Duplus

Chapter 58

—-Third Person's POV—-

It was eerily quiet in Megmel and Kazefandria for the next two days. As if there had never been any commotion in the first place. Ushain, with its humid weather and the increased danger of army attacks, had become noticeably less busy. The residents were scared to come out and many had even stopped paying their regular visits to the temples after the festival incident.

In the deadpan silence of the previously bustling city, the only crowded areas left were the official government offices. A dark-skinned, short wavy-haired Nuristani entered one of the tall skyscrapers with a formal suit and tie, a permission letter in hand. He walked right up to the female receptionist who wore a tired expression.

"Nuristani representative, Sufiyaan Sohail here. I need to see Mr. Kane." The boy in his late teens spoke confidently and one could assume he was an expert at what he was doing. The pale-skinned young receptionist narrowed her eyes at him at the mention of Nuristan, her thin glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked in a somewhat authoritative tone.

He nodded carelessly and pulled out an envelope from his pocket. "I'm here in place of Amir Suleiman. He wasn't able to make it today."

The receptionist took the letter and skimmed through it to check the signatures. She didn't bother to read it properly and nodded in approval before handing it back to him. "Please write in your name and signature here." she handed him a register and a pen as she continued, "I apologize but Mr. Kane is not yet entertaining guests. He will be able to call you in about thirty minutes. You're free to wait here in the meantime, sir." She smiled briefly at him, the tiredness still apparent on her face.

Sufiyaan nodded. "Oh, it's no worries. I came here ahead of my appointment time. I'll be sitting here in the waiting area as I have to prepare some files anyway."

The receptionist looked relieved as if he was one of the less obnoxious people who came there. "Sure. Please scan your fingerprints here as well so I can enter your arrival time in our system." She placed the small device on the counter closer to him and he complied. She asked him to fill out a few more things to confirm his identity but it took him hardly five minutes. Before making his way to the seats where others sat in wait, he made sure to smile in courtesy which the receptionist returned.

The building was fully furnished and beautifully designed, with pleasant creamy walls and orange ceiling lights mixed with white ones. Sufiyaan could only imagine how big and exquisite Mr. Kane's office would be. He opened the files he held in his hand and began to read more about the man he was supposed to meet.

"Senior secretary of Joshua Bale. Joined the position in 2014..." He read out lowly before looking up at the wall clock to his right. "Joshua Bale. I hope we really get him."

As soon as the small hand of the clock arrived at 12, he pressed the side button of his wristwatch with a swift flick of his finger, sending a signal to his team.

"I'm in the waiting area."

The news came through to Junior from the earpiece he had hidden behind his ear. It stirred him into motion and he crawled out from behind the tall flower vase into the third floor's corridor. His sleek boots clicked on the wooden floor but the thick carpet muffled any sound his footsteps made.

"I'm moving. Heading to Kane's office. Tell me how many guards are stationed outside his office." he whispered into his earpiece also linked to Amaani's computer back in the small warehouse they were hiding in. She peered closely at the bright screen as Usama typed into the keyboard, a full picture of the building's CCTV cameras displayed in front of her almost too conveniently.