The Imposter

The Imposter | Chapter Sixteen [Malapert]

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[Chapter Sixteen]

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malapert \MAL-uh-purt\

(adj.) Unbecomingly bold or saucy

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"To our right is the lounge. There is a door just next to it that leads to a roomy closet where the most exciting adventures happen. Would you like me to show you?"

Resisting the urge to lightly punch him, I made a face at Dash, "Maybe later, Sparky."

He flashed me a delicious grin and tapped my nose. "Your loss, sweetheart. However, I am going to hold you to your word!"

I rolled my eyes, giving him a teasing shove and pointed at a hallway we had walked by without any comment. "What's down there?"

Dash's face tightened for a moment as he steered me in the other direction. "That's a classified area where we keep people for further questioning. Most agents aren't allowed down there unless they have a pass from a Director."

"Like a jail?"

"Sort of," he grunted. "Moving on, this is where most of the office work is done. The boring cubicle work like most offices..." he kept rambling on about the paper pushers, but I let my mind wander back to the mysterious hallway that lead to the 'jail'. It made sense to have it on the first floor, since I assumed it led to the basement, but I still found it weird that NANO had a jail in the first place. I guess I never really thought about it having anyone to hold. But that was where my clone would be held when she was captured. It was a scary thing to think about.

"Dayna? Dayna!" I jumped when Dash grabbed my arm and lightly shook me.

"What?" I asked sheepishly.

He shook his head in mock reprove and motioned to the stairs. "There isn't much more on the first floor. Do you want to walk up the stairs to the second floor, or would you rather take the elevator?"

"Stairs are fine," I replied primly, trying to regain some pride. I heard Dash chuckle lightly as he followed me up the metal staircase.

"NANO is comprised of four separate floors, not including the basement area. The first floor, as you saw, is mainly made up of offices. The second floor is where most of the meetings take place." Dash opened the stairwell door for me, giving a goofy bow. "NANO is set up like a square, with small hallways occasionally branching off, so it's not too hard to get lost in, but it can be confusing." He paused and smiled at me.

"I'm still following," I grinned, "So what kinds of meetings happen here?"

"All kinds," he whispered ominously. I chuckled at his dramatics and pointedly waited for him to elaborate. "In this first area, the less important meetings take place, usually a small briefing or a quick get together. Further back and around the corner, the more top secret meetings happen. For the most important and exclusive meetings, there are a series of doors and hallways one has to go through in order to find the meeting room. NANO is very protective of its secrets."

"That's understandable," I replied, giving a quick glance around the hallway. Dash took me around the floor, showing me how much of a square it really was, yet I knew I could easily get lost because of all the branching hallways.