DARK CELL [WRAP]

PREFACE

He collapsed to the ground and wept convusively as emotions overwhelmed him like a deluge of rushing waters. There was no recollection of who he was, only the extreme agony of happieness, rage, guilt, love, anxiety, regret, and most of all, nostalgia. These feelings had been foreign to him for the last decade, and now they were a burden, suffocating him, and he was reborn.

DARK CELL

A crown of thorns adorned the sun. Its solar rays penetrated the spaces between billowing clouds that hovered above like flying fortresses. Dried leaves skipped and skittered across the parking lot carried along by prevailing winds from the west. Cornell Medical rose from the ground like a concrete and glass tower casting an ominous shadow over Alex as he raced toward the entrance.

The automatic doors slid open revealing a warzone. Patients were hunched over in tight chairs, infants were crying, and some were coughing uncontrollably. Alex walked up to the admittance desk. “Can I help you, sir?” a receptionist asked. “Yes, I need to see my son, I was told he’s in room 307.” Alex explained. “One second please. Name please?” she requested. “Connors” he stated. The nurse hesitated. “I’m sorry but you will not be able to see him at this time. But if you’d like, you can wait in the lobby on the third floor.” Alex held up a teddy bear and smiled. “Thanks, I think I’ll do that.”


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Delta One had been given the target, location, and simple instructions. He wore a white t-shirt imprinted with the iconic logo of Che Guevara, and camouflage cargo pants. With jet-black eyes, shaved head, and clinched jaw, he played the convincing role of a gun wielding anarchist. Normally he hid his identify behind a special issue oxygen mask, but it would not be unnecessary this time. His doppelganger would mask him just fine.

He clicked in the magazine of his MP5K, and felt its weight in his hands. Today’s mission had to look like the work of an amateur, so there would be no need for his legendary accuracy. He smiled as his unmarked van in pulled up to the rear entrance of the hospital. He could retire on the money he was getting paid for this mission, and the fun he was going to have was a bonus.


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Room 307 bustled with activity as doctors and P.A.s attended to patients. Syringes were flicked, veins tapped, and IV bags connected. Medical staff referred to as watchers would often take turns seeing these patients through the night. Some would not make it.

Doctor Garson examined the charts of a young boy who arrived earlier with a critically high fever. The heart rate monitor beeped with a fast but steady rhythm as she monitored vitals. His boys eyes moved rapidly behind his eyelids, a sign that he was in a deep REM sleep. She hoped his dreams were comforting, because sooner or later he would wake up to this nightmare.

The doctor exhaled a long held sigh, and left the room to clear her mind. What was she missing? The fever wouldn’t break, and his temperature was dangerously high. Little did she know the boy had been poisoned with the chemical agent Ricin, and his symptoms were about to get much worse.


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A florescent light flickered above him, as Alex traversed the hallway toward room 307. He stepped aside as a group of doctors in scrubs walked hurriedly past him toward the O.R., their footsteps reverberating in precession.

"Sir, can I help you?" a doctor challenged, appearing from a room beside him. "Oh, yeah… I think I'm lost." Alex replied. "What are you looking for?" the doctor asked. "I thought this was the patient visiting floor," Alex lied. "No, that's on the second floor. Go down the hallway in the direction from where you came, make a left, then take that elevator to the second floor," the doctor advised. "Thanks, I just need to get my jacket..." he trailed off, and continued walking in the same direction. The doctor stared at Alex warily, but seemed satisfied with his answer.

As Room 307 came into view, Alex slowed his pace. He approached the room, giving it a wide birth, and peered inconspicuously through the doorway. The room had a row of hospital beds partitioned by white bed curtains.

An old man lay in the bed nearest to Alex. His well weathered leathery features told the story of a harsh life of manual labor. He stared at Alex cautiously as he flipped through channels on TV with the remote.
Alex recognized the boy in the bed beside the old man. A doctor was standing beside him with her hand on his forehead. Her delicate features were accentuated by lush auburn hair that draped over her shoulders. She spoke to herself in a whisper pitch about the boy’s symptoms.

The antiseptic smell hit him right away, as he stepped through the doorway. He walked towards the doctor to get her attention but she turned toward him unexpectedly catching him off guard. Not one for introductions, Alex decided to lay it all on the line.

“The boy has been poisoned with ricin, that’s why you can’t figure his symptoms out.” He said calmly. The red haired doctor stared at him. “What are you talking about? Who are you?” she snapped.

“Well, this is going to be a problem, because I need to inject him with the antidote, but I don’t think you’re just going to let me do that. As cliché as it sounds, you just have to trust me.” He explained.

“If this is a joke it’s not funny. Ricin would explain his symptoms, but there is no way you could possibly know that. I’ve been the only one overseeing him. Again, who are you?” She stammered.

“I don’t have time for this.” he said. Alex reached into his pocket and withdrew a syringe. He pulled the cap off, and held it up, giving it two quick flicks and squirting a stream of liquid from the needle. “This will save him.” The doctor stood, paralyzed. There was nothing she could do against this man who stood nearly a foot taller and seemed uncannily athletic. She was conflicted by his kind smile, and delicate mannerisms. The doctor backed away slowly, toward the exit.

Alex stuck the needle into the boy’s arm and directly into a vein. He slowly injected the fluid, until the syringe was completely empty. Alex had only a few moments to explain himself. “I know this doesn’t make any sense, but he has to come with me.”


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Delta One stood silent in the elevator as it rose to the third floor. His grin grew wider as he passed the second floor. DING. The doors opened revealing an admittance desk with two nurses talking on the phone, and one assisting a patient. Delta One walked out with a wicked smile and held up his MP5K. “Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention please? I’d like to introduce myself, my name is” He fired 3 rounds into the ceiling. The nurses and patients stared, wide-eyed and frozen.

He walked forward and grabbed a young man by the hair. “Have you ever seen what total darkness looks like, folks?” he asked, then slammed him in the forehead with the butt of the gun. “Well, this man has!” The man collapsed to the floor, knocked out cold. Delta One danced around in a circle laughing maniacally. He had no remorse.

The attack would be covered up with an innocent fall guy who closely resembled Delta One. His twin would be released at the scene where authorities would take him into custody as the obvious suspect. The cover story had already been written, and would help to pass new legislation designed to increase national security. In a few minutes CNN would go live with a breaking news story about an anti-government radical who went on a hospital shooting spree.


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“You need to tell me exactly who you are and who you work for.” The doctor demanded. “If you have hurt this child in any way, I swear you will be made to pay!” she threatened.

Alex sighed and pondered his confession. He had woken from his manchurian stupor only a few hours earlier, but was able to recall most of the story. He tapped his fingers together nervously.

“I work for the CIA and have top level clearance to a black ops project called DarkCell. It’s a covert operation that develops bioengineered viruses. When Project Bioshield was created in 2004 it was given 50 billion in funding to develop a defense against biological attacks. With no viable threat the funds were diverted to DarkCell.” Alex explained.

“For what purpose does DarkCell develop bioengineered viruses?” she asked while eyeing a syringe.

“They develop them to use as weapons of mass destruction. One teaspoon could take out an entire country. DarkCell often targets test candidates under the guise of routine vaccinations. The vaccines have a hidden payload which is designed to test the efficacy of bioengineered viruses. The virus has been modified so there is no chance contagion. If a test subject dies, it’s quickly covered up as a bad reaction to an inoculation. Recently a young boy survived the most deadly variant, H5N1(e). Now I bet you can guess who he is.” He responded.

She glanced at the boy. “Either I’m about to make a huge mistake, or I’m going to save the world.” She remarked.

He held up a USB memory drive. “This contains all of his genetic information, which could be used to cure any virus or disease. The information was supposed to be burried forever in a secure data vault. This would make our entire biological arsenal obsolete, but think of what it would do for humanity.” Alex explained.

“The ricin poisoning was supposed to kill him. He was supposed to die from unknown complications, but they know by now that it didn’t do the trick, and they’re coming to finish the job the old fashioned way.” he said.

She considered it. “Ok, then, what do you need me to do?”


_____________________________________________________________________



Alex heard the distinct sound of gunfire echoing from the hallway. He worked quickly yet carefully to disconnect the boy from his IVs, and scooped him up into his arms. The boy was still under the effect of the sedative, and was limp. He stood up and shifted the boy to his left arm, cradling him.

He heard footsteps approaching and more gunfire. Alex cautiously peered from the edge of the doorway and saw his predator recklessly firing down the hallway. He had to act quickly or he would be cornered in the room. The boy was the main target, but anyone in his way would get gunned down as well. He inhaled deeply and felt the sudden pulse of adrenaline flowing through his system. He took a few steps back, and with a running start broke through the threshold of the doorway.

As he exited the hospital room, time slowed down considerably. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw faint flashes, as bullets buzzed by like angry hornets. Fragments of glass and stone debris were suspended in a cloud around them. A young nurse heading toward them was frozen in mid-stride, temporarily unaware of the chaos. Further down the hall, an elderly man sat motionless in his wheelchair, his hands firmly gripped metallic wheel rims. To their right, a blonde-haired receptionist held the phone to her ear with eyes closed mid blink.

Time suddenly returned to its normal rhythm as a bullet lashed his leg. He cut left at an Olympic pace and took five strides in total. Alex leapt forward and dove, airborne, through the opening of the adjacent hallway. His momentum carried him forward, barely clearing a patient on a moving gurney but crashing into a doctor in scrubs behind it. As they landed, sprawled in a heap, he clutched the boy to his side, protecting him from the impact.
Scrambling to his feet, he surveyed the scene in front of him. Patients and staff were retreating down the hallway and away from the sounds of gunfire. The sting of the bullet was blunted by a rush of endorphins. The doctor in scrubs let out a surprised yell as Alex took a deep breath and calculated his escape plan.


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The familiar smell of gunpowder assailed his nostrils as smoke curled from the end of the barrel. Delta One tossed a spent clip aside with a hollow clank and loaded a new one into the chamber. He dashed down the hallway and made a sharp right nearly colliding with the same gurney and doctor in scrubs. He shoved the gurney aside violently, as the doctor ducked and ran for cover.

Delta One ran toward the stairwell exit and kicked the door open. He peered down the stairs looking for an angle to take a shot, but did not see the target. “Damn it!” He cried in frustration. This was supposed to be an easy job. He liked the chase, but he hated surprises. He contemplated his next move carefully. There’s no way the man would take the target to a higher floor. The logical choice was the basement. He began to descend the stairs.


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Dr. Garson connected the USB flash drive to her laptop. She couldn’t decide whether or not to believe this man, but the contents of the drive he’d given her would answer that question quickly.

A new window opened revealing a vast amount of directories. She clicked on one labeled Stage 5 enhanced. She clicked on one of the PDF’s inside the directory. The document opened displaying an image of virus along with its genetic blue prints. The doctor scrolled down and read through the medical abstract. A paragraph suddenly jumped out at her:

“The virus was successfully modified through mRNA transcription. The fatality rate among chimpanzees was 100%. The fatality rate among human test candidates was 100%.”

Her pupils dilated as she gasped realizing the implications of the document. The doctor brought up her email application and began building a list of contacts to send the documents to.


_____________________________________________________________________



Alex ran through the subfloor parking lot toward the exit. He slowed down as he heard a car turning the corner in his direction. A red Honda civic appeared from behind the concrete wall. Alex walked in front of the car blocking its path and waved to the driver. A middle aged grey haired man stopped his car in front of him.

“What’s going on?” the man asked. “I need your help. I know we’re at the hospital, but I have to get this boy to the emergency room immediately. We were heading back to my car, and he had a relapse. Can you give us a ride to the first floor?” Alex asked. “Sure, hop in.” the man said, clearing the passenger seat off.

Alex jumped in, cradling the boy in his arms. “Is he okay?” the man questioned. “He will be once we get him back to the emergency room. They said this might happen again, but I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

A bullet suddenly struck the hood of the car. Alex ducked covering the boy as more bullets hit the car. A bullet suddenly caught the man in the neck, killing him instantly. He slowly slumped forward in his seat.
Alex’s mind raced, but his instinct took over. He reached across the body of the lifeless driver opening the driver side door, and pushed the man out. He cradled the boy, and slid himself over to the driver’s seat while maintaining a low profile. Alex shifted the car into drive, and stomped on the accelerator as glass shattered around him.

He swerved to the left and slammed the car against the wall in an attempt to get out of the line of fire. The civic made a metallic screetch as it scraped against the wall. He accelerated forward, following the road up, and towards the ground level.

Alex exited the parking garage with a shower of sparks as the bottom of the car scrapped the ground. He slammed the breaks on as a black van appeared in front of him seemingly out of nowhere. The civic collided with the van causing the airbags to be deployed. Alex was consumed by darkness.


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Blurry objects moved around in confusing patterns. They made strange noises that were not discernable. Senses were distorted, but objects slowly came into focus. The room seemed familiar. He recognized the voices. A man in a dark hat stood beside him.

“Everything’s okay, Alex, you gave us quite the scare. It’s very rare when one of our assets wakes up. They usually cause quite a mess, as you’ve done in this situation. We’ve already got public conspiracy websites sharing the leaked information. I understand though, you woke up. You weren’t supposed to feel these things. We will need make a few more slices into your orbitalfrontal cortex to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We’re also installing a new chip, but of course, you won’t be aware of this when the operation is complete.”

Alex tried to talk but couldn’t move his lips. He tried to move his arms, and his legs, but he was frozen. He was paralyzed. He tried to scream. His mind raced searching for a way out.

The man in the dark hat flipped off the light. “See you soon, Alex.” He closed the door, locking it behind him. Everything was silent, and pitched black. It was at that moment that Alex realized he would never escape his Dark Cell.

" Stella rubs the tears away from his eyes"



Bravo sir, .... just, .... Bravo.


A masterpiece from a modern day poet

Hey, that was a fun read. Fast action. Good luck!

reply to post by v1rtu0s0


Wow... Scary and .... just WOW

I have often wondered whether there are in fact people like your alex among us.... Some days I believe there are some I do not

reply to post by v1rtu0s0


thanks for the read,
the abrupt prologue, followed by the more subdued opening lines [that speeds up with the last sentence] was nice:

A crown of thorns adorned the sun. Its solar rays penetrated the spaces between billowing clouds that hovered above like flying fortresses. Dried leaves skipped and skittered across the parking lot carried along by prevailing winds from the west.

i found the opening lines somewhat reminiscent of Zelazny.

This was a wonderful read lots of action and scary..thank you

Originally posted by sugarcookie1
This was a wonderful read lots of action and scary..thank you

Thank you! I had fun writing it. I appreciate the feedback.

Love it!! Is there more?

Originally posted by IMjusayin
Love it!! Is there more?

Thanks!

I planned to eventually re-write and flesh it out a bit more.

reply to post by v1rtu0s0


I'll be looking out for that. Good luck!

This truly needed a bump! Great read, though I'm not convinced it's fiction

Originally posted by Bilk22
This truly needed a bump! Great read, though I'm not convinced it's fiction

Thank you, sir! It's funny you mention that because...


www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by v1rtu0s0

Originally posted by Bilk22
This truly needed a bump! Great read, though I'm not convinced it's fiction

Thank you, sir! It's funny you mention that because...


www.abovetopsecret.com...

It's a sad, mad world we find ourselves in. I guess we can only hope for divine intervention.

"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Pogo

what does WRAP mean?

originally posted by: 3n19m470
what does WRAP mean?

[WRAP] was to indicate that it was in the writing contest. (in 2012)

Excellent Read i would buy your Books.
a reply to: v1rtu0s0