- Hana -
"Hana, you can't, please, just stop for a moment!"
Liam calls out from behind, trying to keep up with my sprint.
We were both hurt badly from the shots, but he'd taken far more damage and could barely keep up.
I skid around corners, throwing doors open as I make my way to confinement.
It's different than I remember, the Council had clearly updated things since Orin's escape.
To think that they'd been planning to lock him away again all this time...
I find the window, much smaller now and peer inside.
I can see him, sat on the ground, emotionless and staring down.
"Orin! Hey!"
Banging on the window, I yell as loud as I can.
"He can't hear you..." Liam pants, standing behind me, "They've made sure even he couldn't hear you..."
He was right, Orin didn't even slightly react.
The redesigned confinement cut off all Soulless senses.
Just being in there after those memories must have been torture for him...
"There nothing we can do..." Liam sighed, "Perhaps if we talk to Carmichael, maybe we can convince him that-"
"There isn't time, he'll go mad in there and he's the only one who can find Alma, what other choice do we have?!"
"Hana, listen to me..." Liam used that old, smooth authoritive voice of his as he took my shoulders beneath his gentle hands and looked me in the eyes, "There is nothing we can do. Even if Orin came out, I doubt he'd be able to track Alma at this point. If we just talk to-"
"But he's still the only one who has a chance. Come on, Liam, you and I both know that bastard isn't going to listen to a word we say. They've forced you to slave away all these years just because of some stupid contract you sighed before you even knew what-"
"And that's exactly why you can't do this. We'll become criminals. They'll kill us, Hana."
I hadn't seen him look so serious in such a long time.
And I couldn't argue, he was completely right.
Opening confinement and taking Orin would one hundred percent get all three of us killed.
Especially with Carmichael on his final tether as he was.
"...so you're willing to just stand by? Let them torture him, leave Alma scared and alone?"
"I'm willing to keep us safe. Yes."
He whispered, placing his hand on my cheek, "I know you don't always agree with it, but the Soulless have built their lives around these rules and regulations. We exist peacefully because of it. And sure, with time, maybe we can change things for the better but you're going about this the complete wrong way. So I'm willing to stand by and trust in our community. You're my top priority, above anything else. And if keeping you safe means trusting Carmichael, then I am willing to wait."
I thought carefully, glancing back into the small window where Orin still sat, frozen.
"...well I'm not!"
I hissed, pushing Liam away and skipping toward the doors of confinement.
"No, Hana, don't!"
Right beside the giant metal doors was a large switch, a switch that unlocked the confinement doors in case there was emergency.
And this was one hell of an emergency all right.
Without hesitation, I yanked on the switch and sirens immediately set of, booming loudly throughout the entirety of the Council building.
As soon as the heavy metal clamps sealing the doors smacked back, I pulled the doors open and ran inside.
