The Red Phoenix 12: Strength Comes in Numbers (43 page)

“Tear him apart, Commander!” said one of the soldiers.

“Tell them the box is on level minus nine,” Siddoway said to Chris in a quiet voice, wheezing. “In a conference room.”

“Don’t die on me yet,
Mr.
Enemy of the State
,” said Braddock. “Your punishment isn’t over.”

Braddock grabbed Siddoway by the collar, picked him up again, punched him in the sides and lower back, knee-struck him in the gut then pulled him to face-to-face.

“Like I said, you should have stuck with the test tubes and Bunsen burners, doc,” said Braddock, upper-cutting him.

Siddoway was forced backwards over the top of a desk then face

down to the floor on the other side.  Braddock stood back, rubbing his knuckles. Osborne and the soldiers moved in with their guns to end Siddoway, glancing at Braddock for the order.

“Waste him,” said Braddock.

“With pleasure,” Osborne replied, aiming his gun at Siddoway’s face. “Just smile for the camera, Siddoway, and wait for the flash,” he added with a cold smile, pulling his trigger.

Siddoway looked up at Osborne, waiting for the gun to go off and end him.

“All right!” said Chris, standing. “I’ll tell you where it is. Just don’t shoot him! We need him.”

“What do you mean you
need
him?” asked Braddock.

“The truth is the box is in a vault but only Siddoway knows the combination,” Chris replied.

“So, what’s stopping us from just icing you and taking the scientist to the vault?” asked Osborne.

“Yeah, what do we need you for?” asked Braddock.

“I know where it is; Siddoway doesn’t,” Chris responded.

“Why wouldn’t Siddoway know where his own vault is?” asked Braddock.

“I had it moved after he was fired from the facility,” Chris replied. “When I picked up the box, after the explosion, I placed it into the vault since the door was open but I don’t know the combination.”

“So, where is this vault?” said Braddock.

“It’s up on level minus nine,” Chris replied. “It’s the truth.”

“Why would you put it there?” asked Osborne.

“Seemed like a safe place at the time,” Chris answered. “We were moving a lot of things around after his departure.”

Braddock and Osborne stared at him with a tad of doubt.

“But you’re going to need both of us to open it so you’ll have to take all of us with you,” Chris replied. “Those are my terms if you ever want to get your hands on the box of lightning.”

“What do you think, Commander?” asked Osborne.

“I think the moment I decide you’re filling us with BS, Michaels, is when you watch your clan of clones get split open one at a time, and ripped limb from limb,” Braddock responded. “Starting with your little clone whore,” he added, pulling his thigh holstered pistol, casting its laser siding beam on Kerry’s forehead. “You get how that works?”

“Fair enough,” Chris responded.

Braddock holstered his weapon. Kerry fell into Chris’ arms, embracing him.

“Back on your knees! Both of you!” Osborne yelled as soldiers forced Kerry and Chris to the floor.

“Lieutenant?” asked Braddock.

“Yes sir.”

“Let’s deactivate the missiles and head out of here,” Braddock stated.

“We’re on it, boss,” Osborne replied.

CHAPTER TWELVE
WAR OF THE UNDERWORLD

In the arsenal bay, Braddock leaned against a wall, holding his weapon, supervising. Osborne conducted the deactivation of the missiles with a few of the soldiers while the rest of the soldiers guarded Chris, Siddoway and the clones. Number Twelve concealed himself well behind his gas mask.

Chris noticed Braddock and his soldiers were preoccupied as he sat against the wall next to Siddoway, Kerry and the other clones.

“Alex?” Chris whispered.

Siddoway turned his beaten face to him.

“Why did you tell me to say
level minus nine
?” asked Chris.

“Because we still have one play left, Chris,” Siddoway answered.

“What’s that?” asked Chris.

“I’ll tell you when we get there,” Siddoway replied.

“Tell me now,” said Chris.

“I need everyone to be fearless until we get there,” Siddoway replied. “You’re just going to have to trust me.”

“Maybe we’ll never get to L-M 9, Alex,” Chris stated.

“Oh, we’ll get there,” said Siddoway. “These boys have their directives, especially that thug, Braddock, over there.”

“Why do you say that?” asked Chris.

“He’s too proud of a soldier to return to the surface empty-handed,” Siddoway responded. “This place could fall apart entirely and he would still go after the box if he could.”

“This
box of lightning
he’s talking about, it’s what you had in the lobby just before the explosion, isn’t it?” asked Chris.

“Warnick brought it from the storage sector, I think, beyond that I have no clue where it came from,” Siddoway responded in a sad voice. “He told me it had high readings of hydrogen and tritium, so I took it home to have a look at it.”

“It would be interesting to find out where it came from,” said Chris.

“Whatever mysterious phenomena it was harrowed from, I’ll tell you this, it is not of this Earth,” said Siddoway.

“Like from outer space?” Chris asked.

“If I had to guess, that would probably be my answer,” Siddoway answered.

“That’s spooky,” Chris replied. “But how?”

“Warnick found it in the storage area,” Siddoway answered. “The Phoenix was storing stuff anywhere from scrap metal to N.A.S.A.’s turned over dumpsters.”

“God help us,” Chris mumbled.

“The point is, Chris, I had it in my very hands,” said Siddoway in an excitable tone. “I knew what it felt like.”

“You knew what felt like?” asked Chris.

“Absolute power in the palm of my hand,” Siddoway replied, sounding more intense. “I mean the vaporous phantasma called to me and became my advocate and the most formidable companion I’ve ever had. I was a god, Chris, you should have seen me.”

“I did see you, Alex,” Chris replied. “As I saw what it turned you into. Reese and I had to put you down, remember?”

“I would do
anything
to get it back and I mean anything,” Siddoway replied in an obsessed tone.

Chris was troubled by Siddoway’s lack of empathy for all those who had died at his hands.

“So, you opened the box at your house and—”

“—The blue misty phantasma came out of it,” Siddoway stated. “The next thing I knew I was casting streaks of pink, purple and green lightning throughout my house, powering up my weapons and my lighting fixtures after a damn blackout at my very will. It even helped me escape federal agents who were chasing me on the freeway.”

“And now the government wants it back,” Chris stated.

“Yes they do,” Siddoway replied. “And I don’t have the slightest clue where it is. It’s most likely buried under rubble.”

“This Braddock is going to kill us when we don’t deliver,” said Chris. “You know that, right?”

“Leave that to me,” said Siddoway. “I have a plan.”

“Well, if your plan works on L-M 9, at least we have a chance to get out of here and run towards the Mexican border,” Chris stated.

“That’s not going to be possible, Chris,” said Siddoway. “In fact, enjoy being trapped in this facility as long as you can because getting out of here is the easy part.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Chris.

“There is something else waiting for us on the surface,” Siddoway replied.

“Like what?” asked Chris.

“How do I describe it?” Siddoway pondered. “An atomic mutated forest.”

“A what?” asked Chris.

“Chris, understand that when the explosion happened, it just didn’t blow up the Red Phoenix and turn the employees into freakish, ravenous creatures,” Siddoway stated. “It did other things too.”

“What else did it do exactly, Alex?” asked Chris.

“It formed a jungle-like place in a radius for miles and miles around the facility,” Siddoway responded. “A dangerous one at that.”

“A jungle, like big leaves, vines, monkeys, and a few snakes?” asked Chris.

“Not even close, my friend,” Siddoway answered, chuckling with a cough.

“What then? A couple of lagoons with waterfalls, what?” Chris asked. “Be specific.”

“Try the most treacherous cluster of dark trees with razor-sharp thorns and vines that stand thirty-five to forty feet high and are alive, ready to swipe up anything that draws near them,” Siddoway responded.

“So, it’s a bunch of trees and vines, huh?” asked Chris. “That’s not too bad.”

“There is more,” said Siddoway.

“What?”

“After I explored only a few minutes into this bizarre, deranged environment, I came across some of the foulest creatures I have ever seen,” said Siddoway.

“What did you see?” Chris asked.

“There were beasts that looked like they were from the prehistoric era,” Siddoway answered. “The lizard creature I saw was at least thirty-five feet long and roared like it was damn dinosaur. I mean I could feel the log I was hiding inside shaking. The thing had to weigh at least two tons. I barely escaped, hence why I’m down here with you where it’s safe, figuratively speaking.”

“Was the lizard creature the only one you saw?” asked Chris.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it was a Hila Monster, mutated,” Siddoway stated.

“Was it the only one you saw though?” Chris asked again.

“No, but, Chris, we have to presume that the entire diameter out there was infected,” Siddoway replied. “I mean it’s the damn Arizona desert for Pete’s sake. Who knows what the fallout of the explosion did to the rest of the wildlife?”

“Oh man,” said Chris, leaning his head back. “I don’t even want to guess what it did to the rattlesnakes and scorpions, aside from the lizard you saw,” Chris stated.

“Precisely,” Siddoway replied.

“This jungle you speak of was surrounding the entire facility?” asked Chris.

“Chris, going through the forest and making it across the Mexican border, unnoticed, is our only chance of survival,” Siddoway answered. “That is if these mercenary assassins or their friends from their base out there don’t kill us first. I was even shot at by a helicopter gunman who nearly took my head off.”

“Jeez, how are we going to do this?” Chris muttered, rubbing his chin.

“Like I said, once we get these soldier goons to L-M 9, we’ll make a move,” said Siddoway.

“What do you intend to do?” asked Chris.

“You see that soldier over there, holding the clipboard?” asked Siddoway.

“Yeah,” Chris answered.

“That’s your other clone,
Number Twelve
, that was supposed to go to D.C.,” Siddoway responded. “He and I teamed up and overtook a couple of soldiers, hence why we’re in these tactical uniforms.”

“That’s
Twelve
,” Chris asked, worried. “If they find out who he is, they’ll kill him, Alex.”

“Hey, I know what these clones mean to you,” Siddoway stated. “Twelve and I have already saved each other’s lives. Understand?”

A soldier walked over to Siddoway and Chris, staring at them through his gas mask.

“Problem?” asked Chris.

“Shut up, no talking,” the soldier replied in a hateful tone.

“That’s it, Commander,” said Osborne, walking up to him. “That’s the last one.”

“Did we get confirmation that all of the missiles are shut down?” asked Braddock.

“Affirmative,” Osborne, holding up a digital device that flashed
DEACTIVATION COMPLETE Confirmation Number 956-78590876.

“Excellent,” said Braddock.

“I think it’s time to get our little box of wonders upstairs,” said Osborne.

“Michaels?” Braddock yelled, glaring.

“Yeah,” Chris answered.

“Time to take us on your field trip to L-M 9,” said Braddock.

“No problem,” Chris answered, standing with the clones and Siddoway.

“Let’s move, team leader!” said Osborne, pushing Chris to the front of the soldiers.

***

Braddock led his men up the stairwell. Chris, Kerry and the rest of the clones walked with their hands behind their heads in single-file as soldiers guarded them on the sides and on the rear with the clones’ weapons slung over their shoulders.

“Is that box really on level minus nine?” Kerry whispered in Chris’ ear.

“I’m just buying some time,” Chris answered, speaking quietly in her ear. “
Number Twelve
is among us. Be ready for anything.”

Kerry glanced at him with hope.

“Hey! No talking over there,” said Osborne in a crusty voice.

Chris silenced himself and walked up another flight of the foyer-style twelve-foot wide winding staircase as they made their way from one level to another.

“What level are we on, boss?” asked Osborne.

“Coming up to level minus seventy,” Braddock answered.

Suddenly, the floor and walls began to shake with a tumultuous rumble, causing everyone to stagger.

“What the hell?” said Osborne.

Chris looked up, watching the ceiling that was fifteen-feet above the floor began to crack open.

“The stairwell is coming apart! We need to get out of here!” he yelled, staggering.

“Up the stairs now! Move!” said Braddock, hurrying up the next flight of stairs.