Page 18 of Eden and her Mercenary
We moved purposefully through the corridors, following the path Wren had outlined—the one with the fewest cameras and security checkpoints. The research being conducted on this level appeared to focus on pharmacology; through glass walls, we glimpsed labs filled with equipment for chemical analysis and synthesis.
"There," Eden whispered, nodding subtly toward a woman in a white coat with a Level 4 badge clipped to her breast pocket. She was heading toward us, engrossed in whatever was displayed on her tablet.
Ryker casually adjusted his course to intercept her, the RFID cloner concealed against his thigh. As they passed, he stumbled slightly, brushing against her.
"So sorry," he apologized smoothly, steadying her with a brief touch to her arm and a grin. "I’m still breaking in my new shoes."
"No problem," she replied absently, already refocusing on her tablet as she continued down thehallway.
Ryker fell back into step with us, a satisfied smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Got it," he murmured.
"Head to the north stairwell," Declan instructed through our earpieces. "It's the least monitored route to Level 4."
We navigated through the busy corridor, maintaining our facade of belonging while avoiding direct interaction with actual staff. The north stairwell was marked by an unassuming door with a simple exit sign above it.
Inside, the concrete stairs echoed with our footsteps as we climbed to Level 4. The atmosphere changed immediately upon opening the upper door—the hallway was darker, the security presence more obvious. A guard station sat directly across from the stairwell exit, manned by two uniformed personnel watching a bank of monitors.
"IDs, please," one guard requested, barely looking up from his screen.
We presented our badges, and Ryker discreetly placed the cloned Level 4 access card on top of his original one. The guard ran a scanner over each, pausing slightly at Ryker's.
"Dr. Harrison," he read from the screen. "You're working late tonight."
"Deadline tomorrow," Ryker replied smoothly. "You know how it is."
The guard nodded, returning our badges. "Neurology wing is restricted tonight. Special project."
My stomach tightened. Of course, the one area we needed to access would have additional security.
"That's where we're headed, actually," I said, projecting confidence. "Dr. Mercer's team needs the neural mapping system for morning calibrations."
The guard frowned, checking something on his computer. "I don't have any equipment transfers scheduled."
"It came down from Roberts directly," Eden interjected, naming the facility director we'd identified from our research. "Last-minute adjustment to tomorrow's demonstration."
The guard hesitated, then shrugged. "You'll need to sign for it."
"Of course," I agreed, accepting the digital tablet he pushed across the desk.
As I signed with a fabricated name, Declan's voice came through our earpieces: "Careful. Something's not right. Security protocols have changed from what my contact provided."
The guard returned my ID and waved us through. We proceeded down the hallway, maintaining our professional demeanor until we were out of sight.
"What's going on, Declan?" I murmured once we were alone.
"They've implemented additional measures around the neurology wing," he replied. "Motion sensors, heat detection. My contact says it happened suddenly this afternoon."
"After we asked about the neural mapping system," Ryker noted grimly.
Eden's eyes widened. "You think they know we're coming?"
"Maybe not us specifically," I reasoned, "but they've clearly increased security around exactly what we're after." I checked the corridor ahead. "We need a new approach."
"The biometric lock to the neurology wing requires both fingerprint and retinal scan," Declan informed us. "Wren's overlays might fool the fingerprint reader, but not the retinal scanner."
Eden's expression shifted from concern to determination. "What about Dr. Harrison? The one whose ID Ryker cloned?"
"What about her?" I asked.
