Protocol 1337 (17 page)

“Well Haus, General Stratton called for a protocol 1337. That’s a biological breach protocol and in a few hours you're all going to be dead, the General included.” Edith explains.

“Why would Stratton order his own death?” I ask.

“Even the General wasn’t aware of the full details inside that protocol. He believes the civilians will be decontaminated and eventually sent free. The soldiers will be quarantined below ground, processed to determine infection, and after 48 hours, released to work. He also believes that high ranking officers will be safe in their bunker, and will eventually return to duty with increased rank.” Edith explains.

“The old bait and switch tactic?” I say.

“Yes. The reality is much grimmer, and knowing the whole truth, the General would never have activated it. The protocol calls for the civilians to be euthanized above ground to contain the threat. Soldiers are to be sent deep underground and selectively slaughtered as to not create any unrest. Anyone remaining would be effectively sealed by several bunker buster bombs, and a heavy barrage on the surface. A nuclear detonation on home soil is left to the discretion of acting chief executive.” Edith says.

“Got any other good news, Edith?” I say.

“It took some convincing, but I got Reese to authorize your extraction. Pending, of course, we could confirm that you are not infected. First, I had to isolate you from any others, so sorry for making it so chaotic back there. I was using the mines security cameras to track you, but I was afraid you hadn’t made it through the last one. Thankfully, you pulled through and we can move on to the next step.

I have uploaded a map of the mine shafts. You are currently here and you need to get to the number five air intake shaft. I have programmed your Dlink to act like a compass guiding you to each Nav Point. Your first course of action is Nav Point Beta. It's a service elevator that will lift you up to the next shaft. An ATV is currently enroute to your extraction point. It will be dropped off about 300 yards south of the number five air intake shaft. We will be going radio silent after this debriefing, so if you have any questions, ask them now.” Edith Says.

“Let's put it this way, Haus. I watch the cameras, and they never blink. I don’t think Eve would ever forgive me if I let her Marco Polo go down without a fighting chance.” She replies.

“You saw that? OK, this just got really awkward.” I reply.

“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t see what happened behind the wall but I got a pretty good idea. For the record... I am on team Haus. Now get your ass out of that cave and back home to Eve. Consider that an order!” Edith replies.

I leap to my feet and look down at my Dlink. Its face has turned to a green arrow guiding my direction. I run down the hall and find the service elevator. I jump inside and head upwards to the next Nav Point. There is another long hall. I sprint down the hall quickly with no regard to my surroundings. Another elevator at Nav Delta. I climb inside making my way to yet another upper level. I exit the elevator and begin my sprint down the hall. An arm extends in front of me and clothe lines me in the throat.

I fall backwards and land square on the floor. My head rings from the impact but I maintain consciousness. I look up to see the face of Trixie staring down at me. “Where's the fire, soldier?” Trixie asks.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Rat In A Cage

I lunge towards her and wrestle her to the ground. I pin her shoulders into the cold floor, but she kicks me in the groin. I roll over onto my back writhing in pain, as she climbs onto my chest. Her knees hold my shoulders in place, and she lands several hard punches to my face. I stop fighting back when I realize she has total control of the situation. She stops her assault, and stares into my eyes. “Is this capital punishment or just some twisted foreplay?” I say, spitting blood onto the floor beside me.

“You still don’t know how to treat a lady...” Trixie says sarcastically.

“I need to see the General right away.” I say.

“You and I both know that’s not gonna happen. The General is getting ready for his evacuation. Too bad your little buddy, Cox, didn’t make it. He should have been more mindful of his affairs.” Trixie says.

“Cox isn’t dead...” I reply. Trixie's face turns very pale and she rises to her feet and takes a few steps back, as if to reconsider her position. That was something she wasn’t expecting and quickly draws her gun from the holster. I scramble to my feet and raise my hands up in the air.

“You're a sneaky son of a bitch! You thought I wouldn’t suspect you if you slept with me. I am getting evacuated from this hell hole but not you. You're going to be quarantined with the others, and no one will ever know. You and this god forsaken virus will be buried for all eternity.” Replies Trixie.

Bucky was right about one thing, she is one dangerous bitch. Unstable isn’t even the word for it, and I shiver to think of what is going on in her warped brain. I slowly walk backwards with my hands in the air. If I distance myself from her by even a few feet, it greatly increases my chances for a missed shot. If I am really lucky, I could distract her enough to make a run for it. I slide my foot backwards for another pace, but I feel something hit the heel of my boot. I glance down at the floor and see a cell phone laying there.

“Trixie, what time is it?” I ask. She reaches into her pocket and searches for her cell phone. I drop down to my feet and attempt to retrieve my boot knife. The sound of her firearm echoed through the former mine shaft. “Have you lost your fragile mind?” I exclaim. I scoop up the cell phone and stand upright in front of her. I hold the phone in my right hand in plain sight of her. “I was just picking up your phone.” I open it and notice the number 6059890294 at the top of the screen.

I recognize the number immediately. She is the other party from the text messages, but why would she do it? Her true nature is showing through and I realize the kind of adversary I am up against. She isn’t a faceless screen name or digital bits of information. Unlike my usual threats, she is a living, breathing organism, and worst of all, unpredictable. “You're really lucky the screen didn’t shatter.” I say as Trixie grabs the phone from my hand.

“What on Earth is going on out here?” General Stratton walks from behind Trixie. His body may show signs of age, but his presence still commands respect. His voice carries a tone of authority that few men have possessed.

“I came to warn you sir, but Trixie tried to kill me.” I explain.

“If I had tried to kill you, trust me, you wouldn’t be breathing right now. I never miss my target.” Trixie says.

“Sir, you have to believe me, but there is more to Protocol 1337 than you know. As we speak, there is a squadron of bombers being prepped to drop bunker busters on this site. There is no intention of evacuation, even for high ranking officers. Everyone down here has already been issued death certificates; signed, and dated the second you initiated the protocol. The civilians have all been euthanized; I saw it with my own eyes.” I exclaim.

“He can't be trusted, General. He resisted arrest and was forcefully taken from his bunk. The guards had to literally drag him underground to follow protocol. He murdered Bucky and several other service men in a fit of rage. The only reason he is pretending to care now is to save his own skin.” Trixie says.

“These accusations are very serious. Do you have any way to defend your actions, Haus?” General Stratton asks.

“She is making this whole thing up. I was friends with Bucky, and I didn’t kill him. When I got underground, I tried to get the others to follow me. Jackson thought I was nuts, and the rest followed him. I was waiting for Bucky to change his mind when the shots rang out. By the time I got there, they were all dead. She is the one that ordered the attack on Dr. Cox and stole the virus.” I say.

“What do you mean stole? I ordered the protocol as a precautionary measure, based on your theory.” Says Stratton.

“Cox was able to isolate the virus and successfully clone it. He took the first few generations home and kept them frozen in liquid nitrogen. He didn’t want to report it until he fully understood its properties. I have all the evidence you need on my laptop.” I say.

“More lies, General Stratton! He attacked Cox himself, staged it to look like a robbery, and then met with the buyer outside of town. I enlisted Bucky to be my informant, and he came through. I had Bucky tail Haus from the hospital and out to the missile site. Bucky observed the black SUV pick up Haus's passenger and speed away. He then killed off Bucky to cover his tracks.” Trixie says.

“I couldn’t have attacked Cox! I was in the infirmary, and you yourself gave me the news. Check her text messages, sir. You know I am telling the truth General.” I say.

“Trixie give me your cell phone.” General Stratton says.

“I don’t have time for this shit!” Trixie yells as she aims her gun, and fires several rounds. General Stratton falls backwards onto the ground. Blood puddles on the floor next to his body. She turns facing me, and aims the gun at my head. “You're just full of useful information, aren’t you? I had no idea about the second part of the protocol but it makes sense. All this insider information you got here tells me that you have been given an escape plan. Better start walking soldier, and your taking me with you.” Trixie says.

“There’s a service elevator at the end of this shaft, and if we are going to make it in time, we have to run.” I reply. I begin my sprint with Trixie following right behind me. The gun never leaves her hand and I can tell she isn’t shy on using it. We make it to the end of the shaft and enter the elevator. I press the button and we ascend several floors to the top of the shaft.

Just as the old metal doors open up, my Dlink comes alive. “Haus, glad you made it this far. You're still almost 5000 feet below the surface, but the good news is your almost home. This shaft is over 4000 feet long, but at the end of it is the number five air intake. It's a steep grade of 33 percent, and once you clear it, you're in open air. Time is running out, so do your best to cover ground quickly.” Edith says.

The Dlink goes silent again, and we jog down the shaft towards the exit. I can hear large fans off in the distance and the breeze is picking up the closer we get. “I had my hunches about you pretty early on. You just show up out of the blue one day. You have free range access to almost anything, and you're not even in shape. So who do you work for?” Trixie asks.

“It doesn’t matter who I work for. I wouldn’t tell you anyway, but since we are asking questions, answer mine. How did you know where to find the virus?” I ask.

“The laboratory was bugged. The General must have trusted you enough not to check the back logs, but I listened to them.” Trixie explains. We arrive at the end of the shaft, and as expected, there are several large fans in front of the air intake shaft. I trace the conduit back until I find the shutoff breakers. With one quick motion of my hand, the blades wind down to a stop.

“Well, it's all up hill from here, and I guess its ladies first, right?” I motion towards the shaft and Trixie gives me an icy glare. She fires a round from her gun into the breaker box.

“Just in case you had any second thoughts about bringing me along.” Trixie says with a tone of sarcasm. Well, it wasn’t much of a plan, but at least I thought it would work. So watching her get cut up by giant fan blades is out of the question. Time for another brilliant plan and I don’t have much time to think one up. I enter into the air shaft behind Trixie. The grade of the incline is just enough that I almost struggle to maintain footing. It takes a bit of getting used to, but after a few minutes, I have the hang of it.

“Well, where do I begin? First, if he is alive, he can make more, and that really destroys the one of a kind value in it. Second, if he can create it, then he can destroy it. Third, his research was finished, and it was one more loose end to tie up.” Trixie replies.

“So, you're going to sell it to the highest bidder?” I say.

“MEN! You're all alike. Just because I say something has value, you automatically assume it is worth money. Value isn’t always about money, and sometimes value is priceless.” Trixie says.

“If it isn’t for money... What are you going to do with it?” I ask.

“This world has taken everything from me, my husband, my child, and my very existence. I have nothing left to live for and they have everything to gain. They go about their lives, bitching about every minor flaw in life while I wake up every morning to stare at pictures of the people who made my life worth living. I will never see them again and no one seems to care. Instead, I get out of bed, take the pills, and pretend everything is fine.” Trixie says.