Page 3 of Draekora

Alex closed her eyes, wondering again what she’d been thinking leading her friends here.

“One of those guards is wandering up and down the hallway outside your room. There’s no way for you to get out without being seen. But you’re only a few rooms away from the skywalk, and once you make it over, you’ll be in the clear. I think I can guide you there without you having to step foot in the corridor. But you’ll have to trust me.”

The trio looked at one another before turning back to Johnny. “We’re listening.”

There were three other doors leading from the padded room, and using Johnny’s remote access to open the furthest one, they followed his direction into the long, dark chamber before them.

It was only once the door sealed behind them that he absentmindedly said, “Heads up, you’re about to get wet.”

“Wha—”

Alex’s question was cut off when a billowing mass of cloud materialised above them just seconds before a torrential downpour of water fell straight onto their heads.

“Run!” Bear cried, his voice garbled by the lashing rain. He grabbed both Alex and D.C.’s arms and yanked them along. Not that they needed the motivation, since they were just as desperate to escape the unnatural weather phenomenon.

“No, Bear, stop! Alex! Dix! Stop!Stop!”

It took a few shouts before Alex was able to hear Johnny’s yelling over the sound of the deluge, but she came to a sudden halt as soon as his words processed. It was only then that she began to feel the rain vaporise around her and a glow of artificial sunlight kiss her skin. She looked up and marvelled at the sight high above them.

Glancing backward, Alex could still see the rain bucketing down from miserable-looking clouds by the entrance. But looking around her now…

“Is this some kind of weather room?” she asked.

The large chamber appeared to be sectioned into different climate categories. Where Alex and her friends currently stood was a clear blue sky, fluffy white cumulus clouds and, perhaps strangest of all, a synthetic sun. Looking further across the room, she could see all kinds of weather scenarios playing out within bordered segments of the room. Clearly the ChemTech R&D department was earning their keep.

“Yes, Alex, and don’t move another step!” Johnny ordered, his features pinched and his tone laced with anxiety. “I thought I could deactivate the room remotely but the coding is more complex than I anticipated. I can do it, but it will take a few minutes and you don’t have the time to spare. You’ll have to make a run for it.”

“Then why’d you tell us to stop?” Bear sounded belligerent as he squeezed water from his shirt.

D.C. gave a frowning nod of agreement as she too wrung out her sodden clothes and twisted her soaked hair, leaving a puddle of water on the marble tiles.

With a troubling feeling that they weren’t out of the worst of it yet, Alex didn’t bother attempting to dry off.

“Because I need to warn you,” Johnny said, “that some of the weather is… reactive.”

D.C. stopped wringing out her hair. “Reactive?”

Johnny chose not to explain. Instead he gave them an impishly apologetic look and said, “Keep moving and you should be fine. The last section will be the most dangerous, but I’ll have your exit door open by the time you get there, so just sprint straight through. Okay?”

“No, not okay!” D.C. cried. “Do you want to give us some more details?”

Johnny turned his attention to his second Device and muttered, “I have a door to unlock. You’d better start running.”

Before D.C. could open her mouth to protest, Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her along. “Come on, Dix. The sooner we get moving, the sooner we’ll be out of here.”

Two

Leading the way at a fast pace,Alex felt the air turn clammy as the sunshine dissolved behind them. Visibility was near to nothing as they entered the next weather zone and a fog-like mist arose from beneath their feet, swiftly obscuring everything in sight. It was disorienting, but Alex pressed on, running forward until she crossed into the next climate. Almost immediately her feet slipped out from underneath her and she fell onto the hard, ice-covered floor.

Dazed from the fall, she managed to yell, “Watch your step!”

But it was too late for D.C., who hit the slippery ground and slid along until she came to a jarring stop in a tangle of limbs at Alex’s feet.

Bringing up the rear, Bear at least heard the warning in time, and was able to get away with a slight skating of his feet without losing his footing.

“Eugh,” D.C. grunted, pushing up to stand. She made a whimpering sound, causing Alex to glance at her with alarm.

“Are you hurt?”

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