High Pressure System: First Season Underground

by K. D. Kinney

  “I wouldn’t get to comfortable with that idea,” Micah said.

  “Believe me, I’m not. But it gives us more time than we have had to try and take care of things.”

  “That’s true. It does and we can’t waste any time.” Micah held the door open for us all as we left.

  27

  Rachel is not Immune

  A handful of men arrived for the meeting in Brandon’s room. The hospital staff wasn’t too happy but Brandon informed them that as long as he was there, they didn’t have any choice. He only looked slightly better than the day before. It was probably because he was able to do his job finally and not doing it was making him stir crazy.

  “We have figured out why the bots were chasing Rachel. Everyone will need to look through their clothes for chips that look like grains of rice. Especially if the bots still have access in your apartments,” Micah said. That caused everyone to start patting all over their clothes. “You can do that later. We have other things to discuss.”

  Brandon was staring at me. I backed away slightly so I wasn’t in his direct line of sight. It still made me squirm when I was in the same room with Brandon and Micah.

  “Jim says more bots entered the bunker last night. He also mentioned that the drones also picked up some of the spider bots. Rachel sealed the main entry. We still need to seal the other places where they are getting in. Then we can come up with a solution to get rid of them far more efficiently than using vacuums.” Brandon pushed his body up higher in the bed. His hair was flat in the back and wild up top. He desperately needed a haircut.

  The discussion went on for some time on how best to kill the bots in large numbers more effectively. It was over my head so I waited out in the hall. I wasn’t sure why I was feeling growing tension because of my presence there. I felt as if I did something wrong. Micah was never impatient while they brainstormed. I did notice the glares he gave Brandon when my name was brought up. When Brandon looked over at me, it made me uncomfortable. No doubt Micah was bothered over the danger I was in because of Brandon. As I sat down in the chair in the lobby, I really felt what was wrong. My stomach turned. I hadn’t eaten much at all but I needed the restroom. I was frantic looking for the right door when the nurse pointed to it.

  The nurse knocked on the door after I lost everything I had eaten in the past three days. I wasn’t sure it was ever going to stop.

  When it paused long enough so I could finally sit on the floor, I crawled over to the door and let the nurse in.

  It wasn’t just one nurse, it was two nurses and a doctor taking my vitals right there in the bathroom, making a huge fuss over me.

  “We told you to take precautions. You probably shouldn’t have come here so often.”

  “I did take precautions but all the bots decided I was their favorite. I couldn’t help that.”

  They helped me into the next room.

  I debated on whether to have them tell Micah where I was or if I should let the team deal with all the problems without me since I had been hit hard with the sickness. Actually the sickness already decided for me. No point in distracting them. It would just slow them down.

  However, once the team had left and the doctors determined I had a flu, the doctors decided to send me home. I didn’t want to leave. I had no way to tell Micah I was at my apartment without telling Jim first. Then they’d all be worrying, not doing their jobs. I couldn’t get into Micah’s apartment because it was only programmed to unlock with his thumbprint and I failed miserably at breaking into apartments the way Aaron and Marjie could.

  I hugged my chest as Nurse Becky escorted me home.

  “Why wouldn’t they let me stay?” I asked. The bots were roaming the stairway and fortunately weren’t all that interested in me or the nurse. I still felt that they might turn on us at any second and I was jumpy. “I was safer there.”

  “They just want the sickest people in the beds. You’ll probably be fine in a day or two.”

  “That’s not what I mean and I don’t have a day or two to wait.”

  “You sound like Brandon. Now that some of the others are better, it is your turn to let them take care of things.”

  We were at my front door. I really wanted my dogs and felt rather weepy about it. I just smiled at Becky, and thanked her before opening my door.

  “You know Brandon says your name in his sleep? I think he’s having nightmares though,” she said.

  “Probably. I’ve had that effect on a few people lately.” I gave her a weak half-smile.

  “That just means they care.”

  “Sure.” I tilted my head to the side. “But what if the dreams those people are having about me are the same. What if they are being told something really bad is about to happen to me?”

  “I doubt that’s the case and it isn’t likely.”

  “Maybe not. But it could be.”

  “I think it’s the flu talking. Make sure you rest, all right?”

  “Yeah, sure. I probably won’t have any choice. I’m really feeling it.”

  “Good.”

  I was wrong. Not having the dogs was not helping at all. I could hear the bots clicking in the vents and I was paranoid they would get in.

  I had no idea when I fell asleep while I was genuinely freaking out. When I woke to pounding on the door, I felt pinching on my hands and face. I sat up to find bots all over my bed. I screamed, shaking the blanket, launching the bots all over the room.

  “Rachel!” Micah beat on the door.

  I scrambled across the bed and my head was throbbing. Trying to leave the room, I crashed into the doorway and cried out in pain.

  “Rachel!”

  “Coming,” I couldn’t walk in a straight line. I didn’t have shoes on either as the bots scurried into my path. I froze once I stepped on two at once and it hurt. Bunch of little spider legs in the tender parts of my foot. “Micah!”

  “I can’t open the door. I tried to break in and I can’t. Can you make it to the door?”

  I clenched my fists and exhaled real slow. They were crawling up my legs. If I shuffled my feet, maybe I wouldn’t step on any. I made it and swung the door open.

  “What the…” He didn’t have a vacuum.

  “Get them off, get them off, get them off,” I was shaking all over. He hit them off me and stomped on a few.

  “Are you frozen in fear?”

  “No, I don’t have shoes on and they hurt my feet.”

  He searched the room for my boots.

  I batted bots off my legs and midriff until he returned.

  He helped me slip my foot in the boot.

  I could finally take care of little invaders.

  “They are all over in here.”

  “I know. They were all over the bed. Good thing you woke me up, they were poking me.”

  “Why did you come here?”

  “I was sick and once the doctor decided it was a mild flu, they made me leave.”

  “Why did you come here, though?”

  “Because you left and I can’t get in your room”

  “You could have called Jim. He could have unlocked it.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Tears welled up in my eyes. “I miss my dogs. They would have told me the bots were in here.”

  Micah pulled me under his arm and started to lead me out of the apartment.

  “Wait.” I grabbed my sweatshirt, a change of clothes, and my pajamas before we left.

  I was having a hard time seeing where I was going because my eyes were burning.

  “Man, you’re hot. You must have a fever.”

  The bots followed me down to Micah’s apartment. “Not again.”

  “They probably stuck another chip in your clothes.”

  When we were finally safe in his apartment, he helped me into the bed in his cave room. My dogs snuggled right up next to me.

  “You think I’ll get any sicker now that they had their fun with me?” My eyes burned.

  Micah handed me a washcloth. “I
hope not. You should wash where they stung you.”

  Once I was settled,I couldn’t decide if I was overheated or cold. Micah’s finger gently brushed against my face, pushing my hair to the side. “We have a plan. I think it’s a good one.”

  “You’re going to fix things without me?” I pretend pouted.

  “You might help attract them for sure.”

  “That’s one reason I’m not all that miffed.”

  “I’ll make you something that will help you feel better and help you rest. I’ll let you know how successful we are when I come back.”

  I shivered. Darn, I was cold and that meant my fever was even higher.

  “I promise I won’t be gone long. Since the doctor failed at keeping an eye on you, I’ll make sure you’re okay.”

  I nodded as I dozed off, waking only slightly when I shivered.

  Dog barking woke me up. I was disoriented and covered in sweat.

  “Gross.” I rubbed my chest and dried my hand on my shirt before I pulled the curtain aside.

  “It looks like we might need you after all.”

  “Why’s that?” I realized my hair was stuck to my face. It must have been crazy by the weird smirk Micah gave me.

  “Our plan was a success. We ran an electrical current through the ducts to fry the bots. When it is just us, they scurry all over and plenty of them escape before we get the job done. Aaron brought the chip we took out of your sweatshirt. They are pretty adaptive and it knows it isn’t attached to you anymore. So it did nothing. They suggested we find the new chips the bots tagged you with earlier and keep them close to you until we try again tomorrow. You will need to be the one to hold the blasted things while we try to nail them again.”

  “Won’t they come out of the vent after me?”

  “We have that covered. I brought you some soup. Eat and rest and we’ll see how you are in the morning.”

  “Lovely,” I said sarcastically.

  “What? You don’t want to watch us fry them all at once?”

  “Sure. What I don’t like is being the bait.”

  “There’s more to this plan that just that. Wait till you hear the rest.”

  28

  Bot Bait

  I don’t know how long I was sick. Once I was up and barely dragging myself around, we searched through my clothes looking for chips.

  “They sure did a great job this time.” Micah pulled the fifth one out of my shirt.

  “I’m still having nightmares over it.”

  Micah stopped what he was doing and stared at me long enough that I had to look away.

  “What?”

  “Part of my nightmare has come true. That stupid computer is after you. I don’t even want you to leave this room.”

  “I don’t want to leave either.” I stopped looking through my sweatpants. “You know what? I don’t want the computer to win like that. We obviously can’t sit and hide in here forever. We won’t survive long if we don’t try to stop it.”

  “That’s true. I thought it won a long time ago. That’s why I dug this place out.”

  “We don’t know what all those computers have done out there.”

  “We know what it has done to the people in the bunkers closest to ours. It said it saved us for last. I’m assuming the rest of the world is lost.” Micah stuck a piece of tape with all the chips on my wrist. “Leave it there until we’re done electrifying ducts.”

  “You make it sound so exciting.” I gave him my best effort of a smile.

  “It will be if we can kill a bunch at once. I’m actually kind of excited.”

  I rubbed the tape on my wrist.

  “Get ready. Our eradication team should be here soon.”

  “Why?”

  “To escort you to our next ‘event’.” He offered to help me up.

  I let him pull me to my feet. I was still rather unsteady. He pulled me closer and I leaned against his chest. After he hugged me, he pushed my hair out of my face. “Good to see you’re feeling better.” He started to lean closer when there was a knock on the door. Far too readily, he let me go to answer it.

  I hugged my chest as I followed, not quite as ready as he was to venture out.

  Aaron and a few other men I didn’t know so well were waiting outside.

  “Looky at what I made for you.” He held up a mud colored rubbery jacket and pants.

  I eagerly pulled them on before heading out the door.

  It was as if I had an entourage as they escorted me up the stairs. The bots scurried after us as expected. It didn’t bother me so much with my protective suit. I was hot though. The inner thighs stuck together as I stepped up each step. I pulled the pant legs tighter against my inner thighs until we got to the intended floor.

  I dealt with the sticky pant legs until we got to the middle of the hall. Micah opened the door to an apartment and closed us in before the bots followed us in.

  “So Chris is going to the end of the hall. He has the electrodes hooked up to the metal sheeting. It’s only powerful enough to run a current to the end of this floor. We don’t want to run the current too far. We don’t want dead bots falling in the furnace to clog it up or screw up the system. You are here in the middle. We’ll see how many we can nail. I can hear them collecting all ready.”

  “They aren’t coming in, are they?” I was trying to look in the vent without getting too close as I took off my glove.

  “There’s wire mesh covering the vents so don’t touch the metal. But if you can get those chips closer, it would be something to see how many bots you can attract.”

  As I lifted my arm closer, the scurrying escalated.

  Micah held a radio up to his face. “Get ready,” he said in the speaker.

  “I thought we couldn’t use those things.”

  “Usually not. In this case, while the storms aren’t hitting us, we are going to use them.”

  “Does Brandon know?”

  “What’s he going to do about it when he’s in a hospital bed?”

  I trembled a little but still held steady.

  “It’s a go,” was said in the scratchy speaker.

  A buzzing filled the ducts along with multiple zaps and pops coming out of the vent.

  “Oh wow, that’s kind of cool.” I backed up a step as sparks flew in the room.

  It stopped for a few seconds. I wasn’t sure if we were hearing live bots clicking or just dead bots settling once the current was gone.

  “Ready.” The scratchy speaker announced. “Going again.”

  Micah gently pushed me closer. “Reach a little closer.”

  “I don’t want the sparks to get me and I feel silly standing here. My arm is tired.” I shook my arm out before reaching for the vent once more.

  Micah gave me a rather silly smirk and stood behind me. His warm breath tickled the back of my neck and gave me a shiver. His hand gently wrapped around my bicep. I thought he was being all warm and fuzzy until he moved my arm even closer to the vent. I swear, I could feel the current vibrations far too close to my hand. The hairs on my hand stood on end.

  “Stop it.” I pushed against his chest to back away. He wouldn’t let me budge. I stomped on his foot.

  “Ow.” He backed off as he limped around the room.

  “Don’t make me do something that makes me that uncomfortable again.” I glared at him. There was no way I was going to do what he wanted after that.

  “I was just helping you hold your arm up.” He pouted as he rubbed his foot.

  “You wouldn’t let me back up. The current was making the hairs on my arm rise and those stupid chips were vibrating.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “I did and you wouldn’t let me move.”

  “Hey, maybe you don’t need to get so close. You just need to yell some more.”

  The noise and sparks coming from the vent were even more intense than the time before.

  “I hate those things.” I folded my arms and plopped down in a chair. “Is
this another empty apartment?”

  “Yes.” Micah wouldn’t look at me as he paced the room until his foot felt better. “Most of the apartments we’ll be in are vacant.”

  “All clear,” the scratchy voice informed us.

  Micah slid a large trash can under the vent before unscrewing the vent.

  Bots tumbled out the moment he took off the cover. I scooted my chair back but quickly realized they were all dead. That motivated me to help. I was already sweating in the rubber suit before I even started. I pulled the gloves on anyway and scooped up the ones on the floor.

  “There are so many.”

  “There was another delivery last night. Even after we sealed up the window from the lobby, and went back over the door too, they still find a way in.”

  “What can we do?”

  “This here, it’s the big plan. We need to go floor to floor to fry them all. We might have to do this daily. It seems the new bots are programmed to find you without the chips.”

  “Talk about disconcerting. I guess I’ll just walk silently through the halls from now on.”

  “That’s not the worst part. Brandon’s concerned that when they swarmed your apartment, they took your DNA back to NALA. He didn’t say what he thought would come of that except that these bots seem to find you even better than the ones before and whatever they inject you with now might be specific to what will hurt you the most.”

  “So the suit is my new best friend?” I asked as sweat dripped down my back.

  “It looks like it.” He gave me a sympathetic smirk.

  “Lovely.” I was about to take the jacket off when a few live bots tumbled out the vent. “Didn’t kill them all.”

  “We should just hurry and head to the next floor before you attract more.”

  I followed Micah out the door. The crowd of bots that came out to follow us was not so bad. Not until we were in the stairs again and heading through the door on the next floor.

  “They’re looking for the party,” Chris said.