Finale

“Woosh!” A baton buzzed passed my ear as the guards stumbled from his miss.

The three of us had shuffled to the center of the room, guards surrounding us in one great circle while our backs met one anothers.

We were like prey, trapped animals the guards had fun with one at a time. They could have rushed us easily–for each one of us there were two guards–but out of either fear of fun they didn’t dare to use their numbers. For there was one tool they hadn't considered.

In Sky’s backpack weren’t just backups of the data, simple flash drives would have done that job. No, included were handmade steel batons to match theirs and 3d printed guns.

Guns were an irregularity in Iero, even for the police. Making a gun? Well that was a felony much worse than anything I’d done, and nearly impossible to get away with.

Sky had, unbeknownst to me, made three.

The cool smooth steel of the 3d printed gun rested in my palm. Here in my hands, something no citizen of Iero ever had the right to touch, something that could end the life of another with a single flex of a finger. No pressure Asta, no pressure…

“You got any bright ideas?” I muttered towards Sky.

“What do you think? You’re the fighter, Asta!”

“I know…” shit. Ideas raced through my head, yet each worse than the last. There was no use making a break for it with them on our trail, and from Professor Juri’s words even if we could somehow retreat that was a temporary solution at most.

This had to end now one way or another.

Underneath the shifting shadows of the officer’s caps, I could see their eyes glowing like those on a cat–pale orbs of brown, green, and blue ready to strike. All their eyes seemed focused mainly on me, treating the other two like fodder.

It made sense. I was the one who snuck down below Protel, I was the one who beat up several of their fellow officers, and for all they knew the 3D printed guns were from me as well. Their briefing probably didn’t contain detailed reports of my less than stellar academic record.

We could… “Damn it. Sky, I can only think of one way out of here. How fast can you run?”

“Fast enough, why?”

Much as it hurt me, I had to face the truth. Their eyes were on me, every single person here–including Professor Juri silently standing in the back–expected me to be the one making the announcement. But, for Caspian's sake… I couldn’t. Not me, not the hothead everyone expected. Kat would work, but if their eyes went off me for a second they’d go straight to her. It had to be the smallest, and probability most capable here of us all.

“Kat, Sky, listen carefully,” I said, voice barely a whisper. “On the count of three, I need you both to fire your guns into the air and scatter, I'll be doing the same. If I'm right, they should follow me. Sky, I need you to do your best to take advantage of the commission and sneak upstairs. Wait until the Professor is distracted before making your accent.”

“Distracted?”

“I have a plan for her Sky. trust me!” I clenched my fists. This was a gamble, but who was I to not play along?

“Three… two one go!”

“BANG BANG BANG!” The officers ducked and scattered as the sound of gunfire ricocheted off the walls. Each blast felt louder than that which came before it–a cacophony of horrific echoes.

Yet, as the guards recuperated and took hold of the situation, I stood stock still in the center of the room, aimed, and fired two shots through the crowd.

Right into Professor Juri’s abdomen.

“You little…” Her voice faded as she toppled over. Blood stained her violet dress, pouring out like water from a faucet.

I immediately made a beeline towards her, pulling out my black baton. “This is what you get for murdering my brother!” Officers shoved their filthy hands around my arms, one trying to tackle me to the ground. Yet, they all fell flat as I ripped free of their grasp.

As my baton smashed into her arm I could feel the bones crack. Hit after hit, bruises sprouted like flowers on her once flawless skin. And all I felt was a vengeful thrill.

I gasped, the guards finally pinning me down like an animal, wrapping cuffs around my arms. “Freeze! Asta King, you are under arrest for the distribution of state secrets, battery, assault of the first degree, and several other crimes. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

“Idiots,” I scoffed as they raised me up, cops gripping my arms with vice–like strength. “All of you! All these people and you still couldn't handle three broke college students!” My face burst into laughter as they pinned me against the wall.

“Madam Juri,” One of the guards gently placed the Professor against the wall as she held her bullet wounds. “An ambulance is on its way and we have detained the suspects.”

“Detained?” I burst into another round of laughter as Professor Juri spoke. “I only see two of those brats, where did you put the third one?”

My eyes met Kat’s as we both grinned. Like me, she was also pressed against the wall with guards trapping every limb, but they couldn't stop us from laughing. “So Professor, is this enough to get a passing grade?”

“Everyone upstairs! Now!” her voice cracked with fear in tune with her ever widening eyes. “I don’t care what you have to do, catch that boy!”

“Too late!” I gently sang in the most mocking tone imaginable.

“H–hello,” Sky’s shaky voice sounded over the sound system–a direct link to Protel’s radio. “This is Sky, a student at Protel, and I have a message to share from Caspian King, Protel’s Ex-president, and a martyr who died to expose the truth of Iero.”