Chapter 5 - The Glass Tower
Morning light broke through the heavy gray fog hovering over the city skyline.
Marcus sat inside an abandoned train car in the industrial shipyard district.
His clothes were soaked with rainwater and mud, his knuckles bruised and bloody.
He turned on a small portable radio he had found inside a discarded toolbox.
The morning news broadcast was already playing across the airwaves.
"A massive manhunt is underway for former security guard Marcus Vance," the reporter announced.
"Vance is wanted for the brutal murder of Officer Thomas Reed inside his apartment last night," the voice continued.
"Authorities consider Vance armed, extremely dangerous, and mentally unstable," the news report added.
Marcus leaned his head back against the cold steel wall of the train car.
They had completely erased his reputation in less than twelve hours.
He was no longer just a disgraced employee; he was now the city's most wanted fugitive.
He pulled out his phone, which was down to its last five percent of battery life.
A new news notification popped up on the screen.
It was a live press conference being broadcast from the top floor of the Vance Security Glass Tower.
Eleanor Vance stood behind a wooden podium, surrounded by police chiefs and corporate executives.
She wore a dark suit, her face completely composed and devoid of emotion.
"Marcus Vance was a trusted member of our security team," Eleanor said to the gathering reporters.
"His recent violent behavior is a tragic shock to our entire corporate family," she continued with cold precision.
"We are cooperating fully with law enforcement to bring him to justice swiftly," she added.
Marcus watched her face closely on the small screen.
Just before the broadcast ended, Eleanor adjusted her gold earrings three times in rapid succession.
It was a subtle, distinct signal she used during internal security training drills.
It meant: Meet at the secondary rendezvous location.
Marcus remembered the secret floor plan hidden inside the encrypted flash drive.
The secondary location wasn't an safe house outside the city limits.
It was the sub-basement level beneath the Vance Security Glass Tower itself.
She wanted him to break back into the very building he had been thrown out of twelve hours ago.
Marcus squeezed his fists tight as the phone screen finally went black and died.
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He stood up, looking out at the looming glass skyscraper in the distance.
The trap was set, but he had no choice except to walk straight into it.
