10 Minute Tales

Mar 21

The security force deployed to the stairwell maintained an equal pressure, giving Queenson no time to recover. Thankfully, he was able to avoid any harm, and made it to the very top of the spire. Up here, the crystal was thin enough to act as one large window, showing the massive spires of the biodome reaching out almost to the glass. He sighed in relief as he saw no guards were stationed up here, but Abe frowned.

"No guards, at this level? The president must be hiding elsewhere."

"Let him." Queenson huffed, leaning back a little to try and help his breathing. Those stairs were tough on the body. "All I need will probably be in that room. If he's hiding anything, it'll be in there."

"Unless he took it with him?"

"Wouldn't help. There'll be a trace somewhere. There's always a trace." Queenson strode towards the door - a traditional number, solid wood framed with gold - and turned the handle. The door barely moved. He barged his shoulder against it, but still nothing. He pulled back, rubbing his shoulder with a huff. "Yeah, there's usually a lock too..."

"Allow me." Abe grinned, lowering his minigun.

"Hold it!"Queenson commanded. "The odds are this door has a mirror sheen to it. You shoot energy at it, you'll get energy back in your face. High priority security like this won't even let you see it."

"Hm... no energy weapons, you say? What of explosives?"

"Depends on the style." Queenson thought, looking at the door. Now he had thought of it, he recognised a subtle blue sheen, flickering through the gold. The odds are it wasn't actual gold, then. "Blue... maybe? The blue suggests the energy field is kept cool, so if we overheated it..."

"Hold everything." Aurora grinned, striding through the doorway. "This just needs a woman's touch."

"Right." Queenson frowned. "Except there's no access panel."

"So?" she asked. "I got this." she opened the ammo chamber of her sniper rifle and extracted all the batteries. She slowly extended one to the field...

"Are you daft, woman?" Abe barked, the grip on his weapon tightening. "Those batteries are volatile."

"Only if over-exposed. I can gauge the energy flow and get the timing perfect."

"You've only seen one example of the battery being overloaded, no approach would let you-"

"Cram it, Reg." Aurora grinned at him, a cocky grin that reminded him too much of Rose. "I said I've got this." she went quiet, her eyes flickering as she ran some calculations. Eventually, though, she darted the battery into the field and out of it quickly. Queenson wasn't able to see anything more than a blur! "There we go." she grinned. "Two more like that, annnnnd... okay! Field's down."

"Now may I infiltrate? It is a specialty of mine."

"Fine." Queenson muttered. He was still bitter about Aurora using his real name. "Everybody not part of this, get off this floor, go one down and help hold the line." The goons obliged, ducking down the stairway and out of sight as Abe stuck some goop to the door. Answers were waiting. Justice was waiting. This burning wildfire of murder would go out with a bang.