What was Lost and Found in the Fire

Ch. 27 Door, Deed and Dead

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Sang/Cyan's POV

Location: Diana Tower

Date: October

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I take the steps one at a time. The frigid temperature of the metal stairs seeps into my bare feet, numbing my toes. I stumble, the numbness and the shifting weight of the MHQ effecting my balance.

My fingers readjust, clenching hard as the hair of the bulbous sphere I'm carrying smacks against the handrail. It makes a dull thump and the delicate sound of liquid splashing against the metal underneath my feet barely reaches my ears.

Another explosion rocks the building, and my grip on the hair loosens as I stumble again. My nerves jolt, and the hair tightens around my fingers. I hiss at the feel of it, like long razors sinking into my flesh and yet not breaking the skin.

 I don't have any control of my own body as the head drops from my unresponsive and throbbing fingers. I nearly drop with it as my hand continues to seize and lock up hard.

The head makes a wet plopping sound as it hits the metal. I wait for the nerves to calm down again before flailing to grab the orb before it rolls down the stairs. I've already had to chase it down once; I don't think I can do it again. I'm certain that at this point I can only go forward. Or up, as it were.

My ears ring from the blasts, namely the one I'd inadvertently been standing near earlier. It had been my own fault.

I thought I'd had more time to complete my interrogation but in my own haste to catch the Mav Sisters, I had been careless in thinking about the bombs Savannah and the others had placed earlier.

I'd been so close to answers too, and then the explosives on that floor had gone off. I am so luck that I'd been just out of range, but I was close enough that I did get knocked off my feet.

I'd dropped for all of 2 seconds and by the time I got back on my feet they'd gotten too far away for me to follow on foot. 

Even so, I need to get back to Kay, Maria, Rhonda, and Sonny. 

I'd told Savannah where they had Tobias, and she's already gotten to him and is waiting for us in the plane. I don't think she'll wait for us though, if I don't hurry up. 

My shoes are gone, and my invisibility software with it, but the MHQ's video surveillance equipment is still operational: now the feeds are just a little delayed, behind by a good few seconds as the real-time footage is uploaded to the system cloud.

I lunge down, moaning as my head pounds at the sudden motion, and snatch at the bright blue hair. The MHQ throws me off balance, and I have to use the wall to keep myself from falling over. 

The hair is cold and dry as my fingers twist in the locks, but the fruity scent of the strands mixed with blood makes me nauseated as I bring it closer to me.

The head feels heavier than it did just a moment ago. I breathe through my mouth as I heft it up and continue my trek.

I only have one more floor. 10 more steps. I claw my way up.

~~~

Finally, I make my way up to what I think is the right floor.

I sit down on the last step of the landing and cradle the dripping head in my lap, just for a moment. I can't breathe. It's no excuse. Kay is just a few feet away now, she's right at the end of the left hallway, in what is supposed to be an unoccupied penthouse.