Don't Catch Me!

Chapter 15 - Search and Rescue

Chapter 15 – Search and Rescue

I made a quick decision.  I couldn’t fabricate a distraction without know what trouble he was in or if he was even in trouble.  I needed to find him.  I needed to disobey his request and go after him.

I pulled myself from under the building and quickly ran for the shadows.  I knew where Joel should be but that didn’t guarantee anything.  There was one thing that kept my hope up - I had heard no alarm and Mr Sleaze would be the first to know if they caught him.

I followed the trees until they disappeared then I stayed close to any cover I could find as I skirted around the factories.  They were huge dirty buildings, there were hardly any doors and the few windows in the tall walls were brown with grime.  The workers were all arriving and the machinery was being started.   

How was I ever going to find him?  I knew the plan. I knew where he was supposed to be going but where did I start.  Again I made another quick decision.  I had to assume that he had been successful but he had run out of time.  Given that we didn’t know about the bell, and I had also been unable to complete my 'to-do-list' as a result, it was a fair guess. 

The last place he would have gone to was the furnace room.  Great, just perfect.  Why did we leave that place to last again?  Ohh, that’s right, because it had the least workers so the least chance of discovery.  Great.  So it wasn’t because it was the most dangerous place then?  It wasn’t going to be easy to rescue him from that room.  But that’s right, there will be no rescue attempt.  Sorry Joel,Wrong!

Drawing up to the air vents, the first thing I noticed was the temperature.  These vents went straight to the basement where the furnace and heat regulating equipment were housed.  Damn they were hot.  There was no way I could go down them and there was no way he was getting out that way either. 

I had no idea how Joel planned on getting into or out of the building, I didn’t ask and he didn’t tell me.  So I would have to come up with my own method.  How about the front door then?  Why not?

I retraced my steps until I was at the dumpsters at the rear.  I had come past these earlier and noticed their contents, thank you powers of perception.  I silently laughed.  I did tell Joel that I had superpowers!  I felt a jab of concern, but would they be enough?  With no one around I did the unthinkable.  I flipped the lid up and dived in.  Amongst grot and random scraps were uniforms.  These were obviously deemed unfit and discarded.  Hey, what happened to recycling?  Not that I was complaining but didn’t this go against their whole mantra?  I quickly found a tunic that wasn’t completely disgusting and pulled it on.  I didn’t have time to find the leggings so my jeans would have to do. 

I clung to the shadow and arrived back just as a large group of workers approached the main doors.  They walked with even steps and didn’t speak.  Their heads down, no one even glanced my way when I subversively joined the group.  I was positive that my louder than loud, fast beating heart would give me away.  Ohh man, I had so much adrenaline pumping through me that I could take on Doctor No, his henchmen, and the sharks with the lazers weapons strapped to they heads right about now.  Well maybe not.  Don’t jinx this, Cissy. 

Once inside the women started to peel off, heading for their workstations.  With small glimpses, I attempted to be discreet as I surveyed the internal space.  There were no guards, but then again why would there be guards?   They weren’t prisoners, right?  The open floor area was alive with people and machinery.    I didn’t have time to sightsee.  I knew where the vents were.  There was a better than good chance that the boiler room would be near the vents – it stood to reason.  So trying to look confident and not have the stained tunic identify me, I headed for the stairs.