A/N: A great thanks for all the reviews! I didn't realize so many people would find this story interesting.
Minor Catastrophe
"Here we are, ladies" their taxi driver announced as he pulled in front of the large energy plant. "That'll be forty double dollars, not including my tip" he added with some hope.
"Charge it to this" Meryl replied as she held out the employee check card given by the Bernardelli company.
"Don't mind if I do" he answered with an appreciative grin as he executed the payment and handed back the card. "You ladies have a nice day" he spoke as they exited the vehicle.
"You, too!" Millie shouted as the shorter girl closed the door. She waved as the car drove back into traffic. "Wasn't he nice, Meryl?" she asked her partner.
"The boss won't think so when he looks at the tip" Meryl noted as she stuffed the card back into her small purse and looked up at the plant. "But we have a job to do."
"Right!" her friend recalled as she put on a serious face. Then she blinked and scratched her head as she gave a goofy grin. "But why are we here again, Meryl?"
"Because the boss wants us to find out why this power plant has been collecting so much of its insurance lately" she explained with a sigh.
"Gotcha!" Millie enthusiastically replied as they walked up the steps which led to the lobby.
The plant itself, a huge circular bulb which continuously glowed, stood back away from the main part of the facility. The everyday operations, such as function controls and energy output surveillance, were nestled between the front business section and the giant bulb.
The two insurance girls walked through the double glass doors and into the pristine lobby. The marble floor glistened as their steps rang hollow all the way to the large front desk. A woman with an unpleasant face was seated behind, and she appeared bored filing her fingernails as they walked up to the desk.
"Excuse me" Meryl interrupted the woman's self-manicure. "But we're here from the Be-"
"Do you have an appointment?" the secretary rudely broke in on her announcement.
"Well, no, but we-" the insurance girl began before she was again interrupted.
"I'm afraid I can't let anyone by without an appointment" the woman spoke in a bored tone as she scowled at the two intruders. "You can make an appointment and come back another day."
"We're here from the Bernardelli Insurance Company" Meryl stated with a scowl. "This is a surprise, and mandatory, visitation as stipulated in the contract" she argued as she folded her arms across her chest.
The woman gave the two visitors a cursory look, brief but more thorough than she had done during their entire conversation, and then she picked up the phone.
"One moment, please" she curtly requested as she dialed a number. The phone rang for only a moment before the other receiver was picked up. "There are two insurance agents here to look around" she quietly spoke. "What do you want me to do about them? Yes. I see, sir. Right away."
The woman hung up the phone and suddenly footsteps were heard in a hall to their right. Meryl and Millie turned to see a young gentleman wearing a white lab coat, white shirt, and dark jeans walk into the lobby. He appeared to be in his mid twenties, signaled by his dark black hair and young physique.
"Hello there" he greeted as he strolled over to the women and held out his hand. "My name is Doctor Lazarus, and I'm the researcher in charge of this plant."
"A pleasure to meet you" Meryl replied as she took his hand.
"Howdie!" Millie joined as she vigorously took the offered shaking.
"May I ask what brings two lovely insurance ladies to our operation?" he asked as he retrieved his hand from the big girl's strong grip.
"Business, sir" Meryl replied in her professional tone. "We're here to make a regular inspection of the facilities to make sure everything is in order."
"Because of our recent filings?" he suggested.
"I'm afraid so" she admitted with a nod. "We hope not to take too much of your time."
"No problem at all" he argued as he waved off her concerns. "I will be glad to personally guide you through the buildings, but I will have to ask you to skip the tour of the bulb."
"Why is that?" Millie asked.
"Because the radiation from the plant's energy could easily kill a human" Dr. Lazarus explained as he turned toward the big girl. "The area is sealed off from all personal except for regular maintenance and extreme circumstances."
"Like an overflow of energy or an implosion in the plant's main core?" Meryl suggested.
"Exactly" the doctor agreed as he looked impressed at her knowledge. "Not many people would know about those common plant facility facts."
"I studied some basics of plants in college" Meryl admitted. "But about that tour, Doctor?" she reminded.
"Oh, yes!" Lazarus exclaimed as he playfully slapped his forehead. "How silly of me. But if you must, please call me Jeff."
"Okay, Jeff" Millie quickly agreed with a broad smile.
However, Meryl could see her friend's usual cheer seemed hollow when directed at their young guide.
"Then we'll get going" he replied as he turned back to the hall he had come from. "First we should move through the normal control rooms, then we can end our tour at the main control area."
"Sounds good" Meryl replied.
The small group proceeded down the hall and passed by several rooms with mirrors looking into the areas.
"These are the cooling and heating unit controls" he explained as they passed each in turn on both sides of the passage. "Then we have the artificial environment controls for our workers deeper into the plant."
"Why an artificial environment?" Meryl asked.
"Because any uncontrolled exposure of light and sound could cause the instruments to break down, the plant walls were made several feet thick with concrete" he explained. "So an artificial air system is required, since having our workers in bulky suits would be the only alternative."
The tour continued through several more passages and hallways, all filled with more mirrors and all leading deeper into the facility. The doors next to the mirrors held name plates describing what was in the rooms, and Jeff repeated them all aloud for his visitors. However, Millie was curious as they turned a corner away from the current hallway and she noticed an avoidance.
"What's in there?" she asked as she stopped and pointed to a thick steel door tucked at the end of the long hall.
No plate could be seen on the door to signify its use, nor was there any discernible way to open the portal.
"That?" he repeated as he looked over his shoulder without stopping. "It's just a janitor's closet" he explained. "But don't mind it, we're almost to the main control room."
"Oh..." Millie replied as she gave the door one final look before sprinting to catch up to the group.
"What was that about, Millie?" Meryl whispered under her breath.
"I heard someone crying, Meryl" she replied with a tremor in her voice. "There was someone who needed our help."
"It was just your imagination" the short girl tried to calm, but she sounded unsure. Her partner's intuition was never wrong. "But maybe we'll look at it on the way back."
"And here we are, ladies" Jeff announced as he stepped around and to the side to reveal another thick door. "The main control room" he explained as he opened the door through the electronic lock at the side.
The two insurance girls stepped forward into the large room and gaped at the massive instruments which lined the walls. Men and women ran back and forth between screens and bright gadgets as they checked and aligned countless numbers and percentages.
"Well, what do you think?" he asked as he proudly grinned.
"It's very impressive" Meryl admitted as she turned around to look at Jeff, but her tone was accusing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But I think I would like to see the laboratory now."
"What are you talking about?" he innocently asked.
"The insurance damage as specified on your papers was for the destruction of laboratory materials" she explained as Millie stepped up beside her. "But you did not show us any such rooms."
"Well, I, that's becau-" Jeff stammered, but the sound of an alarm broke his sentence.
The room's color changed from the artificial white to a dark red as sirens blared and the computer screens flashed as though interrupted.
"We have an emergency!" one of the workers shouted as all looked to a broad panel on the far side of the room. "Omega One is no longer responding!"
"That's impossible!" Jeff exclaimed as he raced to the panel. Meryl and Millie quickly followed him. "The readings have to be off!"
"Not this many, sir" the worker explained as he pointed to more switches which were starting to sound. "The whole system is saying the same thing."
"Damn it!" the doctor shouted as he pounded his fists into the desk of the panel. Then he noticed the two insurance women behind him. "Someone call security to get these two out of here!"
"Already on it!" another employee yelled as the door to the area suddenly opened.
A group of armed, padded guards rushed through the doors and toward the two women.
"Come with us" the lead uniformed men commanded as he came up to them.
"Meryl" Millie whimpered as she stepped behind her smaller partner.
"It's okay, Millie" Meryl replied as she scowled at the armed guards. "They can't hurt us."
"For your own safety, you will come with us" the man reiterated as he motioned for his men to surround the two women.
"We're representatives from the Bernardelli Insurance Company" Meryl explained as she warily watched the armed guards. "What's going on here?"
"Just come with us" the commander blandly stated as he nodded to the others.
The guards suddenly leapt forward and grabbed hold of Meryl and Millie's arms.
"Let go!" Meryl protested as she and her partner struggled in their grasp. "You have no right to do this!"
"Meryl!" Millie cried out as they pulled her through the door and down the hallway.
"Millie!" she yelled as she let out a bruising kick to one of the guards and managed to break free from the other.
"Grab her!" the lead officer loudly ordered in frustration.
Meryl barely made it to the door before she was recaptured by the men as they took hold of her arms. She was dragged through the portal and was barely in time to see Millie pushed around the left corner of the long passage.
"Take her down the right passage and through the first door!" the commander ordered.
"Let go of me!" Meryl yelled as she struggled in their grips.
She could not stop them as they partially shoved and partially dragged her down the hall and into the next passage. The sound of alarms blared in her ears as people ran through the halls in chaos.
"Get that door open quick!" the officer commanded as they moved her to a small exit door to the left.
However, none of the soldiers had time to move as a suddenly blast blew apart the hall. The guards and Meryl were blown backward several feet and they all landed on the ground. Metal rained down upon them as the insurance girl covered her face with her arms and bit her tongue as the sharp pieces of shrapnel dug into her skin.
The shower soon stopped but a haze covered the passage as she slowly, cautiously sat up. The guards were scattered around her and none appeared to be moving, though they were all breathing. The walls of the hall had been torn away, revealing parts of the studs and the remains of the insulation covering the concrete beyond.
Meryl was still shaken by the blast as a bright light suddenly hit her eyes. For a moment she thought the explosion had injured her vision, but she noticed the glow moved in an unsteady path as it grew brighter.
She raised her arm above her eyes to shield them as she tried to look beyond the light.
Meryl gasped as she realized a woman, blinding in the intensity of her translucent skin, was staggering toward her. The woman wore no clothes and she swayed from side to side as though fatigued. Then her feet tripped on a piece of broken floor and she began to fall forward.
Meryl struggled to her feet and rushed to the stranger's side in time to catch her in her arms.
"Are you all right?" she asked as she slowly lowered her to the ground.
The woman's eyes fluttered open and she searched around a moment before she caught Meryl's face. Then they widened in fear as one of her hands came up to grasp Meryl's shirt as her fingers shook uncontrollably.
"Please help me" the young woman gasped for breath as silver tears slid down her cheeks. She pulled herself closer to Meryl's face and her voice was barely heard whispering "Please make them stop."
"Make who stop? Help you how?" Meryl asked in confusion as she looked over the young woman's body for wounds.
She was horrified to find large injection holes at several points along her arms, legs, and torso. She could feel several along the ridge of the young stranger's back which lay against her arm.
"Did they do this to you?" she questioned as she nodded toward the fallen guards.
However, the young woman appeared not to hear the question as she suddenly began to struggle for air.
"Please no more" she quietly whispered as she shook her head and she began to sink back onto Meryl's lap. "Please let this end" she begged as her eyes suddenly opened wide.
Meryl watched in confusion and alarm as the young woman raised one of her puncture arms and stretched it out toward the ceiling. A child-like smile spread across her face as she let out a violent cough.
"Please take me away from this" she softly pleaded as the glow from her body began to grow brighter.
Meryl couldn't turn her eyes from the scene in her arms as the woman suddenly arched her back and let out a painful scream as light from her body shot through the ceiling of the hall. The material above was obliterated into dust as she felt her arms grow hot from the woman's heat.
Then the world seemed to implode.
Meryl blinked as the woman's body seemed to burst inward into countless dust particles. The implosion blinded her for a moment as the ray of light burst from the force of the vacuum.
However, even with her eyes closed the brightness of the particles pushed through her lids and for a moment she viewed a perfectly white world. Nothing lay near or beyond, and she felt herself alone as silence encased the passage.
But she was not alone.
For a brief glimpse, so little time she thought it may have been nothing, the vision of a little girl in a plain dress was seen far off in the distance.
Then the scorching of her arms and the pounding in her head brought her back to the world of colors and she found herself holding nothing more than gray dust. The hall had cleared of the glowing mist and the guards were starting to wake.
Meryl could only sit there as they stood to their feet and struggled over to where she was. They again took hold of her arms, this time without her protest, and moved her through what remained of the exit.
But as Meryl passed through the wall and into the light of the suns beyond, she felt like they were leaving a part of her behind.
