Page 74 of Heart’s Prisoner

She went back into the bathroom and found her discarded coveralls still lying on the ground. She bent down and examined it and saw it was no good to wear even if she did clean it. She picked it up to throw it away somewhere when she heard something clack against the floor. When she looked down, she saw her phone. Somehow it hadn't gotten lost. She picked it up and found the screen cracked and scratches marring the sides. She tried to turn it on but it was dead.

She threw the phone on the bedside table and stuffed the coveralls into a cabinet then made her way out to the hall. In the main entrance room, she stood looking around at the bizarre brilliance. The balcony at the back displayed an ocean view; everything was white and shiny and clean. She half expected room service to come knocking at the door any minute. The bar was even stocked despite not being in use. Lana studied the Scibot that sat by on a barstool, wondering what Xerus was using it for. Its head was bent back in a wrong way, its arms dangling lifelessly at its sides. She peered at the computer screen on its chest and saw it showed a map of Lazris.

Sitting down on a seat next to it, Lana poked at the screen. As she played around, checking out the various options, she realized the program had been hacked. She could go to a level and see a map of the various rooms like normal but the display also showed data within the rooms such as, to her great surprise, the number of lifeforms currently inhabiting the area. The program must have been switched over to a top security officer's account to access the extra information. She remembered learning about how they used infrared sensors and counters to mark certain areas so they could track people's whereabouts. The more she looked the bot over, in fact, the more she was convinced it was the same bot from the saferoom. After everyone had fled, Xerus must have stolen it. An easier plan than trying to hack one himself.

Lana pressed on a few more options until the bot began to speak in a grated, static tone. "Which data would you like me to summarize?" it said.

Lana pressed the option for all and the bot took a moment to gather the information.

"Currently there are...five thousand and seventeen active members. Six thousand three hundred and five are unaccounted for. Forty-eight are unidentifiable. Fifty-four percent are stationed in saferooms. Twenty percent within individual units. Twenty-six percent spread across levels."

Lana sat back. Though a good few were remaining in the saferooms, to have so many gone was alarming. And likely it was only going to get worse. There were still other assets on the loose. Asset T might be gone and few others because of Galger and his team but many others remained lurking in the dark. And there was still the matter of the parasite possibly hiding within others, ready to infect.

Lana leaned forward and closed out the data then went back to the map. She selected a level at random–level three–and the computer brought up the various rooms. There was one saferoom and only a few hundred inside. The other rooms showed no signs of life. On the side of the screen were several more options. Lana pressed through them until one with a camera icon brought up a secondary screen showing video feed. Lana stilled. She could see all the rooms through various angles.

Excitement building in her, Lana went through the different cameras. She found a few bots lurking about on three but no creatures yet. She switched to another level, going through each room, desperate to find anyone and anything.

Levels three, four, and five were vacant save for those in saferooms. Only the dead occupied five outside the saferoom as Galger's team had moved on, the fire mostly out. Four was where she was now and she had a feeling it remained empty because Xerus made it so. Whether by warning creatures off with his pheromones or blockading the level somehow, though that didn't mean someone still couldn't find a way in. Certainly Galger's team might but, to her relief, she found them occupied on level two where some of the raptors had somehow escaped along with a nasty tentacled creature that had gotten into one of the fish tanks in the farming sector.

She saw Asset C lurking on level seven, roaming the halls and sniffing around like a bloodhound on a hunt, though what he hunted for she wasn't sure. On Level six a few raptors remained and, to her surprise, a couple of people. Where they came from she wasn't sure but, as she watched them, she knew something wasn't right with them. They walked funny and didn't seem afraid of the raptors who, shockingly, didn't touch them. One man in particular, with bandages covering his face and head so she couldn't identify him, got on the elevator and made his way to another level.

When she got to levels eight through eleven she began to see much more activity. Unidentifiable assets rushed down halls or lurked near rooms. A few people were either seen hiding, running, or just lumbering around. It was on level eight that she finally caught a glimpse of Xerus. Her eyes focused on him intently, her face close to the screen, watching as he stalked the rooms. He had a few items in his hand though she couldn't quite make out what they all were except for a couple of wires. The rest looked like metal pieces of some sort.

"What are you doing?" Lana whispered to herself as she observed his every movement. He was taking apart robots, going through spare parts, in search of specific items. She continued to watch him until she saw something sneak by the warehouse door. A large creature with long claws, a body similar to a monkey but with four eyes and a long snout. Lana cried out for Xerus as if he could hear her, watching in horror as the ape-like specimen ran behind Xerus and leaped up as if to catch on his back. Just in time, Xerus dodge and twisted around, whipping his tail out and slicing through the creature's stomach. The ape fell back and blood spurted on the ground, some hitting Xerus. The alien collapsed and Xerus bared his fangs at it, looking rather annoyed.

Lana let out a breath and placed a hand over her eyes, rubbing them. When she eventually looked back at the screen, Xerus was gone.

She went back to searching the other levels that were left. Twelve's cameras were black, likely damaged from the explosion. The last level was the city sector where she was surprised to see many people congregating near the front. Some she recognized from the saferoom she had first been in. Soldiers had their guns at the ready as people pushed to try to get on to the cars to take them up to the docks. They weren't letting anyone through.

Lana saw more guards stationed at the elevators on level one, those leading to any of the levels below, making sure nothing unwanted came up to greet them. She couldn't believe how many people were just sitting around the foyer instead of inside saferooms. But then she remembered she had been one of those people who had wanted to get to the docks instead of waiting around.

As she clicked through different angles she saw one showing a clear view of the elevator doors. Without warning, one of the doors opened and the guards immediately went into action. They backed away and aimed their guns at the one who stepped out. Lana felt a chill run down her back as she saw it was the bandaged man who had been lumbering around on six, having made his way to one. Slowly he put up his hands, his mouth moving though she couldn't hear. The soldiers continued to aim their guns, gesturing for him to kneel on the ground. He did as they asked, placing his hands behind his head. One of the soldiers moved forward and carefully examined him. They seemed to talk things over for a moment until they picked him up and led him over to a group of people huddled by a wall.

"No...no!" Lana cried aloud. He was infected, he had to be. His mannerisms were all wrong, his eyes seemed off, soulless, black pupils with no shine. And they were putting him with others. They didn't know about Spectre. Galger and his damn group hadn't bothered to warn them, either too busy trying to gun down any of the specimens or not taking her and Nicole's warning to heart. Damn them. Damn them all!

She had to warn those on level one. There had to be some way to contact them. Lana hopped off her seat and began searching around for a phone. She carefully went through the other rooms, all just as pristine and unused, until she found an office. She went over to the computer and took up the phone beside it only to realize she didn't know or have a number to call. Cursing, she started up the computer instead. She went through the directories but the only numbers she could find were for various departments and warehouses which by now were empty. The city sector didn't exactly have its own number either. The closest thing she could try was the sector one security office but, no surprise at all, no one picked up. Feeling like she didn't have much left to lose and not seeing many other options, she dialed one of the few numbers she knew now by heart.

The line rang a few times. Then, to her delighted shock, she heard a click. "...Hello?"

"Jacob," Lana breathed.

There was a hiss of breath. "Lana?"

Lana's throat tightened and her face twisted but she dared not cry again. "Yes."

"Where are you? Nevermind, are you safe?"

Lana opened her mouth then closed it. Was she?

"I, um, yes...I think so," she said.

There was an exhale of breath. "That's good to hear. But, listen, I can't talk right now."

"Jacob, you need to hear this. There is a huge problem on base. Not just the specimens that got out as I'm guessing you already know."

"Right. The specimens are being taken care of as we speak. Galger and his team–"

"I know about that," she said. "But there is more. There is a parasite. It is infecting people and if we don't do something it will take over completely. You have to warn the officers on base somehow. Tell them people need to be separated and checked. When you arrive with reinforcements you can't let any leave the planet until it is safe."

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