CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
"You miss me?" Rio asked as he cocked the gun, scaring the group of researchers.
The researcher's scrambled in a panic but the old man who Rio deduced as the leader calmed down first. "How did you get that gun?" He asked as he looked around "And where are the guards?"
Rio gave the man a wide grin at that question. "Well they seemed a little tired so I kindly asked them to take a nap."
"Impossible!" The lead researcher explained wide eyed as he tried to take a step towards Rio.
Rio trained the gun straight at the man now. "Take one more step old man and I'll turn you into a pincushion. Don't think I don't know how the collars work."
The old man's panicked expression faded as it turned into one of superiority. "Oh so you saw through my plan." He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Though I doubt you have the balls to do it."
"Um sir that's a loaded gun. I think you should co-operate with the person with a g—"One of the other researchers asked.
"Silence wench. I have the situation under control." The old man said smugly. "Now child put down the gun so we can resolve this amicably, like proper rational individuals."
Rio smiled cheekily in response. His gun still pointed at him "Nuh uh."
"This is all just a big misunderstanding. Just let me leave, I'll call in security and you'll be out of here in no time."
Rio just gave him a deadpan stare. "I'm Ten, not an idiot." No one was falling for such an obvious ploy. "Kenji I know you're awake, get your lazy ass up."
Kenji ears twitched at the request, and then got up with a yawn acting as if he hadn't witnessed everything. "Wow Rio, you're amazing woof. Two guards with weapons and you took them down like they were nothing." His tail wagged in excitement
"Come stand beside me." Rio asked.
Kenji made his way towards Rio but stumbled as he was unfamiliar with walking while chained.
The old man saw this as a signal to lunge at Rio but stopped as a loud bang echoed across the room.
"Move one more step and I swear, I'll shoot your arms next." The trail of smoke and the dented tile and bullet made the threat finally register in the stubborn old man's mind.
"Where are the keys?" Rio asked while pointing to his neck where the collar still rested on, completely suppressing his abilities.
"I don't have it on me and even if I did I wouldn't give it to you without any guarantees." The researcher that tried to speak reason to the man earlier stared at him wide eyed inwardly cursing her supervisor's desire to get her killed with his remarks. "And I don't have clearance to open any of the specimen's collars."
"Really after all the shit you pulled! You're lucky you don't have a bullet lodged in your skull."
"The only guarantee I can give is that you won't die, but when I'm done with you you'd wish you had." Rio said "Since you don't have the keys to the collar surely you have the keys to our cuffs and or know a way we can deactivate the collars?"
The old man hesitated for a moment before finally nodding slowly. "Let me just reach into my pockets and then—"
"RARGHHH." The old man screamed as he charged in desperately to cross that one meter mark.
The other researchers looked at him in despair as the man had sealed their fate, the female researcher just looked up to the ceiling like she had given up on life.
BANG
Rio took the shot immediately. Still in the state of 'the world' he had contemplated firing a shot straight to the man's chest but he ended up shooting him in the legs instead.
"AAAARGH, it hurts, it fucking hurts. Somebody do something and make it stop." The old man screamed as he writhed on the floor in agony.
Rio was disappointed, like really disappointed. The man was so stubborn and headstrong earlier that he thought he was made of harder substance. Instead he was just an old man who sold his conscience for money and had an unrealistic idea of himself. "I warned you old man."
The man didn't even listen to him as he still rolled in unbearable agony on the floor.
He had no time to even feel disgust for the old man because—
BENG BENG BENG
The sound of alarms blaring heavily took over as the lights in the room turned a dim red.
Rio frowned at the unexpected occurrence, wondering how things went so bad suddenly. This complicated things immensely.
"Shit… You the female search his pockets for the keys." Rio said pointing at the female researcher.
She stepped out hesitantly as she crouched towards the Researcher who was still screaming unbearably.
She reached out into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys and a small button that was beeping red.
"Hah, I bet you*groans* didn't expect that huh*Winces* you little shit." The old man laughed an ugly laugh as he continued to roll on the floor.
Rio's face was set in to a line as he understood why this just happened.
"Immediately you shot me I knew, eukk. You aimed for my head but you shot my leg." The old man smiled triumphantly a smile interspaced with a grimace. "You don't have it in you to kill me." The man's laughter turned into a full blown one as he completely ignored the pain.
Rio wanted to point the gun at the arrogant Old man's temple and blast it away to smithereens. He wanted that ugly laugh to cease immediately but he couldn't. His hands refusing to move remaining stuck to the gun as if he had lost control over them.
"Why would you take such a risk? What if I had shot you instead?" Rio said.
"KUKUKU. Grant a fate worse than death. If I let you get out the master would resurrect me from the dead after torturing me to death. Your measly threats in comparison mean nothing."
"Lady toss the keys over." Rio asked and the woman immediately complied
"Kenji get everyone out of their shackles." The sound of the alarms were defeaning. The sounds so piercing that no one could sleep through it. They all had stirred awake. Even Kiba who had been electrocuted earlier got up groggily.
{Damn, what's happening and why are there alarms blaring.}* Sae say's this in brain rot.
"There's no time for explanations." Rio said "All you need to know is that if we can't get out of here in time… we're fucked."
Kenji made quick work of everyone's cuffs as he shared an update of what had transpired so far. While Himiko went over to Daiki to remove the thick needles lodged into his skin. She looked entranced at the red blood flowing out from the holes in his body.
Kiba was the last person to be attended to by Kenji. Kenji knelt down and removed the cuffs on his legs but was stopped by Kiba who held a hand up and told him to wait.
Straining as his face was set into a grimace Kiba snapped the chains holding him in place as he howled out his frustration.
The researchers looked on horrified by the display of strength while his friends looked impressed.
"Hey give that to me." Sae said as she walked up to Rio pointing at his gun.
Rio looked at her confusedly not knowing where she was going with this.
"You've done good up until now. You'll hesitate when it matters the most because you're a good person Rio… And I'm not."
Rio wanted to argue against that fact but the cold sweat dotting his palms would quickly disprove that. He didn't have it in him to take another life even when the people who kidnapped him were right in front of him.
Rio nodded to her handing her the gun as he made his way to Kenji. Kenji quickly removed the cuffs from his legs and was about to the same with the ones at his hands but Rio stopped him, Kiba's display of strength earlier giving him an idea.
"Kiba help me break open the cuffs on my hand but sever them down the middle." Rio asked.
Kiba didn't understand why he would want that but he nodded and helped Rio break his cuffs.
Rio studied the broken cuffs with satisfaction. The cuffs now resting on his hands like metal braces, with a chain on the end. A makeshift weapon, something that only he could use to its greatest advantage.
Rio seeing that all his friends, even Daiki had woken up and was free from their shackles nodded in satisfaction. He walked towards the researchers and stepped precisely one meter in front of them.
"I need the layout of this building. Co-operate and we can all get out of this with no one else getting hurt." It was a display of power on his part. Here he stood a meter in front of them and yet no one tried to move closer to trigger the shock suppression system.
The lady researcher nodded and revealed the floor plans to him. Rio looked at her appreciatively, it was rare to find people who understood the reality and acted accordingly, his admiration for her would be greater if she hadn't worked with human traffickers.
The building was deep underground, housing five floors. He needed to get to the very bottom to reach the video monitoring room and the quirk suppression device signal room. She didn't know the number of guards available, but she said it would be impossible to escape unscathed.
"Sae, Himiko, and Hayato! You guys head into the vents outside. I'll cause a commotion—use the time I buy you to escape," Rio said as he started stepping out of the room.
"But I wanna go in the vents too. Woof."
Rio just glared at Kenji, the boy's ears drooping as he followed behind him.
"Wait!" Sae exclaimed.
"You'll need another distraction. You three won't be nearly enough to draw out all their forces. Let me help."
"Just do as I say, Sae. Stop trying to reject me at every turn," Rio barked.
"Okay, chill. All I'm saying is you're not even factoring in the nerd squad over there," Sae said, pointing at the researchers. "I'll keep 'em here. Bet they don't wanna lose their brainy babies."
"And how do you intend to protect yourself? Last time I checked, we still can't use our quirks—and you're a really shitty fighter."
"Girl, who said I was tryna box? I'll slam that big-ass metal door shut behind me. They'll have to pull people off you just to come save these dweebs."
"That door won't hold for long."
"Then you better come get me fast, loverboy."
Rio rummaged through his hair as he considered the feasibility of the plan.
"Fine. But don't let any of those researchers out of your sight. I don't trust them." He would just have to trust that she could hold out on her own.
Sae placed a hand on his shoulder. "...Sorry. For earlier. And Himiko too."
"Save the apology," Rio said without looking at her. "Say it when we're all out."
As if on cue, Daiki stirred. His massive frame twitched under the fluorescent lights, his gravelly muscles rippling as he walked toward Rio.
Rio blinked.
He was envious of such a strong body, but it would be the key to getting out of this alive.
Author's note: Hey I posted a chapter early today. Isn't that great, Isn't that amazing!.
Now give me your powerstones.🔫