Arachna

Chapter 12: Espionage

It was worse than Lance had thought it would be.

They crawled out of the hideout, sneaked out the back door, and clambered up the fire escape to the roof of the neighboring building. They hopped rooftops until they had to climb back down, make a mad dash across the street, and start all over again. Derek and Rob jumped the gaps with no problem. Kaela and Lance took running starts and a lot of deep breaths to reassure themselves that they wouldn't plummet to the unforgiving concrete below.

No civilians were around, just empty streets, police cars, and an occasional patrolling guard. Rob was right. They'd enacted a curfew.

They stopped on the roof of a pastry shop, where the smell of cakes wafted up to his nose. It was euphoric, after having to deal with the smell of dirt and body odor for so long. Lance stared up at the night sky, at the stars speckling the black canvas, and he breathed in the refreshing, pastry-laced night air.

A moment of calm before the storm.

Landreau Corp towered above the rest of the buildings in the city, its entrance closely guarded. At least five men stood at the glass doors, which were reinforced with iron bars. More men patrolled a closed-off pathway leading to the door. A few employees were leaving the building, all looking normal.

So none of the employees had been affected.

"Look over there," Rob whispered, pointing at a small parking lot to the side of Landreau Corp.

A short brick wall surrounded it, just high enough that nobody would notice the two guards on each side of the back door.

"They're completely out of sight, so taking them out shouldn't be too hard."

Derek hummed. "So how do we get a uniform so I can get in there?"

"I... procured one for you." Rob stood and went to the stairwell door. Hidden behind it was a bag. He returned and promptly dropped it in front of Derek.

Derek reached into the bag and took out the helmet. "Lighter than I thought it'd be."

"I know, right? The body was a lot easier to drag than I figured."

Kaela crossed her arms. "And... where is this body, exactly?"

Rob smiled sheepishly. "Same place as the uniform." Before Kaela could respond, he continued, "I wouldn't go back there if I were you. It's already starting to smell."

Kaela groaned in disgust and walked closer to the edge of the building, probably trying to avoid the smell in case it wafted her way.

Derek was already putting the uniform on, cursing and stumbling as he struggled to fit into it.

"Yeah, it might be a bit small on you," Rob said. "Try not to walk funny."

Kaela dropped her head into her hands.

"How are Kaela and I going to get to that parking lot unseen?" Lance asked.

Rob followed Lance's stare to the parking lot, where the two guards at the door stood like statues, watching for any movement. "Don't worry, I have someone positioned across the street. They'll make a distraction for you." He stared down from the roof. "There's a stairwell over here. Once the distraction happens, you and Kaela make a dash for it."

"Okay," Derek said, the entire outfit on except for the helmet, which he cradled in his arm. "How do I look?"

"Like a corrupt policeman," Kaela said, "who gained some weight."

Derek grimaced. "Har har." He moved around a bit, then his grimace darkened. "This is squeezing me in all the wrong places."

Kaela covered her mouth, a breathy laugh spilling out. Lance chuckled a bit as well, a welcome relief from the nerves, and seeing a hesitant smile grow on Derek's face eased his nerves more. God, how were they smiling now when they were about to die?