Divorced

Xavier’s hand went to his ear and he frowned. No connection.

‘I think we must simply wait. He will be in touch, I’m sure.’ He sounded more confident than he felt. He didn’t enjoy being divorced from the one contact who had been guiding him throughout.

‘Someone’s coming,’ Jean-Claude whispered.

There was a whine as the lift arrived at the floor. The lift doors opened with a click and they heard heavy footsteps walking towards them.

‘Quick, this way.’ Xavier pulled Jean-Claude with him, round the edge of the partition.

They waited, breathing lightly and listening hard. The footsteps stopped. Someone tried the handle of Room 527 and, apparently satisfied that it was locked, retreated back to the lift. The doors shut with a clunk and the lift whirred its way downward.

‘Must  ‘ave been Security.’

Xavier nodded. He tried his comms again. Nothing. And then he realised. Euron was waiting until he was alone. They had discussed this earlier but he had thought it would be a joint initiative. Apparently not. Jean-Claude had helped him enter the place, but now he was no longer required. He concentrated hard, calculating once more exactly how high a level of infrasound was required for his purposes. Last time he had not used the full force, fearing it would damage the others, but here there was no such risk.