The Fall - Part III
They parked the truck a block down, behind some dumpsters. The location the soldier gave was an abandoned warehouse that was half collapsed. The city had made several attempts to condemn it, but it always seemed to be saved at the last minute.
Nothing suspicious about that, CJ thought. Peering around the nearest dumpster, she slipped her binoculars from one of her jumpsuit’s many pockets. No obvious guards or security. Odd, that.
“Do we care if they know we’re coming?”
“They’d have to be daft not to know we’d hit back, wouldn’t they?” CJ turned to look at Alana.
“Not really. They could be over confident.”
Buck looked through his own set. “I hate to sound cliched, but,” he glanced at the three women, “I think it’s almost too quiet.”
“Unless everything is automated topside. All the men are downstairs,” Hitomi shrugged. “It’s how I’d do it.”
“Either way, I know I don’t care.” CJ put the binoculars away and started forward.
“Cynthia!” Buck called after her. “Dammit, girl.” He motioned for the remaining two to follow after him.
With her head start, CJ made it to the ruined warehouse first. She scanned the ruins and spotted what she was looking for. Casually, she let the camera followed her movements as she bent over and picked up a sizable chuck on concrete. She stood, facing the camera and bounced the chunk in her hand a time or two, then chucked it at the camera. It hit like a missile, the crunch of broken glass and metal sounding loud in the otherwise quiet area.
She waited for the others to catch up before venturing further. Together they searched the ruins, CJ repeating her performance for each camera. Soon, they came to a relatively intact interior wall with an elevator.
“It’s can’t be that easy.” Hitomi looked at the elevator.
“I think Cynthia is right, Hitomi,” Alana said, slowly. “This Anubis almost seems like his victory is a foregone conclusion. What did you tell me about that Tepey fellow? Anubis sent that jackal person to kill him. He may assume his power base is secure.”
“Well, you do know what happens when you assume, right?”
“Enough talk.” CJ ripped a steel rod from a chunk of concrete and jammed it between the elevator doors.
“Woah, easy there, partner.”
Once she had them wedged open, CJ wrenched the doors the rest of the way with her bare hands. Instead of an elevator shaft as one would expect, a set of stairs led down into shadow. Tucking the rod into her belt, she went into the tunnel, pulling out her flashlight when it got too dark for her to see.
She stopped and looked back to her friends and pointed to the ceiling. “Lights, but no light. I don’t see any switched either.”
She saw Hitomi nod, “Yeah, something isn’t adding up here. I know Garrett said they were coming apart at the seams, but even a failing cabal has some guards keeping the home fires burning.”
“Cynthia, that soldier at the station, did you ask him about troops here?”
She shook her head, starting to become annoyed at the delay, “I just wanted the location, Buck. I didn’t care about anything else.”
He shook his head, “Oh child, that was careless.” Instead of replying, CJ turned and followed the tunnel farther in, leaving Buck to shake his head.
At the end of the hallway, she faced an iron door with a hand print scanner. She scowled. Pulling out the rod, she drove it into the wall next to the door several times in a rough circle. She cleared out the concrete and shined her light in. Bingo, she thought. A bundle of wires run up through the wall, some of them torn or broken from her onslaught.
She wondered at the lack of alarm with several of the wires torn and frayed, but considered it might be silent. Shrugging, she reached in and grabbed the wires in an iron grip and yanked.
Sparks flew and the door jerked open an inch. Still no alarm bells.
“Must be silent,” Hitomi finished her thought as the rest the rest looked on. Her friend raised an eyebrow, “Feel better?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, keep your eyes out for defenses and a computer terminal. I want to know where we’re going.” CJ nodded at Buck then turned to fit her fingers to the gap to open the door. It didn’t take much, though the screech of the door being forced back into the wall was deafening.
Once it was open all the way, Buck nodded and whispered, “Once more, unto the breach.”
Nothing suspicious about that, CJ thought. Peering around the nearest dumpster, she slipped her binoculars from one of her jumpsuit’s many pockets. No obvious guards or security. Odd, that.
“Do we care if they know we’re coming?”
“They’d have to be daft not to know we’d hit back, wouldn’t they?” CJ turned to look at Alana.
“Not really. They could be over confident.”
Buck looked through his own set. “I hate to sound cliched, but,” he glanced at the three women, “I think it’s almost too quiet.”
“Unless everything is automated topside. All the men are downstairs,” Hitomi shrugged. “It’s how I’d do it.”
“Either way, I know I don’t care.” CJ put the binoculars away and started forward.
“Cynthia!” Buck called after her. “Dammit, girl.” He motioned for the remaining two to follow after him.
With her head start, CJ made it to the ruined warehouse first. She scanned the ruins and spotted what she was looking for. Casually, she let the camera followed her movements as she bent over and picked up a sizable chuck on concrete. She stood, facing the camera and bounced the chunk in her hand a time or two, then chucked it at the camera. It hit like a missile, the crunch of broken glass and metal sounding loud in the otherwise quiet area.
She waited for the others to catch up before venturing further. Together they searched the ruins, CJ repeating her performance for each camera. Soon, they came to a relatively intact interior wall with an elevator.
“It’s can’t be that easy.” Hitomi looked at the elevator.
“I think Cynthia is right, Hitomi,” Alana said, slowly. “This Anubis almost seems like his victory is a foregone conclusion. What did you tell me about that Tepey fellow? Anubis sent that jackal person to kill him. He may assume his power base is secure.”
“Well, you do know what happens when you assume, right?”
“Enough talk.” CJ ripped a steel rod from a chunk of concrete and jammed it between the elevator doors.
“Woah, easy there, partner.”
Once she had them wedged open, CJ wrenched the doors the rest of the way with her bare hands. Instead of an elevator shaft as one would expect, a set of stairs led down into shadow. Tucking the rod into her belt, she went into the tunnel, pulling out her flashlight when it got too dark for her to see.
She stopped and looked back to her friends and pointed to the ceiling. “Lights, but no light. I don’t see any switched either.”
She saw Hitomi nod, “Yeah, something isn’t adding up here. I know Garrett said they were coming apart at the seams, but even a failing cabal has some guards keeping the home fires burning.”
“Cynthia, that soldier at the station, did you ask him about troops here?”
She shook her head, starting to become annoyed at the delay, “I just wanted the location, Buck. I didn’t care about anything else.”
He shook his head, “Oh child, that was careless.” Instead of replying, CJ turned and followed the tunnel farther in, leaving Buck to shake his head.
At the end of the hallway, she faced an iron door with a hand print scanner. She scowled. Pulling out the rod, she drove it into the wall next to the door several times in a rough circle. She cleared out the concrete and shined her light in. Bingo, she thought. A bundle of wires run up through the wall, some of them torn or broken from her onslaught.
She wondered at the lack of alarm with several of the wires torn and frayed, but considered it might be silent. Shrugging, she reached in and grabbed the wires in an iron grip and yanked.
Sparks flew and the door jerked open an inch. Still no alarm bells.
“Must be silent,” Hitomi finished her thought as the rest the rest looked on. Her friend raised an eyebrow, “Feel better?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, keep your eyes out for defenses and a computer terminal. I want to know where we’re going.” CJ nodded at Buck then turned to fit her fingers to the gap to open the door. It didn’t take much, though the screech of the door being forced back into the wall was deafening.
Once it was open all the way, Buck nodded and whispered, “Once more, unto the breach.”
Comments