Landon pulled himself up each step in the stairwell. The pain had passed, but his overall body was still stiff. He pushed open the door, exiting the stairwell. He checked the corners and then holstered his gun. Abigail’s office door was unlocked, just as it had been before. He paused, Had it been before? Was it later, now? His head began to hurt. He pushed the door open and his eyes immediately went to the ground. Her body was missing.
Landon checked his VIG, the time displayed in bright blue letters 9:57p.
“Abigail?” Landon whispered. He rounded the corner and looked under the desk. Nothing.
His earpiece chirped loudly and faint scratchings of his own voice came through, “This must be their extraction point…”
The door to the office slammed shut. He jumped back, pulling his five-seven and aiming it at the cause of the slam. Abigail stood in front of him in a purple blouse and dark grey skirt, both stained from coffee. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a bun. She held a coat rack in her hands like a staff.
“Who are you?!” she shouted at him, thrusting the coat rack toward him. “Drop the gun, or…” her words faded as she wasn’t sure what she was capable of.
Landon lowered the pistol, flipped the safety on with his thumb and slid it back into his holster.
“My name is Landon Daniels… and,” his eyes drifted for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain something he did not understand yet.
“Why did you try to kill me, Landon Daniels?” she said thrusting the coat rack again, “I heard the gunshots and then a bullet magically destroys my computer monitor. And then you show up with a gun pointed at me.”
The lights began to dim. Abigail stepped back, forcing herself into the corner. Landon crossed the room quickly, pushing the coat rack aside and grabbed Abigail’s shoulders.
“If you want to live through tonight, you will do what I say. We have to move. Got it?” he said, staring straight into her faint blue eyes.
She barely nodded. He grabbed her hand, pulled her from the corner and opened the office door. He pulled the five-seven and checked the corners, moving toward the stairwell.
Gunshots echoed through the hallway. Abigail started to pull away from the sound, coming free from Landon. He holstered the pistol and spun to grab her. He heard his earpiece squeal again as Sam’s voice shouted in his ear, “Landon… what’s wrong… your heart rate… Landon?”
A mechanical sound began echoing through the halls. As it grew louder, Landon sprinted behind her, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her to the ground. He slid behind a corner and brought her behind with him.
Xander walked by the hallway. His legs completely metal, and his torso covered in a metal body armor; the pink of his fingers the only visible flesh on his body.
Landon whispered to Abigail, “That is not who I fought before.” Xander paused a moment, and turned his head toward where Abigail and Landon hid. Xander moved toward them, placing his fingers against the top of the filing cabinet that the couple was hidden behind.
“I see you, Daniels.” Xander said, his fingers digging into the plate metal and throwing the filing cabinet down the hallway. Landon opened fire into Xander’s face, each bullet bouncing off his helmet.
“Abigail run,” Landon shouted over his gunfire. Xander planted his hands around Landon’s vest. Landon kicked his legs onto Xander’s chest, extending his legs until his vest tore, freeing himself from Xander’s grasp. He landed on his back, rolled away to his feet and began running.
Xander tossed the tactical vest away, and began following.
Landon rounded a corner into the lobby where Abigail was frantically slamming her fingers onto the down button.
Xander’s mechanical legs echoed down the hall.
Variance 