Tisane jumped as he tried to push open the compartment on the elevator ceiling but he was not finding it easy.
_[That won't work silly. Take that fire extinguisher and smash it open]_ the voice said.
Tisane glanced at the elevator wall where the lady was resting and staring at him with obvious fear still evident on her face.
A fire extinguisher was displayed in a glass compartment fixed to the wall.
Tisane pulled out the fire extinguisher and held it upside down as he jumped and swung it at the square shaped compartment in the elevator ceiling.
Bang!
The first hit seemed to make no effect.
_[Again]_ the voice urged.
Bang!
The second hit made the compartment vibrate.
_[Again]_
The third hit seemed to shift the compartment a little.
_[Again]_
At the fourth hit, the compartment opened greatly to reveal a very long narrow space stretching upwards.
_[Good. Now go through that and you'll be on your way]_ the voice urged again.
Tisane dropped the fire extinguisher and jumped to grab a hold on the open compartment which he used to pull himself through.
Once his was out on the elevator, he gasped at the view. It was like being at the bottom of a well and looking upwards. It felt kinda scary.
As he was thinking on how to 'go up'.
"Where are you going? Please don't leave me!"
The lady in the elevator wailed in terror.
_'Oh shit I almost forgot about her'_ Tisane turned to look through the elevator compartment.
_[No! Ignore her and keep moving]_ the strange voice urged surprisingly.
_'Wait what?'_ Tisane wondered if he heard wrong.
_[I said keep moving]_ the voice was insistent.
_'But...'_ Tisane stared back at the lady through the compartment. She was already at the point of having a nervous breakdown as the look on her face showed how pitiful she was.
_'I can't just leave her here'_
_[Sure you can. Just turn around and be on your jolly good way]_ the voice said.
"Wait" Tisane shook his head in a doubtful manner as he couldn't help but think aloud. "Are you for real?"
_[Yeah]_
_'Who and what are you?'_
_[Your fairy godfather. Are you going to stand here and ask questions so you'll be captured and arrested?]_ the voice asked.
Tisane shuddered at the thought as he gave a grunt of resignation.
Putting his head through the compartment he assured the teary eyed lady.
"Please miss stay put. Am sure the security personnel would soon come for you. I am going to the top floor now to inform them. Everything will be alright".
_[What do you think you're doing?! Get going. She's not who you think she is]_ the voice scolded immediately.
"No please don't leave me I beg you!" The lady wailed as tears began to flow from her eyes.
_[Get going boy!]_
Turning away from the terror filled face of the lady, Tisane couldn't help but feel reluctant about leaving such a beautiful lady in such a situation.
Staring at the elevator tunnel composition, Tisane saw two 'metal like' ladder structures embedded on the left and right side of the 'tunnel wall'. The 'metal ladders' extended all the way along with the tunnel.
Apart from that, Tisane gaped at the four huge rod ropes that ran all the way from the top of the tunnel and ran through huge metal wheels that were connected to the elevator.
After a moment of hesitation, he leaped from the elevator and grabbed the 'metal ladder' on the left.
"Please don't leave me here!!" The lady in the elevator became hysterical when she discovered she was being left behind.
Tisane paused and looked back at the elevator, reluctance evident on his face.
_[Go!!]_ The voice became louder and stronger, forcing Tisane to abandon all thought of going back for the lady as he began to climb up the 'ladder'.
_[This will take forever. It is better you hike it]_ the voice said.
_'Huh? What do you mean?'_ Tisane frowned.
Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind.
"What was that?" Tisane's eyes trembled at what he imagined.
_[Did you understand what you saw?]_ The voice asked.
_'Uh...'_ Tisane had an awkward look on his face.
_[You didn't even remember what you saw did you?]_
_'Why don't you show me again?'_
_[Ugh]_ the voice grunted in annoyance. _[Focus boy. I'll show you one more time]_
The image flashed again in his mind as Tisane had a serious look on his face.
_[Do you remember now?]_
_'Yes'_
_[Good. Then follow what you saw and do so accordingly]_
_'Wait you want me to do....that?'_ Tisane's eyes flashed with surprise.
_[Yes]_
_'Can I do it? I mean isn't it dangerous?'_
_[After how far you've come, you still doubt yourself?]_ The voice asked incredulously.
'.....' Tisane didn't know what else to say or think. After all, on stepping into the NPLC building, he found himself doing things that he on normal days would have never thought of doing.
_'Yeah I truly have changed somehow, haven't I? So I should just----'_
_[Sorry to interrupt your meditation kid, but now isn't the time to stand around and think but to act. You can do this. I know you can. You just have to believe you can]_
_'O--okay'_ Tisane nodded as he braced himself.
_[Good. Now all you have to do is jump and free your muscles]_
_'Got it'_
_[On my count. One....two...]_
Tisane felt the rhythmic beat of his heart increased.
_[...three go!]_
Zoom
Tisane felt the huge rush of wind as he bounced off the 'metal ladder' he was on to the other on the right side of the elevator tunnel.
_'Woah! What was that?'_ Tisane couldn't believe how high he was able to jump with just one leap and moreover it didn't feel like your average jump. For a moment there it felt like he was riding the wind. It just felt so unnatural and amazing.
_[Good. That's how to do it but don't stop, keep going and remember, be focused]_
Tisane nodded as he took another jump from the right side of the tunnel to the left side.
Meanwhile back in the stationary elevator...
The lady whom was just crying her eyes out to Tisane few minutes ago was now fuming as her beautiful face contorted in obvious rage.
"Bastard..." She muttered in shaking anger. "How dare he ignore me?"
_'What kind of a shameless guy would promise a girl he would help her by leaving her?! Hmph'_
As she was still boiling in anger, a beeping sound emanated from her left wrist.
She looked at her left wrist and performed a swiping motion with her right hand which then resulted in the sudden appearance of what looked like a bracelet that glowed with red light.
**Hey Sabrina**
The 'bracelet' seemed to be a communication device because a voice spoke through it.
"Hey Matthew" the lady whose name was Sabrina replied in a cooling voice. "Reactivate the elevator and send me up"
**And why should we do that?**
Another voice answered from the device.
**I mean you let him go Sabrina when you were supposed to keep him occupied inside the elevator**
"What nonsense are you spitting Jerry?!" Sabrina's cooling voice became heated once again.
**The nonsense that says you screwed up! Besides, I never knew that the great Sabrina would be abandoned so easily by a guy, most especially by an ordinary human...hehe**
"Jerry when I get my hands on you, you'll be eating my fist for lunch!" Sabrina erupted.
**Enough! Both of you** the previous voice spoke out. **Sabrina why did you let him go?**
"I didn't know that he'll be so determined to continue his journey without the use of the elevator" Sabrina said. "And besides you told me not to apprehend him yet that we were sort of testing him"
**Well your test subject is heading for the top floor. And we were told not to allow him to get there**
"That's not going to be a problem" Sabrina rolled her eyes. "We all know that he will never reach the top floor"
**And what if he does?** The voice of Jerry came once again.
**Then we will be waiting for him** Matthew simply said.
"You don't have to worry about that Matthew, he is as good as dead" Sabrina's eyes narrowed in murderous rage.
_'No one abandons me and lives to tell the tale!'_
Meanwhile at the tunnel 'metal ladders'.....
Left right left right
Tisane was agilely hopping from one 'metal ladder' to another. If he was viewed from below, he would look like a monkey that was actively moving from one tree to another.
As for Tisane himself, he couldn't believe what he was doing. The higher he kept moving, the wider his eyes and his smile became.
_'This is absolutely amazing!'_ Tisane was exhilarated. _'I am like Jet Li in those Shaolin movies or Tarzan in the jungle'_
_[Yeah Yeah you're amazing. We get it. Just don't lose focus or you'll be exhibiting your skills at the bottom of this tunnel]_ the voice said.
Some minutes later, Tisane arrived at an elevator door.
_'Is this--?'_
[No you're not there yet. This is the door to the 15th floor. Keep going] the voice corrected.
_'Huh? How many floors are there in this building?'_
_[25]_
_'What?'_ Tisane almost slipped and fell from shock.
_'And I wanted to take the stairs'_
_[Yet that would have been hilarious...hehe]_ the voice chuckled.
_'Mr thought'_
_'Uh...voice in my head'_
_'Psychic vo---'_
_[Whom are you referring to with those names?]_ the voice asked.
_'You'_ Tisane simply replied.
_[What kind of ridiculous names are those?]_ the voice asked incredulously.
_'Well I don't know your name so....okay what is your name then?'_
'.....'
'.....'
_[What do you want kid?]_
_'Um.....'_