"Go ahead and bring him in," the guard's radio buzzed after a few minutes. "Escort him to boss's office. Don't let him near any other rooms."
"Copy that," the guard spoke, his voice laced with fear. He turned to Loki and motioned for him to follow. "He'll speak with you."
The guard led him into a building that looked very much like a hospital. Red lights flashed on the walls, signaling the lockdown, but all the alarms remained silent. A rule Demetri had put in place to ensure he could still function in an emergency. The guard led him into the elevator and up to Demetri's floor. As the door opened to reveal the lobby, the guard pointed to the door across the room. "Through that door. The room as the end of the hall." The large, strong guard absolutely refused to get out with the madman. They couldn't pay him enough to get involved in that mess.
Loki smirked at the cowering guard and thought about what kind of mischief he could play. So many options. He settled on one, exited the elevator, and mentally short-circuited some of the wiring. It would take a long while for the man to return to the floor he wished. A few long strides brought him to the door the man had indicated, and Loki made sure to compose himself before he did anything. He couldn't afford to lose his temper. He reached the specified room and didn't bother to knock.
Loki lifted his chin and barged through the door.
/
Fifteen minutes later, Drake and Kitania arrived outside of the facility. The guard's station was empty and the gate bolted shut. Drake immediately went into the guard's tower, inserted his flash drive into the computer, and began to hack into the security system. Within moments, the gate buzzed and began to slide open. "Come on. We have exactly five minutes before the other guards will be alerted to the system override. SID is smart, but he's still a defense program. He'll let us in, but we'll still be counted as enemies."
Drake strode into the main lobby and headed for the elevator, but when he tried to call it, it wouldn't respond. "That creep must have shorted out the system. The elevator won't work, and this is the only one that leads up to De." He opened a nearby panel and began to mess with the wires. "This could take a few minutes." He held out a hand and a few shadows rose from the ground, taking the form of dark-skinned human soldiers clad in black apparel. "Keep watch! If any guards arrive, take them out."
The shadows nodded and slipped into the nearby corners.
Kitania followed him to the elevator and rolled her eyes when he set to work hacking again. There had to be an easier way. Not that she'd done much breaking and entering in her life, but she was good at sneaking around. A single 180 provided her the alternative she had been looking for.
Three long strides, and she was beside the medium-sized air duct. One good bang on the side and it loosened enough for her to remove the cover. Drake would never fit, but she would. She dove in before he could stop her. The trick would be worming her way to De's office.
Drake heard a bang and turned to see Kitania wiggling her way into the air duct. "No, wait!" But it was too late, she was gone.
Drake gave an exasperated sigh and continued his work on the wires. Without looking away from them, he spoke to the sentries. "One of you, go after her. Make sure she stays safe."
In an instant, one of the sentries dissolved into a dark mist and slipped into the air duct.
It only took minutes for Drake to reroute the electrical system. But, minutes were far too long. Just as the call light lit and the elevator began its decline, a group of armed guards appeared in the spacious lobby.
"Freeze! This building is under lockdown."
Drake froze, his hand still on the metal panel. Behind him, one by one, the guards began to disappear into the floor. Just as quickly as they had disappeared, dry skeletons scantily clad in strips of former uniforms took their places. Drake turned and watched as the last guard, the one who had spoken, was pulled down into the Shadow Lands. In an instant, his bony remains reappeared. The lone black sentry reappeared in the midst of the pile of bones, his dark tongue licking his lips.
Drake, too stunned for words, slowly backed to the door of the elevator. As it dinged and the door opened, another guard stepped out. The two had only a moment to exchange fearful glances before the guard was sucked out into the lobby. Drake screamed, pressed himself against the back of the elevator, and watched in horror as another bony body joined the others. The doors closed, leaving him in a state of pure shock.
Drake growled as the elevator inched its way up. Rewiring the system must not have worked. He cursed softly under his breath. Then, realization dawned on him. The Shadow Lands. He could travel through the Shadow Lands.
A smirk played at the corners of his lips as he melted into the floor. As he appeared in the swirling red sand of the dry shadow desert, tall and ominous shadows appeared around him. "Come, shadow friends. Lead me to where Demetri is."
/
Kitania made it through the duct and somehow managed to scoot around enough to kick out another vent cover. If memory served her, and it usually did, this looked like the right floor. She tumbled out into the hallway and raced to the door at the end. The one she could hear voices coming from. She froze, inches from the entrance, and took a moment to reevaluate her situation. She hadn't really thought past the whole "worm through the vents" thing. Drake would probably kill her for leaving him alone down there, if De didn't kill her for showing up alone and unarmed first. Oh, well. At least it would be interesting.
She braced herself and peered around the doorframe.
/
Demetri jolted as he heard his office door slam back against the wall. His office was fairly large and empty. His father's old bookshelves and equipment had been removed years ago. Demetri had no use for them.
He stood facing the window, feeling the sunshine on his face one last time. He had removed his sunglasses and gloves, leaving them folded on his desk. "Welcome, Loki. I've been expecting you. You've taken something of mine, and a thief always returns for more." He turned to face the enemy, his distant eyes open to reveal his blindness. Demetri's irises were brown, but his pupils were pure white. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, while his eyes as a whole sunk back into his skull. "I know how this is going to end, and I'm not too fond of the thought of it. But first, tell me, how is she?" his voice was sincere, showing his obvious concern for his friend. "Paige is very precious to me. I hate to think what you've done to her."
"She isn't yours," Loki corrected, stepping into the office and surveying the scene. He moved deftly across the room, stopping beside the window to make sure no one sought him here. "And, as you well know, a villain doesn't reveal his secrets."
Demetri's sightless gaze followed Loki's movements. "She's as much mine as she is yours." He chuckled at Loki's 'villain' comment. "You speak wisely, my friend. Neither villain nor magician reveal their secrets. From what I hear, you're both. As am I." Demetri turned and began to slowly walk along the walls of the room, hovering his hand over the ink drawings hanging on the walls. He stopped in front of a drawing of a rose. "Tell me, how is it possible that blind man can draw?" He passed his hand over the drawing and the black rose appeared in his hand, leaving the frame canvas empty. "Or how imagination can become reality." He turned and laid the rose on the corner of his desk. "This rose is for Paige. She always loved my roses. Be careful, the ink has a tendency to stain. If she still lives, I hope you'll give it to her.
Demetri sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I know why you stole her away. She is the most powerful of us all. She has more courage and strength then any of us. Her wit and charm has always impressed me. ...I've heard of your power over people's minds. How you take them and twist them." Demetri frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm not proud of what my company did to her. What my uncle did to all of us, myself included. If you're inside her mind, I know you've seen the horrors. Surely you're not cruel enough to put her through that any further. I can only beg you to be kind to her. She's suffered enough. If you want my secrets, I'll give them to you. Albeit, not willingly, but you'll have them. Don't torture her to get them. That's all I ask."
Loki scoffed and refrained from rolling his eyes. "People say I am pompous, but how arrogant must one be to assume I target one to find him?" He turned to face the man, only briefly noting the rose on the desk. "As for what your company did to her..." He made a very ungentlemanly noise, somewhere between a snort and a laugh. "You know as well as I that had you cared for her, you could have spared her this pain. Spared the knife that blazed into her flesh and tore out her soul. Spared the agony of an attack on her very mind, the complete vulnerability you left her open to. You think I would tear into her mind as coldly as you did? You are quite mistaken, for what you did brought only pain and suffering. I intend to bring her freedom." He stopped, thinking of what he had tried to promise Paige. If he said much more, he might explode in rage. He took a calming breath, waiting for Demetri's reply.
Demetri frowned and was silent for a long while. Finally, he spoke, his voice soft and solemn. "The program was never meant for her. I had no idea my uncle would experiment on civilians. I know the tortures she went through. They sliced me open the same as they did her. If I could take back what happened to her, I would. But, even if I could, she'd never let me. If you've spent any time with her, you know how headstrong she can be. Through her pain, I gave her freedom, far more than you could ever give her. I gave Paige her voice back."
Demetri pushed away from the wall and walked closer to Loki. "And why should you care for my telepath? She's no more to you than collateral. A means to an end. You'll pick us off, one by one, until you get what you want." He shifted his hand to grip his folded staff. "But, let me tell you, we will fight to the very last breath. Every one of us. And we will fight for her."
"Her hands were as much voice as this new way to speak, and far less torment to her." Loki rolled his shoulders to keep himself calm. "Of course you will fight for her. She is worth fighting for. If you think me so callous as to only use her as a – how did you put it? – means to an end, then you underestimate me much more than I anticipated. Perhaps you are not as grand as she depicts you to be."
"Perhaps, but now I can hear her. Her signs meant nothing to me before the experiment. Now, she's able to speak into my mind the same as any other." Demetri continued walking closer to him, until he was face-to-face with his enemy. "I will admit, Paige does think more highly of me than she probably should. I'm no angel, by any means. Yes, I created the program. Every detail, every torment. But, it wasn't meant for her. It was meant for soldiers. Those with the strength to handle it. Do you truly think you are so much better than me, Loki? What do you plan to do with my Paige, if not ravage what's left of her delicate mind? And you have the nerve to call it freedom. Don't act as if you care for her. Surely you only want her for her power. That's all anyone wants." He grinned. "Power. Over the world, over the mind, over every aspect of life. Over life itself. She's only a pawn in our game of war. We all are. Pawns in a game of life and death."
"So, is that it? Paige is a pawn in your endless game of war? Oh dear, how swiftly you forget your pawns when others show themselves." Loki smiled wickedly and didn't back down. "I hear tell of a new fascination of yours. A girl without a home, whose fingers bless those around her with music. Oh, yes. I know of her. You think I would come here without knowing my enemy?" He looked past Demetri and saw the girl cowering behind the doorframe. "Even now, you would hide her existence from me. For fear, I wonder? Is it fear that drives you, Demetri? Her neck is a twig I could snap between my fingers if I so chose." He locked eye contact with her, just for a moment, and sneered. "Or perhaps I shall see how it feels between my lips first."
In an instant, a silver blade was at Loki's throat. Behind him, black daggers hovered in midair. "You will do no such thing," Demetri stated. "Not while I still have breath in my body. If you want Paige, you have her. But you shall not touch Kitania."