PARTMENT.
James’ instincts urged him strongly to follow the corridor to the right, and so he did, his heart beating in his mouth all the same. He neared the door slowly; he could hear his footsteps echo through the whole place.
The metallic door had been decorated with warning signs of all kinds. There was; SPECIAL STAFF ONLY!-VISITORS PROHIBITED-WARNING:EXPLOSIVE SUBSTANCES-DANGER! DANGER that ended with a skeleton skull with two bones forming an X under its chin.
“Danger my butt!” James said out loud, just to hear his voice-to cover up his fear. Commander Josh had once said fear was bad for a great Guardian. A Guardian should do anything without fear.
So he was going through that door.
But there was a problem. Beside the door was a small control panel that was glowing a soft green. It said: PRESS TO SCAN...
Now James knew the game was up. If he put his thumb to the screen and it rejected him, an alarm will be sounded around the whole building and the James would know he was there. He might be killed. He will be killed if that happened.
For a moment, he stood there, chewing his lips in deep thought. A strong urge came over him to shoot the panel. That was what they did in movies, right? But he thought better of it, an alarm will still be blared if he did so.
Suddenly, he heard several footsteps and voices escape into his ear. He spun around.
“There’s someone there,” one of them said. The footsteps grew louder.
James looked left and right, hoping for a place to hide, but on either side of him were solid walls. There was no escape. He was trapped.
“Maybe it’s one of us...” someone said.
“Just shut up and go check—but get ready. It could be a Guardian-“
A Germ almost passed the corridor and headed straight. James wished he had, but the Germ stopped abruptly and turned around. He looked at James, who returned the look coolly.
“I-I got him!”He yelled, stretching his gun at James. James did the same.
Suddenly about six more Germs run and halted beside their partner, who looked scared for some reason. James remembered him- his name was Cane- he had been at the Mouth when James and his friends had first gotten here.
The Germs smiled nastily. “Look what we have here.” The Germ with a ponytail and long face said. “James Winter. A.K.A the Risktaker. Guess this risk was too risky for you, huh?”
The Germs snickered. James felt hatred for them. Cane, however, did not laugh. In fact, he looked as if he had been forced to do this. He kept on wiping beads of sweat from his face, and his grip on the gun shook terribly.
“Shut up,” James said. “Shut up or I’ll kill all of you.”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to kill, loser,” the ponytail man said again. James thought he looked like a rat. “You see, there are (he pretended to count his fellows) seven of us, and oh dear, one of you. Bad luck for you, huh? Now just put your gun down on the floor nicely and –“
“You know why they call me the risk taker?” James said suddenly, interrupting the Germ. He balled his fist into his pocket. “Some say I’m mad, I dunno, but I’ve got a bomb here in my pocket and it spreads up to, um, about five miles.”
The Germs looked taken aback. James was glad at the effect he created. At first he thought it was a stupid idea, but these guys were actually buying it. They looked at each other in fear, and the ponytail Germ shook his head, staring at James like he could read his mind.
“He’s lying,” he said, the others eyeing James pocket.
“Oh yeah?” James bluffed on. “Put your guns down on the floor nicely and back away- and don’t MOVE! Or we’re blown skyhigh.”
Cane had already dropped his gun. He even raised his hands in the air in surrender. A Germ next to him slapped his head. “Stupid.”
“I think you guys better copy old Cane here coz I am getting impatie-“
James felt something sharp and heavy collide with his head from behind him. He saw the Germs laugh, all except Cane, and then he saw nothing at all.
Seli was flummoxed. How on Earth did Mr. Gorgon not believe them? Suddenly she was thrice as scared for James. If Mr. Gorgon won’t believe him, James might get into serious trouble. She looked at Leo, ready to accept any suggestion from him, but her brother was suddenly angry at Mr. Gorgon. A scowl attacked his face.
“Excuse me, Mr. Gorgon,” He said. “But what part of what we said didn’t you understand?”
Mr. Gorgon stroked his beard. “Well, the part about Rognard being a Germ, no less Singar. I know Mr. Lyan, and he’s a well respected guardian. If there’s anyone who is wholly anti-Germ, it’s him-“
“Yeah. That’s what he wants you to think-“Leo flared.
“Mr. Stardom. Please calm down. It’s either this is a sick prank or you’re on a very wild goose chase.”
Leo was at the edge of his seat now, ready to scream things at Mr. Gorgon, but Seli held him back, shaking her head. The last thing they wanted now was for them to have enemies with the Guardians.
“Okay, Mr. Gorgon,” she said softly. “Where is Rognard now?”
Seli thought Mr. Gorgon looked slightly taken back. But he said, “It’s none of my business to know the whereabouts of Mr. Lyan. However, I would take your word for it and assign Guardians to protect the building, since, it’s clearly stated in the Inside Constitution that we Guardians should respond to a distress call no matter the absurdity of it all.”
There was silence, in which Mr. Gorgon took another sip of his drink, licking in lips in relish, wetting his moustache.
Seli fumbled in her pocket and extracted something- a small folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and held it out to Mr. Gorgon, who took it with a scowl.
It was the map Seli had stolen from Singar, that had led to all this.
Mr. Gorgon’s eyes scanned the paper quickly, suddenly turning into a professor. Leo thought that they had got the man, now. Surely he would change his mind after reading?
Mr. Gorgon looked up with a smile. “You made that up real good.”
And Seli could not comprehend how a cell could be so ignorant and naive.
James woke up from the darkness only because he had been slapped. Hard. The Transformat burned his wrist powerfully, but not with as much pain as it had done when he had tried to touch the virus.
Another slap. James could feel his senses coming alive slowly. The slap had been very painful. Whoever was doing it better stop.
His vision cleared, slowly. First it was a blur, then it came into sharp focus. Though there wasn’t very much to see in this place. He was in a dark room, and the only light that illuminated a wide circle around him hung low directly above his head.
Where the light stopped, darkness began. He had no hint of how big the room was or what it contained. The place smelt musty and dank. Time ticked by slowly, during which he realized he was in a kneeling position.
Someone appeared next to him, scrutinizing James’s face quickly. It was the ponytail Germ. “He’s awake!” he shouted into the darkness, then turned and smirked a no good smile at James.
“That was a rather stupid and lame bluff you played out there,” He said. They had probably searched James’s pocket and found out there was no bomb.
“Yeah?” James said, surprised his voice came out in a croak. “Guess who was stupid enough to believe it, filthy?”
Anger flashed across Ponytail’s face, and he raised his hand for one more slap, but a cool voice suddenly called out from the darkness and warned him. “That is enough, Yetu!”
Suddenly, from all around him, James could see several Germs materializing out of he darkness, each of them with despicable smiled across their faces. they surrounded James, but kept their distance, also forming wider circle around him.
Then, directly in front of him, a figure suddenly appeared out of the gloom. He walked slowly, casually, and the Germs all looked at him with respect.
It was Rognard-sorry-Singar.
James was suddenly filled wit
h anger. He tried to free his hands to get up and give this guy serious punches. At least he would land a few blows before the other Germs defended their master. But he found he couldn’t move his hands. He looked back and discovered his hands had been bound tightly by a rope that looked so worn out and tattered you would think it had tied people up for decades, which, probably, it might have.
His legs were also tied together. He looked back at Singar, who was smiling thinly. Like James secretly amused him.
“Hello, Rognard, or should i say, Singar the filthy traitor.” James spat. For now, he had to use words as his punches.
Singar smiled. “Hello, James, or should I say, the Risk taker.”
There were scattered snickers.
“It seems you have caught up with me,” Singar admitted. “In fact, you were almost in time to interfere with my plans. I must say, I’m impressed.”
Almost. The thought made James shiver inwardly. Had Singar done something already? Was he too late? Did he just put Leo and Seli in danger?
“And here was I thinking you were stupid,” Singar interfered his thoughts.
“He is...” Yetu said, scoffing. No one laughed, and Singar gave him a hard stare. Yetu melted. He cleared his throat, said sheepishly, “Sorry-“
James couldn’t held but stick his tongue out at the Germ. Yetu’s jaws tightened with veins when he did.
Then James turned to Singar. “But why?” he asked. “Why would you save us from the Mouth in the first place- from your own people- why did you send us to your home, offer us jobs, let us live with you. What is the purpose? Why didn’t you kill us before?”
“Kill you?” Singar threw his head back and laughed. This time, his Germs didn’t copy him. They looked baffled and angry at what James had said. They probably didn’t know that Sinagr was the one who saved them from the Mouth, and kept them under his roof.
But Singar looked anything far from scared or apologetic. He kept on laughing like James was the dumbest person in the world. “I Couldnt just kill you, James. No. No. That would do no good if I’m to get out o here.”
Where was here?
“You see, I had to test you like lab rats, or rather test that weapon of yours-“Now Singar looked deadly. The Transformat burned.
James was glad it was still strapped to his wrist. If anything, it assured him that he wasn’t alone. But if Singar wanted the Transformat so badly, why didn’t he just remove it? And why did he want the Transformat so badly?
“Then why did you send some of your minions after me, eh? Including that Medicine.”
“Oh, I was just making sure you didn’t make too much a name for yourself. I didn’t want you to pass the Test, otherwise you would get the reward and be promoted, and I didn’t wan you to be the one who saved the Liver- you see I was just making sure that if I were to kill you at the last moment, nobody would notice and fuss about it. But you thwarted me, didn’t you?”
“No problem, though. I would destroy this city, including it’s stupid in habitants...soon. You will all die in one piece. And I will make it out of here.”
Here. Where was that?
James was about to ask so, already opening his mouth to speak, but then with a pang of emotions, he remembered a question he should have asked immediately he awoke. He felt shameful he hadn’t.
“Where is Jones?” the question came in a whisper, as if James dreaded the answer.
A huge smile spread across Singar’s face. “Ah! I almost forgot.” He clapped swiftly, as if calling for a waitress at a restaurant.
Bring me the boy,” he ordered.
A second later, Singar stepped aside as a Germ walked past him and dropped a figure right in front of James.
Jones.
The boy was like a dead goat. He was beaten and battered. Angry red swells scattered all around his body. His hair was askew, like he had just been electrocuted. His clothes, which James recognized way back from the encounter at the Mouth, were torn and dirty, like filthy rags.
His eyes were vacant and unseeing, staring at the dark roof, almost lifeless.
And the green liquid was pouring out from the corners of his mouth.
Seli stood in between Mr. Gorgon and Leo, staring out through the clean, shiny windows in the Atrium.
Mr. Gorgon had agreed somewhat to help them and had assigned Guardians to protect the perimeter of the Heart and report for any disturbances. The security cameras were being closely watched in the Control Room. If any thing was spotted, the Leukocytes there would just need to alert Leo, Mr. Gorgon and Seli through the earpieces attaché to their ears.
They had been here for thirty minutes exactly, which the huge wall clock in the Hall insisted on reminding them of.
Mr. Gorgon grew more and more impatient and changed from shifting his weight here and there in huge exaggerated humps of breath to tutting and taping his legs on the floor annoyingly. Seli learned to ignore it, but her brother wasn’t going to take it.
“Stop that!” Leo said exasperatingly. “If you want to go, go already! The situation’s bad enough without you breathing down our necks like a vulture.”
Mr. Gorgon eyed Leo angrily. Leo did not even bother to look at the man. His respect for Mr. Gorgon had reduced drastically ever since the man had refused to believe their story about Rognard. But Seli couldn’t blame him, though she couldn’t blame Mr. Gorgon either. You couldn’t just accuse a highly ranked person and just expect authorities to follow you like bees and honey.
“First of all,” Mr. Gorgon began. “There is and there will be absolutely no ‘situation’ at all here. And I will not go, because I’m waiting for your punishment.”
“Punishment?” Seli repeated blankly. At first, she wasn’t really listening to their conversation, but these words woke her up. Maybe she was just used to James and Leo arguing every time over sports and boxers and stuff. Yeah, boxers. They were that weird.
“Yes, punishment. If in the next thirty minutes, no Germ or Singar appears, I’m going to punish you both for wasting my time and also for framing a highly ranked official.
“But I don’t even work here!” Leo protested. Mr. Gorgon looked at him darkly.
“My powers go beyond the boundaries you’re thinking of, Mr. Stardom.”
Leo looked beaten, but Seli didnt care. She knew that something would happen here. Because she trusted James- and it was also because she had a feeling. It was unlike any other feeling she’d gotten before. It seemed alien, but yet it seemed part of her. Strange. Nowadays , that’s what happened to her every time. She would get certain feelings of things about to happen. Danger, someone about to spill milk on her, one of the Erythrocytes stuck in the bathroom- anything at all.
The shocking thing was, it always happened. It was almost as if she could tell the future. Almost. Else she would know what would happen right now, which she didn’t. Then why was that feeling overwhelming her again. Why was she so sure something was about to happen?
With her thoughts adding pressure to her frustration, she pressed an index finger on the earpiece and said softly, “Anything?”
A female voice answered. “Nothing yet.”
She groaned and continued to stare out the window. Mr. Gorgon would get unbearably impatient by now and give up.
As she watched, a man walked through the Gates slowly, walking majestically, heading for the front door. He was wearing a heavy looking brown leather coat, which was blown backwards by the wind.
Billy suddenly rushed in to the compound, with his gun held ever so tightly. He stopped in front of the man, stretching his hands and saying something Seli couldn’t hear. But she was sure he was asking for his identification card. He hadn’t asked Seli because he knew her and liked her, as a friend, of course. He was just joking about that boyfriend thing.
The man smiled like he thought Billy was making a big mistake by asking. He fumbled in his pockets, searching for something desperately- or pretending to. The Guardians patrolling around the compound stopped and looked
at him suspiciously.
Billy relaxed, thinking the man was about to bring out his card and everything would be alright.
Seli spotted the bulge in the man’s pockets before he extracted the thing. She screamed for Billy to watch out, but the windows muffled the sound. Her words never reached Billy.s
The Germ whipped his gun from his pocket and quickly shot Billy squarely in the chest. Billy gasped and fell. Puss wet the hole in his chest. Suddenly a team of Guardians had their guns trained on the Germ. But Seli thought that was foolish. Surely the Germ didn’t come in alone. His friends must be-
The Gate burst open, and about two dozen Germs charged in, immediately opening fire on them. The Guardians were taken by surprise; many of them fell to the floor with last screams and shouts. The rest backed away, hiding behind vessels and pillars.
Bullets shattered glass everywhere. People in the hall screamed and run around. An alarm was sounded somewhere, a voice was saying : EVA-CU-ATE THE HEART. CODE RED! ESCAPE THROUGH THE VENA CAVA.
Leukocytes started off towards elevators and stairs, shoving and pushing others out of the way.
Shots were heard as the Guardians and the Germs began to exchange fire. Mr. Gorgon turned quickly to Leo and Seli, opening his mouth to say something.
But the next second, all that came out was a choking sound. Mr. Gorgon fell to the floor like a dead tree. And Seli saw the hole that was in his neck.
She fell to the floor too for cover as a hail of bullets came their direction again, shattering glass and destroying the things in the Main Hall.
Seli crawled to Mr. Gorgon’s side. She didn’t know what to do. She felt helpless. There was nothing to be done, anyway. Mr. Gorgon would die in a matter of seconds.
Leo crawled beside her, looking down at Mr. Gorgon’s pain etched face. “I’m sorry,” the big man said.
“It’s okay,” Seli replied softly.
“Yeah and I’m sorry for being rude to you,” Leo said.
Mr. Gorgon managed a smile at that, though it seemed the effort was hurting him. “But, if a few handful Germs are here,” he said, trying desperately to get the words out before he went on. He sounded like a toad trying unsuccessfully to talk. “Then it means your friend James Winter is in deep trouble... you better go-for-him.”
The bald Guardian’s sight started to close down slowly, Seli had the sudden urge to stop them, but she knew the dead belonged anywhere but here.
“He’s right,” Leo said after a few minutes. “James really is in big trouble. I can’t believe he talked us into letting him go by himself.”
Seli nodded slowly, wondering whether she should escape through the Vena Cava and try and find James. The Erythrocytes might give her a lift there.
Leo suddenly whipped out his gun, clicking bullets into it. “I’m going in,” he said, already half crouching, half walking to the other Guardians’ side.
“Be careful-“Seli shouted after him, but if he had heard, he didn’t acknowledge it. Seli knew how he hated it when people cared about him too much.
She winced a Guardian was shot in the knee. He fell on the ground like someone had swept him off his legs. She was just about to get up and head for the elevator to the Vena Cava when she saw a figure climb through one of the broken windows a distance away from the ongoing battle.
The Germ was in black leather outfit from head to toe, he wore a brown duffel backpack at his back. His hair brown and scattered, but he was still strikingly handsome. He leaped off the window sill gracefully and quietly and run to the elevator.
“Leo!” Seli called impatiently, but Leo was nowhere to be found. He had probably taken cover behind one of the desks or couches like some of the others had done. The battle looked like the Guardians had it under control, so Seli decided to handle this guy herself.
The Germ had reached the elevator. He pressed the buttons impatiently and stepped inside once it was open. He turned and looked coolly into Seli’s eyes. His face gave nothing away. Not fear that he had been caught or urge to run away.
Seli stared back, though his pale eyes struck fear in her herself. She slapped herself inwardly. She was tough. She wasn’t afraid of this guy.
The elevator doors jerked close slowly, like Mr. Gorgon’s eyelids had done, and it swallowed Seli’s view of the Germ.
Seli took one glance at the fire exchange. Seeing it was safe to do so, she run for the stairs. The elevators would be to slow. She might not catch the guy in time.
Fifteen minutes later, Seli’s legs were starting to give way. She must’ve been on the twenty or floors to check whether Rozin, as she recognized him from the encounter at the Buccal Cavity, would get out of the elevator, but he didn’t, and the elevator shot still upwards.
Almost on the last floor, she had lost Rozin completely. She spun around in frustration, glancing here and there. She almost missed him, but at the last moment, she stopped and watched as he entered a room with his heavy brown bag.
Filled with new vim, she run towards the room, which he had left open.
She stopped right in front of the room and slipped her gun out of her pocket. She stretched it far in front of her and proceeded into the room, slowly.
She took a quick glance at the room- there was no one there. Her eyebrows went up as she raised an exasperated sigh.
Subconsciously, slowly, Seli was beginning to let her hands drop. A bang suddenly rang out throughout the room from behind her. She gasped and looked back sharply.
“Hello, darling,”
Rozin was right behind her, pointing his pistol at her with a small wicked smile on his face. “you were foolish, dear, to come here alone.”
“What do you want, Rozin?” Seli said with menace.
“To end the likes of you!” Rozin spat. “ Arrogant, self-centred Guardians like you!”
Seli rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know that, but how?”
Rozin relaxed a little, Seli could tell by the way his gun was slowly dropping down and the way his shoulders seemed to shrink and relax.
“Well, you see...”
Seli took her chance. She kicked Rozin’s gun out of his hand with a single leap, and landed gracefully on the ground.
She looked back sharply. Too late. Rozin grabbed her and threw her back with all of his might. She crashed into a computer workstation, upsetting and breaking quite a lot of computers.
Seli got to her feet slowly. Rozin was standing in front of her staring like a vulture, sensing a weakening prey.
As if.
Seli had lost her gun in the crash. It was probably hidden underneath the mess of computers behind her. So she balled her hands into fists and stared back at Rozin.
Rozin smiled and did the same, the two of them looking like boxers, bouncing on their feet. “I’m going to enjoy finishing you, darling.”
Rozin struck first with his fist. Seli ducked it and whacked his chin with an uppercut. He stumbled backwards, shaking his head as if dizzy.
He charged again and threw his leg towards Seli’s gut, but again, she held it and threw him just like he had done to her.
In his flight though, Rozin twisted and slammed Seli’s face with his foot. Seli stumbled backwards, almost tripping over the fallen computers.
She felt a dam break in her nose as blood rushed out of it. She reached up and wiped it. In those few moments, Rozin sunk his fist into her gut. She moaned, but Rozin seemed to only take that as entertainment.
He twisted Seli’s arm hoisted her over his shoulder,. She fell onto the floor. She thought she heard some of her bones break with sickening crunches.
She scrambled to her feet, blinking away the spots and the darkness as she did so.
In those few blinks, Rozin had grabbed her waist, and, piercing his shoulders into her stomach, slammed her into a wall.
The air was knocked out of Seli, but she didn’t quit. She dug her elbow into his back and hit him in the face with her knee. He fell onto the ground, kneeling on the ground as he clutched h
is face. He was probably bleeding.
Good, Seli thought. At least she had given him a painful souvenir also.
Rozin looked up, ready to strike again, but he did not see Seli. And then suddenly, as if she fell down from the roof, Seli’s feet hit him from above. She landed on her feet as Rozin collapsed, blood splattering on the tiles from the bruises on his face.
“And that,” Seli said as she went and picked Rozin’s gun. She came back and pointed it at his face. “Teaches you not to underestimate girls.”
She spotted the brown backpack Rozin was crying and searched inside. Immediately, the smirk on her face was erased, replaced by fear.
Rozin smiled, his cheek still kissing the floor. “That’s right, darling, bombs. And I’ve planted many of them at random places in the Organ. Didn’t you notice I was a little late on some floors?
Refuse to release me now, and we will burn along with the Heart!”