Ava ducked into a row of cabinets, scanning the titles on the drawers in search of anything relevant.
“Uhh, Sparky?”
“Yeah, Ace?”
“You may want to find those files a little faster. Apparently, the automatic lighting has trigged an alert at the guard station. He’s still wandering around, but the minute he sits down, he’s going to see it.”
“You can’t get rid of it?”
“I’m trying, but so far, no.”
“Got it,” she said, her heart hammering a little harderagainst her ribs as she hurried down her aisle in search of current projects.
“Current projects,” Kyle called, raising a hand in the air.
Ava abandoned her row of cabinets and joined Kyle, searching for projects staring with R. She found the drawer at the end of the row, tugging it open as Sebastian joined them.
She dug through the hanging file folders until she found a red folder titledProject Reaper. “Got it.”
“Yeah, maybe get out of there,” Alex answered. “Robocop sees the alert, and I’m pretty sure after he logs it, he’s going to be on his way up to you.”
Ava stuffed the folder into her hoodie, zipping it a little higher again to cover the folder before she straightened. “We need to go.”
“Guard’s waiting for the elevator,” Alex informed them.
Ava cursed under her breath as they headed for the door. They needed to make it down the length of the hall before the elevator doors opened to escape.
“He’s in the elevator. Avs, you’re not going to make it out of there.”
“Is there another stairwell on this side of the hall?” she asked as they stepped into the hall.
“No,” Alex answered. “And he’s on the fourth floor.”
She swore again, crossing to another door at the end of the hall with no lock. She pushed it open, finding a utility closet.
“Get in,” she said to the others. They dove into the tiny space, squashed together as they eased the door closed behind them just as the elevator announced its arrival with a chime.
“He’s on the floor,” Alex reported.
Ava’s breath caught in her throat, sweat running down her back. Her heart hammered hard.
Outside the door, a whistling approached them.
The closet door creaked slightly under the pressure of Ava’s hand, and she froze. The guard paused mid-step, his whistling cut short as he turned his head toward the sound. Every muscle in her body tensed as she held her breath, praying that he wouldn’t decide to investigate further.
The whistling resumed before the beeps of the electronic keypad broke the silence.
She squeezed her eyes closed, worry coursing through her. The last thing they needed right now was another attack, but she had every symptom of one. She couldn’t tell if it was simple stress or the onset of another blackout, but she grabbed hold of Kyle. “Doc, I’m not doing so good.”
“Ava, this is the worst possible time for you to go berserk on us,” he whispered.
“Yeah, no kidding,” she retorted. “Don’t let me do anything stupid.”
“Quiet,” Sebastian hissed as the slam of a door sounded outside.
She grasped Kyle’s arm, biting her lower lip and hoping the pain would somehow ground her.
The ding of the elevator sounded again, then nothing but quiet.
