“Hernandez!” A familiar voice barked through Olivia’s sleep-induced haze.
Olivia opened her eyes and struggled to comprehend her surroundings. She did know the loud voice of her commanding officer.
“What’s going on, Kyle?”
Kyle had a stunned look on his face. “Do you know where you are, Hernandez?” He took a seat opposite her as he spoke.
Olivia looked at Kyle and then looked about her. The dull grayness brought everything back in all its bleakness.
“I’m being held in isolation.”
“And do you know why?”
“Not completely.”
“Give it a shot.”
“I was awoken this morning to an alert. All I received was an address. I was unable to contact anyone at central headquarters so I proceeded to the address. I arrived at the central breeding and development center, but when I identified myself there was no answer. I entered using my override code and once inside I saw a woman. I followed her, but she went through a door that I couldn’t open. I looked around and discovered a dead young boy approximately three years old.
“Is there anyone who can verify any of this Hernandez?”
“I spoke with Reginald Cleveland.”
“He denies the presence of a dead child and that any emergency alert was sent. He is upset about your presence at the facility without cause.”
“Then he’s lying.”
“Why would he lie?”
“Why would I lie?”
“You disobeyed a direct order. That looks suspicious.”
“I had my reasons.”
“Which were?”
“I didn’t know who I could trust. I was confused. I was scared. The whole thing made no sense. I needed some time to think.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
Kyle pushed back his chair and stood to his feet. Just at that moment the power went out and he and Olivia were plunged into complete darkness. Olivia didn’t know why, but she knew this was her opportunity. She stood up and pushed the table in the direction of where Kyle had been standing.
“Hey!” Kyle was stunned as the desk knocked him to the floor.
Olivia wasted no time taking advantage of her opportunity. She had to get free and this was her chance. As she approached the door it opened. She didn’t know why and she didn’t care. She rushed out the door and into the corridor down which she had been brought.
“Don’t do this, Olivia!” Kyle shouted behind her.
Olivia felt as though she was being directed by a force outside of herself. She was not the kind of person who believed in a higher being, but something about this was giving her pause for thought. She kept moving and always it seemed in the right direction. Every door she approached opened at just the right time. Her heart was beating so loudly it made her ears hurt. This was it for her. She could never go back. She was making a clean break with everything that meant security and risking it all. She still didn’t even know what she was risking it all for.
“Ouch!” She yelled as she bumped into something and fell to the floor.
“What was that?” A rattled voice asked.
“Who knows?” Another more agitated voice responded.
Olivia nursed her pain and wondered what to do next. She had made it this far, but what had that accomplished? She was still inside and had no idea how to get out. Then the lights began to come back on. Not all the lights, but just enough to be able to see around. Olivia quickly hid herself behind a table. She was in the main control facility and her presence would definitely raise an alarm...
“Attention. Attention. All personnel must evacuate the building immediately.”
The announcement blared throughout the building. Olivia waited to see what the others in the room would do before making a move.
“I guess that means us.” One of the operators said with a sigh.
“Do you think this is a test?” The other operator wondered.
“Does it matter?” The first replied.
They looked at each other, got up and left the room. Olivia was alone, but she knew she had to do something. Suddenly she realized that she was still in her uniform. She stood to her feet and looked around. She looked at her uniform and decided she would do the completely unexpected. She was going to just walk right out of the facility and somehow she knew it would work.
“Thank you.” Olivia whispered to whomever and whatever was enabling her to make her escape.
She adopted as uninterested an attitude as possible and began walking toward the main entrance. She continued to move until she spotted a group of people and sped up to match the group. She moved in step and within moments she was outside. She decided not to stop, but keep moving.
“Where are you going?”
She moved her head slightly to see who was talking. Suddenly Kyle’s face appeared in the background.
“Stop her!” Kyle called out.
Olivia didn’t wait. She took off running. She heard footsteps behind her, but now she didn’t dare look back. She saw a park ahead of her and hoped to lose them within. She took too long a step, slipped on something, and went tumbling onto the cement. She avoided hitting her head, but her arm and shoulder hit hard. She scrambled to her feet and looked straight into the eyes of a young agent. His blue eyes were wide open and he looked very scared.
“Why are you running?” The agent asked.
“Because you’re chasing me.”
He smiled quickly, but then continued, “You were told to stop by your superior officer. Why didn’t you stop?”
Olivia wanted to work with this young guy, but she hadn’t the time. Kyle was coming and he didn’t look pleased.
“I’ll tell you why.”
“Well.”
“I can’t tell you.” Olivia said quickly as she pushed the young man to the cement and took off running.
Olivia reached the park entrance and rushed inside. Her arm and shoulder were aching horribly, but she pressed on anyway. She found a grove of trees and dove inside. She didn’t have a plan, but she needed to get out of sight. She watched the young man rush by and then Kyle and his companions. This time she assumed they would kill her without a thought. She could not be caught if she wanted to live. She was just about to venture out when she heard her pursuers returning.
“Maybe she went into these trees.” A voice said.
“Check it out.” Kyle ordered.
Olivia was frozen. She was sure to be caught and she had stupidly given herself no way out. Was this how her life was going to end? Had everything in her life come to this one point for nothing? Olivia bowed her head and waited for the inevitable.
“What’s that?” A voice called out.
Gunfire began to rain down from the sky. Olivia dove to the ground in fear and she listened to the screams of those who had been chasing her. She didn’t want them to catch her, but she also didn’t want them to die. Tears streamed down her face as the agonizing screams of the men filled her ears.
“Stop it!” She yelled in frustration.
“Olivia, you can come out now.” A voice she knew called to her.
“Who are you?” She called back.
“Olivia, its Philip.”
Philip? Philip had been the source of all that carnage. How could that be? Philip was a peaceful man or at least she had thought so. How could she be so wrong about something so important?
“We need to go, Olivia.”
Olivia shook her head, stood to her feet, and made her way into the open. Philip was seated on an air transport cycle, but all around her on the ground was death.
“Come on, Olivia.” Philip demanded. “We have to go now.”
“You did all this, Philip?”
“It had to be done.”
“Why?”
“I’ll tell you when we get to a safe place.”
“I can’t go with you, Philip.”
“If you don’t go with me then you are dead.”
“How do you know?”
“That information you gave me changes everything.”
“I don’t understand.”
“We need to go now.”
Olivia decided that she had no other options anyway so she jumped on the back of the transport and Philip surged up into the air. They traveled away from the city for a long time. Finally Philip set down near a large industrial building. He got off, walked up to a blank wall, pressed his hand on it and part of the wall lifted to reveal a garage facility. He got back on the air transport and guided it carefully inside. Once in, the wall returned to its previous state. They both got off the transport and only then did Olivia accost Philip again about the bloodbath.
“How could you kill all those people, Philip?”
“There was no other way. They were going to kill you.”
“I’m worth all of them?”
“I believe you are, Olivia.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a sense I have.”
Olivia understood, but decided not to share her experience. She was still coming to terms with another reality and still trying to deal with the fact that many people she used to call friends and colleagues had been gunned down by the man into whose hands she was placing her safety.
“What was in that information from the boy, Philip?”
“I’ll have to show you. Follow me.”