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| Carrier Syndrome | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Part Three: Escape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Through the corridors of the capital building. Lora and some of her top security advisors were touring the facilities. Numerous projects were under way - all of which Lora was being updated on. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Everything is going according to schedule?" she asked - looking over several pages. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Productivity is down a bit - but it is nothing several hours of overtime won't fix," one stated calmly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The treaty signing will be in one week. Leaders from across the land will be coming here - to my city - under a banner - of peace. We will never get an opportunity like this again," she pointed out - slamming the clipboard into his chest. "If we miss this opportunity - I will be forced into a situation I do not want a part of. Are we understanding each other?" she asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Crystal clear. But - if you don't mind my asking - if timing is so crucial - won't having Julie here be a detriment? You remember the chaos she caused last time when she and a small band of her mechanic friends crashed out of the garage," he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How can I forget? That was when you assured me that - a feeble minded mechanic couldn't remain loose for long with your men on the job - how long was she out?" she asked seriously. He cleared his throat. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You think she is going to cooperate now?" he rebutted. Lora sighed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "No - to be honest I don't. I believe that she will be foolish enough to try to escape one more time," she pointed out. He smirked and motioned for the others to continue with their work - leaving him alone with her. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You - have something sneaky planned," he remarked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I try my best. If she tries to ride through the doors or wall - or whatever - she will find herself surrounded by at least fifty soldiers concealed behind concrete barricades. The escape will fail - she will be punished and she will then know - why - it is proper to behave," she said sweetly. He nodded as they continued to walk. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "But - what if - uhm - she doesn't try that route again?" he suggested. She stopped and looked over at him. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What other route is there? You assured me that all other access points from there had been sealed," she began. He nodded. It was then that she muttered a quiet curse. "The tools - she could use them to unseal," she began as a kid bumped into her knocking her over. The security advisor grabbed him and helped Lora up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What do you want done with this - brat?" he asked with disgust. She frowned at the child and shook her head. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't have time to play with him now," she began as an alarm sounded. In that moment of distraction the kid kicked the security advisor in the leg and bolted down the hall. He was about to pursue when Lora grabbed him by the shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The alarm is coming from the labs," she pointed out. He nodded and the two hurried towards the labs. Within moments - they were at the containment area - inside - dozens of workers were dead. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Not good. Containment suits should have protected them," he stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Where is the doctor?" she demanded. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Over here," a weakened voice stated from the corner. They looked over and saw an old woman sitting at her desk. "We have a situation - a bad one," she began. Lora walked over and looked the old woman in the eye. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You look like shit," she stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I feel worse. We came close to finding the cure - a few more tests and it would have been in our hands," the doctor began. Lora's eyes widened. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What do you mean - a few more - why aren't you?" she began as her security advisor tapped her on the shoulder. "Not now," she remarked dismissing his attempt to get her attention - he persisted. "What? What is it?" she demanded. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Where - is the tests study? The carrier?" he asked pointing to the containment area. Lora looked over and saw the room was empty save for the dead bodies. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I sent them in to get more blood samples - he freaked. That was when the men I sent in began falling - they were choking. It was horrible. Then I ran some tests - the seal wasn't perfect - I'm infected too," the doctor stated. Lora backed away from her. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Where did the carrier go?" the security advisor asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "He bolted down the hall - you couldn't have missed him," the doctor began - it was then that all color drained from Lora's face. The security advisor realized it too. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The subject - the carrier - he was kid?" Lora asked hesitantly. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Yes - you wanted someone that no one would suspect," the doctor stated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The kid that bumped into me - he has that disease? The one that you have been working on all this time?" Lora asked on the brink of panic. The doctor thought about the question for a moment and then nodded. "If - he infected me - as we planned - to have him infect the other leaders - how long do I have?" she asked seriously. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "They were in containment suits since the project started. They just keeled over now. I had no direct contact with the child - only the tests samples - I am showing the early symptoms," the doctor began. Lora reached over and grabbed the doctor by the collar of her jacket. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Spare the fucking reports - how long have I got!" she demanded. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "A week tops - then the virus will have killed you from the inside out," she answered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "How - close - were you to getting that cure?" Lora asked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Give or take - a few days. But to be sure - I would need the carrier back alive," the doctor replied seriously. Lora reached over and grabbed her security advisor by the collar of his jacket. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Get me that boy - or you won't have to worry about that disease taking you!" she ordered. The man nodded and hurried away. "As for you," she continued as a second alarm sounded. She looked around and groaned. "Damn that bitch! Why did she have to do this shit now?" she demanded. "You - work with what you have - you get that cure for me as soon as possible if not a moment sooner," she stated as she stormed out of the lab. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In another part of the large complex - Julie and her friends had finished looting what they could from the guards they had subdued. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Pity we couldn't have taken them down before the alarms huh?" Mark commented. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Stating the obvious has always been your strong suit," she muttered - checking the weapons. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Is it just me - or is the alarm in stereo?" Greg asked. Julie closed her eyes and listened - he was right there was another alarm sounding just a bit quieter in the distance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't know where it is coming from - but hopefully it will be attracting more attention than we will. How far to the tunnels of the fallen city?" she asked. Just then several soldiers rounded the corner. Julie raised her rifle and fired the soldiers were knocked up and over by the deadly volley. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "When in doubt - go down," Mark replied. Julie nodded as they hurried away. As they ran they managed to avoid dozens of patrols that were racing through the halls. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Whatever they are looking for clearly ain't us," Julie remarked as she looked around the corner at the soldiers that were running away from them. "Whatever they are after must be pretty damn important though," she added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Oh no - I hate it when you get that look in your eye," Mark whined. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "What?" she commented innocently. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You are planning on sticking it to Lora before we split and that kind of thinking will get all of us killed," he stated. Julie smiled and blinked twice. Mark groaned - he knew that once she got an idea there was no rational reason that could talk her out of it. "Fine - but we don't even know what they are after," he began as the kid fell from an air vent above them. "You have got to be joking," he muttered. Julie squatted down and looked at the terrified kid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Are they after you?" she asked quietly. He timidly nodded. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "I heard something back there!" a voice shouted. The kid was getting ready to run - but Julie gently grabbed him by the shoulder. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "You try to escape these bastards on your own and they will get you that much faster. You want out - stick with us," she suggested. The kid was scared out of his mind and was still looking around like a caged animal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "They are gonna get me," he whimpered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Hey - stick with us - no one will catch you - promise," she reassured. The kid smiled and nodded. "Good - Mark - find us a way down," she stated. He nodded and motioned for them to follow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| After what felt like hours of running through the labyrinth of corridors and dodging the countless patrols of soldiers that were both hunting for the kid and them - they managed to find their way down into one of the sub-basements. Above them they could hear the footsteps of the running soldiers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "It won't be long before they figure out the only place we could go," Julie stated as they hurried over to where an old staircase was. They hurried down into the dimly lit stairwell - going further and further down. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Once they reached the bottom - they found themselves before a gaping hole in the wall - which led to a section under the capital that was known as the fallen city. It was the ground level of New York City before the earthquakes sucked it down into the ground. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "The fallen city - I never thought I would find myself here again," Julie remarked. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "This door has been opened!" a voice shouted. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "That was too fast," she muttered. She motioned for the others to hurry into the tunnels. Several soldiers rounded the corner and began to fly down the stairs just in time to get shot up by Julie. "You had your chance boys - you missed the boat!" she taunted as she hurried into the tunnels to catch up with her friends. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| They ran in an erratic pattern to lose whoever might have been foolish enough to follow. They were all amazed at how the fallen city still had power in some places and how in other places you could almost not tell which way was up. It was a strange and confusing place the Fallen City was. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "This place still gives me the creeps," Mark muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Just be thankful," she began but stopped as she heard the sounds of weapons arming. She groaned and shook her head. "Remind me to keep my fool mouth shut," she muttered as dozens of locals began to filter out from the surrounding shadows with weapons aimed at them. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Well, well. It seems that we meet again Julie," a familiar voice remarked. "How unfortunate for you," he added. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| To be continued... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||