Chapter 12 - Playing Along

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The moment Agent King leaves you turn your attention to the security cameras. You toggle between views to try and get a better idea of what's happening below your feet. You jump through all twenty floors searching for any sight of Barnes or the white-haired woman, but you find nothing. 

So you begin again from the top.

On floor 2 you spot that mass of thirty or forty elite agents - just as the director had described. Every agent left standing at the hold has been herded together, waiting in formation.

Pacing back and forth, you spot Agent King with his weapon drawn as he keeps vigilant watch. You let out a sigh of relief knowing that he's safe with the others.

Suddenly, a noise from down the hall catches your attention. 

Footsteps. 

And they're moving fast.

You slide silently from your chair into the server room, slipping inside and stepping over the three dead bodies on the floor. Creeping between the tall towers of computer drives, you hide at the end - out of sight and bathed in shadow. You close your eyes and steady your breathing, straining to hear over the low buzz of the computer equipment and the hum of the ventilation shafts that keep the room cold.

For several long minutes you remain still. You wonder if whoever had been in the hallway has gone when a small *click* of the door handle causes you to inhale sharply. You press yourself up against the back of the computing tower and hold your breath as three pairs of feet step inside the room only a few meters away. 

"I'm telling you, I heard someth- woah. What the hell happened in here?" A woman's voice floats across the room, low and quiet.

"Shit."

Your heart jumps. You recognize that voice. It's your asset. Barnes is in the room.

"This wasn't us, Buck," another male voice answers - one you haven't heard before. "We need to go. Something's not right."

"No," Barnes answers gruffly. "Not yet. Not without the intel."

"Bad idea," the woman speaks once more. "We should have taken it from those terminals we spotted on 12. There was no reason for us to come all the way up here and risk getting caught. We need to go - we have no idea who these people are or what they want."

"Exactly why I'm not leaving," Barnes grunts once more. "Not yet."

"I don't know Buck," the second male voice chimes in again. "I think she may be right. We should exfil before we lose the chance. Besides, I have a date."

"Then go," Barnes growls. 

"If I go home without you I'm going to be in a lot of trouble, pal," the man's voice says. "She's been pretty worked up. We had to leave Sam with her to make sure she didn't sneak into the jet this time."

You hear Barnes let out a soft sigh. 

"She's worried about you, pal," the man says.

"It's no use," the woman interrupts harshly. "Clearly he's not telling us everything. Let's just get the intel, do whatever it is he's not telling us about, and get out."

Fading footsteps tell you Barnes and his friends are retreating from the server room. You wait until they're gone before creeping out from behind the tower and making your way quietly back into central control. You tap your ear-comm twice, desperate to inform the director. But he doesn't answer. Your stomach begins to twist itself into knots as dread pools low in your stomach.

Besides you, the director is the only one left alive on this floor. And he's old, alone, and has no idea that Barnes and his people are stalking the halls. 

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