03 months 12 days
(January)

. __________________________________________________ .

The growl in rumbles, and she stifles it the best she can, because she just wanted desserts with her friends.

"Al," Lynne whispers, hand wrapping around her wrist in an attempt of comfort and restraint.

Alice forcefully takes in a deep breath in and out, focusing on the anchoring weight of her friend's grip. She bumps her knee up lightly, jostling Caane who is in her pocket with her phone - the burner - in request.

(Three months they'd been together. Three whole months. For most, it'd have been inconsequential or passing but three months of schedules, agreements, whispers in the night, homework overflowing, nights going hungry and learning not to, "what if"s flitting in the uneasy air with suggested answers, injuries shared, guilt and blame passed-)

(After three months, they'd planned for this. Who knew Octa had the ability to program things including an emergency application, even if it took a month, playing rant-listener for nights on end, and four laptops.)

Caane pricks her lightly in confirmation - yes, the others would be here - just as two loud ringtones come from the bags of her friends.

She looks to Lynne and Aria with wide eyes at the same time that the other hostages glance to them, a mix of concern and fear.

The robbers - all dressed casually but with large sunglasses, hats, and / or surgical masks to obscure their features (and who in their right mind would rob a donut shop of all places?) - share looks. Robber1, Alice mentally tags, is the one at their table-

(They came in like a large crowd, chattering loudly, and casually split up so that one sat at each table and pulled out a gun. They ordered all hands flat on the table, movements - if any would risk it - that were slow and announced, and to "pretend it's a normal day.")

-and she immediately puts a hand out.

"Phone," the robber demands, the gun pressing harshly into Lynne's side.

(Why hadn't she chosen to sit alone on one side this time? She, at least, had Caane and a quick transform would lessen the bullet's impact, but Lynne-)

"Both of you. Slow."

Lynne is the first and quickest, sliding the phone (It looks like the burner. But maybe-) across the table and passively returning her hands flat on the table. Aria's phone follows. (The same model as the burner too. Please. No.)

Lynne's phone reads "Boyfriend" while Aria's reads "Sister."

(Lynne has no significant other. Aria has only a brother. Alice prays that Lynne had been lying about "not being romantically interested at the moment" and that Aria has someone like a sister who would be calling.)

Robber1 glances at the caller IDs and scoffs.

After a few rings, both phones hang up.

Aria's "sister" texts a second later. Instructed by Robber1, Aria opens the text.

"Call me when you aren't busy," it reads. Robber1 snorts and puts the device down on the table.

A minute passes, and just when the atmosphere loosens slightly, returning to before - tense but not trigger-happy - Lynne's rings once more, "Boyfriend" popping up again.

The robbers huff, looking pointedly over at the table. Alice tenses when the sound of the removal of safeties echoes from various points of the store. Someone whimpers, and another bursts into panicked tears.

"We were supposed to meet up," Lynne offers up cautiously to the female, voice noticeably trembling.

"Text him to reschedule," Robber1 orders, passing her the phone.

Obediently, Lynne types out, "Surprise girl night! Rain check?" and sends. The phone rings again immediately, startling the female and falling to the table. Robber1 glares.

"Answer it on speakerphone. Give away a hint of what's going on..." Robber1 removes the safety in threat.

Lynne takes a shaky breath and meets eyes with Aria and Alice, the terror that they expect absent; instead, she has a glint in her eye that is both familiar and determined - a look that promises safety even if the price is sacrifice.

"Hey, boyfriend," Lynne greets, voice lilting in a familiar tease and trembling only slightly - by choice because she's been shot before, and though it'd , she was a big girl about it. She blinks, and the transparent sign hanging above the cash register changes from the "Our most popular flavor is our maple bacon." to "I hide a secret technological facility."

(Late and no longer helpful.)

"Hey, girlfriend," a familiar voice chirps almost immediately, equally cheery. King. "What's this about girl's night? What about the game?"

"Yeah," she answers, bracing herself. "Issy and Caane came over."

Alice and Aria stifle identical gasps, imperceptible to those who don't know them well - the robbers - but obvious to those who do - Lynne.

(If they didn't know before, a distant part of her muses, they definitely do now.)

"They're raiding the fridge now, and you know them. They won't take no for an answer. Why not take Phelle? Arr maybe?" Lynne offers, squeezing her eyes shut with feigned terror when the robber at their table - Meanie, Lynne labels mentally - nudges her with the barrel of the gun. "They like basketball a lot more than I do."

(Please. Remember. Remember what basketball meant. Please remember the code.)

"Hm. Fine," he answers, huffing playfully. She hears the tremble in his voice. "I'll get you to a game one of these days yet."

"Yeah," she agrees, blinking rapidly. "I'll talk to you later?"

He hums in agreement.

(There's something in , and she thinks - believes - that they'll get out of this ok, but-)

"Love you," she adds without hesitation.

"Love you too," he replies after a beat and hangs up. She hangs up, sliding the phone back into the waiting hands of Meanie.

"How sweet," Meanie croons, eyeing the three girls. She turns the gun to Aria, sitting across from her. "On three, who's Issy? One. Two. Three."

In unison, the three point to Aria with Aria pointing to herself.

The robber raises a brow.

"Weird name," she comments. A comeback rests on Aria's tongue but she swallows it back.

(It was a test. To ensure none of it was code. These robbers aren't ordinary. Why-)

Silence falls upon the store again, and safeties come back on.

(Please. No more deaths. Not this time. If she has to, she will-)

Then she hears a faint sound from below - a boom not unlike an explosion that Alice twitches at (with Alpha's hearing, it would be like a drum) -

(She's hit with the knowledge that, two floors below, it was the sound of a bomb-)

Then the building collapses.