The sound of the rumbling echoed all around the hallways. It seemed like an eternity even though it had only been a few seconds. Veronica looked around a bit before fixing her gaze on Alexandria. “I am guessing that is your crew arriving unless the walled city decided to destroy some buildings today with explosives.” She regained her balance as the door to the lab opened sliding up into the wall.

A slender woman with purple framed glasses and a long white lab coat walked out. She stopped for a moment, blinking at Alexandria and Veronica, a little shocked at the sudden rumbling. Recognizing Veronica she folded her arms with a look of concern on her face. “How did you get out of your cell Veronica? They are not going to go easy on you this time.”

Alexandria wrinkled her nose looking at Veronica then at the woman. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed but all the guards are dead. My pirate crew has taken over this facility.” She hoped that would clear things up but it could also send the woman into shock. That would make things a lot harder for everyone involved.

She ignored Alexandria and just kept her eyes on Veronica. “What the hell is going on? No one just takes over a facility.” Her body started to shake a bit as she moved her arms to hold herself steady.

Veronica blew a piece of hair out of her face putting her hands on the woman’s shoulders. “It is all true. We just came from killing the guards in their quarters. I suggested we come here to ask for your help.” She kept her hands on the woman’s shoulders just in case something happened like she fainted.

The silence in the hallway became heavy and the woman’s expression started to change. If everything she was just told was true then that meant she was a prisoner now. Her head started to shake and she tried to back into the lab to shut the door.

Veronica picked up the woman a bit and walked her into the lab. Alexandria followed close behind hitting the button on the side to shut the door behind them. This was going to be harder than they previously thought.

“You need to talk some sense into her. If we don’t do something soon we may have trouble from the city coming down to meet us. That barricade won’t hold forever.” Alexandria walked around the lab looking at anything and everything. She wanted to find something herself since the woman in charge of this place was in no condition to help anyone.

A swift slap from Veronica caught the woman in the face. She hoped that was going to be enough to bring her sanity back. “Snap out of it there is nothing you could’ve done to stop any of this.” Veronica raised her hand ready for another slap stopping short of the woman’s face.

“Yes you are right. What do you need my help with?” She wasn’t going to try and stand against this. If the only way out was to work with them, that is what she was going to do. She stepped back away from Veronica looking for Alexandria. “My name is Claire. What are you tearing up my lab looking for?”

There were papers and other things all over the floor as Alexandria stopped what she was doing to look at Claire. “I have a dead man on ice in one of my ships. He seemed to be completely immune to the virus. I wanted to figure out how that is possible and I needed a lab in order to do that.” She was glad to see Claire was back to normal but wasn’t quite sure she would be of any help.

Claire adjusted her glasses on her nose thinking for a moment. The implications of that were huge since she didn’t know any male able to withstand being outside in open air without a mask, vaccine, or special suit. “I would have to examine the body to tell you for sure. I am guessing you don’t have it here with you?”

Alexandria let out an exasperated sigh pinching her nose. “Oh course I don’t have the body here. All I need to know is can you do it and will you help?” The rumbling above them was still present but it wasn’t as jarring as the first one.

There was a silence in the room for a moment. This was an important decision because it meant that she would never be able to go back to a walled city ever again. Consorting with anyone outside of a walled city meant banishment or death depending on the offense.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice now does it. I will help Veronica. I do not know who you are yet. What was that noise above?" Claire fixed her glasses for a second time looking at Veronica for an answer.

Veronica looked at Alexandria just for clarification. Of course she was going to answer anyway but if Alexandria's offer still stood so far she was going to accept it. "Alexandria's crew is most likely off the coast bombarding the walled city above with cannon fire. She plans on taking the city and giving this facility to the ability users that can't leave to the outside."

Alexandria wrinkled her nose looking Claire up and down for a moment. She seemed to be someone who knew what she was talking about. However Alexandria did not like being looked down on. "I will concede for the moment but next time I ask you a question, answer me regardless of if we know each other or not."

Claire gave Alexandria a nod and turned to Veronica. "I have heard rumors that a permanent vaccine was being created so that males could go outside. I have heard no reports that such a vaccine has worked." She thought for a moment thinking back if passed tests and the side effects from older vaccines on males.

"I can figure out how they did it but the only way to replicate it is with the formula that the original scientist used. If you can get your hands on that then I can do even more." Claire kept her eye contact with Veronica Lansing at Alexandria every now and then just to remind herself there was more than one person in the room.

Alexandria was happy to receive answers but the attitude Claire was exhibiting was starting to piss her off. She needed to keep her cool though this wasn't the time to look like a sociopath and kill Veronica's friend if that's what Veronica saw her as. "Once the city is raised and the facility is secure, will you need this area here to be able to do your work or could we move the lab to my island and you can do your research there?"

Claire took in a deep breath, closing her eyes thinking about the proposal. This Alexandria woman seemed like she commanded great respect and if this was only the first time that Veronica had met her then there must be something about her. Veronica didn't just make friends with people hours after meeting them. It took Clara a long time to gain Veronica's trust. If this Alexandria person already had it then it might be something to look into. "We will work together for now. I will help Veronica with whatever is needed." Another crash was heard above; it sounded like a structure had fallen.

The guard stationed at the barricade when that last loud crash was heard down for a moment just to make sure nothing came down on their heads. When they looked back up they were walled city guards that they could see clearly trying to take down the barricade. One of the ability users picked up their rifle and looked down the scope once they had a clear shot they fired. They weren't very good with the rifles so the guard was just hitting the shoulder but thrown back by the impact. The other guards pulled the wound in one back up the elevator at the end of the hall shouting some orders into a radio.

The ability user that didn't fire the shot took off for the lab. Quality guards coming down the elevator meant that they were trying to hide in the facility. Either that or they were trying to gain reinforcements. Now they knew one of two things: The guards had turned or the ability users had taken over.

Claire moved to her station tapping into the security systems for the facility. After doing a sweep of all the cameras she was able to confirm what Veronica and Alexandria had said. All the guards in the facility were dead and no one was left. She was about to speak but a knock interrupted her.

Veronica went to the door and opened it and found an ability to use her panting their hands on their knees looking down. "What is it? Why are you out of breath?"

"The walled city guards tried to come in through the elevator. My partner on watch wounded one of the guards and they went back up the elevator. The last thing we saw was them talking into a radio before the doors closed." The ability user took a breath and leaned up against the wall to rest.

Alexandria was not happy about that news. Of course it didn't mean the fight was about to happen. "Claire, if you could stay here and keep working, Veronica and I are going to go to the elevator. Help us out and you can have whatever you want that's within my power to give"

Veronica and Alexandria left before Claire could answer. She's out there at her station working through a few things just thinking about what had been said in her lab. Perhaps she could give this a chance as long as she got whatever she wanted.

The ability usually that came to warn them about what had happened at the barricade remained at the lab as a guard for the door. Even though it could be locked from the inside it didn't know if there were any override codes and Claire needed to be kept safe at least for now.

They made it to the barricade The ability user with the rifle was still sitting in a cross position watching the elevator. Alexandria walked up tapping her on the shoulder. "Has there been any movement, any sound, anything since you fired that shot and wounded one of the guards?"

The ability user shook her head. She turned back around to look down the scope when the elevator door opened, gunfire preceded through the door. The three of them ducked getting behind the barricades as they were peppered with gunfire.

Veronica looked around for a second and shrugged her shoulders looking at Alexandria. "Why the hell am I ducking? I'm invulnerable to this shit." She stood up hopping over the barricade and moving towards the elevator door.

Gunfire bounced off of her like she was made of bulletproof rubber. She smiled leaning down from a moment getting into a runner's stance and taking off for the elevator.

The guards inside the elevator were operating a stationary machine gun and it wasn't until Veronica's head popped in the view inches from the barrel that they even noticed she was there. She smiled, grabbing the barrel and bending it up, pointing it back at them.

"I know this won’t be able to fire now but what are you doing with this? No one told you I was down here." She balled up her right fist and brought it down into the weapon breaking it in half like a child would snap a stick.

The guards just stood there horrified as Veronica moved forward, uppercutting one of them hitting them in the chin so hard that their spine cracked in the back and their head went limp and the body just fell to the floor. The remaining guard stood there shaking not knowing what to do.

"I said I wasn't going to do this but since you're not from the facility and I'm in a generous mood go back up there and tell them to send better." The guard knotted out of fear as Veronica pulled the wreckage of the gun out of the elevator, throwing it behind her. She stepped fully out pressing the button to send the elevator back up.

It was the walled city's turn. How they would respond to Veronica's gesture?