walls of the ventilation system that was holding them captive. But he knew that now was not the time for such things, so he gritted his teeth and pushed through the discomfort, while Tom continued to lead the way.
But he can't help himself of asking what kind of food his friend has been eating to release that monstrous smell. "Hey Tom?" He politely asked, not wanting to sound rude with this question he was about to ask.
"What is it, Sunny?" Tom replied, his voice slightly muffled by the vent, "Are you alright back there?" He asked, concerned for his friend's well-being.
Gulping all the nervousness in his voice, he asked, "What did you eat before we left?" He couldn't hold back the question any longer. "It smells...bad back here," he confessed, trying to be as polite as possible, even if it wasn't the best time to bring this up.
Stopping immediately, he then fixed his gaze backwards, letting out a small awkward chuckle. "Sorry man, I had some spicy tuna sushi for lunch," he admitted, embarrassingly. "I also had a taco with flaming hot sauce," he smiled, clearly regretting his decision to indulge in spicy foods. "And I think I had some jalapeno poppers too," he added, knowing how much his friend will hate him for this.
"Oh, great," Sunny muttered under his breath, his face scrunched in distaste. "Thanks a lot." He couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration, wondering how much longer they would be trapped inside this metal tube. "You really like spicy food, don't you, Tom?" Sarcasm dripped from his words.
Laughing it off, Tom shook his head. "Well, I guess I'll stick to ice cream next time," he said, deciding to change his dietary preferences for the sake of his friend's comfort.
"Say, once you reach the surface world, could you, uh, find some long-lost ingredients and send them to my restaurant?" The final request was almost whispered, clearly not wanting to interrupt their current mission.
With a roll of his eyes, Sunny grumbled in response, "Sure, after we save the day and make it back to the surface, I'll be sure to find you the perfect recipe for your place," he sarcastically replied once more before sighing finally, "Just keep going; we can't lose our time in here," he urged, "the angeloids might catch up with us."
Tom nodded in agreement, his face grimaced in discomfort as he led the way forward, making sure to avoid any sudden movements that may knock his friend in the thing's first, getting to your escape pod," he muttered, pushing onward through the darkness.
The two young men continued on, crawling deeper into the bowels of the Central Tower until they reached the bottom of the building, their fingertips brushing against the cold steel walls as they slithered their way towards freedom.
Their hearts pounding in their chests, their lungs gasping for air, and their bodies aching from the strain of the journey, the pair were determined to reach the surface at any cost. Especially when Sunny had always dreamed of exploring outside his imprisoned cell.
And so they persisted, following the maze-like tunnels until they heard the voices of several androids speaking forcefully among themselves. One of them is someone he is very familiar with. "Mei?" He whispered under his breath in surprise, stopping himself in his tracks as he did not expect Lei's sister to find herself in this situation.
Tom, who was a few meters ahead, stopped as well, turning back to look at his friend with a quizzical expression. "What are you doing?!" Whispering loudly, not understanding Sunny's hesitation about stopping mid-flow in the ventilation system.
"Lei's sister, Mei," he repeated softly, clearly in disbelief of what he realized, "she's down here." Sunny's expression filled with uncertainty. "I want to listen just so I can understand why Mei is finding herself in this predicament."
Nodding in understanding, the two kept silent, listening to find out the intentions of her reasons. They could hear them arguing amongst themselves, where forceful commands and pleas echoed throughout the hallway from below. Judging by the way they are conversing, it appears the androids are holding someone or finding someone against their will.
"What do you have to say for yourself?"
A female voice yelled in anger; the one who spoke was clearly Mei as her sisters held down Lei on the ground like freshly trapped insects.
"You are a traitor, Muri! How could you betray us?" She accused, hearing the sound of footsteps scuffling in the background, "You know what happens to those who turn their backs on the Ark, don't you?" Crossing her arms together, she continued to look down at her with pure force. "Explain yourself, now!"
Unbeknownst to them, Muri is actually Lei in disguise, having used this innocent android in posing as a different person to aid in Sunny's mission of escaping the Ark.
"If you want me to talk, then at least let me stand up!" Being held down on the ground with her face staring at the cold ceiling is a sign of complete misery, but she managed to keep her head up high in such adversity, showing forceful determination in her eyes.
"Alright, fine," Mei then gestured for her sisters to finally release her. "But I'm warning you, this better be worth it," she muttered under her breath, glaring at the androids around her who nodded in return as they took a step back to give Muri some space for her to finally explain her actions.
Taking a deep breath, she began to speak: "Those deaths we've been hearing about weren't his fault." The first words were carefully chosen; her voice trembled slightly as she tried to maintain her composure. "The truth is, they brought upon themselves for trying to kill him in the first place."
Many of the angeloids around her became shocked and further fixed their gazes on him. "He's an Esper who doesn't understand how his powers work, Sunny," she paused momentarily, looking up towards the ventilation system behind the ceiling, her eyes widening in surprise.
"He didn't want any of this," she continued as she lowered her head back to her fellow sisters. "I know him; he's not the kind of person who would cause harm to others," she defended, her voice cracking with emotion.
"A Esper?" One of them—a tall and lanky android named Gale—raised a skeptical eyebrow at the information: "So all those deaths were mere accidents?" She looked back, her gaze fixed on Muri. "And you expect us to believe that?" She found it hard to accept the words that came out of someone's mouth.
"I'm not saying they didn't suffer," Muri quickly interjected, "but Sunny didn't mean for it to happen; he was only trying to protect himself!" Her voice rose in defense of the young man she is referring to: "He is a good man; I know him as well."
"And we're supposed to believe your judgment over ours?!" Gale sneered, "Your loyalty to this so-called 'good man' has blinded you to the greater cause!" Pointing her finger at the traitor, she says, "whether it is an accident or not, you and your accomplice should have told us about this!" She spat out the last word with venom: "We could have prepared ourselves, but instead, you kept it hidden!"
But as everyone began to agree with her, Mei softened her cold demeanor, understanding the reasons for this android's actions. "Muri," she said, her voice gentle and comforting.
"I agree with you that he is a good man who strives to do the right thing, and I know the both of you are just misunderstanding individuals who think they are doing what they believe is correct, but we have a duty to uphold. We can't let the entire Ark fall into chaos because of a single Esper."
Anger flashed before Muri's face. "Don't you care about him?" She accused, finding how hard it is to see her sister siding with the rest of them, "How can you turn your back on him like this? He's your family too, Mei!" The words were clearly laced with pain, the feeling of betrayal seeping through every syllable.
Mei became surprised by this; moreover, she didn't expect someone outside of her circle to know anything about her family. "What do you know about my family?" Narrowing her eyes, she looked at Muri, tinged with suspicion. "What did Sunny tell you? Is there some hidden agenda at play here? Tell me the truth!" She demanded, her voice rising in volume.
"I know everything," Muri answered coldly, "and one of them is only caring more about your own duty than those who truly matter!" The words stung like a knife, directed at her own sister: "How will Nelson react when he finds out you were responsible for putting his son in prison? It wouldn't be fine, would it?" The last part was said almost mockingly, the bitterness in her voice clear for all to hear.
Pure rage flowed through Mei's veins, and the anger in her heart flared up: "You fucking bitch!" Unable to contain her emotions any longer, she lunged forward, intending to land a blow on her sister's face before receiving a punch on her own stomach. She was firm and powerful, knocking the wind out of her.
"Grkk!"
Mei flew back, crashing against the wall behind her, her body slamming against the unforgiving surface, leaving a dent in the metal. Her head hit the ground with a dull thud, the sound of her consciousness fading away as she slipped into unconsciousness.
In quick haste, Muri wasted no time in fleeing as tears flowed down her face from hurting her beloved twin. "Mei, I'm sorry," she whispered under her breath, looking back at the form of her sister. "I hope you understand why we are doing this," she pleaded with the air. "I will save you, just like you saved me."
"What are you all standing here for?!" Gale firmly ordered, watching the shocked angeloids from this sudden change of events, "get your weapons and start chasing that damn traitor before more damage happens!" She commanded, making sure that each and every one of them followed through with her orders, "We can't let her escape!"
As their footsteps slowly faded away from the distance, Sunny and Tom let out a sigh of relief from the rather tense feeling they had just witnessed.
The duo knew they couldn't stay here for long; the androids were hot on Lei's trail, and they needed to move quickly if they wanted to accomplish what they came for.
"Mei..." Sunny muttered her name, feeling guilty about what she had to bring herself into.
"What was that?" Tom asked, having caught the name, "Did you say something?
"Nothing, nothing."
