After our last night of recon I began preparing everything I needed to breach the building and finish this. I had a spear gun and rope, climbing spikes for scaling the side of the building and a glass breaker for the windows. Besides these items I would bring my knives and tomahawk. No guns for this stealth mission. I had to climb up ten floors to reach the unpatrolled area just below the boardroom. The elevator was out of the question. It would immediately alert them to my presence and ruin my chances of getting in that room. So I have to think on the fly once inside and figure out a path to the boardroom. I hope they have a private elevator for board members. Climbing up the elevator’s shaft and popping directly into the room would make my day.
I packed up, dressed in my tactical gear and headed for the water tower. I wanted to get one last look at things and get Laura positioned before I made my move. I got her set up on her perch; she brought my long rifle and thermal binoculars. We rigged up a shortwave radio communication with an amplifier on the tower to communicate. After the sniper shift change, I would make my move. This group appeared less aware than the 4 that worked the building ahead of them; the principal reasons I picked such a late time to make my move. Anybody coming on at 3 a.m. was bound to be more tired, plus, I needed the cloak of darkness to scale the building. I made my way through the side streets and around the barricade where I cut a hole in the fence and climbed up onto one of the security housing units. I jumped from one to the next until I neared the building. I shot the spear gun, with the rope attached, up around the tenth floor window. Nailed it! I swung over and sank my climbing spikes into the hard rock of the building. With a solid foothold established, I started my climb to the tenth floor. This was not a strenuous climb compared to others I had done, but the implications if I fell were much greater. I made my way up to the tenth floor with ease, and with two pointed smacks with the glass breaker, the glass shattered. I jumped into the building prepared for action, but to my surprise, nothing. The power struggled to stay on, and so did the technology running the building. Destroying the barge had destroyed Lennox Corp. The board members were just protecting their lives at this point. Their legacy was already dead. This building and their sizeable security force represented their last stand, and it had failed the minute I entered the building.
CHAPTER 22
Mixed Emotions
Once I entered the building, I began my search for anything that looked like it could be a private elevator shaft. I searched the entire 10th floor, taking advantage of the lack of security presence. The lights constantly flickering on and off didn’t help the search go any faster. On top of that, this building was gigantic and searching the entire 10th floor would take longer than I could spare. I found the main elevator shaft. If worse came to worse, I could use it to navigate up to floor 22, the last remaining floor without a security patrol. The power was getting more and more unpredictable as total blackouts became increasingly more frequent, creating an eerie scene throughout. I only had a small pocket light, as I had not anticipated so many issues with the power. I assumed Lennox Corp would have a quality backup power supply, but this place was hanging on by a thread. As I continued to search the 10th floor for any information that would let me get up to that top floor, an alarm sounded. I couldn’t tell if they were on to me or if another system failed. I searched the offices and rooms at a furious pace, tearing them apart looking for clues. It seemed a waste of time, so I walked back out to the main elevator shaft and began the climb. With time against me, I made the 23rd floor my target. I had to eliminate the security patrols on floors 23 and 24 to avoid a reunion on the 25th floor. They may hear me coming, but the boardroom would be locked down tight, with all the board members inside, regardless. Maybe I’ll find a way in on my way up. I began the climb; 13 floors straight up a shaky elevator shaft in the ever changing lighting conditions. This would be one of the most challenging climbs of my life. I began the climb treating it like any other. I had a saying when I climbed, “Strong grip, strong climb.” So I just continued to put one arm past the other, reassuring my grip with each move upward. I found a decent way to create a foothold and relieve the stress from my arms. As I found a groove, I picked up the pace. I could feel it now. The adrenaline built with every floor I passed. Before I knew it, I saw floor 20. I finished the climb and pulled myself up to the opening for floor 23. I nestled into a little perch and gave myself a few seconds to rest. I shook out my arms and legs, took a deep breath and prepared to call Laura. There was a strong possibility that security forces would be right on top of me as soon as I opened the doors. It was time to use my other eyes. I pulled the radio out of my bag and made the call. Laura had been tracking my movement the entire time. She had not lost sight of me until I entered the elevator shaft. She also noticed the blackouts getting worse and lasting longer and longer. I told her what I had to do, and she focused all of her attention on floor 23. She saw about 70 percent of the floor so that gave me eyes in the sky. The rest I could handle on my own. She counted fifteen guards on the twenty third floor divided into three patrols of five. All heavily armed and ready for a fight. She was clocking their routine, and I was happy to wait as I continued to think about the climb. I had now been in the dark for a good ten minutes. At this point the darkness presented me with an advantage. My long rifle had a thermal scope attachment in its case. If Laura engaged the scope, she could spot enemies for me as I made my way through the floors. In theory I would have eyes and they wouldn’t. After watching them make their rounds a few times, Laura had them pegged.
The power was still out, and they had resorted to using tactical flashlights mounted on their weapons. This was an excellent sign: no night vision. If this power outage persisted, my plan wouldn’t fail. I pried the doors open slowly, as I waited for Laura to give me the signal. She would tell me immediately after the first patrol passed my position so I could fall in behind them and take them out. I patiently waited, easing the door open only a bit. I wanted to avoid detection as long as possible. I got the word from Laura, they had just passed. I saw their tactical flashlights as they went by. This should go smoothly. The alarms still blared as the electrical systems continued to falter, so the chances were good they didn’t realize there was a threat inside of the building. Unfortunately for them, they had the wrong jobs tonight. I moved in behind them quietly. I heard them complaining about the power and having to patrol this same floor over and over again. If they had known I was creeping up right behind them, they may not have wasted their last few words complaining. I pulled out my tomahawk and sliced through them with precision and stealth. All five of them dropped without firing a shot or even as much as letting out a scream. As they hit the floor, Laura keyed up the radio telling me to stay on my current line where I would intersect with the second patrol in 30 feet. As I made my way toward them, I saw their tactical lights as they turned the corner. This unit was moving right toward me. I ducked into an office and waited. Laura let me know when they passed. They would meet with the same fate, hopefully before we reached the site of the next unit. I lay low, and as the patrol passed, one of them broke off and ducked into the office to do a sweep where I was hiding. As he made his way through the office, I patiently waited in a very dark corner, in the back of the office, behind a large rack of supplies. As he made his way to my position, I got one of my throwing knives prepared. I would base this throw on the position of his tactical light, aiming for the head and neck area. It would be a tough throw. The light scanned the room, and I waited for my opportunity. Right as the light hit my position I took my throw. It was a direct hit, right to the neck. He was dead before he even knew what hit him. I moved up to check the body. He appeared to be a commander in charge of the units on this floor. I pocketed his ID card and checked in with Laura. We worked our way through the remaining five patrols keeping the disturbance to a minimum. I have always been efficient at killing, but these days I find myself able to eliminate the enemy without becoming injured myself.
Threat eliminat
ed, I did a quick search on this floor for the private elevator; still no luck. Then I came to a locked door at the end of the corridor. I remembered the ID card, pulled it out and swiped it through the reader. The door opened onto an emergency flight of stairs and they appeared to head up to the twenty fifth floor. Before I entered, Laura began scanning the areas she could see. Unfortunately, the staircase where I had to make my entry, was out of her view. There were 20 heavily armed guards accumulated in front of one room. That had to be where the board members were hiding out. How do you penetrate a guarded fortress?
I sat outside in the stairwell trying to figure out how to get into that room. Then it hit me. I went up the emergency staircase to the top and entered the rooftop through the emergency hatch. I would take out the snipers on the roof and drop into the room from the ventilation duct on the roof. I had Laura scout the sniper locations and get me prepared to move on them. They were wearing night-vision goggles, and I needed to approach them carefully. As I came out onto the roof, Laura guided me to the first sniper perch. I came up behind him, grabbed him by the neck and squeezed until the life expired from his eyes. The patrols were spread out in different directions across the roof. Laura continued to be my other set of eyes. Ever since the power went out, I was noticing my eyes adjusting magnificently to the dark; another Nano-tech adjustment. I can’t begin to imagine what else is in store for me.
By the time I took out the last sniper, I was seeing in the dark with near perfect eyesight. I began looking for a ventilation shaft bigger than the rest. That would be the one to take me into the boardroom. If they were going to be held up in there for long periods of time, they needed a larger and more efficient air exchange system for that room. After searching the roof carefully, I decided on a very large vent that still exchanged airflow despite the power outage. This had to be it. I pulled off the cover of the ventilation shaft and slid straight down, smashing through the ceiling and into an empty boardroom. At first I thought for sure I had made a mistake and found myself stuck in a random boardroom. Then out of nowhere all the lights came on. I thought for sure it was a tap and they had me. Then suddenly, an image played on the screen in front of me. It was a digital interface message being broadcast live from an outside location.
The image of a well dressed older man came into clear focus. He began to speak, “Hello Tristan.” He could read the surprise on my face. “Yes I know who you are. I searched for you for over twenty years to prevent this day from happening and yet here we are. I obviously failed.” “Who are you?” I asked him as I took a seat in one of the office chairs. He responded. “I am Arthur Lennox Jr. My father founded Lennox Corp long before the fall of the world or the invention of Nano-tech. My father was an honorable man. Humanitarianism was his legacy, but not mine. Mine has always been and always will be Nano-tech. You thought you could burn down Lennox Corp and I will admit, you succeeded from the outside looking in, but I saw you coming before you knew you were coming. We were ready to make our move on the other corporations but too many board members lacked the spine, so I dissolved the board years ago. Lennox Corp is mine and mine alone. You have buried the Lennox Corp name, but you have failed in your ultimate goal; stopping the use and spread of Nano-tech. While your strike on the barge was bold and served its purpose, it was hardly the final blow. The moment I saw the possibility of you destroying everything I built, I began negotiations to sell Nano-tech to the highest bidder, between the competing corporations. I have left this place to complete my business transaction and guarantee the future implementation of Nano-tech in every corporate controlled society. My price has nothing to do with monetary value. I plan to use Nano-tech to buy myself a seat at one of the other corporation’s tables, allowing me to keep my position of power and security. I stay ahead of my opponents and I will always be ahead of you. Congratulations! You liberated the Wasteland. Little do you and your fellow slum raised heathens understand, they forced Lennox Corp into this part of the world because my father was weak. The world away from this dump is full of opportunity for a man with my talents and assets. So, enjoy your victory. You have officially carved out your corner of freedom in the depths of hell on earth. If we ever see each other again Tristan, which is highly unlikely, I can promise you I will not spare your life. Do not pursue me. Stay in your part of the world. You earned it!” The broadcast closed, and that was it.
Lennox Corp was no more, but Nano-tech and Arthur Lennox lived on. He didn’t realize it, but he had made a crucial mistake letting me see his face. I now knew exactly who I was looking for and will search the ends of the earth to find him. I walked right out of the front door of the boardroom and faced the security patrols. My plan was to show them the empty room and try to make them see that there was no Lennox Corp anymore. No citizens of the city versus citizens of the slums. Just people finally free to choose their own path. I pushed the door open from the inside and there stood an entire force in shock to see the guy they were supposed to be watching for, walking out of the one place he shouldn’t be. I raised my hands into the air and pleaded with them to hear me out. I let them put me in restraints and had them walk me into the boardroom where I could show them it was empty. I told them if one of them knew how to playback the latest conversation they could hear the exchange between Arthur Lennox and myself. Unfortunately there was not enough power to generate a playback, so I explained to them the facts. I told them to look around. This had all been a huge lie. If no one was here who were they protecting? If they had been told they were protecting someone, they were putting their lives at risk for a lie. They were beginning to see my point of view. I was completely honest with them about how I entered the premises and how many men I had killed in the within the building and on top of the building. I apologized to anyone that might have been friends with those men, but explained that this was war. Then I said, “The war has ended and we are all free men and women. The time has come for us to learn to coexist in the cities and in the slums. We must rebuild in the people' image of freedom.”
The patrols turned themselves over to Captain Chip. He will teach the people how to come together as one. I radioed Laura and told her how the events had played out. She was the only one I planned to tell about Arthur Lennox. The people of the slums needed a definitive win after the effort they put in, risking everything to come together and go against Lennox Corp. The resolution was real; I had liberated the Wasteland and paved the way for the people to pursue a better life. But, the actual threat still existed. I wanted to take pride in the amazing victory but knowing Nano-tech was still out there and possibly being sold into more dangerous hands, left me with mixed emotions.
Lennox Corporation: Book 1 in the Savior Series Page 12