Chapter 6 - The Ascent
The ear-piercing shriek of the security alarm vibrated through the floorboards, drowning out every other sound in the luxurious penthouse. The glowing red LED on Julian's device shifted to a frantic, solid crimson.
“Lift me now!” Julian shouted over the blare, his muscular arms tensing as he braced himself against the wheelchair armrests.
Maeve didn’t hesitate. She hooked her arms underneath Julian’s rigid torso, feeling the solid, dense weight of his heavy, tattooed chest. Pushing upward with every ounce of strength she possessed, she heaved him out of the wheelchair. Julian winced, his teeth gritting hard as his unresponsive legs dangled uselessly, dragging against the green blanket that fell away to the floor.
“Higher!” Julian gasped, his breath hot against Maeve’s ear as she staggered beneath his dead weight, carrying him toward the grand doorway. “The scanner is right above the frame. Don't let my head drop!”
Maeve’s muscles screamed in protest. Her sneakers slid slightly on the polished hardwood, but she dug her heels in, pushing her legs upward and using her core to thrust Julian higher into the air. With one final, agonizing effort, she extended her arms fully, hoisting Julian toward the glowing blue lens mounted on the wall.
BEEP.
The scanner flashed a harsh, warning yellow light.
“It didn’t read!” Maeve cried out, her arms beginning to shake violently as fatigue threatened to buckle her knees. “Julian, I can’t hold you much longer!”
“Hold steady!” Julian commanded through gritted teeth, his neck muscles straining as he forced his wide-open eyes to stare directly into the pulsing blue laser. “My left eyelid is twitching—tilt me two inches to the right!”
Maeve shifted her stance, her shoulder slamming painfully against the doorframe, but she kept Julian elevated. She locked her elbows, using her entire body as a human scaffold to suspend the paralyzed man in mid-air.
CHIRP.
A soft, melodic chime cut through the blaring siren. The harsh yellow light on the scanner instantly shifted to a deep, steady green.
“Biometric verified. Welcome back, Mr. Vance,” a synthetic automated voice echoed coldly through the overhead speakers.
The iron bolt on the grand doorway clicked loudly and slid back into the door. At the same time, a concealed panel in the wall beside the bed popped open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing a dark, hidden staircase leading downward into the pitch-black basement of the building.
Maeve collapsed backward, her knees hitting the floor with a hard thud as she dropped Julian safely back down onto his wheelchair. Both of them were breathing heavily, soaked in cold sweat, staring at the gaping dark hole in the wall.
Julian looked down at the secret staircase, his face pale and grim. “I thought that passage was permanently sealed off after the accident.”
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“Apparently,” Maeve panted, rubbing her burning shoulders, “Elena forgot to update all her blueprints.”
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