Though I knew he had no idea what I was capable of, being underestimated so severely was making it hard to control my temper. The buzz in my head was beginning to become grating as I stood up, walking around the table- tense and half expecting him to change his mind and attack me. I felt small standing in front of him, my pulse racing as I leaned forward. “Don’t move,” I muttered as I brushed my fingers under the cuff of my jacket to collect the small device hidden by the hem.

He leaned back away from me for a moment, snapping aggressively, “What are you doing?” His eyes were wild, and I couldn’t help but realize he must have only known a hard hand being in Purgatory. 

“Scared the baby boy is going to hurt you?” I scoffed, smirking at the anger that crossed his face. “It’s your only way out of here- so sit still.” Reaching out, I edged my fingers under Luko’s collar, placing the device between the metal and his skin. I waited a moment for the flicker across my vision that meant it was connected before I quickly withdrew. “I’ll be able to deactivate your collar- at least for a couple minutes.” 

“I haven’t agreed to anything yet,” he stated, narrowing his eyes as he looked at my hands before meeting my gazer. His expression was tense but unreadable, stoic with resolve. 

I stiffened, feeling a snarl pull at my lips as I looked back at him. “Oh? That’s fine,” I stepped back, seeing surprise flash through his golden gaze before my expression darkened. “When I leave, the guards will take you to isolation. You may think your life has been hell- but if you turn down our offer, we will make sure you never crawl your way out of that cell.” Jaw tight, I believed every one of those words- because Ash would never let this man live if he refused. 

Luko let out a heavy sigh, swearing under his breath as he glared at me and settled into his chair. “Fine. Let’s say I take your deal. The prison is still a fortress. Even with a few minutes of using my mods, you’ll never get me past the main gate. There’s too many guards, too many failsafes…” 

“You don’t need to worry about that,” I said sharply. Retrieving another hidden device, I stepped forward cautiously; Luko watched me warily, but didn’t struggle this time, only flinching as I pushed the earpiece in. “We’ll be able to communicate with this. I’ll be there to guide you, and I’ll make sure there’s nothing in your way. The only thing you need to be concerned with is making your way out of the building; I’ll take care of everything else.” 

He looked uncomfortable, rubbing his ear against his shoulder as muttered about the irritation under his breath. “Always wondered when I’d start to hear voices. Never thought it’d be the voice of a faction pet.” He seemed slightly more relaxed as he looked at me, perhaps realizing he had no more cards left up his sleeve. “So, what now?” 

Any answer I might have given was lost to a violent buzzing in my head, and I winced as I glanced up at the cameras. “We’re out of time,” I hissed, rubbing at my forehead as I moved back to my chair, making sure there would be no strange gap in movement for the cameras. “The guards will take you; keep your mouth shut, and I’ll contact you when I’m ready.” Sliding my fingers across the metal table, a neon keyboard opened across my vision as I readied myself to release control of the video system. 

“Wait a minute,” Luko said in a hush as he leaned forward, making me pause as he glanced anxiously toward the door. “How long am I supposed to wait exactly?” 

“I don’t know, a couple hours- it’s a complicated system. But I’m sure you can be patient,” I said, smirking as I looked up. “It’s not like you have anywhere else to be.”