Anarameha

Chapter 46

Ordered out of Pierre's office yet again, Theocris was left to return to his own office at the far end of the building. He was the advisor, yet their offices were nowhere near each other. There were so many other options and Theocris was positive that the king's advisor had been a lot closer when he was working in the role. Still, he accepted it and even had moments where he was grateful for being so far away. The distance was a pain but he liked that when Pierre went on a rage walk, he'd be on the other side of the building.

Before turning the corner, Theocris glanced back at Pierre's office door. The maid was still there. What was the purpose of keeping her there? Was Pierre going to return to their so-called meeting? Theocris didn't believe that it would be possible, considering Pierre was determined to get Ana back to the building.

Still, this was a leader that had been distracted in the first place. Theocris knew exactly how and why Pierre was distracted. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. The future, though? Theocris had no idea and he didn't want to think about it either. He knew the maid was purely for entertainment but he feared it would be far deadlier now. Pierre's mood regarding the princess was enough to warn everyone out of the area.

Theocris sank into his chair with a heavy sigh. He had a heavy sensation inside his body that made him think that things were changing. Opening the control panel, he flicked a switch and watched the wall of screens come to life. Views of the external cameras showed static. Black, white and grey fuzz. Unease filled Theocris as he changed to the internal cameras. He got the same view. Dreadful static.

Theocris hoped that it was just a glitch in the system, but he feared it was something far darker. Picking up the phone, he called the security room. At least, he tried to. It was a dead tone.

"No," he whispered, ending the call.

Letting go of the hook switch, he got the same dead tone.

"Damn it."

Slamming down the phone, Theocris searched his pockets for his personal phone. It was then that he remembered that he had left it on Pierre's desk.

Rushing out of the room, Theocris raced back to Pierre's office. He didn't care if the man had his pants around his ankles or whatever it was that he wanted privacy for. Something was wrong, and Pierre had overrides for the security system. He might be able to bring the system back online again.

"Get out of my way," he yelled at the guard as he ran towards the exclusion zone.

The guard rolled his eyes and stepped aside.

"Your funeral," he muttered.

Theocris stopped at the door. A side glance at the guard, and he saw the smug smile daring him to knock or worse, open the door. Theocris knew that there could be something far worse and that was Pierre finding out that he could have warned him of an attack and didn't.

Banging on the door, Theocris heard the grumbles of an angry man and stepped back. Seconds later, Pierre opened the door.

"You had better have a damned good reason."

"The security vision and the phone lines are out. I left my phone on your desk."

"I'm sure you could have found someone else's phone, but alright, let's humour you."

Flicking the door open, Pierre turned and walked to the control panel on his desk. Turning on the screens, he got the same static. Punching in the override code, Pierre set his screens back to normal.

The view was not what he wanted to see.

"We're under attack."

There were a lot of men and women at the level five entrance. Pierre inwardly grumbled that most of the guards had gone to that level to assist. As good as it was, he noted that they failed to realise that they'd left level one completely exposed.

Flicking to the internal cameras, Pierre began to shake his head. There was a team of soldiers moving through the levels with speed and accuracy. Any guard that appeared and tried to take them down was removed within seconds.

"They know the layout of the levels. I suppose we can thank the princess for that one."

"She's there?"

Pierre pointed to the svelte figure dressed in the same black suit that he'd seen her in earlier. He recognised the neon blue markings and panels.

"These people, however, are curious and intriguing. The shots hit the mark every single time. No wasted energy or bullets. Watch how they move through the corridors, open doors, and check the rooms. This is a team that has been together for a long time. Perhaps a little rusty but still perfect."

Pierre's eyes narrowed. One of the people turned, and he saw a crest woven into the fabric on the side of their arm.

"It would seem that we are in the presence of the Sovereignty Corps. Like the princess, they should be dead but are not. Find out whoever did not do their job properly and deal with them."

"Sir, will you remain here?"

Theocris didn't want to say it. The doom on Pierre's face when he turned to look at Theocris told him that the question was already too much. Anything more, and he might regret it.

"I'll find out who failed you in their task."

"Shut the door on your way out and make sure those guards understand the meaning of privacy."

Pressing his lips into a thin line, Theocris nodded and scuttled out of the room. He closed the door, sensing that he was being watched. The guard smiled supremely and then turned back to his view of an empty corridor.

Returning to his office, Theocris searched through the files and found who was supposed to destroy the Sovereignty Corps. That particular person was already decaying in the wasteland, so Theocris didn't waste any further time with this part of his investigation. The guards who were ordered to assassinate the royal family were still alive but now a part of the level five guards.

Picking up the phone that was now working, Theocris rang through to Pierre. There was no answer, and Theocris figured that his leader was probably dealing with the maid. Pleasure or pain, neither were ideal but one was definitely her future.

After leaving a voicemail for Pierre to listen to later, Theocris watched the screens. He could see the way that this was turning, and it was not good. As the advisor, he knew that his head would be on the chopping block just as much as Pierre's was.

Taking a deep breath, he locked the door and turned to the nearby cupboard. Inside was a change of clothes that would help him hide in the masses as he escaped. At the bottom of the cupboard was a small but capable jet pack. His plan in these objects was an alternative in case things turned ugly.

All of the staff were made to live in the staff quarters downstairs, which Theocris knew was another way of controlling and indoctrinating them. There was no chance of hiding his credits at his home when he wasn't allowed out of the building. He couldn't risk the other staff seeing him taking things into his room so he kept a few things in his office.

Dressed in the new outfit, Theocris picked up the bag that he'd used to squirrel away his earnings and a few more credits than were technically not his. Strapping the bag to his body, Theocris pulled on the jet pack and opened a window. Ordinarily, it would only open so far and was designed to let fresh air in but Theocris had made an adjustment. The panel was removed and placed to the side.

Hearing gunfire outside his door, Theocris turned back to the window and started the jet pack. Escape was the only option for him now.