The ventilation shaft was large enough for Kaz and Asya to slide through side by side. Kaz nervously listened to the banging on cargo bay door, growing fainter and fainter behind them. Until there was a crash.

Kaz looked at Asya nervously. "What was that?" he asked.

"I'd say they've broken through the door," Asya said calmly.

"Right," Kaz said.

"One question though," Asya said. "I mean we put the vent cover back, but won't they just be able to look at a life sign display and see us all crawling up here?"

Kaz shook his head. "No, actually," he said. "The captain always knew there was a possibility for us to get stopped and searched. He put blocking signals on the vents as well, in case we ever had refugees who needed to hide up here."

"That's smart," Asya said.

"He was a smart man," Kaz said, mournfully.

Asya glanced at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "He seemed like a good captain, a good man."

Kaz nodded. "Honestly, he would have hated knowing that the fate of any refugee lay in the hands of an R.A.S. Agent. No offense," he added quickly.

Asya shook her head. "None taken," she said. "I may work for them, but I don't necessarily agree with how they run things."

"Then why do you work for them?" Kaz questioned her.

"Not a lot of other options," she said.

Kaz opened his mouth to say something else, but we stopped by a loud crash behind them. He and Asya whipped their heads around, but couldn't see anything due to the turns in the vents. However, the increasingly loud banging told them what was going on. The pirates had found their escape route.

"You don't have anyway to contact Benny and tell him to hurry up, do you?" Asya asked. Kaz noticed a slight shake in her voice, finally showing nerves.

"Nope," Kaz said. He was trying to not sound terrified.

Luckily, just as he said that, the line in front of them started to pick up.

"Apparently, Benny can hear," Asya commented.

"How much time do we have?" Kaz asked her.

Asya checked her timer. "Three minutes," she said.

"We should almost be there," Kaz mumbled, more to himself than to her. Asya said nothing and the two of them continued to crawl with increasing intensity.

"Why are we slowing down?" Asya asked after a few more moments.

Kaz tried to look over the line of people. "I think we're there," he said. "Benny must be getting everyone down."

The two of them glanced over their shoulders at the growing noise of the pursuing pirates.

"How close will these vents get us to the pick-up location?" Asya asked.

"Hopefully close enough."

After an agonizing few moments of slow progress, the two refugees in front of them finally dropped down.

"After you," Kaz said.

Asya gave him a look but didn't argue. She expertly grasped the side of the vent and swung herself down to the floor with the rest of the crew and the refugees. Kaz immediately followed.

"Alright, we need to go," Asya said. "The pickup spot is just down the hall and around a few corners."

"What about putting the vent back?" Benny asked. "If we don't, they'll know where we got out."

"We have a minute and a half," Asya reasoned.

Benny didn't respond to her. "Alright, everyone follow me," he called.

Taking up the same spacing as in the vent, the group headed out at a fast pace, not bothering to be quiet with their running footsteps. Kaz and Asya took up the back once again.

They ran down the hall and rounded the corner. "This is it," Asya said. "We just have to outlast the pirates for 45 seconds."

Forty-five seconds felt like a lifetime. Especially when everyone could hear the echoing footsteps of the pirates who had left the vents and were now heading in their direction. Luckily, they didn't know exactly where to go so they were going slowly and cautiously. But Kaz knew they weren't going to make it.

"If they get around that corner, we're done," Benny had come over to Kaz and Asya and whispered quietly. "And they'll be here before 30 seconds."

Kaz's mind was whirling. They were so close. "Then they aren't going to get around the corner," he said. He pulled out his pistol and looked at Benny, determined.

Benny nodded. "Good luck," he said.

Kaz took off running, away from the group. He rounded the last corner and pressed himself to the wall, hoping that a bunch of pirates looking for a large group of people wouldn't notice him at first and give him a few seconds worth of surprise. He heard them getting louder and louder as the seconds ticked down.

He felt someone hit the wall next to him, bumping his shoulder.

It was Asya.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered.

"Like you said," she replied, gripping her Light gun, "they aren't getting around that corner."

Kaz didn't have time to reply. A group of pirates rounded the far corner, and he and Asya seized their few seconds advantage to start unloading shots. Bursts of sound erupted from the end of his pistol, and he saw from the corner of his eye the bright flashes of stun shots from Asya. Their advantage didn't last for long.

The pirates started shooting back.

Kaz dove across the hall to the door frame to take cover, and Asya took a few steps back around the corner, putting the wall between her and the attackers. The shooting continued. Kaz lost track of time. He couldn't hear anything besides the shots that were trying to take his life.

Then, Asya's yell. "They're gone!"

Kaz took a chance and glanced back at her.

Asya nodded in confirmation. "Let's get out of here!" she yelled.

Kaz didn't waste any time. He bolted from his sheltered doorframe and toward her, and the pair took off running down the hall where the refugees and the rest of the crew used to stand. Now, it was completely empty. They had made it.

Kaz and Asya hadn't.

Kaz led the way. He knew the ship much better than Asya and took as many turns and twists as possible to try and throw the pirates off of their trail. After sprinting straight out for almost five minutes, he and Asya came to a stop, gasping for air.

Other than their heavy breathing, there was silence.

"Do you think we lost them?" Kaz asked.

"For now," Asya said grimly. "But once they collect themselves and get to a computer they'll be able to track where we are. We're going to have to keep moving.

"You have a mobile display, right?" Kaz asked her, remembering. "Can't we use it to track them?"
Asya nodded and grasped the display from her belt.

"Crap," Kaz said.

It looked like a bullet had just grazed it. The screen was shattered. Asya half-heartedly tried the power button, but the screen remained black. It was dead.

"Alright," Asya said. "Where's the closest computer to us? We can at least see where they are right now, and hopefully have a little time to figure out what resources we have and to come up with a plan."

Kaz nodded in agreement. He led the way down the hall. There was storage facility that wasn't far that held some of the ship's dry supplies. It would have a computer for inventory purposes.

They got inside and bolted the door. It wouldn't do much to keep the pirates out, but both felt safer having the locks in place.

"Hiding among toilet paper," Asya said, surveying their surroundings. "That's not exactly something you prepare for in R.A.S. training."

Kaz ignored her attempt at humor and headed for the computer. Asya followed.

"It looks like they regrouped," Kaz said, examining the life scan. "Probably at a computer somewhere."

"So we stay here for a bit," Asya said, "and when they start moving, so do we and we hope that they won't stop to double check."

"That's a lot riding on hope," Kaz said.

"And yet, it's all we've got," Asya said. She sat down among the stacks of toilet paper.

"What are you doing?" Kaz asked.

"Taking inventory," came the reply.

With nothing else to do, Kaz sat down next to her. "How much charge does that thing have left?" he asked her when she pulled out her Light gun.

"About 100 shots," Asya said, checking the small power screen. "Maybe two more fights, depending on how long they are and how many people we're fighting."

Kaz pulled out his own pistol and unloaded the empty clip. "I only have one backup," he said, snapping into place.

"So avoid fights," Asya said. "Got it."

She continued to organize her gear. "Here," she said, holding out the handle of a knife toward Kaz. It was one of two that were strapped around her thighs. "Can you use one of these?" she asked.

"I usually don't, but I can," Kaz said. "Thanks."

Asya nodded. Finally, she took out the receiver of her communicator. She still had the earpiece in her ear.

"That doesn't work, right?" Kaz asked.

"I think they can turn it on at the other end," Asya said, frowning. "But I can't contact them."

"Well, keep it," Kaz said. "No harm in it."

"But I'm afraid it won't do us much good," Asya said. "We missed the window. They never open another one."

"Why is that?" Kaz questioned. "Why would they abandon their agents like that?"

"Because we're disposable," Asya said. There was no bitterness to her voice. Instead, resignation. "One of us dies, someone else takes our place, they have new recruits going through the training program constantly. They figure that if there was a serious reason for us to miss the extraction, that there's trouble. If they execute another transport, they worry that instead of us coming through, it'll be whatever is giving trouble coming through instead. Pirates, for example. That would be an unnecessary security breach, and those aren't tolerated."

Kaz glanced at her. Asya's expression was hardened.

"It's weird," he said. "It's so different from this crew. I couldn't imagine leaving anyone behind."

"They left you," Asya pointed out.

"And I bet Benny is fighting with whoever is in charge at the Island right now to get another transport back here," Kaz fired back.

"Sorry," Asya said. "Let's just say that loyalty like that doesn't come naturally to me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kaz said. "I mean, you didn't have to come back and fight with me. But you did. There may be hope for you yet, Asya Daimon. Who knows, maybe one day you'll quit your stupid bureaucracy job and come serve on a ship with me."

"Assuming you aren't rotting in jail the rest of your life for smuggling people," Asya pointed out.

"Yeah, we're going to have to work on that attitude of yours," Kaz said, sourly.

They sat in silence for a moment. "I wouldn't mind seeing Benny fight the entire Island, though," Asya said. "I'm really not sure who would win."

Kaz laughed and was about to say something, but was interrupted by a beeping noise.

"What's that?" Asya asked.

"I set up the computer to alert us when the pirates were about two minutes away from us," Kaz said. "So we should probably go."

"Yeah," Asya said. She and Kaz got up and quietly looked out the door. They couldn't see or hear anyone. At least not yet.

Kaz jerked his head, in the opposite direction of the approaching pirates. They silently ran down the hall, twisting and turning, praying not to see a pirate behind the next corner. After a while of this, Kaz heard Asya whisper, "Where are we going?"

Truthfully, Kaz had only come up with a plan while on the run. It wasn't a great plan, but it was a plan. He didn't have time to explain it.

About ten feet in front of them, four pirates dropped down from the ventilation ducts. Kaz and Asya both froze.

Kaz raised his gun, but Asya grabbed it. "If you let off a shot, the rest will know where we are," she said in a low voice. "Four we might be able to handle. But not 20."

Kaz nodded and lowered the weapon. He saw the pirates smirk. He had just done exactly what they wanted. It was a standoff.

"Your Light gun doesn't make that much noise, right?" he murmured out of the corner of his mouth.

Asya responded by making the first move. She whipped out the gun and shot bright flashes down the hall. She hit one. Three to go.

It was full chaos now.

The other three were smart and were working to avoid the streaks of light as they ran toward Kaz and Asya. Not wanting to waste her battery, Asya holstered her gun and pulled out her knife. Kaz followed her lead.

There was a moment of slight peace when Kaz only saw the three men running toward them. Then, contact.

Kaz ducked under the pirate 1 and rammed himself into pirate 2. Kaz sent him flying back into the wall. Pirate 2 immediately sprang back into action and sent Kaz himself into the opposite wall.

Kaz hit the wall, breathing hard. Stunned. He had no idea what was happening with Asya at the moment.

They were running out of time.

Kaz felt an arm crush into his throat as pirate 2 attacked him. Before pirate 2 could get much of a hold on him, Kaz kicked his leg and overpowered the other man. Knowing that the other pirates could come around the corner at any moment and he and Asya would be finished, Kaz grabbed the front of the other man's shirt and slammed him into the wall, knocking him out.

Kaz turned around just in time to see Asya deliver a roundhouse kick to pirate 3's head, sending him to the ground. Pirate 1 lay a few feet away in the same condition.

"Are you okay?" Kaz asked Asya, approaching her. His entire head was ringing.

Out of breath, Asya nodded. "Yeah," she breathed. "You?" Kaz noticed a small line of blood coming from her hairline.

Kaz nodded. "Yeah, I'm good," he said.

"Good," Asya said. "Let's get out of here. We'll have company soon."

Kaz said nothing, but led the way.

"You going to let me in on that plan of yours?" Asya asked after they had left the pirates behind them.

"The captain's desk."

"What?"

"It was the captain's last resort," Kaz said. "He had this philosophy that if he could save even one person, then the trip would be a success. He figured that if the cargo hold and the vents were discovered, and all the refugees taken, he could hide at least one person in his desk."

"So it's shielded from the life scans too?" Asya asked, incredulously.

Kaz nodded.

"And your plan is what? Hide?"

"Agent Daimon if you have any better plan, now would be the time to suggest it," Kaz said, exasperated. He stopped and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know what to do, but I figure step one should be not getting murdered by pirates."

Kaz watched Asya's face carefully, but she kept it blank.

"Let's get there fast," she said. "If they see us on a life scan going into the helm and then disappearing, they'll know."

Surprised by her change of attitude toward his plan but not wanting to argue, Kaz took up a brisk pace and the two of them went in silence to the helm.

They reached it without any incident. Kaz went into the room first, and stopped dead at what he saw. He felt Asya bump into him.

"What's wrong?" she whispered.

Kaz moved slowly into the room, his eyes on his dead captain. His insides were frozen. "Sorry," he said. "I just, I didn't expect this."

Asya followed his gaze. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should have warned you."

Kaz's mind remained blank with shock for a moment. He shook his head. "We can't stay out here," he said. "They can still pick us up on the scanners." He approached the captain's desk and pulled the chair out of the way. The opening underneath was small, but it would work.

"That looks small." Asya echoed Kaz's thoughts.

"After you," was his only reply.

Asya crouched down and crawled underneath the desk, leaning her back against one side and putting her feet up on the other side. Kaz followed suit and sat in the same position, facing her. He grabbed a small, almost unnoticeable on the under edge of the desk and pulled the cover down over the opening. He was pressed between Asya and the cover. They just fit.

They were immersed in darkness.

"Cozy," Asya commented.

Kaz almost laughed. But then he remembered the situation. "Unfortunately, this is as far as my plan goes."

He couldn't see her face, but Asya made no sound or comment of despair. "Well," she said as her face was lit slightly by the glow of her watch, "it's almost 23:00. I'm willing to be we could both use some rest."

As she said that, Kaz realized how exhausted his body was. He could barely remember when he had last slept.

"That's an understatement," he replied.

"So," Asya continued, "we get some rest. At 06:00, assuming we aren't found by pirates and murdered, we go see where they're at on the ship. Maybe we can get out another distress signal, and another R.A.S. Agent will come and we'll have another shot at getting out of here,"

"Would they really do that?" Kaz asked.

"Knowing what I know about the Island's philosophy for these sorts of things, no," Asya stated bluntly. "But it's worth a shot and the only idea I have."

They sat in silence for a moment before Kaz asked, "How are you so calm? It's like this doesn't even phase you."

He felt her tense up slightly beside him. "Look, if you're looking for a backstory, the best you're going to get is a very abbreviated version."

Asya paused.

Kaz waited.

"I became an R.A.S. Agent because I knew I could be calm," Asya finally said. "I've had to keep my head and my senses my entire life. I wouldn't have survived any other way."

"Is that why you joined the Island so early?" Kaz asked.

"Yeah," Asya said. "I lied about my age, and I finished training faster than most. By the time they figured out I lied, there wasn't much they could do. I scored higher on all the exams than anyone else in my class, I think I even broke a couple of historical records, so they would have been stupid to throw me out. But that doesn't mean they like me."

"What do you mean?" Kaz asked.

"I don't exactly fit the typical image of a R.A.S. Agent. They hate that I throw off that image." Kaz felt her shrug. "Whatever, I'm here to do a job, not impress a bunch of stupid men with a bunch of stupid titles."

Kaz smiled at that. There was silence for a moment, and then, "What about before you became an Agent?" he asked.

"I could use the rest," was Asya's only response.

Figuring that she wouldn't say anything else until morning, Kaz rested his head back against the side of the desk and tried to doze off.

With his mind busy, the little sleep Kaz got was not very restful. He dreamed about the refugees, the crew, his parents, his younger brother—each dream ended poorly. When he felt Asya shaking his leg to wake him up, his entire body was tensed up.

"Are you okay?" Kaz couldn't see Asya's face, but he could hear the concern in her voice.

"Just bad dreams," Kaz said, not wanting to elaborate. "What time is it?" he asked.

"06:10," Asya replied.

"I guess it's time to get out of here," Kaz said.

"Yeah."

Neither of them moved.

"Look, if there are a bunch of pirates out there and we get murdered as soon as I open this covering," Kaz said, "just know that it's been very nice to meet you."

Asya snorted. "Yeah, if we get out of this alive, let's meet up some time. Go bowling. Preferably without pirates. Or impending death."

Kaz chuckled slightly. "Alright, you ready?" he asked.

"Do it," Asya said.

Kaz grabbed the small tab. Steeling his nerves, he quickly shoved the cover up. Light flooded the compartment.

"No pirates," Asya commented.

Kaz crawled out from under the desk and looked around the room. It was empty. He stood up, his legs screaming from being folded up for so long.

Asya awkwardly stood up next to him. "I guess they never saw us go in here," she said. "I suppose that's a win."

"Now let's see where they are," Kaz said. Entering a room adjacent to the helm, he pulled up the life scans on the computer in there. There were only two signs of life—him and Asya.

"So they're either gone," Asya said, looking over his shoulder, "or they're hiding in the vents or cargo hold."

"Right," Kaz agreed.

"But why would they do that?" Asya pondered. "Like, are they really going to just hide and hope that we come by so they can attack us?"

"Well they are pirates," Kaz pointed out. "They probably aren't the best at making up plans."

"Says they guy whose entire plan was to hide in a desk," Asya said.

Kaz tried very hard not to laugh. "Hey," he said, pretending to be offended.

Asya smiled and turned back to the computer. "So let's say they're gone," she said. "Great. Distress signal. Where can we send one out?"

"This computer should be able to," Kaz said. "I'm willing to bet it's what computer Benny sent the first signal from."

Asya's face was set. Kaz could almost hear the gears turning in her mind. "Then we shouldn't send it from this computer," she said.

"Why?"

"When we get distress signals, the system logs the serial number of the device that sends it," she explained. "If we send a signal from another computer, the system back at the Island will log a different serial number. Combine that with the fact the CO on duty is replaced at 06:00, we may be able to get the Island to send another Agent before they realize the signal is coming from the same ship."

"Sounds good to me," Kaz said.

"Where is there another computer that can send distress signals?" Asya asked.

"There's one in the sleeping barracks," Kaz said.

"Can you get us there?"

"Absolutely."

Luckily, they avoided pirates. As he and Asya ran through the ship, Kaz kept expecting for them all at once to drop from the ceiling. But they didn't. The barracks were on the other side of the ship, so it took a while for them to get there, but it wasn't long before Asya was bring up the program to send the distress call.

"Keep an eye on the life scan," Asya said.

Kaz grabbed the other computer and opened up the scan. His insides froze.

"Asya," he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

Apparently, he didn't do a good job, because Asya immediately looked up in concern. "What?" she asked.

"It seems we walked into a trap."

There were about 20 life signs right outside the door.

Before Asya could respond, the door blasted in. Leading the group of pirates was the biggest, scariest looking man Kaz had ever seen. They filled the room until Kaz and Asya were back up against the computer table, their backs pressed together. Asya had a fair few shots left in her Light gun, but there wasn't any point in using it.

The room was dead silent. Kaz prepared himself to die.

He didn't die.

Instead of killing them, the Pirate Captain spoke. "You're a R.A.S. Agent," he said, pointing at Asya.

She said nothing. It wasn't a question.

"You're going to send a distress signal."

Once again, it wasn't a question.
"Here's what's going to happen," the Pirate Captain continued. "You're going to finish sending that signal. The other R.A.S. Agent will come and tell you when and where the pick-up location is. Then you will lead me and my men to that location, and let us take the transport back to the Island."

"Why would I do that," Asya asked.

"Because then both of you will get to live," came the simple and predictable response.

"And if I don't?" Asya asked. Kaz was amazed at how put together she remained.

He wasn't amazed for long. One of the pirates put a gun to Kaz's head.

"If you don't," the Pirate Captain said, "I'll blow your friends brains out right here. Trust me, he's caused us so much trouble, it would be enough of a reward even if we never get to the Island. And then, you'll die, too."

Kaz slowly turned his head to nervously looked over at Asya. She looked back at him, total anguish in her eyes.

He understood.

Very slowly, Kaz turned the rest of his body around. He held out his hand. "I meant what I said," he said quietly. "It has been very nice to meet you."

"I meant what I said, too," Asya replied, grasping his hand in a firm handshake. "We really should go bowling."

Not skipping a beat, Asya turned on her heel to face the Pirate Captain, and cast her firm, defiant gaze directly in his eyes. He didn't need any other answer.

He sighed. "Shame," he said. "You could have lived."

His crew raised their guns, pointing them at pair. Kaz refused to close his eyes.

He saw was a very bright light.