Hunt Down Rose

Chapter 2: Elimination (Part IV)

Checking each locker, I stored every single keycard that I can find inside my jacket.  You never know where or when to start using these things.

Although I’m not much in a hurry, I have to make sure everything is done smoothly. I’ve done enough work to get myself through this place so it’s best if I finish this mission unscathed.

As I went outside the room, “Have you tracked down the basement?” I asked Carlos while stuffing everything inside my jacket.

“The fastest way to the basement is through the fire exit. Though it’s hard to detect any movement cuz there are no security cameras around, I could still provide support on your command.”

“I’ll be at ease with that. I’ll contact you once I’m in a tight situation.”

“Sure, stay alive bro…” Cutting the line off with me.

Having my cell phone as surveillance towards the fire exit, I entered the stairs downward reaching the bottom-most floors and noticed a group of men marching in the darkness with flashlights. A labyrinth of shelves and containers could be seen on the stairs with boxes and storage cylinders lined up. The rooms are partially visible due to the doorknobs and security lights that overflow along with it; in other words, this is my type of maze.

“Hey!” I whispered to him on the earpiece. “Looks like most of the guards are in this place after all.”

“Copy that. It’s not that they have something we don’t want right now.”

“I better not get myself into too much trouble. It would be good if I start smashing their backs and throw them on a storage room of some sort.”

“Let’s not do this with too much blood shall we. I bet you have a stun gun in your sleeves so use it.”

He does have a good reason, though I have this crowbar with me, it would be such as waste. In any case, I prefer his ideas, no blood, no broken bones just the ability to implement a shocking experience.

As I approached the ground I wore a black face mask to blend in the surroundings. There are boxes scattered everywhere so I wouldn’t be worried about hiding spots.

Walking towards the center I almost made a noise due to the number of keycards stuck at my sleeve, it’s a good thing that a rat passed by just in time, a close encounter for me if it turned bad. Having a clear vision on the doors on the north side of the stairs, some doors are already open. Maybe some of it occupied or maybe someone left it just like that.

Then I heard Carlos on the other line. “I’m finished with the analysis. App…are…ntly t…he” His voice started buzzing on the other side before being cut off.

“What the heck is happening there?” I said on the other line.

And just when I was about to realize that this place can’t get any worse, five more men went down the stairs telling the other guards that someone breached the security system.

“Where the hell is he hiding?” I can hear a conversation near me, from four men at least

“He shouldn’t be far if he’s inside this place”

“What about the others? Have you informed them?”

“There’s no need to involve the higher-ups. It would be a disaster if we contacted them over a matter we can handle ourselves.”

Apparently the threat level of this place has doubled. There are guards on the southwest corner of the basement plus the guards positioned at the east part. Crawling and silently walking from shelf to shelf, box to box, I hid near an area filled with scrap computer parts.

As I started creeping my way towards the nearest guard I can grab on, I noticed that they haven’t briefed about the details of their scenario so the best possible thing for them to do is to contact each other via portable radio. Having my stun gun ready, I intercepted two guards facing in the opposite direction on where I was. It’s a good thing I was able to use an extra rag with a sleeping agent to cover their mouths to prevent noise. Then I simply placed their unconscious bodies near a dark dead-end filled with broken monitors and paper stacks piled up.

I tried contacting Carlos but my efforts were useless. They must’ve jammed the signal somewhere on the building just when I was about to get my hands on the rooms. Even if I wanted to get the line back, I don’t have much time to explore this place, pretty much I’m on my own to end this.

Since I already have two of them down it won’t be long before they wake up in a soggy state. Personally checking the level of my stun gun, I would say eleven to fifteen minutes would be the highest time interval I can calculate.

I have to act fast and bring them down all at once but in order to do that, I’ll have to get them together somehow.

Suddenly I remembered the portable radios on some of these guys. I went back sneaking upstairs towards the room where I stored the guards dosed with sleeping pills. I immediately grabbed one from their devices and went down the basement.

“Hello, I’m at the south from where you guys are right now. Let’s have a short chat before we can judge into conclusions.” I said over the radio.

“Is there anything that you don’t understand with the situation right now?”

“Unfortunately I’ve received an order about me staying here. What about this bug? I wasn’t informed.”

For a few moments, I waited for their reply. They do not seem to be heavily armed. Only military batons and taser guns are the only superficial weapons that they can use to protect themselves. Unlike the other floors, from how I see it only a few men would dare carry a gun in these premises for further security. The entire place is rigged with a lot of security cameras. Even though it’s dark, I can tell due to the number of red lights flickering on the walls.

“Fine. Have your flashlights at the center, we’ll have a little talk. This is one of the problems of having too many workers, even electricity can’t be handled properly.” From his tone, I expect a form of assurance on it.

“By the way, don’t you ever tell any officials about this mess or imma break your limbs!” He added

We went in different directions towards an opening in the middle. Only an empty space is found with some of the guards gathered. I blended in the small crowd gaining an advantage of the radius near them. Since my stun gun only has a limited range, I have to make them get a little bit closer for me to reach them in a chain.  Otherwise, I’ll have to kill most of them with knives, which is a little messy than reality itself.

“Who’s the i***t who asked me about this crap?” a certain someone shouted in front of me.

Being in a tight situation, I had no choice but to initiate.

I instantly electrocuted his throat while pulling his flashlight and threw it on the person behind me. More men started coming my way as a response so I knelt down and used the darkness to cover my attacks and started sweeping their feet off the ground shocking them at the same time.

Just when someone was about to go out the area and head up the stairs I used a nearby flashlight and threw it directly to his head knocking him unconscious. Checking the open rooms, I took their radios and dumped them inside an area filled with old newspapers with no light. I barricaded the door with a high metal shelf filled with heavy boxes with whatsoever in it, preventing them from opening the door on the other side.

With no time to lose, I started trying the keycards that I found on the locker room within each and every door possible, except this odd-looking vaulted door found at the left side of the basement with a safe like security.

“He was right about the door being old school, just not what I expected it to be.” I said to myself with Carlos’s words about the door reminiscing inside my head.

It’s hard to do anything without any information or leads on what the password might be. I wasn’t even able to check all of the rooms on the 1st floor for clues and possible digits to open this forsaken door. Traces of these should’ve been detected earlier in our mission briefing, so why does it have to be a vault?

Just when I was about to break someone’s neck, I tried moving the wheel of the vault and to my surprise it budged.

“What the heck is going on in here?” I am deeply puzzled about what’s happening right now.

First, some of the doors are open (I bet it wasn’t part of Carlos’ plan)

Then this vault is unlocked and not even the guards knew of it.

I hurriedly entered the door and a luminous bright light is present, giving you sight over the vastness of the place. There I saw a series of stainless cabinets with dates written on it thrown to the ground, it’s as if it was hit by a storm or a hurricane. Folders and papers were scattered all over the floor along with photos of everything that seems important.