by J. G. Martin
In a fit of pique he stuck his hand on the scanner. They were all very surprised when it scanned his hand and then beeped. The screen flashed “Major Derek H. Storm U.S. Army – Access Granted” and the door unlocked with a loud metal snap of deadbolts disengaging. It opened slightly with the hiss of air escaping from a sealed environment. Both Tex and Rora looked at him with shocked faces.
“Hunh” Derek exclaimed. “Well, once upon a time I did have the highest security clearance allowed. I guess this system is self-contained and old enough that the clearance is still good…Let’s check it out.”
Chapter 20
June 11, 2029
Outside Nevada, MO Freehold
Maximillian watched the small town with minimal interest. He and his drones were parked in their armored van behind a small hill about two miles outside of town. He had engaged the active stealth capability of the van and it blended into the grassless brown landscape. The electronics suite was also actively jamming any sensors that might sweep the area. No one would be bothering them while they waited. He didn’t suffer from boredom since his ascension; he could access the entire conscious of the Collective and see anything anyone connected was seeing. So he waited patiently.
The only thing interesting about the town was that his prey had gone inside. The Major hadn’t come out yet which hopefully meant that he was either incapacitated in the prison riot Maximillian had engineered or still in Regulator custody. Hacking the Regulator systems had been relatively easy and inserting the video and arrest warrant had been child’s play. He guessed they assumed no one had the ability to access their LAN remotely. Of course Maximillian was more than just anyone, he was the First. His skills and abilities far superseded that of mundane humans.
He had watched the fights in the prison courtyard with barely contained glee. He was supposed to be above emotions, evolved beyond them. But Storm just pushed buttons he hadn’t even realized he still had. It was disappointing that Derek had defeated all of the inmates including that monster, the Yeti. That had been a bonus. Maximillian had not expected someone like that to be in there. But Derek had beaten him too, which was fairly impressive. Maximillian had pulled up the records for the Yeti and the man hadn’t been just a dumb ox.
Storm had been injured though, and it looked fairly severe based on his appearance after the fight and the injuries sustained during. Maximillian had lost control of the cameras when the Regulators had managed to reset their LAN and lock out any external access for the time being. While he waited, Maximillian watched the town through the town’s security cameras. Thank goodness for Big Brother, he thought. Storm had not exited the Station House and his vehicle was still booted in the parking lot, so he must still be in the infirmary or locked up.
After several hours it was getting dark. Maximillian was starting to get anxious. Something should have happened by now. Dr Carter’s daughter, who had gone into the Station House with a Regulator, had not exited either. Something was wrong. So he aggressively searched for any access into the Regulator network. He didn’t get into the LAN for this Station House but he was able to access their broader network. The one used by Regulators in the field. Accessing their database he searched for Derek Storm and was alarmed when the database showed he had been released. How could he have escaped Maximillian’s monitoring?
He scanned the town and found no sign of him. Then he went back through the video footage for the town and looked for anyone entering the parking lot outside of town. Maybe he had taken another vehicle or been in disguise. No one matching Storm’s size or with a woman had left town since then. Nor was there any footage of him or the girl leaving the Station House. Then Maximillian saw it, a Regulator vehicle driven by the man who had accompanied Dr Carter’s daughter into the Station House. That was the only possibility.
He accessed the surveillance satellite feeds and locked onto the truck. They had accessed the GPS system and he was able to get the coordinates. His van started with a thought and he headed out after his prey. They were hours behind, but without need for sleep or stopping for gas he should be able to catch up. Once he did, Storm and his friends would be trapped. No more incompetent intermediaries, this time he would take care of Storm himself.
Their location was in a valley with only one way in or out. Interestingly, the location triggered a file in the Collective database to be displayed. Its contents were very interesting indeed. Storm might have a very hungry welcoming committee waiting for him.
Chapter 21
June 12, 2029
Zinc, Arkansas near Harrison, Arkansas
Derek, Rora, and Tex entered the dark bunker, pushing aside cobwebs as they moved through the door. The inside was dimly lit by emergency lighting which reflected off of the pieces of paper scattered all over the floor. A large wall of blank, non-functional TVs took up one side the large open room they entered in to. The other side had multiple computer stations with large flat screen monitors and cushy chairs now covered in cobwebs. Two doors led further back into the bunker, probably housing living facilities and equipment. Along the wall on the side they had entered from were massive filing cabinets. Most of which were hanging open and files were scattered on the floor beneath them.
A large shredding machine sat in the middle of the room. Piles of paperwork and files sat in front of it. The mouth of the machine was jammed with more paper from the files. Derek went to the files and started sifting through them as Rora moved over to the computers and was amazed they still had power. Tex stood at the entrance taking it all in.
“Looks like they left in a hurry.” He offered.
“A big hurry. They tried to destroy everything but left before finishing.” Derek agreed.
“The computers look like they are wiped clean.” Rora chimed in.
“Can you get the cameras back online?” Derek asked her.
He continued to look through the files. They were very thick and very detailed, and they shared one major thing in common.
“These files are for prison inmates. It has their prison record, personal background, and their medical history. Some of it postdating their incarceration records and continuing to just after the beginning of the Collapse. I think they were the test subjects in something called Project Eris.”
Rora froze at the mention of Project Eris, but tried to cover it by continuing to tap on the computer keys. Derek noticed her reaction and went over to her. She tried to ignore him as he stood over her shoulder.
“Rora…what is Project Eris?”
“How should I know?” She asked innocently.
“You reacted when I mentioned it and your father obviously worked here. Did he tell you about it?”
Rora let out a long sigh before answering. “Yes. It was one of the reasons he left the Collective. The military wanted a weapon that could disrupt local populations and deny enemy combatants support or comfort from them. They tested biological and chemical weapons on monkeys and were able to make them combative and irrational by putting certain things in their food and water. The military wanted human subjects to test it on, but Dad never said they weren’t volunteers. He just didn’t like the idea of using those weapons on principle.”
“They must have brought the prisoners here promising them some sort of enticement to participate in a medical experiment. Probably explained the security and monitoring being there because they were convicted felons, but it was really for the researchers’ and guards’ protection. When the Collapse happened they abandoned the facility and tried to destroy any evidence of it, but the shredder jammed so they just left. They just left all the people inside to die of starvation. Pretty cold, even for the military. I wonder why this town, did they build it?”
“I can answer that.” Tex announced. “There is a map over here of the valley. Beyond the town there is a mine, probably zinc…I bet it was abandoned when the mine played out and the government moved in. It would be a good testing ground for all sorts of stuff.”
“Makes sense.” Derek a
greed. “But why not take the prisoners with them?”
“Maybe they were already contaminated and moving them would have required a lot of effort and specialized equipment. They did leave in a hurry…” Tex theorized.
Derek didn’t respond to that. It bothered him that the country he had sacrificed so much for was capable of such horrible actions. He continued to explore the bunker heading through one of the doors on the back wall. The first door led down a set of stairs to living quarters for what looked like thirty to forty people. They even had a game room with game consoles set up in front of a massive television. He went back up to check out the other door.
Behind the second door was a full medical suite with multiple operating stations and expensive medical equipment covered with plastic sheets. There were enough beds for six people to be patients at one time. This equipment was worth millions, especially in today’s world. A lot of money and manpower had been thrown at this project. Then it had been quickly abandoned. Very odd.
Derek exited the medical suite to discover that Rora had gotten some of the cameras working. Only three were still working, the other screens displaying fuzz. Two showed external views of the main street and one was back amongst the dwellings. None of them showed any signs of activity or life.
“Great job Rora, how did you get them working?” Derek asked.
“The files and databases were erased, but some of the root programming still exists. So I can access basic systems but everything else is gone.” Rora responded. She hit a few more buttons and the lights came back on in the bunker. They all blinked at the sudden light.
“What else can you control?” Derek asked coming over to stand at her side.
“Not much else. Probably nothing that helps us. But I can tell from the access log that the Emergency Lockdown was initiated on August 21, 2017.”
“That was a month after the nukes hit the East Coast.” Derek offered. “They were probably recalled to active duty and the project abandoned. The inmates were just left here to die.”
“C’mon Derek, that was a very chaotic time. We all thought the world was ending. They were just looking after their own asses. Everybody was.” Tex argued.
“Still. They could have let them out.”
“Maybe they did? I don’t see any signs of bodies anywhere.” Rora offered hopefully.
“I guess that’s possible, but we won’t know for sure until we go in there. Are you sure it’s safe?” Derek asked Rora.
“If this date is right, there are not any known biological weapons that maintain their potency this long. We shouldn’t eat or drink anything obviously and be careful touching any liquids. But other than that it should be safe.” She responded.
“Let’s go get your device. This place is freaking me out.” Tex announced.
Derek and Rora agreed and they all headed back out into the daylight. Derek pulled the door shut behind them, initiating a series of clicks as the bolts re-engaged. Before heading for the truck he smashed the scanner plate with the butt of his shotgun. The other two followed behind him sharing a look over him resealing the door. Ignoring them he checked out the grill on the front of the truck.
“Why did you smash the scanner?” Rora asked.
“Some secrets should stay buried.” He said in a serious tone.
Rora nodded thoughtfully and whispered a soft. “Thanks.”
“I think we can just ram our way through the gates and drive up to the bank. We go in, grab the device, and then get the hell out of here. Easy.” Derek informed them.
Tex glanced at the gate, nodded his agreement and got in the truck. Rora and Derek climbed in next to him. He flicked the engine to life and tapped on the accelerator causing the engine to race. Throwing the truck into gear Tex stomped on the gas. The truck lurched forward with a squeal of tires and raced forward towards the gate. They smashed through the gates with loud metal screeching, clanging, and popping noises as the padlocks snapped and the gates collapsed under the large vehicles onslaught. He skidded the truck to a halt inside the gates and they all looked back at the wreckage behind them.
They had demolished the gates completely. Fencing and metal poles lay scattered about the entrance. The padlocks had held on two of them and the gates had actually been yanked free of the posts. The third gate, the padlock had broken, and the gates hung loosely from their posts. Tex released the brakes and they rolled down the street slowly before coming to a stop in front of the bank, Zinc Federal.
Derek noticed that the buildings were in good repair, that no windows were broken, and that there was no trash anywhere. What was odd was that the windows had all been covered over on the inside with blankets or newspapers. The town was completely still, nothing moved. No birds, no animals, no insects, not even a breeze. He thought he saw a blanket move as they passed by, but it might have been his imagination. When Tex turned off the engine, they could hear that it was completely silent as well. They all got out and stood there for a minute surveying the dead town.
“Creepy, isn’t it?” Tex asked.
“It’s giving me the chills.” Rora agreed.
Derek had a bad feeling about the place, something he couldn’t put his finger on, but he kept quiet not wanting to alarm Tex and Rora further. He pulled out the phone and looked at the GPS tracker. The dot indicated the location was the bank in front of them, but the third coordinate was off.
“The device must be in a vault below the bank. Time for the box number Rora.” Derek demanded.
“You promise you will take me to NASA?” She asked quietly.
He looked her directly in the eyes and told her. “I promise. You have my word.”
She hesitated but finally told him. “327”
Derek looked over at Tex who was inspecting the underneath of the SUV for damage from the gates. He stood up and nodded indicating everything was fine.
“I’ll grab the dynamite, let’s go get paid.” Tex said excitedly.
He grabbed some dynamite and fuses from the back of the truck, threw them in a small duffel bag, and then joined Derek and Rora in front of the bank. It was an imposing three story building with large two story windows along the brick front. Green painted double wooden doors provided entry into the bank. Like every other building, the windows were covered from the inside and the doors were closed. Seeing that Rora and Tex were hesitant, Derek stepped forward and opened the door.
Chapter 22
June 12, 2029
Zinc Federal Bank Zinc, AK
The inside was pitch black. No lights remained on and there was no emergency lighting. The curtains covering the windows didn’t allow any light inside. The only light was the small patch of sunlight coming through the door. Derek pulled a road flare from his pack and struck it. It flared to life and cast a dull red glow into the murk. He stepped inside holding the flare in front of him and looked around slowly looked around. He could see the curtains covering the windows had been secured to the walls by nails or screws. Someone definitely didn’t want anyone to see inside.
A teller line made of oak and marble ran along the left side of the building. Big oak desks sat along the right side on the marble floor. At the center of the room was a large staircase with brass banisters leading down, the top of it opposite him on the other side of brass railings. A second set of double doors split the back wall. There were probably more offices back there and a staircase up the third floor. Ornate brass chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling and even the support beams were carved wood. The chairs and other furniture looked like expensively upholstered antiques, although they were a little worn. At one time this bank must have been very wealthy.
Just like everything else the building showed no signs of life. There were no corpses or skeletons, human or otherwise. The inside looked pristine except for a layer of dust and cobwebs. Computers sat untouched on desks and stacks of flyers sat undisturbed on the teller line. It was like everyone had just vanished. Maybe Rora was right and they had let the inmates go. As he mov
ed further inside, the other two followed him, the flickering red glow of the flare lighting their way.
They were almost to the top of the staircase in the center when he saw the first sign of danger. The date on the teller stations was September 9th, 2017; weeks after the project had been abandoned. So they hadn’t been evacuated or let go. Someone had been here until then. The second sign was the lack of cobwebs on the set of double doors in the back and the lack of dust in front of them. Someone had passed through there recently.
Derek started to turn back towards the entrance when the monsters exploded from behind the desks and furniture. They had apparently been hiding quietly until their prey had gotten far enough into the bank to cut them off. About a dozen of the things emerged from the shadows and blocked their exit. It was hard to see them in the minimal light provided by the flare, but Derek could make out the hairless, leathery skin and sharp pointy teeth of the monsters. They wore dirty rags that at one time were clothing and he could see the black slits of their eyes reflecting the dim light.
“DRINKERS!” He screamed in alarm.
He could tell from the undisturbed dust that the beasts hadn’t been behind the teller line. So he dragged Rora towards it drawing his pistol and firing blindly into the now swarming creatures. He was rewarded by several howls of pain as he threw Rora over the marble countertop and jumped over after her. Tex flew over seconds later to join them, his eyes wide with terror.
“I guess we know what happened to the inhabitants!” He yelled.
Derek didn’t even waste time to respond. He popped back up and started firing into the oncoming monsters. Two were already down, and three more joined them but the pack kept coming. He kept firing and Tex added the powerful punch of his .44 Magnum S&W revolver to the fusillade. Five more of the monstrous creatures were knocked down but the other two reached the line and leapt onto the countertop their clawed feet clacking on the marble. Derek yanked out his double barreled shotgun and let them have it with both barrels. At this close of a range it almost obliterated them, spraying him with blood.