Failures

Wires

(A bit of language in this. Enjoy!)

This stupid mission was doomed from the start.

First of all, it was not a stealth mission like we were told because some idiot blew our cover. We were ambushed fifteen feet onto the ship and lost several good men and woman before we even made it to the hostages.

Secondly, our most wanted target high-tailed it out of there before we could lay our hands- or our guns- on him. The sick little bastard was laughing all maniacally at us, too. Using a helicopter to get away is definitely cheating. 

And last, but certainly not least, I'm staring at a bomb hastily passed to me to diffuse. And yes, it is ticking. Very loudly. Oh, and yes, I am panicking. 

"Jet, what the hell am I supposed to do?" I screech into my comm. I hunch down by the bomb planted to the wall, frantically pulling at wires and pushing buttons.

"Okay, okay, calm down." Easy for him to say. He's safe at home watching this through my head camera. 

"Is there a blue wire?"

I snap back to focus, nodding furiously before realizing he can't see me. 

"Yes, yes, there is a blue wire."

"Good. Whatever you do, don't cut it."

I stop the wire cutters millimeters from the blue wire.

"JET, WHAT THE FUCK."

"Sorry for trying to save your life! There should be a lock that looks like a, like a..... you know the kinda lock they use on bicycles? What kind of lock is that? Here, I'll look it up-"

"JET. 56 SECONDS."

"Right right right right right. The code for that is 'piano.'

I hurriedly apply the code, watching the seconds tick down. The lock pops open at 41 on the clock. 

"Is it done?!? Is that it?" I sag in relief. 

"No, there's two more defenses to get through."

I hiss between my teeth. "Hurry the fuck up!!"

"Next is a button. Is it red?"

"No."

"Green?"

"No, it's actually-"

"Yellow?"

"JET. THE BUTTON IS BLACK. DO I PRESS IT?"

"Depends. Does it say Guitar, Flute, Saxophone-"

"Trumpet. IT SAYS TRUMPET."

"Okay, if it says Trumpet, push it when there's a 9 on the clock."

My eyes flit to the clock. I do a double take, then slam my hand on the button as 29 passes by on the clock.

"Wires next, right?" I'm getting the hang of this.

"Yeah. Remember, don't cut the blue wire, no matter what. How many batters are on the bomb?"

A pause, and then, "Six." 17 seconds.

"Six batteries? K, is there an orange wire?"

I nod. "Lemme guess, don't cut that one?"

"What? No, do cut that one. Why the hell would I tell you about it if you weren't supposed to cut it?"

With a sigh, I reach for my fallen wire cutters, discarded on the floor as I cracked the other two codes, when all of the sudden, the ship lurches. The wire cutters go flying, and I lunge after them as 9 seconds flash ominously on the clock. 

8. 7.

I snatch the wire cutters just before they go skidding into a vent.

6. 5. 

The struggle back to the bomb is fast and furious as the ship bristles back and forth.

4. 3.

I reach the bomb and raise the wire cutters. Buffalo are rioting in my stomach and lightning is coursing through my veins. I can do anything.

2 seconds. The ship lurches again, and the cutters move with it, coming forward to close around a wire.

It's not orange. It's blue.

The cutters snap close around the wire as my last second blinks away. There's a pause, and then, 

BOOM!

Oh shit.