Someone's In My Head (WATTYS AWARD WINNER 2015)

Chapter Eleven

I had been patrolling around the facility for several minutes, when I finally found a way in. Phil, for all his skepticism, was being surprisingly cooperative with our search. He was quite reluctant at first, but after I'd explained the gravity of the situation, he'd agreed to help us find a way to infiltrate this facility.

"You want answers, don't you?" I asked Phil. "Well, guess what? So do I. So let's get in there and find them."

Phil clearly wasn't very happy with the idea of sneaking into his best friend's company. "I still don't think I can get in there unnoticed."

I groaned. "For God's sake, Phil! You've just crawled through a filthy cockroach-infested underground sewer, taken down a security guard and now you're telling me you're unable to sneak into a freaking building?"

Phil kept silent for a long while. Finally, he gave in. "Okay. But first, we'll need a disguise."

"Well, I'm still in my security guard uniform, if that's the disguise you meant." I offered.

"Fabulous. See the door over there?" Phil pointed.

It was a door with a sign above it that read, 'NO ENTRY. PERSONNEL ONLY.' There was a key card sensor beside the door. "Yep." I nodded.

"You will escort Layla inside, just like what you did just now, except that if anybody happens to ask you where you are escorting her to, you'll answer, 'To Mr Lenny's office.'" Phil reminded.

"Mr Lenny!" I almost laughed. "Seriously! You're sure that's not some kind of nasty nickname you and your friends gave him when you were in middle school?"

Phil chuckled. "Quite the opposite. Leonard was actually cool with the moniker. I mean, he even wanted us to call him that, and so I believe he would hang on to this nickname of his even if so many years has passed."

"But how do you suppose finding the founder of this company will help us unveil whatever criminal activity that's going on in some secret basement of this facility?"

"Do you have a better plan?" Phil didn't even bother to defend his idea. "I'm all ears."

"Oookay." I shrugged. "But if we get busted, it's totally on your head."

"Sure thing."

"Layla," I beckoned. "Let's go. I've found a way."

"Are you sure this does not include us getting locked up in an underground dungeon?" Layla didn't seem to trust my suggestion. I mean, hell, who would trust a rash nineteen-year-old in stolen guard uniform?

I turned to Layla. "Layla, I don't know how to say this, but you have to trust me on this one."

Layla stared into my eyes. I could see the doubt in it, and despite the gnawing uncertainty in my heart, I forced a confident smile. "Please."

"You know, if we get busted for this, I might be able to buy us some time with my badge, but when they start making calls, not even Royce could save our asses."

"You sure you don't wanna give Royce a call? Update him on our twenty?" Although this Royce guy wasn't quite on my 'Favourites' list, it felt comforting to know that we had backup before entering enemy territory.

Layla shook her head. "I don't think Royce would be very pleased to hear that I'd disobeyed a direct order by contacting you."

"You know, I still couldn't figure out why you're helping me." I retrieved my key card. We were two feet from the door.

"Well, I couldn't possibly grab some popcorn and watch on as you get towed back to the station, could I?" Layla snorted.

"Right. A compassionate CIA agent. Interesting." I swiped the key card over the sensor. A loud beep rang out, and the door swung open with a hiss. "Ladies first."