Protocol 1337 (16 page)

“We just call this like a reality show, we are out on the island, and people get removed. You team up with me, and we work together to win.” He says.

“That’s some funny shit cracker, but you know damn good an well I’m gonna win.” Bucky replies. The lines of people continue to advance forward slowly. I can't help but feel like cattle being lead to the slaughter house. Yellow lights begin to flash and the lights go out for a few seconds. I can hear generators ramp up in the distance and soon the lights are back on. The intercom comes alive and begins a series of beeps. This is not a test. Protocol 1337 initiated. Ten minutes till quarantine.

“No man... When I was in Thunderclap, I came across an advanced artificial intelligence that referred to herself as Edith. The voice is the same, just a coincidence I think.” I say.

“You can call it what you want, but I think you done lost your mind fool.” Bucky says.

We continue our advance to the elevator, and soon we are within a few yards of the entrance. Another load of soldiers has just descended down. I look over to my left and see another round of civilians loading into the containment area. The guard does a head count and presses a number sequence on the number pad. The glass doors close, and the last few entrants scramble to get their harnesses secure. I can see at the beginning of the containment zone an officer push a red button.

Soon, the first container is filled with yellow gas and the people start to choke. They claw at their restraints to no avail. Within a matter of minutes, they are all dead and the officer marches to the next one. He presses the button, and again the room is filled with yellow gas, the occupants are dead within minutes. The next container has no idea what is happening and I am helpless to do anything about it.

I see a small child being loaded into the final containment. Knowing what is going to happen is too much for me to handle. I burst from the line and run for the child. I am tackled by guards in no time and restrained. I kick at them as they try to subdue me. As I am being held to the ground, I look up at the child unsuspecting face.

“RUN!” I scream as I struggle to escape my captors. The child looks at me with innocent eyes as she is led into the chamber. Soon the door is closed, and her fate is sealed. The rage burns inside me and I escape the guards grip. I run as fast as I can to the containment cell. I bang my hands against the glass door and attempt to open it smashing random buttons.

I get tackled by oncoming soldiers but I still manage to slam my fist into the door. “YOU'RE ALL GOING TO BURN IN HELL FOR THIS!” I scream as they drag me away. The small child has her hand against the glass door, and she is looking directly at me. Our eyes meet and I see the gas enter the room. She is combing her dolls yellow hair as I am struck with a gun stock.

The world closes in around me and darkness surrounds me. I have vague memories of what happens next but I am taken down below. The elevator descends into the bowels of the Earth as I lay unconscious.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Voices In The Dark

“Haus, you best wake up brotha. We got to move like yesterday.” Bucky's voice echoes in my aching skull. I can smell the damp musky smell of the earth. I feel my wet forehead but the liquid is too thick to be water, must be blood. My vision is pretty blurry, but I manage to pick myself up off the cold floor. I look around at the blurry blobs in front of me. I can barely make out Bucky, and the others, well, there aren’t too many.

“Where is everyone?” I ask.

“They went down that way man, the rest of us stayed behind to look after you. These boys agreed with me that we leave no man behind.” Says Bucky.

“I guess without anyone in charge, it's every man for himself down here. Well, since we don’t know where we are, might as well start walking.” There isn’t much light in the shaft to see by. A light every 30 yards or so and the walls are roughly cut from stone, very different from the finished hallways of the lab. I am guessing we are much deeper in the ground.

“What about the elevator, can we take it back up?” I ask.

“No, we already tried that. They cut the power to it once we got down here.” Bucky replies.

“OK, you said they went that way? Let's go the other way.” I say. We advance slowly down the corridor, inching our way along the dimly light walls. Had the General listened to me, none of this would have happened. Every one of us has a date with death now. The thought of punching out from this world, trapped thousands of feet below the Earth, makes my stomach churn. I suppose the General finally woke up to the uncomfortable truth that the virus has compromised the base. We are all quarantined down here to die like the rats Cox injected.

“What are they going to do with us, Haus?” Bucky asks.

“Well, they already killed off all the civilians and essentially sealed us down here. I would guess they are waiting to see if any more of us become infected. In our case, we are just expendable assets; while high ranking officials would be isolated from the general population in hopes they could avoid infection, and would ultimately be rescued.” I say.

“That makes me feel better, Haus. Next time I won't ask.” Says Bucky. We come to the end of the shaft and there is another service elevator going down. I smash my hand against the controls and it whirls to life.

“Just who in the hell made you the boss? You don’t know what you're doing down here. I’m going back to find the others and wait for my evacuation. I don’t buy your kill us all plan either. This is the dumbest idea I have ever heard. Who's coming with me?” Jackson asks.

“You coming Bucky?” I ask. Bucky stands silent as he stares at his fellow soldiers. I can tell he is very torn with his decision. “I am going to get in this elevator, and I will wait here for fifteen minutes in case you change your mind. Last man standing, we had a deal and I am not backing down.” I say.

“I am going with them, Haus...” Bucky says.

“Fifteen minutes, Bucky, that is all I am waiting. After that, the deal is done and all bets are off.” I reply.

I settle into the wire cage of the elevator as the others march off into the darkness. I feel the sense of abandonment as they leave my company. I can't blame them for leaving. I have no plan and no chance of survival. After five minutes, I find myself leaving the elevator and pacing around the halls waiting for Bucky to return so I am not alone. I find myself exploring around the worm holes in the rock walls to pass the time. I find a larger bore hole in the wall that goes back several feet and wiggle my way into it.

That’s when I hear the voices and the sound of gunfire. Bullets dance off the walls of the mine shaft and soon there is silence. I can see at the foot of my hole lights shining around searching for anyone else. They disperse as soon as they appeared, and I venture out of my hole. I walk towards the source of the commotion. I see bloody bodies littering the floor, and I search for Bucky. I find him resting against the cold rock wall.

“Bucky! Stay with me man!” I scream as I scoop his body away from the rock wall. I drag his motionless body towards the elevator shaft. It takes what seems like decades to get him into the elevator. I hit the button and we descend down to the lower reaches of the mine. Along the way, I check Bucky for a pulse and I can't find one. I close his eyelids with my fingertips and arrange his lifeless body into a burial position. This elevator has become his coffin, and this mine is now his crypt.

“In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti” I utter the words solemnly in the darkness. I exit the elevator into another mine shaft. I can see bright light on the other side of the double doors. The placard on the wall reads Astrophysics Department. I open the doors and fight to adjust my eyes to the light. The walls are finely finished in laboratory sterile white with checkered tile floors. The walls are adorned with stunning posters of distant stars, galaxies, and clouds of colorful gases.

I can hear classical music playing over the speaker system. I walk slowly through the barren halls. It is truly amazing how immaculate the rooms are kept, then again, I suppose space nerds don’t tend to make messes. The hallway opens up to a cross section, and that’s when I see the dining room. The tables have all been over turned, with chairs flung around the room. The floor is covered with dried blood, papers, and other debris.

I then catch a glimpse of movement in the corner of the room. Tables have been overturned, and arranged to form a make shift barricade. “Don’t come any closer!” A scared female voice shouts out.

There is silence for a few minutes, but eventually a frail arm pushes a hole in the fortress of furniture. “Help...Help... are you help? Help... I need some help.” Her voice quivers with each word. I begin to feel uneasy about her replies. My fears are quickly realized as she exits the pile, and I can see her eyes are covered in blood. She rushes towards me, and I leap out of the way.

Once I regain my footing, instincts take over and I notice an over turned wooden table. I grab one of the legs, tearing it free, wielding it like a club. She turns course, making a second lunge at me. This time I am ready, and the wood makes full contact with her skull. Like Babe Ruth hitting a home run, her head explodes upon contact. I start to celebrate when I am interrupted by the sound of doors slamming. The lights go black and the backup lights kick on.

I turn to run, but in the dim light I can see several others coming towards me. I bolt off into the opposite direction only to find my way again blocked by a containment door. I can hear the incoherent ramblings of my pursuers behind me. Darkness is not to my advantage anymore because they can barely see as it is. I only have one more option at my disposal and that’s to attempt to fight them off. I clench the wooden leg hard and wind up for my swing. The first hit is a success, but I am quickly attacked from another angle. The force of the initial contact sends me backwards, and slams me up against the wall.

I swing my crude club into the darkness, but each swing hits nothing but air. I keep my left hand pressed against the wall to preserve my balance. Suddenly, my hand touches something metal and I recognize it immediately as a door handle. I give the handle a quick twist, and to my surprise, the door opens behind me. I spin around and slam the door shut. I can hear my attackers pounding on the door behind me. I secure the lock and take a few steps back. I can barely see the outlines of their bodies behind the glass window in the darkness.

I run down the hallway as fast as I can. The yellow warning lights illuminate my way. I keep running trying to distance myself as much as possible from the infected. I hear a containment door behind me slam shut and I continue my sprint at full speed. I am in complete darkness now and my heart races rapidly. My escape is abruptly stopped as I slam head first into a wall. I see small white balls of light as I recover from the impact. I am alone in the darkness sitting on the floor, head pounding, and clinging desperately to my life.

“Haus... Are you there?” A voice calls out in the darkness.

“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” I yell. I instinctively look around me, and I can't see anything. I get onto my knees and crawl towards the source of the voice. Inch by inch, and foot by foot I advance in the black fog. I can feel that the floor is smooth, that at least comforts me a little. It's a finished floor and not some craggy mine shaft. I don’t hear any signs of life aside from my own.

“Haus... Give me a signal, I need to know you're still with us.” The voice calls again. This time I can see a dim light spread out into the hallway. It's about 30 feet away, and I quickly arrive at its source. I can see a slightly open door, and I move myself inside. There are multiple computer screens sitting on the desk, each one watching an area of the mine. One in particular stands out, and I focus my attention to it.

My Dlink activates and shines in its signature green glow. I look at the monitor, and see a woman with a headset on. Dlink recalibration complete. Software version is compatible. Users vitals are within range. Temporary conversion complete.