21 August, 0028 A.V

23:47 (11:57pm)

~~Audra~~

Audra couldn't get enough of the dark forest.

She heard noises that she had never heard before, like an owl hoot or rustling of leaves; a light wind whipped past her ear. The air wasn't stale or artificial like it was in the Tower.

Audra couldn't see much, of course. The flashlights were directed around them, stretching into the bushes and the underbrush.

Fenton had somehow acquired a handgun in their short time with their reinforcements. She had assumed that he wasn't a "gun" kind of guy- unlike the rest of her rescuers, he hadn't had one when she had first met him- but then again, he was the one piloting. His gaze darted around randomly, staring deep into the trees surrounding them.

The path that the small group was walking on was made of dirt and bits and pieces of gravel. It was nearly impossible to see in the darkness; Audra had to rely on Ira and Fenton, who were on opposite sides of her, to keep her from accidentally straying away from the rest of the group. When she stepped on one of their toes, or almost tripped over their feet, she knew she had to move in the opposite direction. It was like a balancing game.

Audra looked over her shoulder, craning her neck to see if she could spot either Eve or Conan. She spotted Conan almost directly behind her, his body silhouetted against the glare of a flashlight that pointed directly at his back. He seemed to be just as intrigued with the forest as Audra was, with his thin face turning around constantly so he could see everything.

What concerned Audra most was the fact that she couldn't see Eve.

It had seemed like since the beginning of their breakout from the Tower, Eve had been treated like an unnecessary addition for the entire group. It was almost as if she was unwanted. It gave Audra a certain kind of uneasiness that she couldn't describe.

In front of her, Sena was whispering something to Cassidy- though it could have easily been someone else, since the lighting was so low. She was making small gestures to Lennon, who was leading the entire group.

Everything was silent, a feeling that Audra was far too acquainted with. This silence, however, differed from what she was used to. It was a heavy strength, surrounding the small band of soldiers, spies, and teenagers. It was almost comforting.

An electronic beep sounded from far behind Audra, echoing through the air and reaching her ears in a split second.

There was a moment of silence, and then everyone moved at once.

Everyone in front of them turned around, guns cocking simultaneously and pointing to the source of the noise.

Fenton and Ira forcefully grabbed Audra and shoved her behind them, uneasiness displayed across both of their faces. "Wait, what-" She managed out, before being shushed. From behind Ira's broad shoulders, she couldn't see anything except for the trees around them.

There was almost a full minute of silence before someone said anything. "Was that a wristwatch?" Lennon asked tensely, her voice surprisingly clear of her accent.

"Yeah, that was- that was mine," A voice sounded from around thirty feet away from where Audra was forcibly cowering. The feminine voice further explained, "I forgot to turn it off. It... it sounds at midnight."

Everyone relaxed, lowering their weapons and sighing in relief. "We'll talk about that later, Lexi," Sena chastised, sounding strict but noticeably more relaxed as she let out a long breath.

Midnight.

That's what the woman said, right? Midnight. It was her birthday.

Sixteen.

She didn't feel any different, of course. But as she continued the march with the others, she began to realize just how lucky she really was. Just four hours earlier, she was sitting in a cell, no hope in reach. 

"We're nearly there," Conan whispered into her ear, coming out of nowhere. Audra's body tensed up, her grip on her arms tightening. She scowled at the boy, clenching her jaw. 

"Don't scare me like that," She mumbled. After the past minute or so, Audra had been on edge. Conan had been nothing but an annoyance since the minute she had met him, and he wasn't helping her try and see him any different. "Where did you hear that from, anyway?" 

Conan gestured behind him in an exaggerated manner. "Ira did. She's got the scanner on her wrist. We've got no more than five minutes until we get there."

There was a moment of silence yet again, with just the sound of their new shoes breaking dry leaves on the ground reaching their ears.

"We're safe, Audra," Conan spoke up, his voice quieter and softer. Audra looked up at him incredulously, not used to him using that kind of tone. "We really are."

Safe.

That word never really had any meaning for Audra. She knew what it meant, dictionary-wise, but never the comforting security that began to overwhelm her senses at that very moment. A warm feeling welled up in the pit of her stomach, and a gentle smile reached her face.

"Now there's the smile I've been waiting to see," Conan teased, bumping into her shoulder slightly. He had reverted back to his smooth-talking attitude, his chin held high in triumph.

"I'm not smiling for you, I'm smiling for me."

There was a deep chuckle. "I see."

There was nothing that she could do to 'win' this conversation, if that were possible- there was no way around Conan's impeccably timed comebacks. It was almost depressing.

"We're coming up on the Point's outer barriers!" Lennon yelled, her overused voice interrupting what Audra was going to say back- which most likely was anything but appropriate- and calling her attention to the front.

Ahead of them, the trees parted way to reveal a concrete wall. It blended into the environment well enough that it took her a few seconds to recognize exactly what it even was. Vines crawled up the sides, burying itself into cracks of cement blocks. It reached at least twenty five feet in the air, touching branches in the upper parts of the trees. It was as dull as the place from which Audra had come. 

As they approached the structure, it didn't take much thinking at all to cause a sudden realization to dawn upon her. It's just another concrete jail, she realized, her breath catching. The wall stretched so far to her left and right that she couldn't see the end. 

"Sorry 'bout the appearance," Sena told Conan behind her. "Upkeep is difficult on this part of the Point." She pulled out a ancient- looking comm from her pocket, and pressed a button.

"Knock knock," Sena stated simply into the comm, before releasing the button.

Conan's brows furrowed. "Wait... wha-" He began.

"Shut up," Fenton snapped from close behind Audra, his hand glancing over the trigger of his gun.

"Who's there?" A voice crackled from the comm.

"Theodore." 

This was getting ridiculous. Jokes didn't come naturally to her, but Audra was well-read enough to know what a knock-knock joke was.

"Theodore who?" The static-filled voice replied. 

"Theodore wasn't open so I knocked."

A roaring sound emanated from the wall, and suddenly two doors slowly started sliding to the side, revealing a narrow tunnel underneath the immense wall.

"Welcome, Sena Oda. You and your party have been granted emergency permission to pass through walls 2A and 2B." The connection was shut down immediately after the name was uttered from the comm.

"A knock-knock joke." Conan was incredulous, and so was Audra. "You can't be serious."

Sena scoffed as she strode into the tunnel in front of them. "I can be whoever I want to be." Lennon followed close behind, visibly disgruntled.

"What's wrong with her?" Audra whispered to Conan beside her.

"She thinks that a knock-knock joke is a good idea for a-"

"No, not Sena. I meant Lennon."

Conan shrugged, his shoulders nearly reaching his ears. "Hell if I know. We've only just met her, haven't we?" 

Ari, who had been marching behind them ever since the watch incident, spoke up. "They've always had it out for each other," The man pointed out. "Everything with them is an argument. Even the code to get into the outer gate."

That's... good to know, Audra thought to herself. Better not get between them on a bad day.

A shadow spilled over her suddenly, and she realized that she had stepped into the narrow tunnel. It wasn't completely dark, thankfully; a few lights lined the short passageway. She could see the end of the tunnel ahead of her, barely. It was hard to make out in the dark.

"We're passing through the other walls, where the security gets a little tight and it takes a while. But because we have the three of you with us, we get to bypass all of those underground. When we leave this tunnel, we'll be in the Point," Sena explained excitedly, her voice echoing from the front to the back of the tunnel. "We did it."

The entire group of men and woman shouted in response, a cheer resonating from within the tunnel as the last of the group entered and the doors shut behind them. They raised their guns to the ceiling to the beat.

"We did it," Audra repeated to herself. "We made it."

Safety had never looked so close.