Sebastian - Development 6
As the blond soldiers pushed Sebastian toward his office bookcase, his mind whirred. How had they gotten past his defenses? The Zone Drones were equipped with small missiles that could detect larger aircrafts passing within 200 meters of Heathrow Heights’ pointed roof. So unless these men had paraglided to the top of the building and planned to parachute down to the streets of Garland Grove, Sebastian had to assume they’d snuck in through the building. Maybe the soldiers pretended to be janitors, or visiting politicians. Maybe they strolled past Janelle while she brewed his tenth pot of coffee. No matter what happened, they were here, wearing plain black clothes accentuated by shiny knives and firearms. Sebastian was unarmed, defenseless, and annoyed out of his mind.
Janelle is so fired, Sebastian thought as he tugged at the tie around his neck. The building’s defenses needed a major update.
The taller kidnapper pressed the button to open the metal bookcase. Its door slid open, revealing Sebastian’s sprawling control room and all of his most prized items. Along the far wall was a huge 8x12 foot screen with over 300 Zone Drone live cams. Sebastian was shocked to see half of the screens were either completely black or filled with static. The drones that usually surrounded Heathrow Heights had been magically put out of commission, and it seemed Triumphia’s technological abilities had increased since he’d fled to Corver City.
The shorter kidnapper jabbed at him from behind, leading Sebastian to the middle of the control room where he kept a cushioned armchair and a small nightstand with drawers. The nightstand held remotes, electrodes, batteries, business cards, and most importantly, a backup alarm button in case of emergencies. His kidnappers were leading him directly to the place where he could stop them, as long as they didn’t overpower him first.
“How did you manage that without me hearing?” Sebastian said, pointing to the ceiling above the armchair, where a bulletproof skylight had been blown out from the inside.
The two men did not answer him. Instead, one stealthily scaled the armchair to tie a rope to the side of the building, and climbed up. The other pulled a ball gag out of his pocket, which looked like one of the jump rope toys Sebastian had hated using in primary school. He wasn’t the type to break out a sweat. Sebastian squirms as the ball was forced into his mouth, the strap biting into the flesh on the back of his neck. He was terrified, but most of all he was embarrassed, ashamed to have his power taken away and blatantly thrown in his face.
The soldier on the roof leaned out the window, and a loud beating rose in the distance, wind rushing through the opening. Sebastian looked up, terrified to be hoisted up onto the pointed roof. Sebastian had had a recurring nightmare when he’d first built Heathrow Heights where he was stuck on the roof, desperately trying to find purchase on the slick glass, his feet and hands being dragged down by gravity. The city sprawling beneath him in long, dusty rows of poverty and destitution.
The soldier next to him looked down at a device on his wrist, typing in some buttons. This was Sebastian’s chance! He pounced on the nightstand, tossing open the bottom drawer. Immediately, the second soldier’s foot shot toward his hand, round-kicking it out of the way. Pain shot up his arm and into his neck, and he whimpered, dropping to his knees. He gestured again to the drawer, hand moving for the pentagon-shaped button, the sound–
No. He was being hauled up to the skylight, his body a dead weight. He gasped through the pain, convinced his hand was broken. Sebastian was hoisted onto the roof, which was admittedly not as steep as he’d thought. Behind him, an alarm blared loudly. He’d done it!
A helicopter hovered over the building, which looked naked without its signature cloud of defense drones. The soldiers grabbed onto the getaway ladder and Sebastian let himself be hauled inside, effeminate tears streaming from his eyes. They would take him away to Triumphia now, he was sure of it. He’d have to kneel before the master, draw
Sebastian was strapped to the seat, his hands tied. One soldier injected him in the arm with some sort of drug, and Sebastian relaxed, knowing the worst was yet to come. But as he slipped into a murky dreamland of terrifying heights and sword-lined thrones, he couldn’t help but smile.
He’d tripped the alarm, and if he knew anything about his state-of-the-art security system, it’s that no hacker, magnet, or shield could stop the cameras rolling. Someone would find the footage and find him. Karma always settles the score.
At least, he hoped.