Chapter 91: Infiltration (2)
Reinhard stood on the rooftop, allowing him to see over the walls and the front of the Bolner Storage Building. He then began waiting for when the building doors would open while maintaining clear sight lines on the area itself.
He waited for a bit, with five minutes passing and then ten.
Finally, the metal gates began opening, their movement accompanied by the grinding of chains and pulleys. Light spilled from the widening gap, and six workers emerged from within, jogging toward the yard to collect more items for transport.
Reinhard’s eyes lit up before he rushed down the building’s walls.
Drasil Step.
Time began slowing down extremely around him, with the people in the streets frozen mid-stride. Their bodies are suspended in positions where one is with both feet off the ground mid-jog, another with arms swinging forward for momentum.
Reinhard continued rushing down before launching himself over the walls lightly. Leading his body to sail through the air, past the streets, and then over the building walls. Once he landed, he pushed off with the building yard passing beneath his feet, cobblestones and dirt and scattered debris all frozen in perfect stillness.
Once he saw the six workers appear ahead, Reinhard shifted his body as he quickly slipped through gaps between them with millimeters to spare. He was close enough to see sweat on their faces, the grain of their work gloves, and individual threads in their clothing. Before he then passed through the double metal gates and entered the buildings.
Inside, he saw a vast warehouse area with crates stacked twenty feet high in some places, and workers throughout the space stood frozen. Guards were visible near the far corner, exactly where Mimir had indicated, and their heads were turned away from the entrance.
Reinhard rushed to the side, finding cover behind a particularly large crate just as Drasil Step came to an end.
Time returned to normal.
The noise of the warehouse crashed over him with workers calling to each other, the scraping of crates being moved, and footsteps echoing off stone floors and high ceilings. The six workers he’d passed entered through the gates behind him, their jogging footsteps announcing their arrival.
Reinhard remained perfectly still as his body pressed against the crate’s wooden surface. He waited thirty seconds to make sure no alarm was raised and that no one noticed his entry, letting the immediate area settle.
Once it passed, he began moving while keeping low and using the massive crates as cover. His path took him deeper into the warehouse as he gazed at the steps he planned to take.
A worker appeared ahead, pushing a hand cart, but Reinhard quickly sidestepped in the shadow of a crate. The worker passed within ten feet, completely unaware, before he continued moving forward.
The warehouse’s organization was divided into sections by type of goods, with signs hanging from chains to mark different categories. Furniture. Medical. Research. Household Items. Personal Effects. Business Equipment.
Reinhard reached a section where the crates were stacked less densely, creating a more open area. It’s here that he was able to hear two workers conversing nearby, their voices carrying clearly.
"...Another shipment coming tomorrow-"
"Yeah, boss wants the theater storage cleared by-"
Reinhard narrowed his eyes at the mention of the theater. His mind quickly went to the Phane Theater, and most likely it had something to do with Phineas and his future performance. Now that he thought about it, having multiple storage buildings would be a great place to keep the materials needed for his stage.
But then a thought came to his mind. What would Phineas do with his men who were with him? He didn’t mean these workers, who obviously didn’t know they were helping in a terrible act that may commence in the future. But the ones he mentioned are a part of his plan and made him tweak it to fit their preferences.
Usually, the normal thing would be to kill them or use them as scapegoats. But I wonder if he planned to use them for future acts if he does escape.
Reinhard inwardly sighed, but noted the people near him weren’t moving, and so he quickly decided to just rush past.
Drasil Step.
Time began slowing down extremely before Reinhard rushed across the open area, his figure invisible to the workers. All around, he saw workers frozen in the middle of their task, although in truth, they were moving extremely slowly.
He quickly covered the open area distance as he reached the metal stairs and then hid behind a new crate.
Just as time returned to normal, the workers around continued their task.
Reinhard glanced at the metal staircase that led to the second floor, his eyes slightly wide as a worker was descending, his attention on the clipboard in his hands. He waited for him to pass, then ascended quickly but quietly, his feet finding the outer edges of steps where creaking was less likely.
That person was probably a manager or higher rank than the normal workers.
The second floor seemed to have smaller storage rooms rather than one vast space. Doors lined a corridor with some open to reveal contents, and others were closed. Reinhard slowly crouched down as he moved to stay in the open room, as he quickly noticed the guards present around.
One stood at the corridor’s far end, his posture suggesting boredom. Then he quickly activated the Drasil step, leading to time slowing down extremely. He rushed out of the room, through the metal platforms, and past the guard who was frozen. He headed up the narrower staircase to the third floor, climbing it while time was extremely slow, and reached the third floor.
Then, as time returned to normal, he quickly found cover behind a stone pillar. But then he glanced left and right to see no one was coming before staring at the office building. Only the hallway stretched ahead, doors on both sides bearing labels to other rooms. Storage Records, Inventory Management, and Client Services.
At the hall’s end, a door stood slightly ajar, light spilling from within. The office Mimir had identified and the ones with the files scattered around.
Reinhard moved toward it, his footsteps silent against the carpet, before he reached the door and then began listening.
But there was no sound or movement inside, making him recall the person with the clipboard, and then smiling. He pushed the door open slowly, peering through the gap and confirming his thinking that the office was empty.
Papers were stacked across its surface in organized piles, each marked with different colored tabs. Filing cabinets lined the wall to his right, their metal surfaces dull with age.
A lamp sat on the desk corner, and it was currently illuminating the room. He slipped inside, closing the door softly behind him before moving toward the desk to begin his investigation.
Reinhard moved behind the desk, his footsteps silent against the thin carpet. His hand reached for the drawer, pulling it open with careful slowness to minimize noise, and then he saw the files inside. They were arranged in neat rows with dividers separating different categories, and Reinhard’s eyes began tracking the pattern.
They were alphabetical by business name and then chronological within each section. He committed the arrangement to memory so that he could put it back the same after he was done.