a fish on a line. His entire body snapped, and an inhuman growl erupted from his throat. She gulped down a sob and pressed her fist to her mouth, painfully smashing her lips against her teeth to stifle the cry that threatened to escape.
What can I do?
The fire suppression system.
Desperate to stop the torture, she risked her life without a second thought. She grabbed the pipes above her and pulled until her muscles screamed and her vision swam. Gritting her teeth, she felt the first spray of brackish water hit her face. She closed her eyes and kept pulling until her arms were shaking.
Finally, the old pipes cracked. The loss of integrity caused the pressure in the pipes to burst other segments down the line. Water that smelled like a latrine in summer began to flood the duct. She kept her eyes closed and mouth shut as the water rushed around her, spilling through the grilles into the rooms she had surveyed.
Down below, the heinous assholes who had been enjoying their work shouted as they got a taste of electrocution. She grinned evilly as they screamed. The water pouring over her might be filled with bacteria that would make her sick, but it was worth it to see those two suffer.
The sky warrior—Cipher’s friend—showed his incredible strength and determination as he sat up while still dangling from his ankles. She hadn’t even known it was possible for any person to use their muscles in that way, especially not a person who had been starved, beaten and tortured. He used his bound hands to knock the clips from his body, dropping them into the water and ensuring the men who had been hurting him wouldn’t be walking out of that cell.
As if he had some sixth sense, he turned toward the grille where she watched. She gasped at the gnarly, puckered scar where his eye should be. This man had known so much pain. It didn’t seem fair that one man should be expected to survive so much.
He might have been blind in one eye, but he zeroed in on her. Maybe he could see the shadow of her or the faint light of the fading glow stick. Somehow, he knew she was there.
She wanted to reassure him that he wouldn’t suffer much longer. For a brief moment, she wondered if she could rescue him, but he was too tall and broad shouldered to fit through the grille or the duct. She wasn’t strong enough to haul him out of the shaft either.
No, he would have to stay. Hopefully, his rescue wouldn’t be too far away. Still, she felt like crying as she waved at him through the grille and then started her slow slog through the water and filth. The thought of saving him fueled her trek out of the mine’s duct work and into the ventilation shaft. She ignored the burn in her arms as she dragged herself up the vertical incline to the first platform. She thought of the degradation and cruelty he had survived as she climbed rung after rung after rung.
When she finally emerged from the ventilation shaft, the sun had started its glide toward the horizon. After replacing the grate and covering her tracks back into the woods, she finally dropped down onto her bottom and hung her head between her bent knees. Exhausted and shaking, she allowed herself only a short break to drink deeply from her canteen and a moment to relieve herself in the bushes.
Her break finished, she clambered to her feet. Soaked in dirty water and covered in slimy filth, she stumbled home, determined to do whatever she could to save the one-eyed soldier.
Chapter Three
Is Brook still in the mine?
Troubled thoughts occupied Cipher’s mind as he worked his way through a pile of circuits that had been accumulating in his office. The smell of solder tinged the air as he tried to occupy his mind with menial tasks. All day, he had been in a cantankerous mood. Raze had finally called him on his bullshit and excused him from SRU physical training for the rest of the day.
According to Torment, Brook had sent a message before leaving her cabin. There hadn’t been a single word of communication since. He glanced at his watch for the thousandth time and let loose a frustrated sigh. Where was she?
The worst images flashed before his eyes. Had she been captured? Was she being tortured? Raped? What if she had gotten hurt in the mine? Was