You Better Bring an Umbrella, Vol. 2

Chapter 30: Always the Bomb

Attempting to keep a low-profile, I tried my best to appear as though I knew exactly where I was going, keeping my gaze straight ahead and only occasionally glancing at the labels on the doors.

Finally, I came to a shiny, wooden door, marked by a maroon plate with the words 'Infinite Switchboard 2589' carved into it. I glanced over my shoulders one last time, then quickly opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind me as quietly as possible.

Sets of screens were blackened, fast asleep while they waited for someone to come and light them up. Panels of plugs and cables that matched the holes sat underneath the screens to my right and left, clearly the key to starting this whole thing up. Trouble was, I had absolutely no clue how to do that. I could see blue and red lights shooting up clear tubes through a window in front of me, but those wouldn't do any good if nothing was plugged in. I'd have to at least give this a shot. Maybe it didn't matter what was plugged in where, as long as I got the right ones hooked up.

The chair I slid into rolled away slightly, and once I pulled myself back, I was no more reassured about making progress. Nothing here made sense. It all looked like a bunch of gibberish—completely useless without the right knowledge. I began to just plug things in randomly, but clearly, I got it wrong. Instead of any of the screens coming to life, a jolt of electricity was sent right into my fingers, causing me to flinch and jump back.

"Jesus!" I cried, shaking the hand in an attempt to get the pain to go away. "Wow, I am so sorry to everyone I've ever done that to."

Right as I was recovering from the shock, a hand laid itself onto my shoulder, causing me to shoot up and clamp one hand tightly around the assailant's throat, using the other to bring up a little charge—one powerful enough to stun someone. The person's eyes immediately went wide, and they stared at me with panic, like they hadn't expected me to fight back.

"Oh!" he cried. "Please don't hurt me." Despite his pleas, I refused to relent my grip. He was donned in a blue suit, meaning he worked for these people, and I couldn't just believe he would let things go without a threat.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, my voice falling into a low growl.

"I'm Herb," he introduced, his voice still trembling. "I'm an analyst."

"I'm Mina," I shot back. "I have electricity."

"Yes, I can see. It's very bright." Realizing this guy couldn't be much of a threat, given he wasn't trying to wrench himself from my grasp, I decided to let him go. He gasped loudly, attempting to get his breath back, clawing at his chest.

"Breathe," I instructed. It took him a couple more minutes, but he finally pulled himself together, then broke out into a big smile.

"It's an honor to meet you, Miss Hargreeves," he gushed. I raised an eyebrow, momentarily forgetting my brother and ex-girlfriend both had associations here.

"You know me?" I eyed him warily, ready to strike again if necessary.

"Everybody knows you. You're Number Five's sister. You're Number Four! You're a legend." I shook my head, unwilling to believe it. I really hadn't done anything that important to warrant some sort of legendary status. "Miss Hargreeves, you can't be here."

That didn't mean I couldn't use the title to my advantage.

Maybe this was a bit conniving for me, but I was going to do what I had to in order to get back to my family. I flashed Herb an innocent smile, hoping to guilt him into helping me.