Project Shady

Stairs and Swartz

I've decided to publish another Em fic just because I think this is a different idea that I haven't come across. Of course, my main focus is Without me and Lonely road.

I do hope you guys enjoy this, I had originally hoped for this to have a one chapter prologue, but it got a bit long so enjoy the first two chapters instead 💕

"Take the staircase to your right until you get to the third floor," the voice of Rose Stark flowed through the Bluetooth earpiece nestled inside Clara's right ear. The comment was no more than a direction than it was a command since there was someone sat next to Rose at her computer giving the orders.

Clara flattened both her palms on the heavy metal door, which enabled her to use her entire body weight to shift it open. It was at that moment she became aware that if she was found this far from the ballroom, the cliche 'I got lost on the way back from the bathroom,' would not get her out of the situation.

"You said third floor right?" She wasn't exactly questioning what she had been told mere seconds ago, instead, she was cursing the fact she had to get up to the third floor via stairs, in heels and a rather expensive dress.

''Yep and you better get a shift on before they notice your absence,'' Rose replied, shifting through the security images from the camera's she'd managed to hack into. From the small hotel across the street from the venue she was able to see everyone and everything on three computer screens that sat on the desk in front of her, ''third floor is completely clear I suggest you get moving and stop just staring at the staircase,'' she spoke her eyes hovering over Clara's black and white figure on her monitor.

''Alright, give us a second I gotta get my shoes off otherwise I might break my neck,'' Clara huffed out, bending down to slip her heels off. Then she picked up her dress and climbed up the stairs taking them two at a time and as quickly as she could. By the second floor, she was already out of breath, which led her to ask why they had thought she'd be the best for the mission. Since she wasn't exactly the fittest physically.

''Fucking hell Clara do you want an inhaler? I can hear you breathing from in the ballroom,'' she rolled her eyes at Joe's comment. He was able to hear through the earpieces they'd been given; currently, he was acting as a waiter down in the main ballroom, keeping a close eye on their target, making sure he never left his eyesight.

''Shut up,'' she snapped back, her breathing eventually evening out once she'd finally reached the third floor. Her next obstacle was that she now needed to pull open an exact replica of the heavy door she'd pushed open.  This time she curled both her hands around the handle and pulled with all her might, she huffed as it squeaked open ever so slightly. Taking another deep breath she pulled again, this time the gap she made was just big enough for her to slam her hands into and push it open. Fortunately, she was fast enough, otherwise, she would have been crushed between the door and the frame.

''Ok where do I go now, left or right?'' Clara asked Rose as she found herself in a straight corridor, rows and rows of doors on either side, which made it look like something out of a horror film or even a nightmare.

''You wanna go left until you reach a door with a gold plaque and the name Swartz written on it,'' Rose replied after quickly flicking through her notes laid out in front of her and the images from the security cameras she had control of.

So Clara did what she was told, turned left and made sure that she read every name on the door as carefully as possible. She hadn't bothered putting her heels back on, they swung in her left hand beside her, leaving her barefoot on the carpet adding to the overwhelming silence that was evident in the empty hallway. The silence didn't feel right, she'd at least expected one if not two security guards walking around, but then again they were probably to busy down in the ballroom.

''Go back one you missed it,'' Clara jumped at the sound of Rose in her ear. It had turned out she'd been to busy thinking about the eerie silence, to realise she'd walked right past the room she needed to go in.

''Um, do you know the code?'' Clara asked once she'd doubled back, only to find that the door needed to be unlocked with a number code.

''Er give me a second,'' there was a distinct sound of paper being shuffled, while Clara waited for Rose to find the code that would hopefully allow her into the room, ''ok try 3857.''

The moment Rose gave her the numbers, Clara punched them in before then pressing enter. A soft click emitted from the door, which then fell open inwards. Breathing a sigh of relief, Clara stepped inside and pushed it shut behind her. She stayed leant against it for a second as she surveyed the room around her. It was as she's expected a study, with shelves from floor to ceiling stuffed with books, that looked to have longer titles than her entire life had been, which was quite apt as most of them started with 'The History of...'' However, the reason she was in the room was because of what lay on the desk, not the books that littered the walls of the room.

The precise second she'd reached the table, Rose shouted frantically into the earpiece, ''Clara you got to hide or get out of there, he's coming up,'' her blood ran cold and the hairs on the back of her neck pricked up as she heard voices from outside the door.

''How'd they'd get up here so fast without you knowing,'' Clara whispered as she looked around the room, looking for somewhere to hide. She even started pushing and pulling books, hoping to find some sort of trap door, but she had no such luck.

''Turns out there was a lift I didn't know about,'' Rose confessed, casting her eyes down afraid that Clara would be able to send her a death glare from looking up at the security camera.

''Well it looks like I'm caught,'' she gulped, the door swung open slowly to reveal the target and two security guards along with him.