Calamitous (Kaylor)

22

"What do you mean, I can't go?" The morning's tranquility was shattered by Taylor's voice. "Karlie, you can't leave me behind again! You need me!" Karlie turned to her, exasperated.

"It's going to be dangerous, Taylor. Arsyn and her goons have it out for you. Not to mention that the people who are supposed to be on our side will look for any way to get you in trouble." Various scenarios raced through her imagination: Taylor getting hurt and the police choosing to leave her behind, or worse, hurting her themselves and making it seem like Arsyn was responsible.

"I can handle myself. I'm practically fully recovered," Taylor protested. "And I know that building and Arsyn. I'm invaluable to this mission. Please let me come with you."

"We've already got a plan set up, Tay. We're not going to change it the morning of the raid."

"Well, I bet it's a bad plan!" Taylor said, disgruntled.

"You have no way of knowing."

"Let me guess," the blonde said, stalking toward Karlie. "You're going to go in the front door and try to bully the guard into giving you the elevator keys. You'll tie him up and start sending people down there, completely unaware of what's waiting for you below."

"I've been there before. I know what the layout of the building is." Taylor raised her eyebrow and Karlie sighed and added begrudgingly, "...vaguely." The shorter girl rolled her eyes.

"Okay, here's what you don't know," she began. "The guy at the front desk? He's got an emergency button to push as soon as he sees something suspicious. There are also cameras. You got lucky last time when there was no one around to monitor them, but I guarantee they know something's up since you broke me out of there."

"We'll have to be quick, then."

"No, Karlie. You don't stand a chance. The elevator takes approximately 45 seconds to get down to the lower levels. That's enough time for the advance guard to assemble and take out the four or five of you that squeezed in. A minute and a half later, the next group of you arrives; by then, half the gang will be waiting for you, and so on until you're all dead. Seriously, it will be a bloodbath."

Karlie groaned. "Why couldn't you have said all this at the planning sessions?"

Taylor blinked. "...You didn't let me go to the planning sessions."

"Oh. Right. Once again, I'm an idiot and I'm sorry. Okay, so what do you suggest instead?"

"I take you in through one of the lesser-used secret entrances. I take out any cameras or guards that might be in the vicinity, then I send the rest of you through. Piece of cake." Karlie thought about it for a moment. The idea did seem slightly safer than their plan - at least for the officers. For Taylor, not so much.

"Are you sure you have to do it?" she asked. "Can't you just tell us where the entrance is?"

"Nope," the blonde answered cheerfully. "It opens with facial recognition. I'm the one who set it up - no one else ever really used that entrance. There's no way Arsyn would have thought to mess with it."

Karlie pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. "Okay, fine. You can come. But promise me that you won't do anything stupid."

"Um, have you met me?" Taylor said. Karlie gave her an unimpressed look. "No, you don't get to look at me like that!" the blonde jabbed her finger at Karlie's face. "It is not my fault that I keep getting hurt! Wipe that smug look off your face!" she threatened as Karlie's expression morphed into a smirk. "I swear, I will slap you -"