Chapter 19 – The Room [Part 1]

“The door with the letter Z on it.” He repeats approaching it.

The door’s shape and size was not the same as any other door in the tower. It was not the standard single or double sized door, but instead looked to be a door made for a hanger. The letter Z was also not painted, nor printed upon it. It instead formed from how the hanger sized door shut.

To emphasize just how weird this door was, a hallway that’s length was a good 50m long lead here and only here, boxes of unused objects sat in an unorderly fashion along it; which made getting to the door a hassle.

Searching for a button to open it he finds that there is none. Continuing his search he further finds that there is no keyboards, no hand printing station, no input device.

“I’ve never seen that door open.” Delia speaks out, annoyed at her situation, but no longer angry, one could say she was resigned.

Frowning he leans against it and feels his skin tingle as well as a slight push back. An electromagnetic force surrounds the door.

“You people did not build this place” he smiles taking a few steps back and making a clearing 3 metres away “Well not the important places”

Taking out his knife he clenches his left hand around it. The hand that had just healed, cutting it again. “Can you please back up?”

“Why?” she asks, doing as instructed, not happy but no longer feeling the urge to argue.

[Concentrated Healing Commencing]

Flicking his knife and thus his blood at the door it lights up. Glowing red, a scanning beam of blue light shines down onto him and only him. The door rumbles and soon opens, revealing a place without light.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=middle width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Identification Complete[/pc][/col][/box]

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=middle width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Welcome Home **** 5[/pc][/col][/box]

“Home” he says quietly whilst reading the projected words.

[Night Vision Activated]

Taking a step into the room he feels the ground sink a centimetre. “Shit” he swears instantly increasing his heart rate and thus reddening his eyes, he immediately turns around and kicks Delia in the stomach, sending her flying and breaking boxes along the way.

With her safely out of the way and his foot stuck in place he hunches over to protect his head as much as possible. A mini sized rocket soon hits and explodes upon his back, creating a massive dust cloud whilst the destroying the remaining boxes and unused equipment.

[Priority Acce……ed Healing Com…..]

[Muscle, B….e Re…force...ent]

In the dust and rumble Zulu lives but is in bad shape. Kneeling on what remains of his legs, he is missing an arm and has his spine exposed. Had he not known what was coming he would have without a doubt died. Had Delia not been around, he would have dodged.

His night vision was half gone as the glass that covered his eye was half destroyed. Ideally he wouldn’t move, but he knows what is in the room and thus pushes and drags himself into it.

“Dammit Zag” he stutters out as the door shuts once he enters.

The room alights once it closes, allowing him to see what is actually there. The floor has little human shaped machines roaming all around. Each moving items from point A to point B, fixing, repairing and resetting the trap that he had just activated.

Ignoring these he looks to his right to find that the wall is occupied by multiple large conveyer belt like distribution machines. Each appearing to create, package and distribute a single but different unique item.

[….Vit-31…..Cal-8…4]

He smiles upon seeing what each of them are but does not move towards them. Ahead of him he finds a large table placed against the large, empty wall. Unfinished machines lay upon the desk and ground around it.

To his left he finds two chambers, both looking very much like the cryo-chamber he woke up from.

Spitting out blood he pulls himself along the ground, leaving a trail as he moves towards them. The first Chamber is occupied. A woman with short brown hair, soft cheeks, average in height and wearing the same headgear that he wears but over her left eye instead of the right looks to be asleep.

“Dammit Zag” he spits out with hints of laughter as he moves over to the second chamber.

Pulling himself into it with his one arm, he lays face up and pulls the transparent lid shut, tears of pain streaming from his eyes as he does.

Once the lid shuts some small human shaped machines jump upon the glass, each soon changing shape and merging with the chamber.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][col colspan=4 valign=middle width=100% bordercolor=#202020 bgcolor=#f5f5f5][pc]Emergency Treatments Commencing[/pc][/col][/box]

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Delia

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On her back and at the start of the hallway, Delia coughs and spits out blood as splinted pieces of wood and metal surround her. One long piece of a now destroyed pole sticks out and through her stomach, coincidentally the same place that Zulu had kicked her; ultimately pinning her down. The explosion, though small, was powerful.

Laying there and looking up she hears ringing noises and remains still. The long hallway now made sense to her. It was designed so that no one could escape when the trap activated. The boxes that once lined it were now replaced with mechanical looking arms that grabbed and trapped anyone dumb enough to actually be there.

Knowing that she needs help she grabs the transmitter upon her belt, pressing the button she drops it right after. Being part Deviare the pain she felt was dull, it hurt but it wasn’t that bad. Had both her parents been Deviare in species she wouldn’t have hurt at all, but alas, that was not the case.

Soon a doctor and multiple Military Police (M.P) appear, the M.P having their rifles up and circling her.

“What happened?” one of the M.P asks as the doctor examines her wound.

“Explosion” she coughs out.

“We can see that.” The same M.P replies. “Was there anyone else?”

“Zulu.” She answers and spits blood into the M.P’s face as the doc moves the thing that pins her to the ground. “Down the hallway.”

“Right.” The M.P acknowledges “let’s move” he grabs 3 of the 6 M.P and moves down the hallway with them.

“I’m going to put you to sleep for a bit.” The doctor treating her says as he injects her with sleeping agents.

Waking up a few hours later, now in a hospitable bed, Delia finds that she is alone. Looking down to her stomach. “Another scar” she mutters to herself.

Sitting up and pressing the button that calls for a nurse she sighs at what just happened. No matter how much she does not want to admit it, Zulu saved her life. She now owed him. Though it could also be argued that she now owed the Zulu two lives instead of one, as when they first met the Zulu had let her live, but letting someone live and saving someone are two completely different things. The cuts she sustained that time were not really life threatening to her, maybe to the first humans it would be but not to the Deviare, Aeternus or Mermanus.

“Hello” Clarice says with a smile upon entering. No doctor or nurse in sight.

“So you’re my doctor?” Delia gives a light sigh of exhaustion upon seeing her.

“Only for you” she jokes taking the board that was at the end of the bed

“I’ll be eating hospital food for a week”

“At least you still have a stomach.” Taking the seat next to the bed “The wound penetrated and almost ripped it apart.”

“No doubt because they had to remove the thing that pinned me.”

Handing the board to Delia for her to look at “What actually happened?” Clarice asks

“There was an explosion,” she states whilst reading that she would be released in two days

“We know that,” Clarice responds, “What caused it.”

“You’re here because of the council aren’t you?”

“That’s not fair Del.”

“I know,” handing the board back to her, “But life isn’t fair”

“I see you every time you’re in here” keeping the board in her hands “just because I’m a council member and you are not does not mean I don’t worry about you.”

“Why are you on the Council Clare?” Delia asks a question she has asked a thousand times before. “You and I both know that it isn’t a real Council.”

“You know why, stop asking me that,” holding the board more tightly “when I’m in charge things will be different.”

“You’re still so naïve Clare,” smiling for a split second before losing it, “I hope that never changes”

“Things will be different” Clarice states more firmly then quietly mumbles “Then you can comeback.”

“I am not going to come back Clare, I’ve seen what The President has done…you’ve seen what The President has done.”

“Your Father Del.” Clarice corrects.

“Yes,” laying back down “My father.”

“What your father did was for the people.” Clarice continues “just look at how much better off they are, how much better off we are.”

“The ends do not justify the means Clare. Though we may be better off, what My Father did was and is not justifiable”

“When I’m in charge things will be different” Clarice states again. “Believe me” she pleads.

Breathing in and letting out a long breath. “Let’s not talk about this.” Delia suggest.

Relaxing her grip on the board. “What happened at the hallway?” Clarice asks again.

Letting a moment go past, Delia thinks upon her situation, what occurred and whether or not she should let Clarice go back empty handed. Knowing how her father thinks she inwardly curses.

“The Zulu, he opened the door that we couldn’t open”

“The Zulu opened it?” Clarice repeats

“Yes, he opened it.”

“Did he make the explosion?”

Thinking for a bit “I don’t know, I was sent flying before I saw him do anything” Replaying what she saw and what she felt in her mind a few times more. “He kicked me then stepped forward…no he stepped forward and kicked me at the same time, I think. Triggering an explosion at the same time saving my life.”

Clarice seeing that Delia could not exactly tell what occurred “Our cameras didn’t catch what happened either” tries to reassure her that her not knowing is fine.

“Why don’t you ask the Zulu?” accepting the fact that she doesn’t know what happened.

“We can’t” Clarice replies “No one has seen him since that time.”

Getting up “You mean he’s gone? Dead?”

Shrugging “We don’t know, when the M.P’s got there the door was shut, bits and pieces of body parts were found. But not enough for a complete body. He may have been vaporized? Are you sure the door actually opened?”

“You mean I no longer have to follow him?” she asks feeling slightly happy but somehow slightly annoyed “And yes the doors really opened. Why do you doubt me?”

Scrunching her eyebrows “Our cameras Del.” She pauses “Our cameras never show the door opening, it only sees you flying backwards, an explosion and the Zulu disappearing.”

“The doors really opened Clare!” Delia says a bit frantically “I know what I saw, I am not crazy!”

Placing the board back at the end of the bed “You're tired Del, get some rest.” She says leaving “I’ll come back later.”

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A/N

As Always, Thanks for reading, Hoped you liked it :P