"Where is she going?"
Luke asked himself, looking at the monitors. Observing Officer Valentino's progress.
He used all intimidating tactics on her. He even played a recording of one of his victims.
Yet she seemed unaffected by it.
She didn't stumble by the sudden sounds he played. She didn't even tense up.
All she did was to look at the speakers, shrugged and walked on.
Luke didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.
That woman should be scared. There should be a look of terror on her face. Not boredom.
She should be running, begging him to stop playing these infernal sickening screams and cries. But she didn't care.
With each step she took, his anger boiled over. With every shake of her head, Luke began to see red.
And when she reached the landing leading to the 3rd floor of the building, he began shouting at the mic.
"YOU STUPID WOMAN! DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU ARE AFRAID?! ALL WOMEN ARE THE SAME! YOU ARE NOT ABOVE THEM!"
She looked at the camera and gave it a death glare that made his heart skip a beat. There was something in her gaze that made him regret his decision to make her his prey.
What is she? Luke thought. How can she be so indifferent? Is she even human?
She stared at the camera with unblinking eyes. With one sudden motion, the screen turned dark. One by one his screens began to turn dark. Until the only thing left was the camera on the basement of the compound.
No. No. it can't be. How did she disable all of my cameras? How did she…
A grin suddenly appeared on his face, and then he laughed. The sound echoed in the empty room. With a couple of clicks, the darken screen came back to life. He had no choice but to use his back ups.
Officer Valentino was not in the hallways. Nor was she in the rooms. He hated to use those cameras, they were outdated and they offered limited view. Luke needed to know where she was.
There!
She was running to the rooftop of the building. How does she even know that passageway?
He then lost sight of her when she kicked the door and disappeared from the camera.
Luke blinked. The only people who knew these hallways were the people who worked here. He shrugged, no matter, she would also die.
Just like the rest of them.
He was about to leave his hiding place to knock her out once more. But, she stepped into view of the camera.
He watched as she started walking again, her direction unknown. He frowned, why was she looking at all the room?
Nothing was left in this facility. He burned all the paperwork, and made sure that all the chemicals were safely stored in the basement.
The chemicals he used to dissolve his victims or their victims were replaced every two months. He never had to wait for the supplies he needed.
They were always available.
Like clockwork.
Luke frowned, watching the woman examine each room. Like she was looking for something. What could she be looking for?
His frown slowly changed to glee. When he saw where she was at.
Just a little more…
Then he hit the button.
The door shut and smoke began to fill the room. Officer Valentino's demeanor changed when she realized what was happening.
He couldn't hear what she was yelling, but he could definitely see her banging the glass door. Soon enough the whole room was filled with gas. Even he couldn't see her anymore.
Luke waited. Hoping that the damn woman would just drop. Slowly, the smoke subsides.
Just a little more…
Bang!
A chair was suddenly thrown on the glass door. It shattered and the smoke overflowed outside.
"FUCK!"
Luke screamed in anger as a staggering Mace walked out the container. The woman was still conscious. The amount of sleeping gas he had released was enough to knock out an elephant.
How the hell did she…
I need to get evidence…I need to…
Mace told herself fighting an impossible war. The knockout gas the prep release was powerful and deadly. The only thing that slowed her body's reaction was she had been exposed to the same gas as a child.
Still, the effects were there. Her muscles began to weaken and her brain was shutting down. She poured all energy into breaking the dang glass. All she needed was to wait for them.
It didn't take more than five steps before her legs gave out.
There were some big shards of broken glass on the floor. But she was unable to feel it break and buried some of it on her skin.
Her eyes began to close and the last thing Mace remembered before her head hit the floor was Luke.
Standing on the open door of the laboratory, a grin on his face…
~~~~~~~~~
"Mace is kidnapped, Chief. Didn't you hear me?!"
Jerome angrily emphasized to his supervisor. His calm, cool act, gone when they heard that Mace had been taken.
Je Anne had frantically tried calling her again, but there was no signal. The place she was taken to was a dead spot. The only way to communicate was to call via landline.
But that place had been shut down for more than 30 years.
"Jerome, you do know that we need hard evidence before we act right?"
Chief Dora replied, her voice sarcastic and condescending. She was treating Jerome like a child.
And he was having none of it.
"So, what? We wait for a ransom demand?" Jerome talked back.
Chief Dora sighed, and looked at him squarely. Their eyes met both stubbornness. None wanted to submit.
"Look, Jerome, let's face it. Your division is not even that important," she began. "How many cases had you and 'your team' solved last year, hmm?" She leaned back on her chair and answered her own question.
"Nothing. There wasn't a single case that was solved last year, and whose fault is that?" Chief Dora's voice mocked Jerome.
It grated his nerves to work under a woman like this. Jerome could actually set up his own agency. However, he made a promise to help those in need.
"What do you want us to do, then?"
"Follow the rules."
"Mace will be dead…"
"Then she died on duty."
"I see…"
Jerome wanted to say more things to her. Vile and cruel words. But he held his tongue. His words would be useless , why waste energy?
"Do you have any more questions?" she asked.
Jerome shook his head and opened the door. Before he could, a question popped out from his mouth, "There is no law preventing me from looking for Mace, am I right?"
"No. If you think she is kidnapped, then go ahead, look for her. But we will not be wasting our resources on a wild goose chase."
"Noted po."
Then he slammed the door.
If she will not do anything then Jerome knows someone who can. He just hoped he was not too late.