Chapter Eight.

"What do you mean you can't find them?" Chief Warden Linda glared at the men before her, struggling to maintain her composure. She stomped around the control room, arms folded, her heels echoing on the shiny floor, a furious expression on her face. "Where are they? What's that conniving Pa Chu up to?" She muttered angrily to herself, frustration boiling over since no one seemed to have answers. "Get more men and secure every entrance and exit on this floor," she ordered. The wardens saluted and headed off to carry out the orders. "And someone better locate those troublemakers pronto!" Her voice echoed through the room and down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Pa Chu and Zev flattened themselves against the wall. Zev peeked into the corridor and saw the wardens rushing out of the control room. He quickly withdrew his head. "They're up to something," he whispered to Pa Chu. "It seems Linda has given them new orders. The control room is right there, what---?" Pa Chu clamped a hand over Zev's mouth and whisked him to the nearest room, locking the door shut. They stood back-to-back against the door, panting. "Shhh, listen," Pa Chu hushed him, taking his off from Zev's mouth. They strained to hear the voices outside, sounding like two or maybe three people, possibly more. Two voices engaged in a conversation. "I should be asleep right now, not hunting down some old dude and his buddy," the first voice grumbled in a sleepy tone. Another voice replied, "Well, we gotta find them, so suck it up."

The first warden moaned, "We've been chasing these guys for hours, I need my beauty sleep."

"Agreed," another voice chimed. Pa Chu and Zev held their breaths as the wardens passed by the door. The first warden stopped for a moment. "Hey, isn't this the women's changing room?" Zev heard the man ask. The second warden chuckled and said sarcastically, "No shit," Pa Chu glanced at Zev with a questioning gaze. Zev shook his head and shrugged. "Wanna check it out?" the first warden wondered aloud. The second one shot back "No, you pervert". Pa Chu and Zev breathed sighs of relief. Zev shifted and accidentally jiggled one of the lockers, making it squeal. The first warden spun towards the door. "Did you hear that? There's someone hiding in here."

"Shut up, you creep!" the second warden snapped. "It's probably some woman changing. If you weren't so nosy, you'd think about that." The first warden exhaled and chuckled quietly. "You're such a dick." They shared a laugh. "Hey, we shouldn't be goofing off," the different voice chimed in.

"Oh, right. My bad." Both wardens nodded and continued walking away. Pa Chu and Zev relaxed as they heard the footsteps fading. Pa Chu leaned toward Zev and whispered, "You ever think about checking about the women's' panties?" Zev pushed him away, scowling, and playfully smacked him.

"What? They're so hot."

Zev rolled his eyes. "Anyway," Pa Chu began, "Considering Linda's tactics, she's probably got more wardens guarding the entrances and exits."

Zev gazed at the ceiling, "Hmm..it seems she's pushing us to confront her directly." He grinned. "She's good." Pa Chu chuckled softly. "True, but I've got a few tricks of my own." He winked and grinned mischievously. Zev eyed him skeptically. "That makes me worried. What's your bald head thinking about now?" Pa Chu's grin widened. "Haha, we're going to shake things up, literally." Zev raised an eyebrow. "Cause another earthquake i suppose?" Pa Chu nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah, you got it." The old man replied.

Zev frowned, "Isn't creating a quake here going to affect the ground floor?" Pa Chu laughed, "Exactly, we're going to create a quake that shakes this floor enough to affect the ground floor enough for the entrance to collapse." Zev stared wide eyed at him. "In that case, we won't need to find the key or deal with Linda." Pa Chu playfully drummed his fingers on Zev's chest.

"See? Fun."

Zev shook his head in amazement. "You're quite something, old man." Pa Chu gave him a thumbs up.

"Our main challenge though, is to shake this floor without causing severe damage to the ground floor below." Zev pondered aloud, tapping his chin.

"That's where teamwork plays its role," Pa Chu replied excitedly. "We're gonna create a controlled quake. I'll set up the tremors, and you'll stabilize the floor below us." With a triumphant grin, he pumped his fists into the air. Zev ruffled his hair in thought. "That should work. We'll just need to test it out."

Pa Chu took a few deep breaths. "Alright, let's do this."

Pa Chu retrieved the sightstone monitor from his pocket and tapped its screen. "We'll monitor the quake's progress with this device for precise control." He explained, setting it on the door and took a few steps back. Zev followed suit.

"Ready?" Pa Chu asked Zev who nodded.

"Absolutely" Zev replied.

"Excellent." Pa Chu said.

Zev's eyes glowed with an intense shade of green as his energy swirled around his body. Crouching down, he firmly placed his palms on the floor. Pa Chu stood, crafting ethereal symbols in the air with his fingers. His eyes mirrored Zev's, glowing an identical green, as he emitted a low growl. Pa Chu swiped his finger down, and the symbols vanished into the ground.

"That's going to shield this room from excessive damage," Pa Chu declared, a satisfied grin on his face. He then gestured towards the monitor, "Let's see what happens." He pressed his palms on the floor.

Matching nods passed between them and Pa Chu closed his eyes and whispered, "Seismic Rumbler." He pressed his palms harder onto the floor, and vibrations began to surge within the ground. The room quivered violently, Windows shattered, furniture tumbled, and pipes started to drip. Chairs clattered, and pictures were torn from the walls. The tremors grew more powerful, forcing Pa Chu to grit his teeth and let out a strained grunt.

"On my signal, Gain control over the quakes. Ready?" he shouted.

Zev nodded again. He felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through him, causing the energy he generated to intensify. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath.

"One, two, three!" Pa Chu shouted.

"Tremor Control!" Zev echoed. Together, they plunged their palms into the ground. Energy erupted from their hands, and the ground convulsed violently. Slowly, they began to slide sideways.

"Whoa!" Pa Chu exclaimed, a burst of laughter escaping him. He reached for the sightstone monitor and raised it. Zev unleashed another roar, his energy exploding like a fiery eruption. He bent his knees slightly and anchored his feet into the ground to keep him in place. Pa Chu did the same.

"This is incredible!" Pa Chu declared, his voice full of exhilaration.

Zev grinned, and they remained focused on their task.

The corridors shook violently, causing surveillance sightstones to crash to the ground, their lights flickering before fading into the darkness. Doors swung open, crashing down or hanging from their hinges. Walls crumbled and cabinets skidded across the floor. In the control room, Linda's grip on the railing tightened as her anger boiled over. "Pa Chu, that scoundrel!" she yelled. Monitors flashed warnings before succumbing to static. "Oh, shit," she cursed as her office chair was sent flying backwards.

Struggling to maintain her balance, Linda failed and crashed hard onto the floor. Blood trickled down her face, and she quickly wiped it away with her shirt sleeve. Desperately, she reached for a transmitter, grabbing it and tapping the top. "Come in. Come in. Chief Warden Linda here. Do you copy?!" A burst of static preceded a warden's response.

"Yeah, Chief Warden, I copy. What's going on, ma'am?"

Linda frowned before answering, "What do you mean 'what's going on' ? It's an earthquake," she shouted.

"Uh, no, ma'am," the warden replied, "We can feel some rumbles, but there are plenty of us up here, and everyone's on their feet."

Linda bit her lip in frustration. "Tell me where you are," she commanded. More static crackled before she barely made out the warden's words, "I'm on the fourth floor with most of the wardes, tending to the prisoners affected by the earlier quakes." Linda sighed with relief.

"Where's the rest of the team?"

"Well," the warden hesitated, "some are guarding the entrance to the third floor in case the prisoners get any ideas. Others are taking care of the patients. It looks like everyone's up here, and no one's on the third floor."

Linda thought carefully. "Are you absolutely sure?" More static. The warden hesitated before replying, "Ma'am, if anyone were on the third floor, we'd have spotted them by now."

Linda furrowed her brows. "Alright. Thanks, I guess."

"No problem ma'am."

She hung up, gingerly rising to her feet. The tremors had subsided somewhat but still hadn't entirely ceased. "God damn it...What are you doing Pa Chu?"

********

In the changing room, Zev and Pa Chu finally gained control over the quake. Pa Chu stood by Zev, who maintained a firm grip on the trembling force. Pa Chu retrieved the monitor and tapped the screen, only to find it had lost connection.

"We couldn't monitor the quakes till the end, but we managed to maintain control," Zev sighed with relief as he completed his task and the quake gradually subsided. He shed his cap, gloves and shoes before unbuttoning his shirt. "No need for disguises now."

Pa Chu followed suit, shedding his gear and stowing the monitor into his pocket. "Now, we just need to take a right turn to the ground floor," he said with a reassuring smile. "It'll be a straightforward path from there."

Zev returned the smile, relief washing over him. The past four years had been nothing short of torment, and now, they stood on the cusp of escape. Almost....

Pa Chu eased the door open, inspecting the corridor beyond. "All clear?" Zev whispered anxiously. Pa Chu nodded, allowing Zev to slip out. The corridor was a complete mess. Cracks snaked across the walls, doors had fallen off their hinges, and deactivated sightstones littered the floor.

Pa Chu couldn't help but giggle.

"Looks pretty chaotic, doesn't it?"

Zev managed a brief laugh.

"Yeah," he agreed, "We'd better be quick, though, or we're toast if we get caught."

Pointing to the corner on the right, Pa Chu whispered, "Our exit is down there. The monitors are down, so stealth isn't an option anymore." Zev surveyed the scene, creeping cautiously towards the corner. He reached the edge and peeked over it.

The corridor appeared slightly more passable than the rest of the hallway, with less debris strewn across the floor and ceiling. Deactivated sightstones clung to the wall, while broken ones lay shattered on the floor.

Zev's breath caught in his throat as he spotted two wardens in the distance.

"Shit." he muttered, his brow furrowing, before glancing back at Pa Chu.

"Don't worry," Pa Chu reassured him, peeking over the edge. "I'm already looking." He raised his head slightly higher.

"Let's take them down." Zev murmured. The wardens pivoted as they heard the duo approach. One warden swiftly drew his gun and leveled it at Zev's head.

"Freeze!" he shouted.

Before he could finish, Zev lunged, wrestling the warden into a headlock. They grappled, but the warden seized Zev's arm and flipped it over. Zev groaned, straining to break free. "Get the hell off of me." he spat, delivering a powerful kick to the warden's gut. The warden staggered back, gasping for air. Zev scrambled to his feet, glaring coldly.

Pa Chu grinned as he faced the second warden, who seemed to be an elemental. The wardens joined his fists together and grunted. Water swirled around his fists. "Hydro blast!" he yelled, launching ball-shaped blasts at Pa Chu. Swiftly, Pa Chu extended his palm toward the ground. The debris around him began rolling towards him before clinging to his palm to form a shield. The water collided, splashing onto the floor and pooling together. "Nice try," Pa Chu chuckled.

The elemental warden, jaw clenched, extended his hands to fire a shotgun-like burst of water. But before he could, Zev swung his arm, engulfed in a green haze, and smashed the warden's head into the concrete wall. The warden stumbled, groaned and slumped unconscious. Pa Chu walked over his body, grinning.

"That's impressive, buddy." he complimented Zev.

"Thanks," Zev said, smirking. Pa Chu glanced over at the first warden behind Zev who was barely moving.

They stood at the entrance to the ground floor, a battered metal door slightly ajar. Large cracks marred its surface, letting light seep in. The sign "GROUND FLOOR", dangled precariously. Zev chuckled nervously. "Yeah, we did quite the number on this place."

Pa Chu snorted softly, nodding. "Come on,". Zev stepped forward and delivered a forceful kick. The massive door fell with a crash, raising a dusty cloud. He jumped back and watched as a wave of dust rose up to cover the doorway. Pa Chu coughed, then waved his hands, removing the dust cloud in front of him.

They entered through the doorway and stepped onto the ground floor. Zev laughed as he took in the scene. "Finally, the ground floor," he exclaimed. The assembly hall, despite appearances, hadn't suffered much damage. A few parts of the floor had caved in, and some support pillars had crumbled, but it remained surprisingly intact. The panel lay strewn about, but it wasn't as damaged as expected. Zev turned to Pa Chu and asked, "So, where's this tunnel you mentioned?"

"It's over there." Pa Chu pointed to the corner at the opposite end of the assembly hall, leading the way. As they rounded the corner, Zev's excitement dimmed when he spotted a small, dark hole just large enough for one person to crawl through. Nevertheless, he managed a smile.

"It took me a whole year to dig this," Pa Chu admitted. "I had to sneak in here every two weeks to avoid detection."

Zev looked at him skeptically. "Why didn't you just leave after?"

Pa Chu chuckled nervously. "Because the tunnel is unfinished. I'm a weak old man, I couldn't dig anymore. But with you here, we can finish what I started."

Zev shook his head, his arms crossed. "So, that's why you wanted to help me? You sly old man."

Pa Chu shook his head in response. "No, that wasn't my sole motive. I helped you because I need something only you can do for me. I figured that by aiding your escape, you'd be indebted to me."

Zev was left momentarily speechless. Pa Chu's cunning took him by surprise. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed before letting out a short laugh. "You've used me to the very end, huh?"

Pa Chu smiled wryly. "I suppose I have."

"So, what's this something that only I can do for you?" Zev inquired.

Pa Chu stared intently at the hole in the floor. "I need you to find Yona."

Zev blinked twice, clearly surprised. He hadn't expected this at all. Was Pa Chu serious? "Excuse me?"

"Yona was taken away from me." Pa Chu explained, his voice trembling. "I don't know how or if she's even alive. But for all these years, while I've been locked away, she's been alone. I couldn't do anything to help her. Please, Zev, find Yona and tell her I'm sorry, that i tried so hard to see her again. Tell her i love her and I miss her terribly."

Zev swallowed hard, his mind racing. He didn't know what to say. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, then raised two fingers. "There are two things i understood from everything you said. Number one. You want me to find and pass on your message to Yona, which brings me to number two. You don't plan on escaping with me, do you?" he said sternly.

Pa Chu's face dropped slightly.

Zev frowned. "Thought so." he replied flatly. He looked down at the floor, a bitter expression crossing his face. "Alright, I'll do it. You've helped me more than i expected, and in your own annoying way, you remind me of my brother. He's as annoying as you are."

"Thank you," Pa Chu exclaimed, pulling Zev into a tight hug, tears welling up in his eyes. "Thank you, Zev."

Zev was taken aback but held onto Pa Chu tightly.

"Hey," he mumbled softly, patting the old man's back, "Stop crying. You're gonna give me a headache."

"Sorry," Pa Chu sniffled, letting go of Zev and wiping his nose before smiling softly. "Let's get you out of here."

A loud bang echoed across the room, and Pa Chu crumpled to his knees, grimacing. "Ah shit," He cursed under his breath. Zev's voice erupted in anger, "What the fuck?!?!" He rushed to help Pa Chu but froze when he spotted a familiar blonde-haired woman at the center of the room, her crystal-powered gun pointed directly at them. Zev's frustration boiled over, "Linda! What the hell are you doing!?"

Ignoring Zev's question, Linda's cold gaze remained fixed on Pa Chu as she slowly approached them. He winced and gripped his wounded shoulder as blood seeped through his fingers. Linda raised her weapon, unfazed by his condition. She narrowed her eyes and crept closer.

"Stop!" Zev shouted, stepping in front of Pa Chu. Linda flinched for a moment but didn't lower her gun.

"You! Leave him alone!" Zev yelled, glaring at Linda. "Now!"

Linda maintained her steely composure, her gun aimed higher. She scoffed and looked back at Pa Chu. "I've worked my way up as a human among elementals to become the Chief Warden I am today," she declared. "I've kept this place under my control and no one has escaped. Do you think I'll let you tarnish my reputation? Move aside!" She demanded.

Zev grit his teeth in frustration and glared at Linda. A vein popped on the top of his head and he clenched his fist tightly.

"Zev, don't!" Pa Chu shouted and groaned. Zev growled lowly, but obeyed anyway. He stepped backwards, moving aside as Linda approached the older man.

She pressed the barrel of the gun underneath Pa Chu's chin, lifting his head up slightly so that he could see her. He smiled weakly, but it disappeared almost immediately. Linda turned to Zev, a cold smile spreading across her face. She cocked her head. "And where do you think you're going, Mr. Zevran Ryde?"

Zev scowled and spat on the floor. "None of your business."

Linda chuckled coldly and shook her head. She pressed the gun harder against Pa Chu's jawline. "Move, and his head goes through the wall like a twig."

Zev glanced at Pa Chu's trembling shoulder. He gulped, knowing that Linda wouldn't hesitate to kill him. Pa Chu gave him a pleading look and silently mouthed, 'Run.' Zev hesitated, locking eyes with Linda, then at Pa Chu. He bit his lip, took a deep breath and reluctantly stepped forward. "Hurry up." Linda smirked.

Pa Chu's trembling hand touched the ground, causing the earth to vibrate around him and Linda, sending her stumbling back several feet.

"Run, NOW!" he shouted at Zev, who was momentarily frozen. Zev shook off his hesitation and scrambled into the tunnel. He stole a glance back at Pa Chu, who weakly smiled and gestured for him to keep moving. Just as Zev was about to disappear into the tunnel's darkness, he saw Linda take another shot at Pa Chu. The shot found its mark, right between the old man's eyes. His smile faded, and he collapsed, leaving a small puff of dust in his wake as the vibrations ceased.

Zev winced and shut his eyes tightly, knowing he didn't have much time before Linda would turn her weapon on him. He dug his hands into the ground, and the tunnel's opening gradually closed until it was pitch black.

Slowly, he stood up, brushed the dirt from his pants, and let out a deep sigh. He began to navigate the tunnels, moving as quickly as he could.