*The Montparnasse tower is in black*
Sneaking into the tower gives me a strange sense of deja vu. The security here can't compare to the facility in London, but this will be more difficult because I am planning to steal and escape unnoticed. The plan I have isn't very difficult, but it certainly isn't easy.
A lone guard appears and I have to applaud my luck, again. It seems the universe is smiling at me. I wait until he is close enough and far enough fro any potential surveillance before I act. I start to drag him over to where I am using his belt, and as soon as he's close enough, I focus on his rifle instead. He starts to struggle, but I quickly force the rifle upwards. The guard barely has the time to yelp before he's knocked out cold by his own weapon. I call that poetic justice.
Grabbing him by the vest he's wearing, I use my mind to drag him towards me and quickly start to undress him and pull the uniform over myself. The fact that they wear helmets is a bonus; it makes me less easily spotted as an outsider.
Leaving the man tied up and gagged under some plastic tarp, I resume his place and continue walking around the perimeter. It'd only appear as though I had gone to pee. Once I am far enough, I reach for the door and it opens without protest. This is a bit easy.
I hurry along the corridor, bare of any decoration and consist of bare concrete, knowing that my time has been on the count down as soon as I pull that guard out of his routine. I need to find a way to their medical ward, but first I must find out where it is.
The sound of incoming footsteps echoes around the corner and I resist the urge to flinch away or hide. The likelihood is that they won't raise an eyebrow at a passing guard. I keep my head down and my pace steady as the source of noise rounds the corner. I ca see two pairs of feet, clad in white canvas shoes.
"The medical wing needs to be disinfectant, bring a few people with you," one of them says and the other person replies quickly. Both of them are female, and they don't sound older than thirty. I continue to walk forward and strain my ears at the conversation. The girl who is suppose to go clean the room speaks and I can hear the humming of electrical white noises; she's using a walkie.
"Would those who are on duty meet me at the level wing medical wing," she says loud and clear, before the footsteps of someone turning back begins. With that piece of information, I speed up and round the corner. She's heading back, which means I am going the right way for the medical room.
Locating a flight of stairs not too far from the turn, I run towards it and hop up the stairs two at a time. I need to beat the girl and whoever she has called to the medical wing so I can plan my next step. Luckily for me, a huge number display on the stairwell let me know the floor number and I exit the door at a normal pace.
No one else is around, yet. I look around at the corridor that is identical to the ones below, hoping for a sign that points me to the direction. Instead, I smell the telltale scent. Disinfectant.
Following my nose, I head left and turn at the end and is immediately reward by the overwhelming stench of disinfectant. I head up to one of the doors and peek inside. Patient's room.
The sound of conversations drifts in and I know the cleaning crew is arriving. I peek into the third window and see what I came here for. Medicines.
Even though all of the medicines existing are expired, Winnie assured us that it's safe to take the ones that are still in solid form. While those ones are unlikely to cure Margot, some painkillers will do her a world of good. And whatever else I can find is always welcome.
Focusing on the lock, I feel around its mechanism and create a phantom key to unlock it. Slipping inside, I shut it quietly and kneel down on the ground against the door to avoid being spotted. I wait until the voices disappear before getting back up; I need to act fast and leave before they finish cleaning.
Surveying the room, I take note of the sheer amount of stock. Maybe they won't even notice some missing. I check the label of each drawer and cupboard, looking for ones that I recognise and need. I am tempted to bag everything and run, but that isn't a good plan.
Taking paracetamol, neurofene, anti histamine and some drugs whose name I vaguely recognise, I stuff them into my vest and peer out from the window. The coast appears to be clear and I slip out, making sure to look it back in place.
"What are you doing?" a voice asks and I curse inside. My good luck has run out. Turning around slowly, I keep my face down and lowered my voice.
"There was a light inside, I just check if the door is locked," I answer. The guard seems satisfied and I start walking towards him. My heartbeat quickens; if he notices something wrong, then I have to make a quick exist, which might not be so easy.
"Wait," he calls and I pause. It takes all of my will power to resist the urge to make a run for it. "Which route are you on?"
"B," I take a wild guess and answer. I keep on moving towards the stairwell, and as soon as the guard shouts for me to stop, I make a run for it.
I hop down the stairs two at a time, my mind racing as I try to recall the path that I came in from. I shouldn't be too far from the exit, but if they have a walkie system, I have very limited time before everyone catches on.
Sure enough, some kind of alarm starts blaring as I hit the ground floor. I don't even slow down as I stumble into the corridor, pushing my way through two people and charge straight for the exit. I can hear some distance shouting, but I ignore it; as long as I can get out of this place, I have a solid 90% chance of escaping them completely.
"Stop this instance." The moment I burst through the door, I am greeted by two guards. They point their rifles at me, but I don't stop. One of them fire at me but I manage to deflect it enough that it only glazes by my left arm. I wince at the pain; I need to move out of range.
"Leave whatever you have taken or else you will be shot," threats keep being shouted at me from behind. I concentrate on running faster and orientating myself. The wound is slowing me down and they are gaining on me fast; I need to find a way to hide or escape.
Eying the road in front of me, I ignore the stares from other people as they watch the spectacle of me being chased by the Montparnasse guards. I need to change out of this uniform fast, but I can't do it without losing it as a container for the drugs I stole.
I take off the outer layer as I run, doing my best to maintain speed as I tear out my own shirt. I bundle the medicines inside and tie a tight knot to hold it all together. I am near the base soon and I can get this to Anastasia. The shouts behind me grow more distant, but I have to expect the worse.
Locating the entrance to the storage place, I quickly throw the bundle inside and shouts for Anastasia. She runs up the stairs, flustered, but I don't have enough time to explain.
"The guards are still looking for me, so I am going to lead them away. Go back first and I will return as soon as possible," I give her a kiss on the cheek before she can respond, easing myself back out and continue running, but more slowly. Sure enough, a guard turns around into the street and starts screaming at me.I just needed to lead them away far enough so that Anastasia can bring the drugs back.
Relying on distant memory, I meander my way through the streets of Paris as the group of pursuers behind me grows. I have no idea why they are so persistent; after all, I haven't taken more than ten or so bottles. My plan to lead them away is working remarkably well, but I want to get out of this uncaptured as well.
Everywhere we reach, people starts to get off the street and watch us with cold indifference or mild interest. I am desperate to find somewhere to slip away, but short of jumping into the river, I got nothing.
At least they are off Anastasia's trail. Although I am starting to think that my plan is a stupid one.
I scan the row of houses around, hoping to spot a hidden alley that I can go into. I can use my power to fend them off, but then they will know what I can do. Not that the rumours of people with powers haven't already been flying around the city. I have never been under the illusion that Anastasia, Arielle and I are different, but hearing the news of others like us is exciting.
But now I don't have time to dwell on this. I need to escape.
At the moment, I spot a half-abandoned house in the middle of an old roundabout and make a run for it. The door is semi-bordered up with a red cross sprayed on it. With a scream, I extend my mind and tear a lower plank off, sliding under it. I almost crash straight into the wall inside. It's pitch black in here, and I fumble around looking for a light switch, but coming up short. The sound of footsteps nears, and I hold my breath. They shouldn't be able to find me, I can't even find myself in this dark place.
"You go around the block, and you two go the other way around, he has to be still around somewhere," a voice barks out and I can hear them walking away. I curse under my breath; they won't be leaving this area anytime soon. I need to find an alternate way out or face being captured.
Patting the uniform I am wearing, I find a thumb-torch tuck into the belt pockets and turn it on. They do equip their staffs nicely. I shine it around the place and note that it seems to be some kind of ticket booth in the Age that Has Been. And there is a single flight of stairs in the corner leading down. There is a ticket gate in front, but it's pretty dated so I should pass through without raising an alarm.
Still hearing the shouts outside, I head down the stairs. There's no point in waiting my luck out, I might as well see if this would be a viable option. The smell of damp and mold hit me and I resist the urge to sneeze. There is something else in the air as well, something protrude that I can't place...
The stairs ends in a small room, and there seem to be several paintings hanging around on the wall, but they are too ravaged by time to be read. I make sure the torch reach every corner of the small space before continuing on. The last thing I need is something jumping out at me. Rats or human.
But I'm not prepared for the sight that greets me. I blink, then again to make sure I'm not hallucinating.
I'm in an underground cave fill with skulls and skeletons.
----------------------------
I don't know if any of you have visited the Paris Catacombs, but it was really a special experience. Only 200 people are allowed in there at a time and it is an absolute maze down there! It used to be a mine and they started moving skeletons down there in the 16/15th century due to overpopulation and plague. There are literally thousands of skulls - all living people once. There are some disrespectful people touching the skulls and taking selfies - I was definitely NOT amused.
For those of you who might want to know: Selection is being edited! Yay! And I am in process of hiring a cover artist, all so exciting!
As always, comment and vote to let me know what you think!