The office, 02:55
From her hiding place behind the desk, Dan can't see the person entering the room. She listens for steps or voices, but the carpet swallows the former, and the newcomer remains silent. Ric shifts his position, the fire extinguisher in his right hand, and pulls the safety bolt. He hands it to Dan together with the wheel brace. The piece of metal weighs heavy in her hand but doesn't give her the reassurance she craves. She clasps it, her knuckles white, while she rubs the dog's neck with her free hand. Please remain quiet, Buddy.
A loud gasp from beyond the desk makes her stomach lurch. They are discovered.
Ric dives from his crouch and whirls around. A loud hiss follows, and Dan covers her nose while a clue of dry powder engulfs her. The painful whine of the dog darting away from the desk mixes with a high-pitched screech.
Dan pulls the collar of her pullover over her mouth and nose before she peeks around the desk.
The surreal picture her stinging eyes take in could be an impressionist painting. A thick layer of chemical powder covers every surface around the desk and the hardly recognisable, white-powdered figure out pf the boss herself doubles over in a coughing fit.
For a second, Dan reaches for the bag of cough drops in her pocket. But a whine from the farthest corner of the room chases all other worries. "Buddy? Are you alright?" She rushes to her protégée and brushes white powder out of its fur. "It's fine, I'm here."
The coughing and gagging sounds of the boss lady get interrupted by a thump. Dan whirls around to see Ric, his nose and mouth buried in his elbow, stooping over the unconscious form of the woman. "Is she alive?"
"Yes, she breathes. I sent her to sleep." He spends Dan an accusing glare. "What mixture of the devil is this?"
"Dry powder. Mostly mono-ammonium phosphate. This is a fire extinguisher, remember? The stuff is not supposed to be a health hazard, but if you inhale it, your lungs won't agree."
Ric raises his eyebrows and takes a deep breath, brushing white dust from his sleeves. Dan helps him to pull the crumpled human form out of the powder and cleans her face. The woman's chest rises in regular intervals, and Ric takes her wrist to check for a pulse.
He nods and stands up. "The lady should be fine. But I want to be gone before they come looking for her." From the desktop, he picks up his gadget. The orange blinking is replaced by a soft lilac glow now. A grin spreads on Ric's face as he picks up the Metec and slips it into a pocket. "All settled. We can leave."
Dan frowns. "The powder has strong corrosive properties. You should clean your precious thingy before it malfunctions."
Ric hurries to pull out the box and blow the dust out of every crevice. "If this malfunctions, we might remain stranded here." Only when he is satisfied the Metec is clean, he offers Dan a hand. "Let's go. I've collected all the data I need and placed a virus that will destroy the memory of their system. If it works, their data storage will be beyond saving in a few hours. The advantage of our superior future technology."
A glance at the fine white powder covering the furniture and carpet conjures a lopsided grin on his face. "Although, I must admit your technology of the past has a certain charm. A bit on the rough side, but straightforward."
Dan sends him a sceptic side glance. "It's your speciality to hit people over the head."
"Not my favourite hobby, I swear. And it shouldn't be necessary either. This mission is a mess."
Dan pats the dog's back and picks up the wheel brace before she stands up. "Glad to hear this. I wouldn't know. Where do we go now?"
"Out of here." He takes her hand and leads her back to the meeting room and from there to the empty hallway, making sure the dog follows them. They are halfway to the elevator when another siren wails through the building.
This is the distinctive high-low sequence of a fire alarm. Ric glares at Dan, his eyes wide. She shakes her head and pulls him forward before he can ask the questions she imagines forming in his mind. "This time I'm innocent. Or—I don't know. Perhaps the jammed head of the welder caused a real fire. It might, and then you could hold me responsible, I guess. But I was sure they found my attempted diversion a while ago."
A quick glance at Ric shows her a frown formed on his forehead. He stops. "Welder? Should I hear this story?"
"I'll tell you, but not here, please. Anywhere safe."
"Right. If there is a real fire, we don't want to get caught down here." He pulls Dan into the now brightly lit emergency stairwell and up towards the closed exit, ushering the dog along. From the depth, the sound of opening and closing doors and shouting voices confirm Hall and his team deal with an actual emergency.
When they reach the locked door on the top landing, Dan slumps against a wall. "And now?"
Ric sends her a strained grin and presses the Metec against the lock of the steel door. Dan holds her breath, hoping the device is capable to open the way to freedom. After a few moments, a tiny hum and a blink of the lilac led-light prove Ric's gadget is up to the job. The lock clicks open.
"After you, ladies."
Behind the heavy door lies another stair. It is dark, moist, and smells stuffy as if the air wasn't stirred in an eternity. Ric locks the door behind them. In the faint pink light from the Metec, old spider webs and layers of dust and grime paint a stark contrast to the well-cleaned, sterile rooms below. It is also much colder, and Dan shivers in her thin pullover. Buddy climbs a few steps and looks back at her, eyes gleaming in the lilac light.
Dan follows her companion, holding on to Ric's hand. Together, they climb the grim stairs. When a shadowy something scurries away from under her foot, she gasps in shock. Buddy's loud barks echo through the stairwell.