The Alpha Plague 3 by Michael Robertson

Most buildings used tablets, but not the Alpha Tower; you couldn’t hack a paper checklist. They’d checked all the fixtures and fittings a couple of days ago and another check didn’t need to be done for a week or so. But most people would have no idea, which gave Vicky the chance to move around the Alpha Tower’s foyer without raising suspicion.
    As she pretended to check every light bulb in the place she kept her attention on the front doors. The huge clock on the wall read eleven fifty-eight. At twelve o’clock the shifts switched around. The low level buzz of anxiety that had resided inside of her for several days rose up a notch, and no matter how many times she swallowed her nausea would not be abated.
    When the toilet doors opened Vicky’s pulse spiked. Two men emerged in the uniforms she’d stolen. They strode toward the front door and looked like any two security guards about to change shift would.
    Vicky didn’t recognise the two tall men and they wouldn’t know her either. Thank God Brendan hadn’t chosen to be one of them. One had pulled out at the last minute and it looked like he may have to step in, but they fortunately found a replacement. Already wound up so tight she could snap she didn’t need to see Brendan putting his life in danger as well.
    When one of the men opened the door to let the other one out Vicky caught sight of the security guards outside. Both of them turned to look at the men.  
    The fake security guards stepped outside and Vicky watched them talk to one another for a second before the front door shut on them. Despite the porthole window in the door she couldn’t see the men on the other side through it.
    The doors then opened again and the two security guards who had been on shift entered the foyer. They must have fallen for it. They obviously didn’t see their replacements using a stolen security card.
    Vicky glanced at the clock again. Too soon and the current guards would have been suspicious. Too late and the real guards for the next shift would have appeared. They had about a minute to make this work.
    At that moment Brendan walked into the foyer and Vicky lost her breath.
    With his shoulders back and his chin raised he walked with his usual confidence. He looked like he belonged and paid Vicky no attention.
    To distract herself Vicky hunched down to check the power outlets near to where she stood, although most of her focus remained on the man she loved as he walked across the vast open space to the lifts. He had a card that gave him clearance to the control room. That’s all he’d asked for. Sure, it didn’t feel great that Vicky had stolen Artem’s card, especially when she saw the panic on his face when he realised it had gone, but he should have looked after it. She had more concern about when he would report it missing. Nobody would give a shit about the low level card she stole in the canteen, but one that accessed the building’s security would raise alarm. It would also see Artem fired, which must have been why he hadn’t reported it yet. Maybe he hoped it would turn up.
    The second the lift doors closed on Brendan the ones next to him let out a light ping. Two security guards stepped out. Bang on time the twelve o’clock shift had arrived.
    The two uniformed men strode across the foyer to the front doors. Vicky pretended to write, but her hand shook so badly she wasn’t able to make a legible mark. When she looked back up at the men one of them glanced her way. She quickly averted her gaze.  
    Another quick glance and she saw the man had also looked away.
    Crouched closer to the doors than she had been on the first switch over Vicky listened to the men’s conversation.
    “It’s time to switch shifts.”
    “What do you mean? We’ve only just got here.”
    “But it’s our shift now.”
    “No it’s not. We were told to do today, weren’t we, Bill?”
    Bill nodded. “Yeah, I dunno what the mix up is, boys. Why don’t you go and find out while