“Anything?” Gloria asked Marcus as she led the way through a row of newly built and unrenovated apartments. The footsteps of those pursuing them were being gradually left behind. But it was far from enough. They would need to either find a good hiding spot, or leave these men behind far enough that they give up.
“No, still no signal.” Marcus shook his head, panting, being invited into and then released from the interior of the old ruins did not really alleviate the exhaustion from the fights. His bones, his muscles and his internal organs were screaming for him to take a break and a breather: “I don’t know - I haven’t been to this area. Is the reception always this bad?”
“No - something’s wrong. Maybe the fog messed up our phones.” Gloria was also panting, and her footsteps were getting heavier and slower just like Marcus: “Well - anyway - I know a place we can hide. It’s actually pretty neat, should be enough for the two of us.”
“Okay, then lead the way.” Marcus sighed: “I could use a break. I really could.”
“Yeah, you don’t need to tell me.” Gloria sighed and pointed forward: “Just follow me. It should be just right there. With any luck, they wouldn’t notice the place.”
Following Gloria’s lead, Marcus saw a door with a plaque “Storage” on it. In a normal apartment complex, this would look like a place for the property management to place lockers and individual mini storage units for the renters.
It indeed turned out to be the kind of space he suspected. The individual storage units were simply small spaces in big metal cages separated by metal grid dividers and plates as bottoms. Judging from their size, one renter could barely put a pair of shoes in there.
“Careful, don’t leave any footprints or any other marks. Because if they find us, we’d have to fight in a very tight corner.” Gloria looked up at the ceiling - it was not painted and only had some decorative lights still being installed: “Okay, up there - find me a chair, or something I could stand on - ”
Marcus looked around - there was a working chair covered in slightly wet paint and saw dust, no way they were going to use it without leaving a mark. And the only viable option aside from the table would be a chair folded on the side. He knelt down to take a closer look at the folded chair: dust and paint was sprinkled on the legs. So he just turned to Gloria: “Do you need long? I can give you a boost if you can be quick.”
“Quick is my specialty. Boost it is. ” Gloria nodded: “Probably at most two boosts.”
With one tap on Marcus’ palms, Gloria jumped up and pushed a barely noticeable spot on the ceiling. A wood panel loosened and popped to the side, revealing a tall empty space hidden behind.
With another boost, Gloria reached her hands through the opening and grabbed onto something steady. After a count of three, she pulled herself up into the space. Then after a few seconds, she threw a nylon rope down. Marcus checked under his feet and around him to make sure they did not leave any footprints or marks behind, before grabbing the rope and jumping while Gloria pulled.
The space above the ceiling was a wide but not so tall space with some small windows on the side. Both of them had to slouch and walk with bent knees, but at least there was enough room for both of them to lie down. There was some dust, spilled paint and spider webs in the corners, but considering the circumstances it was mostly clean.
Gloria carefully put the panel back into its place, then let out a relaxed sigh: “Okay, this ceiling should be strong enough to hold both of us for a while - I think it’s a space left for vent pipes.”
“Nice. Good find. ” Marcus sat down and let out a long exhale: “But why the windows, are they see through?”
“I don’t know why there are windows, but they’re not transparent, unless you get really close to them.” Gloria shook her head and lied down on the floor: “Let’s hope they won’t have any more guns or the habit of shooting the ceiling.”
“Yeah, just the fact that they have guns in their hands is a serious issue.” Macus frowned at the pistol he got from one of the men’s cars and shook his head: “This is - a cheap but common one. It used to come up a lot in gang related crimes. But it had become less common now - at least it should have.”
“Did you recognize any of them? Any of them known criminals?” Gloria asked while looking up at the wooden ceiling.
“No, not really.” Marcus shook his head: “And no known markers of criminal association either - I didn’t see any recognizable tattoos or other logos. How about you? Anyone a common menace in the South-Eastern District?”
“No. But some of their clothing choices told me they are very likely from my district.” Gloria sighed: “So - who do you think these people are? I mean, who do you think they work for?”
“Some higher up people in the city. Very likely officials of the electric companies. ‘Liquid Lightning’, that’s what the lady said. And who else could have unfettered access to buildings of these companies?”
“And all three major electric companies have government ties. ” Gloria took a deep breath: “ Our district uses Aeken’s Commonwealth, the other two - what are their names?”
“S&S Corp and Thuller Group.”
“Yeah, stupid me. That’s the one John Mitchell worked for right? You guys ever found him?” Gloria chuckled.
“No. But we did find a lead. It’s new and unconfirmed, but you might as well know - John Mitchell may have an alias, Luo Zhuge. And we’ve found some traces of him, but so far nothing that could lead us to him yet.”
