Killing Time OST – 18c – Anger

<< 18b – Anger

I covered the distance between the headquarters and the plaza in precisely the time we planned for. My mind pushed away the ache in my muscles and forgot to notice the shortness of breath. All it wanted was for this nightmare to be over. It also craved the bottle of scotch waiting in my nightstand.
Unfortunately, no matter how juiced up on fury I was, we were behind schedule. The guards were making their round of the gigantic plaza and one of them would check on The Device’s room soon. We had some clean-up to do before that or this was all in vain.
It killed my nerves to wait for Vexx to hack and loop every security camera on my way back to the scene of the crime.
I found myself rejoicing that Merrilyn considered its mainframe servers’ location so secret it didn’t have this tight a security. Spending more time than necessary in that hellish place would have driven me mad. Or madder.
Maybe another visit to the asylum was overdue. Would my old cellmate still be there?
“We’re almost done,” Vexx encouraged. How weird could it be for him to follow all the dark trails of my thoughts?
‘As the Mood Turns’, new and probably worst soap opera ever to air on your private channel. On tomorrow’s episode, Lorelei meets her evil twin.
“It’s not that bad.”
He lied. I knew it, he knew it, but I had some work to do. I walked across the room, still wide open, and cradled the Device in its safe. Once I covered our tracks, I’d be out of here and on my way to an intoxicated slumber.
Pulling out the various electronics that granted me access to the place required movements as controlled as when I put them in. We didn’t want to leave any readily identifiable scratches so I scrapped the remainder of my patience and put it to use.
After closing the safe and packing up most things, I stopped by the small hole I made in the wall to deactivate the microphones. I squeezed a dollop of putty on the head of a flat pin. My improvised mini-scrapper worked like a charm and the chameleon paste matched the wall’s color perfectly.
“It’s tricked.”
In Vexx-speech, that meant the microphone’s security system had a new bit of permanent code that kept it from detecting its burned up guts. I plucked the spider off the wall, cutting of the access to hack the system, and waited. No alarm. The code worked.
Vexx reactivated the lasers when I closed the plasma-proof glass door. I pulled the electrodes out of the red silicon created by the reaction AP2G2M’s acid with the door.
Then it hit me: red silicon on glass was an effing huge telltale sign of foul play.
“Crap. Leave it. There’s no time.”
You said any trace may cause protocol changes that would render our information useless.
“Pray they don’t notice. The guard’s almost there. It’s far worst if he rings the alarm because you’re still there.”
My mind rebelled at the idea of doing nothing. How could he ask me that?
You didn’t drag my ass through hell to leave it up to luck. I don’t have any of that.
“Then let yourself almost get caught red-handed. If they’re sure you didn’t get through the door, they might not look to close.”
With my reputation? They’ll move to Timbuktu.
He got something right though. I pulled an electrode out of my backpack and stuck it back in place.
Can they trace the supplier back to us?
“No. Why?”
I broke the electrode in its silicon socket. The handle fell to the ground. With the press of a button, I blew up the Lamborghini in the street.
I’m staging a failed attempt.
Vexx’s laughter accompanied me to the door and into the hallway. I rounded two corners on my way back out then broke my steady progression; a guard stood still in the hallway. He was probably discussing the recent explosion through is inner-ear communication device.
Loop all cameras.
“It’ll trigger the alarm.”
They can know an intruder was here but they cannot see me!
“Fine. Go.”
I sprinted in the corridor and caught the guard before he turned around. The force of the blow stunned him right away but it did quite the opposite to me. The alarm rang me back to reality. I had half mulched his face and bloodied my clothes before my mind caught up with my emotional inferno.
“Lor! You’ll kill him.”
My fist froze midair.
I knew that of course; his heartbeat had already grown erratic. His breathing was as ragged as the flow of my thoughts. Somehow, my brain had failed to care about anything but the sweet release of all the caked layers of hurt and anger. I stumbled onto my feet, my body still refusing to respond perfectly to my commands.
I’m such a fool.
“Now’s not the time. Come on.”
I almost killed a man. Unplanned, untargeted. Murdered him. Like the serial killer they wanted me to be.
“Lor, I know this sounds insensitive but move now, brood later. The arrival of the police is about to close your window.”
He was right. Police would come to check out the explosion. That would make a whole of people to avoid, especially since law enforcement would scout the surroundings in case the bomber stayed behind to watch.
I drew my pistol. Two shots and they would put me down like the rabid dog I had become.
“No. Lorelei, this is not an option. Think about the other girls –”
 – Think about the potential killing spree.
“You didn’t drag my ass through hell to give up!” His voice snapped with a few layers of anger of its own.
Fine. I’ll bring you your key to destroy Merrilyn Tech and you’ll leave me alone.
“That’s what you want to think. Fine. Just pick up Frogster on the way out.”
I sprinted to the roof access and waited for the mechanical frog and its spidery passenger to join me. I tried to wipe the blood off my face. I couldn’t go on a mission again. Not like this. My body underperformed and my mind refused to work properly.
“This discussion isn’t over.”
Damn right, it isn’t.

19a – Inception >>