Shock

-41-

We decided to split up so we could cover more ground. Greg went to his boss, Mr. Hainsworth's office, as that seemed like the obvious place to start. Nathan went to the IT department. He wasn't a hacker, but he thought he might be able to find a thing or two if he managed to get into the system. I went into a storage room at the end of the hall to try and search the files. We promised each other we'd notify the others as soon as we'd found anything.
The room I stepped into was pitch-black. Considering it had no windows and the power was out, it looked like the only light I was getting originated from the hallway, where a few windows allowed for better vision. It'd be a snoozefest to go through all the boxes, but I figured it was for the greater good, so I sat down in front of one of the file cabinets and started digging through the papers.

Ten minutes later, I'd found nothing. I sighed and stuffed the stack of useless documents back. As I closed the drawer, I heard movement behind me. Assuming it was Greg or Nathan, I didn't turn around before speaking.
"Nothing here." I said, "The bastard's done a bloody good job covering his tracks."
"Well, I am a professional, of course."
My head shot up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice.
"Not who you were expecting, am I?"
Slowly, I turned my head towards the sound.
A tall figure stood in the doorway. Most of his features were obscured by the backlight, though I could make out a beard and a big, crooked nose. It was Hainsworth, I was sure of it.
I stood, determined not to let my fear show.
"You won't get away with what you did." My voice sounded stronger than I'd expected.
"And what may that be, exactly?" He was playing dumb, but I had no intention of playing along.
"You'll face trial. A few years in jail, at least." I tried to raise my voice enough so that Nathan or Greg would hear. Hainsworth appeared to be unarmed, but I still didn't want to be alone with him for too long. The building was empty, and I hoped my voice would echo in the rooms.
"Who will see that though, then?" the man asked, amusement clearly present in his voice, "You?"
I grinded my teeth and balled my hands into fists.
"What are you? Sixteen, seventeen?"
I didn't respond, just glared.
"You're quite ambitious, I'll give you that. Though, of course... you're not alone."
I didn't know how he knew. Maybe he'd spied on us from the beginning. Maybe he'd guessed. Either way, I decided in was in my best interest to keep my mouth shut.
"You're quite similar, though I'm sure you hear that all the time. The eyes, the hair... the unwillingness to know your place."
Though he didn't mention any names, I could tell he was talking about Greg.
He had started towards me now. I fought my instincts and didn't back away, that would just make me seem vulnerable. So I stayed put, staring down the man as he stepped into the room.
"You know, I normally don't take particular interest in my interns. I don't mean to seem rude, it's just that this company accounts for over thirty thousand employees, it would be quite... tedious to learn all their names."
He kept inching closer, his feet moving at an excruciatingly slow pace.
"But your brother, he is not one to be easily forgotten," he shook his head and lowered his voice. "No he is not. He's a meddler. He just had to go in against me... You know what else you two have in common?"
Hainsworth was right in front of me now, and I kept my gaze fixed on his every move.
"You both failed."
His arms moved forward to try to grab my wrists, but I pulled them back right in time, then kneed him in the crotch as hard as I could. He hunched forward for a few seconds, giving me time to make my escape. I sped past him, towards the hallway. I had almost reached the door when I tripped and fell. The man had caught up on me and pulled on my leg. Now I was flat on the floor, he twisted my arms behind me and squeezed both wrists in one hand. I winced in pain as the cut on my hand was squashed and stretched.
"Where is he?" Hainsworth asked.
I turned my head to the side to ease my breathing but didn't say anything. I wasn't about to rat out my brother. He still had a chance. Maybe he'd find the document. Maybe he'd find me. Hainsworth squeezed my wrists harder.
"Where is he?"
"I don't know," I lied.
He pulled on my arms, forcing me to stand. Now we were on the same level, I figured I had a fighting chance. Not here though, I needed and open space where I could run fast and far. So I let him push me out of the room and into the hallway.
"You don't have to tell me." he spoke in my ear. "Just take me to him."
My eyes scanned the doors as I strained to remember which one Greg had entered. The second one on the left, I thought, but I couldn't know whether he was still there. For all I knew, he'd moved on after coming up blank. To be safe, I skipped a few more doors before telling Hainsworth, "This one."
He moved past me, moving my wrists so that he held them in one hand, and used the other to turn the knob. His grip was much less secure now. As he opened the door and peered inside, I saw my chance and jabbed out both elbows a the same time, causing my hands to be released. I knocked him on the back of his head as hard as I could. It wasn't much, but I'd caught him off-guard, and he stumbled forwards, into the room. This was my head start. I sprinted away in the direction we'd come from, making as much noise as possible.
"Greg!" I yelled. I didn't want to call Nathan, as Hainsworth was currently under the impression that there were only two of us, and I didn't want to lose that advantage. A door on the right opened, and Greg stepped out.
"Charlie? What-" his eyes flickered to a spot behind me and his jaw dropped.
"Mr. Hainsworth, what are you doing here?"
I skidded to a stop next to Greg. When I turned, Hainsworth was making his way over to us. I suppose he knew we wouldn't run, as he was walking slowly, with his hands clasped behind his back, as if he were out for a stroll in the park.
"Well, this is my company." He said, "Besides, not all alarm systems require electricity."
Greg was taken aback by his boss's sudden appearance, but he recovered rather quickly.
"It wasn't 'a minor problem'," He said, stepping forward. "Buildings collapsed, cars crashed... People died."
The man looked at his employee with a look of disgust, as if he couldn't believe he would talk to him like that.
"Then I guess those people should have been more careful." He spat.
A rage I'd never felt before bubbled up in me. I could feel the blood rush to my head and my heart rate rise. I could take him. I'd hit him earlier. I was quicker, more agile than the old man. As his mouth curled into a smug smile, I lost all self control and bolted forwards. I got ready to throw a punch, but as soon as I got within two feet, he moved his hands away from his back. He grabbed me, turning me around and pressing something cold to my skin. Before I could even react, the man had me trapped in a chokehold, knife to my neck.