Renegade
Chapter 17
I look around at my surroundings, nothing real special. There's an info desk and what looks like a map behind it so I guess I'm in the front lobby. I prance on up to it and see that nobody is there. I take a look at the map to find the room that I've come here for, hmmm, third floor, and room 154. I study the architecture of the walls and just gaze at their historical and cultural significance. No matter how hard they try to make this castle into some official place of business they'll never be able to release the ceremonial feel. I take another look at the map to make sure I know where I'm going and begin my journey. Carefully, I check the halls for any patrolling guards but see that it's mostly been left alone. I can't blame them for keeping a lose security on floor one, that would look awfully suspicious to any ninja style super-heroes like me. I travel down the hall and notice that fewer and fewer lights are on throughout this area. Makes sense though, most people turn off their lights to conserve energy.
The sides of the hallway are lined with doors, from accounts to lawyers this place has every thing a western money-hog would want, not that I have anything against the Western World. I locate the door to the stair-way and open it wide; the lights are still darkened on the floors of the stairs telling me that this floor is really just for show. Even still I can't run the risk of some lonely janitor catching me so I keep my steps soft and slow. I come upon the door for the second floor; the lights are on here. Keeping my self concealed is going to be a tough one here as my black suit really doesn't blend with the white walls. Through the window I can see two armed guard conversing casually about their daily lives or something similar. One is large and burly, the stereotypical bodyguard type. The other is small and slim but seems to know how to hold his gun well enough to prove that he is an excellent marksman. The two stand outside and look like they are about to go in. If they do, this could prove to be messy.
Luckily, Mr. Bodyguard motions to their stomach and walks off to probably get a quick bit. The other is rolling his eyes and follows him out, leaving me to exit from this dark place. I wait a few minuets before finally opening the door making sure that they'll be gone a while. After all, it would have been stupid of me to walk out the door when they just went to a vending machine 'round the corner. This room also resembles a type of meeting room. A window separates the outside to another room wherein a nurse or another medical professional would give out medication like candy. You know, I could really go for candy right about now. I again check to corner to see if my friends were having a short visit but it looks as if they decided to have a full course meal. I walk down the opposite hall until it came to fork. I check around both sides to locate any potential threats. One guard on the right side, and three on the left, this will be trouble. They beginning walking down and apparently decide to check my hallway.
Crap, one turns the corner and sees me. The expression on his face is priceless; his jaw hit the floor and his eyes got wide enough to cover the whole building. Before he can change this expression (or lift his weapon) I take a throwing star out of one of their pouches and let it lose. He drops down to his knees and then lands of the floor face down with the throwing star implanted in his forehead. The others definitely are worried. They start shouting, "Show yourself." with their weapons in the air; after they all run into my hallway they unload a few rounds, rounds that nearly blew my head off. I jump from wall to wall until I reach one of them. He falls quickly after I unsheathe my katana and slice diagonally down his torso. I don't have time to take the next one down with another slice as the goons are still unloading bullets. I start circling them to both protect myself from gunfire and confuse them. One lost track of me long enough for me to grab him, take out my Japanese knife, put it to his throat, and threaten to kill him if any of the others decide to shoot.
The room drops into dead silence. There was one guy left to shoot me and he was so shocked that he literally dropped his weapon and started pleading for not his friends, but his life. I whack my hostage in the head hard enough to put him into a deep sleep and do the same to the other guard. They'll be okay, a couple of bruises and bad memories but nothing that a little therapy wouldn't fix. Before reinforcements could arrive I quickly exit out that corridor and into another.
This was the worst part of the job. I guess you could call it justice, but that really wouldn't be appropriate in my mind. My dreams are filled with my great accomplishments while my nightmares are like what just happened. Those men were probably just following orders, and at least one of them I would expect to have a wife and maybe some kids. They weren't part of this big conspiracy that I was uncovering; they were just ignorant patrolmen doing their job, like I was. I sigh heavily as I listen to the footsteps of other guards going to check on they're fallen comrades. I should act quickly before someone has the common sense to activate the alarm. I run down the halls into a corridor which houses the elevators. I press the up button and wait for it to beep. The elevator farthest to the right dings and opens up. I step inside and press the 3. The doors close after a while and I'm on my way up. I stand there and wait for the doors to open again which was, if you know anything about elevators, generally the signal that it was time to get off. Sure enough it opens and I exit.
I am so lucky. After I get out the alarm sounds off as the halls start beeping and glowing red. I hear the clamor of guards shouting orders to one another but nobody seems to be walking my way. I check the corners and see that I'm clear. I walk a few steps until I see my door, number 154. I turn the handle, open it up, and walk inside. It gave off a nice cozy feeling. It all feels quite friendly even though I know the scenery is just adding to the illusion of an office building that was at one time, a majestic castle. A modest bookshelf sits in the corner housing various titles and names of different books, none of which I'm close enough to read. On my left is a coffee maker sitting on top of a small shelf. In the middle was an oak office desk that would probably belong to some kind of executive. A monitor rested on the top of the desk not emitting any light which meant it was off, and, looking at the monitor, was the man that I was looking for. He looks official, important, and to the public he is. He is dressed in a blue suit and a tie depicting a baseball game. His name was Vincent.
Vincent turns his attention from his monitor and starts looking me straight in the eyes.
"Your late." He tells me.