Extra's Ascent

"Miss Kennedy, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear those words," Ramprandt said, his voice laced with unfiltered sincerity. It wasn't a mere formality, it was genuine, spoken straight from the heart.

Marvelous gave a small nod, accepting the unspoken apology embedded in his words. "That's good to hear. Now then, let's get down to business, shall we?"

They moved toward the pair of plush, unoccupied sofas, intending to sit and continue their dialogue. But before either of them could lower themselves into the seats, chaos erupted.

A sudden, deafening crash tore through the moment, glass splintered, the air roared, and something sharp cut clean through the atmosphere.

Almost simultaneously, Eric burst through the door, a human blur moving on instinct and urgency.

He didn't pause to evaluate the scene. Instead, his first act was to dive toward Ramprandt, knocking him to the ground and shielding him with his own body.

"Are you hurt?" Eric asked, breath ragged but tone sharp and controlled, scanning their immediate surroundings while keeping his employer protected.

"I'm fine. What about Miss Kennedy?" Ramprandt managed, twisting just enough beneath Eric's weight to peer toward her.

"I'm okay... I think," Marvelous replied from across the room, crouched low behind an overturned ottoman. Her expression was tense, unsure whether she was more frightened by the sudden intrusion or the eerie silence that followed.

"What just happened?" she asked, voice hushed but demanding.

A question that echoed in Eric's mind. He had been stationed just outside the penthouse door, waiting while Ramprandt conducted his business when something triggered his senses, something fast, wrong, and dangerous. He reacted instinctively, charging in before the chaos had even finished unfurling.

He surveyed the area, his sharp gaze quickly identifying the source of the disturbance. Embedded in the wall across the room was a thin, finely balanced throwing knife, small enough to be missed by the casual observer, but its deadly intent was unmistakable to Eric's enhanced perception.

A chill ran down his spine. Where there's a blade, there's a hand behind it.

"We need to evacuate. Now," Eric said firmly.

He shifted Ramprandt out of sight, guiding him behind a thick couch positioned near the window, one that now bore a spiderweb of fractures from the impact. The glass had held, barely. A testament either to its craftsmanship or the precision of the attacker's throw that made certain to only affect the needed area, leaving the other parts safe, untouched.

If Eric was no mystic, he wouldn't have noticed the knife, nor the location it came from.

Eric wasn't sure which deserved more credit. But he didn't have the luxury of pondering it.

"Make sure Miss Kennedy is safe, too," Ramprandt added, even as he stayed crouched beneath cover.

Eric didn't hesitate. With his boss momentarily secured, he darted across the room, using the furniture as both shield and cover. His movements were precise, honed by countless hours of combat readiness.

He reached Marvelous and gently grasped her shoulder. "We have to move. Come with me."

She looked up, startled and recognition dawned.

"You!?" she gasped.

Eric blinked. "You!?"

It was her, the same woman from the road incident, the one who had nearly run him off the street with a sleek car and a mountain of attitude.

The realization flickered between them like a strobe light, brief but electric. She was Ramprandt's business acquaintance? That meant she wasn't just wealthy, she was staggeringly influential. To own a skyscraper in Upstate spoke of staggering affluence, power, and presence.

But this wasn't the time for revelations or astonishment.

Eric brushed the thoughts aside. "There's no time. Let's go."

He helped her up, maintaining a position between her and the shattered window. His stance was wide, solid, every muscle prepared to shield her should another projectile come flying through.

With practised urgency, he guided her across the room and toward Ramprandt's hiding place, ushering her into the safety of their improvised shelter.

"Both of you stay here. I'll figure out the next step."

But even as he spoke, a pressing question gripped his mind.

Where were the security personnel?

This was a penthouse suite. In a city like Upstate, security should be airtight. And yet, since the attack began, not a single guard had shown up. He'd been alone when the threat was detected. Still, someone, anyone should have arrived by now.

Perhaps Marvelous had dismissed the external security to maintain privacy, unhinged and wouldn't feel like she was under scrutinized watch every minute of the day.

That, at least, explained the lack of guards outside the entrance.

But what about internal countermeasures? Surely a property of this value had something, anything to respond to threats of this nature.

He turned to Marvelous, his voice low but sharp. "Do you have any emergency protocols in place here? Security buttons? Panic systems? Anything?"

She nodded, catching her breath. "Yes, on the table over there. There's a concealed trigger under the surface. Press it, and within sixty seconds, this floor will be swarming with guards."

Thank the stars.

Eric nodded, exhaling slightly as the tension in his shoulders eased just enough to refocus. At least they weren't completely exposed.

With zero hesitation, he launched forward, propelling himself across the room with the help of mana-fueled momentum. His movements were fluid and explosive, every inch of him focused on one goal: the button.

He reached it in a blur, slammed his hand against it, and darted back to cover.

"It's done," he said, pressing in close again. "Now we wait."

Marvelous offered a reassuring nod, voice firm despite the adrenaline in her tone. "Yes. Within the next minute, we should have backup pouring in from every access point."

"Good," Eric muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Let them come in droves."

Let them bring the firepower, the reinforcements, the assurance that this wasn't going to turn into a massacre on the top floor of a luxury fortress.

Because one thing was certain, whoever had thrown that knife had intent. Intent that went beyond warnings.

Eric's eyes narrowed, already calculating every possible outcome.