Security cameras were few and far between. But they remained alert, scanning for any glint of a malevolent lens that might betray their presence.
They combed through the maze of corridors on the fourth floor, meticulously checking each room along the way. They had only about two hours until the interview paused for supper. So, they were as thorough as they could be without sacrificing speed.
When they encountered a locked door, they first tried to pick the lock. Failing that, Ashwin would resort to brute force, shattering the lock with as little noise as possible.
HAVA would realize, eventually, what had transpired here. All they could do was try and avoid detection while still within the building.
Despite their caution, they were spotted once again. Just as they’d finished searching the last room on the fourth floor.
This time, it was a woman in her late forties; her plump, crimson lips incongruous with the rest of her weathered face.
Her eyes widening in alarm, she whipped out a small pistol. But Ashwin was faster. With his preternatural reflexes, he materialized less than an inch from her in a blur of motion.
Pushing her up against the closest wall, he pressed himself firmly against her, his body a shield between her and Ruban. If she shot, the bullet could only strike him. And everyone knew a bullet wouldn’t do anything to an Aeriel, other than perhaps annoy him into snapping her neck.
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Thus, they were at a stalemate.
“If you shoot, things will get very unpleasant for you.” Lowering his head slightly, Ashwin whispered into her ear. His voice was soft, almost seductive. “Very quickly.”
The woman shuddered, gritting her teeth silently.
“Or, we could make this easy on the both of us,” Ashwin continued, his tone unchanging. “You could tell me where that interview is being held. And I could knock you out and be on my way. You’ll wake up a couple hours later with nothing worse than a bruise and a splitting headache.”
The woman stared at him. Then, she shook her head, still silent. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
“Alternatively…” his hand shot up like lightning, fingers closing vice-like around her slender neck. “We could do this the hard way. Well, hard for you.” His fingers twitched, making her gasp as they tightened around her throat. “Quite pleasant for me, either way.”
“Th-the first floor,” she stammered after a few seconds, tears streaming freely down her slightly blue-tinted face. “The big reception hall on the first floor. P-please just let me—”
Before she could finish that sentence, she crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
Locking her inside the room they’d just finished searching, Ruban and Ashwin pressed on. Resuming their search on the third floor, they combed it room by room, corridor by corridor. Now that they knew which part of the building to avoid, it made the process faster, more efficient. They didn’t have to pause at every corner, wondering if they’d inadvertently stumble across the interview space.
“For a second, I was afraid you’d really kill her.” Turning a corner, Ruban swept the corridor with his pistol, before approaching the first door. “When she fell, I half thought she was dead.”
Ashwin made a small, dismissive noise in the back of his throat. “Your thoughts are too dramatic.” Walking up behind Ruban, he broke the lock with a casual flick of his wrist. The door swung slightly ajar.