by Lim, Candice
Peyton turned to the ATP. “Trace the phone. It should lead us somewhere interesting.”
The ATP left through the door.
Vaxine darted a warning look at Axon. “We have to get to Mandy first.” She grabbed Axon by the arm. “If that’s Mandy, she will find Roxy and more lives will be sacrificed!”
Vaxine turned away when Axon held her back. “Wait!”
Another man joined in the conference room. A fresh face. “Who’s that?” Vaxine frowned.
Axon shrugged. “No idea.”
“Here comes the new guy.” Cash smirked at the newcomer. “Welcome to the team, Dr. Dismon.”
Axon and Vaxine traded confused looks. Vaxine shook her head and urged Axon. “Let’s just go.”
They crawled along the tight space until they found another vent. Peeking through the grills, they looked into an empty armory. An exchange of knowing looks later, Vaxine removed the bolts with the multitool and stomped on the vent that clattered on the floor.
She dropped on the floor in a crouched position and checked her surroundings before giving the heads up to Axon. She sidestepped and dusted her clothes as Axon followed suit.
Her eyes swiveled around the armory, looking for something that might come in handy. She browsed through the arms and picked up a Zapper Special Forces, a military-grade, higher caliber version of a Zapper. She almost dropped the camo-print rifle that doubled in weight and size than the standard. “Blot my gel! That’s heavy.”
“I believe these are the ones exclusive to the ATP. They can shoot a greater range.” Axon scooped up another when the alarm wailed. The flashing lights painted their faces red.
Vaxine rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. “Not again.” Her grip tightened on the rifle. She glanced around, her brain racing for an idea when her eyes fell on the lockers. She burst open them until she found some ATP armored suits.
Axon lifted his Zapper ready to shoot at anyone who came through the door when Vaxine waved frantically at him. “Hurry and put these on! We won’t be able to hold them all back!” She thrust the bulky exoskeletal suit into Axon’s palms and slipped into one.
Axon followed suit.
Vaxine’s face already soaked with cold sweat before they put on their visors and face masks. Grasping their newfound weapons, the two threw the bandolier over their shoulders, traded an assuring nod, and burst through the door. Vaxine’s heart reeled to her throat when they walked straight into the pair of ATP.
They glanced at Axon and Vaxine up and down. “What’s going on in there?”
Axon sprang into action. He swung the butt of the Zapper into the left ATP in the guts. He let out an agonized snarl and bent over clutching his stomach. With an anguished snarl, Axon’s gloved fingers rolled into a ball before it connected to the ATP’s face with a dull thud. His enemy keeled over and collapsed dead on the ground.
This set off the momentum. The adrenaline trickling and the resentment raging in Vaxine’s system reached the fever pitch. The other ATP groped for his weapon but Vaxine reacted faster. She kicked him in the kneecap, knocking him out of balance. His knee bent. Vaxine grabbed hold of his shoulders and kneed him in the head. She swung her Zapper around and rammed it in her opponent’s face, knocking him out.
Axon and Vaxine traded another look as the advancing footsteps crescendoed in their direction.
“We gotta go now!” Axon grabbed Vaxine by the wrist and pulled her down the other direction of the hallway. The boots squeaked against the polished marble floor.
“This way!” Vaxine busted through the emergency staircase door and the two bolted upstairs. Their urgent footsteps echoed through the hollow air. She racked her brain to figure out where were they on the blueprint of the Council she’d memorized.
“Wait up!” Axon raised his hands. “My brain might not be fully functional right now but aren’t we supposed to be going downstairs?”
“Yeah.” Vaxine held onto the wall and caught her breath. The Zapper weighed her down. “Since we’re here, I’d like to check something out.”
“What?” Axon scrunched his face. “They’re gonna get us.”
Vaxine shrugged. “And what are they gonna do? Infect us with Cranax again? You’re immune so nothing to worry about.” She turned around and hiked up the stairs.
“So what’s the plan?”
“Shut up and follow me.”
They got to the twentieth floor when Vaxine bust out of the door. She poked her head into the quiet hallway and nudged Axon. “Now don’t raise any suspicions.”
Clutching onto their Zappers, they marched down the hallway. Vaxine opened a door and slithered in.
“Hey, what you doing?” Axon muttered and turned around in the hallway. “There are cameras.”
“Then, get your ass in here now!” Vaxine said in a hushed urgency. She rummaged through the file cabinets when Axon entered the room and closed the door behind him.
He glanced at the cameras at the top corners. “You know there are cameras here too, right?”
The sweat and frustration building up in her turned her into a furnace. Gritted teeth, she shot a glare at Axon. “Well, if only you would stop blabbering and start helping me search for my damn jammer!”
Axon looked at Vaxine. A realization struck him. His face lit up with understanding and he sprang into action. His fast hands sieved through the files, combing for their confiscated gadgets. “Got it!”
Axon retrieved the clear bag of phones, Zappers, gene guns, and the Sequencer Gun he emptied on the table in the middle of the room. “How on earth did you know they’re here?”
“It says confiscation room on the blueprint I found online.”
Axon scoffed. “There’s nothing you can’t find online nowadays, huh?”
Vaxine checked her phone. The jammer was missing. Her gut feeling told her someone had messed with her stuff. When she turned on her device, all her data had been wiped out. She muttered a cuss. “They cleared our phones.”
“Well, we’d better cut the losses and leave ASAP.” Axon headed for the door.
“I can’t hack into their system without the software!”
Axon held his hand up. “Wait up! What are we talking about? What hacking? Is that the plan?”
“We need to gain access into Project Hive Mind database. It’s the only way we can figure out what’s going on here.”
“That’s not part of the plan!” His voice rising with anger.
The door burst open. Vaxine and Axon spun around in sync at the tall silhouette at the door. The blood ran cold in Vaxine’s veins as she groped for the Zapper. “That’s not part of the plan either.”
The silhouette’s face came to the light. The besuited man stood six foot five tall, towering over Axon and Vaxine with his height. Vaxine immediately recognized Cooper, Cash’s personal assistant. The evidence of long hours in the gym and over usage of steroids radiated through the tight blazer. His dark eyes passed between the two. His nostrils flared. “What are you two doing here?”
Axon clenched his fist and launched himself at the bigger guy. He jumped and punched his opponent in the face.
“Now I doubt this is a good idea,” Vaxine mumbled to herself and stood still as a ramrod as if Cooper wouldn’t notice her existence if she didn’t move.
Cooper merely turned away. When he looked up, his eyes spat fire and bore straight into Axon’s face. Gnashing teeth, his fingers curled into a fist as Cooper launched himself at Axon, taking both to the ground.
Cooper’s fist blurred in the air and planted onto the ground an inch from Axon’s face. An anguished snarl escaped his chest submitting the dull thud.
Axon bounced back. He clung his legs around Cooper’s hips and clutched onto his face, trying to snap his neck. But Cooper was headstrong. His tanned face gained a darker shade as he clasped onto Axon’s neck, squeezing him so hard his face turned blue. The smaller man spluttered and writhed underneath his opponent.
Vaxine clutched onto the Zapper and tried to aim at Cooper. “For sciencesake, can you guys not move around?”
Cooper grabbed onto Axon’s head and slammed him against the ground, knocking him out. He ripped off his mask. His face twisted in utter disgust at the face beneath it. “Oh, Axon. You’re still the same useless fool. It seems like even grad school didn’t do much for you.”
A gasp dropped Vaxine’s chest. She darted her eyes between Axon and Cooper. The fear for Axon’s life grew and gnawed in her heart, paralyzing her. She couldn't bear to lose Axon. Not after everything they’d been through.
Her fingers froze on the trigger as Cooper spun around and his eyes flashed with murder. Vaxine’s heart stopped. She staggered a few steps back until she hit the edge of the bench. When she gathered her thoughts and pointed the Zapper at Cooper, the brawny man snatched the Zapper out of her hand and flung it across the room.
The next second, Cooper grabbed hold of Vaxine and tossed her across the desk like a ragdoll. She slid off the edge and her back connected to the floor with a loud thud. Her face scrunched in a grimace as she fought the pain and pulled herself back up.
With a grunt, Cooper kicked the bench, sending it flying in Vaxine’s direction. The edge of the bench hit her on the hips and trapped her against the lockers, shooting hot pain into her stomach. An agonized snarl ripped through her clenched teeth as she pushed back.
Cooper slammed the desk back against Vaxine, knocking the breath out of her lungs. As if he was trying to snap her into halves. With her diminishing strength, Vaxine pushed back but the desk barely budged and cutting into her stomach. She let out a defeating cry. Her tired arms were giving in.
Axon stirred and groaned on the floor. His eyes sprang wide and when what he witnessed registered on his head, he sprang to his feet and scooped up the Zapper Vaxine had dropped. Replacing his mask, Axon aimed at Cooper and pulled the trigger.
The white beam scorched through the air, the recoil sent Axon staggering back and crashing against the lockers. Cooper ducked to his side, missing the blast by inches. The smell of burnt hair lingered in the room. Cooper looked up with part of his hair singed off. He swept his hand over the bald patch and snarled, breathing fire.
He let out an anguished roar and launched himself at Axon. Axon scrambled for the Zapper and tried to fire again when a disembodied voice announced, “Laser module overheating.”
Axon muttered a cuss and raised the Zapper. It flew in the direction of Cooper’s face when he clutched it and twisted it out of his hands with a growl. The Zapper clattered and slid across the room. Cooper grabbed onto Axon’s collar and slammed him against the lockers.
Vaxine shoved the desk aside and bent over clutching her stomach. She pursed her lips and suppressed the pain. She swooped for the Zapper when the footsteps crescendoed from the hallway. Her heart pinched with fear.
Cooper’s mouth quirked up into a sneer. “You’re so dead.” He grabbed Axon’s mask trying to rip it off. Axon fought back and kicked his feet in the air but his effort went futile against his bigger, stronger opponent.
Vaxine’s eyes darted between the door and Axon as her fingers clutched tightly onto her weapon. Even if she shot Cooper right now, they would be outnumbered and overpowered by the ATP.
The ATP flooded the room and pointed their Zappers at the three.
“Man down!” Vaxine pointed at Cooper. “He’s turned! He’s an Infected!”
Cooper’s eyes widened with shock. He turned around when the round of beams lambasted in his direction. He jostled with shock and collapsed on the floor with a loud thump. His eyes rolled back into his head.
Axon and Vaxine ducked into the corner, throwing their arms over their heads to shield them from the static of the blast. Once the air stilled, Vaxine hopped into action. “He’s injured! I’m taking him to the first aid room. There are more Infected roaming in the facility. Comb them out!”
The ATP traded confused looks.
“What on earth are you waiting for? Get your asses to work!” shouted Vaxine.
The armored personnel disseminated from the room.
Vaxine helped Axon up, took their belongings, and ushered him down the hallway. She looked back to make sure the ATP was gone before bolting for the staircase. Once on the ground floor, the two loosened their suits and made for the lobby.
“That was a close shave,” muttered Axon, an accusative hint in his voice. He opened the glass door for Vaxine to walk down. He glanced back at the Council as they went down the staircase.
Vaxine smirked and pulled out her phone. “Well, at least we can hail a cab now.”
19
ROXY
“Ah, finally you're back.” Mandy and Carlisa stood up in sync when Sam and I walked through the backdoor into Hershey’s lab. They sat in the corona of light from the desk light in the pantry. A gust of cold air swept over me. “We started up the generator. Not enough to power up the whole lab but at least it won’t leave us in the dark.”
The last sprinkle of daylight disappeared on the horizon. My watch read 7.15 pm when Sam and I joined them at the pantry when Carlisa passed us two bottled water that we downed. “So what have you got? All we got left is Assunta’s phone. Not much we could get out of it. All her contacts are dead.”
I put Quillon’s tablet next to Assunta’s phone on the bench. Mandy and Carlisa stared at me. “Go on. Play with it. See what else you can find.”
“What did you find at Whiteshore?” Mandy picked up the tablet.
“Quillon Riley’s brain.” Sam plopped onto the chair and popped another bottle. Mandy and Carlisa must’ve gone grocery shopping whilst waiting.
“What?” The girls cried out in sync.
“It’s in a BioTomb. My money’s on Robert but I don’t know why.” I picked up an energy bar and ripped it open. My stomach grumbled in protest. I didn’t realize I was starving until I inhaled the whole thing.
“Sick.” Mandy tilted the tablet around. “Is it still…alive? Did your grandpa tell you about his glorious scientific past?”
“It wasn’t him anymore.”
“You mean…he’s Infected?” Carlisa glanced between Sam and I.
“He got a strong one. And when I smashed the glass, something weird happened.” The chill picked up in the air. I pulled my coat closer to my chest. “We saw a Cranax distribution map with some bigger pulsing dots I suspect representing the stronger strains. When Quillon was dead, the dot in Whiteshore disappeared and swiftly another dot reappeared in the city.”
Carlisa and Mandy traded looks, then reverted to me. Carlisa cleared her throat. “You’re suggesting when the host of a stronger Cranax strain dies, the virus in someone else will take over?”
“Does that make any sense to you?”
Mandy nodded. “I suppose if the earlier hypothesis suggests they’re telekineticizing with each other.”
“That means killing Cash or Peyton isn’t an option, not that we’re planning to do it,” I said. “If we kill them, someone else will be in charge of Project Hive Mind.”
“So Project Hive Mind is supposed to be a viral revolution movement against humankind?” Carlisa gasped and shook her head. “Such an interesting time to be alive.”
“I can’t do this. I need a drink.” Mandy placed the tablet on the bench and went to the mini-fridge where she pulled out a bottle of rose. My brows crumpled with confusion as she grabbed four conical flasks and filled them up. “Don’t worry, they were being sanitized.”
“Did you guys go shopping?” I plopped next to Sam.
“Yeah, Botty said you’ve got a parcel to collect from the post office so we thought we might as well grab something from the shops while we’re there.” Mandy distributed the drinks and raised her glass. “Cheers.”
“A parcel?” I narrowed my eyes at Sam when it suddenly hit me. “Oh, the Gene Blast! I didn’t think they would come so soon! Where is it?”
“
In the lab.”
I hopped off my chair and bolted into the lab when Mandy yelled behind me, “Hey, at least we can have a cheer first!”
The double door was back in business and split open as I bolted into the lab. I inspected and ripped open the box on the first bench when Botty hopped on board. “Hey, what did you order? Have you been blowing the grant money on crap?”
I pulled out a Gene Blast and scanned the QR code on the packaging with my phone. “I can’t tell you that yet.”
I set up the app and watched a few tutorial videos with Botty. It turned to me after the last one.
“Okay, you’re planning to mass transfect a population. What are you even thinking?” Botty’s tail extended skywards as if it was gonna snap me with its metallic canines.