| |
––––––––
THE MEGA CORPORATION building was a towering skyscraper, jutting up hundreds of feet into the air. It's exterior was made from dark metal and heavily tinted glass, making it stand out in stark contrast to the soft green and blue of the nature surrounding it. It was a sleek building, with no outstanding features, except for the large red letters reading, MEGA, that ran vertically down the building. Just looking at the place made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“So, which floor is the control room located on?” I asked Calvin, nervously.
“It's actually not on any floor, technically. It's in the basement.”
“I don't know if that's better or worse,” I said.
“Well, the good news is that we shouldn't have a problem getting inside,” Cal said, staying optimistic. “We can use the ventilation ducts to get under the building. At least that way we avoid the guards for the time being!”
There were pairs of armed guards, dressed in dark suits and carrying rifles, making patrols around the building, but they didn't seem on high alert, and we were able to get past them with relative ease. We located a metal grating which covered a ventilation duct opening and removed it quietly. Then, we slipped inside, replacing the grate as we entered. After a few uncomfortable moments, we managed to wiggle our way through the shafts until ultimately dropping down onto the cool concrete floor of the basement.
“That wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be,” I exclaimed as I stood to my feet.
“I'm glad you feel that way,” Cal said evenly. “Now turn around and look at what's behind you.”
As soon as I turned around I immediately wished that I hadn't. I was staring down a hallway that led to a room marked: Control Room. But between us and that door was a stream of laser beams from wall to wall, so thick I could hardly see through them.
“Let me guess, these are the kind of lasers that will cut you in half if you touch them,” I said.
“Correct,” Cal answered.
“And this is the only path to the Control Room, right?”
“Correct again.”
“And you're about to tell me that we're going to go through them aren't you?”
“You're a genius,” Cal said.
“I'm a genius, and you're a fool,” I said, turning on my heel. “I'm not committing suicide by laser today.”
“Alex, wait,” Cal grabbed my shoulder. “We can do this! It's a little tricky, and yes, dangerous, but there is a path through the lasers. If you just follow me exactly we'll be fine!”
“Can't you do it yourself and deactivate it on the other side?” I moaned.
“These don't deactivate. If I get to the other side and the Mega corporation people show up you'll be on your own here! You have to come with me.”
“Alright, fine,” I growled. “But if your head gets sliced off by a laser I'm not dragging you out of here!”
“Fair enough,” Cal said. “Now let's get going!”