The Red Phoenix 12: Strength Comes in Numbers (25 page)

“It’s Siddoway! He’s here in the facility with weapons and possibly a nuclear bomb!” Chris answered.

“Bloody Hell!” Reese bawled, his face disappearing as Chris continued up the passage.

Chris stopped at a corner of the access strip, catching his breath, panting as he peeked around and saw Siddoway running towards the elevators at the far end of the corridor.

“Attention all security personnel! Alex Siddoway is inside the main Red Phoenix facility and is a threat to all staff! He’s armed with a nuclear bomb and is threatening to blow up the building! If located, you are authorized to terminate on sight. I repeat, terminate Alex Siddoway on sight!”
Reese announced excitedly over the intercom system.

***

Sanders, Hauser and Steiner heard part of the staticky announcement over the intercom system in the multi-elevator vestibule.

“What was that? Something about a nuclear bomb?” asked Hauser.

“Hmm, let’s just get you topside and out of here, Hauser,” Sanders replied in an anxious tone, hurrying into the elevator with them.

“Did anyone catch the name attached to that announcement?” asked Steiner as the elevator ascended.

“I didn’t,” Hauser answered.

“Me neither,” Sanders added.

***

“Good grief, Alex, what the hell were you thinking?” Chris mumbled to himself, running towards the elevator depot.

Reese’s face appeared on another screen on the wall.

“Michaels? Do you have an updated location on Siddoway?” he asked, desperate.

“He was last seen getting into an elevator, Reese,” Chris replied, anxious to help, waiting for his doors to open.

“Stand by, we’ll see if we can shut him down,” Reese responded.

***

A control panel officer wearing a headset typed rapidly on his keyboard in the control room, while Reese and two other guards stood behind him.

“Bring up the systems for level minus eighty,” Reese ordered, watching the screens closely.

“Yes sir, doing it now,” the control officer answered, bringing up graphics, showing the elevator shaft systems titled
Level Minus Eighty
. “I’ve got one unit ascending, sir. It’s approaching level minus twenty.”

“There you are, you little bastard,” Reese muttered. “Bring up video and audio for that elevator unit, officer.”

“It’s coming online now, sir.”

***

In the elevator, Siddoway gripped his XD like he was ready to hurt someone, breathing heavily. Reese’ face appeared on a small screen on the wall.

“Siddoway, surrender,” Reese’s voice demanded over the intercom.

“Piss off!” Siddoway yelled back at him.

“Escape is impossible. I have a hundred armed professionals waiting to take you out,” Reese stated in a hard tone.

“We’ll see who takes out who, Reese,” Siddoway threatened.

“You will not leave this facility alive,” said Reese.

Siddoway glared at him.

“This is one game you will lose, sir. I promise you,” Reese warned. “Give yourself up. This is your last chance!”

Siddoway shot the screen, the camera mounted in the upper corner and intercom speaker; they vanished in a vaporish cloud.

***

Reese and his men were baffled at Siddoway’s boldness.

“Shut him down,” Reese ordered.

“Yes sir,” the control officer replied, typing.

The elevator graphics showed Siddoway’s elevator coming to a stop.

“He’s locked in, sir, on level minus one, sir,” said the officer.

“Excellent, I’ll drop a bomb on top of him myself if I have to,” said Reese.

***

Chris headed towards the main lobby in an elevator alone, gripping an XD.

“
Attention security personnel, the suspect is locked down in an elevator on level minus one. I want any available unit to respond to that elevator depot immediately
,” Reese ordered over the intercom.

“Good,” said Chris with a sigh. “Give it up, Siddoway, and just surrender.”

***

The announcement was broadcast clearly in Sander’s elevator.

“They got the nut case, whoever it is, cornered on the floor just below the main lobby,” said Sanders, sounding relieved. “That’s pretty close to where we’re going, Hauser. Are you okay if we continue because we can pull off on a lower level until they have the madman up there subdued?”

“If they have him pinned down, let’s keep moving, Sanders,” Hauser answered, noticing their elevator was passing level minus twenty-five. “I’d like to get the hell out of here, if possible.”

“Okay, we’ll continue to the surface then,” Sanders responded.

***

A huge crowd of officers in tactical gear, armed with automatic weapons, rushed down the corridor of level minus one.  The front row of guards knelt on one knee, holding their rifles towards the elevator vestibule. The second row stood, aiming their rifles, awaiting their next command.

***

Siddoway pounded on the elevator door, enraged.

“No!” he yelled, hitting the floor buttons frantically then ramming the elevator doors with the stock of his XD.

“You think you shut me down? Huh?” he said furiously, crazed, backing away from the doors, extending his hand. “Open it!”

Pink, green and purple lightning rods shot out of the pouch, striking the elevator doors, blowing them into pieces, scattering them onto the foyer of the multi-elevator floor.

The platoon of guards toughened their expressions as they held their positions, feeling scared of the explosive power Siddoway was packing with him.

“Siddoway! Drop the duffle bag and come out with your hands where we can see them!” the head guard commanded from the front row.

Siddoway peeked out of the elevator, noticing a mirrored reflection of the garrison of guards off the shiny tiles on the walls near the vestibule. The crowded corridor of officers waited to turn him into Swiss cheese around the corner.

“I’m going to count to three, Siddoway, then we’re coming in!” the head guard threatened.

“Well then, don’t stop on my account, my dear officers,” said Siddoway in a calm, threatening tone as more staticky, thin lightning electrified around his pouch. “Allow me to come to you!” he added, extending his hand.

Multiple rods of lightning shot out of the pouch and flew around the corner of the vestibule, assailing every officer in the first three rows, tossing them further down the corridor as though they were rag dolls. The defeated guards screamed as many of them were thrown against the walls, dropping their rifles; others piled on top of each other, unconscious.

“Protect me!” Siddoway cried as he ran out of the foyer, charging the remaining hordes of guards in the corridor that opened fire on him.

A shielding spherical electric current formed around him, blocking hundreds of rounds that deflected off the protective dome of staticky lightning currents.

Siddoway thrust his hands forward, continuing down the corridor, firing more lightning streaks at the guards, causing them to fall where they stood as others were thrown down the passage, hitting against walls harshly. Like in the parking lot with the federal agents, whoever tried to shoot him was dealt with harshly. He came upon a door that was titled
To the Main Lobby
and fired his lightning at it from his spherical electric shield, blowing it to pieces, forcing the chunks of metal door into the stairwell.

“No one holds me back,” he growled, running up the stairs.

***

Chris watched the floors ascend on the digital display to the main lobby in his elevator.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon,” he muttered, cursing the slow elevator.

“
Attention all personnel. The suspect is still on the loose inside the facility, armed and dangerous. Several officers are already down. He has some type of electrical weapon and nuclear bomb with him. If possible, evacuate the building and leave the premises. I repeat, evacuate the building and leave the premises!”
said Reese over the intercom.

“Damn it!” Chris yelled, hitting the wall of the elevator, feeling nervous.

Am I going to have to kill Siddoway today?
he wondered, knowing a confrontation was inevitable.

***

Sanders glanced at Hauser as the new announcement was made over the intercom.

“My God,” Hauser said, sounding worried. “There’s a real nut case running loose up there.”

“Whoever it is, he’s out of his freaking mind,” said Sanders.

“Any idea who it is?” asked Hauser.

“I don’t,” Sanders replied.

“They probably named the suspect during the first announcement,” Steiner added.

“The announcement that was choppy,” said Sanders. “I didn’t catch a word of it. How about you, Greenfield? Did you hear the name of the suspect?

“Negative, sir. I’m sorry,” Twelve replied.

“That’s okay,” said Sanders in a patient voice.

“So, there is really a lunatic running around upstairs with a live nuke?” asked Hauser.

“It seems that way,” Sanders answered.

“Good Lord,” said Hauser, scared.

“What do you want to do, sir?” asked Steiner in a concerned voice.

“What do you think? I want to get the hell away from this place ASAP,” Hauser responded, alarmed.

“We could keep on but I wouldn’t advise that,” Sanders cautioned.

“Actually, let’s get off the elevator immediately,” said Hauser, pushing the button for level minus five.

“Yes sir,” Steiner stated, gripping his briefcase.

“Are you okay, Greenfield?” asked Sanders.

“I’m fine, sir,” he answered as the elevator doors opened.

“Just follow me, guys!” said Sanders, leading them down a corridor.

Shelia, a lab assistant, and a group of staff members came out of an office space.

“Dr. Sanders! What the hell is going on? What do we do?” Sheila cried, scared to death.

“Get back in the office area, Sheila! A bomb may go off on level one!” Sanders replied as he and the others rushed down the corridor.

“Oh my God!” said Sheila, hurrying back into the office space, slamming the door.

***

On the main level, Chris came out of his elevator, his XD at the up and ready. He breathed heavily, pacing down the multi-elevator vestibule, hearing the hordes of people running through the main lobby, panicking. He came around the corner in the clearing, his muzzle trying to find the target, Alex Siddoway, through the crowds of employees in civilian attire and civilian uniforms.