A/N: I wanna take the time to give a little dedication and shout out to RaelynCrasher . They have been voting and reading 87 Below basically as the chapters are released. I know a few others have as well. This is just a thank you to my dedicated readers and to let you know that it does NOT go unnoticed! Go check out some of her work!

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Hope's grip tightened once again and he could practically feel her heart beating through her shirt, "I know how we can escape."

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Working quickly around the room, Atlas brandished his scissors to collect the lamp's cord. He placed it in his pocket and moved around the room waiting for his companion to guide him further into her plan. Hope, meanwhile, was busy working on feeling through the dark to get to the puzzle. It had turned out to be fairly simple. Combine black light, liquid scheelite, and little luck, and you have green and glowing numbers behind a safe.

The safe, which Hope had practically fallen over, then produced a key that would open the trunk on the far wall. When Hope had first grabbed the key she let out an excited squeal. Atlas had hurriedly asked if she was okay before she laughed at his chivalrous attempts. The pair navigated the darkness to find the key's rightful place, the trunk. The trunk once opened, had a button gently placed on the bottom, wires stuck out from a hole in the trunk's base.

They were fully aware that each time they entered the room they would disable the lamp's core function: to produce light. Hope had insisted that they complete the puzzles in darkness because 'they' would be watching. She was convinced that they might eventually lose sight of them. Anything to make escape easier was a must.

Atlas was still clueless about what Hope had in store. She had promised escape but had not told him her solution. In her rush to collect the lamp cords, she seemed to have neglected the detail. Atlas grew tired of the wondering as they moved on to the 23rd identical room. It was like a never-ending maze. A trail with no end.

"Just 5 more and we should be good to go," Hope announced confidently. Although Atlas couldn't see her through the thick darkness, he imagined her shining face as she gave herself a pat on the back. He pulled out his scissors to release the lamp of its shackles only for her to interrupt him.

"Oh, Atlas," she said, almost as an afterthought, "For these last 5, bring the entire lamp. It's made of metal right?"

Atlas nodded before quickly realizing she couldn't see the gesture. Atlas tossed his scissors into his bag at the command. "Yes, it is. It feels cold like metal at least."

"Okay, good. Try to sneak it into the elevator with the rest of the cords."

Atlas held the lamp close to him to mask it as much as possible. He would have no way of knowing if it had worked. Even after traversing through all of these rooms, they had yet to spot any cameras.

I guess we will see once we get out.

The thought brought a smile to his face.

Escape had been on his mind since the moment he woke up. Now he was finally going to get his wish. He shivered as he remembered the awful nightmares that were still wearing on his sanity and awareness. He was running on four hours of sleep and protein bars. The adrenaline and anticipation were the only reasons that he could keep his eyes open.

He stepped into the elevator and set the lamp down next to the pile of disassembled cords. He stood in the elevator leaning against the wall. As the walls started to shake, he saw Hope sprinting towards him. Her wavy tendrils were bouncing into her face like a mask of red covering her as she jumped inside. Atlas moved to the center with a lunge. He caught the girl by both biceps and helped her keep her balance. Under his fingertips, he could feel her soft skin emitting heat. He examined the girl to make sure she was okay. She breathed out a thank you as she righted herself.

On to the next one.

After the four remaining lamps were collected, Atlas stepped towards the room to get another. It was a habit at this point. The only thing stopping him was Hope's hand grabbing his shirt just before he exited. She pulled him backward, and he stumbled back into the box.

"We don't need another lamp." Her features revealed her amusement at his actions." Besides, I could use your help with the transformer."

She smiled up at him as she sat in front of the stolen lamps and cords. Atlas watched as she retrieved her scissors from her bag that had been sitting in the corner of the elevator. She started with the end of the cord that Atlas had already cut. Removing the rubber casing, she extracted the copper wiring inside and started a new pile for the precious wires.

Atlas sat down next to her and mimicked her technique. "What's a transformer?" he asked. He was eager to finally get some answers on how they would escape. It seemed like an impossible feat.

This is nothing for an impossible girl like Hope.

Hope seemed to perk up as she explained what a transformer was and how it worked. They would need to tie a few cords together to reach the power outlet where the lamp stood. She explained that they would need to splice the cord for the lamp already in the room to get the transformer to bypass the circuit breaker.

Atlas was not sure what half of the things she was saying meant, but she was determined to get this thing running.

After a few hours of tedious work, Hope jumped up and down in excitement, causing the elevator to bounce slightly. She steadied herself, still beaming at her work. Atlas wasn't sure how it would help them-it was a long cord that reached the power outlet in the room and connected to the crazy-looking device in the elevator. It had several metal lamp stands wrapped in copper wire with the precariously placed loops all around it.

"That's the transformer?" Atlas looked at the device skeptically.

"That's it!" Hope beamed excitedly at her creation. She grinned at him. "Now all that's left is to switch on the lamp in there and bam! We're free!"

Atlas stared at her with blank eyes. Questions and thoughts whipped around his head like a whirlwind. To him, Hope looked and sounded like a mad scientist right now. "How will that set us free?"

"Oh! I almost forgot the most important part!" Hope scrambled through the scrap pile to find a piece of the lampshade support. She broke the metal pieces off of the shade and attached it on two ends of the wires. Speaking frantically, she adjusted the interlocking parts.

"I know I said earlier that this elevator was made out of steel, but that was sort of a lie. It's actually made of a steel alloy. After the market crash in 2028, they found cheaper ways to create steel structures. While most steel is, in fact, a steel alloy, after 2028 all steel is infused with Aluminium 30. It is a highly flammable and very cheap isotope of Aluminum 13. I'd say this place was probably built around 2050 at least.

"Anyways, they added AI 30 to any steel formation after 2028 to fill in the gaps between the atoms. It seems to fuse better than most other alloys and provide structural integrity... unless it is heated to extreme temperatures. This transformer will do just that. By splicing the wiring I was able to bypass the circuit breaker and let the elections flow to this transformer. The coils will conduct the electricity and heat up these two ends. I wonder if we should weaken the spot first. Maybe, but maybe it will be useless. Oh! I know we-"

"Hope," Atlas cut the girl off. Through her entire ramble, he had stared at her with an open mouth as she bounced around enthusiastically. "Where did you learn all of this?" His eyes were wide as they watched her.

Are her memories back? Will mine come back too?

Her brows furrowed at his question. She took a moment to think about it and her heart seemed to sink. "I-...I don't know... I can't remember... I-," Hope's words ceased and she fell to the elevator floor with a cry. She clutched the back of her neck.

Atlas rushed to her side and frantically asked the girl if she was okay. The pain in her face caused worry to show on his own face. He gently touched her shoulder, not wanting to bring her any more torment. She blinked and raised herself up with a groan. She gingerly rubbed the back of her neck.

"Here. Let me take a look," Hope turned her head down and moved her hand for him to examine the area. He was not surprised to find that the base of her neck was hot to the touch. It seemed to be pulsating, its angry red color glared at him. He remembered the sensation he had felt previously when he recalled his nightmare.

Maybe we are remembering... but we are being punished for it.

Hope brushed his touch off after a minute or two of his examination. She quietly mumbled, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Let's just get this running so we can leave this God-forsaken place."

"What were you talking about before you-," he cut himself off after Hope sent a glare his way. She didn't seem to like showing weakness, so he decided to rephrase his sentence, "Before... about weakening the spot?"

Hope nodded and moved to a squatting position. From there, she tapped along the floor until the clank of metal was one pitch higher than the previous taps. Atlas could tell she was searching for a weak point in the frame, which just so happened to be almost centered on the floor.

"Here," she said looking up at him. Atlas prepped his scissors to weaken the area. "Start stabbing."

The two worked for another few hours, taking a few breaks in between to eat and drink. On occasion, one would rest while the other beat the metal down, Hope explaining everything as they went.

"In demolition work, they use structural fatigue to help break down the metals. They wear down a piece in the supports so that the building will come straight down."

"Sort of like cutting down a tree," Atlas nodded in understanding.

Hope smiled at him as they continued chipping away at the surface. The scissors were strong as well. They must have been made of a steel alloy to do as much damage as they had. Stepping back to admire their work, they gave each other a high five. There was a decent dip in the surface. It was only about a fourth of an inch deep, but it was progress. And now for the grand finale.

Hope looked like a mad scientist as she directed Atlas to turn on the lamp switch. He did as he was told and rushed into the elevator to watch it unfold. Slowly but surely, the lampshade supports turned a glowing red. She held the tips firmly against the weakened flooring and waited as it, too, turned red.

"It's working!" Atlas shouted in surprise. He was not surprised that she had done it, more like surprised that they would finally get a taste of freedom. He continued to watch eagerly as the metal started to give way. It took another hour to complete, and they were sweating by the time it was done, but the hole in the floor was finally wide enough for their skinny figures to fit through.

"Okay. What's next?" Hope looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Well let's leave, of course!" He was getting jittery from waiting and ached to jump straight into the opening. It was staring at him, taunting him, inviting him closer. "There should be a maintenance ladder to upkeep the moving parts."

Hope peered her head down to look under the hole. She could see the bottomless pit beneath her as she looked around. "I see it!" she shouted after much twisting and turning.

She popped back out of the hole to retrieve her makeshift bag. She let her legs dangle beneath her and grinned at Atlas, "Let's go. We're finally leaving."

Atlas couldn't control his facial features as they curled up into a grin. His heart fluttered out of his chest as he looked at the beautiful girl. She might be a mad scientist, but she had provided the means to freedom.

Freedom.

He held onto the single word as if it were a lifeline while he waited patiently for Hope to slide through the hole. She was holding onto the edge of the seared hole, "It's to my right. I can reach it if I just-" Hope let out a scream. One of her hands had lost its grip. Her words had been strained from the struggle to reach. Without hesitation, Atlas leaped into action. His thoughts scrambled as he shoved his leg into the gap. He urged his leg to stretch further. He wasn't even sure if he could even pull her back up.

"Grab my foot! I can swing you over to the ladder!" He couldn't see her, but he felt the weight of her body as it rested on his leg. He strained to maintain his position and keep them both from sliding to their doom.

"To the right! Swing right!" Hope shouted. He could hear the fear in her voice. He had never heard her voice tremble. Hope had always been level-headed and strong, but now, she was terrified for her life.

Atlas complied with her pleas and attempted to move his leg to the right. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest. Their combined weight was too much for him. He felt his body sliding down further and further as gravity tried to claim them both.