The Beginning

by Alice I Lunsford

  41 minutes later

  Destiny Williams

  I was still patting myself on the back at my record-breaking packing skills as I pulled up to the gate. Everything bagged and in the car, kids buckled up, and speeding down the road within 15 minutes of my call with Andrea. I was 99% sure I had everything we’d need, and I’d even grabbed all the kids medicine and vitamins in the house, several bags full of canned goods and a cooler full of perishables from the kitchen. Yeah, I rock.

  There were two cars ahead of me as I came to a stop, so I looked around and tried to relax while I waited. The sign to the right of the gate was dull in the early morning light. Peyton Industries wasn't 'popping' yet, but the metal would probably be blinding when the sun was fully up and glinting off its surface. The landscape was pretty barren outside the wall, but that was typical for Southern Cali. Brown's the norm! I was surprised at the height of the wall. It had to be at least two stories high, which seemed excessive to me for a research lab.

  There was still no movement in front of me, so I glanced around at the kids in the back of my sisters Honda mini-van and smiled fondly. All three were out again and had been for the last 15 minutes of the drive, which was a blessing since Chris had been angry from the moment I woke him up. My little man definitely enjoyed his sleep.

  I heard the faint sound of engines revving and looked back at the gate. The car in front was pulling through. Just one more and it was our turn. I was already growing impatient and I had only been waiting a few minutes, but I knew once I got through those gates I’d finally find out what was going on. Andrea had been texting me for updates every couple of minutes but was still tight-lipped on why we needed to come in.

  It only took a few minutes for me to reach the gates, but by then I was having a hard time keeping my patience and temper in check, which means I was probably over the top a bit when I shoved my license out the window at the guard as I was coming to a stop. He looked at me in shock for a moment and I tried my best apologetic smile, which seemed to appease him.

  “Thanks, ma’am. I’ll just check the list and be right back with you.” He said before turning and walking into the small building that sat just inside the wall.

  Now that I was at the front, I saw that the wall had a reinforced gate that was retracted into it and the wall was significantly thicker than one would expect. Definitely not looking like the wall for a research facility. My curiosity was piqued as I took it all in. The gate was definitely powered, and I could see the glint of steel reinforcement on the thick concrete. They had to have several motors worth of horsepower to pull that sucker open and closed. I couldn’t help but wonder how fast it moved.

  I was still analyzing the gate when the guard came back and handed me my license.

  “All set, Miss Williams. I’ll open the arm and then you’ll need to head straight in and take a left at the first intersection. You’ll see some cones and more guards will direct you on where to park. They’ll let you know where to go from there. Do you have any questions?” He asked as he pushed a button to toggle the gate arm open.

  “Nope, I’m good. Thanks!” I smiled in relief. I’d have answers soon!

  I had only just shifted the mini-van out of park when suddenly an alarm started blaring. I gripped the steering wheel and looked around nervously. I didn't see anything amiss.

  “Shit, ma’am move your vehicle NOW!” The guards panicked filled voice brought my gaze to him and my eyes widened in horror.

  The large door was sliding shut, heading right towards us. My first thought was that it was moving a lot faster than I had expected it to with how large it was, but that thought was swallowed up and forgotten by a growing panic. Instinct took over and I slammed down on the gas, causing the mini-van’s wheels to squeal loudly as we jerked forward. As soon as I knew we were clear I hit the breaks, put it in park, and jumped out to look behind us.

  The gate closed with a boom that echoed with a grim finality as the guard slid to a stop in front of me.

  “It’s good you moved when you did, ma’am. That door has enough weight and power behind it to pancake a solid steel beam and it just missed your bumper by inches! Are you guys okay?”

  I glanced in the back of the mini-van and was amazed to find the kids were still sleeping, even with the high-pitched alarm and the jerky acceleration and stop we just had none of them had stirred.

  “Yeah, looks like it. What’s going on?”

  “Can’t really say, ma’am. I know as much as you do about the alarm.”

  “Was anyone still outside when it closed?” I asked as I peered around him at the gate.

  “Yes, there were two vehicles pulling up when you came in.”

  “Oh…will you open the gate for them?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know why the alarms going off, though. I’ll radio in. Only Mr. Peyton can authorize the gate to open now. Why don’t you head in and follow the cones? They probably have more info inside than I do here right now.”

  I nodded slowly and with one last glance at the gate I climbed back in the mini-van and started off down the drive. So far, this was definitely turning into a shitty morning, but I did find some relief in the fact that we’d made it in before the gate closed.

  ~~*~~

  Peyton Industries; Site 1; Ortega Mountains

  Alex Peyton

  My left hand still rested on the alarm as I glanced back at the corpse in the chair behind me. We could definitely rule out Blackburn as a suspect. I wouldn't know for sure until a medic confirmed, but I was pretty confident he'd been dead since well before the breach in 7B happened.

  I turned back to the room to study it while gripping my gun in my right hand. Luckily there was a sanitation station located right outside Blackburn's office, so it was easy to acquire some gloves. I may not be trained in crime scene investigations, but I had enough sense to not dirty up the area with my own prints and had slipped on a pair before setting off the alarm. The guard detail was out in the hall, so I got to work checking the room for anything out of the ordinary while they radioed in the incident.

  I studied Blackburn's body. He was tied tightly to the chair, and it looked like the bindings on his wrists had been cutting off circulation to his hands before he died. His face was a mass of dark bruises and welts, several of his fingers had been broken, and blood covered his body and pooled on the ground around him. He’d been tortured, possibly for several hours, before he died. I couldn’t really get more than that from the corpse, but it was enough to fill me with dread.

  Nothing seemed to be disturbed except for the area around Blackburn, and that was mostly the ‘mess’ from his own body. That means they wanted something he knew, not something he possessed. After everything that had happened, I could easily guess it was his codes. I had suspected as much when we first discovered his body. I could only conclude that whoever did this had gotten the codes and used them to shut down the grid, letting 7B out.

  Crazy fucker.

  I heard a noise behind me near the door and turned, only barely stopping myself from pointing my gun at the person entering. Or rather people, as several people in scrubs pushing a stretcher and carrying bags that appeared to contain medical equipment came traipsing in.

  “Mr. Peyton, sir. I hope you’ll understand, but we need you to leave the room, so we can examine it and retrieve the body.” An older man that I vaguely remember hiring spoke as he stepped into the room.

  His weathered face had an apologetic expression, but his tone did not allow for argument. My guess was he only feigned ‘sorry’ since he was talking to ‘the boss’. I decided not to argue and nodded as I walked back into the hall. I had to check the rest of containment and check on the crew that was diagnosing 7B’s ‘room’. We needed to make sure it was secure again before the helicopter arrived with him, which would be any minute.

  I sighed as I headed towards 7B’s room with the guard detail trailing behind me. Might as well start there.

  One of the crew was kneeling by th
e door with a device in their lap and wires running up to the panel to the right of the door. They were all wearing hazard suits, so it was hard to tell if I was looking at a man or a woman, but I guessed by size that it was probably a man. Five more were sweeping the room.

  I stopped behind the ‘man’ and cleared my throat to gain their attention. When they looked up at me, I was surprised to see feminine features and curly bangs covering their forehead. Oops, woman it is then.

  “Mr. Peyton!” She said as she stood quickly and tried to smooth down her hazard suit. Her awkward fidgeting would have been amusing any other time, but today I found it tiresome. I notice an ID badge clipped to her suit while she stares at me like a deer in headlights.

  “What’s the status, Anna?” I ask after a few moments of her staring.

  “Oh, yes…sorry. The room’s been cleared, they are just doing a final sterilization sweep. Diagnostics on the door locks and system security are complete. The thing is…sir…I found something on the interior feeds, but all surveillance outside the room was down until about 15 minutes ago when I brought it all back online.”

  “Great…Okay, show me the interior feed.” I say, my voice strained from resisting the urge to start cussing like a sailor. It’s hard, but I manage it somehow.

  “It would probably be best to review it on a computer. The screen I have is rather small, like old Nokia brick phone kind of small.” She replies with an embarrassed half-smile.

  “Fine, when the diagnostic run is complete meet me in my office. I’m going to check the floor again before I head back up.”

  Anna nods enthusiastically and I turn away to do a final check before clearing the floor. Sometimes I really hated owning a billion-dollar company, and I was reminded of it every time someone acted like Anna around me.

  ~~*~~

  Peyton Industries, Site 1: Ortega Mountains

  82 minutes later

  Destiny Williams

  I was over the BS waiting. ‘We’ll be with you soon’ my ass. I had been waiting with the kids for over an hour outside their ‘clearance room’, and I was on the verge of snapping. Obviously, no one here had to sit in a room of strangers and strange equipment with a toddler and two six-year-olds. If they had I would think they’d have some sympathy and speed shit up already, but no. Still here, still chasing and yelling at kids. Still waiting in a line that doesn’t seem to be moving. UGH!

  I was going to kill my sister when I saw her. Or just maim her. I hadn’t decided yet, but I was definitely enjoying daydreaming about it. I heard an angry screech that nearly bursts my ear drum, and I look to my right. Sammy was antagonizing Ally again, and I sigh as I pull Ally’s bear out of Sammy’s grasp and hand it back to her.

  “Sammy, you know you shouldn’t do that. Why don’t you watch a show or play a game on your tablet like Chris?” I gesture at my boy who is quietly playing on his Samsung Galaxy tablet. The last hour or so has given me a deeper understanding why Andrea stopped taking the kids to the store with her a little over a year ago. She only said that things were ‘hectic’ when I asked, but that word didn’t even come close to describing Sammy’s antics here.

  “I’m boooored.” Sammy whines in reply before kicking at the wall we’ve been lined up next to.

  “I know, sweetie, but we’ll be done here soon.”

  “You said that already!” Sammy’s whine escalates up another octave and I flinch.

  Please, God, let this be over soon! Not being overly religious I realize how desperate I am getting and sigh. If we stay here much longer I know I’ll snap at the kids, and that would be shameful of me.

  I hear what sounds like a commotion near the head of the line. I lean to get a better look but all I see are the people ahead of us shuffling around, and now the only sound I hear is the slowly building roar of people yelling, their voices mingling together making it impossible to understand what anyone might be saying.

  We start to get jostled from both sides as people add pushing to the shouting match, so I start pulling the kids closer to me, Sammy clutching at my leg tightly. I look down and his impatient look has been replaced by fear. I can see his lips moving, but the din is so loud I have no idea what he’s saying. I realize suddenly Chris isn’t there and panic seizes my chest.

  Oh God, oh God. Where is he?

  “Chris!” I scream, looking around and trying to peer through the bodies, but my voice doesn’t even dent the angry volume of those around me.

  My eyes are still darting around the room when I hear a loud whistle blast in the room followed by a deep commanding voice.

  “Quiet!” A man’s voice echoes in the room and everyone falls silent. “You want to move along, then be quiet. I’m trying to find Destiny Williams. Until I do, not a damn one of you is going anywhere.”

  “Why the fuck should we listen to you!?” Someone yells from the back of the line.

  “Because it’s my company and my building, so I don’t have to let a single one of you in here. And with how you are all acting like children, maybe I won't!”

  I still can’t find Chris, and it only barely registers that my name was said or that Sammy is tugging on my hand to get my attention. I try logic to calm myself down, but it doesn’t work. I know the room is locked down, so he has to be in here somewhere, but I can’t stop the panic building inside and I can only clutch Ally and Sammy to me as I look frantically around the room.

  A spark of rage flits through me when someone steps in front of me, blocking my view of the room, so I lean around them.

  “Are you Destiny Williams?” The deep voice now has a face that I’m staring blankly into as I realize he’s saying my name. I nod dumbly in reply. “Is this your boy?” He asks as he steps aside.

  “Mom!” I hear Chris’s voice coming from behind the man and I drop to my knees and pull him to my chest in relief.

  “Oh my God! Don’t do that to me again. You stay in my sight, okay?”

  “Okay, mom. Sheesh. Can you let me go now?” Chris asked awkwardly. I laugh and release him before standing back up and beaming a grateful smile at the man.

  “Thank you, I hope he wasn’t a bother.” I reply with a blush when I realize I’m staring into a gorgeous pair of shining blue eyes. His dark brown hair just brushes his forehead and when he smiles back, I swear my heart stops.

  “No problem. He showed up right before I got everyone to shut up in here, so wasn’t too long before I returned him to you. Would you happen to be Andrea’s sister?”

  “Yeah, I am. Who are you?”

  “Alex.” He replies simply, then glances down at the three kids clustered around me. “How long have you been waiting in here with kids?” He asks angrily.

  “Over an hour, at least. I’m not the only one though. When we got in here they just said to ‘form a line' and gestured over here.”

  “God dammit.” He mutters before turning. “Come on, Destiny. Let’s get you out of here. Anyone else with kids, medical conditions, or handicapped move immediately to the front of the line!” He finishes loudly, and everyone starts shuffling around to let people through to the front.

  I tug the kids along and hurry after Alex. I’m only a few moments behind him, but he’s already laying into the people working there.

  “I had clear instructions on prioritization, didn’t I?” He’s demanding as we come to a stop. “Anyone with medical conditions, handicapped, and families with CHILDREN. The list isn’t long, so it should be damn simple.”

  “I’m sorry sir, there are just so many people here and everyone’s trying to get through first.” A young man replies quickly.

  “What have you been doing in here?” He asks, the question feeling rhetorical. Alex shakes his head and looks at the man standing at the front of the line “You, how long did it take you to get to the front?”

  “Maybe 15 minutes but been standing here since then.”

  “How long?” Alex asks with a growl.

  “What?”

  “How long have you be
en at the front?”

  “Shit, an hour at least. Just before the gate shut, some blond chick booked it out of here and the line stopped. Then I think 10, maybe 15 minutes later, that alarm started blaring for a bit. So whenever that was.”

  Alex returns his heated glare to the staff who now look truly scared.

  “What. The. Fuck. Have. You. Been. Doing!?”

  “I’m sorry, sir! We didn’t know what to do, Jessica locked the station and left, and none of us have the code to unlock it.” One of the other staff replies.

  “Did you radio it in?”

  The three look awkwardly at each other before all shaking their heads no.

  “We can’t radio with the station locked, sir.”

  “And no one thought to, I don’t know, maybe WALK down to tell someone?”

  Silence follows and none of them reply.

  Alex groans and mutters something that sounds like “fucking interns” before keying something on the station.

  “There, it’s up. Start giving them clearance and letting them through. Unless I say otherwise, no one will have clearance beyond B2. Is that understood?”

  The ‘interns’ nod quickly and dash to their stations to start working.

  “Give me a badge for Destiny Williams, she’s to have clearance to B6.” Alex holds his hand out and waits impatiently. It takes only a few seconds, and I have to place my hand on a scanning pad, but my badge is quickly handed over and clipped to my shirt.

  “Let’s go, Andrea is going to explode if we don’t get her kids to her ASAP.” Alex said, some of the anger slipping away as we pass through and wait for the elevator.

  “Oh yeah, I need to have a chat with her too. She better explain what’s going on quick, or I might get stabby.” I reply seriously as the doors open and I make sure the kids are all inside before I step onto the elevator.

  Alex’s rich deep laugh echoed in the elevator and I looked up to meet his eyes, a grin breaking across my lips. I can’t help but think how damn handsome he is when he’s laughing. Even though we just met, I feel a tiny hopeful flutter as the doors to the elevator close, and we start our descent, that this won’t be the only time I get to see him.