Prison Break

The Scorned Woman had dropped anchor behind the cover of a group of small rocky islands a few miles off the port of Drokian Lorest, the unofficial capital of Safriti that was named after its founder. This port city served as a base for many Baethan officials of both diplomatic, political, and military arenas. The person who acted as the delegate for Safriti when doing business with The Center, Kirion Lorest, lived in Drokian and he was the person that was of most interest to them. Inside his office would be logs of his meetings, letters to and from The Center, and important documents that would most certainly be of use to them going forward.

The manifests they had picked up were not easy to piece together. There were patterns, sure, but nothing that could be definitively pointed to as proof of anything. Names that appeared over and over could have just been crews following a certain route. If the information they sought was not retrieved, it wasn't the end of the world. Combined with several of the other logs and manifests other pirates would find they could piece together an idea of what The Center was working with. But this information retrieval mission would give them a major advantage against The Center and it was their top priority to see it completed.

It was going to be a risky mission, where their lives would be on the line more so than they had been at any other point in the journey. The complex where Kirion lived and worked was massive. Out of the many structures within the complex, his office was the largest one and also the largest building in all of Safriti which would make navigating the building difficult. Not only did Kirion base his operations out of that complex, but many other important political figures in the region did also too. Theo and Cooker would be navigating a maze of dangers trying to infiltrate one of the most important offices in all of Efriti. They would have no backup, just Theo and Cooker with a few crew members keeping a lookout outside the complex to know if things went awry.

Cooker hadn't slept. She had crawled out of the bed and left Tuni and Theo to cuddle close to each other in her absence. Dawn was about to break out over the horizon and the deck was empty, most everyone had shuffled off to bed once the anchor had been dropped. She was nervous, more nervous than she had been in several lengths. Usually, when big shit happened they had a lot more people involved. This time, it was all going to be riding on her.

Theo was good at lock picking, she could give the average thief a run for their money, but Cooker was the expert. The locks and obstructions they would face in the complex would be harder than any of the security they had encountered on the journey there, which meant the success of this mission was going to fall on Cooker's ability to open what needed to be opened. Which was fine, it was totally fine; Cooker could absolutely work well under pressure. Except at the thought of said pressure, she felt like she was going to keel over and throw up. Her nerves had been frazzled as of late and when her body and mind were sober like it was then, the effects of those nerves were worsened.

Cooker was staring at the rising sun, legs crisscrossed atop of a crate on deck. She was staying on deck as accountability for herself. If she were to go to her own room or the library, where she would be alone, Cooker would no longer be sober. It was taking everything in her power not to just go to her room and drink up the bottle of rum that was under her bed. Or take some loli. Or really, do anything to get her feelings under control. There was a constant cloud of impending doom that was over her and that didn't bode well for the mission. Thoughts of Avery, Xyra, Theo, Uncilo, the pirate war, her brother, and the upcoming rebellion were always swirling around and it took a great many substances to get her to a point where she was relaxed, where everything was out of mind. She craved that feeling of relaxation, her body urging her to let go of the shackles that came with not being drunk or high all of the time.

But alas, Cooker was about to embark on a heist, in which Theo was counting on her, which meant that she couldn't go to her room to drink, snort, or smoke. But her hands were shaking and her stomach was in knots and she felt like ripping what little hair she had out of her skull. Her brain was taunting her, telling her that she needed substances. Telling her that the mission would fail without it. She was not good enough to do it by herself.

No, that wasn't right.

She was great at these things and had never needed any extra help with lock picking, she would be fine. The mission would go well and Cooker wouldn't let Theo down. They would get it done and she would be sober for it.

Except even if she got it done, she would let Theo down eventually. The truth about Avery would come out and all the good they had built on this trip together would be washed away. The secret she was keeping was a mistake that was dragging a whole lot of people down with it. When she was alone, it was all she could think about. When she was sober, it was all she would think about. Both of them together was a brutal combination. It's why she was never alone and always had something lit. It helped soothe her.

But at that moment, there were no distractions. The words Xyra had said to her before they left were bouncing around in her head. It was Cooker's fault. It was her own doing. All the pain that was to come, all the confusion, all the chaos; it was all her. Cooker inhaled sharply and shook her head, trying to alleviate the pressure she felt but it was no use. She felt her legs uncross and touch the deck before she could catch up to what was happening.

With her eyes darting across the deck to see if anyone was following her, she made a beeline to her room and used her key to unlock her quarters. She slipped inside and pressed her back to the door and took a pause, telling herself she could get through the sun. She was smart, she was sneaky, she was prepared for the mission, she had done things of the sort before. No loli or rum could make it better, it would only make things worse. It would affect her senses, dull her ability to perform.

Cooker shut her eyes and tried to apply logic to her situation. She tried to force herself to forget about anything except for the mission but the buzzing at her fingertips was pulling her to her desk drawer. Her feet were once again moving without her willing them to and she found herself at her desk. This was her last chance to do the right thing, to make sure she was ready for the mission. But what was the right thing? Was it opening the drawer and taking whatever was in there to clear her mind before the sun ahead or was it being clean for the mission? Cooker laughed at herself for a moment. The train of thought was ridiculous, the better option was never to be intoxicated. She knew this, this was trained into her. Her mind was playing tricks on her, justifying things it shouldn't.

There was a knock on her door and she snapped her head over to it, being pulled away from the torture she had been putting herself through all morning. Cooker walked over to the door, welcoming whatever distraction was behind the door. Cooker opened it to see Tuni, a light blanket wrapped around her and a sleepy face.

"Morning Fortune," Cooker chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "what are you doing? Where is Theo?"

"Asleep," Tuni walked over and sat on Cooker's bed.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Cooker shut her door and looked over to her bed.

"I felt you leave and you never came back," Tuni said and motioned Cooker over.

Cooker obliged and stood in front of Tuni. Tuni tugged Cooker down and she had no choice but to get down on her knees. She felt Tuni's hand cup her face and Tuni's eyes searched Cooker's. It took her a few seconds to figure out what was happening but when she did she jolted her head back and pulled it away from Tuni's grasp.

"Fuck off," Cooker snapped and stood up taking a few steps back, "that was crossing a line, Tuni."

Tuni didn't seem fazed by the outburst, "I will not apologize for worrying."

They were in a staredown. The healer looked deep into Cooker's soul but Cooker had stone eyes, blocking Tuni from seeing too far in. Tuni had been checking her pupils and eyes for any signs of intoxication. Cooker swallowed, uncomfortable with the fact that Tuni knew exactly what Cooker had fucked off to go do.

"Come, you still have a few more hours before you need to wake up," Tuni patted Cooker's bed, "we can both go back to bed until it's time."

Cooker wanted to get angry with Tuni, to tell her she wasn't allowed to just boss Cooker around or grab her face for a check-up anytime she wanted. But she didn't have the heart, not with Tuni. Cooker gave a tight nod, as much as part of her was telling her to push Tuni away so she would have an opportunity for at least a drink, she didn't give in. Cooker didn't want to be alone and Tuni was an oasis from a desert of mind games. She climbed into bed and Tuni laid back, they quickly found a comfortable position as they huddled close together.

"Why did you leave the room?" Tuni asked.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went out on the deck for some fresh air," Cooker replied.

"You weren't on deck, you were in here."

"Aye," Cooker said

"Why?"

"You know why."

"Cooker, I'm worried about you," Tuni sighed, genuine concern laced in her voice.

"Fortune, please, I'm trying to sleep," Cooker blew it off.

"Theo might be blind to it, she might be chalking it up to your typical behavior but it's not," Tuni said and Cooker had enough, she was untangling herself from Tuni, "there is something more."

"Keep your theories to yourself," Cooker sat up with her back to

Theo hadn't told Tuni about her brother, she knew that for sure. And Tuni had no idea about Avery and that situation. The fact that the healer could read Cooker without knowing what was going on was scary, she had been spending too much time around Tuni. That would need to stop. The reason Cooker never let herself get too far into a relationship with anyone was because she hated being read. What Cooker presented to the world was how she wanted to be perceived.

"I won't tell anyone, Cooker," Tuni said and sat up in bed, the concern obviously present in her tone, "I think there are things you need to address. It's poisoning your mind."

"Tuni, stop before I get nasty with you," Cooker warned that the attitude was soon to arrive and she tried to stand up but her arm was caught by a small hand.

"I have seen addiction before, Cooker, I know it well," Tuni sounded like she was pleading with Cooker to stay and listen, "You usually have a mild problem and I keep quiet about it but this trip it's different, you're using it to run from something. I can see it in your face, child. This path does not end well."

Cooker wanted to yank her arm from Tuni and yell at her to mind her business. Obviously, she was running from her emotions, her whole life was going to flip in a few cycles. Cooker knew Theo, she knew the ability to keep a grudge that her captain had, for fuck's sake Cooker was the one that had taught her. Xyra and Avery might have believed that shit was going to fly over after a while but Cooker knew better. Instead of running, Cooker just sat back down on the bed and put her face in her hands. She felt Tuni hug her from behind and tears sprung to Cooker's eyes but she pressed the heel of her hands into them. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to show Tuni how right she was.

Instead of answering or acknowledging Tuni, Cooker just laid back in bed and closed her eyes, back turned towards the healer. She didn't know if she was going to be able to sleep but she would at least pretend she was so she wouldn't have to talk. Cooker didn't feel Tuni leave the bed, which she was thankful for, because if she left Cooker didn't know if she had the willpower to resist using something. Several minutes passed before Tuni spoke up again.

"Please know I care deeply about your wellbeing," Tuni whispered, "and if you ever need to find me because you need help. I will be there for you."

Cooker reached a hand back and placed it on Tuni's arm, squeezing it in acknowledgment.

----------------------------------------------------

"Ready?" Theo asked with her back pressed up against a tree.

Cooker peeked out and took one last look to make sure they were clear. The complex was in the northernmost part of the city. The main city path led straight up to the complex's southern entrance which featured a heavily guarded thick steel gate. The rest of the complex was guarded on all sides by a large wall and a forest. At the very edge of the forest was where they found themselves, a mere dozen yards away from the tall wall. The foot patrol had just passed them which meant they had around a quarter of an hour before the guards were back.

Their mission was aided by copious amounts of information provided by Xyra. When they were younger, she had partaken in a mission inside this complex and as a result, she had a journal full of reconnaissance she had done prior to her mission. Now, the journals from that mission that Xyra has left behind were coming in handy. Procedures were unlikely to change within the Baethan government because of the molasses-like bureaucracy, so the information they had proved to be accurate so far. The timing of the guards, the layout of the complex, the height of the wall all matched up to Xyra's notes. Now, all that was left to make use of the information and actually fucking complete the mission.

They were positioned at the northeast corner of the complex, which is where Kirion's office building was. Their best bet was to scale the wall, drop down, sneak in through the back of the building and infiltrate it that way. Of course, the plan was easier said than done. Cooker was stalling though, her feet cemented to the ground. This was the last chance they had to turn around and call off the mission. Cooker ducked back behind the tree and looked over at Theo who was staring at Cooker waiting for a response.

"Aye, let's go," Cooker nodded, "first to the top wins."

Cooker was taking off before Theo even processed the challenge. She sprinted away from the forest and towards the wall, reached down, and undid the rope that was tied to her waist. As she ran up on the wall, she swung the rope around and around. The grappling hook that was tied to the end of it gained more and more momentum until she threw it up, releasing it from her grip. The hook went flying but stopped just short of being able to make it over the wall. Fuck, she was already screwing it up.

Theo laughed at her and attempted the same thing, just to fail. Cooker pointed her finger at Theo and laughed back, to give her a taste of her own medicine. Cooker pulled her rope back in and tried it again but it failed, the grappling hook falling back to the ground. As hers fell, she heard a clink and looked up to see Theo had succeeded. She knew it was no big deal but her stomach churned at the thought of having failed the first part of the mission.

But it was okay. Cooker was never really good at grappling anyway. She gathered her rope back at her hip and then followed Theo up the secured rope. Their climb back down was hassle-free and they hid in some of the lush bushes that lined the wall. Cooker was impressed by the landscaping but also was disgusted by how much they probably had to spend to get plants like these to be imported to Safriti.

"These are Lemei bushes, from The Twins," Cooker whispered as she took a leaf into her hand.

Theo looked at her bizarrely, "Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't," Cooker said, "Oceane pointed one out to me one time and I just thought it was interesting they have them here."

"Now's not the time, Cook," Theo silently laughed and then made a run for the back of the building. Cooker ran right after her and knelt in front of the door, quickly pulling out her tools.

Lunchtime had passed which meant that the kitchen staff would have been sent away on a break, the officials who worked in the building would have been dismissed for a few hours, and the building would be relatively free of people. There would be guards posted at the front and through the building but nothing Theo and Cooker couldn't handle. Cooker got to work, her hands having stilled from their prior shakiness and her body settling down. A trained response to be able to work through the pressure. With little effort, Cooker fiddled with the lock and it popped open. The door handle was pushed down by Theo and the door opened, she entered before Cooker could even get off of her knees.

Theo wasted no time in darting forward, leaving Cooker to close and relock the door. The kitchen that the door opened into was empty, as expected and Theo rushed to the other side, where the kitchen door led to a hallway. Cooker was playing catch up the whole time, letting Theo lead the way around corners and through spaces. They had managed to sneak through the first floor and up the stairs into the second floor without any sight of a guard. As Theo once again had no regard for sticking together, she darted off into the direction she wanted to go. Cooker was being more careful with her footsteps and her noise, trying to really get a look at their surroundings.

All of a sudden, Cooker heard footsteps coming up the stairs from where they had just cleared and she ran towards Theo. If they kept going forward, the guards would catch up eventually. They needed to take them by surprise and the hallway they were in had plenty of small crevices to hide in, she didn't know if they would have a good opportunity to sneak up on them at another point. Cooker caught up to the nimble captain before she could turn the corner into a new hallway and pulled her shirt back. Theo looked back at Cooker about to scold her but Cooker raised a finger to her lips and walked them back into one of the dark nooks. It looked to be a small hallway that led to the entrance of a servant's room. Hopefully, no one was in there.

Theo must have heard the guards' footsteps and realized what Cooker had done because she pulled her dagger from her waist and prepared to strike when the guards came into view. The echoing of boots got louder and louder until there were two figures passing by. Cooker slipped out of the entrance first, followed closely behind by Theo. In a flash, Cooker jumped onto the guard bringing a hand over to cover his mouth and the other to drive a dagger into the weak spot in his armor.

Cooker felt the man yell into her palm but he wasn't dead quite yet. She moved her hands so she was in the proper position before twisting his neck, the man falling limp to the ground. Cooker looked over and saw Theo still fighting. Her falchion clashed with the guard's spear, making considerable noise. With a sneaky move of her blade and a fake-out, she managed to slash his stomach and then his throat with two swift moves. Cooker rolled her eyes at the flashiness, all it had led to was blood squirting everywhere.

Theo began to drag the body she left towards the small hallway they had been in but Cooker shook her head and began to walk forwards, "There are pools of blood. The bodies will be found anyway. We have to hurry."

Theo dropped the man with a thud and ran after Cooker, blood trailing behind them as their boots left imprints in the stone. It seemed as those were the only guards in the building because they snuck through the rest of the building with no other interruptions. They made it to the fourth floor, where the staircase to that level had stopped at a door. The entrance to Kirion's office, what they had come for. The place that could potentially reveal to them everything they needed to know about the Center's plans and strategies.

Cooker retrieved her tools, calming the adrenaline running through her body to keep her hands steady as she worked the lock. This one was hard. One attempt, two attempts, three attempts. Cooker's gut twisted, the self-doubt beginning to creep in. She shook her head, trying to get the thoughts out of her head and she refocused on what she needed to do. Or, she would have if Theo didn't interrupt.

"C'mon, Cook," Theo urged, "we don't have a lot of time."

"No fucking shit, T," Cooker grumbled as she tried to fumble with the lock once again. There was sweat dripping down her forehead and her hands were getting shakier, which was not helpful. Cooker held her breath, working at it until she felt the beautiful push of the lock clicking into place.

"We're in?" Theo was gleaming.

Cooker chuckled and nodded, standing back up and letting Theo take the victory of opening the door. Theo was quick to open the door and cross through the threshold but Cooker took a moment to put her tools away. When she looked back up, it was to Theo with her hands behind her head and a swarm of soldiers with their crossbows raised in Theo's direction. Cooker slowly lifted her arms and put her hands behind her head as she stepped into the room.

Cooker spared a glance over to her partner who was staring ahead with a straight face. There were probably 20 people in the room, there was no way they could even move a step without 10 arrows shooting at them.

"Il tiam ma'a rovenau?" Cooker whispered to Theo as two of the men began to walk towards them with their crossbows drawn.

How do you want to play this?

"Niele ih loari," Theo answered.

We have no choice here

"Hey! No talking!" one of the soldiers approaching them said and Cooker just laughed at them.

"Or what?" Cooker challenged, "you going to kill us?"

"Don't test me," he said and shook his crossbow.

"If you had orders to kill, we would be dead already," Cooker shrugged, her favorite activity was to mess with soldiers. Even if it was when she was facing the end of a dozen arrows, it was a habit she couldn't break.

"Take us away boys," Theo joined in on the heckling and pulled her hands away from her head to put in front of her, offering her wrists up to be cuffed. A smirk was present on her face and she wiggled her fingers.

To make up for the blow to their egos, the men were particularly rough with them. Cold metal clasped around Cooker's wrists and then they were being pushed out of the room. The legion of men inside following them. They were escorted out of the building and through the complex, arriving at the southside entrance where the gates were lifted. The whole while, Cooker was looking at those escorting her, looking for a gap into their ranks to take advantage of so they could make their escape. But this seemed like a well-trained group of soldiers and it was looking more and more like they were headed straight to jail, no room for escape.

"Il kaolo pir truia," Cooker whispered to Theo as they walked.

You know the plan.

Theo didn't answer, the sound of their chains clinking was all that could be heard. Cooker knew that Theo heard her though because Theo was looking at Cooker with a mischievous grin. Cooker rolled her eyes.

"Teo, il kaolo pir truia," Cooker repeated, "ceffur il'lie"

You know the plan. Stay in your cell.

She must have been too loud because one of the men walked over and knocked the back of Cooker's head with the butt of their crossbow, "No speaking, whore."

Cooker wasted no time in turning her face and spitting at the man. Unfortunately for him, it landed in his eye. Unfortunately for her, it landed her a punch on hers. Cooker's face whipped to the other side from the impact of the soldier's fist and she could feel a small trickle of blood from where he broke the skin. Theo went to lunge forward with her hands in chains but Cooker stopped her, shaking her head and indicating to her captain that she was fine.

As they were paraded along the city's main path, they garnered many stares. People were crowding the street where they walked trying to get a glimpse of who it was these soldiers had captured. Cooker took the time walking to look out for her own crew. Sure enough, she saw several of them and her nerves subsided a bit. If their crew knew, their escape plan was soon to be in motion. The soldiers had not told them where they were going but if the protocol was the same as it had always been, they would be escorted to jail, put in separate cells, questioned by the highest-ranking soldier there, and then be put on a boat and shipped to the capital of Efriti. Or, in these trying times of war, perhaps they were to be shipped to The Center.

Of course, they wouldn't just sit around in the cell and wait for it to happen. When it was clear to make a run for it, Cooker would use escape her cell, rescue Theo, and make a break for their beached boat. The only problem was, Theo never liked to follow the plan, she always tried to escape herself. Which either meant Theo wouldn't be in the cell and would be lost somewhere while Cooker looked for her or she would fail to escape and call unwanted attention to them. Only rarely did Theo deviate from the plan and it resulted well.

Cooker didn't say anything else, Theo would do as she pleased like she usually did and no amount of pleading with her to stay in place would get her to do so. Instead, Cooker made herself focus on what was happening. Shit had gone sideways, but at least it wasn't her fault. But, that was also worrying. The men were there waiting for them which meant they knew to expect the heist? How? Was there a rat on their crew or did the soldiers spot their ship somehow and knew to expect them? Their robbing of manifests had most likely raised alarms and seeing the ship would lead them to take the necessary precautions at any of their facilities that had to do with record keeping.

Getting to the office had been too easy but she was so focused on not fucking up and getting Theo in and out of the room safely that she had failed to see the trap. Cooker was kicking herself, even if getting caught wasn't directly her fault she was still to blame. Cooker spared another glance over to Theo to see what the girl was thinking but there was just a small smirk on her face, putting on a show for all the people watching. Cocky Captain Theo. Cooker wasn't smiling though, Theo might not have been worried about anything but Cooker was. It wasn't the first or even the tenth time they had been arrested but they had never been caught when the stakes were so high. The nerves from that morning had intensified. What if she couldn't get them out of the jail? Or what if she did and she couldn't manage to get them back to the ship safely?

The unknowns and the uncertainty she felt about herself persisted until they arrived at the jail. Cooker took a good look at the outside of the building. It was a small jail, most of them across Baethos were. The larger prisons were kept in the official capital cities and the worst offenders were sent there. Even though Drokian was a large city, their jail was no bigger than the rest; which was good news for them. It was only one story high which meant that the cells were down below, no windows; which was bad news for them. She was roughly pushed through the entrance and half of the men escorting them encircled Theo, cutting her off from Cooker. Soldiers began to circle around Cooker and as an instinct she fought back against the three men dragging her away to her cell.

"Ceffur il'lie, Teo!" Cooker yelled as a final reminder before making her legs go limp and making the men drag her to the cell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

It was nighttime, not that there were any windows in there to let her know. Dinner had been brought to the prisoners and Cooker figured it was well into the evening. Her whole body was sore, she was hungry, thirsty, tired, and sober. Her body was craving any sort of substance in her system, be it water, bread, or drugs. The fucking man in her cell got dinner and she didn't. As if getting the shit beat out of her wasn't enough, they had to torture her with no food. Cooker was laying on the dirty prison floor, miserable and beyond caring what kinds of things contributed to the thick layer of grime on it.

It had been several hours since she had been thrown in the cell and pummelled into the ground. With a cellmate she didn't feel like talking to and her body free of any substance, she was left alone with her mind. Thoughts of all that was happening kept resurfacing even when she tried to push them down. Mainly, she was thinking about Theo's proposition of making Cooker talk about her feelings. They hadn't yet done so, Theo probably too hesitant to bring up the subject again, but Cooker was beginning to feel like she needed it. She wanted to talk about her brother, the rebellion, the call she felt to help. She wanted to talk about feeling like she wasn't enough, like she was always second best. She wanted to talk about Avery and the lies Cooker had kept from her captain, which was dangerous. If Theo asked Cooker to talk, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't just come clean altogether. Maybe that would be better. But that wouldn't be fair to Xyra or Avery. She had gotten them into the mess, the last thing she wanted to do was to blindside them.

Her inability to keep her mouth shut was part of the reason Cooker was reluctant to talk about anything. The bottling up of her feelings was driving her mad though, driving her to drink, driving her to distract herself with anything she could find. But the solitude during her time in her cell had allowed her to see that the madness was a punishment for her actions. If she wanted sanity, she wouldn't find it anytime soon.

Cooker slowly pushed herself off the ground with a groan, her ribs were searing and her face was swollen in various spots. Not a single question was asked while she was beaten, which was most likely because Theo was the one getting them, but the soldiers had no problem roughing her up just for fun. She would make sure to slit a few throats on the way out to get even. Cooker slowly stood up and walked over to the sole bench in the room, her cellmate right beside her.

"How long you been here?" Cooker asked.

The man paused in his process of inhaling his food. He had no hair, his bald head sported dirty spots and his clothes were tattered, "Lost track of time. A length?"

"What are you in for?"

"Murdering me wife," the man mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Aye, that'll land you in here for sure," Cooker chuckled even though it wasn't funny, a woman was dead. She looked around the cell, trying to figure out what she could use to her advantage but in the dark, nothing was easy to see. She had no weapons, no tools, no windows, nothing.

Cooker stood up and began to pace the cell, even though she was clean at the time her head was foggier than normal. What was her plan of action? How did she proceed? She told herself to think, think, think. Dammit, she was smarter than this, quicker than this. She should have already figured out what to do. Cooker walked to the cell bars, slipping her arms through them and using them as support as she scanned her surroundings for clues to help her escape.

Nothing.

Cooker sighed, a bit dramatically even though no one was paying attention, and walked back to the bench. She took a seat and looked over at the man who was still eating "What did she do to make you kill her?"

The man looked at Cooker like she was crazy for trying to have a conversation but he indulged her, "Nothin'. I regret it, she was a nice lady."

"Were you drunk?" Cooker asked and the man nodded. Cooker shook her head and patted his back, "at least you regret it, man."

Cooker let the man get back to his food as she peeled off her boots. She picked up the right one and stuck her hand inside pulling the sole back to retrieve a piece of gold from it.

"I'll give you this gold if you do me a favor," Cooker said, "when I tell you to, you have to yell at the guards that I'm escaping."

"Are you escaping?"

"No, it's a joke. Just to have some fun," Cooker wiggled her eyebrows at the wife killer, trying to entice him.

He shrugged and took the gold coin, "Sure. When do you want me to say it?"

"Finish your meal. Then you can do it," she said and stood up again, walking back to the bars.

"Are you a nox?" the man asked before resuming his meal.

Cooker chuckled, "Aye, why do you ask?"

"You look like one, no offense," he said with a shrug, "Is that why you're here?"

"Unfortunately, I am. Got caught making sweet love to Kirion's wife," Cooker smiled to herself because of her own joke.

"For what it's worth, it makes me downright upset that you can't have sex with who you please," the man said sincerely.

Cooker turned away from the man and rolled her eyes with a laugh, she would feel bad if she had to kill him. Once again back at the edge of the cell bars, she kept a lookout. No guards were patrolling the hallways, which was stupid. It was usually standard to have a few people guarding them at a time. She was a pirate after all, and one known to be slippery. Cooker deduced that it was probably because they couldn't afford to spare any other guards. The soldiers were most likely combing the city of more pirates and protecting all of the offices they could. They would have little luck though. Cooker glanced back to see the man had finished eating. She beckoned him over to the bars and he came.

"Now?" he asked.

"Aye," Cooker confirmed and the man began to yell.

"She's escaping! The girl is escaping! Guards, guards!"

As soon as he stopped yelling she grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the bars. He was out. She would have killed him but her cellmate, the wife killer, had grown on her. He would be miserable dead or alive, she would have rather not had it on her conscience. Cooker retreated back into the shadows of the cell, crouching next to the bench where she couldn't be seen from afar. She heard footsteps and a guard ran into her view, surveying the scene in front of him. With a man on the floor and a seemingly empty cell, there was no way for him to tell what had happened. The guard fumbled with his keys and it took him a while to find the right one for the cell. Cooker almost broke, a laugh threatening to surface the whole time she watched him.

Finally, the cell opened and he stepped in, taking a closer look at the situation. Cooker leaped from the shadows and the man let out a yell, useless as Cooker pounced on him and took him tumbling to the ground. His back hit the ground and Cooker was on top of him in an instant, punching him twice to disorient before she reached for his waist and pulled a small dagger and stabbed his jugular. He began to choke and convulse as he panicked and Cooker stood up, swiping his sword and his keys from him before running out of the cell, closing the door behind her.

She took a second to center herself, the first part of what she needed to do was complete. Next, she needed to go find Theo, or Theo's cell, whichever she came across first. Cooker swung her new sword in her hand, getting a feel for it. It was a bit heavy but nothing she couldn't use. Without putting it away, she began to run down the hall, keeping a lookout for Theo.

Eventually, she came across two guards, who had decided to go check on their colleague who had yet to return from investigating the yelling prisoner. They looked terrified of her and the way they were holding their swords gave away that they had yet to have an actual sun of training with it.

"Get in one of the cells," Cooker said.

"What?" they both asked in unison and looked at each other bewildered.

"How old are you both? Not over 13, are you?" Cooker asked and both of the boys shook their head, "and you're locals?"

"Y-yes," one of the boys said, "my ma made me take this job because-"

"Didn't ask," Cooker interrupted and nodded her head over to one of the cells, "drop your swords, get in there."

One of them swung his sword threateningly, "We will fight you, prisoner! Lay down your weapon and surrender."

The one Cooker had interrupted had no such ideas to resist and he set down his sword before rushing to the cell, trying to get the right key in.

"Cab!" the kid with the sword yelled, "come help me!"

"Worm, get in here! That's a pirate, we won't survive," Cab yelled back as he opened the cell door.

Worm looked between Cooker and Cab, truly torn.

"I would go if I were you, kid," Cooker shrugged, "I don't give many people chances and you have about two seconds before I regret giving you one."

Worm's sword clattered to the ground as he rushed into the cell with Cab.

"Throw your keys out," Cooker instructed and two sets of keys flew out of the cell. Cooker took advantage of the empty jail wing to shout out, "Theo! Are you here?"

With no answer, she moved along, onto the next section of the jail. There were only two wings from what she could tell so, hopefully, Theo would be found soon. She encountered three guards total on her way to the next wing, one was alone and the others were a pair. It took her longer than it should have to defeat them but she was also already injured. Not that the fights helped with that, she emerged from her battles with a few wounds to prove it. The good news was that there seemed to be no more guards left on the floor, the bad news was that there was definitely a lot on the ground floor, right on their path to the exit.

Cooker dug some energy from her reserves and picked up her pace to jog along the aisle of cells. One by one, she passed them, looking for her captain. Eventually, she saw a figure lying on the ground up ahead of her. The only respite from the darkness were small torches hung on the walls but even their light couldn't reach the floor to reveal who it was. Cooker sped up, it could have been a guard but it also could have been Theo.

Cooker got closer and closer until she could finally make out what was in front of her. The cell door was slightly open, mere inches from being shut, and there was a dead guard on the floor. She stood next to the body for a second before she peeked inside the cell where she found a dead prisoner. Darting her eyes around the cell, she was surprised to see another figure on the bench, a familiar one. It was Theo and Cooker was honestly flabbergasted at the sight. Theo had a cheeky grin on her face as she leaned against the cell wall, her hand held up a key ring and she was swinging it from side to side, bragging.

"I stayed in my cell," Theo smirked and Cooker rolled her eyes even though she was laughing.

"Was any of this necessary?"

"I got bored," Theo shrugged, "you look beat up."

"And you don't," Cooker commented, "what's that about?"

"We'll have time to exchange stories later, let's escape jail first," Theo said as she pushed herself off the bench and then slipped out of the cell. She grabbed the dead guard's sword and began walking down the hall.

"What did your cellmate do?" Cooker asked as she stepped over the guard's body as they proceeded to walk away from the cell.

"Pushed his mate off his fishing boat so he could keep all of the profits from the catch for himself," Theo said before she started to jog.

Cooker picked up her pace too, "Guess he deserved it."

"Did your cellmate deserve it?" Theo asked as they turned a corner into the middle area between the two cell wings. There was no one.

"Aye," Cooker chuckled, "but I left him alive. He said he regretted what he did."

"What did he do?"

"Killed his wife."

"And you let him out?!"

"No, I left him alive," Cooker jogged past Theo and smacked the back of her head, "pick up the pace. We've got a boat to run to."

Cooker ran towards the stairs but her arm was yanked back by Theo, "Wait. They took my stuff. I need it back. We can't just leave."

"Theo, we have an armory full of stuff on board," Cooker shook her head, "you can find replacements for your weapons there."

"No, they took my necklace," Theo placed her hand to where the gold snake had been resting for several cycles, "Pika's necklace."

Cooker wanted to smack Theo out of the attachment she had to her things but this wasn't just anything. It was the last thing she had to remember someone who was like family to them. But they were running out of time to do anything but run. Upstairs, on the main floor of the jail, there were sure to be dozens of guards. They probably already heard the commotion of people trying to escape and instead of rushing the cells below they were waiting upstairs. Any belongings they had were either in the storage of the jail, on the main floor, or they had already been divided up between the guards.

"Theo, there's no guarantee that your stuff is still around," Cooker said but Theo looked at her with wide eyes and the most distraught face she had seen in a while. Her heart twisted. This was what Theo wanted and Cooker should have been a better, stricter first mate and told her no but she gave in, "alright. But it's going to be impossible unless we have a distraction."

"What do you have in mind?" Theo asked.

Cooker held up the keyring and tilted her head, proposing her plan.

--------------

Cooker and Theo were in the back of the crowd. They hadn't unlocked all of the cells, just enough to have a sizable crowd gathered in the area between the wings. Surprisingly, everyone was very cooperative and when Theo told them to stay still until given the word to run, they listened to her. Cooker's plan couldn't have been working out any better. When Theo gave the command, they would all rush to the top of the stairs, Cooker was in charge of finding the storage and unlocking it and Theo's job was to cover her until they were able to make a run for it. Hopefully, the dozens of loose prisoners would divert most of the guards and soldiers away from them.

Cooker's palm was sweaty where it connected with the handle of her blade. She had no tools or weapons except the shitty sword but it would have to do. She was so caught up in her own head, making plans and alternate plans for her approach to finding Theo's stuff that she missed the cue. At the crowd shifting in front and behind her, Cooker realized that they were on the move. She followed the crowd out and sure enough, there were over 30 prison guards and army soldiers in the room. Their advantage, aside from their own crowd of people, was that these prisoners had nothing to lose to get what they wanted, and they wanted nothing but freedom and to see the outside. The guards, on the other hand, had everything to lose, including their lives.

Cooker watched as some soldiers got trampled and beat as they tried to approach the mob. The guards, seeing what they were up against, fled and left only just over a dozen soldiers in the room with them. Prisoners, guards, and soldiers alike began to flood out of the jail, yells, and screams flying loudly through the air. Cooker saw Theo connect her sword with one of the soldiers and then kick his chest as he held her sword off. Cooker snaked her way through the fighting and tried several doors. They were all locked. With no tools and no reason to take it easy on the noise, Cooker began to kick doors in.

Which was harder than it looked. Xyra was always their resident door kicker, or Morgana. With neither of them there, it fell on Cooker and she swore she broke ten different places on her foot in the process of kicking. She managed to kick two doors down but neither of the rooms held what she was looking for. She tried her luck with a third door but every time her foot connected with the door, the impact would jolt up her body and aggravate her bruised ribs. With a running start and a yell, she finally managed to kick the third room open and sure enough, Cooker caught a glimpse of their stuff, all their stuff.

Cooker stumbled through the entryway before catching herself on a table. She located their things and began to put her own stuff away. Her dagger went to her waist, her sword replaced the heavy crap she was currently wielding and she ruffled through the pile of Theo's belongings to find the necklace. At first, it appeared to be missing; someone had taken it. But a few more seconds of patience paid off and her fingers grazed cold, thin metal. Cooker yanked the necklace free from the bundles of coats it was hidden in and grabbed Theo's sword before running out, Theo would have to do without her dagger and her coat.

Theo was in the middle of facing off with the only soldier left in the building when Cooker came up behind him and pierced her sword through him.

"You're welcome," Cooker tossed Theo her things.

Theo dropped the sword just in time to catch hers and her other hand snapped out to grab the flying chain, "I had him."

"I meant you're welcome for your things," Cooker kicked the man off her sword and wiped it on his clothes.

"There is time for gratitude later," Theo responded and without warning, bolted out of the jail.

Cooker followed and what she saw outside was anarchy. People were scrambling, soldiers swarming the streets trying to catch all the escaped prisoners. She watched as Theo ran towards one of the soldiers, sword swinging at him before he had a chance to block. She cut him down easily and then spun around to face the next person that would dare come near her.

"Theo! Stop fighting! Just run!" Cooker ran after her and began to push her along.

Theo allowed Cooker to pull her away from the fighting and they took off into a sprint, making their way straight into the dense forest surrounding the city. They would have to cut through the forest for a while before making their way towards the beach. If they followed the beach all the way back to their boat, soldiers on horses could easily catch up to them. The forest terrain made it difficult for people to follow, especially at night. But that meant the forest was difficult for them to trek as well, even harder for Cooker who was feeling the effects of her beating with every step.

They took turns jogging and walking, an occasional sprint if there was a clearing but their pace had slowed significantly. They had beached their rowboat about 4 miles from the dock and Cooker was now regretting the decision to stay far away from the city. It was the third mile, give or take, when Cooker began to hear voices behind them. Turning around, she could see the faint glow of torches. Her heart began to race faster and she began to run, pushing Theo in front of her to go faster.

"Come on, T. They are coming, I see them," Cooker said, trying to take deep, even breaths.

Theo faltered in her step, looking back at Cooker with a worried expression, "You don't look so good, Cook. Take the front."

"No," Cooker said and made Theo move forward faster, "if I fall behind, you keep running. Now, pick up the pace."

Cooker was serious about her instructions but Theo would most likely not listen. So, Cooker couldn't put Theo in that situation. She had to keep up and keep safe to keep Theo alive. They ran through the trees, tripping or stumbling over the occasional obstacle but they were almost there. The trees started to get thinner and Cooker recognized the path they were on as the one they had taken that morning.

Sparing a glance back, she saw the lights were growing closer. Up ahead she could see where the forest gave way to a small stream that led to the beach, the marker for where they had landed. Theo saw the sign that they had arrived where they needed to as well and they both took a sharp left turn, running towards the beach. Cooker could see the treeline break off into sand around a hundred feet ahead of them. She was so caught up in making it that she had failed to look down and get a proper path for her feet. She tripped and her face hit dirt and roots, her ankle screamed at her in pain and her ribs did too.

At the thud of Cooker hitting the ground, Theo skidded to a stop and turned around. Cooker watched as she began to run back towards Cooker but the lights and the soldiers were getting closer and Cooker knew they wouldn't make it back to their boat if Theo came back to help.

"Go, Theo!" Cooker yelled and pushed herself up slightly, "Go! Get the boat out into the water! I'll be right behind you."

Theo hesitated but Cooker grabbed the nearest thing to her and threw it in Theo's direction, "Go! You need to push the boat out to see if we are going to make it!"

Theo backed away slowly at first, taking a good look at Cooker before she turned around and ran towards the beach. Cooker took a deep breath and tried to stand up but her ankle gave out underneath her and the pain was blinding. She went crashing towards the ground again and panic began to spread through her body. If she was caught this time, she would either be killed on the spot or so heavily guarded there would be no way to escape her death in the gallows.

Cooker had no choice but to get the fuck back up. She crawled to a tree and used it to help her stand up. She heard the commotion of the soldiers getting closer and closer and she maybe had a hundred feet of a lead on them. She tested the pressure on her foot and got used to the pain before limping to the next tree, and then the next. The beach was getting closer with each step she took and Cooker could make out Theo's silhouette pushing their boat into the water.

The men behind her were so close she didn't even risk sparing a glance back to see how far her lead still was. She was but a dozen yards away from the edge of the forest when she saw the light glowing around her, casting a shadow. Someone had caught up, there would be no time for tree hopping. Cooker pushed herself off the tree she was using with a guttural yell and made a run for the sand. She advanced without being caught and finally made it the end of the trees. Cooker took a step onto the sand but the moment her full weight came to bear on her bad ankle, it couldn't handle the terrain switch and it buckled under her.

Cooker tumbled forward and before she knew it, she was being hauled to her knees and a dagger was pressed to her throat. Cooker struggled against the soldier's grip but it was no use, one wrong move and her throat would be sliced open. Cooker watched as Theo looked up from her successful mission of putting the boat in the water and realized what was happening.

"Cooker!" Theo screamed and began to run towards her, pulling her sword from her side.

"Theo! Go!" Cooker yelled and she felt the dagger press closer to her throat, she pushed against the arm holding the blade as best she could.

The soldier's knee connected with Cooker's back and she yelped out in pain. He did it again and then pressed the dagger in and Cooker could feel its tip draw blood, "Shut up, pirate."

"Theo! Run! It's done! You need to save yourself!" Cooker yelled out, her eyes pleading Theo to stay away but it was no use, her captain was barrelling towards them.

But after a few yards, Theo slowed down and her eyes narrowed. Cooker moved her head the best she could to see four other men surrounding the soldier holding her. If Theo did anything, Cooker would be dead before she got through any of the soldiers. Theo's eyes met Cooker's and it looked like she was just realizing what Cooker already had, their back was pressed up against a wall. Only two outcomes were possible, Cooker died or both of them did. Even though those were their only options, Theo looked defiant. She had her thinking face on, trying to work through a scenario where saving Cooker was possible. But it was useless.

"Put your weapon down and come back with us. If you cooperate, we will spare your friend," the soldier holding her said.

"Take the dagger away from her throat and maybe we can discuss the terms of my surrender," Theo said and adjusted the falchion in her grip.

"You are in no position to negotiate," the soldier replied and began to run the dagger along Cooker's neck slowly, drawing the faintest bit of blood, "you have one last chance to put the weapon down or we slice her throat open before we do the same to you."

"They want us alive, you can't kill us," Theo challenged.

"The boss ain't around. If we tell 'em it was between killing you and letting you go, I'm sure they wouldn't mind one bit," the soldier was practically dripping with glee at the opportunity to face off with a pirate.

Theo looked down and locked eyes with Cooker and Cooker nodded her head, letting her know it was okay to leave. She made her face as calm as she could, not letting Theo leave with a memory of Cooker in distress. It wasn't hard to do, perhaps because she was calmer than the situation called for. A wave of peace washed over her. Cooker had always promised she would lay her life down for Theo and her time had finally come, she was okay with that. Theo hadn't given up though, her face still looked like it was searching for answers. At the sight of her best friend struggling to cope with the realization that nothing could be done, the peace washed away and gave way to something else. Cooker felt awful, aside from the fact that she was about to die- and die sober at that - she was leaving Theo behind to deal with the loss. Cooker had hoped that when she did die, Theo would be spared from seeing it but that wasn't the case.

"You have ten seconds to surrender!" the soldier yelled.

Cooker wished, at that moment, that she would have done a lot of things differently. She wished that the last thing she said to Xyra wasn't what she had said, she wished that she had said a proper goodbye to everyone on the crew before that morning, Cooker had wished that she stayed the night in bed so Theo could wake up to a good morning one last time.

There were a lot of things she would have done differently but at that point, all she could do was close her eyes and take a deep breath and come to terms with how it was all ending. She thought maybe her death would be more dramatic than it was. A large explosion, or sinking during a hurricane, or getting poisoned by her worst enemy. Her least favorite way to go would have had to be getting her throat sliced on a beach by an Eloxian soldier. But maybe, there was a silver lining to all of it. At least now, she wouldn't have to face the consequences of her actions, she would not ever have to watch the secret break Theo's heart. It was selfish, but she allowed herself some more selfishness in her final moments.

"Nine," the soldier said and continued to count down.

Cooker opened her eyes and saw Theo still standing in the same spot, too far away from the boat for her comfort, "Theo! Please, go! Run! You have a chance."

"Cook, I'm not leaving you!" Theo yelled and took a step forward and all the men around Cooker drew their swords.

"Six," the soldier said.

"Theo, go!" Cooker yelled again and the sheer volume was enough to shake Theo. The captain took a step back and Cooker felt herself relax, Theo was going to run, "You're going to change the world, kid! Do me proud."

"Three," the soldier said and Cooker felt the blade begin to press into her skin harder than any previous time. He was getting ready.

Cooker's heartbeat slowed instead of quickened and everything seemed to go in slow motion. Theo was stepping back but her eyes were still on the situation. She was staring straight at Cooker and Cooker's heart couldn't take the sight. It was fear, guilt, grief, disbelief all rolled into one expression and Cooker would be damned if that was the sight she went out with. Once again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, tilting her head back in hopes that it would make it an easier kill, a faster one.

Cooker heard the soldier utter the last warning, "One!"

Cooker exhaled and waited for the blood to begin pouring down her neck.