Leaning against the wall, Arkam chose the left door. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then soft footsteps echoed in the chamber. He cracked open his right eye.
A small boy stood before him, tugging at his coat for attention. Arkam bent down so their faces were level. He recognized the boy as the second brother."How can I help you? Wait—what's your name, kid?" he asked, offering an awkward smile. "I'm not good with kids," he thought.
"Narro," the boy mumbled, fiddling with his fingers."Narro. That's a good name." Arkam gave him a gentle pat on the head, trying—though unsuccessfully—tocomfort him. The gesture only made things more awkward.
Then, Narro leaned in close to his ear. Arkam jolted back instinctively—too close—smacking the back of his head against the wall.Rubbing the sore spot, he snapped, "What do you want? Just say it." Narro blinked, confused by Arkam's reaction. "I… I wanted to tell you something…"
Arkam narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"The people who brought us here haven't come for three days. My brother said it might help you." The boy turned and scampered back toward the room where Kara and the others were waiting.
Arkam called after him with a half-hearted, "Thanks," then muttered, "Not sure how that helps me…" Three days was a long time to ignore prisoners. "Either they don't care anymore, or something's changed."
Just then, White—the drone—returned. "Finally," Arkam muttered, studying the new map it projected. He glanced back at the room behind the right door. Kara and the children were laughing—soft, gentle laughter that didn't seem to belong there.
Arkam found himself smiling. "I'll never understand people. Even in hell, they still laugh." He took slow steps toward the right door and stopped at the entry, standing in its shadow.
"Ah… time to go," he said, as Kara and the children's attention drifted toward him.
Kara narrowed her eyes. She tried to stand up but was struggling. Narro and the oldest boy helped her. Kara slowly walked while she grabbed her stomach. The girl clung to her mother's tattered clothes.
Seeing this, Arkam extended his right hand. Kara, surprised by the gesture, smiled as he didn't show his face while he extended his arm.
Kara held his hand. "Thank you, sir." She noticed how awkward he was, feeling amused.
Arkam slowly led her outside through the right door and stood on the bridge. Taking his hand away from Kara, he tapped twice on the left side of the specs frame.
"Ahem… Now, I will tell you about the plan for our journey to the surface," he said, gazing at the path leading through the left door.
"Wh… What plan? Aren't we just going to the surface, the route you took to get here?" The oldest boy asked, looking into Arkam's eyes in confusion.
"What is your name, boy?" Arkam was caught off guard by the question.
"Lours, sir," the eldest whispered.
Arkam looked deep into his eyes and then smiled. "Well… It's not that simple, Lours. The path I took to get here was the Downward path, but if we take the same route, it will lead us upward. We have to climb many ladders and stairs, and that's not ideal for a pregnant woman and three children." The boy fell silent, shocked yet understanding what the men in black had said.
"Man, I am so awkward around kids, and why are these kids so normal toward me, like I'm their uncle or something?" he thought.
"Well, given their circumstances, they might be neutral towards everything." The thought lingered in his mind as he narrowed his eyes.
"Okay, so let's start by making two groups," he said, reviewing the plan the AI had made for this situation.The children and White will follow the route that Arkam had taken, while Arkam and Kara will go through the less steep path—that is, the route through the left door that White suggested.
After explaining this to Kara, she felt reluctant; no mother would entrust her children to an unknown person, especially since White wasn't even human. But Arkam reassured her, sharing that he had always placed his life in the hands of drones during missions.
Kara calmed down, knowing that Arkam knew what he was doing. She nodded and said, "I know you want to help us, but these children are all I've got. Please save them from this hell." Her cold tears dripped down her warm, reddish cheeks, slowly and painfully.
"I will do what I can, ma'am," he replied with a smile, though deep inside, he knew it wasn't that simple. Even if the children could be saved, what about the kidnappers? They would still be at large."There isn't a way to go down the bridge, so I will send them one by one to the bridge."
After, he picked up Narro and the little girl and jumped down from the bridge. His clothes and hair lifted quickly, falling with the Kids, they started screaming, while Kara and Lours gasped.The little girl cried, and Narro held Arkam and the girl tightly. He activated GEAR.
Kara, seeing this, screamed, "Nooooo."Arkam landed on his feet, the force was absorbed by the GEAR, and the legs got a blue tint. Kids and Kara's eyes were wide open; they saw something extraordinary. Arkam let down and released Narro and the girl from his arms, and then jumped up again, landing on the bridge in front of Kara and Lours. Kara, seeing him, tried to say something. But he grabbed Lours and jumped again. Arkam landed and released Lours, too.
He looked in Lours's eyes and said, "That was fun, right?" Lours lashed on him, said, "What the fuck was wrong with you? At least you should have told us about this," breathing heavily.
"Sorry, and you know how to curse?" Arkam said. He ordered White to come down and show them the path to the surface that he took. White descended from the bridge and slowly got to the entrance of the second level that Arkam entered.
Arkam looked into the eyes of Lours. "You are the big brother, so protect them. And don't worry, White will give you the safest path, okay." He patted Lours' head. Then jumped on the bridge, and as he landed in front of Kara, he saw the worry on her face.
Kara looked at Arkam as he got close to her. "I'm sorry, but this was how it should be," he said, looking into her eyes.
Kara understood and slowly walked towards the left door, looking at the kids as they waved their hands to her. She smiled and waved to them, and slowly, The kids followed White and exited the door down to the second level.
Kara saw her children getting away, she clutched her hand, and she held her tears. "Don't worry, lady. They would be fine, worry about us. We were going into the unknown," he said, and his gaze drifted toward the left door. "Even though the drone scanned the area beyond this door, we— no I needed to be sharp." Arkam narrowed his eyes. They both descended through the left door, going beyond it.
They both slowly walked in the darkness. Arkam had the specs and was seeing everything by night vision, but Kara had a problem seeing things, and being pregnant, she also had a problem walking.
Arkam saw this and said, "We you need, I can carry you, lady." he stopped. Kara, walking behind him, also stopped. "N…no, you don't need to, sir. I'm okay," she couldn't see Arkam, as she stared at his left side.
"I'm not there, lady. Where were you looking at?" he muttered and sighed. Even after saying no to Arkam, he still carried her.She gasped at Arkam's sudden action and said, "You don't need to, I was fine."
"I'm not being rude. You are just slowing us down." He carried her on his back. Kara widened her eyes, understanding what Arkam was talking about."B…but, I will still slow down if you carry me," as she clutched his shoulders."No, you will not. I– No, everyone in the imperial police is superhuman," he smiled.
"We are all far more capable than using GEAR's or drones, and I am more capable than they," he started taking at speed without the GEAR. Kara widened her eyes as Arkam activated the GEAR. In the long, dark corridor, His legs started moving faster every second.
He stopped, as a new big door stood against him.His gaze slowly went up, and it was written The third Level, on the right side; there was air ventilation.Arkam let go of Kara and slowly opened the door."NO, EMP jammers," he thought.
The door opened, and there was no sound.Arkam narrowed his eyes with suspicion. Arkam saw what was beyond the door. As a dim light crept through the door on his face.He narrowed his eyes, and he slowly opened them.Seeing a long corridor with many doors on the right and left sides. Small, dim light on the ceiling. At the end, a staircase leads up to the door that White couldn't go through.
He slowly goes through the door, as Kara follows him.He opens each door, pushing it.Many empty supply crates. They are common in the military bunker, but an uneasiness lingered in Arkam's mind.
Arkam slowly opened every crate in some rooms.24 rooms on each side. Slowly, he searched everything, but found nothing.
Then Arkam slowly walked towards the staircase to the end of a big door with an EMP jammer."These fucking jammers trying to make my life harder." he thought.He narrowed his eyes and turned his neck to see Kara."We need to talk," he said, and stared into her soul.