District 42-Chapter 138: The escape part 2

The elevator kept rising higher and higher, always at the same extremely slow pace. If before the three-man inside there were complaining about the time passing too fast, now they were agonizing about how slowly it seemed to be.

The nervousness could be felt in the air. All of them were sweating buckets, their hands restless. They didn’t talk anything to each other, even though they wanted to do it so badly.

Their hearts were racing inside the chest, and they had the impression that their heartbeat could be heard by each other.

The soldier was already used to anticipation. Every time he needed to go on a new dangerous mission, the same feeling befell him. However, he was already doing his breathing techniques, managing his thoughts, and calming down completely.

The same couldn’t be said to Alfar and Olaf, but after an entire day passing for so many things, they were able to ignore that anxiousness and throw themselves into what was about to come. They got so far already, that it would be a hassle to back away now.

Somehow, Casper felt that the time was arriving. At some point, his instincts warned him that it was about to happen.

"Amelia... please..." Not just the soldier, but the other two prayed.

Casper drew the rifle attached to his back, holding it firmly and straightening his posture, already aiming its barrel towards the gates of that elevator.

Olaf was with a pistol since his useless arm wouldn’t let him wield a rifle properly. The same was to Alfar, who was with a similar pistol, but just to not lose control of his internal battle against Deamhan.

"If the gates open and they aren’t busy, but still waiting for us, if Amelia failed, fight back until you can’t find the strength to pull the trigger. Alfar, if our lives are put at risk, I will leave to you the decision whether to use the Dark elf or not.

"However, if that nurse did it right, then run with all you have."

"Right. Count on me." Alfar gave a thumbs up, a gesture that didn’t fit his dead eyes and melancholic personality.

"Yes. Count on me as well. And... If my leg doesn’t cooperate and I can’t keep up with your pace, don’t dare to wait for me, instead leave me behind."

Casper looked with a blank expression at Olaf. It was a harsh thing to say, but something to take into consideration.

The experiment he passed for was the one related to super hypertrophy. It had messed up with his limbs. The muscles got weakened, and they could tear apart very easily, his bones also were like glass. Physical activity was something dangerous for him, and he had already forced it a lot during the day.

"Don’t worry, Olaf. It will not happen." Casper reassured the man, but he himself couldn’t believe much in his own words.

Some seconds after he said that, the elevator stopped suddenly, shaking hard. The trio needed to struggle a bit to maintain their balance.

The elevator made some strange sounds, and then the gate started to open little by little. The hydraulic system was still weakened, so even the gates would be slowlier to open.

The soldier put his finger on the trigger, pressing it very slightly, preparing to shoot at any time.

Both Olaf and Alfar aimed towards the gate as well and prepared themselves.

They tried to see what was happening out there looking through the little gap in the gate, but they couldn’t sort it out exactly.

Their minds went to pessimism first, thinking that it was too quiet for the Ridires to be in the middle of a ruckus. Nonetheless, when that gap was wider, it was like the sounds out there could find space to enter the elevator and, bruskly, they heard that something was going on out there.

Just when the gate opened enough for a person to pass through it that they could be sure: all the remaining Ridires from Freygar’s troop were there, and also a whole bunch of scientists. Both groups were yelling at each other, and a good part resorting to violence as well.

When the elevator opened completely that the warriors could notice that someone had arrived, and they looked inside there.

"They are here! Execute them already!" A Ridire General shouted.

They raised their guns towards the trio, but before they could do something the scientists got even more exasperated by that action and started to invade the lines of Ridires, causing a big mess there that diverted their attention.

Casper put the rifle on his back quickly, thanking Amelia inside his head.

"What are you waiting for? Run, now!" He left the elevator, then the other two followed him, keeping their guns.

The trio passed between the Ridire’s lines, mixing in the crowd. They zigzagged the people fighting there, and avoided the warriors who weren’t and tried to pursue them.

In the end, the number of scientists present in that place versus the number of Ridires wasn’t equal at all. Although it still was of big help, some warriors could focus on chase after them.

"That’s not quite what I was planning. There are more people chasing us than I thought it would be. But I think we can do it..."

Casper increased his pace, using all the strength in his legs to pass through that fuss the faster he could. His two comrades were still on sight, but they couldn’t run as fast as the soldier.

It would be difficult for Alfar and Olaf to beat the Ridires in speed since the lasts were trained, but they must do it. Casper couldn’t do much for them, so he just worried about himself.

"We need to make it happen until the elevator from the superior levels... It will be a long way, but I still have this complex more or less engraved in my memory, so I think it will be ok."

When they finally got out of that crowded place, Casper saw himself somewhere he definitely was before. The File room he invaded was near there, and he could redo the way he made until that point for sure.

He looked back briefly. The Ridires were still pursuing them, and it wouldn’t last too long for them to reach Alfar and Olaf.

In the middle of their escape, the alarms of the Third Lab’s complex began to ring, warning the scientists and Ridires that an invader was there.

As per usual, the workers that weren’t participating in that protest in front of Halden’s elevator crouched beside the corners of their blocks and stayed there quietly.

It was no problem for Casper, since, at least, they wouldn’t get in his way. However, the thing was the reinforcements.

The soldier didn’t know if Freygar had called all the troops to go to Halden, making all the warriors stay busy with it, or if more Ridires were doing the guard of the laboratory. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"If it is the second, we need to be careful as to where we pass from now on. I don’t know from what corridor or block the Ridires will come, and the slight possibility to get harmed can mess up with everything."

Just as he thought on it and turned left on the corridor, he faced more warriors coming from that side. The soldier needed to take the other way, which delayed him a bit.

From time to time, he would find more enemies when taking different paths through the complex.

Their escape was being harsh. They couldn’t stop to run a second.

"We are almost at the elevator to the superior levels! Hold on, you two!" He glanced back at the exhausted men behind him, that were doing their best to not be caught by the enemies.

Two Ridires got in front of the elevator’s gate, pointing their guns to Casper. The soldier used the last breath he had to burst in their direction, jumping and striking one of the warriors with both feet in his chest, making him hit his back against the gate.

From behind, Olaf drew the pistol and shot while running, missing the other Ridire by inches and giving time to Casper to finish him as well.

Alfar opened the gate for them while they were busy and the three men could enter the elevator before the Ridires chasing after them from behind could catch up.

Casper pressed a button, and it started to rise.

For a moment, they fell silent, looking at each other and gasping. After some time, as their minds registered that they got a little break, they sat on the floor, leaning their backs on the wall.

Some seconds passed, they focused just in catch their breath and calm down their hearts.

"How many minutes until we arrive there?" Alfar asked, exhausted.

"As I remember from the first time, fifteen."

"Good... Good."

And then, the trio afforded themselves to take some rest before getting back into action again.