Secrets of the Crown Assassins

43

DAMIEN

I jumped at the sudden sounds echoing through the tunnel. There was nothing around me. It was just a few rats scurrying through the halls. The thought didn't put me at ease. I shivered.

I hate rats.

I'd been walking through the empty, never-ending halls of the Raven base for over an hour, nearly two. At first, I tried searching for my brother, taking numerous paths as soon as I came across an intersection in the halls. It did nothing besides make me lost for a short while. Finally, I decided to continue on without him. I'm sure he was fine. I'm sure I would be fine.

After wandering around a bit longer, I found a staircase tucked away in the corner of an intersection between two hallways. The odd placement made sense. The Ravens couldn't place the staircase somewhere obvious if they were trying to hide them between the walls. But, if they took so much care to hide in gaps in the floorplan like I expected, then how did they hide the Blood Battles cavern and docking station between floors? The rooms must've been twenty feet tall and they had to have stored the water for the battles in large tanks, which would also need to remain hidden.

How did they do it?

It didn't matter at the moment. I would figure it out later. I'm sure Arielle or Xavier would manage to capture at least one high-ranking Raven to interrogate for answers. I needed to focus on taking any information I can from the Raven servers and then set up the explosives. I trusted that Arielle was well on her way to Indigo.

So I managed to climb six floors up before the staircase ended, forcing me back into the identical halls. Not a single Raven appeared in my way. They were probably watching as I walked straight into a trap, but there wasn't much I could do about it at the moment. I would have to deal with it when it came.

Tapping the screen integrated into my cuff, I activated the sensors. They would lead me to areas where other devices were sending out and receiving any form of signals. I would be able to track down the servers, and then Arielle and Xavier and anyone else in this stupid base who used a Tab of any kind.

I looked down at the screen. There were a few small signals coming from all around me, most likely cameras and light controls, but a major port of them seemed to be concentrated only a floor above me. I just needed to find a way up there.

I want some of Nydia's sugar cookies.

I shook my head, pushing the sudden thought away. I'd been way too distracted all of today, which was terrible timing. Maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much coffee. Or maybe I should've drunk more. I wasn't really sure.

Besides, I wasn't even sure where Nydia was. The last clue I had to her whereabouts was when she seemed to be at the bomber's house before us. I didn't even know what she was doing there. I had my suspicions, of course, but they couldn't be true. They just couldn't. Even Xavier didn't believe it, or he would've told me. There was no way she...

No.

I shook my head. I wouldn't think about her either until we left the Raven base.

I turned the corner, entering a particularly long and dark hallway. There was only one light in the distance while colored lights hung, like those of fire alarms, hung in a long line. With a start, I realized the lights were alternating between blue and red.

They were cop car lights.

My stomach sank, though I wasn't sure why.

I continued down the hallway carefully, hoping there would be a staircase at the end. Right when the end came clear, an open doorway sitting at the end of the hallway, things went to hell.