Close Call

Kyle brought his leg back down and studied the small opening. He judged the distance and sprung forward, effectively latching onto the opening with his fingers. He made the opening bigger. Using the forward momentum, he brought his hand to the other side of the panel.

Thus, he was now hanging on to the panel by holding on to its two sides of the panel. Gravity helped pulled the panel down, and just like Edward said, it slid in front like how a drawer slides open when you pulled it. Kyle found himself sliding foward in the direction of the lift door.

Once it was fully opened, Kyle switched his hands position. So now, he was facing the back of the lift with the lift door behind him. He brought up his legs into the opening that was the same size as the panel. He spread his legs wide open so that his feet could hook onto the sides of the panel.

So now, he was U shaped. Hands on the sliding panel that had opened and his legs in the panel opening. He released his grips on the panel and hung upside down before bringing himself up again, his head just at the entrance of the opening.

It wasn't over yet.

He had only managed to open the ceiling panel, not the opening of the lift itself. Kyle was now looking at the keyhole and studying it. He reached back to his back pocket and took out his wallet. He then opened a secret compartment and a lock pick set was revealed.

In truth, the wallet was never really a wallet, but a lock pick set. The card compartments were in front but in the area where the bills would be kept, was actually the lock pick set. Only a few bills were placed to hide the hidden compartment.

Choosing the correct tool, Kyle set to work.

.:*・°☆...:*・ TEAM ZERO HQ .:*・°☆...:*・

Xing Han, Ali, and Sam were watching the laptop screen with unblinking eyes. They were watching it, but they couldn't quite believe it. Each laptop had different things being shown but there was one thing that was the same: the inside of a lift that had Kyle in it.

No, not Kyle. BatKyle. He was hanging upside down like a bat. No, change that. He's now Pretzel Kyle.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" whispered Xing Han.

"Yes, he's picking the lock," answered Ali.

"Oh. Then it's not what I was thinking then," said Xing Han.

Ali turned to look at Xing Han in surprise, actually taking his eyes off the show in front of him, "Then what on EARTH did you think he was doing?"

"I dunno," Xing Han said, "He looked like he was trying to put money into the ceiling. You know, like when you pay for parking tickets."

Now it was Sam who turned to look at Xing Han.

"W-what?" Xing Han spluttered, looking indignant, "He took out his wallet and started poking the ceiling. What was I supposed to think?"

Ali patted Xing Han on the shoulder, "Your innocence is truly cute, Xing Han."

"Like I said," Sam stated, "Opposites attract."

"Look! He's out!!" Xing Han said excitedly, completely forgetting whatever they were saying. He didn't know what was going on but from the way Team Zero was acting, it was serious. So he didn't want to ask anything until it was all over.

"Subject has gone dark" Zero said.

.:*・°☆...:*・ KYLE .:*・°☆...:*・

Kyle breathes a sigh of relief once he managed to unlock the panel. Pushing it open, he climbed through. He then reached back into the lift, closing the sliding panel so that the ceiling of the lift was secured again. He then closed the opening, not bothering to lock it back. All the while, he made sure to wipe the opening with his tie, to ensure that he did not leave any fingerprints behind.

Standing up on top of the lift, Kyle held onto the cable as he looked around. There were no security cameras here, so no one could see what was happening. He noted that the lift was stuck between two floors, so he quickly made a running jump to the closest ledge.

He didn't want to stay on the lift longer than necessary.

At the precise moment that he was about to kick himself off the lift, the lift jerked suddenly and fell.

The sudden jerk and drop at his foot made him stumble and affected his momentum forward.* Kyle felt a sharp pain at his ankle as his foot twisted a bit. The whole thing had happened so unexpectedly and suddenly that Kyle had no time to adjust the speed and force of his jump.

So, instead of landing accurately on the landing, he hit the wall that was just below the landing he had been aiming for. His forehead hit the hard wall, making him see stars. Despite the unexpected jolt and smash, Kyle still managed to grab onto the ledge itself.

His head felt like it had split open, he was dizzy and his ears were ringing. The fact that he was even hanging on was not due to any conscious effort but his body's natural reaction after years of training. His hands latched out from muscle memory, his body instinctively knowing that it must not let go.

[KYLE! KYLE!!]

Kyle could hardly concentrate and the sound just jarred his head even more. He gritted his teeth, trying hard to sound normal as he answered Kay, knowing how deathly worried she was.

[I'm ... urgh] Kyle tried to think but it was getting hard to both talk and hang on. His head was pounding and tears were forming in his eyes. He felt something wet dripping down his nose but he couldn't wipe it.

In the hotel, Kay was panicking. She had never heard Kyle sounding so weak before. And that grunt at the end! It was frustrating that she couldn't see him right now.

"Zero! QUICK! Save Kyle!" Kay shouted as she furiously looked at all the security camera feeds.

Xing Han, Ali, and Sam stood up as well, as the entire room appeared to be in a state of panic. Controlled panic, however, as the team sprung into action. From the security camera feeds that they had, there was no indication that the lift had fallen but Edward and Yume knew just seconds before Kay's frantic call.

Edward was monitoring the mainframe while Yume had been monitoring the telecommunications waves. The company mainframe not only showed the blueprints of the building, it also housed the workings of the electronics in the company whereas the telecommunication waves monitored any electromagnetic waves (which includes radio and mobile signals).

There had been a slight, abnormal surge in the electromagnetic waves when the company mainframe started beeping red. There had been a burst of energy into the lift systems, jamming it and basically ordered it to fall.

"LIFT FELL!" Edward shouted frantically right after Kay's shout.

"Alex! Lucka! Floor 25!" Zero commanded, furiously typing on the laptop, while calling out frantically, "Sir! Sir! Are you alright Sir?!"

There was no answer.

Alex and Lucka ran out in a flash, heading towards the lift at Floor 25. They were quickly followed by Ali and Xing Han. Sam opted to stay, knowing that there was nothing he could do and felt that it was best he was in the 'war-room' where all the action was happening.

A loud smash was heard and one security camera showed the ground floor lift doors suddenly appeared like a huge force hit it, with debris and dust flying about. People who had been waiting there for the lift screamed in panic.

<Come on, Kyle. Where are you? Were you still on the lift?!> thought Sam worriedly, biting his inner lip.

"I'm ... okay," came Kyle's weak voice over the earpiece.

"Sir, hang on. Akira and Lucka are on their way. Where are you, Sir?" Zero asked frantically.

"Dunno," Kyle admitted, "Hanging. Hurry. Hard ..."

Right now, Kyle didn't have the strength to pull himself up but he was also losing the strength to hang on. At the way his head was spinning, he could hardly think straight. He knew where he was - hanging on a ledge, and he cannot let go - but he was feeling slightly disoriented as to what he should be doing next.

Kay was also listening in, not daring to speak for she could tell Kyle was struggling with something. She grabbed Oreo, seeking comfort and at the same time, she bit her fist. The pain helped her from having to say or do something and she rocked slowly as she stroked Oreo.

<Come on Kyle, hang on. Stay with me> Kay thought to herself, not sending the message out.

At that time, Alex and Lucka were about to reach their destination. They quickly pushed the people waiting there aside, not caring about hurting them or if they fell because of it. The lift door opened just as they reached it, for Zero had already seen them arriving from the security camera.

They ran faster when they saw fingers at the edge of the ledge, quickly leaning over and grabbing Kyle by the wrist. In one synchronized movement, they pulled him up.

"We got him," Alex said, even though he knew everyone could see it through the security camera.

"How is he?" asked Kay worriedly.

Kyle was like a limp rag doll as they pulled him up, his eyes were shut tight from the bright lights that suddenly came in.

[Dizzy. I feel like puking]

Lucka pried his eyes open and flashed a light into both of his pupils. He noted the huge bump on Kyle's head, plus his nose was bleeding which indicated a likelihood of an internal head injury. Lucka wasn't a doctor but he had basic medical knowledge, which was why Zero had ordered him to go.

He noted that the pupils were constricting normally to the light and it appeared as if they were of equal shape. If they weren't, it was an indication that there might be swelling or bleeding in the brain.

Although Lucka felt that there was no immediate danger, it didn't mean that Kyle didn't need his head checked out. He kept talking to Kyle, wanting Kyle to respond so that he would be awake. He did a full body check on Kyle and noted that his ankle was already started to swell.

Alex was on the phone, calling 911 for an ambulance, detailing that there had been an accident. He described Kyle's injuries and a few medical terms were given after Lucka's brief diagnosis. This was to allow the response team to know what to expect and thus, be able to deal with the situation quickly and more efficiently when they arrived.

At that moment, CEO Charles came rushing in.