A New World: Return (23 page)

Donning her night vision goggles in the dark and adjusting the strap, she lowers the goggles down; feeling and hearing them click into place, she turns the switch on.
 
The darkened hallway immediately shows up with a sharp, greenish glow.
 
The fuzzy image of the old styles replaced by a sharper image but still with the green glow everyone associates with what NVG’s normally look like.
 
The later versions provide even more clarity and literally turn night into day.

Three more dual sets of elevators come into her vision in the glow of her goggles along with a door set between them on the right with a “stairs” sign above it.
 
The emergency lighting that should have been there long ago extinguished.
 
Turning to the rest of the group behind her, she asks if everyone is good.
 
Meaning, all goggles are working and ready.
 
Thumbs up and nods give answer to her that everyone is prepared.

“Okay, let’s do this,” she says on the radio, stationing team members to cover the entrance and interior.
 
She opens the stairway door and swings it into the hallway.

A rush of cool air envelops her but that is all that emerges from the large stairwell.
 
To the right, stairs lead upwards in the normal emergency stairwell fashion; the stairs leading to an intermediate landing before reversing to continue up to the next floor.
 
Another door leads outward across from the one she is holding open.

“Horace, send over two to cover this bottom stair landing,” Lynn says in her radio after analyzing the situation.

“Roger, First Sergeant, they’re on their way,” Horace replies.
 
Two soldiers quickly head her way, their boots clicking on the tile floor announces their approach.

“You two cover these doors and keep the stairwell clear,” she tells the arriving soldiers.

“Drescoll, detail two at each landing on the way up to cover the doors if they end up being double doors,” Lynn continues.
 
“I’ll detail two on the fifth floor.”

“Copy that,” Drescoll responds.

“Anyone hears or notices anything, no matter how slight, report it right away.
 
We have to keep this route open at all costs.
 
If we get into an engagement, we withdraw through this stairway, the covering force on each stairwell landing folding in behind and covering the withdrawal.
 
Any questions?”
 
Lynn asks expecting none.

“Hooah, First Sergeant,” they all say in hushed tones.

“Okay, let’s move out,” she says and steps into the cooler darkness of the stairwell.

The faint creak of her boot marks her first step upward; weapon trained aloft to what can be seen of the stairs leading in the reverse direction to the landing above.
 
Quietly step by step.
 
Advancing slowly but knowing they are in a little time crunch.
 
Not a rapidly approaching deadline but one nonetheless.

“Horace, keep watch on the time and notify us when we reach 20:15.
 
That’s our cut off point,” she says pressing the mic button at her collar.

“Copy that, First Sergeant,” Horace responds through the radio.

Looking at her watch glowing through her NVG’s, Lynn sees they have about three hours before it is time to go.
 
Maybe enough if they find it right away, maybe not.
 
But that is not going to make her rush any faster.
 
There is a time and place for that and this is definitely not one of those.
 
She arrives at the first landing and begins climbing the next series of steps.
 
Black Team is following several steps back.
 
Keeping a good interval, knowing that huddling up too close in a confined space such as this will increase the odds of friendly-fire casualties in case they have to engage.

The second floor landing is clear and identical to the first floor with the exception of the concrete flooring.
 
Well, and the fact that there is a sign saying ‘2
^nd
Floor.’
 
Big clue there.
 
There is no need to call the landing clear on the radio as that is readily apparent.
 
She hopes there is not a need to reverse and get out quickly while they are all confined in the stairs together.
 
They will bunch up quickly trying to reverse and get out making the one in front, her, an easy target with nowhere to go.

The stairwell is deathly quiet.
 
So quiet that she can hear the quickened breaths being taken both by her and the soldiers behind, fueled by adrenaline and the fear that accompanies the unknown.
 
Her heart pounds in her chest from the adrenals kicking into high gear.
 
The enclosed concrete block stairwell seems to close in and Lynn is thankful it is not the pitch black that it must be outside of her NVG’s.
 
This is so much better than having just a flashlight
, she thinks as she resumes her climb.
 
The darkness outside of a flashlight’s illumination being even darker and the light ruins any night vision.

Reaching the third floor landing, she notices there is not any light coming from under the stairwell door giving a clue that light from the glass front of the building is not reaching the stairwell door on this floor.
 
She noticed the same on the second landing but that was to be expected from the fact that the lobby is two stories tall.
 
Not good
, she thinks heading even further up into the building.
 
As she places her foot on the first step toward her ascent to the fourth floor, Drescoll informs her that Green Team is starting its way upward meaning Black Team is stretched out behind her for two floors, each member occupying a half flight of stairs, intermediate landing or landing.

Anxiety begins to grip her as she makes her way upwards, each step taking her farther away from the safety of the daylight.
 
Lynn tells herself not to get trapped by the false notion that if things go terribly wrong, the rooms or offices with windows outside will offer any sanctuary.
 
Sure, for the moment they will but the setting of the sun will cause that safety to disappear.
 
No, if something happens, this stairway and the entrance door leads to the only true sanctuary.

Alert and ready for anything, Lynn fingers the selector switch, reassuring herself that burst mode is selected.
 
She thinks momentarily of her and Jack’s discussion on the M-4.
 
Him telling her that the ones he used were fully automatic and her insisting that is not the case.
 
Well, he was in a little while before her and that could be the case for the early models.
 
He still insisted and insists that the ones he used in special ops were automatic.
 
Those thoughts slip quickly from her mind as she reaches the fourth floor landing.
 
Only one more to go
, she thinks in the dark quiet with only the rustle of clothes, the creak of boots stepping quietly on the concrete steps, and the occasional light metal clinks sounding in the stairwell as soldiers climb behind her.

There is only the same as she ascends to the fifth floor and reaches the landing.
 
She stops as Black Team slowly ascends and joins her there.
 
Drescoll informs her that they are all secure on the landings beneath her, each guarded by two soldiers, one covering each door.
 
As her team gathers near her, a hush descends on the landing.
 
Only the muffled sound of shuffling boots is heard.
 
The sound of soldiers climbing vanishing as each takes their positions and waits.
 
Detailing two of her team to stay and guard the fifth floor here, she puts her ear to the door to her left leading out of the stairway and into the building.

Hearing nothing outside, she asks one of her teammates to check the other door, reporting back that there is nothing to be heard.
 
Lynn pushes on the door bar and opens it just a crack.
 
A slight, metallic squeak is all that is heard as she peeks through the crack into what seems like a darkened hallway.
 
Silence greets her as she pushes the door wider and ducks her head in the opening, glancing to her left and right before quickly pulling it back in letting her brain analyze the quick view her eyes sent to it.
 
Realizing she did not see anything amiss, Lynn pushes the door open slowly to the soft, metallic sound of a fire door opening and steps quickly into the hallway; the soldier behind catching and holding the door as she moves out.

Lynn quickly takes a kneeling position in the hallway facing down the hall to her right.
 
The next team member takes a position behind her and faces the opposite direction.
 
Two more quickly enter the hall, one joining her and the second joining the one behind.
 
The door closes with a soft click, one of the soldiers left guarding the landing easing it shut.
 
The tension threatens to engulf them as they there waiting for something to happen.
 
The very air breathes of tension.

“We’re in,” she whispers into the radio mic.

Two clicks on the radio followed by two additional clicks announce that Drescoll and Horace heard her and are acknowledging.
 
Lynn continues to survey the area to her front.
 
The hallway stretches out ahead to the limit that the night vision goggles will allow.
 
Many doors line both sides of the quiet hall, some shut with others open.
 
Picture frames line the walls at intervals.
 
Plaques on the wall next to each door show an individual name, conference room, or the standard bathroom sign.
 
All have room numbers on top and, giving them a look from her position, she can tell that the numbers increase the further away from her the rooms are.
 
The director’s office must be behind me
, she thinks hoping it is not on the other side of the stairwell.

“What do you have on your side?”
 
Lynn asks the teammates behind her.

“Hallway ends and opens into some kind of foyer or larger open area,” her teammate responds.

Lynn stands quietly and turns around, tapping one of her team behind her and signaling for them to switch positions.
 
The exchange is completed in almost total silence.
 
The swish of cloth rubbing together is the only indication of movement.
 
Looking at the hallway in the other direction from her new vantage point, she sees that the hallway does end after short distance, opening up into what appears to be some kind of reception room.
 
The tiled hallway gives way to carpeting and the room ahead opens up to the sides.
 
Two desks sit on the carpeting looking out in her direction with a large, shut door in the far wall between them.

Something just does not seem right.
 
There are the words ‘CDC Director’ but they seem to be placed oddly.
 
At first they seem to be on the wooden walls directly above the desks but placed too high.
 
Then they seem to be floating in the air.
 
The light bulb hits.
 
The reception room is fronted by a glass wall with double glass doors leading inside.
 
The writing is on the glass in front.
 
Lynn also sees a thin beam of light peeking out from under the large door set in the far wall.
 
So, that office must have a view of the outside.
 
That will be convenient for searching
, she thinks wondering if those glass doors are locked.

“Sergeant Drescoll, this is Jordan on the third floor.
 
I have sound and movement coming from the other side of my door,” a voice whispers in the radio, startling Lynn and sending her adrenaline into overdrive.

“Can you identify what it is?”
 
Lynn hears Drescoll respond to the call.

“Do not open that door,” Lynn quickly whispers into her mic.

“Copy that, First Sergeant.
 
Break.
 
I don’t know what it is but it sounds like something shuffling on the other side,” Jordan answers.

Lynn rises and stares over her shoulder at the stair door.
 
What they came looking for, well, at least the location it should be in, is tantalizingly close.
 
They are not really discovered yet but it is only a matter of time if one or more of the night runners are prowling around.
 
She stands wondering if she should continue and head to the director’s office or pull them back.
 
Her competitive and ‘can do’ mindset compels her to continue; get the files and get out of there.
 
The hackles on the back of her neck rise as she suddenly hears a low growl and a faint sniffing from down the hallway in the direction she is facing.
 
The green glow of her night vision goggles picks out the faint outline of a nose poking out from one of the open doors close by.

Oh shit
, she thinks looking at the nose apparently sniffing the air.
 
She stays absolutely motionless.
 
Don’t make a sound
.
 
A soft grunt emits from the direction of the night runner at the room’s entrance, followed by a very low, deep growl that fills the otherwise silent hall.
 
Tension fills the air.
 
The soldiers kneel in the darkened hallway like stone statues, poised and ready.
 
Not knowing if they have been found out or not.
 
Waiting for the shriek that will signify their presence is known and alert other night runners.