Gasps of alarm resound as the big, scaly animal launches itself onto the glass table. Snarling, salivating, the creature turns in a full circle as if assessing its onlookers, peering with cold cruel eyes that glow in the semidarkness. Suddenly, the creature appears to claim a target. Bunching powerful back legs, it bends low like a charged spring, and leaps with a demented howl at a middle-aged woman with long gray hair. The woman screams.
Then, the creature shimmers, and evaporates. Silence. A burly man in a suit holds a technical gadget in his hand at the end of the tail. He smiles smugly and presses a button. A sharp beep reverberates. His eyes stare around the room, relishing in the surprise and shock of his coworkers.
"Gentlemen, are there any concerns?" he says.
Frank Wilber leaves the board room feeling very satisfied. The men and women in suits disperse in silence, catching odd glimpses at him. Frightened half out of their wits. Wilber eyes his assistant in the hall, Tucker Lane. Holding papers and wearing a tie and very solemn expression, Tucker looks just like any other businessman, the bright-orange freckles adding to an air of geekiness that surrounds the young man. Wilber made his way over.
"How did it go?" Tucker asks.
"Very well. Very, very well, Tucker." Wilber can't keep the pleasure out of his voice as he retails the events of the meeting. "Things are going far better than I ever hoped," he finishes.
"Doctor Wu will be happy to hear that," Tucker says.
"We'll tell him about it at lunch."
Doctor Wu stands over his mantle, watering a plant. His calm, calculating face is etched with nervousness. He eyes the clock on the wall periodically and continuously fidgets under his lab coat. It was awhile before he realizes the potted plant was overflowing.
Trying to mop up the mess, Wu coaxes himself to relax. This was no time for anxiety, lest he made some careless mistake, much like with the water. Only there were a million things that could go wrong. In this case he might end up with something a lot worse than a puddle of water and a wrecked carpet. It's too late now, he tells himself. Too late to go back.
Intending to toss the damp towel in the laundry but unwittingly emptying it in the bin, Wu crosses the floor of his luxurious room and gazes out his window. His mind befuddled, he stares numbly at the busy courtyard and acres of bleak sand beyond. His eyes search the line of faces, workmen, guards, doctors. Searching.
Searching.
His watch buzzes, and his heart skips. Lunch time. Nothing to worry about. He hears footsteps outside the door; people on their way to lunch. Wu unlatches his window, and slides it open. Carefully, as if not to cause too much noise, he extracts a handkerchief from his pocket. A bright red one. Completely out of place with the rest of his attire.
Dangling the handkerchief out the window, he gave it a good wave.
Nobody saw. Nobody looked, except one man. A guard in green fatigues and a dark vest, drenched in sweat. He saw. And he nods like they'd planned. And he walks to a car.
Quickly, Wu makes his way to the door and carefully peers through. An empty hallway. Quietly he slips out. Begins making his way across the floor. No one, not a sound. Wu tip-toes in a hurriedly fashion. At the end of the hall he sees a door, and light streaming through a window. He fast-wals to the door. Heart thrumming.
He reaches for the handle. Reaches for escape.
The door flew open.
Wu shrieks and cowers his head like he expected a blow. He peers behind crossed arms, into the face of a guard. Not any guard. Williams, the Chief of Security. Scrutinizing Wu with a suspicious stare.
Wu drops his arms, but it's hopeless, he's shaking.
Williams scowls. "What's going on here, Doctor Wu? Where're you running to?"
"Nowhere," Wu gets out.
Williams hefts an eyebrow, and a fist like a club. Not a threatening gesture. He uses the hand to turn Wu around and aim him down the hall.
"Lunch is that way," he says.
"I left a colleague outside! I was going to fetch him," Wu lies.
"Well, everyone's on their way inside. You can meet your colleague at lunch."
Miserable, but left with nothing else to do, Wu began trudging down the hallway, with the security guard right behind him. He looks back again, into the shaft of sunlight announcing the arrival of many more guards and workers, eager to eat, and supresses a scream as his final hope of escape is lost in the tidal of men in fatigues.
"Hey Josh, lunchtime."
Josh Miller seethes with frustration, but hides it. "Right. Coming."
"Okay."
"Len, can you come here a minute?"
"Sure." The other guard walks toward him.
"Check this gage." Josh fingers the electrical piece of the car engine.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Not sure. But I think it's the reason the car won't start. Can you maybe fix it?"
"Sure, after lunch."
Josh hides another sigh. "Okay."
"What're you really up to, Josh?"
Josh gazes at the young, baby-faced man, working with the wiring in the car. Len doesn't even glance at him, and already Josh's heart is beating fast.
"What?"
"I saw Wu. He waved at ya. And you nodded back. What's that supposed to mean?" Len says.
"I have no idea what you mean," Josh says, reaching for his stung baton.
Josh was on the roof. Running. His feet pounding the tiles. How he got up here, who knows? First thing after sticking Len in the kidneys with his baton and running for it, he jumped for the ladder. He panicked. He was a fool. An idiot.
He was going to die.
"Josh! Stop there!"
Josh recoils suddenly at the sharp ring of a hammer knocking back. A sound he's heard before.
He flattens himself on the ground.
He hears footsteps approaching, slowly, cautiously, and a voice, saying, "Get up slowly, Miller. It's over."
I'm going to die now.
Everything. He blew it all. Chances. The plan. It was gone because he'd panicked.
"Okay," he says miserably.
He stands up, and sees Kenneth, in his jersey pants and black T-shirt. Aiming the barrel of a gun at Josh. Josh also sees someone else coming up the ladder, Wilber.
Wilber!
Josh shoves a shaking hand at him. "You son of a - !"
Kenneth straightens his barrel. "Enough," he says. "We're all coming down now?"
"What's going on here?" Wilber demands.
"Stay back, sir," says Kenneth.
"What do you think's going on?" Josh yells. He's almost in tears with red, hot-red anger.
"I haven't the foggiest clue," Wilber sniffs displeasingly. "Except that you're a traitor. You stung Len!"
"I don't care about that. I don't care about any of it. You -"
A big gust of wind catches him off guard. There is a loud thumping, and the sun is temporarily disrupted by an overcast shadow. Something moving through the air, then...
"Josh!" Kenneth screams.
Josh yells as the big wind knocks him over, sends him rolling, bouncing head-over-heel to the edge of the roof, allotting him a moment of pure terror before dropping.
Straight down, thirty feet.
"Attention, please. Can I have your attention? We interrupt your meal to announce that a guard has tragically fallen to his death from the top of the building. The man's name was Josh Miller. We'd like to ask that you all take a moment to extend some special thoughts to Josh. Thank you."
The glass begins shaking in Wu's hand, threatening to shatter. His mouth, his teeth are chattering, his tongue is dry. He stares down uncomprehendingly.
"Henry, are you all right? Henry!"
Strong fingers grip his lab coat. Wu allows himself to be numbed by the strong pair of hands. Williams. The guard kindly offered to sit next to Wu at lunch, although Wu was certain the real reason for this unusual request was because the guard was still suspicious of Wu's disbelieving claims from before.
Williams grapples him with enormous arms. "Henry, can you speak?"
Wu nods numbly.
"How did you know Josh? Were you two close or something?" Williams asks. He pauses, then adds, "Was he your colleague?"
Wu shakes his head noncommittally. Wrenching himself out of the guard's grip, he stands and takes a jerking step away.
"Henry, take it easy, you're not feeling well," says Williams, but Wu barely hears him. He lunges forward again, but is silenced as the loudspeaker rings out for a second time that morning.
"Attention, everyone, please. Frank Wilber has asked that all personal involved with 'Project 8' to please proceed immediately to the labs for a special meeting. Thank you." The loudspeaker clicks off.
Wu feels Williams' strong arms tugging him again. "Come on, Doctor Wu. We're getting you to your room. Right now."
Wu starts to protest. "But I'm Project 8 staff -"
"You're not well. You're heartsick. You need rest," Williams insists, ushering him forward.
"No, you clod! I must go. I'm fine. I tell you -"
"No, Henry, I'm telling you that you're going to your bed right now. You resist me, and I report you," Williams says.
Wu trembles vainly. "You can't just -!"
"I will personally take upon any repercussions for your absence at the meeting. I promise, you won't get in any trouble."
Somehow, that seams to pacify Wu. He calms down and allows Williams to swiftly usher him to his room. Around the dining area, notable members of the Project 8 staff begin filing slowly into an empty corridor, glancing in puzzlement at Wu and his obsolete guarding leading him away. He ignores their stares.
Williams escorts Wu right up to his door, even unlatching the knob and pushing him through. For good measure, he straightens Wu's ruffled lab coat on his shoulders.
"There you are. Get some rest, and I'll inform you how the meeting went in the morning," Williams says, breaking a smile.
Wu stares deftly as the door closes in front of him.
Suddenly, Williams' face leers into the crack. "And I know about the plan," he whispers.
The door locks.
So as I mentioned in the summary I have already tried writing a story following this same plot... That story can still be found on my account, but it's a little outdated and not quite as good. I'm very pleased with this first chapter, and I have a little more written down so I'm just hoping I can find the urge to continue writing this. Thanks for checking it out! x3