Ace took a quick shot at the floor by the captains’ feet, something inside the older man woke up. "Listen to me, captain. Mina has done nothing. We're here looking for two children. A boy by the name of Lyle, and a girl named Nadine. Have you seen them?"
The captain shook his head for a moment, lowering his gun he rubbed at his face. "I…I'm sorry Ace. So much has happened the last few hours." He leaned against the desk and sighed heavily. "The whole department is overrun. This is the only safe spot…there was a scientist here with a little girl. He had a little boy with him too. They went into the east wing. The military is supposed to be here within a few hours…"
Ace seemed to relax a little bit, so did Mina. Mina stood and approached the captain with open hands. She was nervous and Ace tried to stop her, but she ignored him. "Captain, may I reach into my pocket and show you the photo of the little girl?"
The man gave a shrug, his face showed defeat. He tossed his gun at the floor. "The gun is empty anyway. The last bullet I shot was for myself." When he looked at her, she saw his bloodshot eyes, and the paleness in his face. He was completely defeated; his soul had left him and had yet to return.
Mina reached into her back pocket and produced her wallet. She opened it and showed the young girl. A sudden look of sickness crossed the captains face. "Yeah, that's her. The man was dragging that little girl with him. She didn't look too good. She was coughing something bad. I thought she was infected. That's Doctor Locklear, and his wife was supposed to be with him…" He sighed, "They don't pay me enough to keep secrets."
She put her wallet back, her heart skipping. "Which way did they go again?" She nearly vomited the words out of her mouth.
Ace was next to her, looking at the captain, who just shrugged. "I told you. East Wing. Through that door." He pointed to the one that was a bright green. "You can't get in it unless you have clearance…besides that whole wing is infected. I wouldn't recommend going through there." He barked out a laugh, before he coughed.
"This whole place is going to blow anyway by morning."
She felt her blood turn to ice, "You're lying." She breathed.
Ace was right by her side. "Sir, that can't be right."
The captain handed them his cellphone—it was different than the ones they had, it was techier and more had a bright flashing yellow light— "It means we're fucked. I've worked with them, your parents, side by side for years. Letting them use the basement as their little testing site…in return I would get a free ride out of here." He barked another harsh laugh, "What fuckery that was. They lied to me. All they thought about was themselves, and you two. They're little cleanup crew is part of the fucking military…"
Mina's heart skipped. "What do you mean?"
The captain just laughed again, shaking his head. Mina reached out and smacked him across the face. The sound was so loud it echoed throughout the entry way. "What the hell do you mean?!" She roared.
A line of blood trickled down the captain’s chin, she was about to strike him again till Ace took hold of her wrist. "Calm down Mina."
"Yeah, you may want to calm down before you start reacting."
She was about to scream, she was so confused, her blood was broiling, she was beyond fatigued and she just didn't understand what he was talking about. Ace lowered her hand, "Sir, what are you talking about? Please. We need to know."
He looked up at them, his eyes filling with a deep green. "She's a perfect killing machine and you didn't even know. Did you Ace?"
Her heart skipped and she backed up a step. "W... what?"
Ace didn't even look her way, instead he pushed the man further. "What do you mean?"
"Her parents bred her and tested on her. She wasn't even born. She was made through a tube. Just like her sister. No one knows her failsafe word, but her father. Once that word is said, the whole world will burn." He rolled his head, "This whole city was their playground, and they're just two smaller scientists…playing their part."
He gave her a quick glance, and Mina collapsed to the floor. Her heart hammering in her chest. Everything around her faded in and out. It was difficult to breathe.
"And you let them do this? To her? To Nadine? To the city?" Ace was trembling in anger.
The captain smiled, his gums turning a deep black. "Of course. Money makes the world go round." He lifted his shirt, a deep purple pinprick started to strike out over his bicep. "And I'm just one experiment. I fulfilled my usefulness, so…Doctor Locklear is getting rid of me."
Mina took in a sharp breath, "Ace watch out!" She got to her feet tackling Ace. The captain had leaned over and vomited. Bright red filled the spot where he got sick at. He looked up, grinning. His flesh was sinking in, becoming like leather against his bones. Everything that he had vomited up, looked decayed and ruined.
Ace was already getting up and grabbing his gun. His eyes became concentrated on the captain in front of him. He took a single shot at his skull, the bullet bounced off and fell to the tile ground at his feet. The captain opened his mouth and let out an ear-piercing screech.
Mina got up again and grabbed her own gun. The monster went on all fours and sprinted toward them. Thinking quick, she sprinted to the creature. It pounced on her; she fell to the ground letting it take her with it. She grabbed it by the throat as it was opening its mouth to scream, she stuck the barrel of her gun into its maw and pulled the trigger.
Cold blood splashed on her face, she flinched feeling it run down her flesh.
Ace grabbed the monster by the shoulders and pulled it off her. "Are you alright?" He reached out and she took his hand. He helped her to her feet, the blood dripping off her.
"Yeah…I think." She wiped at her face, spitting out the vial taste. "I'll be alright."
He was in front of her and handed her a small tissue. "It's not much, but it's all I have." The innocence in his face got her to smile. She took it with ease and ran it over her face. "What he said…"
She finished cleaning her face and looked at him in the eyes, her trust in him was building. "I don't know how much is true…or if any of it is." A deep sigh came out of her chest. "But…there's nothing we can do about it besides keep pushing."
She went to the desk and lifted herself up, pulling her bag off her back. She unzipped it and pulled out a can of soup, and two bottles of water. She had more than that, but it would suffice for the moment. Mina tossed him one, and he took it easily. "They're here. We just need to find them." She used the can opener to open the can of soup and pulled out two spoons. She reached out handing him one. "Here, you need to eat too. I hope you like cream of mushroom." Mina could feel her stomach lurch at the thought of food, but she knew she was starving.
Ace was already sipping at the water, when he came over to her and sat down next to her, looking at the creature’s body. "Do we even have time to—"
"There's no choice. It's either regain our strength or be able to continue fighting. Or we collapse from exhaustion." She took a spoonful of soup and took a bite. "I would rather take our odds." She looked at her watch.
"How much time do we have?" He asked around the mouthful of soup.
A heavy sigh from Mina, "No more than eight hours till dawn…so, we can take ten minutes to rest and refuel." She took another spoonful, swallowing water behind it.
Sitting this close to Ace made her heart start to skip. She gave him a side glance and could see how tired he was. His hair was singed from the crash, and he was covered in soot, mud, and blood. She stirred her spoon in the can and stopped eating. The entry way was as safe as safe could get, and they would soon have to leave.
"So…a killing machine, eh?" Ace chuckled taking another bite.
A grin spread across her lips, "Apparently. I guess?" She started to laugh with him, the laughter felt good, felt…normal. She let herself sigh and come back to where they are. Their reality, "Ace…"
"I'll stick around." He took another drink of water, "I don't care honestly. Making sure we get out of here is my top priority.
Besides, if this bomb is an actual thing, I don't want to be here when it happens. If we're the only survivors, the military will have no choice but to take us. And…this cleanup crew…maybe they can answer more questions for us." He thumbed to the dead body of the captain.
"How did you know?"
That made her body tingle. She didn't know. How did I know anything? How did I know that the creature back at the apartment complex was throwing up acid? That it's coating was a protective layer for it? She put the can of soup down and pushed it to Ace. He needed it more then she. Besides, she lost her apatite.
"Mina?" He reached over and placed his hand on hers, running his thumb over the top of her hand, the simple touch helped ground her more then he would ever know. She took a deep breath in and let it out. "You can talk to me."
She looked at him through her peripheral, "What is there to say? I could be a monster, a creature…and I would've never known about it. Am I even human?" She could feel the uncertainty creep up her body, "…Am I even worth saving?"
"Of course, you are." He squeezed her hand, and she gave him her full attention. "I told you before, you saved me. You and Lyle both. Knowing that there are other people out there makes me want to try that much harder." He gave her a goofy grin. "Besides…what kind of world would it be without me? Ace?"
She let out another light laugh, "You're stupid."
"Made you laugh though, right?" He gave her a wink.
There was a light blush creeping up the back of her neck, she pulled her hand away and pushed her hair back from her face. "You know, you're something else. The world could be ending and you're still trying to be sweet."
He gave her a slow blink, not looking away from her. "Is it working?"
"Oh, shut up." She gave him a soft smack against his arm, "Besides…what music do you like to listen too?"
Ace took another spoonful of soup, "I like jazz and rock. Especially when I'm filling out reports, I would be sipping a glass of red wine listening to Peter White."
She gave him a side glance, "I took you more of a metal head." Mina teased.
He still had a smile on his lips, his entire body relaxed. When he looked at her, she could feel her body tingle and her own smile reach her lips. He handed the can to her, and she took it before he sat next to her. "What about you pretty lady? What music do you like? Here you need to eat too."
"I lost my appetite." She replied, pushing the can away from her. She gave some thought to his question, "I honestly like a little bit of everything. It all depends on my mood."
Ace gave her a serious look, "So when you were breaking and entering, did you listen to 'Mission Impossible?" Again, Mina broke into a small giggle fit, Ace never let his eyes off her. "It's nice to hear you laugh…it's like music to my ears…sweet, but low and gentle." The blue in his eyes shone in the light, making Mina fall deep into them.
Now wasn't the time to get close, this was hell on earth.
But the small bit of peace she was feeling with him—
Ace was leaning in his eyes closing, Mina leaned in with him she could feel his breath against her lips. She took the kiss, her hand reaching up and touched his cheek where she could feel a few days growth. Ace broke the kiss before clearing his throat. "S…sorry."
Mina jumped off the desk and started to stretch her stiffening muscles. "It's alright…I don't mind. Besides, you're not a bad kisser."
He chuckled, "That's good to know."
She walked around the desk, pausing. Her cheeks were still burning, but she had to focus on what was around her. Underneath the computer terminal was a scrap of paper. She pushed the employee only sign away and walked through. Ace was still eating as he watched her.
She pulled the chair away and knelt. She took hold of the paper and saw it was another rough sketch. Her sister, a boy, and their father. The sketch of her sister was starting to look really distorted, shaky, and unnatural while the sketch of the boy and their father stayed the same.
Her mouth went dry, and she stood upright. Giving Ace a cold look. "She left this for me." She showed it to him. "It looks like she's losing her mind…or losing control over what she looks like." The paper was starting to shake as she held it out to him.
Ace took it and gave it a single glance. "But she sees Lyle and your father as normal. Why?"
"I don't know." She shook her head, confused. "Why is he still dragging them around?"
"Maybe he's not done testing on her?"
She felt her stomach drop, deep inside she had a feeling he was right.
Chapter Five
She saw Ace pack the rest of the stuff up. She sat down on the chair and looked at the computer terminal. Mina turned to it and started to shake the mouse. It came up with a screen showing it was locked.
Reaching into her back pocket she produced her mother’s I.D. She typed in the employee ID, and the password—which was stupidly written underneath it—and watched as the screen came to life. Words were running across the screen in rapid motion, almost making her feel ill to her stomach.
◆◆◆
Doctor Alfred Locklear
Last log in: 10/18/2023
Time: 10:04 P.M
Dear, if you get this message, please come to the secure facility below B6. There is no more time for Nadine, the last treatment failed. She's not going to succeed like project T. The whole thing is a failure.
I've tried using the failsafe word on T, and she doesn't react to it. She just stares at me, dumbfounded. She has everything needed to be the perfect weapon that the company needs.
Regenerative ability, strength beyond normal comprehension, the ability to learn faster than normal humans. Her very immune system is enough to ward off all known illness, cancers, and bacterium.
Why isn't the failsafe word working?
If it did, things wouldn't have gotten as out of control as it has. She would've cleaned up this mess before it even started. You should've told her about this…instead of coddling her.
I'm sorry.
I'm taking Nadine to the bunker to ready for departure. The cleanup crew will be here in three hours from now. If they fail, the whole city will be wiped clean, by Clover.
I hope to at least hear from you soon.
With love.
Alfred.
◆◆◆
Her heart ached, as she read the message again. She scrolled up to reach the message her mother sent the day before she was killed.
◆◆◆
Last long in: 10/17/2023
Time: 9:48 P.M
Alfred, the effects of serum N didn't work. It's a failure. The whole city of Crusa is a loss. We have no time. The anti-viral agent didn't work. It just made things worse. There are already cases of the illness running rampant in the city. Even the ones we vaccinated are growing ill. I sent my notes to the higher ups, and they're not responding.
The only thing they were telling me, is that we need to hold on. Help will be here soon. But we have to leave T, and N here. They would take care of them personally.
Alfred…we can't do that to the girls, can we? We're all they know. T…T is still…her. She doesn't understand anything. She won't listen to me either. She just ignores me. I even tried using the failsafe and it didn't work.
The higher ups know about that as well.
They're deeming T a failure and must be disposed of unless she proves her worth. But I can't do that. I can't just kill our own daughter. I'm sorry Alfred but I have to get N and T out of here before the cleanup crew comes.
I hope you understand.
◆◆◆
She leaned back in the chair, and felt the tears tumble down her face. There wasn't much to it. Everything was laid out in front of her like a Christmas present unwrapped and ready to be played with. But still she couldn't see why her brain wasn't comprehending what it was saying.
Mina flipped through older messages, things she couldn't quite understand. Chemical formulas, more messages about how she was a failure unless she came to term wi
th herself and her abilities…and how Nadine was a failure as well. Finally, she reached the page she was looking for.
It had a blueprint of the whole police station, and the basement levels.
"Are you alright? Did you find what you were looking for?" Ace was standing behind her, his voice calming the panic settling deep inside her. "…Why are you crying?"
She turned the chair around and faced him as she hit the print button. The printer started to spit out the paper they both needed for easier movements. "Well…" She wiped at her face, "I'm a failure…and your captain wasn't completely wrong."
Ace leaned against the desk waiting. "Continue."
"They're sending in a clean-up crew before the whole city blows…and if Nadine and I are left standing…they will have to take us out. Unless…unless I somehow come to be 'activated' is the best word for it." She leaned forward running her hands through her still wet hair, the stress crashing down on her harder than before. "We are going to be killed."
Ace reached out, and softly ran his hand through her hair. "No, you're not."
She looked up at him and saw the seriousness in his eyes, "What do you mean?"
"They're going to have to kill me before I let you two die. Lyle included. If it's what I think they're going to be doing, innocent or not they won’t allow anyone to survive this. I made a promise to you, didn't I?" He gave her a small smile.
Her bottom lip and chin trembled, "Yes you did, you're the only person in this world who ever kept a promise to me…" Her vision blurred as fresh tears tumbled down her cheeks. "No one has ever given a damn about me, not even the people I thought were my parents."
Ace rubbed his thumb against her cheek, wiping the falling tears. "And I will always give a damn about you. You're a strong woman Myrna, and I know we can get out of here together." He leaned down placing a kiss on her forehead. "Come on sweet pea, keep your chin up."
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