Code Name: RUSH (COMPLETE)

34. Liam

Sometimes I wonder what life must be like for normal people. You know, the ones who don't spend their free time fighting evil monopolies or crawling through air vents with loaded guns strapped to their hips. It must be nice to wake up in the morning and think, huh, I don't have anything life threatening to do today. I think I'll sleep in. I've earned this working nine to five for the last week.

I pressed my face against the grate and checked both ways down the hall. No one. I shimmied my arm up and pressed down on the old set of Bluetooth headphones Gemma had trust into my hands before I left. "Can you guys tell me where you are?"

No response. Of course.

I pushed on the vent but froze as a guard came from the left. They didn't look down at me, and when they passed, I managed to get the grate off. I set it down and crawled out. As he started to turn around, I rushed him from behind and threw an arm around his neck. I used my free hand to cover his mouth. It only took ten seconds max of him struggling uselessly before he went limp and I set him onto the tile. I pulled the mask off first, and then the bulletproof vest. The communicator went next, and then into the vent, the man was shoved. I put the grate back in place. It fell back down with a clang.

I shrugged and made my way down the hall, gun drawn. It came to a T. I looked down the left, which was empty, but there was an agitated voice coming in my direction from the right. I pressed my back against the wall and made sure the safety on the Glock was off.

"I don't care what time you think the meeting should be," the voice snapped. "I'm telling you that it needs to be moved to eleven. Dr. Colton is a very busy man with other things to attend to."

Dr. Colton. What a joke.

The man rounded the corner. I jumped and brought the butt of the gun down over his head. Before it could connect, the man reached up and blocked. My arm bounced off his and nearly sent me flying off balance. His phone shattered on the ground. He twisted his arm and tried to knock the gun away. I tossed it easily to my left hand.

In a flash, he had knocked it to the ground, grabbed my newly acquired vest, and kicked me square in the chest.

I rolled ass over shoulder and slid across the title all the way to the open grate, elbows smarting as they stopped the momentum. I was back on my feet in an instant as he ran at me, gun aimed at my head. I ducked as the first shot rang out.