“Another Day at the Office”
The cab ride wasn’t that bad if you didn’t mind the rather profound language the cabbie used when he found out his back seat was soaked with water from our clothes. It was nice scenery and a great panoramic of the City of Dominion at sunset as we rode back to the Lady after our episode in the sewers and caves. I pondered the meaning of the Gentleman Caller who we ran into down there. We had always heard rumors of other heroes in the City, I guess we finally met one. He was certainly a colorful fellow. Panzer got the Lady warmed up when the communications console lit up and our Lady T shimmered into existence in front of us.
“Boys” She stated.
“Mistress?” I responded.
“Lovelies it seems Cockbeater has a little information he wanted me to pass on to you.”
“Oh Lady T, Is he feeling alright?” Panzer asked “He usually lets us know himself.”
“Well….he is a little tied up at the moment.” She said coyly.
“Oh.” Panzer said with a grin.
“He found were some of the water from the caves were coming out and he thinks you should check out one right away.” Lady T purred.
“Just tell us Mistress and we will be on the way “I said.
“Disco and Panzer you need to head to the D.B.S. building downtown but you must be very careful
they do not like visitors of any sort.”
“The Dominatrix’s for a Better Society building Mistress? Goodness they defiantly don’t like visitors. But some of the best minds work there.”
“Yes Disco and Lady Evangeline worked there too doing research. Cockbeater found a small tunnel with his scans and the water flowed from the caves to the basement of that building. You must check it out, but be warned boys. You might have to deal with Garlak and you might have to deal with building security. They are known for handling problems internally.”
“Yes Mistress” Both Panzer and I responded.
“Come home safely boys.” She purred.
The image flicked off and we pulled The Lady out of her spot and headed back downtown towards the huge black glass D.B.S. building. It was one of the largest in downtown taking up an entire block and 113 stories tall. Security was tight and high level with most guards trained and armed due to the research that went on there. It was one of the few buildings in the city that anyone on security or above the level of a desk clerk was female. It was fem-Dom in a fem-Dom city. After cruising around the building checking it, out we pulled the Lady into a downtown parking deck and got out.
Walking to the railing of the parking deck I looked at Panzer. “Any ideas?”
“Well we have to get into the basement levels and from the schematics I pulled up there are at least 6 sub basements. The first two, level one and two, is mainly plumbing and power. But from level three on down to level six it’s all classified. Top security projects Disco”
“Oh that’s just wonderful. So like I said any ideas?”
“Well yea but you’re not going to like it.”
“Oh for Pete’s sake Panzer what is it?”
“Well we can access the sewers again down the block and come back to this point.” He pointed down at another manhole cover in the street. “From there we should be able to spring one of the grate covers and access level three from there.”
“Your right I don’t like it. Why do I have a feeling there is a “but” coming on?”
“Yea.. see its level three’s main drain line. If they have dumped their waste then no worries. If they haven’t well let’s just say it could get really nasty.”
“Any other ideas?”
“Nope, sides we will have to move quickly regardless. I give us about six minutes after we leave the waste area before the alarm trips and half the guards are on us.”
“Great and our way out?”
“Well that’s actually the easy part if we make it to level six. Remember that tunnel is flooded with water. If we take a few re-breathers with us then we can open the tunnel with a charge and swim out. “
Sighing, I rubbed my temples. “Well no point in wasting time.”
Panzer nodded and headed back to The Lady. He broke out a few of his toy boxes. We took a few explosive charges and just non lethal weapons. Packing the re-breathers and gas masks Panzer slung his pack over his shoulders and I clipped a pouch to my belt with smoke and gas grenades. I also grabbed some of the electro hackers for doors we would probably run across. Suited up we headed down the street and quietly slipped back down into the sewers.
Moving back down the street, granted under it, we moved back into the block of the D.B.S. building. We knew security was tight but as we looked at the sealed off section of sewer in front of us we didn’t know how tight. Hip deep in water and who knows what else, we peeked into the small holes of the wall that blocked our way to the grate we needed to access.
“This is the second time I’ve been soaked to the bone.”
“Not just you brother don’t forget about me.” Panzer said looking at the edges of the wall and nodding.
“So what do you think?”
“We can blow it but I think cutting is better.” Panzer said pulling out a micro torch he keeps with him.
I turned away as Panzer fired it up and the hot white flame snapped to life. Watching our backs amid the flashes and pops of melting metal it wasn’t long before there was a splash behind me. Turning back around, Panzer had cut us a nice whole in the wall and he motioned me through giving me a little boost. Then hoping up I grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him on through.
“Think they will notice?”
“Probably Disco there were no alarms I could see on it. But I bet they are monitoring the flow through these tunnels. They will probably notice the increase in a few minutes. Then send someone down to check it out.”
“What does that do to our timetable?” I said reaching the grate and fixing small balls of plastic explosives on the hinges.
“Speeds us up even more, but I think we still have the six minutes before they realize someone is inside.”
“Right let’s do it.”
We moved to the far side of the sewer and hit the trigger. With small bangs the hinges blew off and the grate fell back into the sewer with a splash. Both of us wincing at the noise, we shrugged and started our mad dash down the waste pipe to level three.
For once luck was with us, level three must have already dumped their waste that day. For when Panzer popped the lock on the release gate we weren’t met with another flood. Instead we moved into the under floor drains of level three. The roar of machinery had masked our thud of Panzer exploding the lock. Holding my finger to my lips at Panzer I pointed up through the drain grating at the scientists above us. Creeping quietly through the small maze we tried to find a quiet spot to slip the grating off and keep moving. Only stopping when one of the scientists walked near or over us we finally made it to the far corner behind a large machine that was out of sight. Lifting the grate we helped each other up and crouched behind it.
“Okay which way? “ I whispered to Panzer.
“Sadly that door on the far side of the room is the way to the next level down.”
“Great.” I said looking around at the five scientists in the room from behind the machine. “Okay gas grenades hopefully we can knock them all out and gain a few minutes.”
Panzer nodded and took one of the gas grenades from me and we waited a moment till we pulled the pins and tossed or rolled them near the scientists. Slipping our gas masks on the room quickly flooded with sleeping gas and became foggy. Not caring if it worked or not we ran to the other door as the five scientists in the room dropped to the floor unconscious. Slapping an electro hacker to the door keypad it ran through numbers faster that a bookie and clicked open. Half way down the stairs is when the klaxon sounded in the stairway and we are sure in the entire building.
“Six minutes and then were going to have to get of here Disco!” Panzer shouted jumping down flights of stairs.
“Move! Move!” I shouted back at him.
We raced down the stairs and Panzer scrambled the locks on level four and five as we passed. It was a good thing too. For as we rounded the level five door after he scrambled it we saw about six Lady guards of D.B.S begin to work to override or break it. Whatever was on level five was defiantly military or high level corporate. Jumping down the next two flights of stairs we came to level six our destination.
“No need to be subtle Panzer, blow it!”
Nodding Panzer slapped a charge to the door and we pressed against the wall next to it in the corner. Hitting the trigger the door blew off its hinges and into the room. Jumping into the room with Panzer right behind me I chuckled as we moved down an unexpected hallway.
“I think you over did it.”
“Hey I like big bangs.” Panzer said.
“As do I.” A female voice said from in front of us.
We stopped and snapped up our weapons then lowered them in shock. It was Lady Evangeline.
“Lady Evangeline! Your okay, you have to come with us Ma’am. Where is Garlak?”
“He is in the main room. Come I will show you.” Before we could get her, she ducked back into the room she was standing by.
Hurriedly we followed while Panzer tapped his watch. Nodding to him, we move in and were in a large glass room with several control panels and computer banks inside. Looking through the windows we saw Garlak and his brother Hylarks along with several of the Gorean Guard packing what looked like several small rockets into boxes. They were almost finished and moving the rockets into the tunnel we thought was flooded.
“Lady Evangeline we have to get you out of here before anyone stops us.” I told her.
“Oh I can’t yet.” Her voice was calm; almost apathetic it was a little disturbing.
Exasperated I couldn’t help it. “Why can you leave?”
“Because I am suppose to activate the reactor on this level and remove the cooling rods and wait for
it to blow up silly.” She said
“Wouldn’t that mean you would leave a hole in the Dominion about a mile deep and die?” Panzer said.
“So? it’s what I was told to do and I am to do everything I am told.” She said.
Looking at the panels quickly I saw one of them flashing warnings.
“Holy crap Panzer I don’t think that alarm was for us. She already turned off the cooling rods for the
reactor it’s over heated as is now!”
Lady Evangeline just nodded and smiled and sat down in a chair.
I turned and looked out the window at Garlak and his brother in time to see the bastard grin at me and even wave then they hurriedly moved down the tunnel.
“That son of a bitch I’ll kill him!”
“We got to go Disco!”
“What and just let half of down town get vaporized? Come on there has to be a way to stop it!”
“Of course you can stop it but I don’t know why you would want to Garlak said it would be pretty and I like to see him smile I really do.” Lady Evangeline said with the same apathetic voice and glazed expression.
“Christ, give her an aspirin shot Panzer.”
Panzer pulled out one of the hypo sprays and injected it into Lady Evangeline’s arm. Looking over the flashing panel I thanked the heavens. For flashing on the screen was a suggestion from the computer for a manual override.
“Panzer get Lady Evangeline out of here! Take the tunnel. I’m sure Garlak is running like hell too. Get topside quick.
“What are you going to do? “ He asked me.
“What I always do. Save the city.”
Panzer begged apologizes and slung Lady Evangeline over his shoulder and ran down into the main room with me behind. As he headed for the tunnel she began to politely protest she was suppose to stay and demanded to be let down. It was one of the few times we didn’t obey a Lady’s orders. I ran towards the reactor and up the ladder to its right. About the size of a VW bug it was still enough to put a big dang hole in the middle of Dominion if I did stop it. Racing along all the dials buttons and pipes I raced around the edge and found the manual dump valve for the cooling rods. Grabbing the wheel without thinking I howled in pain from the heat.
“Damn it!”
Shaking my hand I pulled my jacket from my body and wrapped my hands with it. Grabbing hold of the valve wheel I tugged with all my might feeling it give a bit then thudding to the floor as it stuck fast. Tremors began to shake the reactor as its pressure and heat built up. I scrambled back up and grabbed the valve again. Sweat was in my eyes and I could still hear the klaxon alarm seem to get louder and more frantic. I barely heard the intercoms come on and someone on the other end demanding that everyone evacuate the building. I could barely see from the heat as I tugged and slammed on the valve. The whole world was blurry hot as hell and rumbling around me. Pipes broke loose and crashed to the floor and stream added to the chaos. Windows and glass shattered as my muscles screaming at me to let go of the hot valve. My mind telling me to run but I stood my ground and pulled and pulled even as I hear the hiss of escaping gas erupt from the seals of the reactor. All I thought was if I don’t get this turned on I will never see Lady T again. Propping one foot on the railing and pulling hard, the valve with much protest finally came free and spun wide open. I hit the grating hard and lay there panting before my world went blinding white and silent.
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