Horse

At the main door Xavier hesitated. He wasn’t quite as confident about Euron’s plan now. The last communication he had received was three hours earlier and there had been nothing since.

‘Shall we go in?’ Jean-Claude had his hand on the door.

‘I think we should consider using another route. Do you have access to another way in?’

‘There’s the staff entrance or the despatch area, round the back. This way.’ He led the way to the rear of the building. ‘But there are security cameras on all of zese doors.

‘It can’t be helped. I am to meet Euron inside, on the top floor.’

Jean-Claude used his staff pass and they slipped inside.

‘Lift or stairs?’

‘Not the lift, I prefer not to meet anyone on our way up, if possible.’

‘Bien sur - I can show you the way. We can take the evacuation staircase up to the fifth floor.’

A door to one side of the lifts in a small vestibule led to a set of plain concrete stairs. They saw no-one on their climb up. Both of them were breathing heavily when they pushed through the doors at the top of the stairwell.

‘Now where?’

‘Room 527.’

‘Okay - zis way.’

The top floor was empty of workers, with white dust covers thrown over tables, chairs and cupboards  As they stepped cautiously into the space their feet crackled on the plastic stretched over most of the flooring. Collections of paint tins, rollers and long handles were tidily arranged along at one end, with a saw horse and open box of carpenter’s tools and some lengths of timber next to them.

‘Zis is new,’ said Jean-Claude. ‘I didn’t know any refurbishment was scheduled for zis area. Zis is the design hub for clone development - or at least, it used to be. Last time I was ‘ere, there was a corridor here, with offices on both sides. Room 527 was la bas, at that end.’ He pointed. ‘But now, zey seem to have removed all the partitions. I’m not even sure there is a room 527 now.’ He turned around, trying to orientate himself.

‘Let’s go and see.’ 

Xavier moved in the direction Jean-Claude had indicated. It was possible to work out where the office walls had been, from the lines on the floor and ceiling. At the farthest end of the space, one box-like construction remained. 

‘Is this it?’

‘Peut-être,’ said Jean-Claude doubtfully. He peered through the glass set in the door.  ‘But there’s no sign of anyone in there. Just a desk and some shelving.’ He tried the door. ‘It’s locked. Now what?’