The elevator climbs too slowly.
Thirty floors. Each number lighting up on the panel feels like a second being carved away from our lives.
No one speaks.
Adrian stands in front of the doors, shoulders rigid, his reflection staring back at him from the polished steel. Marcus leans against the wall, jaw tight. I can feel the tension vibrating through the small space.
“How much time?” Adrian asks without turning.
Marcus checks his watch. “Eight minutes.”
My stomach twists. “That’s not enough time to search three floors.”
Marcus exhales. “We don’t need to search everything.”
Adrian finally turns toward him. “Then where do we start?”
“The structural core.”
The elevator hums as it climbs higher.
“The device would have to be attached to a load-bearing column,” Marcus continues. “If the
