Okay, this one took a little longer than I first expected. I hope you're still with me. Thanks again for all your kind words and for your encouragement. Let me know what you think :-)
ooo
Margery was on the phone when the workmen arrived. With relief, she noticed the company logo, a wrench and a faucet, which decorated the gray overalls, and the big toolboxes they were carrying. They were obviously the plumbers they had been waiting for. The blond secretary greeted them with a smile and raised her hand in a gesture indicating that her conversation on the phone would be finished any minute.
"Yes, Sir. I understand." She listened attentively to the voice at the end of the line and nodded despite the fact that the other man couldn't see her. "They've just arrived, actually. You called at just the right moment."
One of the workmen wanted to say something but she silenced him with a short movement of her hand.
"Of course. You're very welcome, Sir. Bye."
Margery hung up and turned towards them.
"Sorry I kept you waiting. You must be the plumbers."
"Yes, Ma'am," the older one said, politely tipping his hat. "Gateway Plumbing and Heating. You're having trouble with the water-pipes?"
"Yes, in fact, we do. We're glad that you're here," Margery reached for her notes. "At first, we've only had problems with the restrooms on the second floor, but I've just learned that there's also a water-pipe rupture at sublevel 3, which is really more important right now. I'll show you the way."
She got up and pulled her skirt a little down before walking around the counter. Wouldn't want anyone to see more than intended. Margery was almost out of the door when the telephone rang again. Annoyed, she rolled her eyes, then flashed another apologetic smile to the plumbers.
"This is like a madhouse, sometimes," she sighed. "Why don't you go ahead and I'll catch up later. The elevator is down the hall and then the second one left. There'll be a security guard to show you the way." She waved her hand in the rough direction and watched the workmen walk off.
A little stressed out, she let herself fall into the chair and looked at the number before she picked up the phone.
"Mr. Stratton, what can I do for you?"
The polite tone in her voice was a little forced. It was always a bit tiresome to talk to the head of security. He usually made her feel like she had done something wrong, and this time he was in an exceptionally bad mood. He wanted to be informed about every new face that had come in today, especially about anyone requiring access to the levels below ground. Margery tried not to take it personally.
"Well, I just sent the two plumbers down to sublevel three," she said.
Somehow he didn't take the new information so well.
"Why? Because of the water-pipe rupture...Of course, Dr. Remney told me about it himself."
She shook her head at the onslaught of insults that followed. Margery didn't see why she should have questioned the phone call. If she couldn't believe someone like Dr. Remney, then whom could she believe?
"Well, they're on their way to the elevator. I sent one of the guards along... Yes, of course. Thank you, sir."
Margery hung up and turned to the beautiful brunette, who had been waiting patiently in one of the visitor chairs all the while. Another appointment she'd forgotten to inform Mr. Carpenter about. Today really wasn't Margery's day.
"Sorry for the hectic," she told the lady, who had introduced herself as Mrs. Taylor. "Mr. Carpenter will probably be here any minute now. Can I get you something? A cup of coffee maybe?"
The brunette gracefully returned her smile.
"Yes, actually, a cup of coffee would be very nice."
ooo
John Stratton slammed the handset back into the cradle and turned to pay attention to the monitors again. He had expected that someone would require access to the levels below ground and try to get to the captives, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. He had no idea whom he was dealing with exactly, but he was starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable. Only minutes ago, his men had reported that one of the intruders – the blond woman – had gotten away. How she had accomplished to get past the security guards and the locked door was still a mystery to him. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that they probably had been very lucky to catch them in the first place.
He watched as his subordinate switched between the different cameras in the corridor, briefly considering the small ear buds that his men had confiscated. These people were extremely well equipped for common thieves. There had to be someone behind this with a lot of money. His own team used military earpieces that weren't by far as small and Stratton prided himself in using the best equipment that there was. There was definitely something big going on here.
"Sir."
His subordinate dragged him from his thoughts. Stratton followed his gaze to look at one of the monitors, which showed two men in gray overalls walking down the corridor. They stopped to talk to the guard beside the elevator.
"That's them," the younger man stated.
Stratton nodded, his hand trailing up to his earpiece. "Davis, stall them. I'll be there in a minute."
ooo
Parker lay on her stomach, gazing down the grilled opening of the ventilation shaft. It had been a real challenge to get rid of the guards again after she had called Nate, and her heart was still beating fast from running through the corridors. Better not to let them come so close next time. Carefully, she pushed back her sleeve to consult her watch. Nate had said that they'd be here in half an hour at the latest, which left her about twenty minutes to get back to her position. It didn't mean he wouldn't be here earlier, of course, but it still gave her a little time.
She made sure that there was nobody else in the corridor below and then kicked the grill away, smoothly sliding through the small opening and landing on the floor without a sound. A glance to her left and right confirmed her previous assessment. She was safe for the moment. If she remembered correctly, the elevator was just down the corridor and so was the room where she had been locked up with Eliot before. She just had to mind the security camera. Like a shadow, she flitted past the closed doors and pressed herself into a doorway when the camera turned her direction. She smiled. They'd have to come up with something better than this if they wanted to catch her.
She waited until the camera was facing the other way again and was just about to turn around the corner when she heard steps approaching from the branching corridor. Damn it. These guys never gave up, did they? Staying completely still, she closed her hand around the handle of the door she was leaning against, gently pushing it down. Finding it unlocked, she stepped backwards into the room and quietly closed the door behind her. Parker's eyes grew large when she realized where she had ended up in. This place was definitely full of surprises.
ooo
There was a loud argument in the hallway, voices echoing through the copious corridors, as the security guards took the plumbers away.
"Water-pipe rupture in sublevel three, huh?" Stratton's voice drowned out the other voices. "How stupid do you think I am?"
"I don't know what you're talking about", the workman protested. "Your secretary sent us down this way. Call our company if you want to."
Stratton's voice was sharp. "You know what, I'll do just that. Maybe they can explain how that gun got into your tool box."
"Like I told you, that's not my gun. Somebody must have put it there."
"You know, I'm getting sick of this already." He roughly shoved the man forward. "Move."
"But as I told you..." Their voices slowly died down as they walked down the corridor and finally turned around a corner.
Nate waited a moment, making sure that they were really gone before he moved again. A fleeting smile touched his lips as he recalled Hardison distracting the plumbers, so that Nate could slip the gun into their tool box. It was amazing what stories the computer tech could come up with when it was necessary. But then again, Hardison had had a lot of training when he had been younger. Walking from door to door, trying to spread the word certainly helped to develop your people skills.
Nate felt a little bad for the workmen, but the truth was that he hadn't really had much choice. They had to occupy the guards if they wanted to get Eliot and Parker out of here, and it probably wouldn't take long until the security guys found out that they had been conned. With quick fingers, Nate finished buttoning the white lab gown and locked his eyes with Hardison's. Together, they made their way towards the unguarded elevator.
The doors had just slid closed behind them, when Hardison moved to examine the control panel.
"Just as I thought," he told Nate without looking up. "No key, we just need the code."
"How long?"
"Probably a minute or two."
Hardison reached into his bag and retrieved a small screwdriver, then turned to loosen the casing of the control panel. It only took a few moments, but he noticed that Nate was waiting impatiently for him to finish his work. He could tell that the older man wanted to talk to Parker and Sophie, find out how things were going. He was probably also worrying about the situation in the corridors. Usually, they had someone outside, monitoring the job, a person who knew where the guards were and what they were doing. Being without that information made things difficult and a lot riskier.
Wordlessly, Hardison reached for a small computer, barely larger than a cellphone, and connected it to the electronics behind the casing. It took a moment for the machine to run through the possible combinations to get the access code. Hardison looked up.
"It's not your fault, you know that."
Nate didn't answer. Not that Hardison had expected him to. If the older man was feeling any guilt about this job going bad, he wouldn't talk about it. Not to Hardison anyway. But the computer tech felt that he should at least make the offer.
They waited in silence, and when the computer finally beeped, Hardison turned to the control panel again.
"That's it." He pushed the button that would carry them down to sublevel three. "Let's hope this works out."
"Don't worry," Nate answered, and there was something unsettling about the way he said it. "We'll get them out of here. I promise."
TBC