G.U.A.R.D. Book #3: Recusant

-15-

    I traveled timidly down the hallway, adrenaline pumping through my shaking veins. To the right, there were two more doors with the names JOHN RAINES and KYLE FELLINGS. I knew Commander Raines was on the roof teaching agents in the ways of flying jets, but I had no idea who Kyle Fellings was, nor what he did. There was a very real possibility that he was on floor one. I would have to be careful.

The hallway continued past the offices. On the left were four more doors. I apprehensively opened the first and was surprised to see it consisted of living quarters. It was small, around half the size of my dorm room, but it was made for only one person. A simple cot was against one wall, a wardrobe on another, and finally a couch. A door was planted in the far corner, presumably leading to the bathroom.

The next three doors led to living quarters almost identical to the first. One had two potted plants in it—which I guessed was Commander Lawson's—and another was messier than the others.

Crossing the hallway, I went to the first door after Commander Raines's office. It led to a bathroom. The next one, though, was more interesting. Jackie was right when she said the commanders had their own personal training room. It definitely wasn't as big as the ones upstairs, but it had all the same things from the sparring mats to the throwing range. Only thing missing was the climbing materials.

The next door showed me the kitchen of G.U.A.R.D.'s leaders. Tables lined the interior, as did chairs. The thought of food made me remember how I had missed lunch. Was it worth it? After a short internal debate, the rumbling in my stomach finally won.

Making a beeline for the pantry, I opened the door and found myself staring into a massive walk-in closet. Honestly, how much food did four people need. Well... I guess the director also lived down on floor one, but that was still only five people.

My eyes roamed over the endless options, then settled on a box of protein bars. Full of bars that were complete with granola, peanut butter, and... chocolate. Oh, glorious chocolate. As I chomped into the delicious treat, an explosion of the sweet candy filled my mouth. I didn't remember the last time I had had chocolate. Unfortunately, that was not said figuratively.

And that was when I heard voices.

I gasped, nearly choking on my food. With nowhere else to hide, I dove inside the pantry and closed the door. The voices got louder. The kitchen door opened, and I inwardly groaned.

"... making a lot of progress," one of them said. It was male, a man somewhere in his midlife. "Dr. Eve told me the air boots are within a year of being certified. The benefits these will have will be incredible."

"Hm, I can second that," another man said. This one sounded a tad older. "The rocket boots were momentous in their influence on the research community."

The fridge opened. I could hear a few things clinking around.

"Why did you want a progress report, sir?" the younger one asked. I frowned. Either this guy was a higher-up agent and the other was a commander, or he was a commander and the other was... the director.

"Just wanted to make sure you were keeping up to date," the older one said.

I heard him sit down on a chair, and I looked to the ceiling. Who knows how long they would stay? But I came down for information. Perhaps this was one way of getting them.

"Am I?" the younger one asked.

"As far as my wife is concerned, yes." He sounded like he was smiling when he said that. Wife. I thought we weren't supposed to talk about personal associations.