“It’s a bomb,”
“A what!” Tyler exclaimed gently placing the device on the ground and stepping back. Tyler was shaking, the sweat was rolling down his face and getting all over his glasses. He pulled them off to wipe them on his shirt.
“Relax, I took the detonator off it. It’s harmless now. It looks like you were right, they do mean to bring it down, but they won’t do it while they are still in it.” Marie said calmly pulling out the stop button to restart the elevator. It quickly resumed its traveling up the shaft.
“There are one hundred and four elevators, if they have bombs on all of them.” Tyler said barely able to breathe, “The whole building would come down.”
“Maybe; I duno, I’m not an engineer remember.” Marie replied staring at the buttons as the numbers lit up.
Tyler was barely breathing. All he could think of were the hundreds of people in jeopardy. “We have to do something, we have to do something.” He pleaded with Marie.
Marie took a deep breath as they stepped off the elevator onto the one hundred and tenth floor. Tyler was shaking, still holding the phone in his hand. Marie reached over and looked at the data, “He’s down the hallway, looks like maybe sixth door down.” Marie looked up at Tyler’s terrified eyes. She took a deep breath again and walked over to the nearby fire alarm and pulled the handle. Instantly the alarms started to go off in the building. “Follow me,” she said, moving down the hallway past the people rushing from the offices towards the stairs. Marie placed herself next to the closed sixth door pushing Tyler onto the opposite side of the doorway. “Don’t move till I move, get your gun out,” Marie whispered to Tyler. He fumbled getting his gun out of the back of his pants. Marie pulled off her backpack and pulled out her knife holster and strapped it to her back, then pulled out her two knives and readied them in her hands, throwing her backpack further down the hallway out of the way. Tyler set his satchel down behind him. They could hear people moving around in the room but couldn’t make out what was being said. Marie could hear footsteps approaching the door. She cleared her head, she was ready. The door slowly opened and a man dressed in black started to step out. Marie grabbed him and pulled him out into the hallway quickly slicing his throat and shoving him to the ground next to her. She listened to hear if they heard her, but hearing nothing, she peeked into the now open doorway and saw an empty reception area. Tyler was in shock from the man with the slit throat, it hadn’t gotten easier to see her kill someone.
Marie moved slowly into the open door, Tyler following behind, the gun shaking in his hand. The door that lead from the reception area to the back was cracked, the man must have forgot to pull it closed. Marie positioned herself so that she could hear what was going on past the door. She heard three men talking and she recognized one voice immediately. It was ingrained in her mind. She had heard it so seldom that she cherished the sound of it when they were younger, but it was different now. He was different and she could tell. They had a man tied up. Marie couldn’t tell what they wanted from the man, but it sounded like he had intel they wanted. “Stay back, I will take care of this.” Marie whispered to Tyler, holstering her knives in the holster on her back. Tyler nodded his head, his hands were still shaking. As she turned to go in, she heard the tell-tale sound of a snap. She saw Ethan had snapped the man’s neck, she paused and saw the three of them start to move towards the door. As the two other men reached the door first, Marie sprang into action, slamming the man to her right into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Marie grabbed and flipped the man to her left over, slipped out her knife from her holster and stabbed him in the chest. She looked up and made direct eye contact with Ethan. He had stepped back from the situation as she had attacked the first two men. Ethan was patient and Marie knew that he was readying himself.
“Never thought I would see you again.” Ethan said calmly.
“Well, I’m not here to hug and be friends. Are you enjoying your new job?” Marie questioned, pulling her second knife from her back. Ethan didn’t respond. Marie and Ethan circled each other sizing one another up. Marie noticed Ethan’s missing fingers, “New brass knuckles I see, are we going to test them out?”
Ethan clenched his fists, his missing fingers had caused him to get a new set of brass knuckles. They were customized to adapt to having fewer fingers. Tyler was frozen in the doorway. He wanted to help but he didn’t know how to help without interfering with what she was doing. Marie twirled the knives in her hands, then attacked. She swung her knives, but Ethan was quicker and was able to knock her right knife from her hand. Marie flipped her remaining knife from her left to her right hand and cut Ethan on the face. He stumbled back grabbing his face; he wiped the blood from the wound, then charged at Marie knocking her back into the window. She hit hard against the window and was knocked to the floor, face down. Marie still clutched onto her knife as Ethan started walking towards her. Tyler saw this and had to act, he fired his gun but missed; however, it got Ethan’s attention and he turned to charge at Tyler. Marie lifted her head to see Ethan moving towards Tyler. She pulled herself to her knees and threw her knife. It found its mark directly in the center of Ethan’s back. Ethan stood frozen, then fell to his knees, then flat on his face. Marie slowly got up and started to walk over to Ethan’s body.
“You missed this time,” Marie said with a smile as he retrieved her first knife from the floor and placed it in her holster. She walked up to Ethan’s body and placed her foot onto the handle of the knife and pushed it the rest of the way in. “Just gotta make sure,” she said with a smile.
Suddenly the man Marie had knocked unconscious when she entered the room started to come to. Tyler saw it first and went straight for the man. Tyler felt rage for this man, he was going to kill countless innocent lives. He grabbed the man by the neck and pinned him against the wall. The man was startled and gripped at Tyler’s hands.
“I want to know all the details of what you were doing here. I know you are trying to bring it down. You are going to tell me how to stop it.” Tyler yelled at the man pointing his gun directly between the man’s eyes.
The man was gasping for air but was able to get out, “Fuck you!”
Tyler felt his blood get hot as he tightened his grip, “Tell me!” he yelled.
Marie had been watching this unfold and found it almost amusing. Marie stepped up and placed her hand on Tyler’s shoulder, “Let go,” she calmly told him.
“No! I won’t let this garbage kill innocent people. He’s going to tell us.” Tyler yelled back.
“Yes, he will, but not if you break his neck. Let go.”
Tyler loosened his grasp. He knew she was right. He removed his hand and placed it under the handle of his gun still pointed directly at the man. The man grabbed at his throat and coughed repeatedly.
Marie moved towards him and lifted his chin, “Hi, sweetie, are you going to tell the man what he wants to know or are you going to deal with me again?” she said with a smile.
The man spit in Marie’s face.
“Ok then we do it my way.” Marie replied, wiping the spit from her face. Marie swung her leg knocking the man’s feet from under him and simultaneously grabbing him by the face and slammed him on the ground. The man let out a moan of pain as his body landed back first on the ground. Marie pulled her knife back out from its holster. She knelt down straddling the man across his stomach. She held her knife to his nose, “Now I want you to be a good boy and answer his questions.” She calmly ordered the man.
“No” the man firmly replied.
“Wrong answer.” Marie replied calmly then slit the man’s right nostril from the inside out. The man cried in pain and tried to reach for his bleeding nose but Marie had his arms pinned down under her legs. “Ok, now again, time to answer the man’s questions.” Marie calmly requested again pointing her knife at his other nostril.
“No” the man replied panting heavily his face was shaking.
“Nope, wrong again.” Marie replied slitting his left
nostril from in the inside out.
The man cried out in pain again.
“Seriously, I am getting annoyed here. Just tell him what he wants and I will let you live.” Marie replied twirling the knife in her hand.
The man went to speak.
“Hold up. Just to inform you if you tell me to I don’t know fuck off or something I will move my carving down south if you catch my drift.” Marie said pointing her knife at his lower abdomen, “You know, just a bit lower.” Marie said with a smile.
“Fine fine fine! Just stop,” the man yelled
“Ask the man what you want to know.” Marie said looking up at Tyler, who was still clutching the gun in his hands.
“Tell me how to stop the bombs.” Tyler barked at the man.
The man was silent.
“Can you not hear, should I check your ears?” Marie said pointing the knife at his right ear.
“The trigger is in the basement. They are all rigged to blow at the same time. We were going down to set up the timer when you showed up.” The man replied spitting blood from his mouth.
“They are all rigged? Like all the elevators to blow at once?” Tyler asked
“Yes all of them” the man replied.
“So disable the trigger and the bombs are no good?” Tyler asked
“If you can.” The man laughed.
“Ok. I am sick of this punk,” Marie replied thrusting her knife into his abdomen and twisting as he yelled in pain. Marie pulled her knife out as blood spilled from the man’s abdomen as she holstered it on her back. Marie started to stand up, “See I didn’t kill you, but here’s a fun fact, I will do absolutely nothing to stop you from bleeding out.” Marie said kicking the man in the head, knocking him unconscious. “Are you ready now?” Marie said to Tyler as she walked over to Ethan’s body and pulled her knife out of his back and wiped it on Ethan’s shirt before holstering it on her back.
“We have to at least disable the trigger, please.” Tyler pleaded, calming himself from the rage he had been feeling before.
“Fine. Seriously, you can be such a pain sometimes,” Marie said, walking out of the office and through the reception area and out into the hallway where she retrieved her backpack. Tyler followed grabbing his satchel and throwing it over his shoulder. “Shall we take the elevator?” Marie said with a laugh pushing the button to call the elevator.
“I don’t really want to.”
“Well, I don’t want to walk, so let’s chance it.” Marie said continuing to laugh. The elevator dinged, Marie stepped right in, and Tyler hesitated. Marie reached out and pulled him into the elevator as the doors were closing. Tyler stood there in silence. Marie looked at him, “Enjoy choking that man, didn’t you?”
“No,” Tyler said, he started to continue but he stopped, “You know what it did kinda feel good to give it to that jerk. He was probably responsible for countless deaths and how many more he would have taken today.” Tyler said with a half-smile. “And now I feel terrible for saying that.”
“The wicked deserve what they get.” Marie said giving Tyler a nudge, “And there is no shame in enjoying making those who made others suffer pay for it.”
Tyler was still processing what happened and what she was saying. He had finally truly realized that she enjoyed it, she enjoyed killing people. It was almost as if the times when she was wasn’t killing people she was lost. He looked at her with that smile still on her face. Tyler just looked up at the ceiling. He was focused on the bigger picture, that’s all he could keep telling himself. The elevator came to a stop at the ground floor. Tyler stepped out first with Marie following. Tyler looked around to find the nearest maintenance door to lead them to the basement. He found it relatively quickly and Marie stepped up to the door first and popped the lock with her knife while Tyler kept a lookout. They descended the stairs and entered the large basement to the building.
“How are we ever going to find it down here?” Marie asked folding her arms and looking angry.
“We find the elevator controls. They had to run the wires or something.” Tyler started to frantically wander the basement.
Marie took a deep breath and followed him.
“There!” Tyler exclaimed as he saw the ‘Elevator Control Room’ sign and ran towards it.
Marie follow at a walking pace. This was not exciting for her she was almost bored.
Tyler got to the locked door and took a step back and gave it a big kick, dislodging the door from its hinges. Tyler pushed the door the rest of the way open and entered. Tyler was awestruck by what was before him. Wires everywhere, running from all the control panels, red wires, blue wires, and green wires all running from the each panel to a central contraption. It was covered with blinking lights. Tyler walked over to it and scanned it.
“I don’t know what to do with this.” Tyler said panicking.
Marie had by now followed Tyler into the room.
“You disarmed one of the bombs. Help me, please. I don’t know how to stop this,” Tyler pleaded. She could see the panic in his eyes. Marie said nothing but walked over to the device. Marie pushed Tyler gently to the side and examined the device. Her blue eyes scanning every inch of wires in and wires out. She then stood up and walked to the doorway and leaned on the damaged frame.
“Cut the green wires.” Marie said pointing to the one hundred and four different green wires coming out of the device.
“You’re sure the green ones, it won’t blow up on me or something right.”
“Probably not.” Marie replied calmly with a shrug of her shoulders
“Hello! If this building goes down, you’re in it!” Tyler yelled back.
“So cut the dam green wires like I told you.”
Tyler looked around and found nothing to cut with, “I don’t have anything to cut them with.” Tyler replied looking to Marie.
Marie pulled one of her knives out of her holster and threw it to Tyler. He, by chance, caught it by the handle. Tyler took a deep breath and held it as he cut the first green wire, a light went off on the device. Tyler exhaled as he continued on cutting the wires. Marie looked on, resting her head on the door frame.
“You know this would go faster if you helped,” He said to Marie as he cut his fifteenth wire.
“You’re the one who wants to be a big hero, so have at it.” Marie replied with a chuckle, sitting down on the floor against the wall.
Tyler continued on cutting wire after wire after wire. He finally cut the last one. His hands were exhausted, they were shaking and sore from the repetitive motion.
“I did it.” Tyler said quietly to himself he felt joy overcoming him. “I did it!” He shouted raising his arms triumphantly, however his hands were too weak and he dropped the knife. “Oops, sorry.” Tyler apologized to Marie as he reached down to pick up the knife.
Marie was just staring at him with a smile. “Ok Superhero, let’s go.” She said with a laugh putting out her hand for him to hand her the knife.
Tyler walked over to her and handed her the knife. She slipped it back into her holster and put her backpack back on her back.
“Hang on.” She said “It’s rude to not leave a note or something after we messed up their door.” She walked over to a small desk in the basement where she found a pen and paper. Tyler watched her scribbling on the paper but couldn’t see what she was writing. She walked over to the busted door to the control room and attached the note to one of the lose nails. Tyler walked over and looked at what she wrote, ‘I disarmed the bombs in your elevators. You’re welcome. Oh, FYI, you have bombs in your elevators’ “I think that will do” Marie said smiling as she walked towards the stairs. Tyler just smiled and turned and followed her up the stairs.
They made their way out of the building as people were re-entering the building. They blended in with the crowds outside the building that were caused by the fire alarm being pulled.
They walked about a block away when Marie stopped and looked around, “We need to find a place to st
ay for the night.” She said.
“Well, there are hotels everywhere. I am sure we can find one.” Tyler replied getting the phone out to search.
“Nope, we go Motel. They are poorly monitored and you can pay cash. So unless you have a way to look up ‘cheap shitty motel’ on there I don’t think that is how we are going to find it.”
“So do you have a suggestion?”
“Find the strip clubs there are normally shitty places near those.”
“Yah they are probably gross too.”
“Duh, nobody who is worth a shit wants to go there, so nobody looks there,” Marie said tapping Tyler on the head.
“Fine. Searching.” Tyler typed into the phone ‘strip club’; he shuddered, they were still so gross to him. “Ok, found a motel near some real classy joints. It’s the ‘Pleasant Home Motel’” Tyler said sarcastically.
“Sounds gross. It’s perfect.” Marie replied with a laugh, “Let’s move. It’s getting late in the day.” She said heading off in the direction of the motel.
“Why do I always feel like I am just trying to keep up with you?”
“Because you can’t” Marie said with laugh.
Chapter 25
They arrived at the ‘Pleasant Home Motel’ and it was just as expected, run-down and filthy. Tyler shuddered as they entered the room. The floral patterned bed duvet did nothing to make the room look more ‘pleasant’. The carpet was stained, and Tyler was pretty sure he saw a few roaches when they entered. Marie walked right in like nothing was wrong and threw her backpack on the bed as she sat down on it. She instantly noticed Tyler’s apprehension.
“Relax. It’s one night. You will survive.” She said opening up her backpack to get out a change of clothing.
“How does this not bother you? It’s disgusting! God only knows the last time it was even cleaned.” Tyler replied scanning the room as he entered and closed the door.
Marie (Teumessian Trilogy Book 1) Page 15