gave her a small consolation for having
to wear the obnoxious wig.
She did not tarry further, hurrying the last few blocks to
the bus station where she purchased a ticket to Newport. It would take a little
over nine hours to get there, putting her in Newport around five the next
morning.
Tired, grateful, and finally feeling a glimmer of hope,
Alice sank back into the worn-down seat of the bus and started to relax.
Hopefully, this will all be behind me soon.
Chapter 8
Eric was aware that someone was calling his name. He
struggled to consciousness, eyelids flickering. When his eyes fully opened,
they focused on Grant's worried face. Several security officers waited at the
end of the hallway at a respectable distance.
"Eric!…Eric? Sir, what happened? Are you alright?"
Eric sat up, head pounding. As he remembered the events
that brought him there, he was furious.
How dare she! She made a fool of me for the last time.
She will not get such a chance again!
"The girl…where is she?" he asked quietly.
"We don't know. The last time she was spotted, she was
exiting the elevator in the warehouse. I have some analysts working on the
security feeds now to determine where she headed."
After Eric continued to remain silent, Grant continued,
venting his own outrage.
"How on earth did she manage this? It's as if she had
the complete layout of this entire complex. No one should have been able to get
past any of our security, let alone stroll out the front door!"
"I don't know, Grant, but I fully intend to get to
the bottom of this. We cannot have someone like that running rampant, knowing
that kind of information. Put every available man on this. I want her found!"
Eric briskly got to his feet and walked away, ignoring the
protests from his body. Grant considered following him, but thought better of
it. Eric never had emotional outbursts because he didn't have to. Judging by
the pulsing veins in his neck and the set of his jaw, Grant knew better than to
bother him. He needed to be alone.
Eric headed towards the elevator.
A few hours in the lab will help me calm down, put
things in perspective.
There were hundreds of labs scattered across the
EngineerCorp campus, but Eric's private lab was located in the basement of his
estate. It was there that he could be sure no one would disturb him.
Outside the building, Eric shielded his eyes against the harsh
glare of the setting sun. He emerged from Central Tower, the largest building
on campus. His office was there, along with the most critical laboratories and
servers. It was truly an impressive structure, over ten stories high with
sharp angles jutting out from each floor. It gave the tower the appearance of a
modern-day fortress, with an almost medieval facade. The unique architecture
fortified the building, strengthening it in the rare event of an attack.
Clustered around the center of campus was the business
sector. From there, it fanned out to apartments, classrooms, cafeterias and
recreation halls. There were even a few retail stores. The campus was designed
to be self-sufficient, providing everything that its employees and workers
would ever need, effectively giving them no reason to leave. Everything was run
and controlled by EngineerCorp, unofficially called "EnCorp City."
Eric's estate was near the center of campus, but it was
slightly isolated on several acres of dense woods, his own sanctuary in the
midst of his grand creation.
He could have just as easily driven there, but he felt like
walking. A small breeze blew cool and refreshing air on his face, serving to
slightly ebb the tide of anger.
Eric was so deep in thought, he did not realize how far he'd
gone until he found himself at the entry to his estate. A quick retinal and palm
scan later, he was inside.
He looked up as he entered his grand home. The foyer was
open all the way to the third floor, and ended in an remarkable chandelier –
one of the few embellishments he tolerated.
Eric
to wear the obnoxious wig.
She did not tarry further, hurrying the last few blocks to
the bus station where she purchased a ticket to Newport. It would take a little
over nine hours to get there, putting her in Newport around five the next
morning.
Tired, grateful, and finally feeling a glimmer of hope,
Alice sank back into the worn-down seat of the bus and started to relax.
Hopefully, this will all be behind me soon.
Chapter 8
Eric was aware that someone was calling his name. He
struggled to consciousness, eyelids flickering. When his eyes fully opened,
they focused on Grant's worried face. Several security officers waited at the
end of the hallway at a respectable distance.
"Eric!…Eric? Sir, what happened? Are you alright?"
Eric sat up, head pounding. As he remembered the events
that brought him there, he was furious.
How dare she! She made a fool of me for the last time.
She will not get such a chance again!
"The girl…where is she?" he asked quietly.
"We don't know. The last time she was spotted, she was
exiting the elevator in the warehouse. I have some analysts working on the
security feeds now to determine where she headed."
After Eric continued to remain silent, Grant continued,
venting his own outrage.
"How on earth did she manage this? It's as if she had
the complete layout of this entire complex. No one should have been able to get
past any of our security, let alone stroll out the front door!"
"I don't know, Grant, but I fully intend to get to
the bottom of this. We cannot have someone like that running rampant, knowing
that kind of information. Put every available man on this. I want her found!"
Eric briskly got to his feet and walked away, ignoring the
protests from his body. Grant considered following him, but thought better of
it. Eric never had emotional outbursts because he didn't have to. Judging by
the pulsing veins in his neck and the set of his jaw, Grant knew better than to
bother him. He needed to be alone.
Eric headed towards the elevator.
A few hours in the lab will help me calm down, put
things in perspective.
There were hundreds of labs scattered across the
EngineerCorp campus, but Eric's private lab was located in the basement of his
estate. It was there that he could be sure no one would disturb him.
Outside the building, Eric shielded his eyes against the harsh
glare of the setting sun. He emerged from Central Tower, the largest building
on campus. His office was there, along with the most critical laboratories and
servers. It was truly an impressive structure, over ten stories high with
sharp angles jutting out from each floor. It gave the tower the appearance of a
modern-day fortress, with an almost medieval facade. The unique architecture
fortified the building, strengthening it in the rare event of an attack.
Clustered around the center of campus was the business
sector. From there, it fanned out to apartments, classrooms, cafeterias and
recreation halls. There were even a few retail stores. The campus was designed
to be self-sufficient, providing everything that its employees and workers
would ever need, effectively giving them no reason to leave. Everything was run
and controlled by EngineerCorp, unofficially called "EnCorp City."
Eric's estate was near the center of campus, but it was
slightly isolated on several acres of dense woods, his own sanctuary in the
midst of his grand creation.
He could have just as easily driven there, but he felt like
walking. A small breeze blew cool and refreshing air on his face, serving to
slightly ebb the tide of anger.
Eric was so deep in thought, he did not realize how far he'd
gone until he found himself at the entry to his estate. A quick retinal and palm
scan later, he was inside.
He looked up as he entered his grand home. The foyer was
open all the way to the third floor, and ended in an remarkable chandelier –
one of the few embellishments he tolerated.
Eric
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