Mei pushed the 'Employees Only' door open just enough for them to slip through. It led into a cramped, dusty corridor filled with cleaning supplies.
"This way," she said, leading him to a service elevator.
"You know," James commented, dusting off his tweed, "for a top-secret escape route, this is surprisingly grimy. A true professional would have surely ensured better ventilation. It simply won't do for the linen."
Mei ignored him, punching the button for the sub-level with a decisive jab. "Our adversaries will be expecting us to head to the subway or a main artery. We go down."
The elevator ride was silent, punctuated only by the clunk of machinery. As the doors opened, they weren't in a basement but a dimly lit, vast storage area. Before James could comment on the potential fire hazards, a stern voice barked in Mandarin.
A security guard, built like a small refrigerator, rounded the corner. He spotted the woman in the conspicuous red suit and the bewildered man in the crumpled tweed. He immediately reached for the radio on his belt.
"Distraction," Mei ordered James, pushing him forward.
"Distraction? But I haven't even prepared a suitable anecdote!" James sputtered.
Thinking fast, James remembered his own mission. He held up his satchel, his face a mask of earnest desperation. "Excuse me, sir! I am a British Tea Consultant! Have you by chance seen any exceptional oolong in this vicinity? Specifically, an ancient cultivar, possibly with a slightly smoky, yet floral note? It's terribly important! It's for an heirloom cup!"
The guard, stunned into momentary silence by the sheer baffling nature of the question, paused his radio call. He furrowed his brow, trying to process the frantic English.
Mei didn't wait. With a movement too fast to track, she disarmed the guard, clipped a small sensor onto his uniform, and pushed him gently but firmly behind a stack of air conditioners, where he remained, temporarily baffled and paralyzed.
"Remarkably effective, Mr. James," Mei conceded, retrieving the small silver device she'd used on the panda. "The sheer unexpectedness of your questions seems to paralyze people. It's an interesting fighting style."
"I was merely asking about tea," James sniffed, though he felt a slight, unexpected thrill. He had unintentionally discombobulated a guard.
They then navigated through a maze of boxes, only to be stopped by the most terrifying obstacle yet: a slow-moving escalator leading up to an exit onto the main road.
"We must take this," Mei said, frustrated. "It's the only unmonitored exit."
"But it's going up," James pointed out, terrified. "And it's terribly slow! We're practically a moving target!"
Mei slapped a small metal tag onto James's back. "Now you are shielded from most low-level thermal scanners. Stand still and try to look like an inanimate object."
The moment they stepped onto the escalator, three men in matching grey suits and dark glasses appeared from behind a pillar near the top. They were staring directly at James and Mei.
"Adversaries," Mei whispered. "The Grey Suits. Prepare for evasive maneuvers."