**Chapter 10: The Rescue Unfolds**

The door burst open, and Asher's heart soared as he saw Kaito rush into the room, his eyes scanning the space until they landed on Asher. "Baby!" Kaito exclaimed, rushing over to him. Asher's eyes welled up with tears as Kaito reached out to him, but just as he was about to touch him, Kaito's gaze landed on the ropes binding Asher's wrists and ankles. Kaito's expression turned grim, and he quickly set to work trying to untie the knots. But as Kaito worked, he noticed that the floor around them was covered in a complex network of wires and pressure plates. He saw the faint glow of laser beams crisscrossing the room, and his heart sank. This was no ordinary kidnapping - Asher's captor had set up a deadly trap. Kaito's hands moved swiftly and surely as he worked to free Asher, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. He glanced around the room, his eyes searching for any sign of movement, but there was nothing. Just as Kaito was about to finish untying the ropes, the cat that had been watching from the shadows darted out from under a nearby crate, its fur standing on end. Kaito followed its gaze to a large metal door on the far side of the room, and that's when he saw it - a digital countdown timer, ticking down from 60 seconds. "What's going on?" Asher asked, his voice trembling as he realized that something was wrong. Kaito didn't have time to explain. "We have to get out of here, now!" he shouted, pulling Asher to his feet. But as they took their first steps towards the door, the laser beams began to move, weaving a complex pattern across the floor. Kaito's eyes widened as he realized that they had to navigate through the beams without triggering the pressure plates. The cat, sensing their distress, let out a loud meow and darted under the crate, disappearing from view. Kaito and Asher were on their own. With seconds to spare, Kaito grabbed Asher's hand and pulled him into a sprint, dodging and weaving through the laser beams as they desperately tried to escape the deadly trap. The countdown timer ticked down, 10... 9... 8...