High Pressure System: First Season Underground (16 page)

I knocked again. “Jim, it’s me. I cleared the area.” With the vacuum off, I was keeping an eye out for any bots I missed. I banged on the door again when I saw a couple venture out of the vent. “Hurry.” I begged.

The door opened slowly. I almost knocked him down as I stepped though the doorway and slammed the door behind me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. He didn’t look good.

“That was a lot of stress just sitting here watching as all of you had to deal with that mess.”

“You are in no shape to be out there.” I ran my hands over my head and shoulders to make sure there weren’t any stragglers. “The bots are poking us all with infected needles. Brandon is already sick.”

“What about you?” Jim sat down in exhaustion on the skinny bed opposite the wall of monitors.

“I fared better than the rest because of my sweatshirt and the gloves and boots I guess. They asked me to check on you since they don’t think I’ll get as sick as the others. I sure hope not.”

“We’re lucky this time I guess.”

I leaned against the door. All the adrenaline was gone, I was exhausted and suddenly very thirsty. I licked my lips but everything in my mouth felt dry and sticky.

“I don’t know, Rachel. I don’t know if we will make it through this. And then it will be something else if we do. That computer, Brandon called it NALA, right? It’s going to toy with us until we are all dead. I think I’d prefer to just get it over with.”

“Don’t talk like that.” I pulled up a rolling chair and rested my hand on his knee. He looked exhausted and pale. I had no idea how to talk him out of his despair and I was still trying to process everything that had just happened. “We’re problem solving. We don’t have a massive database to get information on how to fight it, but we can’t give up. We don’t have an off switch.”

“We have a dead switch. We are right on the edge.”

“You have been but it’s obviously not your time yet. So you need to give it all you got, for yourself, and for me.” I rested my other hand on his and waited for him to look up.

He gave me a weak smile. “Let me find you something to drink.” He grabbed a water bottle from the small fridge in the corner of the room and handed it to me.

“Thank you.” I rubbed my parched lips.

We sat in silence for some time. As I drank the water, I kept glancing at him.

He was lost in thought.

“You say Brandon is sick already?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Let them know I’ll keep an eye on things here. The last thing I want is to get sick after the health crisis I just had. I wonder if the weather will come in while those little spiders are here.”

“Whatever ones are left are all in the vents and they don’t like the vacuums. I’ll bring you food as long as I can stay healthy.”

“Did everyone get stung by the spiders?”

“Most everyone. All the children and a few of the mothers were locked in the classrooms. I hope someone has given them word on what has gone on.”

“I bet the doctors will agree that they should probably stay there until this is passes.” The color was returning to Jim’s face.

“Those bots could still get to them in the vents though.”

“That’s the first priority. Get some help covering the vents in the rooms down there so they can stay safe.”

“All right.” I nodded. That was all the energy I had left in me.

“Only bring me food if you have time. I have a feeling that if you stay healthy, you are about to the busiest person next to the doctors.”

“I didn’t need to know that.” I slumped my shoulders.

“If you feel you need redemption, well now is the time.”

“I never felt I needed that.”

“You’re about to get it anyway.” He patted my knee. “You should probably go check on the children down below.”

I nodded, pushing myself up off the chair. “Promise me I don’t have to worry about you here.”

“You saw how secure that door was. Kept those little beasts out of here.”

“Well, what you were watching wasn’t helping though.”

“My ticker will keep ticking. Wait a second, you have a straggler.” He pointed on my shoulder.

I pulled on my glove and squished it, giving Jim my most ruthless expression.

“That-a-girl. Go save the bunker.”

I laughed at the thought of me becoming some sort of superhero underground exterminator as I stepped out the door. I grabbed the vacuum and headed for my apartment.

My dogs and Rocky were fine, a little stressed though as if they knew something wasn’t right. I searched through the apartment until I could find something to cover the vents to keep the bots out. All I could come up with were hand towels. I became the master of a screwdriver as I hustled to cover the vents before I ran downstairs. There was strength with imagined power.

The vacuum was feeling heavier and heavier as I ran down the stairs. The moving broken bot parts made me flinch even though I was the reason they were tumbling down the stairs. When I entered the Community Room, it was empty with the exception of bot pieces strewn across the floor close to the door. Giggling was coming from the classrooms so that was where I went.

“Miss Gardener!” the kids chimed when I opened the door.

I smiled as a few of the little ones mobbed me with a hug.

“We’ve heard only a few details of what’s going on. Do you know anything?” Pamela asked.

“Yes. Have you seen what invaded the bunker in here yet?” I looked under a table.

Sarah Haines shot me a warning look.

“This can’t be all hush hush.” I crossed the room to the sink and pulled out a towel from the cupboard before climbing on a table beneath the vent. Good thing I brought my screwdriver. Once the vent was covered and reset on the wall, I jumped off the table and realized all the kids eyes were on me.

It took me a second to regroup and figure out what to say. “There are little robots that invaded the bunker. They have little pokers and can make us ill. Brandon was at the front when the invasion started and he’s already sick. Since you all have been spared from being poked, everyone will have to remain here until the sickness is over.”

There was mixture of celebration and moans at the same time. The mothers looked peeved.

Was I the new Brandon? I was about to sound like him for sure. “I happen to be one of the lucky ones. I was poked only a few times. My sweatshirt spared me the worst of it. They think I won’t get as sick as everyone else. The stairway is filled with robot parts and a few live ones are still crawling on the walls and trapped under debris. You really want to risk taking the kids anywhere else while this is going on? Plenty of them have survived and are in the vents right now. That’s why I covered it. You will want to cover the cracks under the doors as well. I will find out if I can get you a vacuum. The bots will run from them so that will protect you for now. ”

I did it. I got through to the moms. The kids were scared enough to follow directions to stay put. There was plenty to keep them entertained so it wasn’t all that bad for them to be stuck where they were.

It was quiet for far too long. “Any questions?” There was still silence.

“Our husbands? What are they sick with?” Christa Anderson asked.

“They aren’t sure. It will take time to wait and see what everyone’s symptoms are before we know.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets so I would stop wringing my hands. “One of you will need get food for everyone in here. My sweatshirt, my boots, and gloves spared me from getting hit as hard as the rest of them. So whoever gets food should be prepared before leaving this room. I will bring you stuff shortly. There is no kitchen staff so you will be on your own in there.”

The mothers spoke amongst themselves.

I figured it was good time to leave. “I’ll be back after I get you some boots and gloves.”

I left before they could fuss at me about the situation. They were good at that. All the time.

The 3D printer was located below the Community Floor. I far preferred going down stairs at the moment. I hoped Aaron and Micah were still there.

It didn’t matter how many stairs I went down, bot bits covered each step. Perhaps I was getting use to them. No, I changed my mind when a few crawled on the banister towards my hand. Smashed them.

I could still feel my tight leg and butt muscles as I jogged down the hall looking for the room with the printer. I’d never actually been there before.

When I paused in the hall wondering if I had already past it, I heard the hum and whine of a machine at work. It was farther down. There weren’t any bot parts anywhere.

“I don’t think the wands on the vacuums will get them all out of the ducts. Even if we fabricate the longest ones we can find, the duct work is too long between vents,” Micah said.

I peeked through the doorway. I sure had a lucky streak going. Aaron and Micah were there with the 3D printer master and the sidekick security guy.

“Hey,” I waved at everyone.

“You ready for some underground weather or something?” Sidekick asked. His face was flushed.

I hooked the facemask over my ears. “What are you talking about?” I looked over my clothes. “What I’m wearing has done a good job of making sure I’m not going to get as sick as you.”

Micah looked healthy with the exception of his aggravation over the limited use of his hand. Aaron wasn’t looking so good. His complexion was already fair but his face was pasty white and shiny with sweat.

“I’m sure the docs are going to want to see you all.” I leaned against the wall to stay clear of what was starting to ail them.

“Did you hear how my buddy, Frank is doing?”

“Actually no. He’s actually your buddy?” I asked.

“He drives me crazy. But, yeah, he’s my buddy.”

“The medical clinic was kind of overwhelmed with people. I was one of the few that wasn’t covered with welts. I guess I’m the new gopher.” I snickered at my own joke.

Micah shook his head while Aaron laughed.

“That was awful, Rachel.” Micah kept shaking his head.

“Where’s your sense of humor? Honestly though, you guys don’t look good.” Just by watching them I could tell they were sinking fast.

“We’ve created some new boxes to collect spiders that are still intact. But so far no luck. The vacuum blades destroyed them all.”

“Oh, I clogged this one with a rag thinking they could escape. They sure run at the sight of this thing though. Nice thing to have.” I set my vacuum on the floor.

“Aaron thinks we should capture some of the ones that are left,” Micah said.

“Why would we want to do that?” I asked.

“Cause we can analyze them and come up with some way to use them against that NALA thing.” Aaron tossed the parts he was looking in a trash can.

“What, like virus it back?” I shook my head.

The guys all looked at me as if they had light-bulb moments at the same time. They were probably delirious.

“That is it,” Master printer guy said.

“It is,” Aaron agreed.

“How do we capture bots without destroying them and keep them from making us sick?” I waited for their response. Guys and their bright ideas.

“I guess that’s something we’ll have to think about.” Aaron sneezed several times.

“Okay, I might need to leave now.” I glanced over at Micah. He was picking through robot parts.

“Maybe we can figure out how to piece them back together,” Aaron said.

“Nah, that’s a lot of work,” the printer master said. “Maybe we could try printing some out.

“You want to make more? We still need to get them out of the vents.” I got a shiver. “I don’t think I’ll sleep decent until I know they won’t slip in my apartment during the night.”

Micah took my vacuum and emptied it.

“I need one of those for the moms and kids in the school. They might be the only ones that don’t get sick if we can keep them free of spiders.” I hovered near his shoulder. He wasn’t sinking as fast as the other three.

“You’ll have to find a vacuum that hasn’t been used to collect spiders yet. I’m sure the viruses or whatever ailments they are carrying are all over the inside of these and will blow all over them when they try to use it.” He shoved the hose back on and set it on the ground in front of me.

“Oh, that’s true. I don’t know if there are any vacuums left on their floor. Are there any extra boots I can take up there so they can go get food from the kitchen?” I tugged on my zipper.

Aaron crossed the room and sneezed all over the place as he did. He rummaged through a pile in the corner and held up a pair. I hesitated before claiming the boots and made sure I grabbed them where he hadn’t contaminated with sneeze spray.

Security guy sat down and rested his head on the table.

“You all need to go up to the medical floor. All of you. Like right now.” I pointed at the door.

Aaron didn’t argue as he helped the security guy up. “Come on Steve.” Aaron waved for the printer master to follow.

Micah waited for them all to leave before he headed for the door. However, he stopped in front of me. “You know where you’ll be safe if you really are worried about those spiders getting to you.” He tugged on my hood strings.

I nodded and my cheeks warmed.

He smiled. “Rachel’s trademark sweatshirt is not only a fashion statement but survival gear underground. Who knew?” He gave my arm a squeeze. “You know where to find me.”

“Medical floor?” I asked.

He swung an empty vacuum canister over his shoulder and didn’t answer as he walked away.

“Your place?”

He raised his arm over his head and gave me a thumbs up.

Once I had rummaged through a few closets, I finally found a vacuum and briefly stopped at the school with it along with boots and gloves. The adults were all agitated with me for taking so long. Everyone was hungry.

“I didn’t want to bring you a vacuum that would make you all sick. Make sure you’re careful and don’t come in contact with the spiders if you suck them up in the vacuum or you’ll all be sick too.”

I got out of there as quick as I could. Running up to the medical floor, I checked to see how Brandon was.

My mask was over my face before I even walked through the door and a good thing too. There were people lying on the floor in the hall. Everyone was coming down with sickness and there was nowhere else for them to go while they waited.

“What are your symptoms?” a worn out nurse asked me with a tablet in front of her face.

“I’m actually fine. I came to see how Brandon is doing.” I was really wishing I hadn’t stopped on the floor with all the illness that had already hit everyone pretty hard. “Whatever they got, it came on fast.”

“You aren’t kidding. I believe the worst is a flu that has a rather accelerated exposure response. I’ve never seen one hit so fast. Kind of like the illnesses that happen on cruise ships. Confined area with a contagion that is easily spread in the air. Who knows what else those spiders were carrying. We’ve had to smash numerous ones that were hiding in patients clothes. Some of us have been exposed and poked as a result.”

“I had a few too. It seems the ones that were poked the most are the sickest, isn’t it?” I asked.

“It’s too early to tell. You could have something that just takes longer to show its true colors.”

“Don’t tell me that. Everyone that isn’t sick is depending on me.” I followed her to Brandon’s room. She stopped outside his door.

“Brandon is the sickest person on the medical floor right now. His vitals are all over the place. His restlessness isn’t helping. The doctor wants to sedate him a little so he can get some rest.”

“I doubt I’ll be much help. But I’ll try and see if I can reassure him some.” I waited while the nurse let him know I was there. Just in case he wanted me to go away.

I peeked in the room when the nurse called me in. Brandon’s eyes were puffy with dark rings around them. He was sweaty and clutched a tissue box. One of those lovely kidney shaped trays was resting on a table in front of him.

“Is everyone sick?” Brandon asked. He started coughing so I couldn’t answer right away.

“Not me. The mothers that stayed with the children in the school are all healthy for now. They are able to stay put until the worst of this is over.”

“I don’t think it will be over for some time with all those bots in the ducts.”

“I covered my vent in my apartment and filled in the cracks under the doors. They are scared of vacuums. We can hold them off.”

“I’m sure NALA will send more. Everyone is too sick to stop them or do the work needed to seal the lobby doors. The acid rain did enough damage washing the concrete away around the secure lobby doors to make it easier to infest us with a plague.”

“You make it sound like this is the end.” I pulled up a chair. The stairs were doing a number on my poor legs.

“Rachel, the big spider Frank caught killed him. The acid rain killed Travis. Hopefully Micah and a few of the others that came in contact with the water can keep their fingers.” Brandon held a hand up in the air as if he wanted me to stop talking as he sat up in bed and clutched the bowl in front of his face. I really hoped he wasn’t going to throw up. I wasn’t sick but I sure was sympathetic to that sort of thing. It took him a minute before he leaned back on the bed. That just brought on more coughing. “NALA made it sound like everyone but us was dead. Now we are like her little playthings. You know how cats will play with mice until they traumatize them to death?” His eyes were wide.

I nodded.

“That’s what she’ll do. Play with us until we all die.”

“We need to send it right back to her.”

“What are you talking about? The computer is miles away. We aren’t capable of sending it back to her.”

“We need to send a virus back at it. All the guys in the printer room thought that was a great idea.”

“I can’t send anything back.”

“The spiders. If she sends more on the drones, we capture them, send them back.”

“Hmm…” Brandon was quiet as he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling.

“Brandon?” I wondered if something was wrong with him and touched his shoulder.

He covered my gloved hand with his. “Sorry, I was thinking. That could be a good idea. Still very complicated. That computer is very adaptive and it’s not easy to gain access to its components to send something like a virus to bring it down.”

“You don’t need to figure it out right now. Wait until you’re better.”

“I can’t wait while the bunker is compromised.”

I leaned a little closer so Brandon would look at me. All he could really see of my face was my eyes, I squeezed his hand. “You have to rest to get better. Stressing out will make you even more sick and you are already the sickest in the bunker. You’ve even outsicked Jim now. Listen to the doctors for everyone’s sake so you can get better fast. I really need you. We won’t manage for long without you. Jim is scared but he knows he’s safe for now. He feels he can’t run the control room as well as you can and you can’t run the control room until the doctors say you’re well.” I held his hand tight with both of mine and pressed the back of his hand against my chest. I was as sincere as I could possibly be. “Please. You need to rest now more than you ever have.”