Zoey settled for punching me in the gut. I think it hurt her knuckles judging by the way she was shaking her hand out. I was ready for a lot more, but Zoey surprisingly stopped after a shin kick.

Hopping over to tackle the control box, she tossed away the shiv.

"I don't need this."

She didn't see, but it nailed a small spider. Arguably the scariest thing she's done.

The hum of the nearby generator was loud enough to mask our whispers, but it also had me concerned with what it was powering and if it was malfunctioning. Zoey obviously had more hands-on experience than I did. Watching her identify each lever, switch, wire, and port while ignoring everything unnecessary told me she at least knew a thing or two.

As the others began helping themselves off the roof, I leaned in closer to Zoey to whisper.

"What's the story?"

She gave me the stink eye but answered matter of factly.

"It isn't rocket science. Cameras and Lights are separated. Though, that barely accounts for the power output."

"Can you hack into the cameras from here?"

"With my bare hands? This isn't a movie. That's not how hacking works."

It would be. Eventually. Just not yet, unfortunately. We would have to get Zoey to the control room to hack in. Sneaking into the HQ to do so was a redundant action, so we'd have to settle for them being off instead.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Switch the cameras when you see our signal. Then do the power a minute later."

I left Zoey to her work and joined the others. Zoey's job was easy, but it was important. Nadim would stay behind to guard her since she had qualms about getting her hands dirty. Specs could cover them while the rest of us moved.

Regrouping with the others, I peeked around the corner of the building. Most of the cameras were up high and pointed either toward the cages or the entrance. None of them were pointed skyward for obvious reasons, but there was one camera across the courtyard that could potentially spot our crossover if someone was paying attention.

Making sure there were no patrols; I signaled for the cameras to be switched. The following moments were tense as each of us passed and took cover behind the barracks. The sounds of dwarven laughter became more distinct, and it felt like they were mocking my plans. I knew it was all in my head.

I saw Nadim signal that the cameras were back on. That meant about sixty seconds until the lights went out.

We moved to a wooden door at the back of the barracks. The smell was atrocious. The door was adjacent to their latrine and shit pit. It was gag worthy, but I was satisfied with the way the others held it together. The smell of burning dwarf had tempered their limits.

Alice and Lucas passed us and moved in the direction of the garage. I gave Alice a nod as they disappeared around the corner, ready to run for the cages when the power was out.

In my novel, dwarves once lived on the surface underneath a bright sun. That meant they would have the same reaction as humans if the lights suddenly turned out.

Aaron wielded one of his bucklers and Mei adjusted her grip on a shortsword. I kept my hands free since I didn't know how tight the space inside would be.

Counting down, we had about ten seconds left, so we faithfully closed our eyes and awaited the discontinuation of the electrical hum and a distinct change in dwarven festivity. I fought to keep myself poised and ready for anything rather than tightening up. The anticipation in those drawn-out seconds was enough to drive me mad.

Five seconds left, and I was fidgeting from side to side.

Two seconds left, and I heard the door open.

On the last second, I opened my eyes and stared down into the eyes of a very surprised dwarf

"Shit."

Then the lights went out.