Read Online Dreams in the Tower Part 3 by Andrew Vrana - Free Book Online
Authors: Andrew Vrana
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whirling overhead. He stepped carefully down onto one giant leg of the big red ‘H’ painted across a helipad and looked around to gather some clue as to where he was. The building they had landed on was only about two thirds the height of most of the skyscrapers around them. The roof stretched out a long way to the left and right and there were a few similar but somewhat smaller buildings clustered around the one they were on. A university? Or…
“Hospital,” Diane shouted, inches from his ear. “Come on.”
She took his arm and led him at a brisk pace to a large set of doors leading into the building. She jammed a hand in her pocket and pulled out a white ID card—something Mike hadn’t used or even seen for years. He was vaguely surprised when there turned out to be a slot on the security panel where Diane swiped the card; he was even more surprised when the doors swung inward to reveal a short hallway, at the end of which were wide white elevator doors. Mike followed her into the hallway, and the doors closed behind them, sealing out the night and the noise of the helicopter. The overhead lights in the hall were pale and dirty. On the left side, a small booth with windows all the way around jutted out from the wall: a security station. But there was no guard. Diane went to the booth and leaned over a screen built into the counter of the security station where people in the hallway could access it.
“The guard’s out,” Diane said over her shoulder, tap-tapping away on the screen out of Mike’s sight. “He’s one of ours. A lot of people here are. I tell myself it’s because people who work in a hospital really care about the safety and welfare of humanity, but really it’s because a lot of these people remember when a Silte-owned medical holdings company bought a controlling interest in this place and turned their happy hierarchy into a finely-tuned corporate bureaucracy. Old doctors don’t like it when their tenure no longer gets them the biggest, juiciest grant checks.”
“This is safe, isn’t it?” Mike glanced nervously at a camera mounted above the elevator. “I mean, flying around the city in a helicopter and landing on a hospital roof in the middle of the night isn’t exactly subtle. And what the pilot said—what Garrett said…”
Finished with whatever she was doing on the screen, Diane turned to face him and said, “Believe me, Mike, it’s all been taken care of. Anyone who checks the log,” she jabbed a thumb back towards the security booth, “will see that we came in on official hospital business—or two people who look exactly like us did. As far as Silte and Guardian are concerned, the real you and I are still in my apartment having that nice meeting about you joining our club of traitors. Really, this is safe. We just like to prepare for any possible outcome, and to have a getaway planned in case we need it.”
“But…”
Ignoring him, she turned and made for the elevator, her dark ponytail bobbing against her neck as she walked, matching the rhythm of her impatient gait. Mike could do nothing, now, but follow her and hope that her confidence was well-founded.
The elevator door opened immediately when Diane hit the call button. He followed her in, silent and morose. When she saw his face she said, “Lighten up, Mike. Remember, if we get caught here it’s only me who’s fucked. You can just tell them you’re spying for Leutz and no doubt she’ll confirm that.”
“You’re forgetting that the people doing the catching these days are mercenaries.” Mike noticed she pushed the B2 button, the very lowest floor. “It will be hard to explain myself when my brains are on the wall.”
At that, Diane laughed until the doors closed.
When the doors slid open again they were in a short hallway almost exactly like the last one, except this one had no security booth and ended in a single light blue door. The door had no handle that Mike could see—only a plain black
“Hospital,” Diane shouted, inches from his ear. “Come on.”
She took his arm and led him at a brisk pace to a large set of doors leading into the building. She jammed a hand in her pocket and pulled out a white ID card—something Mike hadn’t used or even seen for years. He was vaguely surprised when there turned out to be a slot on the security panel where Diane swiped the card; he was even more surprised when the doors swung inward to reveal a short hallway, at the end of which were wide white elevator doors. Mike followed her into the hallway, and the doors closed behind them, sealing out the night and the noise of the helicopter. The overhead lights in the hall were pale and dirty. On the left side, a small booth with windows all the way around jutted out from the wall: a security station. But there was no guard. Diane went to the booth and leaned over a screen built into the counter of the security station where people in the hallway could access it.
“The guard’s out,” Diane said over her shoulder, tap-tapping away on the screen out of Mike’s sight. “He’s one of ours. A lot of people here are. I tell myself it’s because people who work in a hospital really care about the safety and welfare of humanity, but really it’s because a lot of these people remember when a Silte-owned medical holdings company bought a controlling interest in this place and turned their happy hierarchy into a finely-tuned corporate bureaucracy. Old doctors don’t like it when their tenure no longer gets them the biggest, juiciest grant checks.”
“This is safe, isn’t it?” Mike glanced nervously at a camera mounted above the elevator. “I mean, flying around the city in a helicopter and landing on a hospital roof in the middle of the night isn’t exactly subtle. And what the pilot said—what Garrett said…”
Finished with whatever she was doing on the screen, Diane turned to face him and said, “Believe me, Mike, it’s all been taken care of. Anyone who checks the log,” she jabbed a thumb back towards the security booth, “will see that we came in on official hospital business—or two people who look exactly like us did. As far as Silte and Guardian are concerned, the real you and I are still in my apartment having that nice meeting about you joining our club of traitors. Really, this is safe. We just like to prepare for any possible outcome, and to have a getaway planned in case we need it.”
“But…”
Ignoring him, she turned and made for the elevator, her dark ponytail bobbing against her neck as she walked, matching the rhythm of her impatient gait. Mike could do nothing, now, but follow her and hope that her confidence was well-founded.
The elevator door opened immediately when Diane hit the call button. He followed her in, silent and morose. When she saw his face she said, “Lighten up, Mike. Remember, if we get caught here it’s only me who’s fucked. You can just tell them you’re spying for Leutz and no doubt she’ll confirm that.”
“You’re forgetting that the people doing the catching these days are mercenaries.” Mike noticed she pushed the B2 button, the very lowest floor. “It will be hard to explain myself when my brains are on the wall.”
At that, Diane laughed until the doors closed.
When the doors slid open again they were in a short hallway almost exactly like the last one, except this one had no security booth and ended in a single light blue door. The door had no handle that Mike could see—only a plain black
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