Under My Skin

Under My Skin - Part 67

Reese eyed the fire exit at the end of the hallway and then turned to not the areas where the security guards stood. A waiter passed by with a trey of full wine glasses. Reese picked up a flute and sipped, swishing the liquid around his mouth before spitting it out. He took account of himself in one of the mirrors in the hallway. He mussed up his hair, loosened his tie, and undid the buttons on his white vest. With the right unbalanced swagger he was the picture, and scent, of a man who had had too much cheer. And with the way his stomach was fluttering he certainly felt sick enough to be a drunk.

"If they want trouble, they'll get trouble."

With a stomp and a hiss he walked towards the fire exit and opened it.

***

The fire alarm screeched in all corners of the hotel. Guests panicked and trampled through the line of security guards to get outside. And on the twentieth floor, it startled Martin Zachs, pulling his eyes away from Will for a split second. It was enough for Will to dash into the dark hallway to the other offices. Zachs fired his gun after him. Will didn't stop until he was on the other side of the cluster, drapes of plastic sheeting and panels of drywall between him and Zachs. Though the floors under the windows were linoleum, the office area was carpeted, muffling his footfalls. His heart wanted to pound out of his chest, and his head buzzed from the adrenaline pumping through him.

Great, now what? thought Will. He had to know where Zachs was if he was going to get to the stair door.

"You talk of making the world a better place, Zachs," he called out into the dark, listening for footsteps though the screech of the fire alarm. "But I know it was self serving."

"What do you know?" snapped Zachs from the hallway. He was following Will, being lead away from the door.

"I looked you up," continued Will. "I should have guessed when I saw the new vases. Pearl ribbon is for lung cancer and Mesothelioma. Your sister, Patricia, renovating all those houses, pulling out asbestos lined insulation and tile. You set Palmer up with Kole so you could get what he developed from the BT prototype for your sister."

"You call that self serving?" Down the hallway a patch of drywall crumbs crunched under a shoe. Zachs was getting closer.

***

On the landing for the fourteenth floor, Beni was nearly bowled over by a man in a suit.

"Move!" the man spat, scuttling for the stairs.

Half a second later Beni recognized him. Agent Ian.

"Freeze!" she yelled, aiming her gun down the stairwell.

The man dashed into the floor below her.

"Oh like hell you're getting away," Beni growled as she went after him.

***

Once Rachel was informed Cetz had left she went straight to Main Tech to get the gist of the situation. Grant and Olivia gave her a summary while Watch One insisted over the view screen they were sending backup. Rachel, sharing Cetz's residual dislike of Watch One, turned the screen to mute.

"What about the whereabouts of Agent Louis and Massaru?" she asked Olivia.

"The last we've heard of them was right before Will mentioned some sort of plan."

"What kind of plan?"

"We don't know. Something to do with keeping Louis from being found and keeping Masaru safe. Will and Reese deactivated their communicators for ten minutes after that and once they were turned back on we heard nothing about Louis and Massaru. Apparently the only person Louis can talk to is Cetz through the Sprecht system."

Rachel frowned and tilted her head. "Can you bring up that dialogue?"

"Yeah, give me a sec." Olivia tapped her screen and brought up the audio stream.

The first voice was Will. "I...I have an idea."

A moment later Louis spoke up. "No you don't.

"Yes, I do."

"No you don't.

"Yes, I do and you are going to absolutely hate it."

"See, this is why you shouldn't have ideas."

"I know. Reese, turn off your com, they don't need to hear this."

"Oh..." Rachel leaned back, the realization of where exactly Will would hide two people hitting her like a twenty pound bag of coffee beans.

And now Will was being shot at.

"Oh... shit." Rachel clicked the intercom to the garage. "I need the full ambulance ready with three nurses to go in three minutes." She clicked it off and dashed for the elevator. "Grant, you're in charge!"

The elevator clicked shut and Grant stood gapped mouth in the middle of Main Tech. "Why me?"

Olivia shrugged. "Would you rather they left me in charge?"

"Ugh. Good point."

***

Will dashed to the stairwell, slipping through sheets of plastic and leaving a scatter of drywall in his wake. No bullets followed him and his polished shoes slipped on the linoleum floor and he hit the door. He wrenched the door handle up.

The door wouldn't budge.

The lights turned on with a sudden buzzing vibration. Will spun around. Zachs, sharply outlined by the light, stood next to the power switch to the floor, the gun steady as he aimed towards the door. The fire alarm finally died, leaving the air ringing. Zachs' eyes, like lazer pointers, stayed on Will's face. Will put his hands up again, backing away from the door, from the gun. As long as Zachs had that gun on him he didn't have any options.

"I can understand wanting to protect and help your family," reasoned Will. "But when will the price get too high? How many lives are worth a machine that might not even work?"

"You know a man is desperate when he resorts to philosophy," chided Zachs. "You know, I looked you up too." Zachs' piercing stare lowered to Will's stomach, and his gun followed suit. "Tell me, does it feel good to have someone in there?"

Will paled. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw your BT files, William. Is that how you're protecting your partner and Doctor Devi? Holding them inside you?"

Will stumbled, falling back against the windows before catching himself and moving along the glass.

"Do you get some sort of satisfaction having someone so trapped?" continued Zachs, an amused smile on his face. "That kind of control, dominance. Finally being able to keep an agent like Louis Patriarch under your influence."

Will kept moving back, wishing the lights were out again. His face burned.

"And with the way you seem to admire your partner, I can imagine possessing him has a sort of thrill. Tell me, is feeling him squirm inside better than sex?"

"Shut up!" snarled Will.

Zachs shrugged. "Retten wanted you brought to him alive but... well... Three birds with one stone."

"Wait-"

Zachs fired, the bullet flying straight to Will's middle. A spray of red followed, staining the pure white vest and shirt as Will gasped and slid down the window to his knees, his hand over his gut, as if trying to keep it in. He coughed, trying to suck in air through the pain, before he fell on his side, facing away from Zachs.