"Let's Dance"

Ian, Gabe, Suki and CJ went through many trials as they uncovered the mysteries surrounding Tower Prep. Although they covered very little of what lies underneath, they've learned quite a bit....

All of that knowledge is coming into play now, as they plan to make their escape...using their understanding of the underground tunnels and their mapping of what is known as "West Campus", or the reformatory campus, they've found a way to bypass the wall...

The only exit they've found is within an abandoned kitchen vent, below West campus, that opens up to the other side of the wall preventing escape on the land side of the peninsula.

Each of the four members were supposedly prepared for the plan, but like every good and detailed plan, there were unforeseen factors in play...

....

Ian needed to remove the iron bars that prevent entry through the escape vent in the abandoned kitchen, so he went ahead alone the night before to do just that...

However, a tracker was implanted on him by CJ (Chastain) at the behest of her father (Raven), since his escape cannot be allowed.....the school cannot be changed for the better if the board gets more power, which will happen if a breakout occurs.

Thus, using the tracker, Headmaster sent a squad of trusted Gnomes to apprehend Ian, with the inevitable goal of "rebalancing" the man with.....invasive means.

However, the young man did not give up..... using the Corvus H-40 drug stolen from the Rooks after he left the group, and his mastery of martial arts, Ian (Rango) defeated the entire Gnome squad alone...and that is what led the young man to hasten his groups escape.

Thus, one by one, he grabbed each individual and brought them to the underground kitchen.

Suki Sato was taken from her dorm room by Ian through the underground tunnels, and Gabe was grabbed from the boy's showers, planning to escape in nothing but a bath robe. With the two in place, Ian had them wait here until he grabbed CJ...

"Guys, stay put, I'm gonna grab CJ and then run back..." Ian stated, turning to leave...

"NO! Ian, she was called out of our dorm to meet with the Headmaster earlier. I don't know why but she would be in his office at this time, you can't go there now..."

With a firm look in his eyes, he quickly responded...."No, she's a part of this group and will escape from this prison with us, I'm going to save her. If we're not back in two hours, leave quickly and don't look back. Find someone who can shut down this place....good luck!..." and with that, he was off, until he came to the Headmaster's office in the dead of night.....that room being the only one with lights on at this moment.

....

"Thank you for helping with this Chastain, I know it was probably hard.....you've become good friends with them..." the Headmaster spoke to his "daughter" casually, as over the course of this year, the two have grown closer.

*sigh*

"Yeah, they're good people....I wish you would tell me if any of them are Travelers, so I could at least apologize when we all return..." said the beautiful teen who was about to enter a secret passage, which would allow Ian and the Headmaster to meet alone.

"I can't tell you that, we've already been over this....besides, if he wins this fight, he will come running back to that escape tunnel you guys found, and you should be there with Suki and Gabe to escape with the group...." said the Headmaster, who seemed to be getting serious, as the next hour will prove troublesome.

"....I don't understand Raven, there are so many other ways to handle this, why give him the chance to defeat you and escape with me and his two other friends....why fight him?"

"Well, there are many reasons for that, but let me withhold a little from you Ms. Grey, this air of mystery and intrigue doesn't just create itself..." quipped the Headmaster with a small smile.

*scoff*

"I hope Ian kicks your a$$ "daddy"..." Chastain turned to leave through the passage but before the secret door shut, Raven heard the last sentence from the new woman in his life..."good luck, let's grab dinner in Dome City after all of this..."

With that, the office descended into silence, with the creator of the universe waiting for an enraged student to barge in...

.....

'This will be a tough fight...' I thought, going over everything I've planned until now.

It's no fun if I simply shut their group down, the plot needs to go on as I have planned and this night is the turning point....but I'm not going to let them out easily, as this story doesnt really matter to me...

Education was the goal of this world, this interesting IP was a way for me and a few other individuals to enjoy our time here...

'I will go all out, just like the Headmaster in the IP, and try my best to prevent Ian from leaving this office when he comes....I inherited quite the martial arts ability from the past Headmaster, but other than that, I only have Telepathy which isin't offensive....'

Usually such a thing wouldn't matter, but Ian's ability is the problem....it doesn't matter if I can read his mind and know his next moves if he predicts my prediction on an instinctual level, and reacts using his preflex....if there was a full counter to the non-combatant telepathy, it would be preflex...

'So, it's going to come down to martial prowess.....and unfortuanetly, fitness and age. I'm not getting any younger....'

I was brought out of my thoughts by an angry looking Ian Archer shoving my door open, and slamming it closed....

"Where is she!?...."

.....

Ian archer looked at the man standing at the helm of this dreadful place, the older guy had a confident gaze with hands folded over one another, propped atop the desk.....when the enraged young man thought his foe wouldn't answer his question, he became even angrier.....but to his surprise, the man sighed while standing up...

"I assume you mean CJ Ward, who currently left my office to head back to the dorms....I read her mind, and it turns out that you currently came from the only exit you know of....how interesting..."

Ian had enough of this b@stard, deciding to simply intrupt him...."Look, you kid-abducting m()therf\/cker, I don't care to hear another of your speeches. I'm going to leave this room, go get CJ from her dorm, and then we four are out of here.....and there is nothing you can do to stop us..."

Ian had a dangerous glint in his eyes as his muscles became taught, ready to incapacitate the Headmaster of this school in order to facilitate and easier escape tonight...

However, before he could make a move, the Headmaster did something he wasn't expecting.....a casual thing at that...

The Headmaster smiled lightly, and began to act while talking slowly...

"You SO want to believe that I'm the villain...hmm?" started the Headmaster as he gently took off his suit jacket, turning to hang it up casually on the nearby coat hanger.

".....that I have nothing but my evil interests in mind..." after hanging his coat, the Headmaster began to unhook his sleeve's cuffs, rolling up each arms sleeve slowly while continuing to talk...

Ian was stunned by this development, what was meant to be the atmosphere of total dominance turned into something else.....something tense...

"...the one thing you fail to understand Ian, is that my interests are your interests, and your interests are the same..."

Before Ian could comprehend, the Headmaster repeated more firmly while continuing to role his sleeves...

"...MY interests, YOUR interests.....the same...they are everybody's interests and they extend well beyond the walls of Tower Prep. You cannot begin to understand what I'm trying to do, but I can't reason with you can I?" the sentence became more mocking as it went on.

Now finished with his sleeves, the Headmaster reached up to remove his red tie while continuing once again...

"...your assumption that my actions are those of a villain are wrong.....I'm working towards a higher purpose, one that will truly impact those like us for the better. Not some selfish dream of escaping with fellow classmates, abandoning all those before and after your removal from this school..."

After removing the tie, the Headmaster brought himself to full height and began to slowly make his way around the large desk, reaching a point just in front of the now ready Ian, who knew instinctively what was about to happen...

"...and if you think that I'm gonna let you walk out of my office, let alone this school.....then you are very, very wrong..."

Ian's eyes sharpened as both parties took stances, showing they each knew how to fight...

".....better be careful Mr. Archer...who do you think taught Coach how to fight?" asked the Headmaster cockily, before the subtle silence that preluded any good fight began to set in...