Chapter 6 Teaser

[fantastic_jackie]

What would y'all say to the posting of Chapter 6 tonight? 

It's a possibility, though I'm not sure how probable... It depends on how easily this last part comes: a gigantic action sequence which will be longer than Chapter 4....but have nothing on Chapter 7. XD I also have the odd scene between Wicked and Wolfe to complete, which I'm fixing to start work on that as soon as I finish posting this, and possibly after Ter and I head over to Chick-Fil-A. I've got about 2/3rds of the chapter finished; I've re-written 98% of everything I lost in the Passing of my Jump Drive. Now it's just the last gigantic action scene. :) - And yes, Morri, I think the second time around, it came out better.

But until I finish it, either posting tonight or some time tomorrow afternoon, here's a long teaser to hold y'all over. It starts in Anderson's office, by the way, and earlier, the secretary receptionist on the ground floor couldn't get a hold of Gaither to inform them of their "FBI" undercover presence. Only Artemis and Circe are in this scene.

Many thanks to System of a Down and Disturbed for making this part a lot more creepy than I'd ever intended. - Oh, and by the way, just so y'all know, Chapter 6 has a Mature Content Warning on it. ^^;;;;;;;

ETA: Oh yeah... And I haven't done my word-by-word edit yet. >.> Yeahhhhhh... Y'all can see how many times I reuse the same words within paragraphs and even sentences!! How embarrassing...

“There’s nothing on this drive…” Artemis announced after a long silence. “It’s been completely shredded. We could take it back to headquarters and let the analysts work on it, but I can already tell you they won’t be able to find anything of interest.”

 

Circe nodded, acknowledging the facts. “Should have known. So they knew we were coming and what we were after.”

 

“It seems like it,” she agreed. “But who are they? Our enemy or do you think Gaither authorized this?”

 

“Mmm-mmm…” Circe shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t make…sense…” She slowed at the end of her sentence, something occurring to her.

 

“What?”

 

“Gaither nor his secretary answered the phone.”

 

Artemis frowned, not understanding where her partner was going with the earlier event. It was in the middle of the day, and yes, the phone should have been answered. But maybe he was preoccupied for the time being; it didn’t have to mean that he had known it was them and had ignored their call. Then again, why would he ask to be alerted to their presence only to ignore them unless he knew something or had something planned…? “So he ignored our call,” Artemis prompted. “What does-“

 

Circe was shaking her head. “No, he didn’t ignore it. We need to get up there now,” she said and rushed out the door.

 

Artemis blinked, not at all expecting her answer. She grabbed her enhanced PDA and ran after the other agent. “Wait a second! You think he’s in danger?”

 

“I think he’s a target.” She stopped a passing employee by grabbing his arm. “You,” she said flashing her badge. “How do I get to Justin Gaither’s office?”

 

“Top floor, all the way to the end of the first hall. First door on your left. – Sh-should I be concerned about…something?” he asked, eyes following Circe’s movements to replace her ID and take hold of her firearm instead.

 

“It wouldn’t be an unwise decision to leave,” Circe replied simply, releasing the man. “Thank you.”

 

On the move again, Artemis attempted to catch up with her fellow agent’s line of thought. “How do you know? Couldn’t this all just be Gaither? Why would he be a target?”

 

“I would think something as simple as knowing too much; Anderson did use Gaither’s credentials to get into the attack site, remember?”

 

“So Gaither is involved, then?”

 

“So it would seem.”

 

“But… You still haven’t explained-“

 

She was cut off by the arrival of the up-moving elevator and Circe’s instructions to those inside. “This is your stop, everyone! My partner and I are federal agents, and we need you out of this lift for your safety.”

 

“The FBI?” someone remarked among them.

 

“We’re law abiding citizens; we’ve done nothing wrong!”

 

“I didn’t say you had! Now move! Someone’s life may depend on it!”

 

The workers surged forward, many taking notice of the weapon in Circe’s hand. Once emptied, the two agents boarded and hurriedly pressed the top floor. Two more stops they would be required to make on the way, they noticed by the lit up floors.

 

“We should have taken the stairs,” the darker-haired agent said in retrospect as the doors shut before them.

 

“You should put your weapon up until we need it,” Artemis chastised.

 

“We don’t know where he is; he could be anywhere. If we’re too late, then he’ll be making his escape.”

 

“You still haven’t answered my questions. How do you know all this?”

 

Circe regarded her with a frowning, sidelong glance. “The job was too perfect.”

 

“Meaning…?”

 

“Nothing was out of place; the door wasn’t kicked in. Whoever went in there did his job without a trace and to not draw any attention. Perhaps Gaither is intelligent enough to consider all that, but he’s –“ The doors opened, and a few people attempted to step on. “No can do, folks,” she said holding one hand out and reaching with the other, gun still in it, to press the doors closed. “I wouldn’t suggest going up, either.” The doors shut again, and she continued where she’d left off. “He’s a Fortune 500 business executive; he’s not going to think of those things. He’d want to make it look like a break in.”

 

“But then…he’d be aware of it if it was destroyed inside. Everyone would be.”

 

“Exactly. He’d have reported it in an attempt to place blame elsewhere. He wouldn’t have done it quietly; his innocence would depend upon it. A quiet, undetected job implies compliance; in normal circumstances, he’d be our number one suspect. All he would have to do is say he didn’t know about it.”

 

“But…” Artemis said withdrawing her badge and waving it to the next stop when more employees attempted to board. The doors shut again. “He knew we were coming; maybe he planned on just telling us when we arrived.”

 

“If it was something quiet, though, why would he know about it in the first place? They’re not allowed inside the office. Even if he could prove he innocently had known about a quiet break in, he –“

 

“Didn’t answer the phone…” she finished, the pieces coming together. “He would have been on edge waiting for our call.”

 

Circe nodded once.

 

Artemis withdrew her own gun. “Are you sure about this? If Gaither’s involved, why have the turned against him?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe it has to do with Anderson being caught – rather killed. Maybe they don’t trust him anymore.”

 

The last ping sounded, and they came to a slow halt on the fourteenth floor of the Gaither Technologies Executive Building. Spreading apart, the doors revealed a buzzing floor of investors and technicians running hither thither to complete one task or another.

 

“We need to get these people out of here,” Artemis said quietly.

 

Circe nodded in agreement. “But it might cause a panic, and our man could escape easily in that.”

 

She was concerned about the possibility and even probability herself, but as much as they needed to catch their perp, the safety of the people in this situation was their ultimate priority. More than ever, Artemis found herself wishing she’d asked the secretary below them when the last time was she’d spoken with Gaither.

 

“I’m not sure what we can do about a panic since there are only two of us, but if he escapes, then he escapes. We have to keep these people safe.” The workers were still oblivious to their presence, far too involved in their tasks. It was loud, multiple conversations taking place at once with some people hanging out their offices yelling to others about something before retreating back inside after receiving their answers. “How do you suppose we draw their attention?”

 

Circe was already looking around for any means of distraction. Then her gaze hinged on something, and with a quick glance to her partner, she rushed to the light switches she’d spotted. She rapidly turned them on and off, slowly drawing the attention of most everyone on the floor.

 

“We’re sorry to interrupt,” Artemis said in a loud voice and raising her badge in the air, “But for your own safety, my partner and I need every one of you to evacuate this level immediately in a calm, organized fashion.”

 

For a moment, they made no reaction. Then… “If we’re in so much danger, where are the rest of you?”

 

“On their way,” Circe answered curtly.

 

“What are we in danger from?”

 

“We’d rather not say,” Artemis answered. “Please, evacuate the level immediately.”

 

They looked between themselves, making their own decisions. Then, slowly, a few began to trickle towards the stairs without any real sense of hurry. Minimally satisfied, Artemis and Circe made their way down the hallway pushing through the crowd as quickly as they could.

 

“We’re going to be too late…” Circe said as they turned the corner.

 

Artemis decided she’d rather not think about it and shook her head. For all they knew, they may never have had a chance in preventing this from happening. They’d arrived as soon as possible; had they known that Justin Gaither may have been a target in the eyes of the operation they were working to put an end to, things could have turned out the same way.

 

But she was getting ahead of herself; they’d still no idea if Gaither was really in any sort of danger at all, let alone to assume his death.

 

They approached the door, which read Justin Gaither, Gaither Technologies CEO, on the outside. Like Anderson’s door, it was not tampered with; the heavy wood was highly polished, clean, and without blemish. Listening in, Circe shook her head; there were no sounds inside. Backing away a little, she stood at the ready by the knob while Artemis stood by the hinges. Looking between each other, Circe slowly reached for the doorknob.

 

Just then, a woman rounded the corner. With a confused expression in regards to their presence, she walked quickly in her high heels towards the agents.

 

“Who are you?” Circe demanded.

 

“I’m Mr. Gaither’s secretary,-“

 

“Where have you been? Why didn’t you answer the phone?” she cut in, not bothering to get the woman’s name.

”I was on my lunch break,” she huffed. “Mr. Gaither takes his own calls while I am.”

 

The agents visually consulted each other for a moment. “For how long have you been on break?” the youngest between them enquired.

 

“An hour, like usual,” she answered timidly. Seeming to have begun processing what their presence meant, her eyes darted to the door.

 

“Did he have any appointments? Was anyone with him when you left?”

 

“No… no! - Why are you – What’s going on?! Is he-“

 

“Please join your coworkers in evacuating this level,” Circe cut in.

 

“But Mr. Gaither-!“

 

“We’ll do all we can. Go.”

 

She seemed inclined to object again, but apparently thought better of it, turned, and ran.

 

Focusing again on the objective at hand, Circe again reached for the door knob. Clutching the handle, she made eye contact with her partner. “Ready?”

 

Artemis merely nodded and trained her eyes at the edge of the door where the first glance inside would be seen through.

 

“If he’s inside, he knows we’re here,” she said quietly, gripping the handle a little tighter.

 

Again, she nodded. She was ready. Though it was silent inside and he’d been alone for an hour, time was of the essence.

 

Quietly, Circe counted from three to one, fingering the trigger of her 9mm. She opened the door slowly, Artemis peeking inside. Unlike Anderson’s office, it was a complete mess; there had been a struggle. The lack of any ensuing fight dropped a lead ball of worry and guilt in her stomach, but she signaled the all clear. The door was pushed open quickly, and both agents aimed their weapons inside, sweeping the revealed environs therein.

 

Well lit from the window directly across from the door, there weren’t many places to hide. Book shelving and cases lined the wall to their left; the secretary’s desk was directly across from it. A tall, contemporary lamp was knocked over and broken, laying across the desktop. The filing cabinet on the left of the desk was also upturned; some of the drawers had opened partially during the fall, spilling their contents and files across the floor. Paperwork that had been atop the desk lay scattered everywhere, and the computer screen was cracked, upside down on ground in front of the desk. The last and final wall, to their direct right, was clear of any obstructions.

 

The secretary’s office was clear, and they turned immediately towards Gaither’s office. The door, behind and to the right of her workspace, was half-open revealing a scene just as messy and upturned as the other. Taking sides of the entrance again, Circe peeked inside, and then kicked the door open all the way. Eyes taking in every possible hiding place, the two agents quickly decided that the room, too, was clear. But where was Gaither?

 

Relaxing only slightly, the two split apart and began to investigate what had happened.

 

The office was a complete disaster; much of the fight had taken place inside. Both the curtains and blinds had been torn down; blood was smeared across a few of the foldable blades. There were cracks in the glass of the giant window viewing the labs and engineering facilities below. Gaither’s computer had been crushed, the processor broken in half and the screen dangling haphazardly from the desk by a cord. The bookcase behind his seat had toppled over onto the desk, the books, awards, and pictures falling over the table top and all around the office.

 

Circe paused in the center of the room where on the white carpet, there was a giant bloodstain, but no sign from where it had come. “Wherever he is,” she began regretfully, “I don’t think he’s alive.” She turned her attention to the computer. “Think any components from that computer are still salvageable?”

 

“To be read? I don’t know… It’s doubtful,” Artemis replied quietly. “I can check.” She moved towards the desk while Circe continued her perusal of the room. If this had all happened within the hour, how had no one heard anything? She recalled the chaos when they had exited the elevator; if they had heard anything, they’d wouldn’t have thought twice about it, she decided.

 

Stooping down, she brushed her hand over the battered unit. Many of the circuits and chips within still seemed to be connected – at least on either side. However, bits and pieces were missing in several key areas. It would take a genius to put it back together, and even if they could get it up and running again, the data it contained had to be so irreversibly corrupted…-

 

Something red caught her eye. A dotted trail of what appeared to be blood… She checked behind her to be sure her partner was still present; she was studying an upturned piece of paper. Looking back to her right, Artemis peered into the darkened cavity beneath Gaither’s desk.

 

It was difficult to see anything, the contrast between broad morning daylight and darkness being extreme. The added shadow of the bookcase overhead made the figure beneath difficult to distinguish. It looked like a large lump, and squinting to hopefully focus a little better, she moved in closer. Cloth shifted. A narrow, oddly shaped, bent cylinder came into focus. Something white caught the light, black in the middle… And more black on top, all around… There was a lot of black.

 

“What…?” she whispered to herself. It moved, drawing a rasping breath, and she nearly screamed.