A Downward Descent

Marching down the sterile corridor, I tracked that electronic elevator chime straight to its source. A towering pair of brushed stainless-steel doors barred my path, flanked by a wall panel glowing softly at knee height for humans. Too high for me? Hardly. A brass utility cart sat nearby, piled with discarded cardboard packaging. I scrambled up the crinkled flaps, seized a stray, rigid wooden stirrer, and lunged forward, jamming the tip straight into the illuminated call button. The panel lit up with a shrill ding, and the heavy doors groaned open before me. Step one of taking over this facility is complete.