Project Trouble X Three

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Recap

“No I haven’t. Sophia’s only doing this to get attention!” He yelled, causing us to wince.

Sophia walked around me. I knew she was behind me but I didn’t want to risk anyone hearing. She walked towards the cells. “I’m not doing this for attention. I want to be able to protect myself and my family. I realized I had been a brat for too long. I wanted to change, no, I needed to change. I don’t want to be that weak little girl who fails to protect her family,” I heard her say. I was proud of her. I knew she was doing this for herself and not for our family. She just needed a push to get her going.

“You are here, so your shadow has to be close. Come out, Cat, if you dare,” Cruz taunted. I rolled my eyes and walked around the corner. “There’s the favorite. I can’t wait for our surprise to show up and do with you what they want.”

“You, asshole, they will kill everyone else off, including you! It doesn’t matter if you have a deal with them or not!” I yelled, mad as hell at his stupid move. “How about we leave you to them?”

I pulled up the cameras and rewound the one following Cruz’s heat signature. I almost gasped at him.

Cats POV

I pulled up the cameras and rewound the one following Cruz’s heat signature. I almost gasped at him. I put the screen up on the wall behind me and turned up the sound. I was sick to my stomach at Cruz’s words. He was going to sell Sophia and I to the twins. He wanted ten-million-dollars so he could leave the country. He didn’t care what they did with the rest of us. I could see the anger written on each of their faces.

Cruz had made a deal with the devil, but he didn’t count on one thing, me. He thought he had the upper hand in all these negotiations, but he was dead wrong. He was going to jail for what he did, and he would be going to jail here when the cartel showed up. But, in another jail that was hidden in the walls of a tunnel.

“You just made the biggest mistake of your life.” I turned to Doc. “Can you give him something to knock him out?” He nodded but looked at my parents for their approval. I could tell they knew I was up to something. They nodded and Doc pulled out a needle from his pocket. I wanted to laugh at him. He was ready if Cruz had acted up.

I watched as Cruz backed up and shook his head. “You are not knocking me out! I will be at the mercy of the cartel when they come!”

“Just like you were going to do to us?” Sophia asked, anger on her face.

Three of the Shadow Cat’s followed Doc into the cell and restrained Cruz. It didn’t take but a second for him to be knocked out. “Alright, Cat, you better have a reason for knocking him out,” my mom said.

“I do. I need someone to pick him up and follow me, please. Claw picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. They all followed me to a tunnel and into the next jail. It was soundproofed and had everything it needed to keep Cruz comfortable until we returned to get him.

“Cat?” My dad questioned.

“This is a soundproofed cell. It has everything he will need until we get back. If for some reason we don’t come back the cell door will automatically open in two weeks. He can’t come with us. He will give us all away. This area is bomb proof. He will be safe until you decide what to do with him,” I explained hoping they would understand why I made the room.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Madrid commented as he walked over to my parents. “You know what she says is true, plus she has made sure he would be comfortable. We will get him out later and decide what to do with him, okay?”

My mom looked at my dad. I knew she was okay with it but they both made decisions together. My dad sighed. “Okay.” Claw put Cruz on the bed and backed out of the cells. I locked the cell door, using the screen on my wrist. I set the timer and walked away, my family following.

I sat down at the table and put my hands over my face. I couldn’t believe Cruz would betray us for money. I had a thought and quickly brought up the screen and changed all the codes for the doors and hatches. I didn’t want them to walk in on us when we discussed what was next.

“So…” Dragon tailed off and hugged me.

“So, I told you there wasn’t an escape hatch, but there is an escape tunnel, several of them. Cruz hasn’t seen them, but I let him discover one of them. I guess it’s about time for our fight to begin, but I don’t want to fight in this bunker.”

Madrid turned to Eagle and held his hand out. I shook my head as Eagle handed Madrid a twenty. They were always betting on something or another. I should have known Madrid would know about some of my plans.

“I guess it’s time to bug out again,” my mom commented as she sighed. “Do you have another bunker anywhere?”

I laughed at her raised eyebrow and the smirk on her face. “I have something, but it’s not a bunker. I will give you the coordinate, but don’t say it aloud. I don’t know if Cruz put listening devices up.” I paused. “Hey, Robota, do a scan for listening devices.” I could see the confusion on everyone’s faces.

“You have three devices. Two in here and one in the training area. Do you need anything else, Cat?” A robotic voice answered, confirming my suspicions. I got up and scanned the walls with my watch and grabbed the two in the area around us. I walked to the training area and did the same, finding the last one.

I walked back to our table and laid the devices on the table, picking up one of them. “Listen up, assholes, and listen well. I’m going to kill you for coming after us, for your thoughts about raping us.” I didn’t say anything else. I pulled a blade out of my boot and smashed all of them with the butt of my blade, making sure the device was in pieces so tiny they couldn’t work.

“Well, I do believe Cat has spoken for all of us,” my dad laughed out as he walked to me. He pulled me into a hug, grabbing Sophia and pulling her into the hug, too. I rolled my eyes and ducked out of my dad’s tight arms, Sophia following the same move I did.

I smiled at her. “Very good, Sophia.” She smiled and winked at me. I was happy she was watching my moves. If it helped her learn how to free herself I didn’t care if she did everything I did.

“Let’s not wait on them to get here. We need to weapon up. Anyone else have anything to add?” Madrid asked as he looked at each of us. “Cat, do we need to go in two groups?”

“We would make less noise if we did. A big group will only call attention to ourselves, but I want Sophia on my team, please,” I explained as I walked over to Martim and sat beside him for a second. I was leaning on him as Ii waited to see what Madrid would say. I saw him quickly signing to my parents but I couldn’t catch half of what he was telling them. I sighed and melted into Martim’s arms even more. He kissed my head lovingly and we waited on them to decide what to do.

“Alright, she can be on your team, but you need to protect her.” I saw Sophia give him a dirty look. “Or not,” he added. Sophia and I laughed at his facial expressions.

“Coordinates,” I mindlessly said. I pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of my pocket, writing the coordinates down. Ii didn’t want to say them aloud just in case a bug was missed. I handed the paper to Madrid and watched as he put it in a waterproof pocket on his suit. It was well hidden and not easily lost.

“Weapon up!” Madrid ordered as we ran for our rucksacks. I remembered Cruz had destroyed everything in my room, including my rucksack. I opened a wall and pulled out the real rucksack and threw it on my shoulder.

I ran back into the weapons room and grabbed all my weapons,, adding a few nasty surprises for later. I strapped on blades, handguns, grenades, and added some MRE’s to my pack. I made sure I had plenty of water and some breakfast bars. I grabbed a first aid kit and threw it on top of everything else. I was loaded for bears or the twins.I knew my rucksack was going to be a little heavy but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. Madrid would give us one hundred pound rucksacks to run fifty miles with. It was hard but it got easier over time.

I walked over to Sophia and handed her a few extra weapons to put in her hair. I had found more of the stiletto blades and wanted to share them with her. She nodded and twisted her hair into a knot on top of head, adding the sticks to hold it up. I put a holster around her hips and added more throwing blades and two more guns. I checked her weapons and nodded my head.

“Can you run with all your weapons on and carry your rucksack?” I asked her.

“You bet I can. I’m ready, Cat,” Sophia said with guts and determination in her voice. I was so proud of her. I knew this was hard on her but she hadn’t complained once.

We walked back into the main cavern and waited on the rest of the Shadow Cats. When they walked up and looked as menacing as ever I knew they were ready.

“Ready to show us a way out of here?” Madrid asked as he walked up and inspected all of us.

“Yes, sir, but we are going down instead up this time,” I told him as turned quickly towards me.

“Down?” He asked as if it was the most ludicrous idea of the century.