Teen Spy: The Observer

Chapter 39

"Close the door. Help me move the guards to the corner." Will says as he shuts down his disruptor.

Kiara closes the door and Antoine helps Will move the bodies while Sasha retrieves her charm.

"What did you do to them?" Kiara asks Sasha.

"Relax, it's just knockout gas." Sasha explains. "I altered it to have a faster effect but to dissipate in seconds. They'll be unconscious for approximately an hour."

"Nice work." Kiara compliments.

Kiara sees their phones connected to the control panel by a cable as Will rolls the chair with the guard. He moves it to a corner and dumps the guard, then he moves back to the computers and gets to work.

"They didn't manage to get past my encryption." Will announces proudly.

"Good" Kiara says as she studies the various screens. "No wonder we were discovered!"

She points to one of the screens where she can clearly see the floor above the lab. She recognizes the places they moved by and the spot they later hide in. They were in plain sight all along and even then, the guards took their sweet time responding to their intrusion.

"The cameras are very well hidden." Will comments. "I'm impressed."

"They were probably play cards and that's why they didn't noticed us at first." Sasha says as she holds a deck of cards.

Will's hands fly over the keyboard.

"I'm sending an encrypted message to Carville." Will explains as he types. "In case these computers aren't as safe as we believe. Hopefully, he'll see them soon and come help us. Meanwhile, I'm running a program that'll wipe the hardware clean after making a copy in the external memory disk I found. And since all the computers are connected, I can access to all the data Berte has here. Now, let's find the rest of our things."

He displays the security feed in two of the monitors. It shows the lab and the observatory on top. The latest doesn't show anything, until they open the door from the storage room. Kiara witnesses in third person their capture, wincing when the guard punches her.

Will changes cameras feed to keep track of how the guards push them to the lab in front of Berte. After Berte dismisses them, the guard that took their things stays behind. He gives him Will's backpack. Berte barks something and gives the bag to a woman in a lab coat. She takes it to a table and starts sorting through the content. She then gives the phone to the guard who exits the room.

Will fast forwards the feed to the present confirming that the woman is still detailing their things.

"Good. We know where it is. Now, check to see if Berte is still in the building." Kiara says.

"Check in the conference room." Antoine suggests.

Will opens the feed in another screen and starts looking for the correct camera. When he finds it, they find Berte pointing to a presentation behind him and explaining something to three other people, two men and one woman.

"How are those people?" Will asks.

"Representative of allied companies." Antoine says.

"So, they're involved in this whole scheme?" Kiara asks.

"Oui." Antoine confirms. "The meeting is about to end. You can't let them leave or you might never catch them again. Once my father is arrested, they'll disappear."

"I can lock this place off until Agent Carville and his team arrive." Will says.

"That won't work for him. My father has a master key that can open any door even if there is a lockdown." Antoine says.

They all stare at him, trying to circumvent that little problem.

"It's a safety precaution he installed." Antoine explains uncomfortable.

"We'll need to retrieve your backpack from the lab, too, before they destroy any of it" Sasha reminds them.

"I can activate the lockdown after one of you retrieves our things from the lab". Will thinks out loud.

"I can do that" Sasha offers. "I know my way around the lab and can create a distraction if needed."

"But that will alert Berte that something is off, and he will make a run for it." Antoine insists.

"Then, Kiara you'll have to prevent that from happening. Think you can do it?" Will says.

"I can stall Berte."

Kiara pauses running the scenario in her mind.

"The security guards won't be a problem once you activate the lockdown," she explains. "I'll just have to keep Berte and the other inside that conference room until Agent Carville arrives... is there security guarding the conference room?"

Will types something else and the screen changes again. It now shows the hallway of the conference room with an elevator at the end, only one other door and two guards posted outside it.

"I can take care of them. But Berte probably has a phone inside. You'll need to cut that off too." Kiara finally says. "I may stumble unto more guards on the way. Is there a way you can warn me before hand?"

"You could use this." Antoine says after searching one of the cabinets. He gives them three walky-talkies. "You can change them to a secure channel so that nobody else listens in." He does it. "And you can also connect them to these wireless earphones so only you can hear." He offers them to Sasha and Kiara.

"Can you guide me to the conference room from here?" Kiara asks him.

She neither wants to leave him unsupervised nor put him in harm's way. He is after all still a civilian, but he might still want to protect or help Berte in some way.

"Sure." Antoine says.

"Then we have a plan." Will says. "Good luck, I'll be monitoring you from here. Once I activate the lockdown, Agent Starling you're on your own. Be careful."

Kiara sees concern in his eyes, and it warms her heart.

"I've got this," she says confidently, puts on the earphone and straps the walkie to her waist.

She gives it a test and then exits the security room. Sasha trails her out and they eventually part ways. Kiara follows Antoine's instructions, though more than once they are interrupted by Will's warning to stand by while a guard passes very close to Kiara's position.

"My part is done, heading back to SR." Sasha says.

"Good. I'm waiting for the elevator." Kiara says looking around her constantly in case someone turns the corner. "Update on the targets."

"The guards are still in their original position." Will supplies. "Berte's meeting seems to be adjourning."

"Cut the phone signal. Once I've taken care of the guards, initiate lockdown" Kiara commands. "If Berte starts heading to the door, begin it anyway. I'll find my way up."

The elevator arrives, and Kiara quickly steps in and presses the floor number.

"You have around 10 minutes, before he leaves the room." Antoine adds.

"Good I only need five of those." Kiara says and puts her plan in action.