Widow's Shadow

VIII: Break In

January 17 2027

Karlsruhe, Germany

The wind whipped the thick glass of their slick black helmets as they sped through the vacant streets of the calm Karlsruhe nights. Street lights hummed and casual café chatter was muffled by the rush of air hitting the leather and custom-made materials of their suits. Natasha's waist was warm under the subtle grip of James' arms. Of course she wouldn't let him drive, she didn't want him to get used to having control.

The gates of the university grew bigger as they got closer. Its iron framing gleaming in the natural light of the moon. Natasha made a sharp turn, the motorcycle leaning heavily on its right. Their boots almost brushing the asphalt before leaning back up into narrow road that lead to an unfinished building located on the east of the walls of KIT.

The quiet vibrations of the engine died down as Natasha parked inside the cement skeleton of the high rise. Caution tape and neon orange cones inhabited each level of the building as they ran up to the roof. Their footsteps as silent as a breeze in the summer heat. James' midnight black trench coat whipping against his legs as they reached the top.

Natasha examined the view; flashlights flickered from a distance, making it easier to identify the guards on their nightshifts. From what Natasha could see there were at least three men standing in front of each entrance. James then came in behind her, giving her a pair of x-ray goggles so they could see the amount of security on the lower levels. The world was now green in their eyes as they examined the inside.

Red silhouettes popped up like targets on a screen. "Well damn." Natasha said first. "They threw a pretty large surprise party for us."

The subtle wind brushed their suits and tickled their skin. The night was cool and familiar as a sip of iced water. "Just like old times huh?" James said.

Natasha threw her goggles into the box. "Umhmm." Then pulled out a rope launcher, the metal hook gleaming in the moonlight as she aimed for the ledge of the east wing. Her eyes sharp as she pulled the trigger and watched as the hook pierced the cement. Not even a moment later they zipped through the air gripping on the cable; their silhouettes quick and blurred against the dark blue of the night.

Their heels clicked with the university roof and they ran to the door that lead to the top floor. They stopped at the last step and peeked through the entrance/exit of the stairway, where two guards waited for them. Without thinking the security guys charged at both Natasha and James. The woman tried to throw a punch at Natasha's stomach but she predicted the attack before she even came close, Natasha grabbed her wrist and flipped her over causing the wind to rush out of her lungs. Her foot then met her face, her body now unconscious. Natasha flicked her hair up to find James connecting the man's face with the wall, knocking him out completely. They walked to the opening of the third floor and peeked into the main hall, guards stood at their positions on both sides, there's no way they could get across the hall without getting caught. She looked down, the other levels must be as guarded as this one or worse.

James then tapped Natasha's shoulder, she turned around to find him pointing up. Of course, the air vents. Natasha nodded in response and climbed onto James' shoulders opening the hatch and crawling in, she then pulled James in getting him high enough to also crawl in.

After he got in he lifted the ventilator hatch shut and the glow of Natasha's screen lit up with a 3D map of the ventilation system. She studied it quickly. "If we take two lefts and then a right we'll be able to go down a level but before we do that let's check out each room. We don't know what they're keeping here."

"Sounds good to me." James said as he watched the light dim to nothing. They both began to move silently like the air that traveled across the building, following the lights that came from the rooms. They glanced into the spaces, searching for any new information. Men and women in lab coats examined and discussed the papers they held in their hands. They caught some of the conversation.

" Subject 2801 took a higher dosage 2 hours ago, she doesn't seem to have any harmful side effects." The woman with dark, pinned up hair informed the man with the thick mustache. He could possibly be in charge of the experiments if she's updating him.

"Great, she'll start stage 5 training tomorrow after the serum settles in." He said before putting his attention on the laptop in front of him. The woman left their view, the sound of a door shutting indicating she left.

James and Natasha moved down, away from the opening so no one could hear them. "We need to find where they are keeping the subjects."

"That's what the lower levels are for I presume." He pulled out the 3D map. "You see, we're here" he pointed at the top floor "there are 3 floors above ground where the expendable is kept. What's better than keeping your top secret important shit in a place where commoners don't even know it exists?"

"Agreed." She turned around, facing the darkness that's about to swallow her. "Well then, we have to figure out a quicker way to get downstairs."

"Good point, maybe the vents aren't the best idea."

Natasha and James sat silently, thinking of another option. They have to get to the first floor without being compromised. She stared at the map that still lit up their view, there wasn't any other visible ways of going down.

"What if we just return to the stairway and just take out the guards who are guarding the stairway entrances?"

"I wanted to leave here without suspicion but I guess that is the only way to get down without getting caught."

They crawled back to where they came from and jumped out of the opening. James checked the rooftop entrance to see if the guards haven't been found yet, they still laid unconscious. Then James' eyes lit up. "I think I have an idea."

James and Natasha headed down the starts with the rooftop guards' uniforms, their hair tucked in under their caps. When they got to the second floor stairway entrance they were stopped by the guards.

"Und was denken Sie Kerle Sie tun so bald, Ihre Beiträge zu verlassen (And what do you guys think you're doing leaving your posts so soon)?"

Natasha spoke up. "Unsere Verschiebung ist vorbei, wir dem Weg nach Hause (Our shift is over, we're heading home)."

"Verschiebt der Regel nicht zu diesem Zeitpunkt beenden (Shifts don't usually end at this time)." The guard's tone now growing suspicious.

"Dach Verschiebungen aufgrund seiner fehlenden Bedeutung verkürzt. Von jemandem , der stundenlang dort oben steht , geht nichts wirklich nach unten, während die Dach Eingang bewacht (Rooftop shifts have been shortened due to its lack of importance. From someone who stands up there for hours, nothing really goes down while guarding the rooftop entrance)." James responded instead.

The guard now stared at James, taking in his response. Natasha stood casually with her arms crossed above her chest.

"Okay, gute Nacht ihr zwei. (Alright, goodnight you two.)" The guard said in a suddenly calm tone.

They nodded in return then headed down the stairs, they hit the second step before being stopped once again.

"Warten Sie mal! (Hold on!)" The guard stood at next to the stairs. "Nehmen Sie den Aufzug, es ist viel mehr als Convient der Treppe (Take the elevator, it's way more convient than the stairs)." He opened the door for them, James and Natasha said their thanks before heading to the elevator.

The elevator was in the left corner of the hallway. James stood on the right, blocking anyones view of Natasha as she put the elevator surveillance on loop. Once it was playing footage of an empty elevator the headed in and began looking at the buttons once the doors shut.

"Only hidden floors" Natasha cracked open the bottom of the car controls and found two extra buttons "will have hidden buttons." Natasha smirked at James as she pressed one.

They both removed their disguises, leaving their supersuits out in the open. "Now, we are gonna have to figure out the best way to go in and out without losing our identities in the process." James said as the sound of the elevator decending levels filled the car.

"We have to grab as much information as possible because it's highly likely we won't be here anytime soon." Natasha responded.

James nodded as the elevator bell rung at their stop. "Well, lets get this over with." And the elevator doors opened.