7. Out of the Elevator and in Too Deep.
"What do you mean she can't come in? It's pouring down rain outside!"
"I'm sorry sir, I don't allow minors in my bar."
"Ed's not a minor. Ed's a little girl!" Ed wailed in exasperation. But to no avail. The bartender simply stopped talking and pointed to the door. Spike kicked it open, ushering Edward out in front of him and then slammed it in anger after he had passed through behind her.
"Great," he muttered through the slowing rain, "This is just wonderful, Ed. This is excellent."
Ed padded up beside Spike, her feet slapping on the wet ground and making a flapping noise as they did so.
"Isn't Spike-person having fun? He said he wanted to go to Parsky's Sparkys and now he has."
"Yeah. Well Edward, the point of going of going to Parsky's to begin with was to get a drink, not to go there in general. And now I am stuck in the street with you, cold wet and well… drinkless."
Ed blinked up at him, "Spike person doesn't like being with Edward?"
Spike sighed at this, "No Ed, you're fine at certain times, and perhaps under the influence of certain drugs, but I'm just disappointed right now. This isn't going the way I expected it to at all."
"Then why isn't Spike person up from his down?"
Spike stared curiously at the girl after she said this.
"What?"
"I know how to make Spike-person happy," Edward boasted proudly, "I'll find Korey-person for you, that will make you happy. Won't it?"
The girl gave two jumps off the balls of her feet, and took off down the road before anything could stop her.
Spike took off after her, but was caught into a surprised stop when his communicator rang.
"Spike" the female voice said.
The man rolled his eyes and pulled the unit out of his pocket.
"What do you want Faye? I'm kinda busy. Ed just ran off."
"Don't let her near there, where you were going I mean, I got this guy talking at the loft. It's not a living quarters, it's more of a shipping ground. Everything Tamochi needs comes here first, and he's really packing."
"What do you mean?" asked Spike curiously.
"I mean the only things here are guns, ammo and drugs. According to an unwilling informant, this guy is really dangerous, and the reason Korey's bounty is so high is because he's Tamochi's little pet."
"Just what informant are you talking about Faye?"
The view of the communicator went from Faye's frowning face to that of a man who looked scared out of his pants. Of course, the fact that the barrel of the woman's handgun was crammed into the his mouth might have had something to do with it.
"Spike, this is Matt, he works for Tamochi and is ever so kindly helping me out with even my smallest of inquiries."
Matt made a strangled grunt through the steel between his teeth, but he didn't attempt to move his arms in alarm or even escape.
"That's a good boy," Faye crooned smugly, "I told you I could be a very bad enemy myself, and now you believe me don't you?"
Matt readily nodded his head in agreement.
"Good." Said Faye, as her face filled the window again.
"Listen Spike, I don't know how, but Jet was right, that kid has got more people guarding him then Fort Knox, we don't stand a chance unless we're all there, and as much as I'd hate to admit it, working together. Find Ed, and stay put until I get back."
Deciding not to ask what the hell Fort Knox even was, Spike slowly nodded in his shocked stupor and watched the screen turn blank as Faye ended the transmission.
Jet was right, this whole mission was wrong.
"Ed!" he yelled, looking down the empty street. "Get back here, Come on Edward!"
But he saw neither hide nor hair of the foolish child, and his worries heightened for the naïve girl. Looking down the street, he saw the tall building looming up and touching the sky. It looked to be at least thirty stories high, and it was sitting on the corner of Apocochi street.
The rain had almost completely stopped, but the spidery veins of lightly still tended to weave their way across the dark sky. Looking up, Spike felt a small tingle run up his spine, taking in the effect it was all making upon him. At the top of the building was a large electric letters that spelled out the words GAZA CORPERATION. The entrance to the building consisted of a set of double doors, one was open just enough for someone very skinny to slip in. Spike didn't need two guesses as to who that person was, either.
The information Edward had given them was not valid, this wasn't an apartment, it was a business office. Jet and Faye were right and Ed was wrong, Damn, things really were taking a turn for the worse.
"We have a problem, Shang." Jasmine Velincio stated as the large man kicked the small boy at his feet a final time (this was acknowledged with a moan), and Shang walked toward the sexually alluring woman.
"What kind of problem?" Shang snorted, slightly annoyed at being interrupted but not able to say anything, in the off-chance he'd offend the boss' main squeeze.
"It appears we have bounty hunters," she started with a disgusted sneer, " and as horrible as the despicable creatures are, they will be here soon in search of Tamochis' little freak."
"I see, you wants I should tells the boss for ya's?" The man asked.
"Good God you Idiot! Speak English for a change, I would think you would know that we shall both have to get to the bottom of this little pest problem, as they are rather close."
"Sounds like alls we needs is an exterminator," Shang said, slapping himself on the knee and roaring with laughter at the "hilarious" joke.
"Let's just go already," snapped Jasmine, ending the man's butchering of comedy.
Shang's smile left his face and he nodded, "Fine, but firsts we gots to lock this door here, otherwise our little friend's gonna think he's goin' somewhere."
Korey looked up as the two stepped out, and he watched the door close in what seemed like slow motion to him, as if fate itself was telling him that he was going nowhere because his last chance just walked out. He swore he could hear the door press the wind as it came closer and closer to it's destination. Only a small gap was left.
Hey, he was small. He could do it.
Ok split second decision buddy, he though in his allotted time. You can stay here and whither in pain, you can keep being Tamochi's little slave, carry out "The Plan" and then probably die in the crossfire when that bastard gets his gig run down by the cops. Or you can slide through that door, before that fat-headed idiot or that stupid bitchy prat knows what happening, outrun them both and hope no one decides to shoot you in the back of the skull as you make a break for your life.
I could make it. There has to be some snow in hell, right?
Pulling himself off the floor, and feeling the full weight of his tired body pull at the air an beg to be set down again, Korey leapt for what space was left in the closing door, and by the god's, what little weight his body consisted of hit it at just at the right angle to send him rolling into the hallway.
He smashed to the floor in front of Shang's and Jasmine's feet, heard the woman gasp and the large man swear loudly, and kicked his feet under him.
Thank God for adrenaline.
His heart seemed to explode as he pumped his legs and kicked off the ground, into the air, and on his way the hell out of there!
"Aiya, this place is dark and spoooooky." Ed said, stepping through the unlocked door.
"Where are the ghosts and boooogie men? Hellooo!"
The girl's voice echoed off the walls of the office lobby and bounced back to her. Looking around, everything seemed sparkly and extravagant. A large desk that looked to be made of glass sat in the center of the large entry room, looking at the girl from across the lobby floor.
"And no one is here, that's what Edward thinks. They must be hiding, hiding from Edward, well Ed will find them, they cannot hide, Ed will find Korey-person!" Ed stopped talking and thought for a moment. If everything was dark and quiet, then there is no one here. Her assumption for the most part was correct. The only other live organism on the particular floor was the plants in the each corner. They seemed too out of place in the cold industrial setting. But hey, half of them were fake anyway, due to the lazy secretary who couldn't find the time to water them. Luckily for Ed, said secretary was also too far above putting the keys to her desk away. And hell, something that shiny, that made such a cool noise was too much for Ed to pass up. Soon the wiry child was happily rummaging through the woman's desk. The first couple of drawers held no more then paper clips and office supplies.
Not a lot could be done with paper clips, but God, the stapler was fun.
"Pachoom! Pachoom! Watch Ed shoot the bad guys, Ed's the hero!" The girl giggled with glee as she shot the small metal bindings at the window and floor. She was completely at ease, and totally oblivious to what was going on above her. But, truth be told, had the ceiling been lower when the area was built, the hacker would have heard quite a deal of shouting, and even some gunfire on the floor above. Since this case was not true, she remained inattentive with the impending danger in lue of capturing her, and entangling her in a wave of fear that she should never have known.
A/N: Damn straight I'm keeping you all guessing, I have to get back into my groove. Deal with it, I deserve the right to have fun.
Tra-la-la-la-la
"Run for the hall. Run for the hall. Run for the hall." The young boy could only chant his own encouragement, as he had done so many times in his short life. The arduous clomps of the baboon chasing him seemed to shake the floor underneath him with every step Shang took in pursuit of his target.
All Korey could whisper were those four words. They seemed to fall into rhythm with his steps. He turned one corner. Not being able to believe his luck. He hadn't gotten caught yet. The bitch Jasmine surely wouldn't dirty her hands with chasing him. And Shang was so out of shape that he was already lagging a but. If he could manage to make it to the elevator, he would be home free. The stairs would be no good, the doors leading to them were locked every night. But the elevators were always kept running.
All he had to do was gain enough of a lead to allow the time for the elevator door to shut. All he needed after that was a home to go to…. One thing at a time buddy.
BAM! A bullet whizzed past him and embedded itself into the wall he was running toward. He was right about Jasmine at least, she wasn't willing to run in step with he or Shang, but the wench had no problem with shooting at him.
"Watch it!" he heard Shang yell. "You almost hit me!"
Yeah, that'd be a shame
He ran with everything he had, turning the last corner he needed to before making a straight getaway to the elevator. He jammed his first and middle finger because he had punched the button to open the door so hard. He breathed a sigh of relief as it almost instantly opened. Maybe it was fate for him to escape.
As the doors closed behind him, he turned just in time to see Shang throw his body at the door. It closed on the man's shirt and Korey watched with satisfaction as the door took the trapped fabric down with it. It was a rather satisfying feeling envisioning the brute being crushed into the floor as the shaft was lowered. He reluctantly breathed as he heard the fabric rip. He knew Shang up there, rummaging in his ripped shirt for the keys that would unlock the stairway.
He watched the brightly lit numbers exchange light as he moved to the lwer floor. It seemed to be just enough for him to catch his breathe from running, evn though his heart was racing the whole time. He leaned his forehead against the cool metal elevator door, messing his blue hair up even more in the process. He was drenched with sweat, it kept running into his eyes and smudging his glasses. Taking the oppurtuniy to clean them in the silence. He was quite surprised when, at reaching the ground floor, the elevator jerked to a stop and the doors "chinged" before opening.
He had done it. He had foiled his captors and escaped with his life. Korey knew there was now no one to stop him in his journey toward freedom.
Imagine his surprise at meeting two bright amber eyes upon stepping through the door.
A/N: Thanks for those who are still hanging in there. And also to those who just enetered. It means a lot.