A helicopter whirred above, a slight breeze managing to reach the ground. Everyone around Ciara seemed to have a purpose, and to them she looked to have one too. At least, she seemed to have the same purpose as them. But she didn't.
The bustle of Czar never really bothered her, even though she was raised among the rural Maple compound. That place taught her everything she needed to know in this situation. Still, her palms were wet with sweat, and her heart beating faster than ever. Jumping out of a helicopter was easier than this was.
Eliot's dagger hung from her belt, the only part of her attire that she felt even vaguely familiar with. As she passed glass doors, she glanced at herself in the reflection. Long, brown hair fell from her head, and makeup covered the freckles on her face. Even her eyes were different, a dull dark brown. She was a stranger to herself.
The mission.
She needed to focus. This was the job, to rescue Eliot. He was the key to everyone else at home. If Brachs didn't see that, then he was blind.
Remembering the layout of the building, Ciara strode towards the elevator. Floor Twenty-Seven, the third highest floor. Marked "under construction" for whatever reason. That was her best bet.
She pressed the elevator button, and stepped back, waiting for the elevator. As others joined her in waiting, she couldn't help but worry. These people were all trained in some way. She needed to either find a way to not talk to them, or to find a way to break the ice.
The elevator arrived.
Only a few people exited the tiny room before her. She attempted to blend in to the crowd, but didn't want to wait too long. A man led the way into the elevator, and she followed close behind him. For a brief second, she contemplated pressing the 27 button, but decided against it. She looked at the array of buttons and made a decision.
"I'm sorry to trouble you, but where is the holding area? I'm new here and I don't know exactly where I'm supposed to go. My boss said something about a conference room being on the same floor, but that wasn't much help."
The man beside her looked nervous.
"Umm, I don't really know much about that aspect. I'm just in the accounts on floor twenty." He answered, a thick Saharan accent betraying his origin.
A woman strode into the elevator behind them, overhearing the discussion.
"Hello there, my name is Jah-Karana. Floor twenty-seven is the floor you are looking for, and I happen to be going to the same floor." She responded warmly.
If there wasn't so much makeup on her face, the blood would have visibly drained from her cheeks. Jah-Karana was the third highest-ranking leader in the world. After Zenith took control of governments, Amara-Kharai put those she trusted in power under her. One of those people was Jah-Karana.
"Thank you so much. My name is CeeCee, but you can call me Cee." Ciara extended her hand, which she somehow kept from shaking in front of her.
Jah-Karana's grip was the tightest Ciara had ever felt. Her work suit didn't conceal her physique well; Ciara had heard that she worked in the Egyptian mines before partnering with her cousin. If that were so, her mere survival spoke volumes of her grit and determination, much less her strength.
The two stood awkwardly next to each other, Jah-Karana seeming to be in a very good mood, for some reason. Considering Czar had captured Eliot, she had good reason to be. It made Ciara seething mad.
As people slowly exited, entered, exited, and so on, Ciara and Jah-Karana reached floor 27.
"Who are you here for?" Jah-Karana inquired as the two exited the elevator.
"A woman named Ciara Siacus was apprehended a few hours ago. I'm here to assess her threat," Ciara answered, not stuttering or missing a beat. She was good at this.
"CeeCee, was it?" Jah-Karana asked.
Ciara nodded, "Sullivan. CeeCee Sullivan."
"I'll remember you, CeeCee Sullivan. May the sun shine brightly on your day."
With that, Jah-Karana turned to the right, towards where Ciara could only assume was the conference room. Taking a deep breath, Ciara turned to the left, where she had been accosted hours earlier. As she walked through the hallway the clopping of her thin dress shoes echoed, betraying her approach to any ahead.
Ciara felt the gash in her forearm, checking to see if the stitches were holding. They would have to go through a lot more before the end of the day, she could just feel it. There was no way Jessica would go without a fight. She never did.
Remembering her time at Riverview academy with Jessica was somewhat painful. It felt bad being second, third and sometimes fourth best, with Jessica always being the one to edge her out. No matter what she was good at, Jessica was always better. The final dagger to the heart was Jessica's betrayal of the Maples, joining with Zenith to ultimately replace the Maples.
After what felt like hours of navigating the halls, Ciara finally found a door that led to the laboratory. Extremely new technology was lying dormant in the room, spotless. Never had she seen such machines. The area felt eerie, a space occupied by seemingly nothing. Ciara's breath felt labored as she walked through the room.
There was a door ahead, with a large, sturdy handle. It looked to be heavy, made of some kind of metal or maybe stone, but definitely not a wooden door. A small porthole showed a blurry image of the room beyond, but Ciara didn't dare to inquire too closely. Eliot's broken blade at the ready, she took the handle and heaved the door open.
Before her was Pharaoh's room. She could hear some kind of loud electronic grinding coming from another room deeper in the complex. What were they doing to Eliot? She quickly tiptoed forwards, trying her best to not give herself away. She had the element of surprise, which was one of the greatest weapons Brachs had taught her.
The room where the grinding came from was a kitchen. A massive, hulking figure stood over a blender, cutting fruits and dropping them in. She remembered it from the brief seconds she spent in the Side Show square after she and Eliot landed from the helicopter. No attack she could make would work against him.
She peered around the corner, behind the Pharaoh creature. There was a living area, with windows showing off the view from Czar headquarters. Jessica sat, looking down intently at whatever lay on the couch next to her. Eliot.
Backtracking, Ciara went back to the first room she entered. Instead of going left, towards the kitchen and the monster, she went right. The doorway led to a smaller room, which had several machines in it. She didn't know what they did and didn't have time to find out.
She crept forward to the entrance to the other side of the living room. The sun shone brightly into the room, a beautiful sight that she would have enjoyed any other time. Palming the hilt of her broken knife, she took a deep breath, rounded the corner, and threw it at Jessica.
YOU ARE READING
Saving the World - Awakening
Science FictionEliot isn't a good guy. Between stabbing and punching people, he likes to take anything from anyone he can get it from. But he's just a guy trying to get by, right? With Zenith having taken control of world governments due to its monopoly on power...
