Page 41 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

“No shit,” Tate mutters, and Scotty huffs.

“Why would they have that up here?” Cooper says, a harsh line between his bunched brows.

“I don’t think it would have many fingerprints on it . . . maybe only two, even. Maybe . . . maybe Ezla and Joseph are up here sometimes?” Scotty suggests warily.

“I wouldn’t put it past him to make her land up here in her training, pushing her to the extreme.” Cooper’s face is disgusted, and sadness weighs down on me. I don’t think he’d be too far off there, and that fact only urges me to go faster, to get to our Bonded as soon as possible. I need to hold her, to make sure she’s okay.

Tate puts his thumb on the scanner.

His glare is ruinous when it doesn’t work.

Cooper scoffs. “Seriously, man? Did you actually fucking think that would work?”

“Shut up, fuckface, or I’ll throw you off the roof.”

Dark brown eyes glare into Tate’s soul.

“Focus, everyone.” Scotty’s frowning as he inspects the hatch harder, leaning closer before he shakes his head. “We’re going to have to break it. It’s not taalk, just normal metal, so we should be able to do it.”

“Should we use our Avri axes?”

Tate glowers at me viciously. “Havoc hates axes.”

I squint my eyes. “Good point.”

“I hate to say this, but the axe is the best option here,” Scotty tells us. “I’m pretty sure Ezla wouldn’t mind us using her least favourite weapon if it meant saving her from something horrific. And if she did, I’m not sorry to say that I’d still do it a thousand times over to keep her safe.”

Everyone is silent then, until Alby reaches behind him and grabs one of his armoury sticks from his shoulder blade. “We—we can do this.” I can’t tell if the reassurance was directed at himself or us, but we all follow his lead after that, the truth of Scotty’s words planting itself firmly in us. And we get to work.

***

Ten minutes later, and the hatch opens silently.

With our Avri axes and the fact that the metal used up here isn’t indestructible like taalk, it wasn’t too difficult to get in. The protection is good—it definitely wasn’t easy to get in—but for the Game Master, I’d say it’s poor. I can only assume that’s because no one would be suicidal enough to come up here in the first place, so the taalk seemed unnecessary. And I guess if Ezla and Joseph needed a quick escape for any reason, they’d be able to break it if the second scanner I catch a glimpse of on the inside wasn’t working in order to get themselves out as quickly as possible.

It’s dead silent in here, no commotion even after all our banging around. It should calm me, because that means it’s likely that the Game Master’s out, probably in a meeting at this time of day, I’d hope. But I can’t really feel much relief at the moment, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to until DN is safely back in mine and my brothers’ arms.

I gulp as my dread ramps up higher.

Before sticking my head right into the revealed space.

I shriek as a firm grip on the back of my neck drags me back.

“Tiger, you can’t just stick your head in a place we know nothing about,” Scotty scolds.

Pulling out of his hold, I pout. “But Ezzy’s in there, Scotty. We have to be quick.”

He sighs. “Yeah, well, let me do the checki—

Tate jumps right into the revealed square.

“Tate!” Everyone speaks in unison in various different tones: Scotty’s is a pissed hiss, Cooper’s is an angry bark, Alby’s is a squeaked exclamation of fear for our brother, and mine is a louder copy of his.

“Fuck, I’ll go next.” Cooper doesn’t wait for any protests before tossing himself in after Tate, and I quickly pop my head back over the open hatch to see inside.

My shoulders drop slightly when I see him landing in a seemingly empty dim room. The floor is about ten feet below, and the harsh sunlight warming my back shines its yellow light on where he stands and looks around, eyes narrowed. Then he turns around and delivers a thumbs-up.

“Me next,” I say and hop through just as fast as he did, landing like a cat on my feet.