Harlow was more upset than she let on. Yeah, she kinda expected Gizzard to call security when she saw them, but why draw that out for so long? For a moment, a small moment, she wanted to believe that she was being forced to work with Director Chow. That she was still a good person but the wrong people saw the wrong reasons in her genius. 

Even now, as she was going in circles, being dragged (not really) by Black Star around the lab, and yelling at the other for going too far. 

“What else did you expect me to do?” Black Star yelled over the wind and bullets rushing past her. Every so often, one would get too close, and she had to make a judgement call on either repelling it or pushing it the other way. Harlow could tell that was difficult giving all the things she was carrying anyway. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have provoked her in the first place!!” Harlow snapped back. She knew that was a pointless sentiment though. Gizzard probably had an emergency button on or under her desk that she used when she saw Harlow. She was just buying time. Harlow clicked her tongue, it was annoying how someone like her was being dragged through all this. She looked at the drones trailing closely behind them, and wished for a moment that they were a little bit closer. 

“Hey! Be careful you don’t destroy my things!!” She heard Gizzard’s high-pitched wail. She was standing, almost clutching her work close to her, her head buzzing every direction as she watched eagerly. Must not have wanted them to destroy. Honestly if it weren’t for the possibly living people inside the tubes, Harlow would have. She was definitely sure Black Star would. 

Instead they went a couple more circles, before Harlow felt queasy. She wished she could yell at Black Star to stop, especially since they actually needed to find an exit. But they couldn’t. So Harlow looked around the room which moved in slow blurred lines and shapes. She squinted to see if she could find a different exit. Maybe i should have done this earlier…Harlow thought. She wondered if Black Star wouldn’t mind helping her out. 

“Cass~ I need to find an exit…” She said slowly. Black Star made no move to show she heard her, but instead tossed Harlow into the center of the room. She was suddenly very vulnerable in an easy to access spot. Some of the drones even stopped  abruptly, turned towards and began flying at her with insane speed.

Harlow winced, getting ready for whatever bullet or impact was headed for her, but it didn’t happen. Instead, now that Black Star wasn’t forcing Harlow to follow her, she was making sure to avoid and redirect bullets and projectiles at the lab itself and the others drones. She even got lucky and hit some of them. They hurtled to the ground like rocks, smashing indiscriminately into different spaces in the lab. Some even fell onto Gizzard’s desk, which caused her to shriek loudly and begin to try to cover her computer so it wouldn’t be hit. 

And while that was interesting, it wasn’t what Harlow needed. She couldn’t move on her own so instead she strained her neck and head to look for any doors which may lead out. She considered going back the way she came, but there was still a huge possibility that even more drones or even superheroes were waiting for them. She really wished there were windows.

“H-hey!! Give that back!!” She heard Gizzard shout. Harlow looked down to see Gizzard, now standing on her desk fully, and hopping towards where Black Star was floating. It seems while she was lost in thought, Black Star had decided to make an exit strategy of her own. 

“Why? I need this more than you do, I’m sure.” Black Star said. Harlow looked around a moment to see what just happened. Then she noticed that the computer’s processor was floating and circling a little ways near Black Star’s head. When some of the drones tried hitting her, Gizzard screeched at them to stop and back down. 

“That my precious research!! If you do anything to that, Dir. Chow will kill me!” She jumped wildly at Black Star, who seemed to be enjoying this temporary immunity. Harlow rolled her eyes. Why was she choosing now to play these little games? She could get seriously hurt! Or worse… Harlow was about to tell Black Star to knock it off, when she spotted a double door to the south of Gizzard’s desk. She hadn’t even noticed it because she hadn’t gotten that far when she was looking around.  

“Cass!! I found an exit!!” She called out, stopping Black Star from her apparently very enjoyable new hobby. Black Star floated up to be where she was, and looked at the door. 

“Huh. How long do you think that was there for?” She didn’t wait for an answer, instead she moved both them towards the exit. 

“Wait!! W-wait, you can’t just take my research!! I need that. I NEED THAT!!” Gizzard’s cries were a little hard for Harlow to hear. She wished that that doctor she knew was there. Maybe…maybe they could’ve figured out this little mystery together. Or even, figured out how to stop it before it became too late. 

Black Star wasn’t the least bit moved. She went from lightly floating around to moving the both of them  almost instantly to escape the remaining drones. They followed of course, but by the time they reached the door, the two had already went through it.  Harlow watched their backs while Black Star began to speed up as they flew through the hallways. It didn’t look like they were in a regular part of the building yet. 

“We can probably make a swift exit if you could get me to an access panel.” Harlow suggested, turning around to face the same direction as Black Star. She hummed, spinning a little before gaining speed. 

“You’re becoming quite the little villain, you know?” Black Star teased. Harlow scoffed. 

“Don’t even joke with me. Just find me a panel so i can give us some time to escape.” Harlow said plainly.  Black Star giggled a little, then realizing she had some extra baggage, tossed the processor into Harlow’s hands. Harlow looked down at it and back at Black Star. “What the hell do you want me to do with this??” She asked, readjusting to better carry her new souvenir. 

“Figured we could use it. It is ‘precious little research’ remember?” Black Star, trying her best to mimic Gizzard’s shrieks from earlier. Harlow stifled a laugh then hit Black Star lightly. “Don’t know why you care so much. She literally framed you.” 

Harlow scoffed. “You should be happy I’m willing to look past other’s actions at all, Cass.”

They zoomed through numerous more hallways and entrances. Sometimes they’d find themselves cornered and have to redirect, and other times they would gain a whole new drone to follow them around and try to shoot at them. Harlow figured these guys weren’t given the memo to spare the processor though. 

“You’d think they be a little more careful!” Harlow yelled as she watched a bullet stop beside her face and fly backwards towards the drone who shot it. She heard Black Star grunt, but wasn’t sure if she was responding to her or straining herself. She was loosing a lot of energy right now. 

“Cass, holdup. Put me down.” She heard a loud scoff. 

“And let you get shot? Don’t think so, I’m fine.” She didn’t even look at Harlow when she said it, simply flew down the hallway still, bobbing and weaving to avoid threats. Harlow didn’t even know what to say and she couldn’t see an access panel or any sort of technology that would make it easier for her to hack the system and get them out of there. Essentially, she was entirely dependent on Black Star to get everyone out and safe. Again. 

“Finally!” She heard Black Star exclaim, and she felt the other begin to move even faster. Her eyes were glowing a bright white now, which Harlow knew meant she was getting exhausted. “Harley! Cover you face!” She called out. Harlow’s eyebrows knit confusion. Why would she need to cover her face?

Then she saw what Black Star spotted. An open window, which showing the bright pinks and violets of the Graves City skyline. Harlow felt her heart sink a little. She knew exactly what she was gonna do. Before she could move to argue or even ask why, she felt a bullet graze past her face, searing into her cheek. She winced, automatically closing in on herself. 

Black Star took that as a sign to go ahead. She turned her head slightly, pushing all the drones a feet back and sending some into the doors and halls behind them. Harlow felt the impact of the glass, which she was sure cut both of them, as they flew through the window and into Graves City. Harlow suppressed yelling or cursing as she felt a surge of wind rush past her. It looked like  Black Star was not in the mood to see if anyone would follow, as she just kept going until the Citadel was only a speck on the skyline.