LONDON CALLING

Ruby took a deep breath in and took hold of Angus's hand holding it tight on hearing Robert say for them to close their eyes she looked at him " I trust you." She told him now holding his arm and hand with both of hers. She smelt the rancid smell that met her nose making fear rise inside her. Ruby moved closer to Angus and pressed her head against his arm smelling his calogne along with the nuts and fruit as they moved.

Jack and Jessie moved forward with Robert each just placing one foot infront of the other to get to the other side quickly. " How mush further." Jack asked seeing Jessie starting to strain as he now wore his mask.

"It is a bit," Marcus said. "This was a mind trick of Gelding's--all designed to strain the sanity of even a well seasoned fighter. Keep your mind focused on what you would like to do to him for putting through all of this horsecrap. Use your anger to help you get through. Do whatever it takes. Do not let him defeat you. You're all some of the best trained fighters I've ever seen. If anyone can do this, it's you lot.

"Marcus," Robert said, frowning, "what's that lever on the wall for?"

"What lever?" Marcus frowned.

"To your right. Right at about the level of your trouser pocket."

"Oh. I don't know. Didn't notice it when I was through here last. Should we try it?" Robert went over to it.

"I'll do it," Robert said, feeling that if anything bad was going to happen, he wanted it to be him and not the others. He pulled the lever, and he heard metal sliding. It was a door of some sort, he believed, but he didn't see anything.

"Look!" Edward said. "Doors over the cell bars. This is how their staff got through. They brought down these iron gates over the cell bars so they didn't see the cells and what was in them. Capital! Bless you, Robert. A little less drama is not always a bad thing."

The iron gates clanged shut leaving them now in what was an empty corridor with iron gates on both sides, A ventilation system kicked in and started circulating cool fresh air.

"Fresh air. Take off your masks and breathe a moment," Robert told them.

Ruby jumped at the sound of the metal grinding as it came down. at Roberts words she slowly opened her eyes and looked at the metal slabs around her but she still kept hold of Angus's arm " well, thats a bonus" she said removing the mask. She looked at Angus " Thank you" she said softly to him with a smile. Staying close to his side as she took in the fresh air.

Jack and Jessie both were relived that they had got past a realy bad point. " so will it get worse?" Jessie asked placing his mask in his pocket. and glancing at Ruby and Angus, he could not help but chuckle at the pair of them.

"I don't know," Marcus said. "I don't know all of it. I only know the few sections I was able to discover. Khaat and I tried to escape when we had the opportunities to try, but those attempts were limited. And, to a given extent, we ended up repeating some of the same sections over and over. I think some of that was purposeful too. Some sections were not meant to do by one person. it took at least two to get through, and Khaat was not always able to help me. And clearly, I was missing a thing or two. I didn't see that lever in my previous trips through here. So, there is definitely strength in numbers."

"Let's keep moving, then, if we're all ready<" Robert said. he took a couple steps forward and the walls started to move, threatening to cut him off from the others, but Brian grabbed him and pulled him back sharply to the rest of them.

"Git," Robert cursed under his breath. "Now he wants to try to separate us one from the other. That was deliberate!"

"It's all deliberate, Robert," Marcus said. "We have to try to stay physically closer to one another."

They started again to walk through the corridors and the walls started to move again, this time to close together, threatening to crush them

"Well, shit," Robert sighed. "We'll need to go back."

"Nope," Edward said. "That cut off behind us when the walls started to close."

"Think. If staff got through so can we," Robert said. They started to search the room.

"Brian! Here. There's a hatch of some sort in the wall close to the floor," Marcus called. "I can't get it by myself and hold onto Khaat." Brian and Robert both ran over, and by pulling together, they opened the hatch.

"Oh, just bloody fabulous," Robert sighed. "This is not fun anymore." Brian looked up at the others.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's a slide. The only way out is to take the slide," he told them. "It looks like it goes down and around, and I can't see where it comes out."

"I haven't the foggiest," Marcus said. "Haven't seen this before."

Ruby moved forward with the others Jessie moved with Jack while she staid close to Angus. When Robert almost got seperated she took a quick step forward but rembered herself and stayed by Angus as she saw Brian grab him and pull him back into the group and breathed out in relife. When they moved she kept hold of Angus arm so to stay close to him when they stopped and opened a hatch she groaned. " great, a git indead." she said " more like an insesative masive neanderthal." hearing them all talk about the slide she looked down it. " well were not going to know untill some one or more than one take the plundge." she said " I vote we go in pairs, that way if seperated we have some one with us." she looked at them all.

"I'll go first," Robert said. "It's metal, so I can try to yell or bang on it if I make it safely to the bottom."

"I'll go with you," Brian said.

"No. No, if it isn't safe at the bottom, you need to still be here."

"I'll go with you," Mira said. "I'm the least trained, so, of all of us, I'm the most expendable."

"No one on my team is expendable," Robert said firmly.

"I'm speaking truth, Uncle Robert. I'll go with you. We'll signal when we get to the bottom," she told the others. "We'll bang once if it's not safe, and twice if it is safe to come ahead. Maybe this is how the staff got out, but we'll never know til we try."

"Alright. Let's go, then," Robert said, giving in to her. "You follow me, then." She nodded. She didn't look back at the others because she wasn't sure she wanted to see their mix of emotions. She just wanted to do it and see if it got them out.

Robert got in, and he pushed off down the slide, and Mira followed. The others waited, and it seemed like it was a long moment before they heard a single sound. And then they heard two distinctive bangs against the metal slide.

"Sounds like we're moving ahead.

"Brian, if you help me get Khaat into the slide with me, I think I can take her with me. If she doesn't go with someone, and if there is much of any sort of twists and turns, she'll bang her head and only end up injured even more. She needs to come with me. She's small enough I think it'll work," Marcus told him.

"It's worth a try," Brian said, seeing his logic. He helped Marcus and Khaat into the slide, and Marcus pushed off, taking Khaat with him.

"Come on, Ruby," Angus said, knowing she wanted to stay with him. "Just like the amusement parks. Piece of cake. Let's go."

Ruby gulped when Angus mentioned amusment parks " see thats the thing." she said as Jessie and Jack moved forward to the slide.

"she's never liked the water slides at the parks" Jessie said " she;d avoid them like the plauge." Ruby looked at Jessie with a 'im gonna kill you later' look. But she sighed and nodded but moved to the entrance pacing abck and forth as she wanted and knew needed to do it.

" I can do this...I can't, yes I can" she said trying to convince her self. " Okay, lets go" she took his arm and sat at the edge of the slide. But just as she pushed off she turned and grabbed hold of his waist.. " do it, please just do it." she closed her eyes and waited for him to push them off.

"It'll be alright," he said. He got in and had her join him and then he pushed off, sending them both down the slide. Of all the parts of this evening, a slide was the least of their problems. The slide came to an abrupt end and dumped them onto ground. Dirt. And Angus could smell moss and damp. Where the devil were they?

He looked up and saw some of the others there.

"We're outside somewhere," Robert told Angus. "Not sure where 'here' is exactly, but at least we're not in that hellhole anymore. But I don't think we should let our guards down until we're completely off of Gelding's property."

At the top of the slide, Edward volunteered to go next, and as he got into the slide, he looked back at Jack and Jessie. "Don't be fiddling about up here. Get a move on, and get your arses down this slide. Got that?" And with that, he pushed off.

Jessie went next and Jack last they too just wanted out of that place. Ruby felt the motion as they moved and could not help scream a little and bury her head in his chest. when they were dumped onto the ground she still held on to him. frightened to let go at thet moment until she heard Robert mention being out side. Opening her eyes that she ahd shut she looked down at Angus. " um...sorry for landing on you, and possibly nearly deafening you by screaming." she said her cheeks now full bright pink. it was now she heard Jessie whooping as he slid down. " we'd beter move he's not likly to stop" she said slowly moving off him and standing up. She held out her hand to help him stand.

Jessie fell out of the tube followed by Jack who landed on top of Jessie making Ruby laugh out loud at their perdicament. " Hey heavy lump, get off me" Jessie said in a strained voice. Jack just sat looking at every one then chuckled as he was pushed off Jessie to the ground.

"can we do that again?" Jack asked " the slide part not the rest of it, oh can we add one to the pool at the farm." he asked with a chuckle.

"I was rather more thinking of getting home, getting a hot shower and a hot meal, and in about that order," Robert said. "The slide, though, was probably the best part of that whole nightmare, I do have to admit." Robert looked at Edward who was looking up at the stars. "Got out position yet?"

"Maybe," Edward said. "Or at least the direction we need to go. It's...that way." He pointed off in one direction.

"Well, then, are we up for a bit of a trudge until we get off the property? Then I say we port home and get the hell out of here," Robert told them.

"How's Khaat, Marcus?" Brian asked.

"She'll make it home alright," Marcus said. "I've got her."

"Is she holding up alright?"

"She's tiring, but she's alright," Marcus said.

"I'm hoping Kate has some lovely fish and chips waiting on us," Robert said, hoping to lighten the mood, but continuing to keep his eyes and ears open in case of any more surprises.