I had successfully infiltrated the Wulves building, and was now looking for Eli. I'd gotten a couple false starts, occasionally thinking that I'd seen him, but when I chased him down, usually down a long hallway or through an office area, it wasn't him.
Wishing I still had my red jacket, and not for the first or last time, I found an unoccupied hallway, where I took a bit of time to myself, leaning against the wall.
Raking my fingers through my hair, I sighed heavily, closing my eyes for a bit longer than a standard blink, stress giving me a blinding headache. I pressed my fingers against my temples, making a frustrated noise. I knew that it would be difficult to find my brother in a place this big, but I didn't expect it to be this frustrating.
Letting out a low string of curses, I took a few deep breaths, trying to steady myself. When I felt stable again, I pushed myself off of the wall, deciding that it was time to get moving again.
As I was walking down the hallway, trying to act like I knew exactly what I was doing, a thought came to me. Maybe Eli was on the Wulf-B2. Quickening my pace, I ran towards an elevator, and while I was waiting for it to arrive, I heard a voice behind me.
"Hey!"
I turned, my blood running cold, certain that I had been caught. A young-ish man was walking towards me with great purpose, though he had a grin on his face.
"Cal! Hey! Haven't seen ya in a while!"
I forced a pleasant smile come to my face.
"H-hey," I said slowly, all of my nervousness returning. This wasn't supposed to be happening. No one was supposed to know who I was.
My mind flicked back to the ID sitting in my back pocket. I focused on remembering the name. Calvin Andrews. That must have been his name. The guy talking to me must have been his friend.
I focused away from him, hoping that he didn't notice the differences between me and the real Calvin.
"Haven't seen you around recently," the other male said, reiterating what he had exclaimed earlier.
I shrugged, saying, "Yeah, I guess," while simultaneously trying not to give away the fact that I didn't know who he was or what his name was.
"So, what have you been up to?" he asked me, folding his arms across his chest and acting as if he was going to get on the elevator with me. I groaned internally, not wanting to have to talk to him and pretend to know what he was talking about.
"Oh, you know...this and that," I answered, trying to conceal my obvious nervousness, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, wondering if he noticed how vague I'd been.
"Yeah," he answered, grinning. After a second, as the elevator arrived and we had stepped inside, he looked to me and asked, "So...wanna go get a drink with me or something after work tonight? I'm buying..." He raised his eyebrows at me invitingly, smiling.
I shook my head. "Can't. Got this job on the B2. I'm gonna be out of the subsector for a while."
The other man nodded, looking down for a moment. I felt my ears pop, and for the first time I realized how high we must be going. I think about how tall the building is and then decide that the elevator might even go beyond the clouds.
My heart began pounding with anticipation. Sunlight was always so unattainable, something only the richest of the rich got to see. Having lived below the cloudline for so long, I was pale as a ghost. If I got any sunlight, I'd probably go up in flames. Still...it was too tempting not to turn to the large floor-to-ceiling window on the outside of the elevator, excitement coursing through me.
It slowly began getting lighter outside, and as it did, my excitement built. Just as it seemed that we would escape the clouds, the elevator stopped, causing me to turn in surprise. It was the other man, who was now grinning sheepishly. "This is my floor. See ya." He waved at me before stepping out of the elevator.
I watched him leave. After the elevator doors were shut and it was moving, I turned to face the window again, a smile beginning to grow on my face.
A few seconds later, and a blinding light filled my eyes, making me squint. It was brighter than any light I had ever seen, burning itself into my retinas. I brought my hands up to shield my eyes, wincing in pain.
When my eyes had adjusted enough, I cracked them open again, and my breath was immediately taken away.
The world above the clouds was pristine, beautiful in a way Gravity City could never be. Some of the clouds were still that yellow-grey color of smog, but were, for the most part, white.
Tears filled my eyes, and not just from the bright light. I brought up a hand, brushing away the tears.
It must have been a couple minutes, but it felt like only a second before the elevator stopped and its doors opened. Sighing sadly, I turned and walked out of the elevator, but I was not disappointed.
Above the cloud level, there were many windows, none of them curtained. It was beautiful, and I spent a good ten minutes just wandering around, marveling at the view.
Then I remembered my goal, and I quickened my step, heading towards where I hoped was a way to the Wulf-B2. Nodding at what few people I passed, I soon found a staircase with roof access, where the B2 would be docking.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I was met by a door, which I quickly opened, wanting to feel the sun on my skin. If I thought that the sunlight from the inside was amazing, it was even better out in the air. Wind whipped around me, pulling at my clothes and hair. I needed to hold it down so that it wouldn't get into my eyes, squinting against the light again. At that moment, I didn't see the sun for real. The Wulf-B2 was obscuring most of the sky, including the sun.
It was enormous, easily longer than two or three buildings. It was only two stories tall, to prevent atmospheric changes, so it was flatter than many other large airships, but still just as grand. Looking up at its sleek grey underbelly, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, awe-struck.
Focusing at the task at hand, I sprinted down the length of the roof to where the Wulf-B2 was docked. From the craft was a retractable staircase that was magnetically connected to the roof. The Wulves must not have thought that anyone had the gall to try to get on to the Wulf-B2 without authorization. I wouldn't have been surprised if all the doors were unlocked, too.
Taking the stairs, I was soon facing a small hatch. I reached a hand up, grasping the latch and turning it. With a pop, the hatch opened, and I saw a ladder leading up into the Wulf-B2. Hauling myself in, I was soon climbing up, and was met with another unlocked hatch. Within seconds, I was inside the Wulf-B2 and was looking around for any indication on whether or not my brother was on the ship.
Running down a grey hallway, I took note of the lack of guards. This was too easy... I scanned the ceiling, looking for the tell-tale red light of the Wulves' cameras. Surprisingly enough, I didn't see any, so I allowed myself to relax some, though there was still the possibility that they had hidden cameras.
Taking a deep breath, I rounded a corner and saw a door at the end of the hallway with a small vertical window set in it.
Slowing my step, I approached the door, my heart beginning to pound again. Once I was near, I crouched low, slowly creeping up on the door. I slowly raised myself until my eyes were just able to peek over the window.
Inside were three men. One was a tall, official-looking guy, another looked like a soldier or a guard. A quick glance at his belt confirmed that; he had a gun holstered there, one that looked like it could kill on contact. The third man in the room was my brother.
My. Brother.
Crouching back down, I put my back to the door, eyes wide. After a second, I looked again, just to make sure it was him. It was. This time, I looked for longer. The man in the suit was talking with Eli, using his hands a lot. Both of them were smiling and laughing at each other, as if they were good friends. The guard just stood there, surveying them.
I let out a breath, closing my eyes. When I reopened them, I was calm again, and ready to act. Getting to my feet, I looked back through the window.
I was met by the guard glaring at me through the window. Gasping, I stumbled back, catching myself on the wall. By the time the door opened, I was all the way down the hall, my boots hitting the ground hard.
Hearing footsteps behind me, I forced myself to run faster, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. Swinging around a corner, I slipped on the sleek floor, crashing down. I scrambled to my feet, feeling a sharp pain lance up my left leg and I fell down again., By then the guard had caught up to me. He grabbed me, twisting my arm. Letting out a shout, I turned, boring liquid hatred into the man's eyes.
However, as I began to try to escape, I glanced down, seeing the barrel of his gun pressing into my abdomen.
The Wulves had caught me.