The climb into Genomian Inc. took longer than Arthur had expected.
Anger and worry churned in his gut, and he did his best to look around and take in the sights to keep them at bay. Not that it helped with his worry much. Each of the rungs showed signs of wear and tear. The rubber designed to act as a grip was even crumbling in places.
He knew by the time he was done, the stuff would be covering his hands.
Above him, he could hear Jemima curse for the umpteenth time as she smacked her back into the tunnel wall. He didn’t need to look up to know how hard it would be to maneuver her new bulk in this tight space.
Dr. Muriler squeaked in annoyance, and he hoped the mutated rat was alright. The last thing he needed was for Nyssa’s father to fall and break his neck. That would be another delay they didn’t need.
Plus, he didn’t think Nyssa would forgive him if her dad died during the rescue attempt.
Arthur agreed with his irritated-sounding squeaks, though. He didn’t want to be doing this either. If he had his way, The Assembly would have pulled Dr. Lisa Moore out of wherever she was hiding. Then they could have done this on the surface.
His arms ached as he finally felt his feet hit solid ground. He rubbed at them, cursing the fact that he’d need to spend the time climbing back up.
As he waited for the others to finish the climb, he looked around the room. Once more trying to distract himself from what might be occurring while he was wasting time here. It wasn’t a spacious area, and it held a door that reminded him of a spaceship airlock. Captain Swordsman stood nearby, poking at a keypad.
When he finished punching in the numbers, the sound of compressed air escaping filled the air.
With a groan, the door swung open, revealing a hospital-white hallway. Bright fluorescent lights hung overhead, and another security door sat at the other end. As he all but pushed the others into the hallway, he shivered.
“Why would they need this hall to be padded?” He thought as he waited once more for Captain Swordsman to open the next door.
Behind him, he could hear Dr. Muriler’s tail slapping against the floor. The large rat was constantly twitching as he waited. When their eyes met, he could see the same range of anxious emotions.
“How long until we can get to the office of someone important?” Arthur growled as they waited for the door to unlock.
“Before that, you never answered my question.” Captain Swordsman turned and stood before the exit.
Arthur noticed the way his hand reached up to his sword. Jemima took a step closer, and he saw Augustus shift. His bat wasn’t with him, but Arthur doubted he’d need it.
“What question was that?”
“Have you chosen a war?” Captain Swordsman’s tone was neutral, but it wasn’t hard to see the way he twitched.
Arthur snarled, taking a step forward before he forced himself to take a deep breath. With effort, he loosened the grip on his cane. This wasn’t Captain Swordsman’s fault. They deserved an explanation, though he knew he wouldn’t feel the same way if they kept asking questions.
“I didn’t choose a war. A Iocus Daemonium started kidnapping my people. Now their pet scientist has taken Nyssa and Theobold for experiments. I need to find out where she is and get them back. Now move, or we’ll make you move.”
From behind him, he could hear Dr. Muriler let out a far more animalistic growl than he could manage. Augustus shifted, as though ready to throw himself at the man, sword or no. Jemima was still, though he didn’t doubt she’d fight if need be. Any battle in a space this tight would get everyone involved, regardless of feelings.
“They took Nyssa?” Captain Swordsman lowered his sword.
“Yes. Now move. We need to find them.”
A hiss filled the air as the exit swung open. Captain Swordsman didn’t say another word as he turned and led them into the next room. Arthur waited for the others to move ahead before he stepped out.
Behind him, the door closed as he walked past the dark plexiglass cube in the middle of the room towards a door labeled offices. With a grunt, he grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, expecting the satisfaction of slamming it open.
What he got instead was a sore hand and a fright as an unfamiliar voice sounded out behind him.
“002, welcome back. You have brought unauthorized guests who are currently attempting to access restricted areas. Please be advised that security has been called.”
***
Adrenaline coursed through him as he turned to see who’d spoken.
Lights shining from each corner dispelled the darkness from the large cube. Inside was a large reception desk that wrapped around each side of the cube. In the middle sat a woman with long brown hair and skin that was a touch too pale. As though she’d never seen sunlight.
He realized it wasn’t a person when the voice sounded out once again and her mouth didn’t move.
“Intruders will be seated and wait for security. The Police have been informed.”
“What is that?” Jemima asked, approaching, before she jumped away. “It doesn’t have legs!”
“That’s Delilah; she’s a SEM.” Captain Swordsman walked forward. “Delilah, override that security call.”
“Overriding, 002.”
Arthur moved forward, curious to see a SEM despite his impatience. He remembered Theobold talking about the one that Old Man Jenkins had at his farm. Upon closer look, he could see flecks of metal showing through her arms. Also that her lower half fused to the chair.
“How do we get access to the offices?” He asked his tone curt.
“Do you have an appointment? I’m afraid no one is on the premises today to assist you. Thus, that area has been sealed off except for security personnel.”
Captain Swordsman turned to look at him. “Don’t worry. Power Drill and I destroyed them all the year we woke up here. All of them but Captain Gregory, of course.”
Arthur waved his words away and focused on the SEM. Her gray eyes were empty and held a disturbingly glassy look. It was hard to tear his gaze away.
“Sure, whatever. Delilah, how do we get in?”
“Do you have an appointment? I’m afraid no one is on the premises today to assist you. Thus, that area has been sealed off except for security personnel.”
“Fine.” Arthur turned to the robot, trying to ignore how creepy her empty stare was. “My name is Arthur Clark, owner of Apocalypse Assortments. I’d like to make an appointment with whoever is in charge.”
He did his best to keep his voice cheerful. The last thing he wanted was for the mechanical receptionist to decide he was going to be a problem. There was a whirring as she moved to touch a keyboard that was little more than plastic scrap. No monitors flicked on, but he could tell no one had plugged them in.
“I’m sorry. Director Moore is not available.”
At that, Arthur turned to Captain Swordsman. Heat filled him, and he reached up to grip his locket. There was no special heat coming from it, but he gripped it tightly, anyway.
“You said she wasn’t here.”
“She’s not!” Captain Swordsman held up a hand. “Delilah is talking about her grandfather. We have a picture of him in the common room.”
Arthur whirled back to the SEM. “Is that true?”
“Correct,” Delilah said.
“Ok. Do you know the last time Dr. Lisa Moore visited the facility?”
“Error time ago.”
Captain Swordsman shrugged under his annoyed glare. “She does that when asked about most dates. Neither I nor Lady P. have ever seen her here, though.”
“But she has visited?”
“If she has, it was long before we woke up.” Captain Swordsman turned to Delilah. “Is there any way to get access to the offices?”
“Negative, 002. You are not allowed in researcher-restricted areas.”
Arthur resisted the urge to tell Jemima to shoot at the door to see if that would help. Instead, he looked towards the SEM as he racked his brain about what he knew. It wasn’t much other than what Nyssa had yelled about.
That was when he got an idea.
“Do you know the name Dr. Muriler?”
“That name is in the database. But I am sorry, I cannot give out confidential information.”
With a nod, he leaned closer to the glass. “I am an employer of Dr. Muriler. He is here to know if Director Moore is still interested in the project they discussed.”
There was a whirring of gears as the SEM looked around the room. “I do not see him.”
“Fine. You know what?” Arthur turned to Jemima, his voice filled with frustration. “Kick the door down.”
“Are you sure?” She asked, even as she moved to the door.
“I’m sure.”
“Don’t!” Captain Swordsman yelled, but it was too late.
She’d already raised a muscular leg and smashed it into the door. A righteous fury flared up in his chest as he watched the destruction. The property damage made him smile as he started towards the destroyed door.
It was nice to be doing something, even if it was as simple as this.
“We didn’t break that door for a reason,” Captain Swordsman called over the sound of metallic footsteps stomping toward them.
“Don’t care. Everyone in,” Arthur barked before he took the lead into the office section.
***
Most of what was in the room behind the door were cubicles.
Arthur marched past them, ignoring the dust and scraps of paper that blew around him. The air conditioning hummed overhead, low enough to make him shiver. All around him, he could see signs of life. Pictures sat on desks, families smiling out of frames. Notes for meetings were stuck to walls, and jackets hung on toppled chairs.
Though he didn’t give them a thorough inspection, too focused on his prize. There were a series of doors on the other wall, and he would bet one of them was the director's office. Or at least a way to get to it.
“Desist!” A harsh electric buzz overlay the synthetic voice. “002! Stand down!”
Arthur turned at the voice to see what looked like a battle droid stomping towards them. Dark blue plates made up the armor, and a large handgun sat on its waist. For a moment, he froze, unable to tear his eyes away from the single red light that acted as its face.
As it drew closer, he could see the signs of battle. Including several holes that someone appeared to have made with a drill.
“This wouldn’t be Captain Gregory, then?” Arthur asked Captain Swordsman, who was backing up.
“Yes. We can’t kill it.”
“You don’t need to. Hold it off until I get what I need. Augustus. Jemima. Get it.”
Augustus squeaked, and Jemima turned to give him an annoyed look. “I signed up to fight demons, not whatever that is.”
“Do you want the information or not?”
“Fine.”
In a motion far less swift than before, she pulled out her pistol and fired. The bullet pinged off the robot’s chest plate, but the machine stopped.
“Desist. Put down your weapon and surrender.”
Arthur turned back around and sprinted towards the back room, his cane in hand. He knew it wouldn’t help in this fight, but that wasn’t his job. He needed to find the information they came for. Dr. Muriler raced along by his side on all fours.
They reached the back doors and found the fanciest looking one. With effort, Arthur pulled it open and ducked inside. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of battle. A massive boom and a scream made him look back. One cubicle was smoking.
“We need to hurry,” Arthur barked as he moved toward the desk.
Dr. Muriler scrambled through the drawers as he tried the computer that sat on top. It needed a password, but they found a yellow Post-it note with one written fairly soon. Upon trying it, he breathed a sigh of relief that it was right.
“Ok, where are you?” Arthur muttered to himself, keeping his voice low as he heard another boom from outside.
Dr. Muriler squeaked as he pulled an armful of paperwork out of a nearby filing cabinet. Arthur nodded as he waited for the computer to finish loading the desktop. The picture it displayed was of an old man with a recognizable young girl sitting on his knee. She held a stethoscope in one hand.
Finally, folders and some loose files populated the screen. He scanned them as quickly as he could. Most were financials or links to databases. As he read through, he saw mentions of everything from cryogenic facilities to cafeteria results.
“I’m going to have to come back here once this is all done. There’s no way The Assembly knows how most of this stuff works, I bet. Red and Marble might pay top dollar for cryogenics.” He shook his head to dispel the thought before he found a report mentioning off-site projects.
He ordered them by the most recently opened and tried the top of the list.
There was the sound of a gun shot, and the screen exploded.
“Damn it!” He swore as he ducked below the desk to get away from the sparks.
Dr. Muriler looked over and squeaked, and Arthur gestured toward the documents. “See if you can find anything about enhanced food production.”
That got him another squeak, and he peeked out behind the desk. The battle was not going well. With a growl, he gripped his cane and peeked out to see the new obstruction to his goal.
Anger infused him, and he could feel his arms shaking. There was a green tint to the room that he didn’t remember it having before. His teeth felt slightly sharper as he ran his tongue across them.
None of that mattered.
His irritation was at an all-time high, and he wanted to hit something. Thankfully, his target was facing away from him.
“Well,” he thought as he crouched, ready to spring up and stab his cane into Officer Gregory’s as soon as he found a weak point. “Let’s see how sturdy this thing really is.”288Please respect copyright.PENANAeE3UbHtOkU