Chapter 6 - ASCENSION
The stainless steel dumbwaiter was cramped, smelling of old grease and expensive truffles. Maya went first, pulling the manual hoist ropes with all her strength, her muscles burning. She hauled herself up, floor by floor in total darkness, before sending the car back down for the judge.
When Vance finally arrived on the fourth floor, he was breathing in ragged gasps. The blood loss was slowing him down. Maya helped him out of the metal box, peering through the slats of the kitchen doors into the executive lounge.
It was a sprawling space of glass and chrome, overlooking the glittering skyline of Manhattan. Standing by the server room door were two massive men in tactical gear, holding suppressed submachine guns.
"I can't take them both," Vance whispered. "My hands are shaking too much."
Maya looked around the commercial kitchen. She grabbed a large cast-iron skillet and a heavy rolling pin. "You don't have to," she said. She turned on the commercial gas stoves, letting the gas flood the immediate area without igniting it, then grabbed a metal serving tray.
She slid the tray across the tiled floor with a loud crash.
Both guards snapped to attention, raising their weapons and moving slowly toward the kitchen doors. As they pushed through the swinging doors, the overpowering smell of natural gas hit them.
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"Don't shoot!" one hissed to the other. "A spark will blow the whole floor."
That hesitation was all Maya needed. Stepping from the blind spot, she swung the cast-iron skillet with everything she had. It connected with the first guard's temple with a sickening crack, dropping him instantly. The second guard lunged at her, drawing a combat knife, but Vance stepped forward, pressing the barrel of his Glock directly against the man's tactical vest and pulling the trigger. The armor stopped the bullet, but the kinetic force cracked the man's ribs, dropping him to his knees long enough for Maya to deliver a devastating blow with the rolling pin.
