"Five months," Nanami said. "Technically."
"That's not so ba..." Jenkins stopped. "What do you mean technically?"
"What I mean is that my contract has had five months left on it for the past three months," Nanami said.
"That sounds like some sort of computer bug," Jenkins said. "Or are you re-upping in small numbers."
"No," Nanami said. "I don't think we're allowed to leave."
"You're getting paranoid," Jenkins said. "It's all the bugs, that's got to be it."
"Yeah, that's it," Nanami said. "Look, we came here to help out with researching the xenomorphs and a couple of other bio-weapons to figure out better ways to shield against them, right?"
"That's right," Jenkins said, gruffly.
Nanami hesitated, feeling nervous at continuing, but at this point she'd already said too much to stop, whatever her instincts told her.
"Well, look," Nanami said. "We're refining the T-Virus and we're breeding mosnters. And I don't know anybody that's left this compound."
"You're forgetting Erickson," Jenkins said. "She left only three weeks ago."
"But she didn't pack anything," Nanami said. "And that new...thing...Eve, doesn't it sort of look like she did, just a little?"
"Nanami, I think you need a break, some relaxation," Jenkins said concernedly, but the feelings running through Nanami's spine implied everything except that he was friendly.
"No," Nanami said. "That's all right, I'll just go and see about getting my contract straightened out."
She started to take a few steps toward the door and the travel sled beyond that would take her to the main compound in moments. The sound of a safety being flipped off and a gun loaded made her freeze.
"We can straighten your contract out here," Jenkins said coldly
Nanami turned around and looked down the barrel of the gun to the face of her co-worker and, now, her killer.
"Are you going to kill me now?" Nanami asked weakly.
"Of course not," Jenkins said with a cruel smile. "That sixth sense of yours is valuable property, even if you don't listen to it well. We're going to add you to the projects."
The bio-hazard warning flashed on moments later and Jenkins turned away from her. She kicked out and pushed the gun away, her mind barely registering the warnings that the T-Virus had been released.
She'd been vaccinated a few days ago, and with the boosters in the room, she'd be fine against even the refined virus. Assuming she got to them quickly enough. At the moment she was more concerned with the man pointing the gun at her.
The pistol fired off three times as the man lost his balance fell to the ground, hard, the sound of glass shattering combining with his pained grunt. Before either could do much else a second warning flashed through the test compound, one that was much more immediately dangerous.
Nanami hadn't needed the second alarm to know that They were coming. She could feel their aggression practically burning across her mind. She was already running for the exit as Jenkins rubbed at his head and tried to shake off the dizziness. The lab tech only paused a moment to head for the vaccines held in the locker near that door.
Unfortunately, she found the locker and its contents shattered by Jenkins' random firing. Remembering Jenkins she looked back and saw that he was already looking for the gun. She saw it behind him, close to her and rushed out to grab it.
Jenkins heard the clattering and turned about to give chase. The screams behind distracted him enough that he tripped over a stool in trying to reach her, and then she was out the door and landing on the travel sled. The sound of rending metal and terrified screams catching up quickly to her.
She jumped on the travel sled and triggered it, holding tight as the conveyance rocketed down the connecting tunnels. Behind her, she could see two lethal forms, growing smaller, chasing after her.
It was fortunate that the test room and facilities, including the sled, had independent power. Otherwise, Nanami would never have gotten away from the xenomorphs that had just been unleashed.
But had she gotten away from the T-Virus?
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(Posted Tue, 07 Sep 2004 20:59)
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