The 6 Greatest Errors of All Time | ✓

XXIII. ruby & gold

THE LONG-AWAITED TRIP back home would be granted at the strike of midnight. The flight was responsibly booked at the first minute of the new day. Whether our crew would even make it past the plug doors and board the designated plane, however, was all on us.

It was currently ten past nine. It'd been about five hours since everyone was compacted into that grand storage room filled to the brim with arsenals we'd never get our hands on again. Our government official had originally prepared us private vehicles for our convenient transportation to the airport, but unfortunately, even paltry things like traffic could hinder a few world-renowned hackers and a guard.

Low and behold though, one angel graced us all with her impeccable intelligence and quick response to the dire complication. Me. The motorbikes were my suggestion, and after a good half hour of our director trying to find alternatives, our Commander had to step in and stand by my side, 'else we'd be getting nowhere tonight.

Four motorcycles were taken from some unknown compartments in the building and they were parked outside next to the gates that separated the parking lot from the diverging road just ahead. K2 took his stance on the first and foremost bike with a swift climb on his ride. While he secured on the accompanying helmet, the boys zipped up their dark jackets and each grabbed their own helmets, tossing the other pair that came with every motor to us girls and Asao.

Pierce fastened the strap on his black gloves for security on his wrists while he prepared to drive for two hours to the airport. It was a race against time. Our team of six split into pairs, with the extra bike being occupied by K2 alone. Without wasting time, the older man before us revved up the engine and he took off with a sharp turn to the right, slipping out of sight the moment the tires made contact with the gravel of the road.

Our three motorcycles roared simultaneously to life, attracting the attention of some of Osias' fans waiting outside. They didn't have a chance to react until Cody, with Asao sitting before him, had already converged onto the road and disappeared out of view. Only the sound of the engines in the distance left a trace of their earlier presence.

Kenya civilly wrapped her arms underneath Osias' arms and their vehicle began speeding further and further away from us. By this time, the fans had stampeded in hordes to the gates. Pierce whispered something to the side, slightly muffled by the helmet, but I nodded with a firm lock of my hands around his large torso.

His upper half bent down and his arms stiffened just as the bike produced one last roar and took a rapid swerve onto the road to join the others. I caught the piercing on Pierce's ear refracting light for a split moment as we transferred to the open traffic.

Wind hit the face shield and I could only make out the muffled noise of it rushing past our bodies as we maneuvered rapidly through the streets. Whenever Pierce was about to make a steep dip to one side, I became prone to sensing it through his muscles tensing just before it happened. My stomach would drop from the exhilarating excitement and anxiety that came with high speeds, badass vehicles, and hackers doing the absolute opposite of their jobs.

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We lost the others through motors passing by the motorcycle lane as well, but the boys have all been instructed on the directions beforehand since it was expected. The horizons had fanned out to look almost like sunset through the dimmed screen I was looking through.

I got a little dazed and my head bobbled down and stayed down while I tried to rest my eyes. Unfortunately, that eased the way for me to slip in and out of consciousness, which loosened my hold from the driver of the motorcycle. I tried steadying myself with the foot pegs, but it was still unsteady enough to have Pierce notice from the front.