Jay POV
Darkness pressed against my eyelids.
For a while I didn't even know where I was.
There was only a dull ringing in my ears and a heavy throbbing in my head… like someone had struck a bell inside my skull and forgotten to stop it.
I tried to move.
Pain shot through my forehead.
Right… I got hit.
Fragments of memory slowly returned.
The mansion.
The fight.
The guards.
Someone shouting my name.
Then something crashing into my head.
My breathing slowed.
I forced myself to stay calm.
Panicking never helped anyone.
Especially not me.
I could feel the cold concrete floor beneath me. My cheek rested against it, slightly damp. My mask was still on, though it felt heavier than usual.
Blood.
The metallic smell told me enough.
Great.
I slowly opened my eyes behind the mask.
My vision blurred at first, the room spinning slightly.
Then it focused.
Dim lights hung from the ceiling.
Concrete walls.
Metal pipes.
And voices.
A lot of voices.
I didn't move yet.
Instead I listened.
"Keep them tied," one guard said somewhere across the room.
Another laughed.
"Boss wants them alive."
Boss.
That meant Kaiser.
Kaiser Watson
My fingers curled slightly.
So he really went this far.
I forced myself to breathe evenly and slowly lifted my head just a little.
My vision moved across the room.
The first person I saw was Hannah.
She was tied to a chair, struggling slightly against the ropes.
Her eyes were wide.
Worried.
Next to her sat Nathan and Carlos, both tied tightly.
Miguel too.
All of them alive.
Good.
Relief passed through me for exactly one second.
Then my eyes moved further.
My heart tightened.
Keifer.
Hex.
Yuri.
Ci-N.
Felix.
David.
Rory.
Blaster.
The entire Section E group.
All tied to chairs.
All soaked from water.
Some coughing slightly.
Some staring at the guards with pure hatred.
Keifer's eyes were locked on me.
Even from across the room I could feel the intensity in that stare.
Concern.
Anger.
Fear.
"Jay…"
His voice was low but I still heard it.
I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position.
The world spun again.
My hand touched my forehead.
Sticky blood.
"Fantastic," I muttered quietly.
Hex noticed first.
"Jay!"
Immediately several guards turned toward me.
One of them stepped closer.
"Well look who's awake."
Another laughed.
"The princess finally woke up."
I ignored them and steadied myself.
My brain was already analyzing everything.
Number of guards.
Eight.
No… nine.
Weapons.
Two metal bats.
Three knives.
The rest just fists.
Distance to the door.
About twenty meters.
Distance to Keifer.
Ten.
Distance to Hannah.
Seven.
Possible escape routes.
None obvious.
Not good.
Kaiser stepped forward slowly.
His polished shoes echoed against the concrete floor.
"Well well."
He tilted his head slightly as he looked down at me.
"Luna Byte herself."
I slowly stood up despite the dizziness.
"You hit like a coward."
A guard beside him laughed loudly.
Kaiser didn't.
Instead he studied me carefully.
Then his eyes moved to the blood running down my forehead.
"You should be unconscious longer," he said calmly.
"Most people would be."
I shrugged slightly.
"I'm not most people."
Behind me I heard Ci-N whisper something.
"Yeah… we noticed."
Felix coughed but still grinned.
Kaiser sighed.
"You're still arrogant even tied up."
I glanced down.
My wrists were tied again.
But looser than before.
Very interesting.
Someone rushed this knot.
My mind quietly noted that.
"Why bring them here?" I asked.
Kaiser smiled.
"Entertainment."
He walked slowly across the room.
"You see… revenge alone is boring."
His eyes moved from Keifer… to Hex… then back to me.
"But revenge with an audience?"
He spread his arms slightly.
"Much better."
Keifer suddenly spoke.
"Let them go."
His voice was calm.
But dangerous.
Kaiser chuckled.
"Oh, the hero speaks."
"You wanted me," Keifer continued coldly.
"You have me."
"Let the others leave."
Several guards laughed.
Kaiser leaned closer to him.
"You really think you're in a position to negotiate?"
Keifer didn't look away.
"Try me."
The tension in the room thickened instantly.
I watched both of them carefully.
Then something strange caught my attention.
One of the guards behind Kaiser adjusted his grip on a knife.
He looked nervous.
Too nervous.
My eyes shifted to the ropes around my wrists again.
Loose.
Very loose.
Interesting…
My fingers slowly began twisting against the rope.
Carefully.
Slowly.
No sudden movements.
No attention.
The knot shifted slightly.
Good.
Across the room Hannah noticed the movement.
Her eyes widened.
I gave the smallest shake of my head.
Not yet.
The rope loosened a little more.
Kaiser was still talking.
"…and once I'm done with all of you—"
The rope slipped further.
Almost free.
My pulse slowed.
One more movement.
Just one.
And—
"HEY!"
A guard suddenly shouted.
I froze.
His eyes were pointing directly at my hands.
"Well look at that," he said.
"She's trying to escape again."
Kaiser turned.
Our eyes met.
For a moment the room was completely silent.
Then Kaiser smiled slowly.
"Still fighting."
He stepped closer.
"Good."
He leaned down slightly toward me.
"I was hoping for that."
My fingers tightened around the rope.
So was I.
Because if I was going to get everyone out of here…
I was going to need the right moment.
And that moment…
Was getting very close. ⚡