Deadlocked 6 (19 page)

"What's the truth then?" asked the commander.

"The truth is I'm the one trying to save us. I'm the one fighting to stop what's been going on in here." He smirked and laughed as if mocking the commander's ignorance. "I bet you don't even know what they've got hiding down in the bowels of this place. Do you?" He didn't give the commander a chance to answer. "You probably have no clue why they've been pushing so hard to find a cure. Do you? Hell, boy, if it weren't for me, you'd probably be dead by now too. All of us would, except the bitches like her." He pointed at me.

"I don't understand," said the commander.

"I know you don't. That's the point. Now, are you going to show me how to get into the facility below us? I really don't want to have to shoot you."

"Did you kill Victor?" asked the commander suddenly, as if he'd
wanted to ask that all along.

"Who?" asked the general.

"Victor. The man from my unit that was sent to assist with the assault on the town. He hasn't reported in since he transferred the data about the re-emergence of the High Rollers."

The general stared at him, and the tension grew until he asked, "Do you think I killed him?"

"Yes," said the commander.

I saw more helicopters arriving outside, but the cabin was well insulated and the noise was only a distant hum. The conversation was tense, and both of these men ignored what was happening outside.

The general expressed no emotion, except for a sadness I saw in his eyes. While he stood stoic, I thought I glimpsed regret in him. "No," he said finally. "I didn't kill him. I don't kill soldiers unless I have to, which is what makes me different from the people you work for."

"Then where is he?" asked the commander. "Why hasn't he reported in?"

"He's working for me now. When I told him about what The Electorate was doing in this facility, he broke down in tears and joined the Wolfpack. That's the truth, Commander."

"I don't believe you."

The general nodded and raised his eyebrows, completing a smug look that demeaned the commander. "That's only because you don't know the truth yet."

"Then tell me." The commander shouted involuntarily as his emotions got the better of him. He calmed down and spoke as if pleading for his life, "Tell me why I should join your side."

"What do you think is down there?" asked the general. "What does your gut tell you they're up to?"

The commander didn't want to say. He looked frightened when he answered, "They're making a new virus. One that's worse and that will kill everyone but them."

The general smiled wide and winked. "See, you're not as dumb as you look. Now show me how to get inside and we can make sure this new virus never leaves this facility."

"But Beatrice Dell is on her way here right now," said the commander. "How are you going to handle her? As soon as she finds out what's going on here…"

"She'll what?" The general's interruption silenced the commander. "I've got her Dawn. When she gets here, she'll do everything we say. And with her in my control, the rest of The Electorate will fall in line. Son, I came here to save you and everyone you know from certain death. I'd sure appreciate it if you gave me a helping hand."

The commander closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. He looked tired and deflated as he shook his head. "This is hard to believe. I don't know what to think anymore. All I ever wanted was to do what's right. That's all of my men wanted."

"I know, kid," said Jerald. "I felt the same way when I found out what they were planning. They're starting what's called the Noah Initiative, where they kill off everyone that doesn't fit into their scientific studies of perfection. I, for one, am not going to let that happen. Now, are you going to stand with me, or are you going to get shot in the head for getting in my way?"

"If I help you, will you take me to Victor?" asked the commander.

"Sure, if that's what you want. Why's he so important to you?"

"I've known him since we were children," said the commander. "He's like a brother to me."

"I know how that goes," said Jerald. "I've got lots of brothers in the service, and there's no way I'd ever stand back and let someone hurt them. Soldiers stand together, always. As soon as we're done here, I'll take you to Facility 23 where Victor is stationed now."

The commander nodded, sighed, and then pointed at the wall near my head. "I'll get you inside. Go ahead and push the button inside of that carving."

Jerald walked over to me and gripped what appeared to be a decorative carving of an animal on the wall. He put his finger into the creature's mouth and then pulled it down slightly before looking over at the commander.

The commander lifted a metal grate off the top of the stove and reached inside. He flipped a switch within and a sudden hiss escaped from the wall beside me. I was startled, and moved away as white mist poured out from beneath the wall. Light appeared under a small slat until the entire wall began to move. It slid to the side, and revealed a grey hall within, eerily familiar to the ones within the Facility that Hailey and I had escaped from.

"Thank you, Commander," said Jerald. "You've done me a hell of a service." The two men walked over to the entrance and the general motioned ahead. "After you."

The commander started walking down the hall when Jerald drew his pistol. The general wasted no time pointing the gun at the back of the man's head and then pulling the trigger. I gasped in shock as the commander fell forward. He never saw it coming and was dead instantly.

Gunfire erupted outside as Jerald's men exterminated the rest of the men in blue.

"Tell Victor I said hello," said Jerald before turning to me. "You've got to know who to trust, isn't that right, doll?"

"You're insane," I said as he grabbed my shoulder and shoved me toward the hall.

"Let's go," said Jerald as he pushed me forward. I hadn't realized that I was reluctant to walk in until he forced me to. I dreaded these non-descript, grey hallways. My heart raced as if I was being led to my own execution and I felt beads of sweat form on my forehead. I began to shake, and my eyes darted around as I was guided down the tunnel, past the commander's corpse.

These walls, the wires tied to the corners, the grey concrete sides, the smell, and the hum of electronics within - all of it served to unnerve me. I was having trouble breathing, and my knees buckled as I walked.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Jerald as he pulled me back up. "Stupid little bitch. Get on your feet. That can't be the first time you saw someone get his brains blown out. What about your little friend, Hailey? Didn't you see her body? If you want, I can show it to you. My men pulled her out of the truck back there, before the fire got to her. I can let you see her if you want." He tugged at my cuffs, forcing my arms back into a painful position, but no matter how hard he pulled I still couldn't stand on my own. My feet refused to anchor me, and my legs wobbled as I was forced deeper into the complex.

"Fine then," said Jerald as he bent down and scooped me up over his shoulder. "We'll do it the hard way."

I flopped on his shoulder as we continued down the declining ramp. It was the same position I'd been in when the soldiers first appeared from within the walls of the Facility, after the first zombie I'd ever seen came crashing through our ceiling.

I started to thrash on top of him as I screamed. He yelled back, but I didn't hear what he said over my own manic cries. Finally, he threw me to the floor and grabbed the front of my hair. He lifted me up and then said, "You did this to yourself." He hit me as hard as he could and an explosion of light blinded me as I was knocked out.

*   *   *

I was home.

If not for the pain that served as a reminder, I might've thought everything that happened for the past day had been a dream. I was on the floor of my ready room, although I knew that couldn't be true. There was a counter with a sink, and a large mirror on the wall, just like the ready room that was in my domicile in the Facility. It was exactly the same, except that I knew the mirror in my room had been pried off the wall when Hailey and I escaped.

The light in the shower turned on and the one in the ready room began to dim. This room functioned the same as mine, silently ushering you into the activity the Instructors wished you to take. It was as if I'd left the world I'd known, only to be forced back in, as if everything outside the door was a dream.

"Hello, Cobra," said my own voice from the bedroom
, beyond the shower. I could see the illumination from the computer screen in the bedroom as I cowered in the ready room. "I'm so happy you're safe."

I stayed on the floor of the ready room as the shower turned itself on. The light above me faded until it clicked off and steam from the shower wafted over me.

"Cobra," said my own voice from the speakers that were hidden in the walls. "You must shower and go to your room."

"No," I said, as if my defiance was the last vestige of free will.

A red light began to flash, and instinct kicked in. I moved toward the shower like a fearful, obedient animal. My entire life had been spent under the careful rule of the Instructors, and despite what I'd experienced in the past day, I couldn't rid myself of their control. At the time, I wondered if I was being manipulated somehow, but I've come to accept that I had reverted back to my old ways. My psyche was tortured and shattered, and I felt like a child again as the computer guided me on.

I cringed as I disrobed, the bite marks on my shoulder still agonizingly fresh. The hot shower seared my abrasions and I cowered from the water as dirt and blood swirled around the drain below. My face ached where the general had hit me and I touched the tender skin to see how much damage there was.

"That's good," said the computer. "Now dry off and come here. I want to get a look at you."

I did as I was told, and was furious at myself for doing so. It was as if I were imprisoned in the body of a complacent little girl, willing to follow directions and be subservient to my overlord. I felt like the commander in blue, weak and too frightened to stand up for myself. I dried myself and then took a white robe off a hook on the wall of the bedroom. Grey footprints were illuminated on the floor as the computer silently guided me to my next objective. I went to stand on the footprints like the mindless drone that I'd become again.

The screen on the wall was glowing white until I reached the footprints. Then a shape began to materialize until I was staring at a simulation of myself. The avatar glanced at the wound on my shoulder and frowned.

"Oh my, we need to have this looked at," my avatar said. "I certainly hope it doesn't leave too big a scar."

"Who are you?" I spoke timidly, almost afraid to challenge the Administrators.

My avatar looked amused. "You know who I am, Cobra. We've been together for years."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not Cobra anymore. I'm called Celeste."

The avatar grinned and shrugged. "Call yourself whatever you wish, my dear. I'm just happy to have you home again."

"They said my mother was coming. Are you my mother?"

My avatar paused, contemplating how to continue. "In a way, yes, and in a way, no. You and I are the same, and always have been." She reached out as if able to hold my hand. "Cobra, you and I are the same."

"Celeste," I corrected her, and a glimmer of independence burned in my response.

"Okay, Celeste,” she said to placate me.
“We're the same, and I've always been here for you. All I care about is your safety."

"Are you my mother?"

My avatar frowned and crossed her arms. "Not exactly. You don't have a mother, Celeste. They shouldn't have told you that. That's not true."

"A lot of what I've been told isn't true."

"You've been through a lot," she said. "The past day has been very traumatic for you. But it's all okay now. You're back home, safe and sound."

"This isn't home," I said. "I'm not in the same place I was before."

She didn't seem to comprehend what I meant. "It doesn't matter. This is just the same as your last room. You're home again, with us."

"Just because it looks the same doesn't mean it is," I said as I glanced around the room. It was identical to the one I'd grown up in, but knowing that outside these walls was an entirely different place was horrifying to me. It made me question everything about my life, even more so than I had been for the past day. "Who are you people? W
hy do you have places like this hidden all over? Why do you need me? Why was I trained to kill those creatures?"

"Stop," said my avatar kindly. "Calm down, Cobra."

"My name's Celeste!"

My scream seemed to shake the walls and I noticed that my hands were balled into fists. My
avatar stared at me, unsure how to proceed.

"Perhaps we should continue this after you've had a chance to rest," said my avatar.
“Just lay down on the bed and sleep. We can talk later.”

"Listen to me," I yelled in fury. I'd found my strength again, and the frightened little girl that had been reborn in these dank halls died. I wasn't Cobra, and never would be again. "I don't know who you people are, or what you want with me, but I'll never do as you say." I stepped off the grey footprints and approached the screen. I slammed my open palm against it and a ripple of color burst out around my hand.