The Escape

"Izac?" Darryl repeated.

"That's his name," Cypher answered.

Darryl finds it weird because it sounds very familiar to him. Like he already heard of it from somewhere or someone a few years ago before he started living at Bionic.

"What's wrong, Sir?"

"Nothing! It's just… that name, I think I have already heard it before. It's just I don't know when and where or who said it?" Darryl confessed.

"Let's just discuss this some other time. We must leave Bionic as soon as possible before the ASP is lifted," Cypher demanded. "It would be impossible to escape if those Military Droids will finally take over."

"The MD-Units? Why and how?" Darryl exclaimed.

"General Francois gave rudimentary power over the MD-Units to Mr. Symmachus which will take effect after the ASP will be lifted. The SD-Units, SDr-Units, RD-Units, and even the SFD-Units will gradually shut down days from now. The Emergency Droids won't be enough to secure the whole empire and that's why MD-Units will be deployed, temporarily."

"We should leave now before those MD-Units roam around," Darryl uttered in panic. "Just by remembering how I programmed those droids scares me."

Darryl pretty much knows what those droids can do. They are labeled as "The Strongest Protectors" of the Bionic Empire. Their strength and capabilities rivaled Stellar's defenses.

All Darryl could say about those droids are, "They're dangerous!"

After they finish packing everything necessary, they quickly looked for the marked-up point on the navigator watch of Darryl. As they finally found the building, they quickly entered the busy establishment and headed towards the marked point. It seems that the hidden passage is in the basement as indicated on the navigator. They sneakily headed underground and found a dead end. The navigator watch leads them into a storage room, full of boxes.

"A dead end?" Cypher uttered.

"Try scanning the boxes or the walls. Maybe there's some kind of a lever or whatever that will open a passage or something," Darryl suggested.

They began searching. As time ticked, the two got frustrated, looking for the way.

"There's none!" Darryl said.

They continue touching everything, from boxes, books, shelves, and walls, but they found none. As ASP's deactivation time gets nearer, Cypher and Darryl are nearly losing hope. Not until…

"What do you mean?" a woman exclaimed.

Darryl and Cypher quickly hide as two people entered the storage room.

"The boss said that everyone should be doing overtime later since we still have no power," a man replied.

"Is he out of his mind? Shouldn't it be… wait!" the woman paused. "Why is the storage room has its lights turned on?"

Cypher and Darryl didn't dare make a sound.

"Fuck! Turn it off before Amy sees us with the lights on!" the man said in alarm. "The boss said that we shouldn't use electricity here at the lower ground!"

"We should leave now. We do not know, that bitch might just appear out of nowhere and cause us trouble!" the woman suggested.

"Yeah! I fucking hate her guts!"

As the two left the room, the lights were turned off. Darryl and Cypher left their hiding area.

"Amy should quit her job here before things get worst!" Cypher humored.

"Yeah, she should!"

As they were about to continue the search, a sudden glitch from a certain part of the walls was noticed after the lights were turned off. Cypher quickly went closer to that wall and scanned it. As Cypher touches every part of it, he accidentally touches something unusual in a specific part of the wall. He pressed it and suddenly, the wall changes in appearance.

"A cloaking device!" Darryl ascertained.

As the wall changes in appearance, they easily found out how to open it. As the walls opened, a path was discovered. They quickly went in and closed the walls where it returned to its concealment state. They trek the path and later find the exit. They later found out that it was connected to another building. They quickly leave the building and find out that they really did cross the Inner Walls without crossing at the City Gate.

"Sir, we should hurry and find that last place! It's already 4. If we don't hurry, we won't be able to leave the Empire."

"Let's take the public transport!" Cypher suggested as a bus stopped at a bus stop.

Darryl and Cypher quickly rode the bus. They started to get attention from other passengers since both of them wear masks. Taking the bus is the fastest way on reaching the marked point.

"Act natural. Droids are everywhere!" Cypher advised as the bus started to depart.

It took them 45 minutes of bus ride to reach the Imperial Gates.

"Where is the location, Sir?"

"The watch is acting up!" Darryl said as the navigator watch started to glitch.

As the watch suddenly died, a stinging sensation was felt.

"Cypher, do you feel that?"

"Yes, it's giving me goosebumps!"

Darryl seems to realize what's happening.

"Cypher, we need to take cover!" Darryl exclaimed after he recalled what happened last night.

A sudden burst of electricity exploded at the Imperial Gates which destroyed every droid in the area. The navigator watch suddenly went online again after the explosion. It seems that it wasn't affected by the EMP explosion which is weird.

"What was that?" Cypher inquired.

Darryl peeked at the Imperial Gates and saw the boy running towards the gates. Everything was devastated. Everyone from the area passed out after the explosion.

"Cypher, I think we should run—"

A deep and loud siren resonates throughout the empire.

It wasn't an ambulance. It wasn't the DPS.

"Oh no!" Darryl blurted.

ASP has been lifted.

A warning siren replaces the ASP deactivation alarm. Military Droids quickly took over the whole empire. MD-Units started to appear out of nowhere. Darryl quickly searches for the marked point on the navigator watch and successfully found it. It's a kilometer away from where they are standing.

As the MD-Units started appearing, the Imperial Gate was stormed by them and become impossible to penetrate. If the MD-Units arrived in time, they might have stopped the boy.

"It was a good thing that boy escaped before the MD-Units arrived or else…" Darryl said. "...or else that boy is done for!"

"We should hurry and reach that marked point!" Cypher stressed.

As the two carefully looked for the marked point, they managed to reach the place without being spotted by the MD-Units. It didn't take long for them to find the hidden pathway.

"How come nobody noticed this?" Darryl blurted. "This is ridiculous!"

The hidden passage that Caleb uses to infiltrate the empire was a forgotten metal door that can be easily seen even by the naked eye.

"I'm shocked too, Sir!"

"This is completely an obvious way in yet nobody from this place reported this?" Darryl exclaimed in irritation.

"For now, let's keep it this way. Leaving this place is our priority."

The two quickly accessed the path. The metal door is heavier than expected which took a lot of effort to open.

"Okay, I understand now why nobody reported this! No ordinary human can open this!" Darryl mumbled.

"I think it's stuck, Sir!"

"How about we use this?" Darryl suggested as he took the All-Purpose tool from his backpack.

"This could work—" Cypher exclaimed. "Wait, what's that?"

Cypher was alarmed after seeing an unknown device in Darryl's backpack.

"This is the Captivity!"

"Isn't that a pending invention? How did you get that?"

"Do you remember how I found you? Information wasn't the only thing provided to me," Darryl explained.

"It looks like someone out there really wanted to get you involved with this," Cypher assumed. "Or make you leave."

Cypher hesitated to make Darryl tag along as he realizes something awful.

"Sir, once we get out, anything might happen. I cannot guarantee you your safety when you do come with me. I already accept the outcomes of what I chose to do," Cypher admitted. "Sir, I think you should stay."

"What are you talking about? We've already arrived here!" Darryl strongly expressed.

"We already know that this is big but we have no idea how massive it could be. You're safer here. I'll make sure to contact you if I find the boy."

"Cypher, I am already involved in this mess long before that boy arrived," Darryl confessed. "I have hired a private investigator to help me find Diana but he found something else. Something much bigger. The night before Diana disappeared, he informed me that he found out that a high-ranked person in Bionic is part of a terrorist organization. Before I could even receive his report, all of my inboxes were wiped out and my private investigator went missing."

"The main task I gave the private investigator was to helped me find Diana and…" Darryl paused. "…watch Rexford."

"Mr. Symmachus?" Cypher clarified.

"Yeah, he did warn me to make the investigator stop. I think the message that was sent to me by my private investigator was to tell me that Rexford is part of a terrorist group," Darryl surmised.

"Cypher, whether I stay or not, I'm already in danger. Now that I'm suspended and Rexford is the presiding leader, I'm no longer safe here if he is indeed part of this terrorist group. It's better to leave and find Diana myself even if it's risky than stay here and do nothing!" Darryl confided.

"I really do not want to take you with me, Sir. But after hearing this, I can't leave you here in this state!" Cypher sighed. "I cannot guarantee you a safe journey but I will try!"

"You don't have to. I can protect myself. Let's just watch each other's back."

As Cypher successfully opened the door, they quickly went in and escaped. They later found out that another cloaking device was used to conceal the passageway.

"I think the RD-Units cannot detect this cloaking device that is used here. I think this cloaking technology is different from the concealing technology I introduced to them," Darryl inferred.

They quickly made a run towards the forest since the MD-Units haven't started roaming outside the walls. They didn't stop until they exited the forest. They quickly catch their breath after running for a couple of minutes.

"The droids…" Darryl paused as he pants heavily. "I think… I think the droids won't… I think they won't find us here any longer."

The two heaves heavily as they rested for a while.

"We've reached the outermost part of their roaming area," Darryl informed.

As they finally stabilize their breathing, they then started to plan their next move. Cypher gazes on the road ahead, hoping that he'll see the kid but he didn't. It seems like he vanished.

"What do we do now, Cypher?"

"We should head first at Frealance Empire. I have connections there that will help us!"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes! From there, we can plan our next move. Without any equipment and allies, we won't be able to find the boy. It would be harder to find him if we just follow the tracks. Finding help would make it easier and safer since we've already departed the empire."

Darryl then gazes back at the Bionic Empire and mumbles, "I think the Council should be aware of Rexford. Someone must tell them."

Cypher glances at Darryl.

"Bionic might haven't been all good to me but there are a lot of good people here. I don't want them to suffer. All I want is for them to continue to live a happy and safe life," Darryl confessed. "So long, Bionic!"