Chapter 15

Kat hesitated, her mind flashing through different options. She briefly considered turning around and going back towards the passenger elevators, but rejected that option as too revealing. She didn't want Paron to know that she was aware of his spying. She was more interested in why he would be so blatant, so obvious about his interest in her. If he was a spy for InterSys, then he shouldn't have been so clumsy.

Kat entered the elevator, nodding at Paron but not saying anything. They had never 'chatted', as most people in an office are wont to do at one time or another, even if it was just to discuss the weather. In fact, Paron had gone out of his way to appear disinterested except when it came to pushing more data to her terminal and, evidently, following her around. Kat was expecting more of the same passive-aggressive behavior and so she was shocked when Paron reached over and hit the stop button on the elevator panel.

Kat turned her head to look at Paron, wondering what he was up to, and caught a flash of movement as his left hand snaked towards her neck. Her training kicked in and her right hand came up, deflecting Paron's hand to the side. In one smooth movement, she twisted her torso, her right foot stepping back so that she was facing Paron and her left hand shot out, the heel of her palm striking Paron at the base of the nose. The blow traveled from her hip level and her shifting position allowing her to put weight, as well as the not-inconsiderable strength of her shoulder and back, into the blow.

Paron's face exploded, his nose shattered and three of his front teeth broke loose, one embedding itself in Kat's palm. Kat followed up with a knee strike to Paron's ribs, cracking several and slamming the man against the side of the elevator. Kat was able to stop herself before she delivered a coup de grace, but it was a near thing. The Path fighting style was designed to kill, and, while she was very good, she was also scared.

Paron lay on the floor, blood streaming from his broken nose and the gap in his teeth, holding his ribs and moaning. His breathing had a moist, bubbling sound and Kat found herself wondering if one of the ribs she had broken had punctured his lung. She looked to see if he had been holding a weapon or something similar in the hand that had reached for her, but it was empty and there was nothing on the floor around him.

Kat pulled one of her knives and crouched next to him, waving the knife in front of his eyes so he could see it, then placing the tip of the blade under his chin and applying pressure. The needle-sharp tip of the blade punctured the skin under his chin before he gave in to the pressure and lifted his head, meeting her eyes.

Kat stared at him dispassionately, seeing the pain and anger in his expression.

"Why?" she asked, quietly. "Why have you been following me? Why have you been spying on me? And why would you think that trapping me in a stopped elevator is a good idea?"

Paron, his anger losing to pain, shook his head.

Kat put her knife away, her mind now flooding with issues, each vying for attention. What the hell was Paron up to and why would he try something so stupid in the same building they both worked? Poseidon was this man's uncle. How was he going to react to Kat half-killing him? Would Security think that she had lured him here? Margo was not going to be happy about this, no matter what the outcome.

She pulled out on the Stop button and the elevator resumed its decent. Kat activated her Comm and contacted Margo, filling her in on what had happened and asking her to make sure medical assistance was on its way, and then waited. The freight elevator was slower than the passenger variety, and by the time it had made its way down eighty floors, there were two uniformed security guards, one of the Agency Security team members, and a man with a medical bag slung over one shoulder waiting when the doors opened.

Kat stepped out and to the side, clearing the doorway for the medic and glared at one of the uniformed guards when he stepped forward, clearly intending to grab her by the arm. The guard, seeing her expression, froze in place and his hand drifted towards his sidearm. Kat was saved from having to assault a second man in a single day by the Agency Security team member stepping forward and locking his own hand on the uniformed guards wrist, locking it in place. He leaned forward and, very quietly, but loud enough for Kat to hear, told him that he would be looking for work with a broken wrist if he touched his holstered pistol.

The second uniformed guard, his attention riveted on the bleeding man in the elevator, finally noticed the frozen tableau to his rear and stared for a moment, then waved his hand.

"It's okay, Charlie. This man just fell down, got it?"

Charlie, the first uniformed guard, looked confused for a moment, but the tension left his arm and it was quickly released.

"You haven't been here long, Charlie, but listen up. You didn't see this lady and you didn't see the guy who looks like he was gonna punch your lights out. All you saw was the guy who fell down. Okay?"

Charlie still looked confused, his gaze flickering back and forth between his partner, the man behind him and Kat. "Okay Don. You're the boss."

The Security team member, Kat vaguely recognized from seeing him in the office upstairs, indicated that Kat should come with him. He escorted her to the passenger elevators and they robe back up to the 80th floor again. Once the elevator doors were closed, and he used his card to activate the override that would take them to the top, he stuck out his hand.

"I'm Dave Chalmers, Themis." he said, by way of introduction. "I am part of the day team and I was just coming back from doing some checking on that InterSys man from earlier."

Kat shook his hand and nodded, not sure what, if anything, she should say. Chalmers evidently didn't expect a reply and he faced forward. They rose in companionable silence the rest of the way.

Chalmers escorted her through the outer offices, bypassing Margo's empty desk, and they turned in to the service hallway where Kat's office was located. He took her to the room at the end of the hallway, the door marked 'Systems', and used his card to unlock the door.