CHAPTER 36
The lobby of the corporate tower was vast and dusty,
with old security turnstiles shattered and strewn across the marble floor.
We moved from pillar to pillar,
our eyes scanning the upper balconies for any signs of snipers.
Suddenly,
the building's intercom system crackled to life,
and Valerie’s voice echoed throughout the empty space.
"Welcome to the heart of the machine,"
she announced,
her tone amused and arrogant.
"I must congratulate you on tracking me down so quickly,
you really possess your father's intellect and drive.
But you are too late to stop the ceremony,
the new world order begins tonight,
and Clara is the key to it all."
I refused to let her voice shake my focus,
signaling Liam to move toward the central elevator shafts.
The main power was out,
but the emergency freight elevator was operational,
indicated by a faint green light above the door.
We stepped inside the metal cage,
and I pulled the heavy lever,
causing the elevator to groan as it began its slow ascent.
The higher we went,
the more vulnerable we felt,
trapped inside a moving box with no escape.
Suddenly,
the elevator stopped with a violent jerk at the thirtieth floor,
the lights flickering out and leaving us in total darkness.
The ceiling hatch of the elevator was smashed inward,
and two mercenaries dropped down into the cage with us,
their knives drawn and ready to strike.
Liam reacted instantly,
grabbing the first attacker by the wrist,
twisting it until the bone snapped audibly in the dark.
He threw the man against the wall,
while I engaged the second mercenary,
blocking his blade with my forearm guard.
I delivered a swift kick to his knee,
forcing him to drop,
and finished him with a hard strike to the temple.
The first mercenary tried to get up,
but Liam pinned him down,
demanding to know which floor Valerie was holding Clara.
The man laughed through his teeth,
refusing to cooperate,
until Liam tightened his grip on his throat.
"The penthouse,"
the man choked out,
gasping for air,
"She is on the top floor,
preparing the extraction."
Liam knocked him unconscious,
and we scrambled through the open ceiling hatch,
climbing the emergency ladder inside the shaft.
Our muscles ached from the continuous strain,
but the thought of Clara kept us moving forward,
climbing floor after floor in the dark.
We finally reached the roof access door,
pushing it open carefully to avoid detection,
and stepped out onto the windy penthouse terrace.
The wind howled around the high tower,
and a helicopter was sitting on the helipad,
May you like
its rotor blades spinning slowly,
getting ready for takeoff.
