Story 21 - Part 3 - Hard Work

Pulling two levers and hitting the gas, Agent James dropped the ten foot tall pallet that he was carrying. With only a glance to check if anyone was behind him, Brad pulled the forklift around and picked up a stack of boxes and began driving through the factory. Given the size of the boxes, his view was completely obscure and so he had to drive backwards in order to see where he was headed.

Some of the other agents had teased him about getting the cushy job in the chair, but the uncomfortable positions he had to twist into in order to drive made forklift driving a lot harder than it seemed to be. Not to mention it was a deluxe model and had enough levers and capabilities that Brad had won a bet that he could pick a dime off the ground with the forklift.

“Location found,” Agent Driver’s voice could be heard over the noise that was echoing through the earplugs. Brad quickly set the boxes back into shipping and pressed his hand to his ear. “Suspect not in sight, but area is recently abandoned. All agents, be on the look ou-OW!”

The split-second wait between Agent Driver being attacked and his next response was heart throbbing. Brad had no idea where Driver was and so if the other agent needed backup, he would not be able to provide it. Because of the way his forklift was set up, Agent James was the only agent on the floor who had a gun. The theory was that he would be able to drive to any location quick enough if the situation actually came down to it.

“All agents, suspect on the move,” Agent Driver yelled into the radio. “Suspect is in blue jeans and a black shirt. Last seen in the south section. Unable to pursue because I can’t find the freakin’ stairs. Elevator has stopped on the main floor. Does anyone have a visual?”

Brad answered with a negative with all of the other agents as he whipped his forklift around at high speed and headed toward the south end of the facility. The cereal company would undoubtedly fire him, if he was actually one of their employees. In fact, several people were giving him weird stares and trying to call him on the company radio as he stopped and scanned a section of the south end of the facility.

“Suspect sighted,” Agent Wilson called out. “Heading by Line 8 oven. Not wearing a hat.”

Not wearing a hard hat was a sure way of getting fired out on the production floor. It also made it easier to spot the unauthorized person. Brad actually spotted Agent Wilson first. She pulled a running slide underneath one of the machines and nearly got the fleeing man.

“He’s heading up,” Agent Wilson hollered.

Agent James whipped the forklift around and did something he had always wanted to since he was a teen. He jammed a lever and hopped out of his seat. When someone yelled at him for riding the forklift up to the next level, he just flashed his badge and gun. The suspect spotted him as he rose up to be eye level, and immediately the hacker fled toward the nearest door.

“Kai,” Brad called, knowing who was closest. “Level 213, heading east.”

Brad quickly jumped from the forklift and onto the catwalk as he pursued the suspect. There were two exits to the room, and neither hinged door was moving. Then Agent James saw that the hacker had found a third exit.

“You have got to be…he went through the Line 7 feeder,” Brad said, mild surprise and annoyance mixed in his voice.

“On it.” Kai’s voice echoed in both the earphone and the room the suspect had just tried to escape into.

The sound of a scuffle was lost in the normal noise of the factory as Brad took the door on the right and slid down a ladder into the next room. The bang of another door alerted Agent James to the new direction of the pursuit and he relayed over the radio that the suspect was on the Line 7 catwalk. Brad got onto the catwalk just in time to see Kai jumping from the catwalk and onto the machinery as he continued his pursuit. Brad slid down the ladder and dodged concerned technicians.

“Cardboard compactor,” Kai called out before a loud noise seemed to overwhelm the microphone.

“Agent Moto,” Agent Driver yelled into the radio. “Status.”

There was no answer, and Brad set off several machine alarms as he ran over conveyor belts to back up his friend.