Chapter 5 - The Glass Ceiling
Vance completely froze as the deadly red dot rested directly over his beating heart.
Maya slowly turned her head and saw a massive sniper hiding on the opposite balcony.
The mercenary had perfectly anticipated that someone would try to ambush them from above.
"Drop the weapon right now, old man, or you die," the sniper commanded through the darkness.
Maya did not hesitate for a single second to save her boss.
She aggressively shoved Vance to the hard metal grating just as the sniper fired.
The heavy caliber bullet sparked violently against the steel railing where his chest had been.
"Crawl to the service elevator!" Maya screamed over the echoing gunshot.
Vance scrambled on his hands and knees while Maya threw her heavy crowbar at the sniper's balcony.
The distraction gave them just enough time to slip through the heavy steel maintenance door.
They ran into the service elevator and aggressively smashed the button for the penthouse level.
The heavy metal doors closed, granting them a temporary moment of absolute relief.
"We have to reach the main server room on the top floor," Vance wheezed heavily.
"If I manually wipe the mainframe, Julian's data drive will be completely useless."
The elevator rapidly ascended through the massive luxury hotel at blinding speed.
Maya watched the digital floor counter climb past the twentieth floor.
Suddenly, the entire elevator violently shuddered and screeched to a terrifying halt.
The emergency red lights flickered on, casting a bloody glow across the metal cabin.
Julian's smooth, psychopathic voice crackled over the elevator's internal intercom speaker.
"You really thought I wouldn't lock down the elevators, Mr. Vance?" Julian laughed mockingly.
"I am going to cut the main cables and let gravity solve my problems."
Maya heard the terrifying sound of heavy hydraulic shears clamping onto the steel cables above them.
She frantically looked up at the ceiling hatch of the elevator cabin.
"Help me boost you up, we have to climb out right now!" Maya ordered the billionaire.
She locked her hands together and shoved Vance upward toward the emergency hatch.
Vance popped the metal panel open and dragged his old body onto the exterior roof.
May you like
Maya jumped up and desperately grabbed his outstretched hand.
Just as she pulled her legs out of the cabin, the heavy steel cables violently snapped.
