Later that morning, Ethan found himself waiting for Jerry outside the building that contained Acamas International's temporary office. It was an old, two story building with windows dotting the bare concrete exterior. The front lobby had large frosted windows and glass double doors, giving the place a slightly more modern look.16Please respect copyright.PENANAEUqRyOz5Ix
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Ethan felt a gust of mild spring air blow across his face. Luckily, the weather was nice today, as it had been all over the place this week. He checked his watch again and when he looked up, he saw Jerry walking across the parking lot. The middle-aged salesman pushed his glasses up his nose as he arrived at a leisurely pace with a coffee and doughnut.16Please respect copyright.PENANA44Mwgrh1Gb
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"You're late," Ethan stated dryly.16Please respect copyright.PENANAFdDAxxINvk
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"No, you're early. I'm on time," Jerry replied, taking a sip of his coffee.16Please respect copyright.PENANAK0572M9mw7
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Ethan ignored the comment, unwilling to start an argument when he was already feeling tired and irritable . He wanted another dose of his medication but couldn't risk pulling the bottle out of his bag here. It had been helping with the symptoms, but only so much and he was already far exceeding the recommended dosage. Unfortunately, Terran drugs simply weren't designed with Charax in mind and Trazinol was the best option available so he was forced to make do.16Please respect copyright.PENANA1hq4JyjQ5W
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"Ready to go in there?" Ethan asked, gesturing towards the large glass double doors.16Please respect copyright.PENANANmFgUFUp5K
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"Yeah," Jerry replied, walking towards the building.16Please respect copyright.PENANACDK1IV0SiN
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Ethan followed him into the lobby, which looked normal except for the odd furniture near the door. What he guessed were chairs, actually looked like giant oversized cushions with indents to sit in. They were all covered in polka dots and exclusively primary coloured, as if they purposefully needed to add to the existing decor clash. Further on, he could see the secretary at her desk in front of a long corridor.16Please respect copyright.PENANAXu1mIBgTx6
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Ethan walked over to speak to the lady at the desk. "Hello, we've got a meeting with Mr. Edbert from Acamas International at ten thirty."16Please respect copyright.PENANAtepYan63TH
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The woman typed something into the computer. "Mr. O'Leary and Mr. Harrow, is it?"16Please respect copyright.PENANAeDYqvu5Efl
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"That's us," Ethan replied.16Please respect copyright.PENANAnANnEG2eYF
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"Good. If you'll wait in the lobby, Mr. Edbert will be right with you." The secretary smiled at them politely.16Please respect copyright.PENANABO6sN6NZVO
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"Thank you," Ethan replied politely and the two men made their way towards the seating area near the entrance.16Please respect copyright.PENANADe7eROpRbg
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There's nothing wrong with normal chairs, Ethan thought as he sat down on the piece of furniture that looked most chair-like. He sunk down into the soft fabric, shifting to try to sit properly, getting the idea that he'd never be able to get comfortable in this thing. He looked over at Jerry, who seemed to be settling in just fine and was already on his phone. Ethan picked up on of the pamphlets scattered on the small table in front of him and flipped through it absentmindedly, not really interested in the material.16Please respect copyright.PENANASiO9xpB7lw
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A few minutes later, the secretary left her desk. Ethan kept flipping through the pamphlets pages. Jerry kept his attention on his phone, pushing his glasses back up his nose every so often. The two salesman continued waiting.16Please respect copyright.PENANAbwm6sT1fSF
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Ethan checked his watch, they'd been there for ten minutes. He noticed the secretary wasn't back yet. He also realized they were the only two people in the room. There were other businesses in the building, it seemed like there should be other people at least coming and going. He turned to Jerry, who still looked preoccupied. "Don't you think it's a little empty in here?"16Please respect copyright.PENANARyRIOmMNZF
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"Must have caught them on a coffee break," Jerry replied without looking up from his phone.16Please respect copyright.PENANA3izAGBRIFj
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Ethan let the matter drop, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. The room was still empty a few minutes later when he heard footsteps. He couldn't see anyone yet but it sounded like they were getting louder, coming towards them.16Please respect copyright.PENANAgRlgbkmOWA
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"Someone's coming," Ethan told Jerry.16Please respect copyright.PENANAQBrnT1gF7R
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"Probably just the secretary," Jerry mumbled, still fixated on the mesmerizing electronic device.16Please respect copyright.PENANALsGwnjB7dZ
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Ethan got up to get a better look at who was coming around the corner. He saw two men, neither of them anyone he recognized. They were walking towards the two coworkers casually.16Please respect copyright.PENANA2ajeBQxBN3
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That feeling was nagging at Ethan again, that there was something off about all this. He didn't like that the place was empty. He knew the heat was starting to mess with his head again, but he hadn't had a chance to sneak away and take another dose. He just couldn't figure out what was up with this place.16Please respect copyright.PENANASJSWXdxo1G
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Ethan spotted the muzzle of the gun too late and reacted too slowly. He felt the dart hit him as he ducked behind one of the oversized chairs. He desperately hoped the ridiculously thick cushion would stop a bullet.16Please respect copyright.PENANACe9RtiAqCA
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Ethan took a deep breath and looked at the dart that had hit him. He fought down a wave of nausea at the sight of the foreign object embedded in his arm. He pulled it out quickly and let it drop on the ground with a tiny clatter. Although he didn't notice any effects at the moment, he had no clue how long it would be before he started to feel whatever was in there.16Please respect copyright.PENANAJEcQKChlUp
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Ethan peeked around the chair to see two men approaching them at a leisurely pace. One large one and one of average build . Both in black. Both armed. He hid back behind his cover quickly.16Please respect copyright.PENANASX2RrPkNeH
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Ethan looked around for Jerry, only to find him already passed out cold on the floor a few feet away. He swore under his breath. They were after him, not Jerry, and he didn't have any chance of fighting them.16Please respect copyright.PENANAdBfzaay2Yz
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Ethan needed to get out of there. The exit was close. He was starting to feel a little dizzy but decided he could make it anyways. He dashed towards the door.16Please respect copyright.PENANAcmlMbVlnq0
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Ethan easily made it the ten feet to the entrance. He pushed on the door. It wouldn't open. The light next to it was red. An electronic lock. He pushed again, harder.16Please respect copyright.PENANAbv0mvGvJMt
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Ethan was trying to shove the door open when felt someone grab him from behind. He turned around quickly to punch his assailant. His attack was panicked and aimed low. The man was taken by surprise as Ethan hit him as hard as he could . His assailant grunted in pain from the blow to his stomach.16Please respect copyright.PENANAyFlKRi5vVf
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Ethan shoved his attacker back as he made a run for it. He made a beeline back the way the men had come in, to the corridor. He'd only gotten a few paces when the other one tackled him to the ground.16Please respect copyright.PENANAvnLhh7BgKv
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Ethan tried to scramble away but the larger man got a hold on him. He fought back but the drug from the dart was working against him, weakening him. He ignored the sensation and kept wrestling ineffectively with the attacker who had over fifty pounds on him.16Please respect copyright.PENANAI3fpMQaW0a
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It wasn't long before Ethan ended up on his stomach with the large man pressing him into the floor, the cool tile touching his forehead. Ethan was starting to notice the significant weakness in his muscles, on top of feeling the overwhelming urge to sleep. Still, he kept struggling, trying to get the man off of him, even as it seemed pointless.16Please respect copyright.PENANAWF3LM4QeBp
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The man holding him kept a tight hold on him. "Why isn't the stuff working? Shoot him again!"16Please respect copyright.PENANA7z1P8bYaGr
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"Quit whining. It'll work. This just means our intel was good," the other man responded calmly. "Try not to damage the goods too much."16Please respect copyright.PENANAIehuWX8t4U
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Ethan tried to keep up his struggle but the dart had done it's job. He could feel himself beginning to lose consciousness.16Please respect copyright.PENANAPyBmsUMH7L
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"If he'd gotten the good tranqs then we wouldn't have this problem," the man over him grumbled quietly, just loud enough for Ethan to hear.16Please respect copyright.PENANA3b4eZyBb5Z
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Ethan felt something hard and small press into his back. He felt the sting of another dart and soon after, his vision finally went dark.16Please respect copyright.PENANAhiVEq0DGbI