Page 12 of Captive Beta
We won’t be able to avoid all the guards, that’s not realistic, so we’ll take them out in the least bloody way possible. These guards aren’t expected back any time soon and we have to hope that the main security room doesn’t expect them to check in with them every few minutes.
“Timothy? Are the cameras ready?” I look around the team, everyone is on high alert. Part of the team is going to find and take down any guards on the ground floor and the next floor up, so the rest of us can focus on finding the right lab room and getting into it.
“Cameras are ready. They’re looping now.” Timothy’s voice is as calm as ever. “Not seeing any issues.”
“Derrick?” I check in with him as I nod to the back door of the building and two people step close to it, ready to open it once the lock clicks.
“All good here. Nothing suspicious. We’re good to go.”
“Let’s do it. Timothy, could you open the door?”
“Will do, and good luck.” The moment he speaks, we hear a ‘click’ from the lock and the two people open it. The hallway is dimly lit and we slip in, Riley and I taking up the back.
“First guard is around the corner ahead of you.” It’s always so handy that Timothy can tell us exactly where everyone is because he’s looking at the cameras, fewer surprises that way. Which is good as it significantly cuts down on unintended injuries and means we can take more people down in non-lethal ways that also won’t endanger our teams.
I motion for someone at the front of the group to take the guard down as we move towards the nearest set of stairs.
We take out another guard on our way, and, at the stairs, we split in two, with half the team staying downstairs and the rest of us going to the next floor.
“The lab is in the middle of this floor, it has extra security. It should say two dash five on the door.” Timothy is back for a moment, before focusing on keeping an eye on his screens.
Riley motions for the stairs up, but I shake my head. The guards higher up shouldn’t come onto this floor any time soon, so we don’t have to take them out unless we really don’t have another choice.
When I get the all-clear from Timothy and the team, I walk down the hallway. This building is massive and walking down the long hallway feels uncomfortable, but with the team on all of the exits and entrances, it’s totally safe, even if it doesn’t feel like that.
The first lock on the door is one that Timothy can easily open, a simple electronic lock. As I hear the soft buzz, I push the door open and Riley puts her hand on my arm for a moment.
She squeezes my arm, meeting my gaze. ‘Good luck. I’ll be here for you,’ she mouths.
I can’t help my smile as I give her a quick nod. If anything goes wrong, she’ll be right outside to help me. That feels good and safe.
Even though this is the first time she’s joined us on a mission, it feels like she’s always been there for me, has always had my back, and that makes me feel safer than usual.
Then I step into the second hallway.
The lab we need is located further back into the building. The other labs directly open onto the hallway, but this one has an extra set of doors and a hallway, plus extra security.
Not suspicious at all…
I quietly make my way down the hallway, there are no windows in here and the only light are the emergency exit signs, of which there’s one above each of the doors.
At least they seem to care about making sure their building is complying with all the safety guidelines. Makes my job a little easier.
“The next door is a combined electronic and pheromone lock. I should be able to override it if it doesn’t detect any pheromones to set off the alarm.” Timothy is back in my ear.
This is the most dangerous part of the mission. If the alarm goes off now, things will be on a very, very short time line from here on out.
“Understood.” I’m about to tell him to do his thing, when I notice that there’s a sliver of light under the next door.
That’s unexpected. The lights in the lab should be off. There shouldn’t be anyone in there.
Did they accidentally leave it on?
When I get closer, I see that the door is not fully closed.
Glancing down, I notice a reflection of light on a small metal object. Someone put something between the door and the frame so it wouldn’t close.
Fuck.
