Twisted Time

24 - Trapped

The conference room, 02:18

Ric snatches his grey box and pulls Dan back into the empty conference room. As soon as the door closes behind her, he locks it with his multifunctional contraption. In the meantime, Dan tries to loosen his iron grip on her left wrist.

"Ric, you hurt me, please let go. Why the sudden stress?"

"Someone was at the office door. Sorry, I didn't mean to harm you again. How bad is it?"

He shifts his grip to her elbow and winces at the sight of the black and purple bruises forming on her skin. With her right thumb, Dan massages her mangled, hurting joint and shrugs.

"I'll survive. Shouldn't we move out of here?"

"Yes, but I'd like to listen to their discussion. We might learn something important."

Dan doubts this is a smart move, but she leans obediently against the wall while Ric presses the Metec to the door. Suddenly, the strains of the long night hit her in the form of dizziness. The prospect of more spying is unattractive to her tired mind, and not even her stimulating company drowns the wish for a soft bed and undisturbed sleep.

Shivering, Dan allows her partner to pull her closer and drape his arm around her shoulders while he listens to the voices enhanced by the Metec. She snuggles up to him, trying to follow the muted conversation.

"You insist it was one man and one woman. Which clan?" A female voice, the tone sharp.

"None, Ken took them for freelancers." The voice is familiar, even distorted by the Metec: Steff. "The woman carried no regular, visible clan mark for sure. We could not check the guy, but the two belong together, no question. Any news of Ken?"

"Hall insists he will wake up soon, the stubborn idiot. Why didn't you inform me about the intruders? We might have sealed the chamber or the whole level. Now they're on the loose in the building. Serves you right you got a beating."

Steff doesn't react to the accusations, and Dan feels almost sorry for the technician. When he finally speaks up, his remark makes her reevaluate her assessment, though. "Can't we use the gas to knock them out? After the hassle to instal all those pipes last month."

"We will—if no better options present themselves. I'll keep this as a last emergency measure as long as we don't know if they're still down in the labs or hide on an upper level. When we flood the whole building with poison gas, it takes two weeks or more to vent the rooms and pick up production. We'd have to accept fatal delays on important projects." The sound of a drawer being shut is followed by liquid sloshing into a glass. "I tell you this, although it's none of your business. But I don't want one of you morons running around and making another stupid mistake. Stay out of the way of the search party or risk being gassed yourself. Understood?"

Dan imagines Steff nodding in the following pause. Then the female picks up the thread, using a somewhat softer tone.

"Tell me more about the intruders. Describe their appearance, repeat what they said, give me details."

Together, Dan and Ric listen to an unflattering description of themselves. Steff doesn't seem to be a gifted observer, he missed several details Dan could give about Ric without even glancing in his direction. Like his three-day stubble, the slightly crooked nose, soft brown eyes, a strong chin, and the way the corner of his mouth twitches when he smiles. But he hardly smiled for Steff.

Finally, another voice interrupts the technician's unfocused ramblings and Dan's unhelpful romantic musings. "Boss? Hall, here. We finished the search of the lab level, it's all clear. I fear they hide in production. Hell knows how they even entered the security perimeter. I'll order the dog squad to be brought in from the ranch. They'll find our merry trespassers in no time."

"Right, but it will take fifty minutes until the strike team arrives. Continue with the search anyway. Is Ken awake?"

"Not yet. We've placed him on a cot in the observatory. They got him bad, but Felix says he'll recover, eventually, with a considerable headache. Felix volunteered to watch him and supervise the TA chamber at the same time. Our guests showed interest in it, they might return there."

"All right. I'll send down Steff to help with the search. Keep me posted."

"Will do, boss. Tell him to report to me on level two, in the eastern main store. Hall out."

Ric frowns and stares at an unspecified spot on the wall with vacant eyes. From the adjacent office, the Metec enhances the sound of steps and of a door opening and closing. Then the loudspeaker remains silent except for the sound of the glass being refilled. The boss must be alone in there now, drinking. Ric's hoarse whisper calls Dan's attention back to her partner of destiny.

"I need a second go at their comp. We were interrupted too early, my data set is still incomplete, and the virus hasn't uploaded properly. No use activating it half-cocked like this. We can either try our luck and take on the boss or chance the OC and the main server downstairs. What's your preference?"

"You said the operations centre would be protected. Will we be able to break in?"

"Good question, but waiting for the dogs isn't a viable option."

Secretly, Dan agrees, but confronting the head meany doesn't sound like a perfect solution either. She hesitates. "Why ask me? This is my first go at data-burglary."

"Because you are my lucky charm. And have a brain between your cute ears."

"Thanks for the compliment, I think." She rubs a hand over her face, yawning. "Hm. Let's try downstairs? Kidnapping the boss lady might be a tad risky."

Ric pockets the Metec and pushes her towards the door to the hallway. She follows, glad he accepts her decision. "Ric, they mentioned production. Do you know what they produce in this warren? I thought they steal diamonds and stuff."

"This is a criminal organisation not unlike the historic mafia. They'd do everything that brings money, drugs, theft, smuggling, blackmail. But we can't waste all night discussing their morals, come on."

Before they are halfway across the room, the smaller entrance from the office cracks open. Ric turns quick like lightning, but when Dan follows his gaze, she stares into the muzzle of a dangerous looking weapon.