viii. freedom is tempting

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EIGHT.
freedom is tempting!
。・:*:・゚ 。・:*:・゚


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Zoya doesn't wait for a full minute to pass after the Mandalorian leaves to retrieve the child before she resumes her quest for the knife in her boot, straining and pulling at her muscles until her shoulder pops, and the handle snaps into her fingers. Grimacing at the pain now throbbing in her joint, she flips the knife in her fingers, digging the blade's tip into the tiny electric panel which links to the device on the Mandalorian's arm, giving him an easy way to lock and unlock the cuffs.

            The smooth metal cover pops open after she manages to dig the knife's point into the small gap where it closes. Her heart leaps, but the cuffs aren't released yet. Her eyes scan the myriad of tiny, colorful wires.

            "Shit," she mutters.

            Her gaze darts around the tiny chip, unsure of what to do. After a few minutes of fruitlessly staring at the wires with no clue of which ones to cut, Zoya comes to the realization that she has only one option.

            "Please don't electrocute me," she says.

            Without another moment's hesitation, Zoya stabs the knife as hard as she can into the panel with her wrists twisted around each other. Sparks fly, and a jolt zaps through the blade and its handle to shock her hand. Zoya flings it impulsively across the cockpit with a sharp curse. The cuffs spring open and fall from her wrists at the same moment that the weapon clatters to the floor.

            She stares at the restraints for a moment, shell-shocked and unable to move. Then, recognizing her newly regained freedom, Zoya springs to her feet, nearly falling forward onto her face with the force of her momentum. She glances around the cockpit with new eyes, hunting for anything that might be of use to her. There's nothing detachable of importance; he hadn't left any weapons in view for obvious reasons, and she can't take the controls. Zoya also doubts that there's a removeable speeder just glued to the side and waiting for her to claim it.

            "Dammit," Zoya hisses.

            If she wants to be long gone before he returns with the child, she has to move quickly. Thinking of the little creature makes her heart squeeze for a moment, and she wonders if she should wait for the Mandalorian to return, if only to see the child again. Before the foolish idea takes root, Zoya crushes it as if it's a fragile flower in her fist. Her nails dig into her palms, flattening the soft petals.

            She steps out of the cockpit and moves to the top of the ramp. At that moment, her brain decides to illuminate the moment where he'd turned to her when she'd mentioned that she'd thought he was going to go back and deliver her to the Guild, where in his body language, obvious even though she could not see his face, Zoya had seen something that reminded her of a guardian angel. She closes her eyes for a moment, leaning her hip against the opening.

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