Post by Cristiano Orisha on Sept 22, 2014 14:27:10 GMT -8
It still had that new building smell. The strong odor of paint and chemicals hung thick in the air and plastic covered many of the floors, splattered with paint.
"This your first time working night shift?" The young man turned to smile at the older woman. Her uniform was sharp and the badge on her chest gleaming. She waited for his answer.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm used to day time parking garages, not places like this. This is really... " He gestured to encompass the entire structure.
The older woman laughed and the wrinkles around her eyes made it evident that she did this often. "Don't worry, if you weren't qualified you wouldn't be here and if the boss didn't like you, you wouldnt have even had an interview."
"I tried to Viewgle him and couldn't find anything."
The two of them sat in the fluorescent illumination of the break room. Just then, the lockers on the wall were still wrapped in their shipping plastic and the benches leaned against the wall. They sat opposite each other across a folding table in folding chairs.
The woman shook her head. Beneath her sharp security cap her gray hair had been bound in a tight bun. "Nah, you won't find anything about him on the Internet. At least, not anything worth knowing." she glanced at her watch list. "Here we go. It's our shift."
The young man sat at a bank of monitors. Behind him, the older woman explained the ins and outs of the system. Cameras covered the Horizon Buildings entrances, feeding images directly to the desk and another office on a higher floor.
"Well God damn," the older woman whispered as she looked through the glass doors at the man who stood there.
The young man glanced down at the camera feed. How long had he been standing there? He had been staring at the screen for the past quarter hour. How--the man was gone. The only thing that the camera showed was a swinging door.
He looked up to see the man walking through the lobby. Every fourth step of his right foot accompanied by the sharp click of leather against marble. He'd obviously passed through the door before he could see him in the camera and left it's field of view.
He didn't seem in a hurry nor did he seem without purpose. He was present, and his aura like the cool warning breeze of autumn transitioning into winter.
"Mr. Horizon, good evening, " The woman said. Tentative.
His original path had been toward the bank of elevators past the front desk but now he turned.
The young man felt Mr. Horizon's eyes sweep across him and felt a lance of cold seem to pearce his chest and his legs felt numb. This was Mr. Horizon? He didn't even know that horizon was a proper last name. Even still, when he imagined the owner of the building, this was not who he imagined.
Mr. Horizon stopped at the guards desk. "Good evening Ms. Williams, Mr. Delgado. I expect everything is still quiet?" He spoke slowly, not like a dull person but as if he took deliberate care of each word, choosing them as an artist might a selection of stone or wood to blend together into a sculpture.
"Ah, good Mr. Horizon. James here is getting the run down and lay of the land." The woman sounded pleasant but her hand trembled on James' shoulder.
Mr. Horizon nodded. "What is the status of the elevator?"
"I think it has another few days."
Mr. Horizon's expression tightened and the woman's hand gripped James' shoulder painfully. He raised a brow and the woman nodded. "I'll do the same as yesterday."
The man took them both in again, turned and headed to the elevators.
Ms. Williams jumped into action, pulling another chair over. Her fingers flew over the keyboard. She muttered softly, swearing. "Shit, shit, shit."
"What's wrong? What's going on?" James worked his shoulder. It was tender and radiated pain. "You have a grip on you." Despite the intimidating aura of the man, he couldn't help himself but to try to get another look. He leaned past the marble corner to peer into the elevator hall in time to see the doors of the elevator open for Mr. Horizon. He stepped in.
James reflexively glanced at the security cameras for the elevators and saw one empty car with its doors open. For a moment, he didn't comprehend what he was looking at and then he looked back at the elevators. Mr. Horizon reached out and pressed a button. James looked back to see a button light up.
"Holy..." James breathed. The elevator cameras suddenly went dark. He looked up at the woman. Her expression was hard and the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth darkened.
"You shouldn't seen that."
"What the fuck was that? Is he a vamp-" suddenly Ms. Williams' iron grip was around his mouth, her thumb and fingers digging into his jaw. His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to pull away, but he may as well have been struggling against a statue.
They sat like that for a few moments. Then Ms. Williams reached with her free hand and took up the phone. She dialed and brought the receiver to her ear.
"We have a problem."
On the other end, with his even, measured cadence: "Bring him to me."
"This your first time working night shift?" The young man turned to smile at the older woman. Her uniform was sharp and the badge on her chest gleaming. She waited for his answer.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm used to day time parking garages, not places like this. This is really... " He gestured to encompass the entire structure.
The older woman laughed and the wrinkles around her eyes made it evident that she did this often. "Don't worry, if you weren't qualified you wouldn't be here and if the boss didn't like you, you wouldnt have even had an interview."
"I tried to Viewgle him and couldn't find anything."
The two of them sat in the fluorescent illumination of the break room. Just then, the lockers on the wall were still wrapped in their shipping plastic and the benches leaned against the wall. They sat opposite each other across a folding table in folding chairs.
The woman shook her head. Beneath her sharp security cap her gray hair had been bound in a tight bun. "Nah, you won't find anything about him on the Internet. At least, not anything worth knowing." she glanced at her watch list. "Here we go. It's our shift."
The young man sat at a bank of monitors. Behind him, the older woman explained the ins and outs of the system. Cameras covered the Horizon Buildings entrances, feeding images directly to the desk and another office on a higher floor.
"Well God damn," the older woman whispered as she looked through the glass doors at the man who stood there.
The young man glanced down at the camera feed. How long had he been standing there? He had been staring at the screen for the past quarter hour. How--the man was gone. The only thing that the camera showed was a swinging door.
He looked up to see the man walking through the lobby. Every fourth step of his right foot accompanied by the sharp click of leather against marble. He'd obviously passed through the door before he could see him in the camera and left it's field of view.
He didn't seem in a hurry nor did he seem without purpose. He was present, and his aura like the cool warning breeze of autumn transitioning into winter.
"Mr. Horizon, good evening, " The woman said. Tentative.
His original path had been toward the bank of elevators past the front desk but now he turned.
The young man felt Mr. Horizon's eyes sweep across him and felt a lance of cold seem to pearce his chest and his legs felt numb. This was Mr. Horizon? He didn't even know that horizon was a proper last name. Even still, when he imagined the owner of the building, this was not who he imagined.
Mr. Horizon stopped at the guards desk. "Good evening Ms. Williams, Mr. Delgado. I expect everything is still quiet?" He spoke slowly, not like a dull person but as if he took deliberate care of each word, choosing them as an artist might a selection of stone or wood to blend together into a sculpture.
"Ah, good Mr. Horizon. James here is getting the run down and lay of the land." The woman sounded pleasant but her hand trembled on James' shoulder.
Mr. Horizon nodded. "What is the status of the elevator?"
"I think it has another few days."
Mr. Horizon's expression tightened and the woman's hand gripped James' shoulder painfully. He raised a brow and the woman nodded. "I'll do the same as yesterday."
The man took them both in again, turned and headed to the elevators.
Ms. Williams jumped into action, pulling another chair over. Her fingers flew over the keyboard. She muttered softly, swearing. "Shit, shit, shit."
"What's wrong? What's going on?" James worked his shoulder. It was tender and radiated pain. "You have a grip on you." Despite the intimidating aura of the man, he couldn't help himself but to try to get another look. He leaned past the marble corner to peer into the elevator hall in time to see the doors of the elevator open for Mr. Horizon. He stepped in.
James reflexively glanced at the security cameras for the elevators and saw one empty car with its doors open. For a moment, he didn't comprehend what he was looking at and then he looked back at the elevators. Mr. Horizon reached out and pressed a button. James looked back to see a button light up.
"Holy..." James breathed. The elevator cameras suddenly went dark. He looked up at the woman. Her expression was hard and the laugh lines around her eyes and mouth darkened.
"You shouldn't seen that."
"What the fuck was that? Is he a vamp-" suddenly Ms. Williams' iron grip was around his mouth, her thumb and fingers digging into his jaw. His eyes widened in surprise and he tried to pull away, but he may as well have been struggling against a statue.
They sat like that for a few moments. Then Ms. Williams reached with her free hand and took up the phone. She dialed and brought the receiver to her ear.
"We have a problem."
On the other end, with his even, measured cadence: "Bring him to me."
