Chapter 4 - The Rescue

Valerie stood in a parking garage, facing Hawk. The organization had contracted him to be her partner for this assignment. While she had mixed feelings about the decision, rescuing Iris was too important to let personal history get in the way.

They had received intel that Iris was being held prisoner in a skyscraper downtown. About fifty stories tall, the high-rise urban tower had shops, offices, apartments - and formidable security to keep it all secure.

"Here's the plan", she said as she took out a small equipment bag from the trunk of her car. "You will enter from the back, disguised as a janitor. The first five floors are open to the public, so that's the easy part."

Hawk nodded, looking down at his janitor uniform. It was appropriately dirty and scuffed, and smelled like floor cleaner. Loose shirt and overalls did a good job of disguising his ripped muscles, and a cap with a company logo sat on his head. He hadn't shaved yesterday, completing his look. Nobody could doubt his dedication to looking the part.

"I'll pose as a tourist and enter the building from the front door." Valerie was wearing sneakers, sweatpants and a hoodie with the logo of the local sports team. "We'll rendezvous here", she pointed to a spot on the map on her phone, "where you will give me my equipment." She handed him the small black bag. "I'll enter the ventilation system and unlock the secure elevator for you to get to the upper floors."

"The security system is complex, and since Iris isn't here, we'll need to improvise after that.", she said, tapping her ear. Hawk repeated the gesture, confirming his earpiece worked.

"We'll save Iris.", he said to her. "Don't worry. We got this."

Valerie smiled at him, and they walked towards the building.