05-23-2021, 08:13 PM
Jointly written with Xiomera.
The full team had finally gathered on the service level. Tlalmaxxi had led them to a secret tunnel exit which would allow the team to escape to a section of the Tiazō away from the Cauhloc itself. “Where are Lily and Cozamalotl?” Tlalmaxxi’s expression was one of concern.
“Lily fell in combat with the guards. I could not save her. I am sorry,” Temexay replied.
Tlalmaxxi absorbed the news with a grimace of sadness. “And Cozamalotl?”
“He refused to accompany me. He ran in a different direction, to distract the guards and give us time to escape,” the Shorn One replied. “He chose to sacrifice himself for us.”
“You shouldn’t have let him! We have to go after him!” Huatli shouted, already turning back towards the hall leading into the Cauhloc. Tlalmaxxi stopped her. “We cannot.”
“I will not just let him die! Not after Lily gave her own life for this.” Huatli glared at Tlalmaxxi, as if she was about to force the princess to let her go. But Tlalmaxxi was undeterred.
“This is our way, Huatli. Cozamalotl is giving his life so we can live, in the greatest Xiomeran tradition. If we go after him, we will all die. The guards are alerted and there are undoubtedly ASI special forces and Army rapid response teams heading our way now. If we do not leave now, Cozamalotl will still die, and his sacrifice will be for nothing.”
In answer, Huatli roughly yanked her arm free from Tlalmaxxi’s grasp, but nodded. She could not find words to speak.
Riley Nelson bit her lip and looked back over her shoulder, hesitating and glancing nervously for signs of pursuit. One of them had died; that wasn't supposed to happen. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt all of a sudden, that she'd urged them to hurry and yet they clearly hadn't planned enough.
Samantha Collinsgate put her hand on Riley's shoulder and whispered to her.
"We can't change what happened," she said, while urging Riley forward behind the others and bringing up the rear herself. Samantha hesitated herself but only to make sure that Riley and Huatli were moving and weren't trying to turn back and do something pointlessly dangerous.
”We have to go now,” Tlalmaxxi said, a new sense of urgency entering her voice. “If I remember ASI response times as well as I think I do, we have only a few minutes to get down this tunnel and out into the city before we’re discovered. Once we’re out, we need to split up and leave in different directions to throw off any pursuers. Head back to the designated places in the neighborhood that our contacts gave us so that we can rendezvous at the safe house.”
Riley hesitated once more, then followed where Tlalmaxxi was leading. The other Auroras all followed suit, with Samantha bringing up the rear and encouraging the others to hurry.
The group had made their way after a few minutes of nerve-wracking progress to the end of the tunnel. There were two guards present, but the combined team made quick work of them. Tlalmaxxi opened the exit door using a stolen keycard, and began ushering the rest of the team through after checking to make sure there were no guards outside the tunnel.
While Tlalmaxxi was right in her assessment that there were no other guards outside the tunnel, she was incorrect in her belief that there were no other guards inside of it. One of the ASI special forces teams pursuing the Auroras was in fact nearby, led by another Kerlian with a hunch.
Samantha Collinsgate was at the back of the group as they broke out into the fresh air. She was ushering the injured Alyssa forward before she left when suddenly she felt a jolt and all her muscles spasmed as she fell down. A hand grabbed her ankle and yanked her backwards from the door before she could get her new bearings. She looked up just in time to Alyssa spinning around, a look of horror on her face before it closed, locking automatically and trapping Samantha with whoever had tasered her.
Though she was in pain, Samantha managed to yank her ankle away and flip over onto her back so she could stare at the face of her new captor. Mariya Adema looked down at her, a bruise forming on the side of her forehead, smiling at her new toy as further Xiomeran guards ran up behind her, their weapons trained firmly on Samantha. Mariya may have lost one Aurora… but she had, sadly, gained another. And she was going to have so much fun.
The full team had finally gathered on the service level. Tlalmaxxi had led them to a secret tunnel exit which would allow the team to escape to a section of the Tiazō away from the Cauhloc itself. “Where are Lily and Cozamalotl?” Tlalmaxxi’s expression was one of concern.
“Lily fell in combat with the guards. I could not save her. I am sorry,” Temexay replied.
Tlalmaxxi absorbed the news with a grimace of sadness. “And Cozamalotl?”
“He refused to accompany me. He ran in a different direction, to distract the guards and give us time to escape,” the Shorn One replied. “He chose to sacrifice himself for us.”
“You shouldn’t have let him! We have to go after him!” Huatli shouted, already turning back towards the hall leading into the Cauhloc. Tlalmaxxi stopped her. “We cannot.”
“I will not just let him die! Not after Lily gave her own life for this.” Huatli glared at Tlalmaxxi, as if she was about to force the princess to let her go. But Tlalmaxxi was undeterred.
“This is our way, Huatli. Cozamalotl is giving his life so we can live, in the greatest Xiomeran tradition. If we go after him, we will all die. The guards are alerted and there are undoubtedly ASI special forces and Army rapid response teams heading our way now. If we do not leave now, Cozamalotl will still die, and his sacrifice will be for nothing.”
In answer, Huatli roughly yanked her arm free from Tlalmaxxi’s grasp, but nodded. She could not find words to speak.
Riley Nelson bit her lip and looked back over her shoulder, hesitating and glancing nervously for signs of pursuit. One of them had died; that wasn't supposed to happen. She felt an overwhelming sense of guilt all of a sudden, that she'd urged them to hurry and yet they clearly hadn't planned enough.
Samantha Collinsgate put her hand on Riley's shoulder and whispered to her.
"We can't change what happened," she said, while urging Riley forward behind the others and bringing up the rear herself. Samantha hesitated herself but only to make sure that Riley and Huatli were moving and weren't trying to turn back and do something pointlessly dangerous.
”We have to go now,” Tlalmaxxi said, a new sense of urgency entering her voice. “If I remember ASI response times as well as I think I do, we have only a few minutes to get down this tunnel and out into the city before we’re discovered. Once we’re out, we need to split up and leave in different directions to throw off any pursuers. Head back to the designated places in the neighborhood that our contacts gave us so that we can rendezvous at the safe house.”
Riley hesitated once more, then followed where Tlalmaxxi was leading. The other Auroras all followed suit, with Samantha bringing up the rear and encouraging the others to hurry.
The group had made their way after a few minutes of nerve-wracking progress to the end of the tunnel. There were two guards present, but the combined team made quick work of them. Tlalmaxxi opened the exit door using a stolen keycard, and began ushering the rest of the team through after checking to make sure there were no guards outside the tunnel.
While Tlalmaxxi was right in her assessment that there were no other guards outside the tunnel, she was incorrect in her belief that there were no other guards inside of it. One of the ASI special forces teams pursuing the Auroras was in fact nearby, led by another Kerlian with a hunch.
Samantha Collinsgate was at the back of the group as they broke out into the fresh air. She was ushering the injured Alyssa forward before she left when suddenly she felt a jolt and all her muscles spasmed as she fell down. A hand grabbed her ankle and yanked her backwards from the door before she could get her new bearings. She looked up just in time to Alyssa spinning around, a look of horror on her face before it closed, locking automatically and trapping Samantha with whoever had tasered her.
Though she was in pain, Samantha managed to yank her ankle away and flip over onto her back so she could stare at the face of her new captor. Mariya Adema looked down at her, a bruise forming on the side of her forehead, smiling at her new toy as further Xiomeran guards ran up behind her, their weapons trained firmly on Samantha. Mariya may have lost one Aurora… but she had, sadly, gained another. And she was going to have so much fun.
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