Twisted Time

28 - Diversion

The hallway, 02:39

The hallway in front of the elevator is empty, and Dan breathes in relief. The residual transfer sickness abates fast, perhaps dampened by the adrenaline rushing her system. She scans her surroundings, ready to run or pull the pin to activate her extinguisher. A small whine beside her left knee makes her flinch in surprise. The dog cowers at her feet, clearly shaken. "My gosh, how could this happen? Poor buddy, you shouldn't be here. My fault for petting you while the shift set in."

She bends down to pat the animal when muffled, angry voices reach her ears. They come from the main office or somewhere near it. While the shouting is unintelligible, Dan is convinced her disappearance caused the commotion. She has no intention to confront the shouters solely armed with a fire extinguisher. "Wish we could attack them and free Ric, but I fear this thing isn't the best offensive weapon," she whispers to the dog, looking around for inspiration. The animal remains silent, perhaps too intimidated by the location shift and the transfer nausea.

Dan glances from her improvised weapon to her four-legged companion. Having the dog here saddles here with additional responsibilities. What's the best way of action? Would it help to raise a fire alarm? Or, better, lay an actual fire in the premises? The ensuing panic and chaos might offer Ric an opportunity to escape without bringing us into the line of fire.

"Come on, buddy," she whispers and ushers the dog through the door to the emergency stairs. They seem to be their best option, and hiding beats waiting here or moving to the office.

She sighs as the thick, fireproof slab closes behind her. All is quiet in the stairwell. "Phew. Now, where do we go? The lowest level is out of the question: the lab and the time machine will be kept under observation."

The dog whines and licks her hand. She crouches down to be on eye level. "Can you keep quiet? The plan is to raise a fire alarm. So, let's try one of the stories I haven't visited yet. But we have to take care not to get caught. Understood?"

Aware she has to try her luck, Dan accepts the dog's big-eyed glance as a yes and climbs down two levels. A building complex of this size is bound to have a fire alarm system.

Dan stops as soon as she steps into the hallway of this new level. To her surprise, it can't be compared to either she has visited yet. In front of her opens a vast, open room, the ceiling supported by too-thin-looking pillars. Rows of machines and conveyor belts tell her she's in the production zone Hall mentioned. But what in the wide, wild world is the product fabricated in this subterranean factory? She keeps her voice as low as possible, despite the rattling of the machines that fills the room. "Come, we don't have time to play tourist. We need to create a diversion."

The machines near the entrance are big, blocky constructions that emit a low hum. But from the right and deeper in the premises, Dan hears rhythmic mechanical noises. There, an assembly line is busy building whatever it is supposed to build. Carefully, she moves towards the active area, checking that the dog follows her. Her worries were superfluous, it keeps to her left as if on a leash, both ears perked up. If we meet a watchman, I might be glad for the company.

But no one arrests her or shoots at them. The security staff must be occupied by the search of other building parts. Intrigued by the fully automated production, Dan follows the conveyor belts to the start. The line begins with a man-sized container of clear plastic. In it, a thin grey powder is mixed with a somewhat coarser, light blue, sandy component. Despite her chemical background, Dan can't name the substances. The melange runs through a narrow funnel into a portioning device.

Next, small amounts of the mixed powder are filled into transparent containers and placed in a cooling element. Its surface is frosted, and Dan wonders about the purpose of the process. She also fails to understand the following steps in the chain where the material is reheated and cooled several times. Other components are added, and near the end of the line, a now purple, malleable paste is pressed into tiny metal cylinders. As a final step, they are fitted with caps and sealed under pressure.

Still lacking the slightest idea on what's going on, Dan runs a hand over her companion's head and grins. No matter if these are explosives or drugs, even cosmetics: She has found the perfect mean to create a diversion.

She steps closer to the last machine, the one sealing the cylinders. A perforated wheel guides them under a spot-welding unit. If she succeeds to pick one capsule out of its bed and reinsert it at an awkward angle, this should either block the mechanism or trigger an alarm.

She'll need to hide or quit this room fast, though. A quick search doesn't provide an ideal hideout in the well-ordered production area. The only solution is to delay interrupting the production chain till she's safely away. Her lips curl into an evil smile when she analyses the control system of the welding unit. "Ready, buddy? We will have to move fast."

With nimble fingers, Dan picks one tiny cylinder out of the guiding wheel, taking care not to touch the purple content. She wedges the small metal capsule into the mechanical part of the welding head. The thin material is soft enough to fit between two cogs and block them. With a swift twist, Dan directs the head of the welder towards the axis of the wheel. From the crushed cylinder, a few purple drops fall unto the shining wheel, sizzling on the already hot metal.

"This should give us a few minutes before an alarm calls the thugs in, come, let's find a place to wait for a time shift."

She sprints back to the staircase, making sure the dog keeps up. It lopes beside her and races ahead up the stairs. On the landing of the next level, it stops with a lolling tongue and bright eyes. Dan grins. "You finally got your exercise. Glad you enjoy the show. But now we must be quiet again."

The animal watches her with a tilted head. Dan has to trust it won't bark and draw attention to them. The hallway on this level resembles the lowest one, long corridors lined by anonymous doors. Dan tries her luck with the first two to find them locked. At the third she gets lucky.

The heavy door opens, and automatic lights illuminate what must be a common room for workers. In the back, a few pictograms mark the access to toilets and showers. Along the right wall, a cupboard filled with cups, an array of tin boxes and what could be a coffee maker catches her attention.

The room might be the best hideaway as this warren provides. Dan cowers against the backside of a partition wall separating two clothes and cradles her fire extinguisher. "Sit, buddy."

To her surprise, the dog follows her order. Here, covered by the white coats hanging from the rack, they won't be visible from the door. She pets the dog's neck and calms her laboured breath. "Nothing left to do but wait for the alarm. Then we can search for Ric."

The small bark is certainly not loud enough to be heard in the hallway. Nevertheless, Dan is on edge. What if my diversion doesn't work? I'll have to find another way to help Ric.

Her glance travels around the room before it falls on the small red box with a glass front next to the cupboard. "Hey, that's what I was looking for. Let's make some noise, shall we?"

Without hesitation, she shatters the glass of the fire alarm with her extinguisher and reaches for the red button inside.

A fraction of a moment before her finger pushes it, a siren wails through the building.