Schuderich and I exchange glances and slip into the abandoned hallway. We meet up with Nagi and Farfello at the back entrance, and the four of us continue out the door. When we step out into the fresh, cool night air, I take several deep breaths and try to clear my mind. We continue back across the asphalt until we get to the hole in the fence and slip through it again. My blazer gets caught again and I hear the cloth tear. I ignore it for the second time. Schuderich eyes me suspiciously. I know he's going to read my mind and there's not a thing I can do to stop him. So I relax. I let him read it. That makes him even more suspicious and he stops diving into my thoughts. No. He's not suspicious. He's scared. Afraid of what he will find out. We trod through the alleyway again and turn the corner. I pull my car keys out of my pocket. Schuderich is glaring at me suspiciously again. "Look, you want me to drive?" he offers. I think he knows that my sanity is hanging on the line at this point. "No, that's alright, Schuderich." He glares at me again. "Maybe I should," he says. I know that he means it as a command to hand over the car keys. So instead, I open the driver's side door and get in. I slide the keys into the ignition and listen for the reassuring sound of the revving engine. "Get in already, Schuderich," I order. "We don't have time to dawdle." I have to try my hardest to sound normal. But it works for the moment. He looks a little less doubtful of my ability to safely drive the car in this condition and he walks around the front of the car to the front passenger side. He has barely shut the door when I floor the gas and pull on to the road. I ignore the disapproving gaze and hand the briefcase to Schuderich. "You better not drop this," I yell. "Otherwise your ass is going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble." He nods but doesn't say anything. I feel bad for treating him this way, and the knot of guilt in my stomach swells. After all, my shitty mood isn't his fault. But I continue driving and pull into the parking lot. I skid to a halt and turn off the car. The four of us get out and walk toward the huge corporate building looming in front of us. We continue until we reach the entrance and I punch in the security code. The glass doors glide open and we walk in. I direct the other three with a hand toward the bank of elevators along one wall. I push the button for "roof" and lean back against the side wall of the elevator. I'm still dreading the moment when Schuderich will push that button. I don't want to do what I have to do. We reach the top floor and the shiny elevator doors slide open quietly. The other three are halfway down the hall when they realize that I am still standing next to the elevator. Schuderich gives me that look again. I breathe deeply again and follow them to the staircase. Schuderich falls behind me at some point, and Nagi opens the door at the top of the staircase. He and Farfello walk out onto the roof. Schuderich comes up behind me, startling me, and speaks in a low voice. "What's wrong with you, Brad? You never act like this," he states in a worried voice. "Never," he reiterates, as if he thinks I didn't hear him the first time. I'm hardly paying attention to him and I tell him, "Nothing is wrong with me. Now let's go." I turn to the door. "Nein. We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." He places a firm hand on my shoulder and turns me around to face him. "I know something has to be wrong with you. You've been acting strangely all night. You haven't even told me not to call you Brad. And I know you hate when I do that." He has me cornered against the wall now. "Why the hell don't you just pull it out of my mind, Schuderich? You do that with everything else," I retort angrily, perhaps more so than I intended to. His remark surprises me. "I know when I shouldn't do foolish things like that." I can hardly believe what he's saying. He doesn't sound so cold hearted anymore. "Besides," he continues, "I know you hate that more than anything when you're really thinking about something." He grins, a lopsided grin that I know is meant to cheer me up. I find myself smiling back to keep him from suspecting anything further. I can't tell him what I feel. He would label me a traitor. As cruel as we are to each other, Schuderich and I are kind of like brothers. But I knew where he drew the line and that was where. "Come on, Schuderich. We have a job to do." I ascend the staircase and walk out on to the roof. The propeller is already spinning pretty fast. I open the door and hop in next to the pilot. Schuderich climbs in the back with the other three. He taps me on the shoulder and hands me the detonator. "You might be needing this, Crawford."
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Part 3?
Return to the Reading Room?