“Stop staring at it, you look suspicious,” Damos whispered.
“Sorry,” Matt replied, looking back down at the bridge which spanned from the tower to the shore. Like the tower, it was made mostly of glass. Matt could see the lake underneath them, waves gently flowing across its surface, distorting the depths below.
The glass floor came to an abrupt end, replaced with white ceramic tiles. Matt stepped across the divide and entered into the spire. In front of him stood a short queue of people, lining up outside a security checkpoint. He and Damos silently joined them.
Matt watched as one by one people passed through the checkpoint. Each stepped up to a tall machine and looked at a thin strip of mirror. A moment later the machine beeped. Each moved on to pass through a pair of thick metal bars. Beside them, Matt could see an army of security guards, their eyes either fixed on a wall of monitors or the crowd of queueing people.
Matt suddenly found himself at the front of the queue.
I really hope Owen’s watching, Matt thought as he stepped up to the machine. He looked into the mirror and saw his eyes reflected. A small orange dot appeared over the bridge of his nose. Matt instinctively leant forwards to take a closer look. The orange dot turned green and the machine beeped. Matt exhaled, only now realising he’d been holding his breath. Doing his best to seem calm, he turned and walked over to the metal detector. Everyone he’d seen seemed to simply walk through, so he followed suit, calmly stepping between the bars. He glanced across at the security guards, but none of them seemed suspicious.
Resisting the urge to look back at Damos, Matt made straight for the elevators. By the time an elevator arrived, Damos was standing behind him. The pair entered. Damos quickly hit the ‘close door’ button before anyone else could follow. The lift instantly began to rise, the three-digit floor counter above the door rapidly increasing. Matt’s leg began to ache as the acceleration pushed down on him. He tried pulling it off the floor slightly, but by the time he’d done it the lift was already slowing down. Moments later the door opened and the pair walked out into what seemed to be an office complex. The shadows of various people beginning their day’s work showed through a maze of translucent glass partitions.
“Which way?” Matt whispered, thinking back to Owen’s brief the night before. Damos pointed and the pair headed off. No one seemed concerned by their presence. In fact, the closest they got to a social interaction was a brief glance. Everyone seemed engrossed in their work.
Which is clearly not R&D, Matt thought, watching as someone sat down and put on a headset. This looks more like a call centre.
Damos turned behind one of the translucent screens and Matt had to quickly adjust his course to follow. He recognised the desk Owen had shown last night on the monitor. He scanned the room for people. A single person was sitting a couple of desks away, however, like everyone else, she seemed to be paying no attention to them.
Damos stepped up to Ethan’s workstation with an air of confidence. Matt did his best to copy, but he wasn’t sure if it worked. As they reached the station, Damos leant down and pressed a circular ‘on’ button, then turned and walked away again.
It’s up to you now, Owen.
* * * *
08:59, Mace Street, North District
Lily stared up at the glass spire, its peak rising far above the surrounding buildings.
It must be an incredible place to work, she thought, marvelling at its beauty. Then again, Ethan never seemed to think so. She remembered a conversation she’d had with him, back when he’d visited her in the Colonies. In fact, she’d said that exact thing to him. Ethan had looked up at her, and she’d felt his mixed emotions about the place.
“It’s alright,” he’d replied. “But I do long for some natural light.”
As Lily stared up at the building, something clicked in her mind.
What did he mean about natural light? The building’s made of glass.
Lily thought back to the night before, when Owen had showed them the building’s exterior, rising out of a lake.
“Owen, I need to leave the bikes for a moment,” she said, breaking into a run.
“What’s the problem?”
“I’ll let you know when I’m sure myself.”
She ran between rows of upmarket apartment blocks, reaching the perimeter of the lake after only a couple of streets. She stood on the bank, looking across the rippling water at the base of the building. Inside she could just about make out people passing through the security checkpoint. She slowly lowered her gaze, looking through the water. The waves distorted her view, but there was no doubt about it; she could feel people, even though she couldn’t make them out clearly, below the lake’s surface.
“Owen, the spire extends below the lake.”
“Well yeah, there’s got to be some foundation for it to sit on.”
“No, it’s not just a foundation. There are people working down there.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel them. They’re far away so it’s only faint, but I’m sure they’re there.”
“Hold on, Matt and Damos have activated Ethan’s work station.”
“You won’t find anything, I’m sure of it.”
“Oh ye of little-” Owen began. “Wait, you’re right, the drive’s almost empty.”
“I told you. Ethan didn’t work on that floor, it’s a decoy. He worked below the surface, where no one can see and there’s no surveillance which people like you could use to spy.”
“Shit, you need to tell Damos and Matt. You’ll have to go inside.”
“I’m not-”
“You have to, they’ll get suspicious if the same people are seen entering within the space of a few minutes. They’re heading toward the elevator now. Go!”
Spurred on by the sense of urgency in Owen’s voice, Lily broke into a run.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, she thought as she reached the bridge and slowed to a walk.
“Throw the earpiece away before you cross. I’ll make sure you get through security on the other side,” Owen said.
“Are you sure I have to-”
“Just go!” Owen said.
Fine, here goes, Lily thought, pulling the earpiece out and throwing it into the shallows of the lake. As quickly and calmly as she could, she crossed the bridge and entered. The security checkpoint was mostly empty, the majority of people already having made it into work. Lily scanned the room before stepping up to what she assumed was the eye scanner. She had barely reached it when it beeped to tell her to move on.
Careful Owen, Lily thought, turning and walking through the metal detector. She’d barely taken a step away when one of the guards shouted “Hey.” Lily glanced around to see a man staring at her. “Yes, you, stay where you are.”
Don’t panic, she thought as she felt herself choke up.
“What’s wrong?” she managed to stammer.
The guard said nothing. He reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling up her sleeve to reveal the fuzzer wrapped around her wrist.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s just a bracelet,” Lily replied.
“There’s micro-circuitry on it. Take it off and hand it over.”
“It’s a medical bracelet,” Lily said, thinking on her feet. “I’m diabetic, I can’t take it off.”
Lily felt the guard’s anger quickly turn to suspicion.
“I don’t recognise you. All medical items should be on file. What’s your name?”
The first name to pop into Lily’s head, other than her own, was Victoria, but the rational part of her brain told her that would be a bad idea.
“Isabelle,” she replied. “River,” she added, using her Grandmother’s maiden name.
“Follow me, Isabelle,” the guard said, leading her to his station.
I hope you’re listening, Owen.
The sound of an elevator opening suddenly caught her attention. She looked around and felt her stomach drop as Damos and
Matt stepped out and began to walk towards the exit.
Shoot, she thought. Please look up.
But they carried on walking, keeping their heads down to avoid being noticed. Unable to think of anything better, Lily raised her hand and faked a cough. Damos ignored it. However, Matt glanced up just long enough to notice her. She flicked her eyes across the room, as if to say “go that way.” Matt didn’t respond. Instead, he reached up and tapped Damos’s arm before turning and leading him back towards the elevator, turning onto a corridor.
“Isabelle, how do you spell it?” the guard said, snapping Lily’s attention back to him.
You couldn’t have picked a name with only one spelling? she thought, trying to guess which Owen would have used.
“I-s-a-b-e-l-l-e,” Lily guessed.
Please be right, she thought as she watched the guard type it in. He hit enter, and a small loading symbol appeared. A moment later, a window flashed up.
“Isabelle River,” read the top line, underneath which was a blank rectangle for a photo.
“Hm, your picture seems to have expired. I’ll have to take another one, then you’re free to continue. Make sure you register that bracelet at the security office though.”
“Sure, no problem,” Lily replied, unable to hide the relief in her voice.
The guard held up a small camera. Lily stared into it as the guard took a picture. A moment later it appeared on the screen below her made-up name.
“Thanks,” Lily said, turning and heading straight for the corridor Matt and Damos had turned onto. She found them just down from the corner, out of sight of the security guards and the main reception.
“Walk with us,” Damos whispered as he and Matt turned and began walking down the corridor. As instructed, Lily followed.
“What are you doing here?” Damos snapped in a hushed tone.
“Ethan’s workstation isn’t the one he used. The building continues under the lake,” Lily whispered.
“But that wasn’t on the blueprints,” Matt said.
“No, which is why I’m sure he worked there.”
“Have you run this by Owen?”
“Yes, and he confirmed that the workstation’s drive upstairs is empty.”
“How do we get down there then? The lift only had an up direction call button on the ground floor.”
“I don’t know, but there must be a way. The stairs seem an obvious starting point.”
The trio continued on until they found a sign with a stairs symbol and followed it.
“It looks like they stop here on the ground floor,” Matt said when they reached the staircase, making no attempt to hide his disappointment.
“Try the elevator?” Lily asked.
“I guess so,” Matt replied.
“Wait,” Damos said. Lily looked around to see him running his hand over the far wall. “There’s a gap here. I’m fairly sure this wall moves.”
“How do we move it?” Matt asked. Damos casually turned and leant against it, subtly pushing back as he did.
“I don’t know,” Damos replied when nothing happened. “Call the elevator before security gets suspicious.”
Lily pressed the up button, the only choice she had. A moment later the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
I guess it’s worth a look, Lily thought, stepping inside. She looked around for the floor buttons and instead found a keypad. She scanned each row, looking for anything unusual.
Seven, eight, nine. Four, five, six. One, two, three. Dash, zero, enter.
Hold on, Lily thought, pressing the dashed key. A negative sign appeared on the floor number display.
“Matt, Damos, in here,” she whispered.
“Have you found a way to move the wall?” Matt asked.
“No, but I think I’ve found a way down,” Lily replied, keying in a one and pressing enter as Damos stepped inside. The lift doors shut, and Lily felt the familiar sensation of lightness as the elevator moved down.
“Nice one,” Matt said.
The elevator journey continued for longer than expected, eventually stopping to open out into a darkened hallway. Distorted streaks of sunlight waved across the laminate floor, rippling like the waves above. Lily was reminded of a time in her youth, when she’d visited an aquarium on a school trip and they’d passed through a similar tunnel.
Matt made to step out of the lift, but Lily caught his arm and held him back.
“Any cameras?” she asked.
“If there were any active cameras Owen would have been able to hack them and we’d have known about this place.”
Lily nodded and released Matt’s arm. No sooner had Damos followed Lily and Matt out of the lift than the doors closed behind them.
“Now where?” Matt asked.
“Ethan complained about working in the dark, so I would guess below here.”
“We should take the lift down then,” Damos said, turning to call it back. He reached to press the lift button, and again found there was only a single one with an up arrow. Lily noticed him shrug before pressing it anyway. A few moments later, the lift doors opened again. Damos stepped inside and keyed in the dash followed by the two. The floor indicator flashed red and cleared itself.
“I guess we find another way then,” Matt commented before heading down the hall.
How on earth are we meant to find Ethan’s workstation down here? Lily thought as they progressed. We don’t even know how big this place is.
After several twists, they eventually found a staircase. A dull glow emanated from below, signifying the switch from natural to artificial light. Despite this, the staircase walls were made of glass, allowing them to see out into the murky waters.
“Why do you think they built all this under the lake?” Matt asked as they descended.
“ManaNet doesn’t reach below ground, but I would guess the water doesn’t block the connection.” Lily replied.
“Clever.”
“Shut up, you two,” Damos snapped. “The longer we’re here, the higher the chance of us getting caught.”
“Which way then?” Lily replied.
Damos didn’t reply. Instead he darted into a corridor. Lily felt her heart skip a beat when she realised where Damos was heading. Directly ahead of him walked a lone woman, a tablet in one hand and a bracelet like Owen’s on her wrist.
Stop, Lily wanted to cry, but she forced herself to stop, knowing it would give them away. She sped up her pace, but it was too late. She watched as Damos reached out and grabbed the woman, wrapping his arm around her head to prevent her from screaming and pulling her into a nearby room. Matt and Lily rushed to follow, entering a couple of seconds later. Only once the door was shut again did Damos release the woman.
“Did you know Ethan Roberts?” Damos asked.
The woman nodded, too terrified to speak.
“Is his workstation still here?”
Another nod.
“Where?”
The woman stammered, “Three floors down.”
“Show us,” Damos said, pulling her around and pushing her to the door. “Raise any kind of alarm and you’re dead.”
Lily felt the woman’s fear intensify, masking her own feelings of disappointment.
I thought he’d changed.
Damos gave the woman a shove before letting go. She stumbled through the door. Damos followed without comment. The woman led them back down the hall to the stairs. They passed a pair of researchers as they descended, but as instructed, the woman said nothing. When they reached Ethan’s floor, the woman led them down a similar corridor before turning into a lab. It rose through two stories, the circular lights hanging high above them reflecting off its glass walls. Workbenches littered the room along with all manner of equipment. Lily recognised Ethan’s desk immediately, a picture of him and her with his family giving it away. Lily overtook the woman and rushed to the desk.
“It’s this one,” she said as she activated the workstation. The screen lit up, asking for a password. Da
mos turned and looked at the woman expectantly.
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s a personal one.”
“Here, let me,” Lily said. She tried the password she’d used to get on his home computer, her own name. ‘Access Granted’ flashed up on the screen, before disappearing to be replaced with a collection of files. Lily felt the woman’s surprise as it washed over her face.
“He was a friend of mine,” Lily explained.
“I’m so sorry,” she replied. “I hope they catch his killer. God knows why it happened.”
“Hopefully we’re about to find out.”
“Wait, you think it was to do with his work here?”
“Both of you, shut it,” Damos said.
“She has a right to know,” Lily said.
“She can once we know for sure ourselves,” Matt replied. “What’s on the workstation?”
Lily turned back to the screen, scanning the names of the files.
Ethan would have known they’d go through his files if they thought he was suspicious, so anything useful won’t be in an obvious place.
‘Stuff for Mrs. Welsh.’ Wasn’t that the name of our third-grade teacher?
Lily clicked the file. Several more appeared. Lily instantly knew which one to try next. ‘History’, the subject Mrs. Welsh had taught. A similar pattern of high school references followed, each name non-descript enough to be overlooked by someone not in the know. Someone who wasn’t Lily.
Did he expect me to get here? Lily began to wonder. I guess he must have suspected they were on to him. That’s why he called me in the first place. I was the only person he could trust. Whatever is going on, I will stop it. I promise you that, Ethan.
Lily opened another file and a password box flashed up. A small line of text was written across the bottom, ‘Sister’s parents’ names.’ It caught Lily off guard as old memories of her parents came back to her. Taking a moment to compose herself, she entered their names.
The whole screen flashed before being replaced with a complicated network of names, arrows and paragraphs of text.
“I’ve got something,” Lily said. “Who’s the name at the top? Nicholas Wystan.”
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