King cocked his head to the side, eyes widening. The Hydra.
"Yea, well, it got wet… and now it's pissed."
A corner wall burst into chunks of plaster as the four-headed Hydra slammed into the hallway. Heads searched in every direction. When one saw them standing in the elevator, side by side like sardines ripe for the eating, all four heads snapped in their direction and roared. The sound hit them like an explosion. Then the beast launched forward, bearing down on them.
Beck was already pushing the floor button, then she hammered the close door button. The doors began to close as Hydra closed the distance. They slid shut and the elevator began ascending. Elevator music replaced the Hydra's roar for a moment before a massive force struck the doors below them. The elevator shook and screeched but continued to rise. A second, but less powerful blow shook them again. Then silence and the music returned.
King turned to Beck. "Are there any other ways up?"
"Four stairwells." Knowing where King's questioning was leading, she added, "All big enough for the creature. I doubt it will be contained."
Knight slouched against the wall, out of breath. "And it can't be killed. King, it can heal faster than any regen, and its heads… the legends are true. If you take one off, two grow back. If we try to fight this thing on the ground it's going to make a quick meal out of us."
Bishop knelt down in front of Knight and drew his knife. He cut a small slice into his thumb and held it up for Knight to see. A drop of blood slipped away and fell to the floor. By the time it struck the wound was healed.
Beck saw this and moved away from Bishop. Knight just stared at the healed thumb.
"Leave the fight to me," Bishop said. "You could die, but I won't."
Knight looked at King, who said, "We have an agreement. If he loses control—"
"Shoot me in the head," Bishop finished. "It won't grow back."
FIFTY-SIX
Reinhart barreled through a set of double doors and sprinted down the following hallway. He was followed closely by six men, all armed with Metal Storm handguns and Metal Storm rifles, which were more accurate than the handguns and carried twice as many rounds. Each man also carried an assortment of fragmentation, stun, and incendiary grenades. Reinhart wanted them ready for any potential enemy, human or beast.
The occasional shake or distant scream of some scientist signified that the creature had escaped the lab level and was making its way up, toward them. Soon there wouldn't be any place left to run. And after what he saw, he didn't think all the bullets in their arsenal would do much more than piss the creature off. But he couldn't act without Ridley's say so, not to mention that Ridley's welfare was his number one priority. Not because he cared about the man. He just wanted to keep getting paid.
After having his men take up positions outside Ridley's office, he gained entry by swiping his key card, having his eye and thumb scanned, and then letting Ridley know it was him. Ridley alone had complete access to the office. The door unlocked and slid open.
Maddox sat in a love seat, sipping Ridley's damned mint tea. Whenever either man was stressed, they clipped some mint from the plants in Ridley's office, brewed a pot, and sat around like a couple of five-year-old girls at a tea party. Didn't even use sugar. Despite the tea, Mad-dox's leg bounced and his eyes shot to the door as Reinhart entered.
"What's happening?" he asked quickly. "Are we under attack again?"
Ridley was leaning against his huge, solid mahogany desk, gingerly sipping at his china teacup. Seeing such a large, commanding man sipping from a teacup always looked odd, but it wasn't until he spoke that the sight became surreal. "I'm assuming we have Delta issues again? King and his merry men?"
Reinhart nodded. "As best we can tell there are three intruders. Heavily armed and not taking prisoners. We have nearly twenty dead already."
Maddox sat up straight. "Scientists?"
"No… just my men." He looked at Maddox. "But seeing as how you're such a key player in all this, I'm sure you're on the hit list. As am I." He looked at Ridley. "I suggest we leave right—"
"I will not be abandoning another facility," Ridley said. "Not yet. Not when we're so close." He looked at Maddox. "How much time until the final batch is complete?"
Looking at his watch, Maddox said, "Two hours. Then we need to test it. Another two hours. But if they reach the lab…"
A smile stretched across Ridley's face and he clapped his hands together. "Four hours. I think you can handle these three men for four hours, Reinhart. Yes?"
Actually, sir. There is a bigger problem, a much bigger problem."
His smile disappeared. "And that is?"
"The Hydra sample—"
"Is of no use. If the Delta team has it, destroy it with them."
"Sir, the sample got wet." Reinhart crossed his arms and waited for Ridley to put the pieces together.
As he raised the teacup to his mouth once more, Ridley stopped. His hand shook briefly. He placed the teacup down. "How… wet?"
"Very."
"It's alive?"
As though in answer, a distant boom shook the floor slightly.
"Very."
"What's alive?" Maddox asked. "The Hydra."
Ridley paced back and forth in front of Maddox, who put down his tea and placed his sweaty hands on his bouncing knees. "Is it contained? Where is it?"
"No, and we don't know."
"How can you not know?" Ridley barked. "Every room in this facility is monitored by your men. How can—" "The surveillance system was sabotaged." "King."
"I… don't think so."
Ridley's bald head turned red with fury. "This is unacceptable, Reinhart."
Through the floor they could hear people screaming. Then, more distant, Hydra's inhuman, rattling roar.
Reinhart looked at the floor with a frown. The creature was moving through the facility faster than he would have guessed. Probably following a terrified sea of humanity. "I agree, but there is nothing I can do to remedy what has already happened. Right now I am concerned about your survival and the welfare of the project."
"Yes. Yes. Very good." Ridley turned to Maddox. "You have the most refined sample with you, yes?"
He nodded and lifted his briefcase off the floor. "Everything we need is in here."
"Give me one of the vials."
Maddox looked at him with suspicion. "This has yet to be tested… don't do anything…" He didn't finish the statement, as doing so would insult Ridley. His point was made, though.
Ridley reached his hand out. "I want to make sure your legacy does not die with you… if something unfortunate should happen."
Maddox blanched, popped the briefcase, and handed Ridley a sealed test tube. He scribbled some notes on a sticky pad, tore it off, and handed it to Ridley. "These are the two genes currently being tested. One is regeneration. The other is unknown. If something should.. happen to me, pick up the testing there."
After taking the note and pocketing it with the test tube, Ridley turned his attention back to Reinhart. "And you must destroy the creature at all costs. If our competition or, God forbid, the U.S. government were to get their hands on it, they may be able to duplicate our formula."
"It's worse than that," Maddox said. "They may find a way to undo it."
Ridley looked panic-stricken. The idea had never occurred to him. Immortal life achieved could be stripped away? "That's possible?"
"It'd be a simple matter of blocking the function of the new gene."
Ridley glared at Reinhart. "Reduce the creature to slurry. Then burn it to ash."
"Yes, sir."
"Now, how do you recommend we survive the next four hours?"
"Open the doors and run like hell," Reinhart said with a lopsided grin. "Being outside will allow us to use heavier weapons against the Hydra. It might be enough. But more than that, it will provide time for Maddox's computers to finish their tests. The results can be sent to you wirelessly, I hope."