"Where in damnation is he?" the guard barked, towering over the young girl. She stood silent, arms clutching a tray of scrap metal, her amber eyes avoiding his glare.
She gestured awkwardly—a fake yawn followed by resting her cheek on her hand, mimicking sleep.
The guard groaned in irritation. "Still in his room, is he? Dragging out this injured-body act. If he doesn't want another beating, he'll learn quick."
The guard turned on his heel, muttering curses under his breath.
Before he could storm off, alarms erupted through the cavern. The sharp wail of sirens echoed off the walls, jolting every worker and guard into motion.
"Emergency! Code red! All personnel, to the mine entrance immediately!"
Another guard, rifle clutched tightly in his hands, barreled past him, only to be stopped by a firm hand to his chest.
"What's going on?" the first guard demanded.
"Sir, power's out in the lower mines, and no one's reported back in over sixteen hours. The foreman thinks there's been an accident. We're sending half the force down there now."
The guard hesitated, his brow furrowing as he processed the news. "Understood. Proceed. I'll handle things up here."
As the rushing guards disappeared into the mine, the first guard grumbled and changed direction, heading toward the sleeping quarters.
He reached the door marked for Ekko's room and shoved it open, rifle in hand. "Sleeping at a time like this," he sneered. "Typical."
The figure under the thin, lumpy blanket didn't stir. The guard stepped closer, smirking as he swung the butt of his rifle down onto the figure's back.
"Wakey wakey—"
CRACK.
The guard froze, pain lancing through the back of his skull. His knees buckled, and the room spun as he collapsed onto the floor. His last thought before blacking out 'shit.'
I stood over the unconscious guard, breathing hard, the improvised metal pipe still clutched in my hands. I glanced down at him, adjusting the helmet I'd just yanked from his head. The fit was perfect.
Minutes earlier, I'd whispered instructions to the young girl. She'd baited the guard here just as I prepped the decoy: a bundle of pillows, blankets, and four stacked drills arranged to look like a sleeping figure.
Now, I worked quickly, stripping the guard of his uniform and tying him to the bed with scavenged cable. The gas mask and helmet would be enough to keep my identity hidden, at least for a while.
The sirens blared louder outside, echoing through the cavern. I strapped the modified drills to my back. I'd filled them with chem-liquid to boost their power,They were no longer drills. Detachable, adjustable—each drill was a different part of a project I had been working on.
Cracking the door open, I peered out into the chaos. Guards, rifles in hand, herded workers into tighter groups, their weapons held high to keep everyone in line.
Sixteen hours prior.
Somewhere below…
Scar gathered most of the miners he could.
He told them that a tunnel had been destroyed and they needed to reopen the passage or face punishment.
As more and more miners gathered as Scar wanted, Scar waited for the timer to run out, any second now.
Just then, everybody's helmets and mining lights shut off. For the first time in a long time, darkness enveloped the mines.
The miners, of course, were stunned and scared.
"What's going on? My light's out!"
Each miner was frightened. Every human wore the look of terror on their faces.
But Scar was no human.
"Shut up and listen. Each and every one of you has no light source. None of you will make it back," he said.
"We have only one option: to drill."
"But the guards will save us, right? They haveto!"
"Do you think they'll risk their own lives to save yours?" Scar snapped. "You all have drills. You'll be stuck down here for days, weeks, months, or even years. The only thing you know is to drill. As the only living and breathing thing down in these mines that can see, you have no option but to follow me. Don't worry, I'll make sure we get back."
"Why can't you just take us back the way we got here?.
Scar smiled. Just then, the sound of a large explosion echoed. The miners thought the way they came from had been destroyed. But the truth—only Scar and I knew—was that it was just a sound box I had created to make it seem like they were cornered in a dark tunnel with no way to escape. How could they know? They couldn't see in the dark.
"Are we trapped?"
"What was that?"
Only Scar saw the panic in each worker's face.
All of this was a ruse. Quickly, they believed they were stuck and had no option but to drill in the direction Scar wanted.
"Follow me. I'll make sure you get out alive," Scar promised.
Sixteen hours later.
I stepped out into the chaos, blending in with the guards. The uniform gave me just enough authority to move freely, and the helmet kept my face hidden.
My goal was the main room—that's where the microphone connected to each speaker throughout the mine was located.
As I walked around a corner, I heard a call.
"Ha, what do we have here?"
My heart raced a little—not just because I thought I'd been caught.
But the voice… Oh, the voice was familiar.
I looked back.
It was a young lady with blue hair, one long braid, pale skin, and piercing blue eyes. She wore what looked like a Zaun uniform.
Powder—no, Jinx.