The sun was setting on the land of Japan. Hardy had closed his record store early to prepare for the night's plan. He was now talking with Jason in front of the compound as the sky grew dark.
Vida, Amora, and Akilah sat in the lobby, silently soaking in their anxiety.
The front entrance opened, revealing Jason and Hardy, both equipped with their black gaiters.
"Alright, kids. It's time to head out." Jason spoke the words that the three teens had been waiting for.
The girls got up, making their way out of the compound.
"Babe." Chase placed his hand on Amora's shoulder. Her eyes flicked to him, tense.
"I'll be back don't worry-" Amora paused as she noticed the blue-haired boy pull something out of his waistband.
"Here. Just in case." Chase held out one of his pistols. He twisted the grip towards Amora.
The girl's eyes furrowed. "No, I'm okay."
"Just put it in your waistband or something-" Chase was interrupted.
"I'm fine." Amora nodded, pushing the gun back towards her boyfriend. "I love you."
Chase paused, staring at Amora with a slightly confused look. "I love you too." He ended the conversation with an unsure nod, hugging her before she made her way out the door.
Amora tried to shake the feeling out of her head. She didn't know why the gun scared her so much. Her chest tightened at the thought of having to shoot that thing.
"Hendrix, see you when I get back!" Vida yelled down the hall, hoping Hendrix would hear her.
Hendrix came jogging from around the corner at the sound of her voice.
"You're leaving, already?" Hendrix asked as he slowed to a halt in front of her.
She nodded in response, sliding her custom made gaiter on with a cheeky smile.
"Promise me you won't get hurt." Hendrix scratched his head awkwardly.
"I promise. Don't do anything stupid." Vida responded with a chuckle.
Vida's cheeks warmed into a flustered smile as Hendrix pulled her into a hug.
"Okay. I'll see you when you get back." Hendrix nodded as he let go of the girl.
Vida nodded as she walked out of the door.
"Why… Why am I so nervous? We've hugged a million times…" Vida asked herself, twisting her dreadlocks between her fingers. Her mind wandered from the mission at hand for just a minute, looking back at the pink-haired boy standing in the doorway with a rosy smile.
"Promise me you won't get hurt, babe!" Kai said to Akilah in a poor attempt at copying Hendrix.
Akilah scoffed at the boy, her annoyance slowly turning into a chuckle as Kai made a stupid face to round it out.
Akilah swung her sheathed sword over her head, as she waved goodbye to Kai. She took a few steps towards the door.
"I didn't mean you were weak, Akilah." Kai's words made Akilah stop in her tracks.
"I just meant… Go at your own pace. You can count on us when you-" Kai was interrupted.
"I just want you guys to be able to count on me." Akilah responded. "I'll see you when I get back, okay? Don't worry about me." Akilah looked back and nodded, a serious look about her.
Kai stared as she walked through the door.
"Alright, we're off!" Jason waved to Alex and Bloom from inside the van as they made their way down the driveway.
The drive to Tokyo State Prison was not nearly as flashy as the other drives they had taken. Jason purposely rode through backroads and dirt paths to make them as untraceable as possible.
"Alright, I'm sure everyone remembers the plan. Here are some radios to talk through. Go onto channel 32." Hardy passed out radios to the girls.
"We're here. Y'all ready?" Jason looked back at the group who nodded in response.
The state prison was enormous, at least five stories tall covering acres of land. It was surrounded by a thick forest with no sign of civilization for miles on end.
The tower lights scoured the area around the fence lining the perimeter. Guards walked in paths marked by white lines painted onto the black concrete.
"Tokyo State Prison. There's dozens of people between those concrete walls. People whose lives were ruined because they asked too many questions." Jason shook his head as he clicked his teeth.
"We go on my mark." Hardy squinted at the silhouette of the guards, backlit by the lights of the watchtowers.
"Now!" Hardy jumped out of the side of the van, immediately followed by the three girls.
They sprinted into a bush that bordered the start of the concrete outside the prison's fence.
"That's where the Spirit sensors start, right?" Akilah whispered to the others. Hardy nodded as held his right hand out in front of him, pointing two fingers towards the ground.
"From what we understand, the sensors track Spirit based on a complicated version of echolocation. In intervals, they emit frequencies that can't be picked up by the human ear, but are absorbed by Spirit. The sensors then read how much of the sound comes back and from what distance. That's how they know if they are dealing with a regular citizen or a Spirit user." Hardy's hand began to glow orange.
"So, what are we gonna do?" Vida asked.
"I'll emit the same frequency at an interval that makes it seem like we aren't here. Hopefully I get the timing right." Hardy closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the timing.
The girls stared while the man stood motionless. A low, warping hum could be heard through the ambience of the forest as Hardy concentrated.
"Alright, time to move." Hardy broke the silence to the girls' confusion. It looked to them as though he had done nothing at all.
The man sprinted in a crouch, making his way towards the fence. The girls followed him hesitantly.
"Make an opening for us, Akilah." Hardy nodded towards the sword on Akilah's back. The man's hand still glowed orange, focusing two fingers towards the ground.
"Right." Akilah unsheathed her sword. She took a deep breath in.
Shing
The Spirit weapon cut like butter through the cold metal of the fence. Akilah's eyes widened at the ease of the slash.
"It had to be the Spirit in it." Akilah reasoned.
She made three more slashes, making a small square hole in the fence.
The four of them made their way through, looking around for any guards heading their way.
The lights passed around them, the group making sure to stay out of the path of the white circles.
The rebels slowly made their way through the dark, creeping towards the open garage.
Every step felt like life or death, because it was. The girls kept their breathing shallow, even though their hearts wanted to scream.
Their boots crunched against the gravel that topped the rough concrete, each noise making the teens' hearts race.
Finally, they made it into the garage, hiding behind one of the armored trucks housed in it.
The fluorescent lights were a strange relief, allowing the rebels to catch their breath for a moment.
Hardy peeped over the hood of the truck, seeing a pair of guards chatting leisurely.
He put one finger to his mouth as he slowly stepped inwards. The girls followed.
"The control room should be on the third floor, in the center of the building. We just need to move slowly, and we won't have to trip the alarm until the civilians are released." Hardy whispered. The teens nodded as they followed the man silently.
They slipped through the door into the main halls, where cells lined every wall.
Hardy stood up and took a deep breath out. "We've got a bit more breathing room here. Stay sharp." Hardy whispered.
The group made their way down the silent, empty hall.
The cells that filled the prison had no windows to speak of. The only thing you could make out from outside the cell was an eerie white light coming from underneath the solid door that closed the prisoner off from the rest of the world.
The sight of the endless rows of cells sent chills down Amora's spine. She could hear the faint sound of murmuring coming from some of the cells as she passed them. The prisoners were most definitely talking to themselves in an attempt to keep them sane.
Vida noticed Amora's worried expression.
"We'll free them all, one day. Let's focus on our mission right now." Vida placed a hand on Amora's shoulder and smiled through her decorative gaiter. Amora nodded as she tried to keep her gaze focused forward.
"Stop." Hardy whispered as he halted in his tracks, staring down the hallway. The girls looked forward, trying to see what Hardy was focused on.
Nothing but empty hallway.
A faint footstep echoed through the hallway.
Akilah activated her Mode.
"Shit." She muttered.
"Is enhanced hearing one of your abilities too?" Hardy asked under his breath.
"I see her too." Akilah responded, her eyes glowing purple through her glasses. "It's that girl from the street fight."
Amora's eyes widened as she immediately recognized who Akilah was talking about.
Vida's brows furrowed. She didn't have an idea of what to expect from this Deputy.
Akilah saw the Spirit signature of Tine strolling down the hallway from behind a wall, heading straight towards the corner the rebels were staring at.
"If she's here, then that means he's here too." Akilah thought out loud.
"Sound the alarm! Intruders!" Ocho's voice yelled at his patrol partner from behind the group.
The fluorescent white lights turned red as a siren screamed down every hallway.