Lockdown Nation

by Lim, Candice

  “And how are we gonna do that when the nation is at a standstill?” said Axon. “We can’t even get to ANNUS without bumping into the ATP.”

  “Not all of the nation is out of service. Scientific and medical businesses are still open for business. I’ll send this to a friend at a sequencing company.” Tameera’s fingers blurred on the keyboard.

  “That still doesn’t solve the problem. We might turn Peyton and Ronin back but what about the rest of the Infected?” asked Sam.

  Axon slammed his fist on the bench. “We’ll have to do this the hard way. If they can control the behavior of other Infected via telekinesis, surely they can reverse the infection.” He glanced around, seeking assurance.

  “One way to find out.” Mandy shrugged.

  “Dismon!” Vaxine suddenly cried out.

  “Who?” Carlisa frowned.

  Vaxine snapped her fingers and pointed at me. “He’s the new, red pulsing dot that appeared after you terminated your grandfather. He’s the perfect target, being a low-profile scientist.” Her frown deepened but her voice lowered, trailing off. “Maybe he’s one of the controls Peyton spoke of. He was a reserve lest anything should happen to the major players of Project Hive Mind.”

  “You mean this guy?” Carlisa had already got on the SocialSense on her phone and pulled out his profile. She showed it to Vaxine.

  “Yes! That’s him.”

  Carlisa rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “He’s not that low-profile. He’s a senior chemist working at MAD.”

  “What?” Axon and Vaxine cried out in sync and traded a confused look. “The last time we checked, he worked for a wastewater plant.”

  Carlisa shrugged and showed them his profile. “He just updated his work details. Here’s a photo of him at the bar with his old colleagues for his last day.”

  Axon muttered a cuss. “That throws a wrench into our plan. After the last breach, MAD has tightened their security system.”

  “What breach?” Tameera asked.

  Axon and Vaxine traded wary looks and shrugged.

  “So we’re back to square one. Nothing we can do now,” sighed Carlisa.

  “We’re too exhausted from everything that happened.” Tameera shut down her tablet. “Let’s call it a day and we’ll brainstorm again tomorrow.”

  Axon pulled away from the bench. “I’m starving. I’m gonna freshen up and order some pizza if anyone’s interested—”

  Sam snapped his fingers and pointed at Axon. His face lit up. “That’s right! Pizza!”

  Axon winked and gave him two finger guns. “You like pizza, bro?”

  Sam shook his head, frustrated. “Look, with the whole nation going into lockdown, that means, no eating out or grabbing lunch. But the staff at MAD still needs to eat, right? The only way to do that is by food delivery services. You guys see where I’m going?”

  The group exchanged intrigued looks.

  Tameera’s stomach growled. She pursed her lips sheepishly. “That’s an excellent idea. But let’s have pizza and call it a day now. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  Axon hopped onto the pizza website and put on the order. He turned around to the group. “While we await our dinner, let’s take turns to shower. I’ll look for something to fix up some makeshift beds for tonight. It’s not going be up to a five-star hotel standard but let’s suck it up for the night.”

  ☣☣☣☣☣☣

  My mind drifted back to Quillon as I cleaned and plugged the InviSpecs and Zappers Vaxine had got for us at the charging station at the rear end of the garage. The wall I was facing didn’t offer the same view as Hershey’s facility so all I could do was let the mind run.

  The mental pictures of grandpa writing his journal entries at Vector Research Base flounced in my head. His disappointment for me seeped into my heart, forming tears in my eyes.

  “Hey, Roxy!” I blinked rapidly and feigned a smile as I turned around.

  Tameera joined my side and slid her Zapper to me.

  My eyes moved from the Zapper to her face. “The power points are full now but I’ll charge it for you once one of them is fully charged.”

  Tameera laughed. “No, I mean, take it.”

  I frowned. “What?”

  A sigh escaped her throat. “I’m against the use of Zappers. Community or not, I don’t think a group of people should have the privilege of violence without consequences.”

  My eyes glued to her face while my thoughts went to Hershey. Hershey was against Zappers too. She was against many things she ended up doing. The biggest irony was, Cranax, the artificial virus of her creation had made her do it.

  “It was given to me by my Ph.D. mentor when I graduated as a congratulation and it’s been gathering dust at the backroom since. I came to know you had to give up yours to avoid being tracked down by the enemy. Usually, I wouldn’t do this but I believe you will use it for the greater good.”

  She clapped me on the back and turned to walk away. My eyes followed her retreating back and fell on the Zapper she left on the bench.

  28

  ROXY

  Sam Maximoff’s eyes passed between his phone and Vaxine’s computer that’s balanced on his lap. It had been the time Sam and the others looked freshest and well-rested after a long time.

  Mandy Berger, Axon Zack, and I clad in black polo shirts and jeans sat in his car parked at the back alley of the pizza shop. The perfect spot close enough to intercept their delivery signal and protected enough to slip under the ATP’s radar. It was the only operating pizza shop closest to the MAD headquarter in the city, where Dismon worked.

  “Jeez, their business is booming since the Lockdown Nation.” Axon in the passenger seat glanced at the laptop where the strings of code population on the black screen.

  Sam had run some crawlers to crunch through the incoming requests from the pizza shop’s server that would ding at any suspicious hits.

  “How is it going on your side?” Vaxine’s voice blared through the car speakers.

  “Still nothing yet. What about on your side?” Axon replied.

  “We’ll shoot the blueprint of MAD headquarter your way. After some digging, we found out Dismon’s stationed to work at their latest production lab that’s unfortunately on the same floor as Cash’s office. Staff lunches at noon but Dismon usually takes his lunch at his office next door so you know what to do. The blueprint will lead you to the target.”

  “Copy that.”

  Axon’s phone beeped. He opened the 3D blueprint and flicked it around, whistling. “Looks like we’ve got a lot to cover.”

  “Got it!” Sam straightened up and pounced onto the laptop. He tapped a few keys and populated the order list from MAD.

  “Ugh, who put broccoli and peas on their pizza?” Axon twisted his face in disgust.

  “I managed to re-direct their order to us. We’ve got our first gig. So let’s hustle.” Sam passed the laptop over to Axon and drove around the block to stop in front of the pizza shop. “Good luck, guys.”

  Axon, Mandy, and I hopped off the car with our delivery bags. Even without the flashing neon sign screaming, ‘Best Pizza in the City’, I could tell we were in the right place by the whiff of artificial oil in the air.

  The bell chimed as Axon opened the door into the corner store the size of Hershey’s office. My stomach churned at the rancid smell. My shoes squeaked against the greasy floor as I retreated into a corner to make space for Mandy and Axon. I contemplated changing my mind about dropping out of Community. A PhD didn’t sound too bad now.

  The full-figured man glanced up behind the counter.

  “We’re here to pick up for MAD,” said Axon.

  The man merely looked at Axon. “Fifteen minutes.”

  Axon arched his brow at Mandy and I, leaning side by side against the tiled wall.

  “How’s the life after PhD for you, huh?” Mandy nudged Axon on the arm.

  Rolling his eyes, Axon took my side and
propped his head against the wall. “No one will have a future if we don’t fix this shit.”

  The man disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two stacks of a dozen of pizza. He set them on the counter and snapped his fingers at us. “Oi, MAD here.” He gestured at the pizza and plopped back behind the counter.

  We picked up the pizza and headed back out to Sam’s car.

  “All good?” Sam set the GPS. He released the handbrake and the car set off to the highway.

  I wound down the window to let some fresh air in. Wrapping my arms around the warm delivery bag on my lap, I looked out at the silhouette of the MAD headquarter. You could hardly miss the eighty-eight-story high glass-coated building while traversing the city. As the building neared, it expanded like the fear in my chest. I felt smaller and smaller, physically and mentally.

  I put on the red cap Sam got for us and straightened myself when Sam slowed down and eased into the drop-off. We were getting ready to hop off when the ATP came to the car.

  Sam wound down the window. “Hey, we’re delivering—”

  “Is this your first time?” barked the ATP. “Use the rear entrance.”

  “Wookay there.” Sam pursed his lips and drove off. Once out of the ATP’s earshot, he hit the speakerphone. “Change of plan, guys. We’re going through the back now. What surprises in store for us?”

  Vaxine’s voice came back online. “That’s not good. Need to go through security checks. Blot my gel. Looks like you need to leave the Zappers and InviSpecs behind.”

  “You heard the woman,” said Sam.

  Mandy muttered a cuss and slapped her Zapper on the seat. “I’m just getting used to this bad boy.”

  Sam pulled up in front of the tinted glass door with a sign that read ‘MAD Loading Only’. “Good luck, guys.”

  We fixed our caps and hopped out with the pizza. Axon took lead and pushed the Call button on the intercom. “Hey, food delivery’s here.”

  Half a minute later, the door clicked open. “Come through,” said a disembodied voice through the speaker.

  Axon looked at us once.

  The door opened to a sterile while hallway with nothing but a metal detector. The tinted screen on the left and the lack of security personnel made my stomach flutter. I’d choose human contact over second-guessing who were watching us behind the tinted screen.

  “Put any electronics on the bench and walk through the metal detector one by one.”

  We did as told with Axon taking the lead. He stepped into the scanner and the red holographic lines traveled up and down his height. A minute later, the lines turned green.

  “Please collect your belongings and walk through.”

  Mandy and I followed suit. After three minutes of holding my breath in, we passed through the security checks.

  Axon whipped out his phone for the blueprint. “Let’s keep going. The pizza’s getting cold.”

  We turned around the corner and got into the employee elevator where the button for the 77th floor lit up. I smiled to myself, knowing Sam would’ve infiltrated into the security system and watching us through the CCTV around the facility.

  The door closed and the elevator soared skywards.

  “Hey.” Axon snapped me out of my reverie. “I’m sorry about your family. I would’ve done the same if I were in your shoes.”

  I looked at him, anticipating the storm of emotions that failed to come out. No anger or sadness, only the void of numbness that echoed in my empty self. Not even a word formed on my lips. I shook my head and the ping of the elevator hauled me back from the mental vacuum.

  The sudden sign of life that was the lab staff bustling through the sterile hallway threw me off. I staggered back at the shock and bumped onto Mandy. “Settle down.”

  “Sorry.” I fixed my cap and followed Axon down the hallway to the door read ‘Pantry’.

  Axon knocked at the door. “Food delivery here.”

  “Come in!” The balding man at the table merely glanced at us. His eyes stilled on the tablet as he gestured at the other end. “Just put them there.”

  We removed the pizza from the bags and placed them on the corner of the table when I spotted the man’s ID card next to his phone. I nudged Axon on his arm and jutted my chin at it.

  Axon got the cue and cleared his throat. “Excuse me, sir?”

  A hint of disapproval on the man’s face. “Dr.”

  Axon pursed his lips. “Excuse me, Dr. Due to the change in company policy, we now require you to check your order upon delivery.”

  The look of annoyance deepened. “What? Since when?”

  “It will take only a few seconds of your precious time to check it, Dr. The sooner we get this done, the sooner you could go back to saving the world.” I whipped out my phone for the fake invoice Sam generated.

  With a grunt, the Dr. dragged himself off the seat and trudged to the other end of the table. I showed him the fake invoice. “There’s a total of a dozen boxes of pizza here.”

  Axon slid the ID into his pocket as the older man bent over and peered at the tower of pizza. “Yeah, looks about right.”

  “Thank you, Dr. Enjoy your meal.”

  The man returned to his table with another grunt as we left the room and turned the corner.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I got a message from Sam.

  I deactivated the CCTV but it won’t be for long until someone finds out. There might be something that comes in handy in the changing room. The blueprint has been updated to lead your way.

  “Check your blueprint.” I nudged Axon, who pulled out his phone. A new pin had appeared on it. “Sam reckons there’s something in the changing room we could use.”

  We followed the instructions on the blueprint until we found another door with an ID scanner. Axon tapped the ID he’d retrieved and the door clicked open. I glanced back in the hallway once and we slipped through the opening into the dark room.

  Mandy groped for the switch on the wall and turned on the light. The musty smell had come from the rack of lab coats at the side of the room. She pulled at a couple of locked doors before picking at them. The first one opened to a couple of facial masks, a pipette, and a box of tips. Mandy rummaged through it with a huff and went for another one.

  Axon and I searched through the lab coats for something useful to no avail.

  “This isn’t looking good. We should get outta here before we raise any suspicions.” Axon sighed when Mandy managed to open the fifth locker and found a pack of condoms.

  Mandy scrunched her face and slammed the door. “Ugh, you’re right. Let’s go.” She returned to the first locker and shoved the pipette into her back pocket.

  Axon and I shot her a strange look. “What’s that gonna do?” I said.

  Mandy shrugged. “Makes me feel like I’m armed.”

  “Right.” Axon pulled out his phone. A new pin was updated on the blueprint.

  We slipped out of the changing room. “We have to go this—"

  A familiar sharp voice pierced the silence. A chill ran down my spine as my nightmare came true. Mandy and Axon muttered a synchronized cuss.

  “How could they forget to put the extra cheese I specifically asked for? I’m going to take back the damn tips!” Cash’s voice boomed from the direction of the pantry.

  “Dr. Cash, it’s a pandemic. Cut them some slack.”

  “They should’ve better work ethics if they want to keep their jobs.” The clicking of heels crescendoed in our direction.

  I gestured at Axon to make a move but Cash was quicker. She turned around the corner and stopped in front of us. “There you are…well, well, who do we have here?” Her brow arched in a flitting surprised look. The corner of her lips quirked into a smirk as she folded her arms.

  The man from the pantry shadowed her with a confused look on his face.

  “It’s great to see you guys realizing your vocation.” Cash’s eyes passed between us before settli
ng on me. “Oh, especially you, Roxy. I knew from the start you wouldn’t amount to much anyway.”

  The wave of futile anger coursed through me. I groped my back pocket but could only clench my fist. The lack of Zappers made me madder. My glare affixed on her face as she came closer until the familiar perfume on the collar of her beige long coat whiffed into my nose.

  Cash clicked her tongue and made a pitiful face. “Well, Roxy. If you didn’t have such a big ego and stopped when I warned you to, I would’ve taken you in through the forgiveness program. Probably not much use for Project Hive Mind but we could always use a dishwasher.”