The group with the old engineer working on the console saw, through the open door, that it came from the corridor.
The whole wall of flame that occupied it disappeared in a yellowish cloud. They could see that more powerful fire extinguishers were pouring on the dying flames enormous quantities of a gas that formed the cloud.
Seeing the astonished look of his friends, Lafayette shouted happily over the blast, "It's a flame retardant that has been added to the water that gives that color to the stream down the hall. It's as effective as the retardant which was used by Canadairs, the seaplanes in the South of France and Italy, to extinguish forest fires. "
The sprinklers continued spraying the room where they were and the adjacent corridor, for many more seconds, before starting to weaken.
Then the sprinklers stopped completely.
"No more water in the sprinklers," the agronomist said, frowning at the console.
The silence finally returned, and everyone looked at each other, grimacing.
Everything was blackened around them, and everything still emitted a pungent smell, which made them uncomfortable.
Then it was Hiroto who, no longer wanting to be supported by Johnny, walked towards the open door and the hallway, where the flames had disappeared. He kept coughing from time to time, but he wasn’t the only one. In the corridor, there was a kind of yellowish moss on the floor. They knew that these were the remains of the fire retardant, which had stifled the fire raging in this corridor only a minute earlier. The walls remained hot, and no one had the desire to even touch them.
The whole group walked towards the closed double doors of the entrance of the agro-building.
The surface of the automatic doors was charred, and behind, they vaguely heard a voice and sounds of water. Looking at the floor covered with the same yellow moss, they understood that, as had been the case in the rest of the building, there had been fire retardant sprayed here too, in the entrance hall.
Hiroto approached the double door.
No movement.
The doors didn’t move an inch, despite the old man standing in front of them.
"No reaction, so, are they blocked?" asked the Japanese, joined by Lafayette who looked at the closed doors.
Seeming puzzled for many seconds, he finally said, "The automatic opening mechanism was probably damaged by the fire."
And having said that, he opened a small metal hatch on the blackened surface.
In a grating noise of rust was revealed an intermingling of electric wires of various colors, many of which seemed to have literally melted and fused together because of the heat.
He began to work on the wires and connectors. Outside could be heard voices covered by a kind of loud roar.
Red smiled as she watched the agronomist at work, recognizing in him what her adoptive grandfather had always said about him: he was a complete professional; not only was he a good farmer, albeit a high-level one, but in addition, he had an in-depth knowledge of the agro-building.
"I’ve nearly made it," the old engineer exclaimed, smiling at them as he joined two strands he had stripped bare.
Suddenly the double automatic doors opened wide, letting through a strong water jet.
Its pressure forcefully pushed back the little colored man, who began to fall back.
Fortunately, Johnny was fast enough to keep the engineer from falling on the floor, but like him and everyone else, he was drenched from head to toe by the jet of water, the roar of which filled the hall deafeningly.
They uttered exclamations of surprise as they struggled not to be overthrown.
Abruptly the fountain stopped as fast as it had begun.
A heavy silence pervaded everything, and Johnny, soaked to the skin in his kimono, shouted, "What a downpour!"
"Looks like there's someone," they heard someone shout, outside.
Johnny and the other drenched members of the group looked at each other, taken aback.
Then, in the footsteps of the old master, who had started walking towards the open entrance, they hesitated at the open entrance, which they passed, reaching at last the outside world. Comforted, Red said to herself, We’re all here, and we came out alive and unscathed… it's a miracle, I cannot believe it…
They were dazzled by an intense light that made them squint and frown...
... to find firefighters who, awestruck, looked at them with astonishment. They still held a fire hose connected to the only fire truck of the Community, a truck whose headlights dazzled them, since the night was well advanced, now.
Beyond the firefighters and their equipment, the survivors saw a crowd of innocent onlookers, who were staring at them.
And facing this crowd, between her and them, the survivors recognized, seen from behind, Joshua Adams.
He was wearing his flawless white suit, standing behind a desk and facing the audience during his speech.
"... and it is with regret that I must tell you that there are a number of individual deaths, because of this terrible fire..."
The old man stopped talking, to look at an assistant discreetly patting his shoulder, and Adams pouted at him.
Then he finally turned to see, dumbfounded, Red and her friends, who were watching him.
"Shit ..." the old Administrator whispered, pulling himself together, especially since the loudspeakers spread out along the buildings had just screamed out loud this last word.
***
Ascertainment
"Son of a bi...!" Johnny screamed, as many 3D cameras pointed at him, filming him as he left the group of his friends, marching firmly toward the old Administrator.
The latter, who had turned to look at them, took a step back when he saw him approaching so aggressively.
This movement made him hit the back of the desk, from which he had addressed the assembled population.
"What do you dare doing, young man?" Adams asked, raising his open hands to the young black man who was getting closer, a gesture meant to show him that he was unarmed.
"You and your accomplices have tried to get us eaten or burnt, scoundrel!" exclaimed Johnny, now less than a few steps away, as he was going to touch the Administrator.
A punch coming from somewhere hit him in the jaw, making his head turn violently because of the shock.
Johnny coped with the blow and kicked one of the Administrator’s two bearded acolytes who had attacked him. He was the taller one, who was always following the old politician everywhere.
Because of the back kick the brute, despite being heavier and more massive than him, recoiled, surprised.
Leaning forward because of the effects of the pain, the colossus scowled at him.
"What did you dare to say to me, young man?" asked Adams, who, standing at his desk, was mockingly watching the confrontation.
"I spoke my mind, you tried to trap us in the agro-building!" the young man shouted angrily, coming up to his old interlocutor.
The brute suddenly leapt toward him but, well on guard this time, Johnny avoided a big blow by stooping...
... to be hit by a punch in the face from another bearded leather minion, finer than the other one.
Receiving now and then various blows from the Administrator's two henchmen, Johnny began to find himself overwhelmed, trying to retaliate against the two men who both, clearly, had a military background.
A new violent and swift punch from the newcomer almost knocked Johnny out, who suddenly found himself forcibly held by the brute, who was now behind him.
Unable to get rid of the embrace of the colossus, the young man received a roundhouse kick at the lower abdomen, which made him bend in pain.
Held standing by the strong man’s arms, he could not do anything now to protect himself against a new kick, that this time was going to hit one of his temples.
A kick which ended in a vacuum when the thinnest henchman’s supporting leg was hit.
This made it bend and then fall to the ground.
Falling into the dust, t
he man, anger on his face, realized that it was Hiroto who had just made him fall.
The old Japanese was quietly watching him, with a mixture of coldness and hardness.
The big brute who was holding Johnny violently pushed him, projecting him like a ball on the old master.
The latter dodged easily, while his young pupil fell headlong in the dust, near the other henchman, who was trying to get up.
The big brute shrieked like a wild beast, rushing like a mad bull at Hiroto.
The colossus found nothing but vacuum, just like poor Johnny, who had bitten the dust. A leg well placed on the path of the great man in leather and he ended up losing his balance.
It made him roll and roll as he slumped heavily in the dust.
Hiroto sensed something behind him.
Turning around he intercepted just in time a stab coming from behind.
The Japanese caught and twisted the other henchman’s wrist who was holding a dagger.
The man who had tried to stab him so treacherously nonetheless resisted the pain of the twist... he was obviously used to the pain, which did not prevent him from throwing a punch.
This new attack was intercepted in the same way as the dagger by the old man, who now twisted the two arms of Adams's henchman.
Hiroto dropped the wrists of the man he was facing all at once, stepping back sharply.
Thus, he avoided a kick at his groin by the man wearing dark leather.
Grimacing with pain and rage the henchman leapt, his dagger in his hand, toward the old Japanese who was waiting for him firmly...
... and the hired man then stopped immediately.
He now remained motionless, his head raised.
Beneath his chin, there was the long sword blade of Mei's naginata, which threatened at the slightest of his movements to cause him a fine wound in his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please, calm down!"
It was Joshua Adams’s recognizable and obsequious voice.
A camera, which had filmed the scene, turned to the obese Administrator who, coming down from the small platform in front of his desk, put a white heeled shoe on the dusty floor. This detail was remarked by Red, who, sniffing with disgust, saw the old man put his second foot on the ground.
He walked in a theatrical way towards Johnny, before adding in a softer voice, "Let's get it right, you’re not allowed, young man, to tell such gratuitous accusations of me, or threaten me or some people who are part of the Community’s security staff."
"Your security staff?" exclaimed Red, glaring at him, and then she continued, "These two men are clearly more mercenaries than anything else, and they almost killed my friend Johnny!"
"Let’s not exaggerate, it was just a virile brawl between them and your adoptive grandfather and your friend ... In any case, do not use threats and don’t bring serious charges without evidence, or then I will prosecute you, and trust me, you’ll regret!"
These words silenced Red and her companions, including Johnny, who, standing near her, looked at the Administrator with as much hatred as her.
They said nothing because Adams was known to have a whole cohort of appointed attorneys at his disposal. Many people, in the past, had tried to alert the Community about anomalies occurring around his activities, but they found themselves prosecuted and sentenced to pay damages. And inside the Community, these were not paid with money, but with precious resources necessary for survival.
Sadly, the old man was too powerful to be worried ...
The old man lifted his empty hands toward her, his palms open, as a way of establishing peace, before resuming, "For the moment, the only thing our fellow citizens want to know, is the state of the agro-building, our main food source."
Red and her friends looked at each other in disbelief, not quite understanding what the old politician’s point was... did he want to know the level of damage in the agro-building, or was it just a veiled indictment?
Before any of them could answer, their attention was drawn to firefighters who, the fire hose restarted, were approaching the entrance behind them. The survivors moved aside, so as not to interfere with the security operations.
"So?" Adams asked, with a vaguely patronizing note in his voice.
"So, there was a fire in there, plus an attack of the living dead," said Lafayette, the agricultural engineer, with a dry voice.
"Zombies?" Adams said, expressing astonishment, before resuming, "So, that's where they went! I was told that many of the test subjects of our official physiologist and biologist had escaped the quarantine building, and..."
"You mean Doctor Mengele’s guinea-pigs," said Johnny, seething, having now completely regained consciousness.
"Do not play with words, Mr. Jackson, your previous accusations don’t protect you from me suing you. Beware!” the fat man said with an air of proud authority.
"Someone tried to make us burn, after locking us up with zombies, that's for sure!"
The young black man who had said this and the old man in a white suit exchanged evil glances.
Then the latter, seeking to show a conciliatory smile, said, "I vow that an impartial investigation will be conducted", the word ‘impartial’ made Red smile, as she was listening to the clever politician, who continued, "And any murder attempt will be tried and punished, if required, by a life sentence."
The old politician turned to face the crowd and he added, with his hands on each side of the top of his desk, with a theatrical, "I assure you, my fellow citizens of the Community, that I guarantee a serious investigation..."
Most of the crowd mumbled approvingly, while a few laughs came from among Adams's detractors, the old man continuing, "... just as another investigation will not be botched, in order to assess the actual damage to the agro-building, as well as to estimate our remaining food resources."
These last words silenced the crowd who looked at him anxiously. And Red and her friends, worried too, knew first-hand, as "fellow citizens", what this could mean: famine or starvation.
The red-haired girl, who had experienced hunger so many times during her early childhood, looked nervously at her adoptive grandfather, who, stoically, calmly looked at her.
... and he smiled warmly at her, as she had rarely seen him do in the past.
This really comforted her…
***
Resources
The old face of the Administrator seemed grave, as, seen on the 3D TV screen, he began to say, "My good citizens of the Community, I've got the results of the inquiry, into the fire in the agro-building. What I'm going to announce is of paramount importance for our survival, so, please, listen to me."
He stopped speaking and, raising his eyes from the electronic tablet from which he had read, looked solemnly toward the 3D camera before continuing, "Zombies from the detention zone of the Community's Biological Lab were able to quit their cells, and invaded our revered Martial Arts dojo and the agro-building. The fire didn't leave any evidence of what facilitated their escape."
"Liar."
Adams stopped speaking, not sure of what he had heard. He looked at the huge group of journalists and cameramen watching him. He had difficulties recognizing a familiar face amid the multitude in front of him. He continued, “No one understands how the living dead's escape happened, but, don't be afraid, dear citizens, reinforced measures have been taken to avoid any new internal attack of the Community."
The face of the old man became even sadder, as he said, “I’m so sad to have to announce such bad news, dear citizens of the Community, but we don’t have any choice; energy is running out, our hydroponic cultures being unable to compensate, with their oil production, for when solar and wind energy are low!” Adams, standing behind a pulpit, in his eternal white suit, stopped speaking for a few seconds. He knew very well, as an experienced orator, how important the parts of silence are in a speech, and then continued, “That’s why the Council has decided to establish energy cuts in the zones of the Community which have a lower priority
.”
“You mean zones where you and your friends don’t live!”
Having heard that the Administrator gave a hand sign looking as if he was cutting something with two of his fingers, like scissors. The camera crew then immediately switched off, and a complete silence fell in the recording studio. The old man looked down from the height of the platform, highly illuminated by many headlights. He looked in the direction of shadows, in a less illuminated part of the studio, where he could discern two silhouettes.
“Who said that?” yelled Adams, losing suddenly his proverbial restraint, watching the two persons coming out of the shadows. He opened wide eyes as he saw that the first of them entering in the illuminated part was Johnny, who was watching him reproachfully.
“You? You… little snoop, I’m going to…” the Administrator, who now had an angry face, had stopped speaking, when he recognized the short figure following the young man.
“Hiroto…” murmured Adams, clearly surprised. His face softened immediately, for he knew the good name of the old Master, inside the Community. He swallowed hard and then said, “Master, to what do owe we your visitation?”
“My visit isn’t friendly, Administrator Adams. Some friends of ours told us that you were preparing an address. In it, you’re supposed to say that you’re going to ration the oil used for heating, and for energy production. I came to stop you from doing such a thing.”
“Hiroto,” Adams began to say, “you must understand that…”
“Show him some respect, you must call him Master Miyasaki!” intervened Johnny, interrupting him.
The old Administrator sighed heavily while looking at him, the mustard clearly getting into his nose, when Hiroto lifted an open hand. This silenced the young colored man, meaning that it was OK. Seeing this, Adams calmed down and listened to the old Japanese say, “I don't want to lose some time trying to fight your view and your "personalized" inquiry about the attack and fire which happened in the agro-building… But I have it on good authority that the Community has some reserves. I advise you to abandon your program, whose goal is only to favor you and your friends, or there will be consequences.”
BESIEGED (HUNGRY Series Book 2) Page 2
