I hope you guys absolutely love this:

-

Chapter 4.

-

Declan's POV.

-

Zhen caught up with me in hallway after my small fit in the conference room, immediately grabbing my arm and whirling me around.

"What in the world was that?" she demanded harshly. "Get it together, Declan!"

"What are you harpin' on MY case for?" I said, slightly offended that Zhen wasn't taking my side with this. "She was the one who was crawlin' all over me arse!"

"As the rumor goes, Declan," she said with a strong hint. "You crawled on her ass first."

My eyes narrowed at her, knowing quite well what she was trying to say. Suddenly, my small feelings for Zhen vanished only for the moment in my anger at her, and I stormed off, hating her very sight.

"Declan…"

When Zhen spoke, I stopped in my tracks. My anger willed me to do otherwise, but my mind was preprogrammed to the sound of her voice.

"You're acting like a child," her unearthly tone rang in my ears. "Whatever's going on between you two, suck it up and start acting your age."

Unknowing what comeback I could possibly retort to that, I decided to say nothing at all, and simply kept walking.

-

I hung upside-down like a bat from a small cord in the center of the elevator shaft, and focused on lowering myself down.

"Zhen's made it into the party, and so has Bobbie. How you doing, Declan?" Luther said in my ear.

"Just peachy, Luther," I replied through my strain. My repel gear wrinkled my nice tux, and it made me slightly irritated. "I wouldn't mind ye hurryin' it up a little though, Smartie."

"I'm doing my best," Martin said. "And it's Martin, by the way. Should be about another five minutes then I got it… Luther, settle something for Declan and I, would you? Who would win in a battle, Batman, or Superman?"

"Superman," Luther replied without hesitation.

"Lies," I replied heatedly. "Batman could kick Superman's Smallville butt anyday. Blindfolded, even."

"If he could catch him," Zhen's voice was heard next. "Superman's way too fast."

"Batman's got the brains," I insisted. "He always figures out somethin'. He doesn't need any stupid 'laser vision'. We, of all people, should know smarts play a major part in battles."

"You guys are such morons," Roberta said with an impatient sigh. "We're on a job, for crying out loud."

"Declan's got a point, though," Luther admitted.

"Ha!" I said triumphantly. "Fifty bucks richer."

"You can't change your mind now, Luther," Martin insisted.

"Too late," I said decidedly. "Victory is mine. Batman rules."

"I agree with Bobbie," Zhen said with a laugh. "You guys are geeks."

"Luther," Blake's voice was heard next. "Lucas is on the move, heading to Declan's elevator, E.T.A. twenty seconds."

"Shit," I muttered, struggling to grab the right rope to ascend back up.

"Declan," Luther said quickly. "Get up, get out of there!"

"Yeah, I'm tryin'!"

I heard the elevator ding below me and heard the doors open. I didn't have much time, and I still couldn't get a hold of the ropes. In my stress, I pulled the wrong one, and dropped several feet and right onto the top of the elevator roof, making a large, echoing sound of my boots hitting the metal. My feet hit the roof just as the doors of the elevator closed, making a similar sound, but my mistake could still be crucial.

"Dammit!" I hissed loudly. "Luther!"

"He didn't seem to notice," he replied. "Look's like we got a genius on our hands."

I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn't be discovered, but I wasn't out of the woods yet. The elevator began to ascend with me on top of it, straight up to the metal emergency stoppers on top.

"Luther--" I said worriedly. "God, there's spikes overhead, and I headin' straight to them. Stop the elevator. Cut the power!"

"I can't, we'll be discovered—then we'll all be toast, Declan. Get OUT!"

"I can't!"

"Luther cut the power!" Zhen's voice was heard. "For God's sake, cut it!"

"We'll all be dead if I do, Zhen!"

With some quick thinking, and having nothing else to do, I hit the deck, dropping to my stomach and lying as flat as I could.

"Declan!" Zhen's voice called to me, but I didn't answer. I rose right to the spikes, and the elevator began to slow into them, and I peered over my shoulder, watching the spikes as they gradually dropped into my back, but didn't pierce me.

I breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Declan!" Zhen said again. "Is it 'man down'? Declan!"

"I'm here," I whispered. "But I think I'm a great deal thinner…"

I tried to move, but I was pinned for the moment, with the barred spikes holding me down. I heard my back crack under its pressure.

"Great," I mumbled. "Who put these spikes down in the first place? I thought they were only supposed to go down in an emergency…?"

"They are," Luther said, puzzled. "Martin?"

"I can't figure it out either. You think they know we're coming?"

"Keep it in mind, but go on anyway."

"Phew," I said as the elevator went down again. "God, that's better. You can breathe again now, Zhen," I joked with a broad smile.

"I wasn't holding my breath," Zhen replied. "Luther, I'm exiting the ladies room, and entering the party. Martin's secure and I'm heading to Declan."

"Alright," Luther agreed. "Martin, we need you to pick up the pace now."

"Yeah, yeah, one more minute," Martin said with annoyance.

"I'm goin'," I said, reaching for the trapdoor into the elevator. "Zhen, how long until you meet me?"

"About forty seconds," she replied.

I pulled off my repel gear like it was burning me alive, despising the thought of repelling again for a while. The walls of the elevator were lined with mirrors, and I examined my reflection strictly, straightening my tie and smoothing my jacket. When satisfied, I pressed the button and went back down to the second floor.

The bell rang and the double doors opened, and there was Zhen waiting for me in an emerald green dress, made of curve hugging satin. Her hair was done up like a queen, and pearls dangled from her ears.

"Hello, gorgeous," I said in a French accent, holding out my arm for her. "Been waiting long?"

"Not at all," she replied in a similar accent.

We walked past the guards naturally, giving them a casual nod.

"How you doing?" she whispered to me in a low voice.

"I'm gonna need a appointment with a really good chiropractor," I replied. "Other than that, I'm fine."

I looked at her for a moment as we walked down the hall, and grinned at the thought that maybe… she was worried for me. Even if it was far from the truth, the mere fiction made me smile.

But now wasn't the time nor place for this, so I pulled my eyes to the path ahead, and glanced down the corridor, and saw a sight I wasn't expecting.

"It's Costales!" I said, immediately recognizing the man that was heading straight our way. "Roberta, why didn't ya warn us?"

"He's gone out of my line of vision!" she snapped back.

"Obviously," Zhen agreed cynically. "Declan, he's heading straight for us. Cover it."

I shoved her into the nearby wall, and began to gently kiss her neck. She played along naturally, smiling and chuckling, but there was a foreign nervousness in her tone. As my lips grazed her collarbone, my gaze had no were else to fall but to her skin, and I noticed goosebumps rising, and heard her breath was scattered.

I looked in her eyes for a moment curiously, and she looked right back, just as Costales passed us with no regard. Zhen's brow was furrowed in confusion and even… fear? Maybe she was afraid of me, or maybe it was something in herself she was scared of. Either way, her slanted brown eyes resembled a deer staring straight into oncoming headlights.

It made me want to kiss her. I wanted to so bad that I even feared myself. I was truly and direly attracted to this woman. There was a line in this job, and I was crossing it.

For a few moments we simply stared at each other's eyes, even after we heard the elevator ring and Costales enter it, still we stared. Even when the doors closed after him and the arrow above the elevator began to rise in numbers, still our eyes were locked.

"Declan, Zhen, what you two doing?" Luther said in our ears. "Smartie's waiting… Go!"

Finally seeing that Costales was gone, Zhen pushed me away almost at once, and we walked right into a nearby bathroom. While Zhen checked the stalls for other occupants, I head straight for stall number three.

"How ya doin' up there, Smartie?" I asked the vent overhead.

"How many times do I have to tell you, it's--"

"Fine, Martin, are you logged?"

"Yup, just got it. Here's your face, buddy. Roberta just squirted his drink, so Costales should be back any second."

"Gotcha," I said, putting on the mask of Costales's face. "Let's hope I kiss like Costales, eh?"

"For all of our sakes," Martin agreed. "I hope you do too."

I glanced at Zhen, who was giving me a funny look like she was thinking a million things, but saying nothing.

-

Tell me what you think—I need criticism.

Signed,
--RedRogue