His nerves trembled anxiously. A part of him-a very big part-wanted to turn around, forget the place, and go back to killing aliens by day and partying by night. He found he preferred that simple approach.
Still, he managed to subdue the urge to retreat, squashing it with bravado.
I’m the Emperor! I can go wherever I want!
Trevor approached the side door.
Go back! Turn around!
A security camera focused on the person who approached the side door, slipped a key card into the lock, and followed Reverend Johnny's footsteps into the heart of Thebes.
– Director Jakob Snowe sat in a windowless office inside the Operations Center scribbling another signature on another set of orders, this one approving the promotion of a junior officer who had served him well; one of his many friends well-positioned in the military, manufacturing, and administrative sectors.
One of those friends walked in to his office after a quick knock. Snowe did not look up from his paper.
"Mr. Director, security called. You wanted to be notified if The Emperor went to building one-dash-one. He was spotted on an exterior camera entering the building alone."
Snowe jumped up and moved around the desk for the exit first at a walk and then at a slow jog.
"Muster the men and warm up my Skipper."
The Director joined the race.
–
The room smelled of grease and cleaning chemicals. An eclectic collection of maintenance items-from mops to spare electronic parts-lay about the area in lockers and on tables, in corners and on shelves.
He spied the trio of passages leading away from the room and felt as if he had accessed a sort of backstage entrance to the place. Those passages looked less like typical corridors and more like maintenance tunnels, resembling the type of hallways one might find running through a shopping mall behind the retail spaces.
Of course, Trevor did not know which way to go. Thankfully, the sound of approaching footstep from behind a set of double doors directly in front of him made the decision easy: he pushed through a metal door and proceeded along a tunnel cutting behind offices and workshops. He walked in silent steps, moving fast but hiding all the same.
Why am I hiding? I'm The Emperor! I own this place! Everything here is mine!
Funny how petty that sounded when trying to convince himself. Yet he knew it to be true. From staked aliens to murdered Committeemen, Trevor Stone had purchased Thebes and all its people. Somewhere ahead waited another piece of that inheritance.
– A light drizzle fell, causing the black-topped boulevard to glisten in the street lights.
Nina's car screamed around a corner, fish-tailing through an intersection in a fit of over steer. The squeal of the slipping tires bounced off the tall, empty buildings surrounding the lonely street. As she pushed the throttle, the roar of the engine sounded even louder.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel. She bit her lower lip to the point of nearly drawing blood. The buildings on either side became one constant, ugly blur.
Something caught her eye.
Nina looked out a side window painted with droplets. Overhead, a Skipper flew by and she knew where it was going and she knew who was on board.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Forest pounded her fists on the steering wheel then slammed the accelerator to the floor. The car’s rear wheels chirped from the onslaught of torque and propelled her forward even faster, but not nearly as fast as the Skipper.
– Trevor moved along a tight corridor. The background sound of grinding, turning, churning machinery continued at a constant, low hum.
He passed supply closets and exit doors and fire control equipment and utility cabinets, traversing a labyrinth spider webbing through the entire building. Yet, the halls and passages, the door ways and intersections flowed like tributaries feeding a river, leading toward a central area. He felt it calling to him.
– The AATC came to an abrupt, rough halt on the landing pad atop building one-dash-one in the industrial sector. The ship had barely stopped moving when the hatch lowered open.
Director Jakob Snowe and an entourage of well-armed faithful followers hurried from the craft.
– The car came to a halt outside the building. Nina swung open the door, exited, and ran through the cathedral-like entrance, avoiding a supply truck as it drove away from the docks. Two guards watched her enter but did nothing to stop her, a superior officer.
Nina knew she needed to beat Snowe to the security control station on the upper level of the complex. From there she could track Trevor. If she could get to him before the Director, maybe she could stop this before it happened. Maybe things would be okay.
As she hurried around palates and crates and drums, she checked to ensure her twin pistols were secure in their shoulder holsters, in case things did not turn out okay at all.
– The walls of the corridor became lined with power conduits and plumbing feeding into an eclectic collection of work rooms. From the few glimpses Trevor dared, he saw workers repairing equipment, patching uniforms, and inventorying supplies.
Trevor wondered why he had never come to this building-or the industrial sector-before. On his Earth in his Empire — old Empire — he had gone out of his way to interact with the workers, the manufacturers; the people who fed the war machine. Without them there would be no bullets, no food, no uniforms, or no Eagle air ships. But here, in his new Empire, he focused purely on the fighting.
The fun stuff…the stuff I like so much…
After the assembly rooms came corridors of metal grates and catwalks, as if originally constructed to serve a temporary purpose, like scaffolding framing a building under construction. It felt to him as if the rest of the facility had grown outward from a central point, a point he neared with each step forward.
– Snowe led his hand-picked group of soldiers through a cramped hallway stepping over the frames of open bulkheads as he moved.
Workers and technicians stepped aside. Despite his diminutive stature, the Director walked with the determination of a tank, his eyes fixed in a cold-blooded stare.
– Around this corner…
Nina had followed the signs for the security control room as she climbed stairs and ladders through the building. One last turn remained but she halted at the corner when she heard a voice call, "Director Snowe!"
Nina stood still, not daring to peek around the corner with Snowe and the building's security watch commander a few feet from her position, but she could hear well enough.
"Chief, Billy, what have you got?"
"Last we saw he was moving toward the holding cells, probably making for the core. But we haven’t spotted him since. Do you want me to put the facility on alert?"
"No," Snowe instructed in a stern voice. "I want to do this quietly. The fewer people the better. Once it’s over, we can make up whatever story we choose. If we start making a lot of noise we’ll draw more attention than I want. Keep your people away from him; have them focus on guarding the exits. Don’t let him out of here. My men will take care of the rest."
"One other thing, sir. My men saw Major Forest enter the building a few minutes ago. Is she looking for Stone, too? What are your orders for her?"
Snowe snapped, "If she gets in the way, kill her. The little whore won’t have any friends left after this anyhow. Probably be doing her a favor."
She clenched her lips to stifle a gasp.
"Yes, sir. And I'll let you know as soon as we pick either of them up on cameras again. They seem to be staying away from the main areas."
Nina steadied her nerves and thought Trevor is heading toward the core.