Nightshift 30: High-Security Stairwell (3) (right-hand side)
[from here]
If he'd thought he was wandering into dark areas lacking escape routes before... at least this was a staircase and not an elevator. They hadn't even been able to open the elevator door, but he would have been even less comfortable in an elevator anyhow. Assuming the elevator was what he thought he recalled, a sort of primitive lift-tube in the form of a box strung on wires. Somehow he didn't think John would have been patient watching Mark try to find some way to get out of the box and up the elevator's shaft by their own power.
It wasn't safe to rely upon the low level of technology this place usually exhibited, too much here was built on obvious lies. Each step required an investigation of both sides of the wall, looking for any sign of hidden panels or security measures a bit more complex than cylinder locks. The flashlight helped, generally tilted between his head and shoulder, and finally he found himself at another door.
A locked door. Jiggling did nothing, nor did slamming his weight against it. Of course. If anything, this one seemed heavier than usual, moreso than the other locked doors he'd encountered thus far. One last check around for some sign of a hidden electronic panel, something he would know how to jimmy properly and get past, then he headed back down the staircase again.
"It's a locked door," he called out for the benefit of the other two. "Seems like a dead end for now."
If he'd thought he was wandering into dark areas lacking escape routes before... at least this was a staircase and not an elevator. They hadn't even been able to open the elevator door, but he would have been even less comfortable in an elevator anyhow. Assuming the elevator was what he thought he recalled, a sort of primitive lift-tube in the form of a box strung on wires. Somehow he didn't think John would have been patient watching Mark try to find some way to get out of the box and up the elevator's shaft by their own power.
It wasn't safe to rely upon the low level of technology this place usually exhibited, too much here was built on obvious lies. Each step required an investigation of both sides of the wall, looking for any sign of hidden panels or security measures a bit more complex than cylinder locks. The flashlight helped, generally tilted between his head and shoulder, and finally he found himself at another door.
A locked door. Jiggling did nothing, nor did slamming his weight against it. Of course. If anything, this one seemed heavier than usual, moreso than the other locked doors he'd encountered thus far. One last check around for some sign of a hidden electronic panel, something he would know how to jimmy properly and get past, then he headed back down the staircase again.
"It's a locked door," he called out for the benefit of the other two. "Seems like a dead end for now."