First of all, I am sorry for this very slow update but I went on holiday for a month and then school started again and it was all very exciting but you don't really want my life story, you want what happens next, right?
They all surfaced simultaneously and fired. It was like time had slowed down. The room exploded in a colour of the brightest blue, it reverberated off the walls as the four blasts of electricity erupted from each corner. Myka watched as her trail of shocking blue electricity flew through the air and made contact with several men working at a large machine. They all fell to the floor before they even had time to realize what had happened to them. She quickly ducked down again before she could be seen.
The same story happened with the other three agents. The majority of the workers in the room were unconscious, only five or so remained. They stared around in shock and surprise, only to be replaced by anger seconds later. The men collectively moved towards one of the corners of the room that had produced the sudden light and peeked around the large machine that Steve had previously been hidden behind mere seconds ago. Little to their knowledge, he had silently sprinted across to Artie's spot, unseen, in the brief moment the workers were confused.
"Now?" Steve asked Artie while raising his gun once more.
"Now." Artie replied.
While the workers had their backs turned searching Steve's corner, the two agents hidden in the pile of musty old shoes fired. Just like so many times before, they all crumpled to the ground in a collective heap.
Pete stood from his position. "Nice job you guys. Myka, I'm gonna score you an eight point five and Jinksy, a solid nine." He said as he walked towards them, now all stood in the middle of the room. He raised his hand at Steve for a high five but was repressed by a glare from Artie that could rival Mrs. Frederick.
"We don't have time, Pete. Let's get moving." Artie huffed and walked to the steep staircase located in the middle of the room.
Pete nodded, serious again as Myka spoke. "Do we know where he is up there?" she looked up at the top of the stairs that they were now all stood under.
"We'll find him easily enough." Artie said gruffly as he began his assent.
"Wait, Artie." Steve grabbed his shoulder to stop him going any further up the stairs. "When me and Claud first met this guy, he wasn't alone. He had a few little buddies with him, my guess is they'll be with him again or there may even be more of them. Artie, these guys play rough, we can't barge in there without a plan or at least knowing their position."
Artie frowned at the floor, his foot suspended above the next step. After a brief pause, he took his foot down. "Fine." he said, almost harshly. "But we can't find out where they are using the security cameras, there aren't any located in the rooms, just the corridors, like Claudia said"
"Alright, why don't we call Claudia, ask her to check the corridors again. We'll need to know if they're clear anyway so that when we go up there, we don't run into anyone when we don't expect it." Myka said.
"Then what?" Pete asked her.
"I guess we just take it slowly and have a poke around the rooms and see which one he's in." She said with a slight shrug. "I know it's not a perfect plan but what else is there?"
No-one answered with a better idea so Artie retrieved his Farnsworth and within seconds, Claudia's face appeared again on the screen.
"What do you need?" she said, knowing that at this point Artie would only call her unless he needed something doing.
"I need you to enable the security camera feed for the top floor. Only the top floor. And tell me if the corridors are clear."
"On it." She said. Only her shoulder could be seen as she angled herself away from the Farnsworth screen to type away at the computer however when she spoke, she could still be heard clearly. "Alright it's done. The corridors look empty, just like earlier. I can't see anyone Artie" she said, turning back to him. "Where are you guys?" she asked.
"Where're at the bottom of the middle staircase that leads to the top floor" Pete butted in over Artie's shoulder.
"Did you get through all the workmen ok?" Claudia asked him.
"Yes. Although, we were wishing we brought your Tesla grenade out with us. It would have helped. A lot."
"Dude, you should've just taken it from my room at Leena's."
"Well we left in such a hurry-"
"Um, excuse me. We have an artefact to retrieve." Artie interrupted them both and began climbing the stairs, taking the Farnsworth with him so Pete would stop wasting time. "OK Claud, you can be my eyes." Artie said when he had reached the top. "I'm behind the door that leads into the corridor, is it still clear?"
Claudia looked carefully at the images she could see of the corridor. "Still clear from what I can see, you're good to go."
"I'll call you back." Artie said deeply. Claudia knew he meant 'I'll call you back when this is over' She wondered what Artie would tell her. Would he really kill the guy? Would it get that bad? Claudia didn't like to think it would go that far, the other three are with him, they'll stop him before he does anything too extreme. Her mind also wondered to Steve. She hadn't known him for long when she came to think about it and she wasn't sure on how he would be feeling as she hadn't known him long enough to tell what he is like in situations such as the one they were all in now. He'll be fine she thought to herself, although she was still worried. She hid it well though when she simply said:
"Good luck you guys."
"Thanks Claud." Pete and Myka said at the same time. Steve took a further step up to be next to Artie, his gun raised, his jaw slightly clenched. Ready.
Artie nodded to Claudia and closed the Farnsworth. He turned to the three of them stood around him at the top of the stairs. "Ready?" he asked. They all nodded.
Artie pushed down on the handle of the grey door. It was unlocked. Artie didn't bother to question it as he slowly inched his way into the twenty metre long corridor holding his Tesla at the ready, being as quiet as possible. The others filed in, doing exactly the same manoeuvre. They formed a small square in the middle of the corridor, Pete and Myka facing one way, Artie and Steve facing the other, all weapons raised.
"Which way do we check out first?" Pete asked in a whisper.
"Go right." Artie said, which for Pete and Myka, was the direction they were facing. They moved together as a group. Artie and Steve walking backwards, keeping a sharp eye out for any doors opening.
All the doors leading to rooms were on the opposite side to the door they had come through. The four of them had reached the third door from the end of the corridor. Myka pressed her ear against it to listen for any sound. She could hear nothing.
"I can't hear anything, either no-one is in this room, or the walls and doors of this place are really thick." She informed them.
"Check anyway." Steve said, raising his gun and staring fixatedly at the door handle.
Pete stepped forward and grabbed the handle, the other three stood in front of the door, ready to fire should they see anyone inside. He raised three fingers and dropped each one slowly, signalling when he would open the door. The third finger dropped and Pete wrenched open the door with impressive speed.
Myka, Artie and Steve immediately stepped into the room followed by Pete. It was empty. The only thing in there to see was an abandoned table in one corner and yet more sad and greying walls.
"Nothing." Steve said, his face hard to read and was the first one back into the corridor.
They checked the other two remaining rooms on the right. The first containing nothing but stacks of cardboard boxes filled with shoe laces and the other – empty apart from some forgotten cables hanging from a small hole in the ceiling.
They moved back into the corridor (now at the very end) and resumed their original square-shaped position – Pete and Myka facing one way, Artie and Steve facing the other. Together they paced the floor slowly the way they had come and reached the door to the left of the first one they tried. Again Myka pressed her ear to the door and at first couldn't hear anything but then she could just make out a faint mumbling of some kind.
"Guys, I can hear something." She whispered to them.
"What?" Steve asked her.
"Just...like a mumble – like someone is talking." she replied, her face screwed up with concentration.
"Alright, I think this is it." Artie said. "Steve, you go in first. They'll recognise you so that's your chance to keep them talking and keep their attention on you for when the three of us." He motioned towards Pete, Myka and himself. "Come in."
"OK." Steve said. "Hey Pete, take this." He handed over his Tesla.
"Uhh, won't you be needing this at some point?" Pete asked him.
"Sure, you throw it back to me when you enter the room and besides, I don't want to come over as a threat to them. Yet." He added the last bit under his breath as he placed a hand on the door.
"Oh and Steve, make sure you leave a gap in the door so we can hear what's going on and know when to come in." Myka told him.
He nodded and opened the door as Pete, Myka and Artie moved back a few steps so that there was no risk of being seen when it opened. Already the low mumbling Myka described could now be heard loud and clear; it was a heavy mix of laughter and loud speech from everyone in there. Steve stepped inside. The room was the same size as all the others they had seen however this one wasn't so abandoned: it looked like a homemade pub of sorts and filled with around fifteen men. Tables and chairs were littered here and there, each seat occupied by a member of Max's gang.
The small squeak of the door couldn't be heard over the rumble of combined voices. As soon as Steve was visible, he was instantly met with shouts of harsh questioning from everyone in the room. Steve didn't take notice of the words being shouted at him – his attention was fully focused on the man sat in the back of the room, on the biggest, comfiest chair with freshly rolled joint in his hand.
TBC
I was suffering from writers block for this chapter, I knew how I wanted the story to go but I found it difficult to put it into words if ygm. Thanks for all the follows and reviews on this story so far you guys, it means a lot, keep em coming, they make me happy (: