Wow. So, I kinda disappeared for like, a few months? I detest it when other authors do so, but I kinda ran out of inspiration. I still don't know where this is going exactly, but after watching Insurgent yesterday, I felt like writing again. So without further ado, the conclusion to the sim:
11. Security Breech
I try to monitor my breathing as I lie on my stomach, my face hovering above the grate. Every muscle in my body is tensed and I'm ready to spring into action any moment, waiting for my cue. I had already figured how I would open the grate. Its four corners are attached with simple bolts. I still have the gun Snyder had given me, so two quick shots would take care of that. I just hope that the noise would be muffled by the chaos that is bound to ensue any given moment now. The gun feels heavy in my hand and I grip it tightly. I would definitely need some more training with firearms if this all worked out.
A sound catches my attention and I see the two guards near the only entrance cast a quick look at each other. They heard it as well. They're about to take a step towards the door, when it flies open, Mick barged in at full speed. In an instant, all the hands of the guards in the room move to their guns, but Snyder and Myles have already moved in behind Mick, guns pointing at the guards closest to them. They both shoot them in their shoulders, the way I should have taken down the guard in the elevator, and the guards slump down to the floor. As I had expected, all these people crammed into this small space while fighting results in chaos. I hear someone shout 'security breech!', but the scream is drowned out by the tumult. Gunshots ring in my ears and I use the confusion to fire two quick shots at the grate. From the tiny distance, it's easy to hit the target. After I've recovered from the backlash, I see the bullets have neatly gone through the bolts. I plant a blow on the grate with my elbow, which unhinges and I let myself fall through the hole, plummeting down rather ungracefully on one of the guards Nora was sparring with. The guard falls down to the floor with me on top of him. He immediately struggles to get up again. Nora swiftly lands a kick on the side of his head, taking him out. Quickly, she pulls me up and without a word, she shoves me towards the Councilmember. He shoots me a panicked look and starts pulling at his ties as I sneak down behind him.
"Stay silent, we're going to get you out of here," I grit through my teeth and he stops his squirming. I retrieve the knife from my boot and cut through the ties. I undo his gag, meanwhile searching the room for Mick. Damn, where is that guy? I'm about the call out his name when he's suddenly beside me.
"You in need of some assistance, m'lady?" he asks merrily, as if people aren't punching and shooting each other around us. I roll my eyes at him while nodding urgently. The look on his face grows more serious, but his smirk remains.
"I'll take the lead, taking anyone down who gets in our way. If I fall behind, keep moving and just shoot whoever is ahead of you, yes?"
"Yes," I breathe, straining to hear him above the sound of gunshots filling the air. He jumps up and I stand up as well, pushing the prisoner out of his seat.
"Follow me," I whisper in his ear as Mick starts making his way through the room. I follow him, half-dragging, half-pushing the Councilmember with me. The red glistening of blood catches my eye and involuntarily, my gaze is drawn to it. My stomach turns upside down as I see one of the guards lying in a puddle of his own blood, his face slack and eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling. I swallow and force myself to look away and keep moving, pushing the prisoner out of the room.
Mick strides confidently through the hallway, gun in front of him. We face no resistance on our way towards the staircase. As we round I corner, I'm confronted with the reason why. Unconscious bodies lie sprawled out along the hallway. We quickly make our way down, heading for the staircase, trying not to trip over the flailed limbs of the guards. Mick holds the door open as I push the Councilmember through.
I can hear the footsteps before the guard appears around the corner. In the blink of an eye, I shove the prisoner down the stairwell and I throw myself on Mick, and we both tumble down onto the ground. The deafening sound of gunshots echoes through the hallway and I can almost hear the bullets sizzling over our heads. Then I realize I'm still holding the gun in my hand since my escape from the airshaft. Suddenly, it's as if everything around me moves with half its normal speed. I stretch out my arm, still lying sprawled out half across Mick and aim. I let my breath flow out of my lungs, relaxing my muscles and concentrating on the target. The trembling in my body disappears and I pull the trigger.
It's as if an invisible force hits the guard and he stumbles backward, the red spot on his shoulder rapidly spreading out. He falls to his knees and then slumps to the side.
I push myself of Mick and he scrambles to his feet. He looks over at the guard.
"Nice work, lil' doll," he grins as he sees the guard lying motionless on the floor. "Now, let's see if that Councilguy's still in one piece."
With a startle, I run to the door and look down the stairwell. At the end of the first flight of stairs, the Councilmember is sitting on the bare concrete, quivering slightly.
"Are you all right?" I call over to him and he looks up with wide eyes. He nods slowly and I let out a sigh of relief, thankful I hadn't pushed him to his death.
We start descending the stairs. After about eight flights, my legs start to burn and I can feel my muscles growing sore. I don't complain and push myself forward, unable to decrease speed. I keep a close eye on the prisoner, who to my surprise hasn't slowed down yet. He must be running on pure adrenaline after all he's been through.
"What do we do when we get down?" I ask Mick. He shrugs and looks at me.
"I was supposed to ask you that question, Lori said." I frown, before I realize I'm still wearing the earpiece.
"Lori, are you there?" I ask as I put a finger on the earpiece, focussing on the sound. After a few seconds, the familiar buzzing rings in my ears and I hear Lori's voice.
"Yes, I am. You can enter the main hallway without a problem. The guards on the eleventh floor were communicating on a closed circuit, and although I wasn't able to hack that, it did ensure that they couldn't contact the security on the other floors right away. I also disabled all other connections with the eleventh floor, just to be sure. Right now, most guards are busy working on the elevator anyway, so you can just come out. But act normal and keep a low profile."
"Thanks," I reply before the buzzing disappears. I explain the situation to Mick, who nods, then turn my attention on the Councilmember. His bloodshot eyes stare at me with a mix of fear and fatigue. Gently, I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Try to act normal, do not draw any attention to yourself, okay?" I ask him in a soft voice and I can see some of the fear subside in his eyes.
"Yes, I'll try," he answers with a cracking voice. I give him a small smile and nudge him toward the last door. Mick opens it and walks in. I take a deep breath and try to act as normal as possible when we enter the hallway.
Hardly anyone notices us coming through the door, all the attention on the elevator. We start walking in a casual tempo across the main hall. A large group of people has gathered around the elevator, waiting until they can get in again.
When we're halfway across the hall, I see the door of the stairwell open again and Snyder, Nora and Myles walk out. They talk to each other casually, like nothing has happened. Only of you look closer, you'd notice Snyder has a bruise on the side of his face and Myles a fresh cut on his chin. Snyder catches my gaze and smiles broadly. Happiness bubbles up in my chest as I realize we just nailed this assignment, and I return his smile.
The large glass doors slide open and as we are about the step onto the square, Lori walks out of a small hallway from the side. She nods at me with a single corner of her mouth drawn up and I smile. We all walk out of the building, onto the square, and I'm relieved when I feel the warmth of the sunlight on my skin again.
Turning around, the others join us and we just stand there, exchanging excited and proud looks. The world around us starts to change colours and I turn my gaze up to the sky. The blue dotted with white clouds swivels until it grows darker. The sound of seagulls and traffic disappears and I can hear thundering in the background, growing louder. When the world around us settles again, we're back in the simulation arena. The thundering I hear is the clapping and roaring of the audience around us.
"Guys, I think we rocked this test," Mick says with a huge grin on his face. Simultaneously, we all start laughing. Snyder, who's standing next to me, throws his arms around me in a bear hug. Grinning, I return his embrace and I can hear his laughter in my ear. We all embrace each other as we move back to the door of the glass globe. Snyder throws a friendly arm around my shoulders.
"I do think you need to work some more on your firearms," he remarks casually and I slap his arm away.
"Don't speak too soon!" I retort and look over at Mick, who is walking beside Nora and showing her with animated movements what he did to one of the guards.
"Mick, what do you think of my shooting skills?" I ask him. He smirks at me.
"Yeah, this lil' doll showed some real nice shooting back there. Saved my butt, if I'm honest." Snyder raises his eyebrows at me and I chuckle.
"Okay, maybe it was a bit of a lucky shot, but you don't need to tell me, okay?"
He holds up his hands, as if he's trying to show he's innocent.
"Okay, okay. No need to get all worked up about it. I just wanted to offer you some firearms lessons. That is, if you still need any." Surprised, I look down, slightly ashamed of my rash reaction.
"I'm sorry. Thank you, I think I could do with some extra lessons," I reply and I can hear him snicker. I look up to see him looking back at me.
"Don't worry, I already figured you didn't really mean it like that. You're quite a feisty one, aren't you?" he asks without trying to provoke me. Reluctantly, I nod. He grins and puts his arm back around me. I smile at him and a strange feeling grows within me. A sense of belonging, I realize with a smile. I sling my arm around Snyder's shoulder as well and as a group, we walk out of the arena.