Olly Briggs
Alarms screamed all around them and flashing lights lining the floors of the hallways were illuminating a path through the dimness. Smoke was billowing through the halls; it immediately assaulted their lungs and they both began to cough. Procuring a knife from inside her sleeve Abigail grabbed a nearby tapestry and cut two ragged strips of fabric from it. She handed one to Olly and tied the other around her mouth and nose. He followed suit and began to breathe slightly easier.
Evacuate immediately. Follow the illuminated path on the floor to the nearest emergency exit. This is not a drill…
Evacuate immediately. Follow the illuminated path on the floor to the nearest emergency exit. This is not a drill…
Evacuate immediately. Follow the illuminated path on the floor to the nearest emergency exit. This is not a drill…
A mechanical voice was playing on repeat over an intercom system.
Abigail looked around. The corridors were currently vacant.
“Follow me,” she instructed, her voice muffled by the makeshift mask.
She took long strides and her long auburn hair fanned out behind her, providing a beacon for Olly to follow. As they came up to the first major junction she held up her hand. He stopped right behind her. He looked out the large paned windows and saw a heavy emergency presence outside. However, there was no discernable crowd of evacuees.
“Something’s not right…” she said darkly.
As if on cue, another loud BOOM sounded from a nearby corridor. Bits of debris rained down from overhead from the ceiling. He braced for a cave-in but none came, fortunately. Muffled screams could be heard from another side of the building.
“We have to get to the others and make sure they’re okay,” she exclaimed, “I won’t place you in danger so if you’re not comfortable tell me now and I will guide you to an emergency exit.”
“No, I’m not leaving you!” he retorted. He also needed to know that the others were okay. Sarah was in there. His other classmates were in there. Hell, even the thought of something happening to someone like Odette made him feel weak. If someone was injured or worse and he did nothing to help he’d be devastated.
“Then stay close and listen to me, got it?” she said not unkindly, but she looked at him expectantly. She was all business now and he immediately understood why she was the Grandmaster. Sure she was kind and charismatic under normal circumstances, but these were not normal circumstances and currently she was oozing pure leadership energy. She was accountable to the lives of everyone in here and he knew that if he followed her into battle he had to obey orders.
“Got it,” he confirmed.
She nodded and began her trek again. She took a hallway that led away from the main atrium.
“It’s too open, I don’t trust it,” she explained as they walked, “We need to remain undetected and appraise the situation. I’m taking us through the back way.”
He said nothing but wordlessly obeyed her. Eventually, they crossed the entrance of a chamber. They were set to breeze right past it when he heard a muffled cry from the other side.
“Grandmaster!” he hissed to get her attention.
She looked back and he pointed at the door. She turned back and gently knocked. “It’s me, is everyone alright?” she said quietly.
Nothing happened immediately but after a brief moment, he heard a latch turn and the door opened. A woman’s tear-streaked face looked out at them. She broke into a relieved expression and began weeping. Abigail and Olly entered the room and shut the door behind them. Several other people were huddled in the chamber.
“What’s going on?” Abigail asked gently.
“We’re under attack,” she said tearfully, “Several masked individuals stormed the front doors and blocked the entrance. They had this device that seemed to cause explosions when they aimed it at things. They targeted major hallways and any tunnels leading into the atrium. We can’t evacuate so we hid here but we don’t know what to do!”
“Dammit,” Abigail sighed in frustration, “Where were they heading?”
“Towards the courtyard. They may have split up but they were heading that way.”
Abigail furrowed her brow, looking thoughtful. “Why…” she asked, mostly to herself before snapping back to the girl, “Do we have any external comms?”
“I’m not sure but I’m doubtful. They’ve cut the main power source. We only have the emergency backup lights and system running.”
Abigail nodded. “Okay. I’m going back out there. I’ll see what they want once and for all. Stay here and blockade the door. Don’t open it for anyone else.”
She nodded fearfully and grasped Abigail’s arm. “Be safe out there Grandmaster!”
Abigail gave her a small, reassuring smile. “I will Diya.”
Olly motioned to follow her but she turned around. “I can’t in good conscience let you come with me. Stay here where it’s safe,” she instructed.
He was going to protest but she shook her head. “It’s not up for debate. Keep these people calm, that’s an order from your Grandmaster.”
“I… Yes Grandmaster,” he conceded. She clapped him on the shoulder.
“Good lad. I’ll see you once this is over. I’ll be fine,” she said reassuringly and swept out of the room without a second look.
He stood there for a moment, feeling useless. “Alright, let’s get the door barricaded,” he suggested, feeling more concerned for her safety than he thought he would.
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Sarah Weldon
When the first explosion boomed the walls shook. Several people screamed and took cover while others immediately moved to take action. Interestingly enough, it was mostly students who were quick to react and get to their feet. Older Conductors and politicians were the ones who looked around incredulously or in terror.
Sarah and Odette were closest to the door and made eye contact. Odette’s face reflected how Sarah felt. Something was wrong. Sarah quietly moved towards the door but instead of opening it, she held the back of her hand to the knob. It was still cold so there was no immediate risk of fire. She pressed an ear to it and listened intently.
“What do you think that was?” The Mayor of Donnol spoke up.
Odette shushed him and Sarah inwardly grinned. The audacity of the girl could be refreshing at times.
“Not sure,” Sarah said quietly, “Does anyone have a mirror?”
Someone procured one and handed it over wordlessly. Sarah slid it partially under the crack of the door and wiggled it around as best she could, trying to get a vantage point. She didn’t see anyone or anything and she leaned back on her heels.
They had two options, leave and risk running into the source of the explosion, or remain quiet and risk getting trapped. There was only one exit out of the room.
She turned to the Mayor, knowing he was the senior-most person present in a decision-making capacity.
“Sir, I’m not sure what happened out there, but we have a decision to make. The coast is clear for now but this is a large group and I don’t know what’s waiting for us. Alternatively, this room seems safe and secure and if we can remain quiet and stay put we could wait for someone to retrieve us.”
The room buzzed with whispers and the Mayor frowned. “Where does this corridor go?”
“The way we came heads towards the atrium, which I think is the source of the explosion,” an older Conductor chimed in, “But if we follow it in the opposite direction it will lead us towards the courtyard and at least one emergency exit.”
Suddenly, several more explosions rocked the room. They sounded like they were getting closer.
The Mayor sighed heavily. “We can’t risk getting entombed here, let’s move on.”
Sarah checked the mirror once more. There still weren’t any signs of people but she could see smoke billowing from the direction of the atrium.
She nodded and one of the Conductors opened the door. An alarm had begun to sound and the power flickered around them, before going out altogether. Floor lighting provided the only source of light. The smoke was getting thicker and people started to panic.
She pulled Odette aside and whispered in her ear. “Let’s try and keep people calm. I assume you know people here?”
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Odette nodded. “Yup, I can go to the people I know if you want to take the others.”
“Will do,” Sarah agreed and they split up to try and keep spirits up.
It was just like the aptitude test; they hadn’t known it was fake then so they might as well apply the same techniques here. “It doesn’t seem fake though,” Sarah thought grimly to herself, “They wouldn’t employ the same tactics twice.”
As they followed the Conductor further down the corridor they heard several more explosions behind them. Yelps sounded all around them.
Sarah made her way to the front, giving words of encouragement to people as she passed them, and caught up to the senior Conductor who was leading the group. The Mayor of Donnol kept pace with him. They were following the illuminated lighting on the floor and she breathed a sigh of relief that an exit route was established.
They came upon a window-lined corridor that wrapped around the courtyard but before they could take more than a few steps she gasped, grasping at the Conductor’s arm.
“Sir. There’s someone across the way!” she exclaimed as she pulled him back away from the window.
He held up a hand and the group stopped behind him.
“Where’s that mirror?” he asked and Sarah handed it to him. He used it to look into the courtyard. Sarah watched over his shoulder and saw that there was indeed someone standing vigil within the courtyard. He was dressed in all black and his face was obscured by a simple wooden mask. It had gashes for eye holes and a mouth. She shivered.
“What is it?” the Mayor asked.
“I… I don’t know,” the Conductor confessed, “I’ve never seen anyone dressed like that around here.”
Another boom sounded behind them and someone in the crowd screamed. Through the mirror, Sarah and the Conductor watched as the man’s masked face turned toward the direction of the noise. Echoing footsteps pounded from down the corridor behind them.
“Shit,” the Conductor exclaimed, “Okay, we need to make a break for it!”
The group took off and Sarah stole a glance at the man in the courtyard. He didn’t react but merely watched them as they ran past the windows.
“Keep going, there’s an emergency exit up ahead!” the Conductor shouted, following the illuminated path as a guide.
Two men stepped into their path and pandemonium broke out. Everyone at the front attempted to come to an abrupt stop, however, the people at the rear couldn't see what was going on and collided into them. Bodies crashed into each other as the momentum from the people at the back slammed into the people closer to the front, catching them in a crush.
Sarah gasped for air as she was shoved into the window. She was quickly pinned and unable to move.
“They’re coming!” she heard someone shout from behind her.
Just as she reached the verge of passing out she found herself freed from the mass. However, someone roughly tied her hands behind her back. She was dizzy and disoriented; screams and cries echoed all around her. A glass panel shattered beside her and she looked up, trying to focus amidst the chaos unfolding around them. She felt warm blood dripping from the corner of her mouth and she looked up to see a wooden mask glowering down at her.
The man wearing it leaned down to reach for her and she felt herself rising off the ground but someone else threw themselves at the aggressor. She dropped to the ground once more somewhat limply as she watched Odette thrash at the man long enough to drive him off. However, Odette soon found herself staring down a dagger pointed at her face by another man.
“Odette…” Sarah said weakly, “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Odette practically growled as her own hands were bound behind her back and she was led away. Sarah was once again dragged to her feet and made to follow in the same direction. She didn’t fight. They didn’t kill them immediately so they were likely being held hostage. They needed to remain calm if they wanted to get out of it.
One by one the group was led towards another chamber. Everyone except the Mayor was seated on the floor. He had one man assigned to him, holding the edge of a blade to his throat. Another man strode through the room, holding a camera in one hand and a peculiar device in the other. He seemed to be in charge.
“So what’s going to happen here is that you’re all going to remain cooperative and quiet. If you don’t, the Mayor is going to die first and then from there we are going to kill you one by one,” he spoke with a distorted voice.
She shut her eyes, willing herself to remain calm. A horrified hush had fallen over the crowd.
“Can I please ask what your demands are?” the Mayor questioned, voice quivering, “I will personally ensure that they’re met if you let these innocent people go.”
“Innocent is a curious turn of phrase for people complicit with murder but, no Mr. Mayor, you’re in no position to answer our demands. We will wait for the Grandmaster and then we will take our pound of flesh.”
He hit a button on the camera and a red light began blinking. Another individual, this time a woman, held a microphone to his face.
“Flexibilis. This is a live broadcast from the Shadow Fellowship. We have taken the Conductors’ Guild Headquarters and have the Mayor of Donnol and several unnamed Conductors under our control. If the Grandmaster doesn’t surrender herself to us within the hour we will kill each hostage one-by-one, every fifteen minutes thereafter.”
He clicked the camera off. She looked around discreetly and tried to gain as much identifying information as she could.
“I hope you’re somewhere safe Olly,” she thought desperately, “Don’t get involved in this mess.”
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Olly kept his ears peeled for any signs of activity on the other side of the door but he couldn’t hear anything except for the odd whimper from others in the room with him. It was frustrating and nerve-wracking not knowing if anyone else was safe. The situation appeared grim. Would the Grandmaster be able to salvage the situation alone? How many people were behind this?
He was seated against a wall. Sighing heavily, he let his head knock backward into it. More than once he wondered if he should just unbarricade the room and go after her. Or to go look for help. But the Grandmaster's last orders rang through his head and he didn’t want to risk getting her into more trouble.
Word would surely have spread to the outside by now so someone had to be organizing help.
The emergency message that had been playing over the intercom relentlessly suddenly stopped. There was a crackle and a heavily distorted voice began to speak.
“Hello, Grandmaster. We have your beloved students, Conductors and the Mayor of Donnol. Wouldn’t you like to see them returned safely to their families? If so I suggest you immediately surrender yourself to us in the courtyard. Stop hiding and face the music.”
“Fuck,” he swore. A few others whimpered in response.
The temperature of the room seemed to drop around him and he shivered to keep warm. He closed his eyes and in his mind’s eye involuntarily saw his outstretched hand in front of a golden barrier. As he focused on it the warmth began to return to him, slowly spreading up his arm.
“What is going on?” he wondered. It was oddly reminiscent of the lab practice he had with Steven.
He could hear voices beyond the barrier in his mind. “Alright, you have me,” Abigail said, “Release my people and the Mayor at once!”
“No!” he thought desperately.
“We need a few things from you before we do that. First, you’re going to go on camera and take full accountability on behalf of all the Guilds for the collapses. Then you’re going to punch a tunnel to specific coordinates and, finally, you’re going to accompany us there as our prisoner.”
“I’ll do no such thing!” she insisted hotly.
A loud slap resonated through his mind and he heard a body collapse to the floor.
“Guess we’ll have to start culling hostages early. Bring me one of the younger ones.”
Olly’s eyes flew open. He found himself surrounded by the other room occupants; they were looking at him with a mix of concern and horror.
“You were mumbling something under your breath. It was like you were in a trance,” Diya said.
“I have to do something,” he said urgently, getting to his feet.
“Where are you going? She told us to stay here!” one of the other people spoke up.
“Well, things have changed,” he insisted, standing and facing the wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He needed to picture that barrier again. It wasn't coming to mind so he desperately thought back to what triggered it.
“I was leaning against this wall over here,” he thought. Frowning in thought, he extended a hand to touch the same wall. It was cool to the touch but as he closed his eyes he could picture the barrier again.
“This is my starting point, show me my endpoint,” he pleaded.
He felt the wall reach an equilibrium with his hand and a thread seemed to form to a fixed point on the other side of the barrier. As if lifting a curtain, the barrier melted away and he could see the courtyard.
Abigail was being held back by two of the larger men while another one dragged a thrashing girl before her. It was Odette.
“Leave her alone!” Abigail screamed.
“I warned you,” the man said, and he was about to hit a button on a camera. Another man readied a knife and moved threateningly towards Odette.
“No hesitation,” Olly thought to himself as he felt the rush of energy forming behind his hand.
The stone wall quaked and shifted, rapidly folding in on itself. He felt the energy punching through layers of rock and wood and glass until it found its exit. A blast of energy resonated through the courtyard, knocking everyone down.
He found himself standing in front of his makeshift tunnel, staring them down.
“Leave the girl, we’re retreating!” the man in charge said, recovering quickly. He used the device in his hand to blast a hole through the wall opposite Olly’s tunnel. It shattered the glass effortlessly and all the people dressed in black immediately clamored out of it.
There was silence. Olly helped the Grandmaster to her feet as blood trickled from beneath her hairline. "I'm so sorry Grandmaster," he said as he looked around at the destruction around them.
“You saved us,” she said breathlessly, taking in the makeshift tunnel he had formed in awe. She didn't seem to pay any mind to the damage. Rivelets of blood were leaving trails through the ash and soot smeared on her skin.
“What about them?” he asked worriedly, gesturing to the hole they had escaped from.
She shook her head. “I was able to make contact with the outside before they began calling for my surrender. They’ll be caught. Help should be surrounding us.”
Sure enough, Oleg strode through Olly’s tunnel, escorted by several civilian guards and Controllers.
“Oleg, what the hell is going on out there?!” she demanded as he rushed over to her.
He looked ashen-faced. “I came here as soon as I could. There were coordinated attacks on all four major Guild Headquarters.”
She groaned and put her head in her hands. “Status updates?” she asked darkly.
“We were able to detect our threat before it happened and subdued the aggressor. The Cartographers were able to evacuate to a safe room and wait out the attack,” he paused, looking grim, “But the Controllers received heavy losses.”
She looked up at him worriedly. “How heavy?” she asked, dreading the answer.
He paused, looking pained. “Grandmaster Alzira has been killed in action along with eight other Controllers.”
She looked stricken. Closing her eyes she hung her head to her chest as a mournful sound escaped from her.