The Z Directive (Book 2): Mutation

by Thompson, Chris

  “Ty, I’m going into the vault. Whatever you’re putting together, get it together quickly!” Jack barked as he passed over the threshold - but left the door completely open. He had a plan, albeit not necessarily a good one.

  The area beyond the vault was lit by very harsh fluorescent lights, and despite their increasing flickering into the off state, he was able to read one word clearly painted on the floor in the same violet color as the stripe on the wall: quarantine. There wasn’t, however, any blood or signs of battle here, so he hoped that meant there weren’t any hiding infected. Passing by the glass cells, each interior separated from the next by a metal wall, he saw a bed, a toilet and a sink, with a box in each glass sliding door on the front of the cell that was presumably to allow food to be delivered. Momentarily, he was reminded of a far, far darker room with cells much, much smaller that he’d spent some months in. Another muffled howl behind him drew Jack away from those thoughts as he continued forward into the laboratory at the end of the quarantine cells. The doors slid apart and he crossed over the threshold, a sterile smell flooding his nose. Looking back, he saw the boney had come around the vault door. It lingered there for a moment, as though considering whether it should continue the chase. Jack helped it make the decision by firing at it, launching a volley that hit the beast in the chest, neck and head, but again without any significant damage. It started towards him again, stomping so heavily into the quarantine chamber it cracked the metal floor plates in the process. Jack tried to tune out the flurry of instructions being passed from Emma to Tyrone and Smith, needing his full concentration to survive the next few moments.

  Retreating into the quarantine lab, Jack realized there was no other way out. Escaping required him to get around the boney and back through the vault door. That had been part of his plan, of course, but it didn’t help him to feel any better. He looked behind him. There was a long, waist high, thick metal work table adorned with various pieces of equipment, and another just like it several feet beyond it. There was more work space around the periphery of the room, with various computers and pieces of equipment here and there. Other than some stools for scientists to sit on at the work table, he could see nothing that might be used to help him hold back the creature that was now halfway to the lab door. Jack retreated behind the second work table as the automatic glass doors slid to a close - but only for a moment. The beast was there within a few seconds and it attempted to pass through them before they opened. Its way partially blocked, it roared furiously and slammed forward with its right claw, shattering the glass. The metal frame - still sliding closed - caught its arm for a moment, but it easily ripped it away, breaking the metal with its powerful musculature. Jack immediately started to fire. He knew his shots weren’t likely to penetrate some weak point he’d failed to find earlier, but he wanted to keep it focused on him.

  “Jack, we’ve nearly got something here, we just need another minute or two!” Tyrone reported.

  Jack said nothing, focusing his shots as best he could on a single point with the vague idea he might weaken the bone enough to allow a shot to pass through, but so far he had yet to be successful. The beast crossed the glass threshold into the laboratory, raising its claw hands overhead before swiping down, cleaving into the work table before ripping outwards to the side. The heavy metal was ripped apart and forced away, creating an avenue for it to cross. Jack ground his teeth and continued firing, but the beast was drawing ever closer. He glanced quickly to the left and right for anything he might use, but saw nothing. Glancing behind again, he saw a closed glass cabinet with various bottles inside - and then one he recognized. Turning, Jack shot out the lower section of the cabinet, causing the glass to shatter and cascade downwards. Reaching inside, he retrieved a bottle labelled hydrochloric acid, turned and flung it at the face of the boney. The bottle shattered on contact and its skin began to hiss and fizz, the corrosive chemical burning the undead flesh with a speed Jack hadn’t expected. The reaction seemed to be accelerated, perhaps because of some component of the virus that reanimated it, but the why was unimportant. He had done some noticeable damage to the creature, but it was still coming, nearing the second workbench. Jack focused his fire on the corroding head of the beast, hoping there would now be a way to punch through its hardened bones, but those hopes were quickly dashed. Jack backed up against the counter behind him, but even as he moved the beast swiped out with its left claw, destroying the second work table and forcing Jack to duck down and fling himself to the floor on the right under the swing. He scrambled to his feet and moved - seconds before a follow up attack from the right claw slammed into the floor where he’d been prone. Jack fired until his weapon clicked empty and then let it fall from his hands. There was no point reloading or drawing his sidearm; the beast was unkillable by conventional means, and he needed to focus on dodging its attacks until Tyrone and Smith came through with their end of the plan. The monster swiped at him again, forcing Jack to retreat almost entirely into the corner of the room. It stalked forward, going around the remains of the second workbench and was preparing to swipe again, the terrible, muffled roar reverberating from within its chest.

  “Jack, we’re on the way!” Tyrone announced.

  “It’s about time!” Jack returned, dodging under another claw swipe, before running towards the exit of the room. The boney was faster than he anticipated, however, and viciously swiped down at him with its claws. Jack, breathing hard, was barely able to dodge before he would’ve been skewered. Now the thing was so close to him he was almost out of room to manoeuvre. It ripped the claws free from the floor, where they had again become embedded, and prepared to strike again, giving him a mere second to lurch forward and put a little distance between himself and the monster. He’d just about reached the corner of the first destroyed worktable when it came for him again. With no way to know where the attack was coming from, Jack simply poured his energy into a mad dash, darting through the now glassless door and charging out into the quarantine cell corridor. He continued to run, and was relieved to see Tyrone appear ahead of him through the open vault door. In each hand he held a large glass bottle with a clear liquid inside. Jack looked at his friend, then the container.

  “It’s real nasty shit, get clear!” Tyrone announced. Behind him, Smith could be heard firing her weapon, likely gunning down the pursuing infected Jack had seen earlier. Jack ran past Tyrone, and when he turned around, Jack saw the hulking beast was already at the far end of the quarantine cell corridor. Tyrone flung the bottle in his right hand first, an expert throw that shattered the container and splashed the liquid mostly on the creature’s lower section. He hurled the other container almost immediately, the second glass breaking on its upper mass with both liquids causing an immediate reaction. The corrosive liquid had soaked through the creature’s remaining clothing and was disintegrating the flesh underneath - visibly so where the material had split to accommodate the bulging muscles.

  “Close the door!” Jack yelled, and with Tyrone’s help, they forcibly pushed what remained of the heavy metal vault door back in place. Jack saw the keycard access beside it, retrieved the violet keycard and swiped it through, locking it.

  Tyrone and Jack retreated, the latter reloading his weapon before they assisted Smith in gunning down the remaining infected. On the other side of the vault door they could hear the creature’s muffled howls, but they didn’t hear much in the way of heavy movement. It appeared to have slowed down, and by the time they had terminated the infected in the hallway, all sound of movement had stopped altogether.

  Breathing raggedly, Jack lowered his weapon and sighed deeply as he realized they may have stopped the abomination.

  “Good job,” Jack told his team.

  “Are you okay?” Tyrone asked him.

  “Yeah, a little winded, but I’m fine.”

  Tyrone looked at him with a mixture of concern and a hint of something else... Perhaps guilt? Jack didn’t know why, but he ignored it for the moment.

&n
bsp; “Jack the elevator is on the way up,” Ridgewell announced over the radio. “Orders?”

  “If the occupants are alive, detain them for questioning. If they’re dead, put’em down,” Jack returned. “We’re on our way back up too.”

  Chapter Seven

  BY THE TIME THE SECOND elevator had taken Jack, Smith and Tyrone back up to the first sub-level, Ridgewell had reported that they’d detained the two occupants of the first elevator. It was a pair of scientists who had completely surrendered once they’d come across the trio waiting for them above. Bridges had escorted them into the security room, and when Jack went inside he saw the sofa was starting to get a little full.

  “Names,” Jack demanded. One of the scientists was a woman; short dark hair that cut off just above her shoulders, red rimmed, blue eyes streaked with mascara where she’d been crying. The other was a man who was bald and wore a pair of frameless glasses. He looked equally shaken up but didn’t appear to have shed any tears.

  “Maria Tyrell,” the woman announced.

  “Alex Lan,” the man stated.

  “Thank you for helping us,” Maria told them.

  “What were you working on down there?” Jack demanded.

  Tyrone shut the door after he and Smith entered the room.

  “Uh, well, have you received clearance from—” Alex started.

  “Alex, they saved our lives, and if they’re here that obviously means they’re authorized!” Maria hissed.

  “Right... Right,” Alex said, nodding. “So, as you probably know, the Z-A One strain has been proving resistant to efforts to control the target population that are infected by it. We were attempting to develop a cure of sorts - a virus that aggressively attacks the Z-A One strain and neutralizes it. This would kill the infected and might serve as a method of controlling the outbreak.”

  This seemed like promising news to Jack as, if it was successful, they might be able to use this research to end the infected outbreak once and for all.

  “Unfortunately, it was a complete waste of time,” Maria announced, putting paid to the hope in Jack’s heart that had flickered there for a few seconds.

  “The Z-A One strain from Genetic Material X has proven resistant to all forms of biological countermeasures as it is capable of evolving rapidly to counteract all efforts to stop it. It’s as though it has a mind of its own - and then there are the mutations in the infected themselves.”

  “The mutations are something we couldn’t have begun to imagine. I mean, there’s nothing in the research on the original test subjects that they underwent any kind of genetic mutation,” Maria announced, and the phrasing of her statement caught Jack by surprise.

  “Original test subjects?”

  “Yes,” Maria started, looking at him as though he were an idiot. “They didn’t include that in your briefing packet?”

  “What did you say your clearance level was again?” Alex questioned.

  “We’re from the military,” Jack declared, as it seemed they would be unable to continue the ruse that they were part of Bolvinox’s security team.

  “Of course, but what’s your... oh. Oh!” Mary started, looking frantically at Alex, who shot her a deathly look.

  “What have you done?” he exclaimed. “Now they’ll kill us!”

  “No, we didn’t... No, we didn’t tell them anything they couldn’t have already gotten from...” Mary countered, trailing off then looking at Emma. “Oh my God, it’s her!”

  Alex looked at her, recognition fluttering across his features.

  “Emma Reed? You’re the one who released the virus!”

  “What?” Emma questioned, her eyes widening in surprise. “I sure as hell didn’t!”

  “She released the virus at the Whiteshield facility in Bluefields!” Mary practically yelled.

  It was news to Jack that the facility was called Whiteshield, and looking at Emma, he read she appeared bewildered by the allegation. Being suspicious by nature, or rather, because of the betrayal and imprisonment he’d endured, he fleetingly wondered if she could have been lying. However, after what she went through to bring the information she stole to the right authorities, it was a suspicion he easily and immediately dismissed.

  “I didn’t do anything of the sort!” Emma yelled angrily in her defence. “There was someone else, someone who remotely got into the system and released their test subjects.”

  “That’s not what we were told.”

  “Then you were lied to!” Emma snapped back.

  “Everyone, just calm down,” Jack declared. His voice low but his tone laden with authority. “Tell us about—”

  “No, we can’t tell you anything,” Maria cut him off. “We know what happens to people who talk about company business.”

  “Then you’ve got something of a problem,” Tyrone announced, moving towards them menacingly from the doorway. “You see, Jack’s a good guy. He won’t put you in harm’s way - he won’t leave you behind when our mission is complete. Unfortunately, I’m not a good guy. You know how they used to use canaries in the mines way back when? They’d put the birds in little cages to check the carbon dioxide levels. If the bird died, then they knew the air was bad. I’m thinking we could use a canary to go out the door first when we head down to the lower floors - three and beyond.”

  “You mean—” Alex started.

  “You wouldn’t!” Maria exclaimed over him.

  “Like I said, Jack wouldn’t,” Tyrone declared, his voice a low growl. Jack wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he’d carry out his threat. If he wasn’t sure, then he could only imagine what the two scientists were thinking.

  “You...” Maria started, but Alex put his hand on her shoulder.

  “They wouldn’t,” he reassured her, but she didn’t seem convinced.

  “You’ll have to protect us - and our families,” she added quickly. “If you protect us then we can tell you what you want to know, not that it’ll be as much as you’re hoping for I reckon.”

  “Maria you can’t!” Alex said, his grip on her shoulder getting visibly tighter.

  “They helped me,” Jeff started, “I’m sure they’ll be able—”

  “Shut the hell up, rent-a-cop!” Alex snapped, rounding on him. “How long have you even been here? I’ve never—”

  “Okay, everyone!” Jack snapped, stepping forward and removing Alex’s hand from Maria’s shoulder. Alex didn’t look at all happy, but looking at the weapons on the soldiers around him, he realized he didn’t have much in the way of choice.

  “You’ve killed us,” Alex declared. “You’ve killed us both.”

  “It’s not as though you were in a better position when we found you,” Jack told him acidly before looking at Maria. “What were you saying about the original test subjects?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know much. There were some notes regarding the original experiment before the Genetic Material X experiment that produced the Z-A One strain.”

  “And what was that?”

  “It’s the strain developed from the material recovered on the hull of the United Space Project’s Whiskey Two spaceplane,” Maria responded. She regarded their blank looks for several moments then shook her head. “How much do you actually know about the origins of the virus?”

  “Tell us everything you know, from the beginning,” Jack instructed. Maria looked at Alex, who shot her a withering look, then refocused on Jack and began to speak.

  “There was another research project about ten years ago. When the Whiskey Two spaceplane returned they discovered a small amount of an unknown genetic material on the hull, seemingly acquired during its time orbiting the Earth.”

  “Genetic Material X?” Jack asked.

  “Uh, well, yes and no.”

  “Genetic Material X and the original material have ninety nine percent of the same DNA within the nucleoid, but the one percent difference seems significant. At first we thought it was a good thing: Genetic Material X had the same regenerative properties of t
he original material, which we only know by its codename: ‘Ambrosia’, but it could be propagated in the lab. The difference between them only became apparent when it was injected into living test subjects,” Alex explained, talking quickly, having apparently decided to cooperate. “There was an unexpected reaction that caused death then reanimation, as opposed to Ambrosia which was able to keep the subject alive and grant them extensive regenerative abilities.”

  “As I said, we were able to propagate Genetic Material X and create a near unlimited supply of it - something that wasn’t possible with Ambrosia,” Maria added. “So we were hoping we’d be able to work out the problems with the Z-A One strain. Unfortunately, she leaked the virus and started all that stuff going on in the world now.”

  “I didn’t leak the virus!” Emma roared at her, taking several aggressive steps towards the woman. “I was stuck in the Bluefields or Whiteshield or whatever you want to call that place when the virus outbreak happened! By the time I escaped - with someone on the outside’s help I might add - the shit had already hit the fan!”

  Maria shrank back into the sofa and raised her hands in surrender.

  “Okay, okay!” she pleaded. “It’s just what we were told!”

  “By who?” Jack asked.

  “Management,” Alex responded. “They’d give us daily briefings on what was happening out there right up until we had a containment breach of our own.”

  “All of our test subjects were set free. They roamed throughout the floors killing everyone. We got really, really lucky and were able to get into the quarantine vault and lock the door. It’s a closed system, so it seemed to be safe from the problems happening in the rest of the facility,” Maria responded.

  “So that big son of a bitch with the claws who was carving his way in, was that something you created?” Tyrone asked.

  “No, we didn’t create that,” Maria responded, her eyes widening in horror.