Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
Chapter 1973

The living room was deserted, and she headed straight for the bedroom.

As she entered, there was a sudden "bang" as the door behind her closed, and she looked startled. Before she could turn around, a sharp pain struck her neck, and she blacked out. Estelle eyed the woman on the floor, dragging her to the bed. She pulled out a small bottle of liquid, pouring it over the woman's face.

The liquid melted and flowed over the woman's face, and within moments, Estelle peeled off a latex mask from Myra's visage.

Fitting the mask onto her own face, Estelle's features transformed seamlessly, without the slightest flaw.

After rummaging through Myra's belongings, she found a keycard for the twelfth sublevel, gagged Myra, and tied her to the bed before turning to leave.

Estelle made her way directly to the twelfth sublevel.

Myra's keycard worked on one elevator in particular. Once it opened, Estelle faced the quarters where Bernard and his lady lived.

The lab was off-limits to her.

Bernard was out, and his lady was lounging on the sofa, applying a facial mask. She saw "Myra" come in and said, "You're up early today!" Estelle nodded and began tidying up the room.

The woman peeled off her mask and changed into a swimsuit, heading out to the sun-baked desert.

She was off to swim.

Estelle's eyes, equipped with contact lenses, emitted a soft blue glow as she searched the room; no surveillance equipment was in sight. She quickly connected with Amiee.

"The data's not on the computer - Bernard must've stashed it somewhere. Check his study," Amiee instructed.

Estelle obeyed, heading towards the study.

The study was vast, filled with books on weaponry and more. Estelle scoured the bookshelves for secret compartments but found nothing.

No clues surfaced on the desk either.

Amiee was puzzled, "Where could he keep the data? He can't leave the twelfth sublevel; it should be somewhere he can easily access." Estelle checked every nook of the desk, and as her finger neared the mouse, Amiee warned, "Don't touch the mouse. It's alarmed." Estelle glanced at the black mouse, which if alarmed, suggested Bernard feared anyone using his computer.

In that brief pause, Amiee seemed to grasp her thoughts, quickly saying, "I've hacked into the computer twice already, to no avail."

With no useful leads and the woman returning from her swim, Estelle had to retreat to the living room for now.

The woman went to change, and once she was done, Estelle seized the chance to collect the dirty laundry, giving the bedroom a quick once-over for any hidden compartments. Still, nothing. Estelle knew she had to leave for the time being.

"Don't worry; we'll find it!" Amiee said.

"Sure," Estelle nodded slightly, ending the call.

Back on the first sublevel, she had morphed back into Ivy.

Usually, after their chores, the maids gathered in the hall to sip wine and gossip about which researchers tipped the best or held peculiar fancies.

But today, they all sat silent, anxiety written across their faces.

Upon Estelle's arrival, someone shouted, "Ivy's here!"

"It's Ivy!"

The crowd swarmed around her, "Ivy, something terrible's happened!"

"Please, you have to save Lillian!"

"Lillian might not make it!"

Estelle, mask in place, furrowed her brow, "Calm down, one at a time. What's happened to Lillian?"

Pushing through the others, a fellow maid explained, "Lillian went up to the forty-ninth floor a couple of days ago and never came back."

"Somebody just found her in the woods out back, but she looks she might not survive!"