Triste nodded and glanced back at Vergil, briefly touching his fingers. "I'm hoping it'll take more than this to bring me down." She met his eyes for a second, then pulled away, standing up and cloaking simultaneously. "Just keep me covered," she muttered, then set off at a jog down towards the fence.
Getting closer, she could almost feel the eyes of the drones upon her, almost a physical weight that seemed to weigh her down. Triste could hear their mechanical whirring as they hovered lazily overhead. As she ran beneath one, her boots crunching softly on the rocks and pebbles scattered across the sand beneath her feet, the drone suddenly stopped in its path, swiveling in her direction camera and machine-gun barrel gleaming in the sun's glare. Triste's heart sank - had something gone wrong? Could it see her?! - and as she ran past it the gecko kept it in her peripheral vision, convinced she was about to feel the hot, piercing pain of bullets ripping into her.
Then she was past, and nothing had happened. Letting out a breath slowly, Triste looked over her shoulder and saw the drone set off in another path, not interested in her. Thank god. Finally, she was at the fence. Stopping just short of the chain-link structure, she quickly pulled out the laser cutter that she'd taken from Anne. A thin buzzing started to whine in her head - her cloaking was about to run out. Breathing evenly, Triste activated the device and started to run it down the fence, the white hot laser cutting easily through the metal. The buzzing in her head started to get louder, more insistent, and she picked up her speed, cutting down then to the left, creating a small flap. Switching off the laser, Triste gently pulled the flap up at the corner, slipped through and pulled it shut gently behind her... just as her cloaking drained away. Hissing, she darted forwards and pressed herself flat against the wall of the security compound.
The ringing in her head started to fade as the invisibility system embedded in her skin started to recharge. Triste knew they didn’t have enough time to wait, so after taking a second to gain her bearings she set off to the right, keeping close to the wall of the compound as she followed the structure around to the rear of the building. Only once did she have to duck past a window, and as she did so Triste heard the muted voices of the four guards Soren had reported. Whatever they were talking about, the discussion seemed relaxed. In the background, she could hear the sound of what sounded like a sports commentary coming from a tv. If they were lucky, the noise would cover the sound of the vehicle.
She rounded the corner and finally, there in front of her were the two armored vehicles. They were parked out in the open - right in view of a door leading into the building. Shooting a wary glance in the door's direction, she darted straight for the closest vehicle. Running her long fingers against the vehicle, she pulled the handle and almost smiled as the heavy door heaved open. Thanks for making it easier... Easing herself behind the wheel, she took a quick look at the ignition and gritted her teeth. No keys - of course it wouldn't be that easy. Sliding the knife from its sheath on her arm, she sliced at the wires beneath the wheel and started reconnecting them, shooting glances through the windscreen towards the door. Still nobody. Suddenly, the engine of the armored buggy rumbled to life, the dashboard lighting up.
Triste waited for a second to see if anyone came out, and when the door stayed shut she allowed herself a quick smile. Things were finally going smoothly. Working the gearbox, Triste eased the buggy forwards, keeping it slow for the moment as she craned her neck to see down to the front of the car. A gate in the fence was ajar, and she nudged the buggy through, trying the keep the noise down as the metal squeaked. Then the vehicle was clear, and she started to pick up the speed, the dust road she followed taking her further away from the compound and, luckily, keeping away from the sight of the drones. Glancing to the side, she spotted the area where the rest of the team was hiding and as she swung the vehicle off the road and sped towards them, Triste could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The hard part still isn't over.
---------------------------------------------
"Get off! Stop it!" Axel snapped as Rio prodded at his arms, the metal clinking as the boy's sharp nails tapped against their surface. Throwing a hand up in the air in exasperation, Axel turned away from the wheel and pointed a finger. "Keep it up and I'm hanging you on our flagpole! I'm talking serious wedgie time!"
Rio seemed unimpressed by his protests. "So they don't fire lasers or rockets or anything?"
"They let me pick stuff up and... do other stuff. That's it!"
"Super strength?"
"No."
"Force fields?"
"No!"
"Oh shit."
"What?"
Rio was staring at something behind Axel. The rat turned and his ears flattened as he saw what had caught Rio's attention. A boat, tailed by four guards using flying frames were speeding towards them. "Oh shit," he echoed.
"Move!" Rio pushed against Axel and put his hands on the wheel, standing on tiptoes to see where the boat was heading. "It'll look more natural that we're going slow if I'm driving... just talk to them!"
Staying next to Rio in case he started to steer them aground, Axel swallowed and turned to face the incoming security team. He waved to them. "Ah... Ahoy there!" he called lamely.
