"Agreed," Barva said. "Although the air here is not breathable, and it is rather cold, we will be able to survive underground. We've brought enough supplies to last a few months, and the right machinery to produce our own oxygen from the soil. We should survive."
"Okay," Wilson said. "Take care."
She switched off the communication, and placed her hand over her face and cried, as the tears dropped on the panel in front of her. Amidst her bawling, she heard a noise behind her. She immediately jumped up,
pulled her laser out of its holster, and pointed it. She didn't see anyone, but she could hear the sound of something scampering in the back.
She carefully walked down the hallway, checked the kitchen, where she heard the sound first. There was nothing there, but again she heard the sound down the hallway. She walked toward the brig, felt a tug on her leg, and found herself flat on her back on the floor. Her laser pistol lying next to her, she reached for it, but it flew across the floor, and then into the air. As she looked up, the three and a half feet frame of Varloo towered over her with the laser in his hand. She drew her other one, and Varloo forced that one to fly as well into his other hand.
"Varloo!" she cried in disbelief.
"Your name is Wilson, isn't it?" he asked. "We've never officially met, but it's obvious we know of each other. How is Mr. Walker? Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know, seeming how he's under lock and key at the base."
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm not going to waste my time killing you, if that's what you mean," he said. "That would be pointless. Unless, I don't get what I want."
"Which is?"
"Why what I've wanted all along. A world to call my own, and an empire to build."
"Earth's not for sale."
"My dear Lady," Varloo laughed. "I don't want Earth, just Dr. Avery and his daughter; the world I can find somewhere else."
"Why?"
"To help me make my own new race superior, and to put an end to the Republic, the Garlicians, the Zacharians, and any other race that stands in my way!"
"You dictators are all the same!" she barked. "Even if you are only half our size!"
"But with five times your power! Do not try to interfere, or I'll have to kill you, and frankly, it's not something I wish to do. Now get yourself a suit on, and get going!"
"But I'll die out there!" Wilson cried.
"We're only going about three miles, to my ship. Now move!"
She rose to her feet, and did what he said, knowing all too well there was nothing she could do to stop him. He could read her thoughts, and she
was unarmed now, and more vulnerable than ever. The two of them exited the craft, and started to walk through the sand in the direction of Varloo's ship. As they did, Wilson turned back to look at the ship, fretting over the fact she had to abandon it.
The wind began to pick up a little when they approached the outline of the ship. If it weren't for the mere size of the ship, they wouldn't have been able to see it at all. They entered through the landing bay, and into a hallway. When they did, she saw the decomposed body of Garlona. "He betrayed me," Varloo said. "Of course, you already knew that, didn't you?"
If he could kill a six feet reptilian, she wasn't any match for him. If she could just get her laser back, she might have had a chance. She purposely tripped, and tried to kick his legs out from under him, but he levitated himself into the air three feet.
"Get up!" he snapped. "And don't try that again."
She complied, and walked until they reached the medical room.
"Go in!" he ordered, and she entered.
When they came in, Varloo saw the vials smashed about the room, and became furious. He placed the laser on the counter, opened the
damaged metal case, and found the vials were either broken or gone. While he was frenzied, Wilson quickly grabbed the laser. Varloo turned and fired, hitting her leg. The burn caused her to fall to the floor in pain.
"Your friend Batar has interfered for the last time!" Varloo exclaimed. "When I find him, I'll finish him off, and then I'll finish the rest of you off as well!" He waved his arm, which made Wilson dizzy and fall unconscious.
When she awoke, she found herself alone, with Varloo nowhere to be found. She guessed he went after Batar and toward the base. She ripped her space suit where the burn was, and discovered it wasn't as bad as she thought; and the skin wasn't even blistered; just painful. She was, however, without a suit now, unless she could find one aboard.
The force field to the brig where she found herself was on, so she had to figure out a way to short circuit it from inside, which was next to impossible to her knowledge. She eyed the room to find a panel or switch next to the door. She found the panel, but there was no way of getting the
screws off of it. Using her resourcefulness, she grabbed a piece of metal from her communication device and broke it off, inserting it into the screw slots. It wasn't easy, but she managed to pry it lose. She stuck the metal into the box, and stepped back, as it smoked and sparked. The force field turned off, the door opened, and she jumped out. She eyed the ship to see if Varloo was anywhere in sight, which he wasn't, and passed the med room again. She figured one of the liquids, either the blue one or the green one was the Triachilite, and that was the reason why he was so infuriated.
She grabbed the laser which was still on the floor, and headed down the hallway. She was torn whether to return to the ship or go after him, but figured she couldn't stop him anyway, so she decided to head back. Somebody had to hold the fort until the others got back. She just prayed they were successful in their mission, and that Lori and Batar were still alive. If they weren't, at least she had a way of escaping the world, but didn't know where she was going to go after that.
When she started towards the landing bay, she passed a corridor, and someone struck her from behind with a heavy object. She fell to the floor, dazed, but still awake. She turned to face three men in white radiation suits, holding M9 military pistols, all pointed at her.
"Get up," one said, and she rose to her feet. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"Wilson," she answered, as she rubbed her neck in pain. "Liz Wilson. And I'm as curious as you. I was walking along, I found this huge ship in the middle of the desert."
"Bullshit," the man said. "Are you human, or alien?"
"Do I look like an alien?" she asked.
"Quiet! Just answer the question!"
"Human, of course."
"Well, why are you here?"
"To stop the alien."
"From doing what?"
"I don't feel comfortable until I can talk with somebody of authority, not you idiots!"
"Right," the man said, and gestured to one of his subordinates. "Call General Carver and tell him we have a situation out here."
As the one man left the room, Wilson saw an opportunity to escape.
She quickly grabbed the man next to her by the arm, broke it, kicked him in the groin, and forced him to drop his gun. She picked up the M9 and fired at the other man who did the talking, and killed him with a bullet to his chest. She then kicked the other guard who was on the ground in the head, which left him disabled as well. She placed both the M9 and the fallen laser pistol in her belt holsters.
She left the room and headed towards the landing bay. There was no way for her to tell how many men were outside, or if they drove vehicles of some kind to get there. When she edged her way out, she saw only the one man on the radio, who was talking to this General Carver. She carefully stalked up behind his jeep, and when he turned off the radio, grabbed the cord and wrapped it around his neck tightly until he dropped to the ground. She saw the keys were in the vehicle, and jumped in, with no idea how to drive it. She turned the key, which started it, and figured the R meant reverse, and P meant proceed, but this didn't work. She decided to put it in D, and the car began to move, as she slowly pressed the acceleration pedal. She used the wheel to turn around, and head back to the oth
er ship.
She figured to be exposed to some radiation, but figured an hour in the decontamination chamber should fix that. She headed back in the
direction of their ship, and as she came closer, noticed smoke in the
distance. Fearing the worst, she stepped on the accelerator, and hurried back to their vessel. When she came within a quarter mile of it, she stopped the vehicle, and sat there in disbelief.
Directly in front her was their spacecraft, or what was left of it. "No! No!" she cried, and shook her head. "It can't be!"
She knew now they weren't going to be able to leave the planet the way they got here. The shell of a ship was destroyed by an explosion of some kind, caused by their friend Varloo. The prospect of survival seemed dim, and she knew going back to his ship wasn't an option. He would return, and when he found out she escaped, kill her for sure.
Her only option was to head towards the NASA facility, and she knew this didn't seem safe either. Varloo was headed there as well, and unless Batar could stop him, he would complete his agenda. What scared her even more was she hadn't heard from him.
She turned the jeep around, and headed back toward Varloo's ship. When she passed it, there was still no sign of him or the military. She continued on, until her jeep ran out of gas, about a quarter mile away from the ridge where the base was. She got out, and continued on foot for the rest of the way. She made her way up the hillside, and noticed a woman in a silver suit laying on the ground nearby. She walked over to her, and knelt down, rolling her over onto her back.
"Lori!" she said, as her friend moved, but was barely alive. She crouched, picked her up, and threw her over her shoulder. She walked to a small cavern ahead, and crawled inside of it, and placed her friend on the ground. She busted three glow sticks, enough to give them light for the evening at least, and checked her meters for oxygen and radiation levels. When she realized they were at a reasonable level, she removed her helmet, and then Lori's. She found out Lori suffered a toxicity level of radiation of 250 Rems, almost enough to kill her, and if she stayed out any longer, surely would've been dead.
She removed Lori's space and overhaul suit, and tossed them further inside the cavern, which left her in her undergarments. With no canteen or water with her, the only water available dripped from the cavern walls.
She cupped her hands together to capture some, then poured it onto her friend's face, and over the rest of her body. She knew it would only help her temporarily, and she needed medical attention soon, or it would be too late to save her. Wilson then removed her own spacesuit, and placed it over her friend.
She decided for the moment Lori was safe where she was, and as long as Varloo thought she was still his prisoner, it would work to her advantage. He was angry with Batar, and his mind was fixed on revenge, not her. She put her helmet back on, and went outside, eyeing the hillside for a way in. She saw a large 100 ft by 200 ft wide metal door to her right for vehicle entry and exit. She figured she'd be seen that way, and vied for an easier access point. She saw a vent over the top of the door, and decided to investigate.
She carefully climbed the rugged and rocky landscape until she reached the vent. She looked inside it, and saw there was a catwalk just below it, overlooking the cargo entrance. The vent was old and rusted, and
thus easy to remove. She climbed in, and stepped onto the catwalk, being as quiet as she could be. She almost dropped the Beretta she had, but caught it just in time. It was too big for her holster, and just barely fit in it.
She knew there was a drug used for radiation sickness then named potassium iodide. If she could reach the medical section, she could find it, and use it on Lori. With no ship to return to, it was imperative she get the crew back together for some plan of action. Her first concern was to find the medicine, and get back to help Lori.
Before she climbed down the ladder at the back of the catwalk, she could see several soldiers around a six feet black cylindrical object with a small window on it. They just brought it in from the outside, and were transporting it on wheels to another location. When she reached the bottom, she hid behind some crates, and tried to get a better look, but wasn't able to.
Getting back to the reason she came, she looked around the room to try to get a bearing of where she should go. She found the exit, but there were several soldiers walking around. Noticing a small air duct on the wall next to her, she pulled off the grate, placed it on the floor, and climbed inside.
She wiggled her way down it; which was a rather tight fit, even for her 130 lb. frame. When she reached the end, it overlooked a recreation area. There was only one woman in it, reading something on a holographic screen in front of her on a table. Wilson figured she would need her suit to look less inconspicuous, so she made a soft sound by knocking on the side of the duct.
When the woman heard the noise, she got up to investigate. She looked carefully in the vent, and when she did, Wilson kicked the grate out, which hit her in the face. The woman scrambled to her feet, Wilson kicked her in the face, and knocked her out cold. She switched clothes with her, lifted her into the air duct, and shoved the grate back on.
She then walked right out the door as if she belonged there. She walked through the hallways, as a man in blue coveralls approached her, and she stopped him.
"Sir, can you tell me which way the infirmary or pharmacy is? I'm
new here, I just came in from another base."
"Yes," he said. "It's two corridors to your left, then one to your right. About a mile from here."
"Thank you, very much," she said, smiling. He was rather handsome, with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
"You're welcome," he smiled. "Enjoy your stay here. If you need anything, I'm in the maintenance division. My name's Mike Riley."
"Liz Wilson," she said. "Well, I gotta go, see you later."
She continued onward, and followed his directions, until she came to the sign which said infirmary. She entered, her heart pounding, and knew at any minute they might discover she didn't belong here. Her pistols were concealed in her pockets so she wouldn't cause alarm, but she still was extremely nervous.
She passed the main nurses' station, as one of the nurses stopped her. "Excuse me, Miss," she said. "Where are you going?"
"I've been sent down by one of the doctors to pick up some medicine from the pharmacy."
"And the Doctor's name?"
She thought about it for a minute, and glanced at a roster on the wall
with some of the doctor's names, and picked one. "Rosen," she said. "Dr.
Rosen."
"I'll have to call him for authorization," the nurse said. "What's you patient's name?"
"Jack Barkley," she said, thinking of the only name she remembered from the ISS.
She pressed a couple of buttons on her panel to make the communication. "Tiana, this is Ms?" she stated.
"Moore, Mary Moore."
"Did Dr. Rosen, order medication for a Jack Barkley?"
Before she could get the answer, Wilson slipped past her, and into the pharmacy section. It was night, so the staff was at a minimum, and once she was in, no one noticed she wasn't supposed to be there. When she reached the actual drug room, a young woman came to the window.
"What do you need?" she asked.
"3 days supply of Potassium Iodide," Wilson answered.
"Did you give them the script up front?"
"Yes, I did."
"What was the Rem level?"
"250 Rems."
"Well, good luck. They usually die with that much exposure."
She then went back to get the dosage, and in a matter of minutes, it was in her hand and in her pocket. That's when the head nurse came around the corner and yelled at her to stop what she was doing.
Wilson pushed her way into the room, threw the young woman into the hallway, and slammed the door.
"Call security," the head nurse yelled.
Wilson scanned the room, and found an air duct in the corner, her only means of
escape. She pulled the grate off, climbed in, and scrambled down the vent. She snaked her way down the maze of ducts, until she managed to find a way out of the facility. She knew she would be exposed to some radiation and carbon dioxide upon exiting, but it was the chance she had to take to save her friend. She unknowingly lost her laser pistol, however, in the air duct as she escaped.
She found her way back to the small cavern where Lori was still
laying. When she came back in, she began to choke, and threw up; she guessed from the radiation exposure. She pulled out two packets out of the ten of the potassium iodide, and filled two syringes; one for Lori, and the other for her. She injected Lori with the compound, and then herself. Exhausted, she collapsed next to her friend, into an uncomfortable, but much needed deep sleep.
CHAPTER TEN
After the guards took Jeff down to the brig, General Carver went to rejoin his guests and colleagues. On the way, he was approached by Angelica Avery in the hallway.
"General, may I speak to you a minute?" she asked. Tom Walker was in the doorway, and listened as well.
"Certainly," he answered. "What's on your mind?"
"Why does Lieutenant Barkley think my android has been or will be sabotaged? Is there something you should be telling me that I don't know about?"
"Child, whatever do you mean?"
Tom walked over and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, Honey, we have to go," he said.
"I asked you a question," she told Carver.
"Are you insinuating I have something to do with it?" Carver asked. "I haven't the faintest idea what he's talking about."
Dimension Lapse III: Dimensional Breakdown (Dimension Lapse Series Book 3) Page 12
