Action

We arrived near the crack of three in the morning, where the last of the normal students were heading out through the gates. Streetlights softly buzzed above us, students walking home after a grueling day of classes, and the few lights still on were holding on to their last hopes.

“Can’t say we're not early,” Kat softly grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Her soft curly hair lay flat against her shirt with more tangles than I could count. Sure I got bad bedhead, but wow did she ever take the cake. “You got everything, Asta?”

“Last I checked,” There wasn’t much we needed, just a few backups of Caspian’s data, and some makeshift batons in case the worst happened.

The plan was simple. The radio tower’s signal stretched over the entirety of Iero, normally used by the broadcasting club for the station they ran, or the staff in case something actually important like some new breakthrough transpired. And unlike the average student–run news station, people actually cared to watch this one. It was Protel after all, the most prestigious school every student dreamed of entering.

So, what if we snuck in and blasted some of Caspian’s videos for the whole city to see?

Even in the modern era, it wasn’t like the news had disappeared from the face of the earth, just changed its forum. And what news-hungry podcaster wouldn’t jump at such a thing? Iero couldn’t censor it, not with every fish jumping to take the bait.

In my absence, Sky hadn’t wasted a second coming through the gigabytes of data, videos, documents, and everything else. Caspian had been efficient if nothing else. Everything was organized to a tee, with zip files containing all the data in very transmittable packages just sitting there, almost like Caspian was planning the exact same thing we were.

Transporting them over the internet wouldn’t work, too many filters, and there was clearly a reason Caspian hadn’t succeeded in doing that. The radio tower was our only hope.

I lead the way, Kat and Sky close with his small back carrying the more physical backups. Can’t be too careful. We walked casually, not willing to meet anyone's eyes. Three students walking on campus wasn’t anything particularly weird. How strange we looked was completely up to us.

“Just keep calm,” I whispered to Kat. Unlike me and Sky her face was on the verge of shaking. “It’s just campus, right? We go here every day.”

“Sure but–”

“No buts,” I gave her a small smile. “Are we not allowed to walk on our own campus? I may have been a fool, you haven't done anything, no way the person who rushed down there alone would learn from her mistakes right? You’re not involved as far as anyone knows.”

“Until we actually show those videos.”

“Well, that's a bridge we’ll have to cross when we get to it. No use stressing about something this early on.” I glanced around us, not a student to be seen and the few cameras were still as could be. No signs they were tracking us so far.

We got to the radio tower without another word. Honestly, it was kind of boring so far. For being such an important mission no one bothered to even accidentally stand in our way.

The few students here barely gave us a passing thought as we ascended the stairs, too absorbed in their own work.

“You know how the radio tower works?” Sky asked.

“Nope, I assumed you could figure it out.”

“You’re telling me this now? Come on Asta…” he sighed. “It can't be that difficult if art students are the ones piloting the thing.”

“Wow, judgemental much?” I gave a strained laugh. Better for the few people here to imagine we were just typical students getting a head start on the day. “Come on, we can’t all spend our time hunched over a computer, right Kat?”

“Huh? Y–yeah!” she squealed as I gently shoved a finger into her ribcage.

“No reason to be so stressed,” I rolled my eyes. “It’s just an exam, we've had multiple of those.

As silence was my only answer, I gave it up. Whatever, that assuredly had to be enough to throw the cameras a bit off our scent, assuming anyone was watching in the first place.

Yet it took but a second for my hope to disappear.

“Long time no see Asta, checking out the radio tower?” Professor Juri stood at the opposite end of the next floor, blocking the stairs with a set of guards all twice her height. And these weren't the kind of guards that I’d run into at the beginning of my expedition down below Protel. No, these were the actually competent kind, and that word didn’t do them justice.

Each of them held a long wicked black baton, not moving a single inch as they stood at attention. The shadows they cast alone sent a shiver up my spine. I could take on one of them, maybe. The whole group? Forget it.

“Hey Professor!” I gave a lazy wave, desperate to keep the strain from my voice. “Protel doing a security check or something?

“In a sense. Mind telling me what you’re doing here at such an hour?”

“Just finding a quiet place to study. Is it illegal for me to study on my own campus? I don’t think Caspian would have enacted a decree like that.”

“Funny,” she gave a long sigh, adjusting her sharply framed glasses and dropping all pretense. “You should have listened to my warning Asta, I wanted to give you a second chance, but to bring your friends along? I am sorry for what’s about to happen, truely, but Iero must be protected.”

Sky and Kat glanced at each other, dropping their bags and tensing their muscles. It was all or nothing now.

“Bring it on!” I grinded my teeth and raised my fists. She wanted to stop us, well I wasn’t going down without a fight.