“We’re going to,” Zilan said.
Saar kissed me softly, and I could feel his pride. “Nice job, Bronte,” he murmured into my mouth. “Good, amazing man you are.”
I shivered at his praise. He kissed me again, punctuating each with another compliment. He continued this until Raiden pulled him away. “Focus.” He grinned at me, winking, as he steered Saar back towards the front.
Several deep breaths later, my head cleared from the haze of love and warm, squishy feelings enough to focus on the task at hand.
“Ready?” Kohara asked.
We nodded, and he silently opened the door.
Just a crack. Enough to listen to the sounds beyond. But there was very little. No movement. A distant clacking of keys. A low murmur of a voice, probably on a phone call since we couldn’t hear another answer. No footsteps.
He nodded, slipping through the door. One by one we followed and as I suggested, we took a right. Peering into the first door, we found it empty. Across the hall, we found the same. As the third and fourth doors were showing still empty rooms, disappointment settled over my shoulders.
This was a fail. No one was here.
I wanted to pout. To throw a tantrum. But then I had to remember that we were moving toward a destination. The office that I couldn’t help but focus on when I was memorizing the building layout. It was just up ahead.
We paused outside a door where there was unmistakably a person inside. There were curtains drawn over the windows so we couldn’t see in. A brief silent debate went through us as we determined whether to kill him now or come back for him. Many looks were exchanged before we settled on moving forward.
Another empty office. And then two with people in them on the other side of the hall. Both we passed in favor of the door I wanted. The office I was determined had to be something. It was slightly cracked, barely ajar, and we paused out of view of the windows.
Taking a breath, we braced ourselves with weapons in hand.
This was it, the moment we’d been waiting for. To see the face of and murder the asshole behind the Division of Silence. To put an end to one person so we could undo everything he’s built. To kill him before he has a chance to retaliate.
We’d gone through several arguments about whether to keep him alive. How badly did we want answers? But ultimately, it boiled down to the idea that if he’s alive, there’s a chance he could escape and return to power. And while the world was already dangerous, if he’s on a warpath, ready to really lay waste in his anger, we didn’t want to give him that chance.
And then there was the idea that we’d like to kill him slowly. To torture him like he’s condoned and encouraged for years. For generations. Make him suffer. Track down those important to him and force him to watch them go through the same treatment he’s put countless others through.
Ultimately, we decided to kill him upon sight. Instantly. No questions. No conversation. Leave him without a chance to retaliate as we were doing.
Energy buzzed under my skin. Outside, thunder rumbled in the sky. A threatening, ominous sound that shook the windows of the building.
Saar reached for the door handle and looked back at us.Ready? he was asking.
There was a moment where I was sure we took a collective swallow before nodding. Yes, we were ready. Ready for whatever monster was behind the door. Ready for our first of many kills today. Ready to look into the eyes and make sure that the monsters he’d set out to destroy had come for him instead.
Saar threw the door open, and we surged through it.
Hadley
We were expectingone of a variety of scenarios. I suppose the higher ratio of rooms that were empty leading up to this point should have tipped us off that it was a bigger possibility that our target wouldn’t be here than they would. It didn’t stop the disappointment. The resentment or the anger that followed.
“That’s bullshit,” Bronte said.
Zilan rested a hand on his shoulder as Arat moved through the room. There was a computer on the desk and another under it. He plugged USB drives into both and turned them on.
“Plugged in,” he said. A voice on the other end confirmed that we were heard. We waited a few minutes until it was confirmed that they were in.
Once again, we listened for any indication that someone knew something was going on. Trying to leave the building. Maybe attempting to open a window. Or even that their computers were just hacked.
“I’m beginning to think no one works here at all,” Gale said, frowning. Likely thinking the same thing I was. Their inattention was concerning.
“I think this is a decoy,” Bronte said quietly. “There’s nothing to find here.”
“There is,” Saar said. “There are humans that have been kidnapped and are being experimented on. Even if we don’t cause the damage we hoped to, we will make a difference in their lives.”
