A Dash of Scarlet In Paradise

BEHIND THEIR LINES

XII

Marcus swiftly got up from the slippery floor and entered a vacant cubicle, and at the perfect time. The door creaked open as the sounds of leather boots tapped continually.

The man hidden behind the constrained toilet cubicle was going to lock the door until he heard the footsteps stop.

Not good.

The door swung open slowly and the PAU soldier dropped his jaw as he saw the outsider standing inside the small cubicle. Marcus however, basically gave the soldier a heads-up as he gave a tiny grin.

"Sorry man, occupied."

Burrowing his head low and charging ahead fast, Marcus forced the soldier against the sinks. Using one hand, he knocked over the soldier's helmet and blocked his all means of breathing.

The suffocating man began to tussle harder, but Marcus had him joined with the side of the wall. The mirror began to draw crack-lines.

Stop struggling, it's pointless, I've won.

The whites of the soldier's eyes came out at last and the man released his grip on Marcus. There was a throb in Marcus' head, and it was distracting him, so he placed his hand next to the sensor under the tap, and then submerged his face in clean water.

The water not only cleansed his face, but also seemingly erased a lot of stress from the troubled soldier. It was like the mission was over because they were just behind success. But still, it wasn't complete.

I'll take your armor, thank you very much.

With the suit disguise, Marcus was safe to exit the washroom. He then remembered that he had some unfinished business.

He clogged up the sink and let the tap fill it up with water, "Sorry man, I can't risk anything." He softly rested the soldier's head in the sink and then left him to his demise.

It was a quiet death.

The elevator was right around the corner, and it was closing its doors at just about the same time Marcus came around. He stuck his arm in between the doors and squeezed inside.

The transparent aqua colored railings were really slick in comparison to the solid, more durable constructions back in the UDCF strongholds.

It was a difficult choice regarding which button to press. Marcus hadn't asked Vector beforehand as it has slipped from his mind, so he chose the number at the top of his head, the 8th floor.

The feeling of elevation was so untellable that Marcus was amazed that he had reached the 8th floor in such speedy fashion.

The facility was like a labyrinth, with hallways and doors at every possible spot. Marcus didn't feel safe communicating to Vector out in the open so he sneakily removed the com-link and pushed it down his pocket.

Where to go, where to go?

The large floor-to-ceiling glass walls were sectioning Marcus away from one of the main lab centers. Inside were many clean desks organized into rows, with multiple researchers walking around, carrying their test subjects to different types of machines.

There was an ominous feel to the entire scene, and Marcus could feel it strongly. The lights were appearing to be flickering rapidly, the desks shaking heavily and all the guards looking at Marcus with great suspicion, and then it all went back to normal.