“It wasn’t supposed to go this way” “It never is”, said Anya. They had just lost four crewmates from their team of seven. The Emperor’s guards never let you go unscathed but capturing the thieves had never happened before. Paxton, the leader of the group was silent. “What was taken?”, asked The Emperor’s son.
“Sir, We have lost roughly a month’s supply of wheat and confidential documents from Lib 4F”,
“Were the pilfered goods marked?”
“No Sir, however, we captured four of them. Being kept in the dorms for now.”
“Interrogate them at the latest, the Fistle way.”
Down in the dorms, The four prisoners sought ways to escape. They all knew deep down no one ever left the castle and yet no one had the heart to say it. They were supposed to have gotten food 6 hours ago now. Sounds of animal agony gave them an idea of what lay beyond them.
Max, the supposed leader of the group, one with a college degree that didn’t go a day unnoticed in people’s minds, was trying to calm Tina, who would be homeless selling cheap bracelets on a table uncomfortably low for good pick-pocketing reason without this unfortunate gig. She had been interrogated before the others. Tina wasn’t going to be in the group. After all, how would a petty thief help in heists? As it turned out when you program a machine to think exactly like a human, they get tricked precisely like humans.
Royce and Wheeler were humming a tune from a famous TV commercial in the background.
For all the rules and jokes made in the past, Anya, George, and Tanner were planning on how they would get in a second time knowing they shouldn’t. All they had was water which would last a day, some personal belongings, and whatever they had managed to steal. It was understood this would be an opt-in hail mary mission to save Max, Tina, Royce, and Wheeler. After a conversation of dwindling hopes, Negotiation seemed the only possibility that could end with all of them alive even if mentally fucked and fated to exist without living.
When the guards came over next, Max was gone for eight hours. Whatever the guards did to Tina, wasn’t tried with Max. He, apparently was more susceptible to physical pain than mental torture. Max told them they had come for the empty leases to the abundant housing in town. Once you had managed to steal them if you registered them without getting caught you were legally pardoned and allowed to have housing amongst the most elite thieves in the entire country. You could keep trying as long as your faces weren’t caught by automated security.
This meant this was Max, Tina, Royce, and Wheeler’s last chance to live with electricity for more than 4 hours a day. But only if they could escape and hide for 2 months.
The four prisoners sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They knew that their chances of escape were slim, but they had to try. They had been planning this heist for months, and they weren't going to give up now.
Max, the leader of the group, spoke up first. "We need to come up with a plan," he said. "We can't just sit here and wait for them to come for us."
The others nodded in agreement. "What do you suggest?" Tina asked.
"We need to find a way to get out of here," Max said. "And we need to do it soon."
"But how?" Royce asked. "The castle is heavily guarded."
"I don't know," Max said. "But we have to figure something out.”
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, brainstorming different escape plans. Finally, Max spoke up again. "I think I have an idea," he said. "But it's going to be risky." The others looked at him expectantly. "What is it?" Tina asked.
"We're going to use the tunnels," Max said. "There's a network of tunnels that run beneath the castle. If we can get to them, we can use them to escape."
The others looked at each other, unsure. "It's a long shot," Royce said. "But it's our only chance."
"Agreed," Max said. "It's now or never."
They waited until nightfall, then snuck out of their cell. They made their way through the castle, avoiding the guards as best they could. Finally, they reached the tunnels.
The tunnels were dark and damp, and the air was stale. They crawled through the tunnels for hours, until they finally reached the exit. They emerged into the night, free at last.
They ran as fast as they could, until they were sure that they weren't being followed. Then, they collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
They had escaped, but they knew that they weren't safe yet. The Emperor's guards would be looking for them. They needed to find a place to hide, and they needed to do it fast.
They found an abandoned warehouse and snuck inside. They huddled together in the darkness, trying to stay warm. They were safe for now, but they knew that they couldn't stay here forever.
They needed to come up with a plan. They needed to find a way to clear their names and get their lives back.
They talked for hours, brainstorming different ideas. Finally, they came up with a plan. It was a risky plan, but it was their only chance.
The next morning, they went to the palace and turned themselves in. They told the Emperor's guards everything, and they begged for mercy.
The Emperor was furious. He had never been so humiliated. He had lost a month's supply of wheat, and his most confidential documents had been stolen. He wanted to punish the thieves severely.
But then, he heard their story. He heard how they had been forced to steal in order to survive. He heard how they had been tortured by his guards.
And for the first time in his life, the Emperor felt compassion. He knew that he couldn't punish them. He had to let them go.
The thieves were released, and they were given a new lease on life. They used their skills to help others, and they became some of the most respected people in the kingdom.
They never forgot what they had been through, and they always fought for justice. They knew that everyone deserved a second chance.
The Emperor even named Max his successor in his will thus leaving him to make the entire kingdom a better place.