13 Brief Reunion At last

Behind them, the guard who had just been shoulder checked groaned, getting to their feet. Liam started to run back to them but Hikari grabbed his arm, causing him to stop. The guard was staggering away. “Leave him,” she told Liam. “We need to get Shizuko out of here.”

While most of the doors that they had run past appeared to have electronic locks, coming open when the power went out, this door stayed closed, no keypad or anything of the sort in sight. Either this area predated that installation, or, more likely, the interrogation rooms were not trusted with such flimsy security. She still shook the door, jolting Shizuko inside to attention. The woman’s eyes widened and she yanked her wrists, struggling against the handcuffs that joined her to the metal interrogation table, shouting something that couldn’t be heard behind the heavy door.

“Har! Dra! Gra! Po! Lesh! Nun! Grun! Ya! Doh!”

Liam chanted, beginning the godsong anew as he put his back against the opposite wall, giving him as much room as the just over a metre wide hallway would afford. Ichiro jumped back at the last second, pulling Hikari out of the way with him, as Liam reduced the door to twisted metal. He didn’t stop, continuing the song, still pounding on his chest, as he cleared through the next wall, opening them to the outside.

“What are you doing here!?” Shizuko yelled at them as the other two ran into the room after Liam.

Liam grunted as his fist came into view, wrapping around the edge of the shattered brick. “Came to… save you…” he groaned, sounding spent and weary. Red seeped down his chest from his shoulder, colouring the hospital gown a deep crimson.

“Liam!?” Shizuko exclaimed, gasping as she finally saw him. Her eyes widened and she didn’t even notice Hikari running up to her until her sister’s arms were wrapped around her. “Hikari! And Ichi!? You guys need to get out of here!”

“Not without you!” Hikari predictably insisted. She started pulling at the bar on the table’s surface which secured the handcuffs. It also predictably did not budge. In a few seconds, Liam joined her, muttered under his breath to no avail.

Ichiro took a step back, looking behind himself into the hall. Slumped against the wall a single agent groaned, still looking more unconscious than conscious. Just the one. “Hey, guys, we really got to go,” he warned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Liam grumbled as he wrestled with the handcuffs. “Just as soon as these stupid things are off.”

“They aren’t budging,” Shizoko protested, pushing back against the pair, which was awkward as they already had her wrists in their hands.

Ichiro looked back and forth. “Well, one of the guys you knocked over is gone so if they didn’t already know where we are then they— Where are you going?” He took half a step back purely out of reflex as Hikari squeezed through the doorframe, getting past him. She didn’t explain, just ran halfway down the hall, and grabbed what Ichiro’s eyes had ignored: a fire extinguisher. It clattered with a metallic bang as she loosed it from its hook. Ichiro ran over, grunting as he lifted the surprisingly heavy metal canister and dragged it over with Hikari’s assistance. “Use this!” he yelled as they crossed the threshold back into the room.

Liam turned, his eyes lighting up as he saw what they were dragging. His footsteps echoed as he ran over and hoisted the canister up. “Hands clear!” he ordered and Shizuko was forced to comply as he slammed the fire extinguisher on the bar. A small squeal slipped from her lips as the bar broke clean off, screws torn from the barely connected.

The footsteps continued as Liam threw the canister aside and wrestled the bar free of the last couple screws, the supposed echo now clearly coming from the hall. They turned just in time to see the first man in full armour run in. He was in black kevlar, padded from his shoulders to his knees. A helmet concealed his face, the visor down, only his eyes seen while the rest of his face was in a mask. In one hand was a shield, half the size of him, while the other held a baton. “Stand down!” the first shouted, taking in the sight of the four of them.

Ichiro shoved Hikari ahead of him. “Run!” he yelled as Liam dragged Shizuko behind himself.

Hikari stumbled, catching herself as she ran after the other two. As she reached the wall, they both took her by the hands and pulled her out.

“Come on!” Liam shouted to Ichiro, reaching out.

Ichiro felt the hand grab him, pulling him back. The agent looked down at him, the shield dropped and a baton raised. “No! Let go!” Ichiro yelled, struggling, pulling against the man. He saw two more men run into the room, dressed in full tactical gear. The second into the room didn’t appear to be watching his step, bumping into the man holding Ichiro. The man grunted, his grip slipping, and Ichiro took the chance.

Liam was already stepping back through the hole, grunting as he strained his injured shoulder to pull himself in. He stumbled, looking dizzy, the blood wetting the outside of the hospital gown, before a baton soared over Ichiro’s head and made contact with his forehead, causing him to stagger back. Another agent, the third in the room, helped the first in grabbing Ichiro, throwing him to the ground.

“No!” Hikari tried to push in, but Shizuko was faster, pulling her sister back. Liam aided her, a hand to his head as it added to the red, and the other around Hikari’s arm, enacting Shizuko’s will.

Another agent in full gear ran after them, charging for the hole in the wall, but a hand on his ankle tripped both him and the man behind. Ichiro watched, a pained smile on his face, as Hikari escaped.