When the elevator doors opened, Ryan stepped out first. He peered into the hallway and scanned both ends before giving Arika a signal.
—Now.
Arika followed him out, and they both moved forward in silence. Fortunately, that area seemed quiet. All they could hear were a few distant voices and the irregular hum of the ceiling lights.
But as they rounded the next corner, Ryan stopped abruptly.
A few meters away was a metal door. Two armed men were guarding the entrance.
Ryan immediately stepped back, and they both took cover behind the wall.
—Two guards —he whispered.
Arika peeked out just a little.
The men remained alert, though neither seemed to have spotted them.
—We have to get them away from the door —Ryan continued—. If we try to confront them here, they could alert the whole building.
Arika scanned the hallway for a few seconds.
—We can lure them away.
Ryan looked at he.
—How?
Arika discreetly pointed to the far end of the hallway.
—We'll make some noise over there. When one of them goes to check it out, we'll take care of the other one. Then we'll go after the second one.
Ryan understood the plan and nodded.
—All right.
Arika picked up a small piece of metal that was on the floor. She waited a few seconds, and when the guards stopped talking, she threw it toward the end of the hallway.
Clang.
The sound echoed throughout the hallway.
The two men immediately went on alert.
—What was that? —one asked.
—Go check it out.
The guard cautiously walked away, while his partner remained by the door.
Ryan waited until he was far enough away.
Then he exchanged a glance with Arika.
She nodded.
Ryan emerged from his hiding spot and pounced on the guard. He grabbed him from behind before he could react, but the man immediately struggled.
—Let me go!
The guard tried to break free, struggling with all his might. Ryan tightened his grip, trying to immobilize him, but the man managed to turn partially around.
For a moment, Ryan lost control of the situation.
He reacted on instinct.
He delivered a sharp blow to the guard's head.
The guard's body went limp immediately.
Ryan caught him before he fell to the ground and knocked him unconscious.
—One down —e muttered.
Arika watched him.
Her expression remained completely relaxed.
—There was no need to hurt him like that.
Ryan blinked, surprised.
—Huh?
Arika glanced briefly at the unconscious man.
—We could have subdued him without hitting him.
Ryan looked down.
—Yeah… you're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it that way. I just…"
He trailed off.
A sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
They both looked up.
Arika whispered.
—We have to hide.
Ryan nodded quickly.
Together, they dragged the guard behind the wall and hid just as a shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.
The second guard rounded the corner.
—What happened? Where are you?
He took a few more steps.
Arika appeared behind him and, before he could react, grabbed him and delivered a precise blow to a strategic spot on his neck. The guard lost his strength almost immediately and fell unconscious.
Ryan caught him before he hit the floor.
—That was fast —he murmured.
Arika didn't answer. She just looked down the hallway to make sure no one had heard.
Between the two of them, they carried the two guards to the door of the armory. Ryan used the keys they'd found and turned the lock.
Click.
The door opened.
They quickly went inside with the unconscious bodies and closed the door behind them.
—We have to tie them up in case they wake up — Ryan said.
They dragged them to a secluded corner of the room and left them there together. Ryan grabbed some ropes he found among some boxes and, after making sure they were still unconscious, tied them up to prevent them from getting up if they woke up.
Arika began searching through the shelves.
There were pistols, rifles, ammunition, and various types of equipment.
— Take whatever you can carry —said Ryan—. We can't waste any time.
Ryan grabbed a gun and quickly checked the magazine before stowing it away.
Arika did the same, but then she noticed some small smoke grenades stored in a box.
She picked them up and examined them.
—These might come in handy.
Ryan stepped closer.
—Smoke grenades?
Arika nodded.
—We can use them as a distraction when we go downstairs.
Ryan understood immediately.
—Good idea. If there are too many men around the cage, the smoke could give us a few seconds to get in and get your friend out.
Arika stowed several in her gear.
—That's exactly what we need.
Ryan grabbed some extra ammunition and looked toward the door.
—Ready?
Arika gripped her gun firmly.
—Yes.
Before heading out, they both checked one last time to make sure the guards were still immobilized.
Then Ryan slowly opened the door and peered into the hallway.
Clear.
—Let's go.
Arika followed him out.
They already had everything they needed to rescue Koen.
There were only a few minutes left before the show in the cage began.