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Parker took her time to pull the door open and peeked through the crack to assess the situation. When they had been escorted down here – she at gunpoint, Eliot being dragged behind – she had almost automatically tried to memorize the layout of the corridors and the positions of the security guards. She hadn't lied to Eliot when she had told him that there were two men guarding the room they were held in, she just didn't know if they were still there and if so, which direction their were facing. It was really unfortunate that Eliot wasn't able to take care of the guards, it would have made things a lot easier for them.
Parker pursed her lips when she caught sight of the black boot round the right-hand corner, just in front of the door. The shadow on the floor told her that there was another guard at the left side. A short grin flashed over her face. Now that wasn't very smart. Apparently, they expected someone to rush to their help instead of them breaking out, which gave her good chance of escaping. She just had to be fast. Having seen the floor plan in the briefing before the job, she already had a good idea where she could hide when they came after her. The labyrinthine layout of the corridors down here was a real advantage, and the air duct was big enough for her.
A diversion would still be a good idea, though. Which meant she needed something to throw, something that made a lot of noise. Silently, she reached into her pocket and retrieved a quarter. Not much but it would have to do. She was just about to try a good throw, when she heard voices down the corridor. Instantly, she froze, drawing back into the room and closed the door enough that she wouldn't attract any attention. Holding her breath, she listened to the conversation outside and could barely believe her luck as she heard one of the guards turn to walk down the corridor.
It was now or never. In one swift movement, she was out of the door and half down the corridor, when she heard the alarmed call behind her.
"Behind you! Go and get her!"
But she was fast and already around the corner, when the first shots rang out behind her. She was heading for the store room, which was the largest room at this level. Probably had lots of shelves and boxes in there, too, which would make it harder for them to find her. She skidded down another corridor and ran into a white-gowned woman, knocked her down and sent a tray of vials to the ground with her. She was well aware of the footsteps behind her and when she spotted an open door to her right, she entered and pulled the door behind her closed. Not exactly the store room, she thought, as she looked at the desk and computer, her heartbeat racing. But there was a cabinet at the wall and she pushed it in front of the door. Air duct, where's the air duct? Hectically, she looked around and smiled in relief as she discovered the grilled shaft above the desk.
When the guards entered the office, Parker was already gone.
ooo
"Nate, there's trouble. They've got Eliot."
Nathan Ford had been expecting to get a call like that after the connection had broken about fifteen minutes ago. Fifteen minutes, in which he had been torn between worry for his team and a desperate trust in their ability to improvise when a job went south. When he finally heard Parker's terse voice on the phone, he almost sighed in relief.
"Parker, what happened?"
"Listen, I don't have much time. I'm using the phone in one of the offices down here. They've taken our earpieces, connection's not safe anymore. Eliot's been hurt and I've lost the CD."
"Can you get it back?"
"Not likely. I've no idea where it is at the moment."
"Okay." Nate tried hard to project a calm into his words that he did not feel. No need to unsettle the others more than necessary. "We call it off. Don't worry about the CD, we'll find another way. How's Eliot?"
There was a loud, banging noise in the background and he could hear muffled voices at the other end of the line.
"Parker?"
He heard her curse, and when she spoke again, she sounded a little pressed. "Head injury. I've never seen him like this, must be really bad. He was unconscious when I left him."
"You left him?"
"Damn it, Nate. I had to contact you! Listen, we're at sublevel three. I'm in the office of a Dr. Remney."
Nate cast a questioning glance at Hardison, who immediately started to consult his computer. It only took a few seconds until he had the information he needed. "Got it. That's one of the offices in section A."
The older man nodded his appreciation.
"Alright, Parker. We know where that is."
"We don't have much time," Parker continued. "They've called Carpenter. When he gets here, things will get nasty for Eliot."
Nate remembered the forensic photos of the last person who had got in Carpenter's way. Parker didn't have to elaborate to make her point.
"Don't worry, we'll have him out of there before that happens."
"Right. So what's the plan?"
Nate briefly considered his options. The fact that they wouldn't be able to stay in contact with each other made things a little complicated. The earpieces weren't safe anymore and wouldn't work properly anyway as long as some of them were below ground. Which meant that his team members weren't as flexible as usual since they had to maintain their assigned positions. In his mind, he went through the backup plans he had made and finally came to a decision.
"Parker, you stay down there, get back to Eliot, keep an eye on the room from the outside. We'll be down there in half an hour, at the latest. See to it that..."
He was interrupted by another loud noise at the other end of the line.
"Got it," Parker said. "Listen, I got company. Gotta go now."
Then the line went dead. Slowly, Nate hung up and cast a long glance to Hardison and Sophie, who had been listening to the whole conversation in silence. He didn't have to ask to find out what they were thinking. Their emotions were written clearly on their faces. Hardison was the first one to speak.
"Alright man, what do you want me to do?"
Nate let go of a breath that he didn't recall holding.
"Okay, you heard Parker. There ain't much time. Sophie," he looked at her, making sure he had her attention. "I need you to stall Carpenter. You'll be his next appointment."
Impatiently, he looked at Hardison, who had already turned towards the screen. It didn't take long until the younger man had access to the internal computer network.
"Okay, Nate, I'm in."
Nate leaned over the hacker's shoulder to get a better view of the screen. "We need someone he wouldn't want to keep waiting. Maybe someone with authority, an official or something."
"IRS?" Hardison suggested.
Nate nodded thoughtfully. "That's a possibility."
"Okay, I'm on it."
Nate turned around when he felt Sophie's eyes upon him and noticed that she had crossed her arms.
"How are you planning to get him out of there?" Her melodic voice had dropped a register, and beneath the worry Nate could sense another emotion, which was uncomfortably close to accusation.
"I'm working on it."
"Well, you better come up with something quick."
Nate calmly held her gaze. "The sublevels contain the research facilities. That means high security, cameras and guards on every floor. Access is limited to security personnel and the people working there. We can't just walk in there and hope that we're not being noticed."
"Okay, Sophie. I've got this settled," Hardison interrupted. "You're Victoria Taylor, Internal Revenue Service. You're appointment is at 4 pm. The rest is up to you."
"That was fast, thank God." Sophie flipped through her false Ids and quickly found the one she was looking for. "So, what will you be doing in the meantime?"
"Not sure yet. I was thinking that maybe..." Nate's voice trailed off as he noticed the van that drove onto the company site, the corner of his mouth twitching at a sudden afflatus. "Hardison, can you find out why they called a plumber?"
"Sure I can." His fingers scurried over the keyboard, as he tried to get the requested information. The image on the screen changed and he scanned them quickly. "Seems like they're having problems with the water-pipes on the second floor."
"Water-pipes, huh?" That was something he could work with. Nate reached for his cell phone, as the plan was beginning to take shape inside his mind.
Hardison must have noticed the expression on the older man's face because he suddenly smiled, showing a line of very white teeth. "You thinking what I'm thinking, man?"
Nate returned the smile. "Let's get to work."
TBC
