“Okay, lets’ check it out,” Richard replied.
The area was sparsely lit by a small window that was letting in a sliver of light through a crack in the blacked out glass. The room had several rows of stainless examination tables, and large portable tanks. Luckily the tanks were empty and the area was free of bodies and far cleaner than the upper level where they had entered. When they reached the opposite end of the building there was another set of stairs that led further down into a dark basement. Matt paused at the top of the stairs while Mitch retrieved his flashlight and headed down.
“Aren’t you coming?” Mitch asked when he realized Matt was not following after him.
“I lost my flashlight in the river,” he replied.
“I’ll share mine with you,” Mitch offered as he waited at the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to venture too far by himself.
Matt slowly descended, and the two of them continued to explore the basement of the warehouse while Richard and Ethan waited for them to return.
“Has my nose stopped working, or is the air fresher down here?” Mitch said in a low voice.
“I think you’re right. There must be a ventilation system bringing in fresh air from somewhere,” Matt remarked. “We should head back and tell the others that we have found an even better place to hide.”
“Okay,” Mitch replied as they headed up one floor.
“What’s down there?” Ethan asked the moment he saw them.
“We found a large empty storage area that is the perfect place to hide and get some rest,” Mitch remarked.
“The best part is the air is fresh down there,” Matt interjected.
“Oh thank goodness,” Ethan said as he and Richard followed them down the metal staircase.
Once they reached the storage area, they each picked out a spot to sleep for the day. Matt found a secluded area near some storage bins across from Mitch. Ethan put his pack down near Richard and then took a few sips of water to calm his stomach as he tried to forget about the horrific scene outside. Meanwhile, Richard left to trace the path of the fresh air. He discovered it was coming from a small ventilated utility room at the south end of the building just past a restroom. After gently prying off the locks on the door he saw that there was a narrow corridor that appeared to lead up to the surface at a forty-five degree angle. It was a tight fit, but he managed to squeeze past the steam and ventilation pipes and then followed the tunnel until it reached a steel door at the surface. The door had a robust lock on it, but the lock had been left open. Richard lifted the lock off the latch and then peeked out the door. In the distance he could see the production facility and several large hangers sheltering various military equipment. In addition he could see numerous Augs patrolling the grounds and stationed in guard towers along access points to some of the buildings. Richard slowly closed the door and placed the lock back on it so it couldn’t be pulled open from the outside. Then he returned to the north end of the warehouse where the men were getting ready to sleep.
“What did you find?” Ethan asked.
“The fresh air is coming from an access tunnel that leads to the base and is virtually unguarded. After the sun goes down, we’ll scout out the area and hopefully we’ll be able to determine which of the labs Dr. Stone is currently working in,” Richard said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“If you find Dr. Stone, are you really going to kill him? I mean after all, he is still a human being?” Ethan asked innocently.
“Dr. Stone must die,” Richard said with a cold lifeless stare. “He is an evil, maniacal narcissist that would butcher his own mother if he thought it would further his cause. You have seen his work first hand, cloned children tossed out like garbage because his multi-headed experiment failed. Mosquitoes that infect unsuspecting survivors, turning them into mindless zombies, that’s the real Dr. Stone.”
“Are we sure he is helping them voluntarily?” Matt asked.
“I am positive. He always thought that augmentation was the next step for humans. I don’t know what kind of deal he has worked out with the Augs so that he doesn’t have to be implanted, despite the fact he lives with them. Maybe they’re afraid that if they implant his brain with a worm, it might cause a loss of memory and then he wouldn’t be able to engineer more parent worms. Whatever the reason, he is clearly helping them, and as a result, he must be killed. It’s the only way to stop him from simply creating new parent worms for them somewhere else. If any of you have a problem with what must be done, speak up now. Otherwise, he and the parent worms must be destroyed as planned.” The room fell silent as Richard looked at each of them for a moment before continuing on. “Good, I’m glad we all agree. By the way, I noticed there is a restroom on the other side of the warehouse in case any of you want to clean up before bed.”
Ethan immediately headed over to it. Once inside he tested the faucet. “Oh thank the heavens,” he muttered under his breath as a steady stream of clear water flowed into the sink. Then he removed his blood-stained boots and placed them into the water and started scrubbing. “I hope I never have to see anything like that again,” he mumbled as the water turned various shades of red before disappearing down the drain. After he finished cleaning up, the rest of the men took turns using the bathroom.
“This might interest you,” Matt said with a grin as he handed Richard a folder stamped, “CONFIDENTIAL” in red letters across the top of it.
“What is it?” Richard asked.
“Take a look… I found it in one of the bins next to my bed,” Matt replied.
Richard held up his flashlight and read the title of the document, “Evolutionary Advancements in Homo Sapiens using Biological Augmentation, by William Paladin Stone, PhD.” Richard immediately turned to the page with Dr. Stone’s article and started reading it. “Homo Sapiens have reached the terminus of their evolution through natural and other selective pressures. In order for the species to further evolve, it will require biological or cybernetic augmentation. While cybernetic augmentation is still many years away, biological augmentation has a more practical timeline and would be the most cost effective route to achieve soldier performance objectives. Biological augmentation has the added benefit of being easier to market since cybernetics are often portrayed in a negative light in popular culture. I have outlined my preliminary findings and offer this proposal for your department’s consideration…” Richard closed the folder and then handed it back to Matt.
“Don’t you want to keep it?” Matt asked.
“No, like I said, I’m all too familiar with his work… but it is nice of him to provide us with something to wipe our backsides with when the occasion is right,” Richard said with a smile. Matt chuckled and threw the folder back in the bin it came out of.
“Was there anything else of interest in the bin?” Richard asked as he prepared to illuminate it with his flashlight.
“No, the rest of the stuff is just office emails and other junk,” Matt replied.
“Well, good night then,” Richard said as he went over to his sleeping bag and got inside.
“When do you think we will attack the facility?” Ethan asked in an anxious tone.
“I don’t know. We still need to do a little recon work before we formulate the battle plan. Don’t worry though, we won’t stay behind enemy lines any longer than we have to,” Richard added.
“That’s good to hear,” Matt interjected in a somewhat sarcastic tone. Richard was getting tired of Matt’s little digs, so he sat up for a moment as he thought about the best way to come at the issue.
“I just want everyone to know how much I appreciate what you have done so far. It has been a long hard journey, and each of us has, and will continue to make sacrifices before this is over. However, I do not believe our efforts will be in vain, and the fact that we have made it this far already proves that we are on the right path. In the next few days we will have the opportunity to take advantage of our enemy’s greatest weakness, their complete and utter failure to recognize humanity’s ability to adapt and overcome. So let’s all get some rest and when darkness falls, we’ll plan their demise,” Richard said with unwavering determination in his voice.