Chapter Two
Tuesday: Midnight_Base under the Institute
Simon and I arrived on Monday morning, we have being busy ever since. Much to Simons dismay. In the base everything has being cleaned and checked. The weapons are small well oiled and sharpened. The training holograms are updated, all technology and weapons are updated or replaced with the latest stuff. The entire base has being redesigned and redecorated as per my new theme, same as my room. I offered to do Simon's but he was insistent on me leaving it be. I think he was just trying to get out of more work. "Insert eyeroll". The arsenal is all stocked and updated. And the fridge, frezzers, cupboards and pantry is all well stocked, we would need to have monthly or weekly grocery runs. Anyway work is all done. I have just climbed out of the shower and changed into comfortable clothes. I ... Uhm... I don't wear clothes to bed, so I don't have PJs. Right now I am heading up to my room. There is a selection of rooms on the Institute that lead directly to the base. There are on the west wing separated from the rest of the dorms. Max is on a different level but in the west wing as well. Simon and I are on the same level in the West wing. The doors are all biometric protected, cause of all those kids that have weird dares or think it the coolest thing ever to sneak into the west wing.
I was just about to use the chute that leads to my room. When the monitor in the main control section switched on. Last year I upgraded the Lightwood mansion, Simons house and my manor with high-tech security. The security system disables when we get home because the main reason it there is to protect our families when we can. But it can also react as a help dispatch. Which dispatches the drones to aid our families. Right now the Lightwood mansion comes up. No breaches or distress signals come up. I know max is home and he can handle anything. So why is it on? I rush the the controls to manually hack into his house security system that he built but there isn't anything. Nothing. Like he disabled it himself. I know that his sister's, Jace and him are home alone. The Institute starts on Thursday and the are coming in around midday to get settled and ready. Their parents went back to London.
Crap... I quickly disabled the dispatch drones and weapon up. Simon is asleep and there is no time to get him. So as I run to my car and set the Lightwood coordinates I record a digital voice message with my glasses and send it to his. He is a typically nerd topped with glasses. While the seals activate and the underwater entrance readys to open I try to reach the mansion again with no luck. I decide that I will drive to the surface and then fly off, that way I will reach there in exactly five minutes. Which means exactly seven minutes point 38 seconds after the system triggered. Oooh I am so worried. What if something happened to Max? I know he can handle whatever happened but why didn't he send a message or why I couldn't get through the home system. I go back to trying to get a hold of anything that can tell me what happened. I rewind footage I can get hold of, I even hack into the neighbouring CCTV footage. Nothing. No matter I see the mansion come into view and the car slips in to sly mode. I am going to drive into the middle of the coast and drive the car into their underground entrance since I have access to it still.
Their home base is totally silent, everything is in place. No one is even down here. I reach the monitor that runs all systems and power it up. Footage and triggers all come up, I quickly scan through everything and see there aren't any breeches. I spot something on one of the footages. A broken vase, the pillar it sat on lays in the opposite direction to where the vase. The flowers lay in a puddle near the stairwell, pictures are all askew on the walls. My conclusion is either someone fell very strategically down the stairs or there was a struggle. Which makes no sense because all the Lightwoods and Jace can take down at least four huge sized guys, and they are all home. Meaning that they should have everything undercontrol and a team to sort out the procedures. I also notice that the basement is disabled, no footage and no triggers. The heat signals say that no one is in their rooms. I need to check this out. This is the day that the Lightwoods become agents no matter what is behind those doors, down the stairs.
I am outside the door. I know I won't be able to hear anything from outside here, they soundproofed the doors and I didn't bring the gadgets required for those sort of things. The door is unlocked and swing's open. Creeping down the stairs I can make out that the lights are dimmed low and that the TV is muted, despite that I am to far to hear what the voices are saying. It seems like someone is in pain. With my gun out in front of me I reach the end of the wall cutting me of. I can't see anything due to a bookshelf behind the couch a view feet away. I can't use that as cover as they, whoever they are, will see me however I can't see anything through the gaps in the bookshelf. The dim lights are casting shadows to dark. I plan to strategical race around the shelve and simultaneously throw a knife at the light switch and then draw another to use for whatever is behind there.
Moving fast I throw the knife and have another draw out with my gun as the lights flood the den.