"Alright Eliot, distraction time."
"It's a lot of guards, Nate," the hitter replied over the com. "You sure this isn't a bit too risky?"
"We'll be fine. Nevins wants us caught and sentenced, so they'll be using rubber bullets. And with your reputation, they won't get close as long as they're sure you're cornered and not on the twenty-first floor."
"Alright," Eliot said. He was walking down the corridor towards the elevator when it opened, and stopped short at the sight of five agents in riot gear standing inside. He quickly turned and bolted the other direction, rounding the corner before disappearing.
One of the agents grabbed his radio. "We got a visual on Spencer, twentieth floor. Lock the elevators. We're between him and the stairs – he's got no where to go."
"Elevators are locked," the man in the security office informed them.
In the security office the muffled sound of gunshots came over the radio from the 20th floor as the agent there updated them of the situation. "Shots fired, requesting backup."
Sterling hadn't anticipated Eliot bringing a gun, but quickly switched gears. He wanted the team caught, but not at the expense of anyone's lives. "Everyone fall back, but make sure he doesn't get access to the stairwell. Wait for backup then smoke him out." He was thankful that at least his plan to throw the team off seemed to be working. If they caught Spencer, the rest would be easier to grab.
"I got an entry alert on the twenty-first floor server room door," the man in front of Sterling said. "Team B status update?"
One of the guards on the 21st floor radioed back. "There's no one here, we're literally standing right in front of that keypad. No one's in the server room, and the rest of the floor's empty, too."
"Another ruse. Everyone hold your positions unless instructed to move," Sterling said.
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While Eliot was keeping the guards busy, Nate made sure the 21st floor was clear and ushered Parker to the server room. She swiped the entry card and went in while the mastermind went for Caldwell's office. He quickly picked the lock and entered, deciding to rifle through the CEO's desk first.
In the server room Parker inserted the flash drive, and watched Hardison's program take over from there. It scanned for the files, before flashing red indicating everything had been wiped there as well. She pulled it out and pocketed it, a scowl on her face. "Nate, they're not here."
His voice came over the com. "Nothing in his desk either, but I got a wall safe with your name on it." She smiled, and quickly left the server room to join Nate in the office. As she walked in he gestured her to the safe, hidden behind a hinged painting.
As Parker started skillfully working the lock on the safe, Nate addressed the hitter through his earbud. "Eliot, you doing alright?"
Eliot fired a few more blanks around the corner. "Sure, just dodging rubber bullets and getting ready to play disc golf with smoke grenades. And backup should be almost here, so if you guys could speed things up a bit that'd be great."
Nate double-checked the hallway to make sure it was empty. He wasn't expecting company, but today didn't seem like a good day to take chances.
Meanwhile Parker heard the click of satisfaction as she got the safe open. She quickly dug through the contents, the only thing standing out being a small flash drive hidden in the back. Everything else is paperwork, she thought. This has to be it. She grabbed it and turned it over, revealing silver SenTech lettering on the front. She smiled and congratulated herself mentally.
As Nate walked back in to check her progress she tossed the drive to him. "Got it, let's go."
"Nice job as always, Parker," Sophie said over the com. Eliot fired the last of his blanks and thew the gun aside, getting ready to change outfits. "About damn time," he growled.
"Hardison, get us an elevator," Nate instructed. "Make sure the guards still think they're locked."
The hacker pressed a key on his computer and smiled. "Gotcha covered bro, elevator's already waiting."
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Another dozen guards joined the rest on the 20th floor, and immediately threw four smoke grenades to the end of the hallway where Eliot was taking cover. As they went off smoke filled the floor, and the team of agents immediately rushed down the corridor to grab their now-blind suspect.
"Freeze, keep your hands where we can see 'em!" one yelled. When there was no answer they carefully approached and fanned out, guns ready. The smoke began to clear slightly, but to their dismay they found the corner was empty. Where Eliot should've been there was a vent cover laying on the floor, a screwdriver and four shining screws lying next to it.
"He's gone, vent's open," one of the guards said over the radio.
Sterling radioed back. "He'll be heading to the 21st floor, get up there now."
The guards immediately sprinted back to the other end of the hallway and then dashed up the stairs. The first one to reach the floor above did a quick visual check through the door's window before opening it and motioning the others through. They readied their guns as they cautiously entered, but as the last one went through the guard that had been holding the door quickly closed it after them and blocked it with his baton before heading back down to the floor below.
Eliot pulled off his riot helmet as he went down the stairs and reentered the corridor, the smoke almost completely cleared now. He smiled as he stopped in front of the closed elevator doors, reveling in his escape. That's the problem when you bring too many agents, he thought. Ya don't even notice if there's an extra one.
Just then the elevator opened and he stepped in, joining Nate and Parker inside. "Hardison," Nate said. "Bring us down and lock all the other elevators."
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Having not noticed Eliot's departure, the remaining guards did a sweep on the 21st floor and found it completely empty. Frustrated, the lead agent radioed to the team that was supposed to be stationed there. "Team B, where the hell are you? You weren't supposed to leave this floor unattended."
"What do you mean unattended, we're still here. Where are you?"
*Flashback*
The hitter was pacing in the pitch black elevator, but just as he went to check the time on his phone again the lights flickered back on and the elevator started moving up again. Finally, he thought to himself.
Eliot got out of the elevator on the 22nd floor and changed the level number from 22 to 21, and also switched the company plaque in front of the office from Rockstar Games to Dalco Enterprises. Once finished he quickly got back in the elevator and headed back down.
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Sterling smiled, the team had just shown their hand. He knew they were going to hit someone in the Reliant Building thanks to the bug he'd had put in Eliot's truck, but didn't know who the actual target was until now. Sterling radioed to them. "Alright everyone, their target is the 21st floor. Get a team up there now."
A group of three guards got in the elevator and hit the button for the 21st floor. Hardison grinned as he watched their request on his screen, and sent them to 22nd floor instead. He spoofed the numbers on the elevator readout as they went up, letting them out on the 22nd floor and leaving the 21st floor completely empty.
*End flashback*
Sterling was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach as he listened to the agents discuss the unattended floor. He studied the screens again, looking for any clues of the mishap.
As he watched the larger group of agents search Dalco's floor on the monitor, he noticed the small white lettering on the bottom. Level 21. He shifted his gaze to the video feed of Team B, who had been on that floor the entire time. Level 22. Juts then he realized they'd been tricked, and the actual level 21 had indeed been left unattended. He cursed himself for not noticing it sooner.
"They're already out, have the agents in the parking lot ready," Sterling instructed. "Have agents at every exit inside the building as well." They may have gotten whatever it was they needed from the server room under his watchful eye, but he'd be damned if they got out of the building with it.
On the 21st floor the agents had been unable to summon an elevator, and one of them grabbed his radio. "Jeff, unlock this damn elevator already. This gear's kinda heavy to be walking down twenty flights of stairs."
"It is unlocked," Jeff relied. "I got it stationed at your floor ready to go."
The lead agent upstairs was getting frustrated, his suspect had already slipped their grip once and he didn't want to loose him again. "Well it's not working, anything else you can do?"
"The button must be broken. Go down a level and try it there."
This is not happening, Sterling thought. And the elevator happens to not be working? Too coincidental.
The agent upstairs came over the radio again, breaking into Sterling's thoughts. "Damn stairwell door's locked, we're stuck up here!"
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"Eliot, Sophie, Parker, get ready to go," the mastermind said over the com.
Eliot carefully peered out of a side window, and saw numerous unmarked police vehicles dotting the portion of the parking lot that he could see. He didn't need to check to know that the rest of the lot would be the same. "Nate, we got a problem."
"Of course we do. What is it this time?"
"Lot's full of squads, they're gonna grab us the moment we try to leave."
Back in the bakery Hardison had already packed most of his gear, and suddenly stopped piping frosting on his latest cupcake creation. "Oh hell no, man. How exactly are we gonna to get out now?"
Nate's voice came over the com again. "They're expecting a van, let's give 'em one. Sophie, Parker, Eliot, start making some calls. Plumbers, gardeners, electricians, florists...I want every panel van in Boston here in the next twenty minutes. Hardison, is there a loading area where you're at?"
The hacker turned around and leaned over, peering past the racks of sweet goodies. He smiled as he saw a set of steel double doors in the back. "You bet there is."
"Perfect. Sneak out and get Lucille, then back up to the doors there. Grab a pen while you're at it. And Agent Nevins, what is she driving?"
Hardison hit a few keys and brought up the security feed for the parking lot, zooming in on the morning footage of Nevins exiting her vehicle. "Company car, black sedan in Lot 4. Electronic locks, throttle control, the works. You want me to disable it?"
Nate smiled. "No, I have a better idea."