The Ascended Building

I frowned.

Almost a half an hour and not a peep from the radio. I looked from my place in the shadows across the street to the Ascended headquarters building here in Denver, a majestic marble temple-like structure gleaming in the sun, my frown deepening. Come on, kid, give me some sign you're not dead or something worse.

The radio muttered low static back at me.

Another five minutes, I told myself. If I don't hear from him in five minutes, I'm going in. What possessed me to send an 11-year-old kid into the Ascended's headquarters in Dnever? What indeed.

My name, by the way, is Alexander McLeod, LAPD. One day, I'm minding my own business, having a great time on vacation in Hong Kong. Next thing I know, I'm saving this street kid, an Aussie, from members of a nasty Triad gang, blowing up warehouses in the harbor district, and then getting recruited to work for a group called the Dragons whose purpose, it seems, is to save the world. From what, I'm not sure. I think this beast that we're trying to track down is part of it. That's why the kid is in that building. We need to know where its being trucked in and eliminate it. I figured that it was best to go to the source for that information.

I've been known to be wrong on occasion.

The Ascended, a rival group and the main movers and shakers right now, have the nasty beastie and are trucking it into Denver. Supposedly it's got lasers in its arms and heal any wound dealt to it in a matter of seconds. Definitely a -bad- thing to have running loose and even worse to have it in the hands of the Ascended. But, as I've said, I've been known to be wrong on occasion. I'm still new to this secret war stuff.

I waited in the cool shadows of the morning, eyes occasionally straying to my watch. A minute passed, then another.

Time.

Making sure my gun and radio were well-concealed beneath my leather jacket, I pushed myself off the wall I had been leaning against and started striding purposefully toward the building. From my observations, people had been entering and leaving freely, so it stood to reason that I could at least get in the building. Getting Jake and myself out in one piece, well, that was another matter. I'd probably have to pull something out of my ass. It wouldn't be the first time.

In seemingly no time at all, I was climbing the steps to the main entrance, occasionally passing someone going the other way. I set my expression to polite interest and curiosity, glancing appreciatively at the large greek columns as I walked between them and into the building.

There I found a marble-tiled lobby. The air was cool, almost antiseptic, and a polite-looking young lady sat at a large oak desk facing me. To my left, a set of stairs led downward, an elevator next to them. The area was cordoned off by posts with lengths of wide red rope spanning them, maybe three feet off the floor.

I made my way to the desk, almost hesitant in my walk. The lady, blonde- haired and blue-eyed, glanced up at me with a professional smile.

"Can I help you?" she said.

I smiled in return.

"I'm not sure. I was wondering if there was some way to get more information about your organization." Ah, the irony.

Her brows lifted. "Would you be interested in membership?"

"Perhaps," I replied.

She nodded briskly and with another smile said, "Certainly. If you would wait, sir, I can have our director of membership come speak with you."

"That would be great, thanks."

She turned away from me, picked up the phone and dialed a number. In the meantime, I continued to survey the lobby, checking for any obvious security systems and wondering what the hell I was going to do.

Someone up in the heavens must like me.

Out of the side of my vision I caught the elevator working its way downward. Fourth floor, third, second....wait....was that a thump I heard coming from it? As the elevator dropped to our level, the sounds of thumping increased. No, from the atmosphere of the place, I doubted that anybody was playing "molecule" in the elevator at this time of day. A struggle, then.

"I think I just found what I was looking for. Thanks."

In one smooth motion I was over the rope and hit the stairs. An alarm sounded off behind me.

"Wait, sir! You can't go there...!"

I left the secretary's cry behind, taking the stairs three at a time. I nearly slammed nose-first into the door at the bottom. Having no time to use the handle, I used my momentum and threw a sidekick, bursting the door open with a loud slam.

The doors of the elevator had just opened, three mooks dragging a squirming bundle between them, Jake it was, and all with blood on their faces. Leaping, I took one out with a roundhouse kick, adding to the blood quantity on his face. Jake elbowed another. A few well-placed fists later and they were out cold.

I eyed the kid, who had a few scratches and bruises himself, but seemed whole.

"You okay?"

He nodded.

"Let's get the hell out of here, then."

"Right with you," he said, Austrailian accent twanging.

It was then that I took stock of our surroundings. A garage. With lots of vehicles. Muffled cries and the sound of feet clacking against marble echoed from the stairway entrance.

Quickly, I scanned our choices. BMW. Mercedes. Mercedes. Jaguar. Lexus. BMW. Cadillac. Mercedes. Mazaratti. BMW.

Mazaratti.

I flashed a quick grin and pointed to the cherry-red, sleek-looking car.

"That one. Let's go!"

We dashed to the car, Jake taking a moment to jimmy open the doors. With a whoop, he leapt into the passenger side seat. I dropped into the driver's side and yanked open the ignition box, hands working deftly.

"Uh, Alex...," Jake said, peering out the rear window.

A mass of men in dark jackets and aviator sunglasses poured from the stairway opening, pistols in hand.

"Come on, baby," I muttered.

"You! Stop!" The men began arraying themselves, guns pointed at us.

The engine suddenly roared to life.

"Hang on!" I shouted.

With a screech of rubber, I backed the car out of the space and towards the men, scattering them.

Jamming the car into first gear, I mashed the accelerator and released the clutch. Another squeal of rubber and smoke ensued and the car hurtled forward. Right for the ramp that led to the gated exit.

Shots pinged off the body of the car as we sped toward the ramp, engine howling. "Duck!" I yelled, tucking my head down. Jake did the same, white knuckles hanging on to the door handle.

The car hit the ramp, then smashed through the gate, going airborne sparks flying.

We landed with a crunch and the balance of the car suddenly felt wrong. I threw the wheel to the right, somehow merging with traffic. The car tilted back and to the left, and I felt the familiar flapping of a tire.

"Shit!" I said.

One of those guys must have gotten a lucky shot in as we hit the ramp. I weaved through traffic, honks and epithets following, using all of the skill the LAPD graced me with.

At first opportunity, I got the car into a deserted alley a few blocks from the Ascended building. I leaned back and exhaled a breath. Jake turned a grin and excited eyes on me.

"Cool! Can we do it again?"