The Eliminators | Volume 3
Page 17
“I just did.”
“Wait. What?” Rigs asked. “Why are you acting like she didn’t just wake up?”
“She didn’t.” Kasper said. “She’s been up for two days. You guys just don’t happen to be in here when she’s awake.” He shrugged. “And dudes, she has been waiting to be awake enough to blast you guys. But don’t feel bad, she yelled at me and I wasn’t even there.”
“Why did she yell at you?” Rigs asked.
“Because I was glad you made the call. Glad quick draw McGraw there …” he pointed to Yates. “Didn’t fire. She expected me to put her down afterward. I wouldn’t do it. Especially after seeing Yates’ cool plans for a new hand.”
“I’ve seen them, Rachel,” Barry said. “He’s a genius and if anyone can build you one, he can.”
“The bionic chick,” Kasper said. “It’ll be cool. Like secret double O Seven stuff.”
“Don’t one of you care that I am mad I didn’t die?” Rachel asked.
No one responded.
Raschel grumbled and laid back.
“Dude,” Kasper approached the bed. “You need to get out of the mood, snap back to the Rach we all know and get on your feet. We have work.” He pulled the wheeled food tray closer and put the laptop on it. “Check this out.”
“What is it?” Rigs asked.
“From Morrows,” Kasper explained. “We were in a meeting with the Prez and her.”
“Her?” Rigs questioned. “Who is her?”
“It,” Kasper replied.
“Well,” Yates cleared his throat as he huddled around the laptop. “That clears it up.”
Rachel asked. “Did you say anything yet, Kasper?”
“Barry said not to.”
Rigs shook his head. “What are you guys talking about?”
“I’ll tell you later, this is more important. You guys are gonna freak.” Kasper pulled up a video program. “Dudes, check this out.”
The black and white video played, it was of Dr. Stevens lab, and it showed Stevens being attacked,
“That’s Milton,” Kasper said and paused the video.
“Milton?” Rigs asked. “You knew this man?”
“He’s name isn’t Milton, I called him that,” Kasper said. “He was in room three. Locked and chained in room three.”
“How did he get out?” Rachel asked.
“Watch.” Kasper switched surveillance camera views, showing Milton thrashing in chains. A shadow cast in the room, and Milton calmed down. Soon a man walked into the room and to Milton undoing the chains.
“Stop.” Yates said. “Stop. Is that ….”
Kasper paused it. “Yep. Fred. He let them all go.”
“What the hell?” Rigs said shocked.
“Language.”
“Is he insane?” Rigs questioned. “Seriously.”
Kasper smiled. “Look at this.” Another black and white video played. Fred stood before a vending machine. “Keep watching.” He didn’t move for at least four minutes, Kasper had to speed up the play to get to the point where Fred began banging his head on the machine, then kicking.
“He lost his mind,” Yates commented.
“Nope,” Kasper replied. “Wait for it … wait for it.” Fred turned from the vending machine and Kasper froze the frame.
Rachel gasped. “He turned.”
“Not only did he turn,” Barry said. “I mean, Kasper’s eyes never went clouded. You can see they are. So he turned all the way and kept his wits about him.”
Yates scoffed. “I don’t know if you would classify an undead Fred …” he paused to snicker. “Banging his head against a soda machine as keeping his wits.”
“He kept his senses,” Rigs stated, “But lost his mind. Like he went mad for sure.”
“He went diabolical, dude,” Kasper replied. “This was the start. From here he let them go. But … he had to know he was gonna do it before he turned because he never went back into Stevens’ lab for the keys. So I think he knew he was turning and losing his mind before that happened. But the best part. Command got the call about the breach on the bridge on April twenty-second, at five fifty-seven in the morning. Check out the time stamp on this.” He pointed.
Rigs leaned in. “April twenty-first, nine PM?”
“He was with me,” Barry said. “A few hours before that and was fine. It happened fast.”
Rigs folded his arms. “Does Morrows think there is a correlation between him at the lab and the hoard on the bridge.” He saw Kasper grin, “Oh, don’t tell me.”
Kasper again, switched views. “Only camera angle we have.” It was a shot outside the Asymptomatic facility. Fred was entering with three undead. “Just after ten. We don’t know how he got there, but he turned them all and gathered the ones roaming the area.”
“And then …” Barry touched the screen. “After they wreaked their havoc, they made a pretty impressive hoard exodus.”
“This camera is from the bakery,” Kasper explained. “Just before the northern barricade at town. They went straight through. They all just left. With the exception of a few stragglers, threat is gone.”
“He not only led them,” Barry said. “It’s almost as if he has some sort of control or communication with them.”
Rachel saw the hoard all moving on the screen out of town. “Oh, I feel bad. I feel really bad. I liked Fred. Now he’s some sort of super zombie villain.”
“None of this makes sense,” Rigs said. “None. I mean, why cause that much disruption and then just leave?”
“Fuck!” Yates blasted and stood.
Rigs did a double take and turned to Barry. “What? No telling him about language?”
“Fuck!”
“Again …” Rigs held out his hand. “Wanna swear some more?”
“Fuck,” Yates repeated. “I told them. I told them about this. But no, they thought I was being a Prima Donna or a dick.”
“What are you talking about?” Rigs asked.
“Kasper back that up,” Yates instructed.
Kasper did.
Yates reached down, hit the space bar and paused the video. Using his thumb and forefinger, he enlarged the image on the screen. “There.” He pointed. “Right there. That’s why.”
“Oh my God,” Rachel said in shock.
“Yeah, um … if there was a doubt in anyone’s mind,” Yates said. “That Fred knew what he was doing or not, it is all cleared up with that single image. It wasn’t just Fred leading them out of town …”
Rigs finished the sentence. “It was Fred in one of the EPEVs.”
Yates nodded. “He stole an EPEV.”
“And that,” Kasper closed the lid to the laptop. “Lady and Gentleman is our next mission. I suggest you start to heal Rach, and you get on that prosthetic, Yates. Our next mission is …” he snorted. “At hand.”
Rachel shook her head. “That was good.”
“We have to get not only that EPEV,” Kasper said. “But Super zombie Villain Fred as well. Levine thinks there might be something in his blood.”
“You know if there are more like you,” Rachel told him. “There are more like Fred.”
“Well, that just changed everything,” Yates stated. “Did it?”
“When do we go?” Rigs asked.
Barry answered, “As soon as Rachel feels up for it. I think Yates should make adjustments to the EPEV that the others didn’t. And Fred, dismantled the tracking. So it’s a wild goose chase.”
Nodding his understanding, Rigs faced Rachel. “Are you up for this? I know you’re really pissed at me.”
“Anger and sadness aren’t worth holding on to,” Rachel replied. “I’m up and ready. I want to do this. It’s a new focus … and the ante has been upped so I’m pretty sure another chance to die will present itself.”
Rigs grumbled then asked Kasper to open the laptop and show him the footage again. Rigs wanted to watch and learn everything he could. He wasn’t sure what he’d learn, but something had to be there. Even if he had to go back
another day.
Without a doubt, there was something not only sinister, but different about Fred. He not only very well could be the key to ending the virus and saving humanity, he could be the key to ending humanity as they knew it.
They had to find him and the missing EPEV. Both were dangerous beyond belief.
Rigs wasn’t worried. Not in the least.
They were the Flaming Saffrons … Eliminators and a family.
Together, they could take on and beat anything.
And they would.
<><><><>
ELIMINATORS Volume 4 Available WINTER 2021
NOTE FROM AUTHOR
About this point in the series, there’s very little I can say or add that I haven’t already EXCEPT …. I do want to thank Minerva Dairy for use of their cow and graciously going out and measuring it so I was accurate
For your listening pleasure …
ELIMINATOR PRIDE
THE FLAMING SAFFRONS
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