Outcome of Chapter 9 Plot Hinge: Unfortunately, less than 50% of the houses on Violet Street in Ottawa, Ontario had their lights turned off during Earth Hour this past Saturday. As a result, Will won’t be able to switch off the lights in the tavern and Agent Isaiah is going to see him.

The sound of gunfire and screaming filled the tavern as Will lunged for the fuse box. Will snatched back his outstretched hand as bits of plaster exploded off the wall mere centimeters from his fingers. Instinctively covering his head, Will spun around and made to run back to the washroom. Bullets tore through the payphone next to the washroom door, blocking Will from that direction as well.

“Allrightallrightallright!” Will shouted, half-crouching with his hands in front of his face. He clenched his teeth and turned his head away, praying that the Man in Charge was out of bullets.

The room had become as silent as a morgue. The only sound came from the coins from the shredded payphone spilling onto the tiled floor.

“Hello, Mr. Dalton.” Will slowly turned his head to see Agent Isaiah across the room holding a smoking gun in his outstretched arm. A clear path led from Will to the Agent as the tavern patrons had pressed themselves against the wall, behind the bar and under tables.

Out of the corner of his eye Will saw Gable, standing not far from Agent Isaiah and using his considerable size to shield their waitress. Fresh fear suddenly welled up in Will’s chest as it looked as though Gable was going to attempt to jump the Man in Charge.

Before he could go and get himself killed however, the tavern door opened once again. Everybody, except Agent Isaiah who kept his gaze securely on Will, turned to look. Two more men in suits entered, both with guns drawn. They took up position behind Agent Isaiah, moving their weapons slowly across the room.

Perhaps it was the dim lighting and smoky air, but Will could swear he saw a crack in Isaiah’s composure when the two additional Windigo Agents arrived; a quick flash of frustration and annoyance at their appearance.

“We’re good here, men,” he said coolly, keeping his eyes and gun trained on Will. “You boys get yourselves back to HQ and help out with the security breach investigation.”

From over Agent Isaiah’s shoulder, Will saw the two Windigos exchange confused looks.

“Uh, I’m sorry sir,” one of them said reluctantly. “Direct orders from MacGregor. He wants all assets in the field.”

The Man in Charge stood there silently. Several seconds later his hard features suddenly softened. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again they were once again locked on Will, his gaze filled with menace.

Oh, crap, Will thought. Someone’s about to die.

In one fluid and blindingly fast motion, Agent Isaiah suddenly spun on his heel and pistol whipped the first agent across the head. In the same deadly arc, Isaiah’s weapon continued from Agent One’s head toward Agent Two. Agent Isaiah pulled the trigger and shot Agent Two in his left thigh. The man collapsed to the floor screaming.

Isaiah kicked the gun from Agent Two’s hand and spun back around to face Agent One, who was staggering back to his feet. But before Agent One could raise his gun Isaiah stepped toward him and kicked him square in the chest. The man went flying and landed in a thunderous crash through one of the tavern tables.

The entire fight—if you could call it that—was over before the last coin fell from the payphone. Will stood with his mouth hanging open, unable to process what had just transpired.

Grabbing their earpieces and weapons, the Man in Charge cuffed the two agents with zip ties. Instructing the bartender to wait ten minutes before calling for an ambulance, he then turned his attention back to Will.

“Time to go, Mr. Dalton. We’ve got work to do.”

***

Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountains surrounding Canmore, Alberta…

Tina’s lungs burned as she ran as fast as she could down the hallway. Isabella shouted something over her shoulder but the sound of alarms drowned out whatever the blasted woman was saying. They rounded a corner only to be confronted with three Windigos charging toward them. Isabella skidded to a halt and body checked the door next to her open. Bullets whizzed by Tina’s ear as she dove in after Isabella.

Isabella punched some information into her handheld computer and Tina could hear the metal door locking behind them. Handy little device. They were in a stairwell and the sound of the alarms quieter here.

Tina gasped for breath as she looked at the memory stick in her hand. All this trouble for such a small, little thing. But if the files on it really did contain information on Will’s whereabouts, then breaking into this Windigo Facility would be worth it.

Assuming they got out of there alive of course.

“Tick tock, Izzy!” Tina said as the guards in the hallway pounded on the door.

“Cool it, Keller,” Isabella snapped back, frantically scrolling through floor plans on her device. Tina was annoyed at how little out of breath she seemed. “I got us this far haven’t I?”

“This far?” Tina shot back. “You mean being trapped in a stairwell with a small army after us?” If half the stuff Isabella had told her about the Windigo Group was true, this heist wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. Heist?! Tina shook her head. It had been a strange week to say the least.

“All right,” Isabella said, ignoring Tina again and running down the stairs. “We’re on floor twelve, we need to get to floor five.” Tina followed after her, their footsteps echoing in the stairwell. “I’ve bypassed that floor’s security and we should have a clear shot at the exit, assuming…”

Isabella trailed off, saying something that Tina couldn’t overhear with all the noise. “Assuming what?”

“Assuming they haven’t upgraded their systems in the last week!” Isabella shouted.

“Upgraded their systems?” Tina shouted back. “Funny. That little detail must have slipped your mind when you were telling me this was going to be a piece of cake!”

Flying past floor eight, Tina hoped Will was having a better go of things than they were.

Plot Hinge: Security Stocks

For this week’s Plot Hinge we turn to the stock markets to determine if the Windigos have upgraded their security system and if Tina and Isabella will escape the Windigo Facility.

1. If on April 9th at 12 noon (EST), the stock for Garda, a security company traded on the TSX, has gone up in value (as per this website), then the Windigos will have upgraded their system and prevent Tina and Isabella from escaping.
2. If the stock has gone down in value, however, then Tina and Isabella will escape from the facility in possession of information regarding Will’s whereabouts.

Readers Poll: Who do you want to learn more about?

Vote on who you want to learn more about and I’ll include that information as bonus content in an upcoming chapter. (Sorry, Agent Isaiah is going to have to remain a mystery for a while longer ).

Chapter 11 goes live on April 12th! How do you like the story so far? Feel free to leave comments below or email me your thoughts, questions and ideas. And if you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe in the top right of the screen to receive email notifications whenever a new chapter is posted.