Hi everyone, what's cracka-lacking? Sorry it took longer to release this chapter, but I do have some good news. For the first time ever, I've worked on two sister chapters simultaneously and am placing them both on Fanfiction one after the other for your reading pleasure (drum roll please). It won't be easy to do again since I'm starting university on Monday (sniff). Like I said previously, chapters 9 and 10 are meant to be read together, the latter continuing on from the former. I thought it would mean less words if I split them up. This chapter promises more characters, action and a lot of laughs. Hope you like!
"It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run. It is impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle."
Richard M. De Vos
"So this is your brilliant plan. You're going to break into your own hotel?" Lance scoffed.
It was just around 6am on Friday morning. The sky was already breaking into pastel shades of a pink and orange dawn. Lance and I had been up for the past 2 hours at the coffee table, poring over the blue-print of the Tipton. I was still having trouble convincing Lance that this was a good plan.
"Well we can't just waltz up to the main entrance and walk through the revolving doors now can we?" I retorted impatiently.
"I know we can't. But this plan of yours is just plain nuts." Lance stated earnestly.
"True, but it's the only plan we've got. The ventilation system is our best bet." I pointed out while tapping the designated area on the blue print with a pencil.
"And how do we access it?" Lance demanded dubiously.
"Through the kitchen. We'll have to drill a hole through the floor." I answered quickly.
"Even if we could get into the kitchen undetected, we don't have the equipment to drill a hole." Lance responded tersely.
"That's why I phoned a friend. Alec's on his way up here as we speak with the tools we need. Did you mean what you said last night about their being people in your ranks you could trust? People who can help us?" I asked urgently.
"Of course." Lance replied sincerely.
"Good, then get them on the phone. We're gonna need all the help we can get." I instructed tersely while drawing a red circle on the blue-print with a marker.
By 07:30, Alec had arrived along with Jade and Mark in tow. On Lance's side, he had invited Chris, Sean, Vince and Greg. After coffee had been served and the Dunkin Donuts had been passed around, we got down to business.
"Did you get the drills I need?" I asked of Alec.
"Yip. They're standard size, 25cm. Just one question: how are you getting into the kitchen?" Alec asked curiously.
"Through a man-hole directly behind the Tipton, that leads straight to the sewer." I answered swiftly.
This statement was met with snorts and titters from everyone present in the living room.
"What?" I demanded impatiently, folding my arms.
"London Tipton is going to break into her own hotel via the sewage system? What's wrong with this picture?" Mark asked facetiously of the group at large.
"If there were any other way to do this, I would gladly take it. But there isn't. That's why I asked you to bring along two standard-sized gas masks for Lance and I." I told Mark seriously.
"You didn't say anything about both of us going into the sewer." Lance interjected exasperatedly, clearly not liking this part of the plan.
"What happened to 'we're in this together'?" I questioned with a laugh.
"That was before I knew we were paddling up Shit Creek." Lance quipped teasingly.
"Funny. Maybe while we're down there, I can finally introduce you to the Ninja Turtles." I returned triumphantly.
"Alright you two, back to the plan at hand. What are you going to do about the Tipton's emergency lock-down system?" Chris asked seriously.
"Once we're in the ventilation system, we're going to drop into Moseby's office. That's where he keeps the mechanism for the lock-down codes. Lance is going to temporarily disable and re-route it to a remote control that I'll keep on my person." I answered quickly.
"Alright, so you disable the emergency lock-down, then what?" Vince enquired while chomping on a donut.
"The next priority is to get all the guests out of the Tipton as well as the employees. We can't make a move on Savoy until we take them out of the equation. That way he loses his bargaining leverage." Lance stated knowingly.
"And while you're undertaking these daring feats, we're just supposed to sit back and twiddle our thumbs?" Jade snapped.
"Of course not. Lance has to get to the rooftop and send up a flare. That'll be the signal for DEMON and HALO to enter through the lobby." I said calmly.
"And we'll also have radio communication. That's why I asked you to bring walkie-talkie's for all of us Greg. That way, we can stay in touch and update each other consistently on our status." Lance added.
"Any questions?" I asked sweetly with a beaming smile.
"Just one: when does this suicide mission start?" Sean asked dryly.
"In about 3 hours." I answered solemnly, which was met with silence all round.
After some light conversation, our group dispersed, leaving Lance and I to finalise some last-minute plans for the mission. While Lance double-checked the necessary equipment and tools, I added the finishing touches to a series of documents that I had composed. Every now and then, Lance glanced over my shoulder and nodded approvingly. Once I was finished, I made photocopies of the documents and placed them into three separate envelopes. With those in hand, Lance and I dressed ourselves in appropriate mission attire: namely black nylon ski suits that zipped up to the neck and black streamlined sneakers. Then we drove into town to where I paid a visit to an old family friend of my father's, Arthur Trent and left a few things of value with him. Then Lance and I drove towards the Tipton, avoiding the brunch traffic and police cars and parked behind my father's arch nemesis, the St Mark Hotel. Then we back-tracked towards the back of the Tipton where Alec was waiting for us, dressed like a construction worker complete with a hard hat.
"I've already popped the lid on this man-hole for you. All you have to do is climb down this shaft and head towards the central plumbing system. There'll be a lot of rushing water surrounding you which should drown out the noise of the drills. If I were you, I'd put the masks on now, it's pretty ripe down there." Alec advised with a grimace.
"Thanks Alec, I really appreciate everything you've done." I thanked graciously.
"You're welcome. Just come out of this alive so you can return the favour." Alec responded in a gruff voice, which I took to be his way of being mushy without getting too emotional.
"I will."
"You too Lance." Alec added.
"Right back at ya Alec." Lance answered simply with a wry smile.
"Okay. Good luck you two, and God-speed." With that, Alec opened up the man-hole.
It was now 11:05am, it was time.
Lance and I pulled our water-proof back-packs around our shoulders and placed our masks over our faces. And then we started climbing down. Once Alec closed the man-hole above our heads, we knew we were in the sewer. I glanced around me and instantly regretted my decision.
"Oh shit," I murmured through the microphone installed into my gas mask.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Lance agreed ruefully while switching his flash light on.
Then we began walking through the ankle-deep water towards our quarry.
It took another 10 minutes to navigate the sewer. Then we finally came across the Tipton's central plumbing system. Above our heads was an iron grid which worked as the kitchen's draining outlet. This was our destination. Once we were in, all we had to walk through and enter the deep freezer room on the left. From there, we'd be able to access the hotel's ventilation system virtually undetected. But first we needed to drill through the iron grid above the garbage disposal unit.
"Alright, let's do this," Lance murmured while retrieving the drill from his back-pocket.
I took my drill out and we began drilling. Save for the rushing water trickling all around us, the silence was virtually impenetrable. Each time the drill made contact with the metal above my head, I tensed up. Despite Alec's assurances about the level of noise, I kept thinking that at any moment, someone might hear us. But knowing that Friday brunch was one of the busiest times on the weekend at the Tipton restaurant, it was unlikely that any kitchen employee would stop in their duties long enough to overhear what Lance and I were doing. It took another arduous 15 minutes before the iron grate was completely free of its screws. The time was now 11:30.
"Maybe we should wait a few minutes before we climb up, in case someone sees us." Lance whispered urgently.
"No, it's okay. With any luck, Moseby's holding his usual staff meeting in the lobby to brief the hotel employees on the arrangements for check-in and the procedure for serving meals. If I'm right, there's no one in the kitchen right now." I observed stoically.
I frowned at Lance's resolute posture.
"Fine, I'll go first." I stated sourly.
Then I lifted the grid off its place and braced myself. Not a sound was heard overhead. The kitchen was completely empty.
"The coast is clear." I whispered back to Lance.
With that assurance, Lance followed me onto the kitchen floor and replaced the grid once more. Using the cover of shelves and racks, we made our way through the deep freezer and shut the door behind us. Then we made our way to the back of the room where the air was coldest. Lance retrieved a step-ladder and placed it against the wall. Like a true gentleman, he let me climb up first. Making use of the drill, I managed to dislodge the nails on the air vent grid after a tense minute. Then I climbed in through the air vent. Lance in the meantime had put the ladder back where he found it. Then by making use of the uneven grooves in the wall, he managed to climb ¾ of the way towards me. Then I pulled him through for the rest of the way. Now we were both in the ventilation system.
"Alright, we're in. Where to next?" Lance enquired politely.
"My suite." I answered cheerily.
Lance's face fell at this announcement.
"Are you nuts London? OPIUM's probably has some of their operatives positioned in your suite in case you decide to show up. You can't go in there!" he hissed furiously.
"I'm not going to Lance. We're heading in that general direction because I need to access my secret room." I explained calmly.
"You have a secret room?" Lance asked quizzically with a raised eyebrow.
"I got the idea from Brandy. I had it built during one week when Moseby got the flu about 6 months ago. It's located just behind my bedroom wall. From the outside, it looks like a storage closet." I stated smoothly.
"Nice. So what do you need from the 'secret room' anyway?" Lance questioned curiously.
"Supplies," was all I said before we continued crawling upwards towards the 23rd floor.
10 minutes later, we reached the 'storage room'. Lance popped the air vent lid this time and jumped down first. I followed suit while he gaped unabashedly at the space in front of him. The room was about as spacious as a broom closet, but I'm guessing that Lance was gaping more at the stuff in the room. There were a row of shelves lining the walls containing important files and documents that I needed for work, guns and other weapons of every size imaginable hanging on the walls, a closet filled with my favourite spy gear as well as costumes for camouflage and another cabinet containing what looked like the contents of a chemist laboratory.
"Man, I have got to get me one of these," Lance murmured in an awed tone while gazing around the room.
"I know; you could put it in that part of the wall where your aquarium currently is," I joked lightly.
"You can't possibly use all this? Or do you like to play chemist?" Lance demanded lightly while staring at my chemistry collection.
"Occasionally." I remarked pleasantly.
"Take whatever weapons you need. Hand me the taser-guns and the one on your left with the silencer, that one's my favourite. Could you also pass me some test tubes along with some ingredients for a compound of ammonium sulphide?" I asked in a flurry.
"Ammonium Sulphide? What the hell are you cooking up?" Lance queried nervously.
"Something that'll cause a stir." I replied mischievously, causing Lance to slap his forehead at my lame joke.
From there, we made our way towards Room 2305 – the Martins' suite. I hoped to find them there to make sure they were okay. Lance and I positioned ourselves comfortably inside the air vent when we heard murmurs of voices.
"But Mom, I'm bored. Cody and I can only play so many video games. And I can only hear so much of Cody's talk about the Glee Club." Zack complained irritably.
"Hey, what's wrong with Glee Club?" Cody demanded heatedly.
"You did not just ask me that." Zack quipped dryly.
"Zack, we've been over this already. You and Cody can't run amok in the hotel lobby like you did before. Not that it was okay before, but things are decidedly different now." Carey replied cautiously.
"Oh man, armed criminals are really killing my buzz." Zack stated grumpily.
"Guys, I know this stinks. But I can't carry on normally knowing you two are in danger from a trigger-happy thug just because you want to play football in the lobby." Carey remonstrated.
"Carry on normally? Mom, there's nothing normal about this situation." Cody pointed out flippantly.
"I know honey," Carey replied, her voice breaking slightly.
They were interrupted by someone knocking softly on their door. Carey quickly wiped her eyes and straightened herself up before glancing through the peep-hole. Without further hesitation, she opened the door. My heart soared when I saw Maddie enter the room, wearing her candy counter attire.
"Maddie, what are you doing here?" Carey asked curiously.
"I got a 15-minute break. Something about them not wanting me to sell too much candy 'cause it makes people happy." Maddie answered facetiously while doing air quotes with her fingers.
"I thought I'd come and check up on you guys and see if you needed anything," she continued in a kinder tone.
"Do you know how to mediate a hostile coup?" Cody enquired sardonically.
"Oh shoot, I left that skill in my other uniform." Maddie quipped which made me want to laugh.
"We're fine Maddie. But we're always glad to have you around, even more so now." Carey stated sincerely while hugging Maddie.
"Hey, it's not like I have anywhere else to be." Maddie joked while stroking Zack's hair lightly.
Even though they all laughed at Maddie's joke, I could see from their faces just how miserable they really were. Then Zack said something which nearly caused me to fall out of the air vent:
"I wish London was here," he mused wistfully.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Even though she drives me crazy, I miss her too. I hope she's okay." Maddie agreed despondently.
"Maddie!" I hissed, trying to get her attention.
"Oh man, I think I'm going crazy. I miss her so much I can actually hear her voice." Maddie went on in a desperate voice.
"Maddie, you idiot! It's really me!" I hissed a little louder this time.
"Hey, who are you calling an idiot?" Maddie huffed reproachfully.
"London!" The Martins cried out in delight when they finally saw where I was talking from.
"What are you doing in there?" Cody asked quizzically.
"Admiring the view. Would you mind opening up the vent? It's getting kinda claustrophobic for me and Lance." I remonstrated quickly.
"Lance is with you?" Zack asked dumbfounded.
"I sure am." Lance answered with his usual drawl.
"How do you know what 'claustrophobic' means?" Maddie demanded in bewilderment.
When Lance and I finally hopped down, the four of them continued staring quizzically back at us. Finally, Carey broke the silence.
"London, what are you doing here?" she questioned anxiously after hugging me.
"I'm here to rescue you. Actually, make that 'we'." I answered cheerily while pointing to both Lance and I.
"You're here to rescue us?" Zack asked skeptically, glancing at the two of us.
"But I don't understand. How did you even get in?" Maddie demanded impatiently.
"We dug our way in, London drilled a hole through the kitchen." Lance explained casually.
"You used a drill? Boy, am I in the Twilight Zone of all weird occurrences." Maddie drawled uncertainly while referring to me.
"Sweetie, as happy as we are to see you, you shouldn't be here right now. OPIUM's looking for you. If they catch you here-" Carey spluttered when I interrupted her.
"Then I'm not going to run away. If they want me so badly, they can come and get me. But I'm not leaving. I came here for all of you. And Daddy." I replied in a determined voice.
"London, that's so sweet of you. But there are armed guards everywhere. You can't do this alone." Maddie pointed out morosely.
"She won't have to," Lance answered unswervingly while clasping my hand firmly.
No one failed to notice this gesture.
"Are you two-" Zack began before I cut him off.
"What Lance means is that we have operatives outside who are waiting for our signal before they enter the building. But we need your help too. All of you." I stated firmly while glancing at each of them.
"Operatives? London, what's going on?" Cody demanded worriedly.
"I wish I could explain everything to you right now. But there isn't time. I need you all to trust me and to do exactly what I say." I stated anxiously.
"What do you want us to do?" Zack asked calmly.
"I need you and Cody to cause a diversion." I explained softly.
"What kind of diversion?" Carey demanded with a note of parental hysteria.
"Nothing dangerous Carey, I promise. I just need them to alert the guards in the lobby to a problem in the ventilation system." I told her quickly.
"What kind of problem?" Maddie asked suspiciously.
"Cody, do you know how to make a mixture of ammonium sulphide?" I asked rapidly of him.
"Of course I do, I can make it in my sleep…wait, you want me to make a stink bomb?" Cody asked curiously.
"Exactly. And then I want to place it in the ventilation system's central panel so that it'll smoke out the entire hotel." I answered with a devilish grin.
"Sweet!" Zack exclaimed with delight while pumping his fist in the air.
"It'll cause mayhem and panic to start a riot. While the guards are dealing with the problem, it'll create a state of emergency evacuation. It's brilliant." Maddie noted with unrepressed excitement.
"I know, but we need Moseby's help too." Lance pointed out.
"What for?" Cody asked quizzically.
"While Zack and Cody are distracting the guards in the lobby, I need to get into his office to deactivate the emergency lock-down security mechanism. Moseby has the last digits of the code on him." Lance explained quickly.
Maddie looked like she wanted to ask Lance how he knew all this, but seemed to think better of it.
"I'll get him on the phone." Carey responded promptly and walked towards the phone.
After a tearful (on Moseby's part) reunion, I managed to ask him about Daddy.
"Have you seen him lately? Is he okay?" I asked anxiously.
"I've seem him a few times since he became a hostage. He seems fine to me, putting on a brave front at least. I have to still report to him about general Tipton business. He never lets me stay up in the suite for longer than a few minutes, Laurent Savoy I mean. He ventures downstairs from time to time to check on his investment." Moseby answered resentfully.
Lance placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder while I struggled to keep my self-control intact. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself. I opened my eyes after a few seconds and addressed Moseby once more.
"Moseby, I need you to go back down to your office. Lance will drop in via the air vent. The lobby needs to be as free from congestion as possible, at least until the ammonium sulphide kicks in. Carey, your next show's about to begin. I need you to head down to the ballroom. You have to herd the guests out of there through the kitchen." I instructed rapidly.
"How will I know when to clear out?" Carey asked curiously.
"Just look for the smoke." I advised with a grin.
"What do you want me to do?" Maddie enquired eagerly.
"Go downstairs and find Esteban. I need the two of you to go to the 8th and 16th floors and set off the fire sprinklers. Take these," I ordered, handing her two blow torches and two guns.
"What are the taser-guns for?" Maddie queried anxiously.
"Just in case," I replied quietly.
"Cody, I need you to go down to Arwin's office and finish the ammonium sulphide mixture. Then meet Zack back up here before you head down to the lobby together." I commanded quickly.
"London, I'm not sure about the ammonium sulphide. I've read that too much ammonia released into a small space is highly toxic to anyone who inhales it." Cody stated worriedly.
"Then decrease the dosage of ammonia. But Cody, it's imperative that there's smoke billowing from every air vent in the hotel. Or at least the appearance of it." I advised strongly.
"Got it," Cody exclaimed.
"Oh, and supervise Arwin," I added hastily as an afterthought, which Cody grinned in response to.
Zack, who had disappeared into his and Cody's bedroom just 5 minutes ago, reappeared with his cellphone in his hand and grinning from ear to ear.
"Good news: I just found another diversion for the lobby." Zack announced.
"What is it?" I asked eagerly.
"Bob's about 4 blocks away. He got a part-time job as a dog-walker about 2 weeks ago. He's walking about 8 dogs. He can arrange for them to be outside the hotel in about 10 minutes. I just happen to have a dog whistle." Zack explained triumphantly.
"Zack, that's brilliant! The more mayhem, the better!" I exclaimed happily, much to Moseby's obvious dismay.
"Don't stress Moseby, the hotel won't get too damaged. This will work." I reassured him.
"Okay, it's 12:10. I need all of you to get into position now." I announced.
Each of them glanced at each other and then back at me and Lance with woeful expressions.
"Guys, it's going to be okay. I promise." I stated with as much truth and assurance that I could muster.
"You two be careful," Moseby instructed gravely.
"We will, same to all of you. Now go, please." I urged earnestly with a smile on my face.
They all smiled back at me one last time before exiting the suite, leaving me and Lance alone.
"Last chance to bail out," I murmured teasingly.
"Not a chance. Let's do this," Lance urged determinedly.
I nodded vigorously and then the both of us climbed back into the air vent.
After a few minutes, we I split up in the air vent, Lance heading towards Moseby's office and I towards Arwin's office. After Arwin nearly disabled me with a bone-crunching hug, he handed me the ammonium sulphide. Its colour was now a luminous yellow.
"I'm not even going to ask what you guys added to this." I mumbled with a smile.
"Don't," Cody agreed with revulsion while glancing at Arwin's beaming grin.
"This is perfect. Okay, it's show time. Places everyone!" I exclaimed jubilantly.
I was now in the central mainframe of the ventilation system somewhere between the 11th and 12th floors of the Tipton, clutching the ammonium sulphide in my hands. The necessary actors and actresses had been supplied with miniature walkie-talkies, inside and outside the hotel. It was time to do a quick roll-call before Zack and Cody entered the lobby.
"Agent L to external operatives of HALO and DEMON respectively, come in. Do you copy?" I whispered and waited.
"Agent L, this is HALO's external operatives, Agent Columbus reporting for all present. We await your orders, over." Chris' voice crackled after a few seconds.
"Agent L, this is DEMON's external operatives for the Tipton Rescue Mission, Agent Stone reporting. We are all present and accounted for, over." Alec answered right after.
"Roger that. Agent L to all internal Tipton operatives. Do you read me?" I asked of those on the inside and waited.
"Agent Oz here along with Moody Manager, over." Lance replied, which made me laugh.
"Opera Mom present, over," came Carey's response.
"Mad Scientist present, over." Arwin replied in a high-pitched voice.
"Sweet Thang and El Diablo present, over." Maddie responded with a laugh.
"Double Trouble reporting for duty, over." Zack responded.
"Hey, I never agreed to that alias!" Cody hissed over the walkie-talkie when I interrupted.
"Okay Double Trouble, curtain calls. Make me proud, over and out."
"Roger that." Cody ended off and then I heard them on the move.
I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. The hands clutching the ammonium sulphide were shaking. Then I heard the beginning of Zack and Cody's argument as they approached the OPIUM guard positioned in front of Moseby's manager desk.
"You idiot, this is all your fault!" Zack exclaimed furiously.
"My fault? You're the one who wanted to play with the rats in the first place!" Cody shot back angrily.
"Hey, whoa! What are you two munch-kins doing down here?" the OPIUM operative barked impatiently.
"Kind sir, we need your help!" Cody pleaded in a whiny voice.
"What's the problem?" the guard asked with a sneer.
"It's my idiotic brother, he set our pet rats loose!" Zack complained loudly.
"For the last time, I did not set them loose. They escaped right out of the cage!" Cody fumed indignantly.
"All because you put the cage in the hallway!" Zack returned.
"Because you told me to! You said you were bored!" Cody retorted, turning red in the face.
"Hey, what are you yapping about?" the guard interrupted quizzically.
"I'm yapping about the fact that my dork of a brother left the cage open and our rats escaped. They're somewhere in the hotel." Zack roared.
"Stop blaming me Zack! You were supposed to lock the cage last night! And I am not a dork!" Cody fumed.
"Wait! Are you telling me there are rats in this hotel? How many?" the guard demanded frantically.
"I don't know. 5…maybe 10." Zack mused thoughtfully.
"10?!" the guard exclaimed hysterically.
"You damn kids! Rats in a hotel? The Boss is going to kill me! Rats spread disease!" the guard bellowed, pulling out strands of his hair from his scalp.
"Slow down my good man, you're thinking of the Bubonic Plague. The chance of our pet rats spreading any disease among the hotel guests is extremely rare." Cody explained calmly.
"Even so, we've gotta round them up. Where would they go?" the guard asked curiously.
"That depends, they might go into the kitchen." Cody suggested thoughtfully.
"But they also prefer the dark. Maybe under a bed, in a storage room…or stuck in the vents?" Zack added with the slightest tinge of a smirk in his tone.
This was the signal. I put my gas mask back on and threw the ammonium sulphide into the central valve, which controlled the flow of cold air and distributed it through the vents. Then I began crawling through the vent down towards the lobby. For a moment I felt like Pandora opening up the box. She too had only been curious, not expecting anything bad to happen. But would the box yield any hope this time?
Have you ever experienced a moment of pure and unadulterated silence right before something big is about to happen? It's deafening. All it takes is a series of actions and one moment of diversion…
A stray hotel guest in the lobby was the first to notice the subtle change in the air before anyone else.
"Look!" she cried, pointing an idle finger at the chandelier overhead.
There was yellow smoke permeating the lobby seemingly through the very walls. The OPIUM operative who had been talking to Zack and Cody just minutes before frowned in confusion.
"What the-" he murmured softly.
And then all pandemonium broke loose when numerous fire sprinklers erupted overhead, showering everything and everyone in sight. Screams and moans could be heard everywhere as people tried to duck down and take cover. Then I noticed Zack blow on a silver whistle surreptitiously which made no sound at all. Then he nodded at Norman the Doorman, who nodded back and opened the main door. In bounded at least 10 dogs about 4 seconds later, barking as loud as could be. The guard scrutinised Norman for a second before walking menacingly in his direction. I saw that as my cue when I jumped down from the air vent and came to stand directly behind him. Then I tapped him on the shoulder. Before the guard had turned around fully to face me, I punched him square in the jaw, knocking him out cold.
Two more OPIUM guards appeared through the smoky mist from the kitchen with guns in their hands.
"Get down!" I ordered of the twins who obediently ducked behind the candy counter.
Taking out my favourite gun, I fired off two cool shots at each guard, the silencer muffling the blow considerably. Their bodies crumbled a few feet away from me and then became still. Most of the guests in the lobby were in hysterics.
"Everybody stay down!" I ordered loudly while scanning the room.
I ducked out of the way just in time as a bullet lodged itself into the sofa in front of Moseby's favourite vase, millimetres away from where my head had been moments before. Before I could fire off another shot at my assailant, he was bowled clean off his feet by an over-eager Doberman who began licking him enthusiastically.
"Good boy," I murmured to the dog before tasing the guard he had knocked over.
"Norman, open all the doors! Everyone, head for the exit!" I commanded quickly.
As the guests began making a bee-line for the exit, more OPIUM operatives appeared and began firing in my general direction. That's when both Lance and the twins came to my aid. Lance began firing at the guards near the elevator while the twins assisted him by throwing lobby relics and collectables (save for Moseby's favourite vase) at them. While some of them were taken out of commission by Lance's bullets, the rest keeled over because they got hit in the head and stomach by pewter trays and trophies thrown at them by Zack and Cody.
"Lance, did you disable and re-route the emergency lock-down?" I screamed frantically when he came towards me.
By means of explanation, he showed me the frayed wires on the output system in his hands with a grin on his face.
"Good work! We've got to get into the kitchen to open the exit into the alleyway!" I shouted rapidly.
Moseby came running out of his office at that moment.
"I'm going to go alert the guests upstairs!" Moseby exclaimed quickly.
"Okay, but hurry! And for God's sake, be careful Moseby!" I advised frantically.
He nodded quickly in my direction and headed for the fire escape.
Just as the four of us raced towards the kitchen, we heard a commotion and what sounded like 'Hep, Hep!'
"That's Esteban's voice!" Zack exclaimed hurriedly.
"It sounds like he's in trouble!" Cody announced frantically.
"C'mon!" Lance ordered quickly before we entered the kitchen.
Sure enough, Esteban was being held against the wall in a vice-like grip by yet another OPIUM creep. Esteban was wailing and pleading in Spanish or some other kind of language. But before we could intervene, the guard released his grip on Esteban and his body shook convulsively. When he dropped to the ground unconscious, we noticed Maddie standing above him, clutching the taser-gun in her hand.
"Oh thank you Maddie. I owe-" Esteban began to say, but stopped abruptly.
In a split second he had picked up a tray on one of the kitchen counters, and whacked another guard standing directly behind Maddie in the face with it, sending him careening to the floor.
The twins and Lance and I stood rooted to the ground for a few seconds, marvelling at Esteban and Maddie's antics.
"Damn Maddie! Nice work!" Lance congratulated eagerly which made Maddie blush momentarily.
"You too Esteban, but why didn't you use your taser gun in the first place?" I questioned curiously.
"It hed an eccident," Esteban explained woefully, drawing our attention to an array of electric sparks and pieces of metal lying on the kitchen floor.
"Hey, how come we didn't get weapons too? We're the ones risking our necks out there!" Zack complained indignantly.
Just as Esteban and Maddie were about to argue with Zack and Cody, Lance intervened.
"Guys, let's not fight. Remember what we're doing here: we need to make sure the alley's clear so we can get the guests out of this exit safely." Lance interjected smoothly.
"You're right Lance, sorry." Cody apologised on everyone's behalf.
Just then Carey and Arwin came rushing into the kitchen, their clothing completely soaked through.
"Is the coast clear?" Carey whispered conspiratorially.
"Because we've got a whole lot of guests that want out right now," Arwin added hastily with a nervous chuckle.
"Everything's fine this side. Start hauling them out. Good work Carey and Arwin." I answered quickly as we began herding some 50 guests through the kitchen.
"Lance, you need to get to the roof now and send up the flare. The lobby's almost clear," I added.
"Carey, Arwin and Esteban. Keep herding as many people out of the kitchen and then you three follow them out of the exit. The police are right around the corner in front of the hotel. We'll get Mr. Moseby and everyone else out that's still upstairs." Lance instructed calmly.
Carey looked like she wanted to object when she saw the twins still standing with us, but Cody interrupted this time.
"Mom, it's okay. Zack and I want to help London and Lance. We'll come meet you as soon as the fire escapes are clear."
"I'll make sure nothing happens to them Carey, I promise." I added in what I hoped was a kind tone.
After that Carey nodded her tear-stained face while Arwin and Esteban steered her gently back into the kitchen.
"Be careful Ms. London!" Esteban called out before they eventually disappeared.
The five of us then raced to the elevator and began pressing the button for the 23rd floor rapidly. It seemed like a lifetime before the doors opened, when in actuality it had just been over 2 minutes. The fire sprinklers were still spraying water relentlessly in every direction and the four of us were looking more and more like drowned cats. We heard a commotion inside the nearest fire escape, like someone being dragged away. And that someone sounded like Moseby. We quickly opened the door to the fire escape to see Moseby being flanked by two OPIUM guards with guns descending the stairway to the level below us. Nodding to one another, Lance and I both jumped over the railing and landed square on top of the two guards, knocking them further down the stairway. While Maddie and the twins ran downstairs to help Moseby to his feet, Lance and I managed to dislodge the guns from the guards with some well-placed kicks. Lance brought the palm of his hand up towards the one guard's nose, breaking it on contact while I delivered several punches to the other guard's stomach and groin. When we were finished with the both of them, Lance brought out some handcuffs from his back-pack and we chained the both of them to the stairway railing. Then all 7 of us locked the door behind us and returned to the hallway of the 23rd floor. Just ahead of us, a few paces to the right was the fire escape exit to the rooftop and straight ahead at the end of the corridor was a passageway to the left which led to my father's penthouse suite.
"Quick everyone, to the rooftop. After Lance sends off the flare, Daddy's private helicopter will come and pick you all up and take you to the policemen and agents in front of the Tipton. That'll be the signal for them to enter the Tipton." I instructed as we ran towards the edge of the rooftop.
Lance fished the flare and a lighter out of his back-pack. Lighting it carefully, he hoisted it into the air and we all watched as it exploded and emitted a smoky red glare.
"There, that's the signal. Come on, let's check to make sure the coast is clear." Lance suggested rapidly after zipping up his back-pack.
Just as we were about to head down the hallway towards Daddy's suite, Zack called out to me.
"London, look out!" he screamed frantically.
I instinctively ducked just before I felt something whizz sharply past my shoulder as I crouched down. We all stared in horror at a richly decorated dagger that had missed my chest by a fraction and embedded itself neatly in the wall behind me, in front of two aluminium lamps.
Was that enough of a cliff hanger for you? Please tell me what you thought about the chapter and whether the details about the hotel layout and dialogue made any sense. I'm sorry if I offended any pranksters about my incredible lack of knowledge about how to make a stink bomb. I do don't do physical pranks, I'm more of a laugh-in-your-face-and-run kind of gal. Anyway, more angst and action coming up in the next chapter. Cheerio for now!