Jake Barry
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Chapter 40
🕑 Added 2023-05-10 20:22:55 +0000 UTC"Okay, she texted back." Jeannine leans back against the wall, sighing in relief. "It looks like she is taking the bait. She is on her way."
She moves her phone to the right, giving me a better view of it. I can see the private chat between her and Myra on it.
"Let's review the plan one more time. Considering how many things could go wrong, we need to be absolutely sure we're on the same page."
It's currently midday, meaning there are less than four hours left before the Lilli studies club members meet. Since we lack an access key to enter, we have to rely on Myra or the President for entry. While that may seem inconvenient, it's actually vital to our plan. We need Myra to be there. Reading their chat, I can see her saying she is busy with classes until the club meeting. However, Jeannine found a way to convince her to make some time during lunch. All it took was for her to say that she wanted to talk about club-related matters in 'a place without listening ears'.
"Sure." Jeannine nods. "Ask away."
I take a moment to gather my thoughts. There are so many variables at play that I am not sure where to begin. "How much time will I have?"
"Roughly five minutes. I will try to buy you more, but it's up to Myra. I will signal when time is up using the codeword."
"What if she notices the hair? It could be evidence."
"She shouldn't. Even if she does, it's just a hair. They fall out all the time. I will try to retrieve it, given the chance."
"What if they don't cooperate? What should I do then?"
"We can't force them. If, for some reason, they want to stay, then leave them. Though, I doubt they will do that. They all heard what the others plan to do to them."
"Alright. I'm ready." I tell her, sounding confident as ever. "What about you? How are you feeling?"
"I'm just fine." Jeannine says softly. She takes a shaky breath and places a hand on her chest.
"Heart racing?"
"A little." She whispers.
"Don't worry. We are in this together. I promise you; I will save all of them. No man left behind!"
"Thanks, Nick. I am very thankful you agreed to do this. I don't think there is anyone else I could have asked. Not even Sara. You are really brave."
"You're welcome! Don't forget that I want to help too. As a fellow Lilli, I am obligated to do what I can. I want this just as much, if not more than you."
"Then let's get it done. We'll be in and out in five minutes." Jeannine's hand moves to her hip, touching the small, glass vial attached to her belt. She tugs at it, bringing the entire thing around, so that it's now behind her. "Hopefully with a vial full of seventy thankful Lillis."
Not thirty seconds later, Myra rounds the corner, making her way toward us. She gives a friendly wave as she approaches. "Heyyy, Jeannine!"
"Hi Myra!" Jeannine answers, matching her energy. "Thanks for taking the time."
"Of course! I wouldn't have you tell me things like that over text." She says, pulling her key card out. She scans it, unlocking the door. "Speaking of which, can I get your phone and any other electronics?"
"Certainly. Here you go."
Jeannine hands her what she asks for, before reaching for her earpiece. She turns it off and hands it over as well, thus disconnecting us for the time being. It's frustrating, as a plan like this would be so much easier if only, we could talk. Icarus or his dad could have made us a small device, one that could be impossible for Myra to notice. Sadly, they did not have the time. I don't blame them. Less than twenty-four hours is hardly enough to complete a prototype.
"Alrighty, follow me." Myra says, gesturing for Jeannine to follow.
As soon as she turns her back, Jeannine reaches for me. In one, swift move she removes her earring and hides it in a closed fist. The cabin goes dark, and I feel a lot of movement due to how fast she acted. I listen to the two of them chat as they enter the room.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to tell you that I accept the President's offer. I'd like to take the position."
"Publicity Officer?!" Myra gasps. "Seriously?"
"I thought it over long and hard. I bet that if we can advertise how we saved fifty Remnants, it will benefit the club greatly. We might even get more funding."
Suddenly, I feel Jeannine's hand move. There is a dull thud as the earring is placed on a hard surface. Light returns, and I see that I am now on the lab bench. I don't waste any time, leaving my seat and hurrying to the hatch. I take a slow, deep breath and steel myself. Time is of the essence. I have to be fast. Without further ado, I leap out onto the surface of the bench.
As soon as I am outside, I wince in pain. The giantess' voices are so loud! Their normal volume is ridiculous, especially when so close to them. My gaze falls on Jeannine, whose back is turned to me. It rises high into the sky, effectively serving as a shield from Myra's view. While I wore lighter clothing to blend in with the color of the lab bench, the Remnants did not. A large enough group of them would easily be spotted by a Brob. My enormous friend leans against the bench, pressing her butt firmly against it. I can now see the vial on her belt better. As promised, the vial is level with the tabletop. It could not be more perfect.
"Awesome. So far so good!"
I turn around and begin running in the opposite direction. Ahead of me is my target, the plastic container housing the Lillis. As expected, the lid has been off since yesterday. While making my way over, Jeannine reaches behind her head, pretending to scratch. In reality, she dislodges an already-plucked hair, letting it fall. This is the part that we both dreaded the most. I watch as the huge strand descends, hoping that it lands how we need it to.
"Please, please, please..."
This plan hinges on Jeannine paying no attention to the Lillis. Any suspicious actions on her part will lead to being accused of stealing them.
Having Myra here makes her a witness. If Jeannine is accused, Myra will likely stand up for her. That is, so long as she does not touch them. Without the aid of a Brob, a Lilli has no hope of climbing out. By dropping a strand of her hair, we plan to use it as a sort of bridge to escape. However, that could fail depending on how it lands. Too much on either side and it will not rest on the edge. In that case, we will have to abort the plan entirely. I hold my breath as it hits the edge slightly off center. Despite this, it manages to rest comfortable on the edge. Both ends of it land in and outside the container.
"Yes! Holy crap, yes!" I yell, pumping a fist into the air.
With the hair in place, Jeannine's part in this is over. The rest is up to me. I make my way over to it and begin climbing it. It's thick enough to place a foot on and sturdy enough not to bend under my weight. I cannot go as quickly as I would like, or else I could fall, but I move relatively fast. Soon enough, I reach the edge of the container and stand atop it. By now, the Lillis have noticed me up here and have gathered around near the other end of the hair. I cup my hands around my mouth and yell as loud as I can.
"Listen up, people! Unless you want to participate in a fight to the death in a few hours, come with me! The Brob over there is an ally. She and I plan to get you out of here!"
They speak amongst themselves, giving me strange looks from down there. I can tell that they are confused by the situation. They don't know whether or not to trust me, or more importantly, Jeannine. As much as I would like to sit here and chat like I do with the leaders of Remnant settlements, time is not on our side. Jeannine can only chat with Myra for a short time. An entire minute has passed already. They need to make up their minds now.
"I'm not going to wait around! Follow me or don't, it's your choice!"
Suddenly, three guys leave the crowd and begin climbing up. Their decision causes more to follow.
I turn back and begin half-sliding and half-climbing down the hair bridge. I glance back every so often, checking to see how many are following me. To my surprise, most if not all of them are following. They go one at a time, as not to put too much weight on the strand. We may be small, but it's still a strand of hair. Too many of us and it will bend. I make it back down to the tabletop as the fastest of their group makes it to where I had been standing on the container's edge. I check my watch compulsively, counting the seconds that pass. We are making good time. I think that if they help each other, we can get out of here before Myra has to go.
"What do you think? Will the Prez go for my idea?"
"Definitely! He was just looking to fill a position, but you are actually going above and beyond. He is going to love it! I will tell him when I see him. He is with my in my next class. Speaking of which-"
"Oh, wait! I forgot to tell you something." Jeannine interrupts her.
She pauses for a time, which I know from experience means she is trying to produce an idea on the spot. She is trying to stall for time.
"Yes...?" Myra asks. "What is it?"
"You mentioned keeping five more Lillis from the administration. Do you still think that is possible?"
"I guess so. I mean, it's not like the administration is going to count them..." Myra thinks aloud, contemplating the idea.
Meanwhile, the majority of the group reaches me here on the tabletop. At this point, I can happily declare that all of the Lillis chose to follow me. No one stayed behind, from what I can tell. There is no time for a headcount, anyway. As Jeannine buys us a few more valuable seconds, I yell at the slower climbers to hurry up. There are still a few people making their way down. Due to the time crunch, I decide to split us up. I look at a random dude and point at him.
"You. Lead the others over to the Brob. She is keeping herself against this lab bench so that you guys can get to her.
There is a glass vial on her belt. Jump inside. There's cotton at the bottom to break your fall."
He looks at me as if I am speaking a different language. He is speechless. I must sound crazy, yelling things like this at him. I know it does not make sense, but it's the only hope we have currently got. They can make sense of this situation once they are safely with Jeannine. "Did I stutter? Go! Now! I will follow when the slower people get down here. There is no time to waste!"
I step behind him and give the man a forceful shove. He stumbles forward but does not take it as a sign of hostility. He simply looks at me and nods. "Alright. We're trusting you."
Him and the rest of the Lillis make a beeline for Jeannine. By the time they are halfway over to her, the last of the stragglers makes it to me. I grab one of them, an elderly man, by the hand and run. He pants in exhaustion, but I know that we cannot stop. Our group is lagging behind the others. We need to hurry.
"Listen, Jeannine, I really need to go. I cannot be late for this class. Whatever you have to say can wait until this afternoon. I still have something to drop off before that."
"I guess so. Thanks for meeting with me. I appreciate it, Myra."
"Anytime." Myra says, walking toward the door. She stops when she realizes Jeannine is not following her. "Jeannine?"
"Sorry. I got lost in thought. I think the fight this afternoon is going to be spectacular."
There it is. Our codeword is 'spectacular'. We chose it because it's easy to use in a sentence while also not being something Jeannine says very often. The fact that she is saying it means that we are out of time. I have fifteen seconds tops before she moves. Thankfully, we catch up to the others before that happens. I find them standing around like idiots at the edge, staring into the vial below.
"What are you doing?! Get it! We have to go!" I scream.
The man from before hesitates before jumping inside. He is quickly followed by the others.
Within just a few seconds, everyone makes it in. I feel relieved as Jeannine's hips move away from the bench. She turns and begins to walk away. Her actions would terrify me if we had not planned for this exact situation. She is buying me a few more seconds to get back to the cabin. Despite being out of breath and drenched in sweat, I force out one last burst of energy and break into a sprint.
"Oh! I forgot my earring. Sorry, let me grab it."
Jeannine walks back over to the bench to collect it. It's at this point that I feel a sense of dread. I thought it would take her longer to get back. At my current pace, I will need at least ten more seconds to get there. I am going to cut it close. I look up at her, watching he reach for the accessory. I reach the hatch just as her fingers press on either side of it. I don't get the chance to pull it open before she begins to lift it into the air. Desperate not to be left behind, I shift my focus to her fingernail. It's the only thing I will be able to hold onto now. I leap forward, catching the edge of her nail as she raises her earring up and around her head. To make things worse, Jeannine does not get the chance to look inside to confirm I am there. She simply puts it back on her ear and walks back to Myra.
"Here are your things. Don't forget them."
Myra hands Jeannine's bag and earpiece back to her. All of Jeannine's movements cause me to feel extremely dizzy. I nearly slip as her hand moves around at incredible speeds, changing direction so fast that it practically violates the laws of physics. I do my best to hold on, but I feel my grip weakening. She reaches to collect the earpiece from Myra, and I find myself falling a short distance. I land on the cold, hard surface of the device, in the palm of Myra's hand. I begin slipping across its surface just as Jeannine's fingers pinch its sides and lift it up. Everything is happening so fast, that I find myself acting on pure instinct.
There is just no time for rational thought. As I approach the edge, it becomes clear to me that I am going to fall. At this height... No, I don't even want to think about that. It's too terrifying. I am fairly certain planes fly at a similar altitude...
I am tempted to close my eyes and accept my fate. I probably would have, if not for noticing Myra's fingers below. Jeannine is taking her device back and Myra is simultaneously pulling her hand away. If I remain on the earpiece, I will definitely fall. That only leaves me with one option; it may be my only chance.
I push off of the earpiece with my legs, hurling myself through the air. My flight is abruptly ended as I land on the other giantess' middle finger, tumbling down into her palm. My tumbling accelerates as her hand pulls back toward her body. She moves it toward herself, as if to fan her face. I realize that she is taking me to a stray lock of hair, likely to brush it over her ear. My sliding turns into falling as the slope become completely vertical. I watch her palm zip by as I continue to plummet past her wrist. I look for anything to grab onto, anything at all. My eyes land on the large bracelet, halfway down her arm. I reach out, preparing to catch it. My hands make contact, and I feel a sudden sharp pain in my shoulder.
"Ow! Crap, that hurt..."
Despite my pain, I manage to hold on tight. I don't dare loosen my grip. Myra's arm then drops to her side, turning me upside down. I adjust my grip, preventing any more falls. After that entire ordeal, I somehow managed to survive! I am a little worse for wear, not to mention hanging from some random Brob's jewelry, but it could be worse. I look at Jeannine, who seems so far away now. I need to get back to her. Or, somehow, I need to get her attention. Sadly, I have no clue how I will do that. For now, I should probably pull myself up onto the large structure and find a spot to rest. However, I find myself unable to do so. There is not any place to sit.
"Looks like I have to hang here for a while. I need to produce a plan. Preferable before my arms give out..."
I try to ignore the growing pain in my fingers and shoulder as I consider my options. While I try to stay cool, it's not easy. I have not left the safety of Jeannine's care in a year. Without her, I am just some helpless Lilli. I will not survive in the Brob world. Should I get Myra's attention? No, that could be a death sentence. Maybe I could find Sara? No, I don't know where she is, let alone if I can actually trust her. Hopefully, Jeannine figures out that I am not in the earring soon. That is the only solution of which I can think.
"At least we saved everyone. Plus seventy, minus one, is a net gain, right?" I joke to myself. "Dammit Nick, what have you gotten yourself into..."
Comments
Jake Barry
No spoilers, but you are in for a very tense chapter next week…
Haroon
I guess I was right when I mentioned Nick into Sky Mode 2 chapter ago lol. But I hope Nick makes home!
Jake Barry
Thank you, Aaron! That is high praise. Especially from you.
Acrophite
This is the most tense and thrilling chapter of any story I’ve ever read, period. The tension I felt reading this was so palpable, and my stomach pretty much dropped when Nick didn’t make it back. I’d like to believe he will, but I know the end is coming soon and it is unrealistic to believe happy endings will be for all. Fingers crossed he will be okay!
