Chapter Four
Project Nexus
The rain continued to pour as Jack saw something in the distance along the edge of the mountains. A clap of thunder and flash of lightning helped him distinguish a fenced off gravel road. He also spied two mammals standing at attention at the chain link fence. Jack dove to the ground, to ensure he wasn't spotted by what he saw at a glance were timberwolves. He moved the leaf of a jungle fern aside to spy on the guards. One was off white and the other a silvery gray. They stood behind a black and yellow arm barricade connected to a glass box guard station where a third sat, this one also a wolf on the black fur side. The two seemed to be in a conversation, while the third was reading some book or magazine. Jack also spied the HC T3s they held. Heavy fire power for guards, just like Hoover said.
The HC was an assault anti-riot tranq dart gun. With a clip filled with twenty darts, semi-automatic fire. Can take down any animal in no time, and Jack being a small bunny made him a one shot take down. He had to be careful to avoid any shot coming his way. And if these were just a few of the guards he figured there would be countless more in the actual compound, all equipped with the same, or even stronger fire power. All three of them were wearing the same clothing, all black with a silver symbol on the back.
It was the symbol for Summit Tech. A circle with two curved lines in the shape of a pointed mountain, with a horizontal one crossing through the center. It always looked haphazardly drawn, like something someone scribbled on the napkin at a restaurant when coming up for the idea of the logo. Jack let go of the fern leaf and softly moved under the foliage as coverage. The rain was coming down harder now, the constant impacts of the rain seemed to drown out the noises of ruffling vegetation as the rabbit snaked his way closer and closer to the wolves. He hoped that he wouldn't be detected; he knew that the guard in the box must be the closest to some sort of alert system. If he got spotted the whole operation would crumble. He didn't dare think what Hoover's employers would do with the information they had if he failed.
Jack moved another leaf of a shrub to check on his targets. One of the wolves had moved away from the other two and was currently smoking a cigarette. He was facing right at Jack, but did not notice him. The light from the guard booth seemed to have affected his night vision. The other wolf had joined the last one in the booth. Jack continued to move closer, sticking to the underbrush and shadows.
Coming to rest again Jack sat on the edge of the plant growth. He was right by the wolves, with perfect aim at all three of them. He grabbed the Arcus from his belt, undid the safety, and made sure he had a pin in the chamber. One dart would suffice in taking down the wolves. Taking aim he quickly shot three times, small whips of wind flew from the gun as the green darts hit their marks. Each of the wolves yelp with the prick of the needle. They quickly reacted trying to find the source, but didn't get that much time as the fast acting tranquilizer took effect. They slowly slumped over and fell to the ground unconscious. Stowing the gun away Jack hurried up passed the knocked out wolves and up the steep sloped road. He would have liked to move them to get them out of sight, but he lacked the strength to move three adult wolves.
He didn't run into any more guards as the road flattened out and leveled with the mountains. A long tunnel bore through the mountain to the other side, where Jack spied artificial light. Yellow bulbs hung from the ceiling illuminating the tunnel, yet no one was present. The road was slightly paved here. Jack moved quickly down towards the other end.
Slowing down as he neared the edge, Jack stuck to the shadows that claimed the edge of the tunnel. Peering over the edge he was able to seem most of the Summit compound. The road from the tunnel led down to the plateau that the tech company was based on. Large multistory buildings populated a stretch of land devoid of most plant life. A courtyard filled the center of the compound with paths leading to different buildings marked with encircled symbols. Jack tried to spy the one Hoover spoke of, but was unable to find it amongst the ones he could see.
He could make out several packs of two or three wolves patrolling the center surface of the compound. Through all of it Jack was able to spot one thing, a cylindrical building. It was the only one. It stood shorter than the other oddly shaped buildings. The main was a random jumble of rectangles, there were two dome shaped, while the others were variations of squares and rectangles. There was only one cylinder building, and it was on the complete other side of the compound. There was no way he would make it on foot to the building with the many packs of wolves canvassing the ground below.
He then noticed the cliff face of the mountain gouged out to create the plateau. The black rock rose high creating a natural defense from the prevalent storm brewing on the Rainforest side of it. The compound was open to the cooling breeze of Tundratown that it faced. The ground was devoid of snow as it was on the very edge of the winter zone. Jack could just make out the climate wall that made Tundratown possible off in the distance and Sarah Square beyond that with the sky piercing Palm Hotel illuminated against the dark canvas of the night.
Jack turned back to the rock face and saw that it outlined the back of the complex, and went all the way over to the cylinder building. Bringing up the gloves Jack flexed his hands open and the blue light came back to life. He reached around the edge of the tunnel and placed his hands on the rock. The blue light persisted as Jack gave a deep breath. He removed his feet from the ground and let the hands take hold. And they did, he dangled above the ground below, a several yard fall below him. Definitely would get injured. He brought his feet up and rested where he clung to the rocks like a gecko.
Taking it slow he pulled one arm back, the blue light turned red and his hand fell away from the rock. He shuffled on the wall, placing the hand back down, the light turning blue cementing him to the wall successfully. Taking it slowly in stride Jack made his way along the wall, a long tedious trip to the cylindrical building of his desire. He repeated the process; remove hand, shuffle, place hand, remove other hand, shuffle, place hand, repeat. Only pausing to ensure that the lights were as they were before proceeding. Blue glue, red dead; he thought to himself as a reminder. He dare not glance down, knowing full and well that a fall from this height would spell death. He only watched his movements and periodically looking at the building he was aiming towards. It was getting closer and closer, but he had yet to make it halfway along the rock face.
From the vantage he had he could see the front of the cylinder and sure enough it was marked with the same circular symbol. This one containing an upside-down triangle as Hoover said it would. Keeping at his slow pace Jack continued along the rock wall, checking that each purchase would allow the gloves adhesion. He landed his right hand down, the blue light replacing the red one. He went to remove his left hand when he saw the blue of his right fade. He watched in shock as both hands showed red lights. He felt weightless as he began to slip. He tried to grab the surface with his hands, but the gloves prevented him from gaining support.
He slammed his hands against the rock face. Instantly the red lights turned blue. Jack was jerked as his body came to a full stop from the small amount of velocity it had gained. He took deep breaths as he remained motionless. He checked the gloves to see the blue lights still shining. He was not that closer to the building, but he was closer to the ground far below. Gulping Jack resumed his slow pace, albeit a bit more cautious.
Several grueling minutes later Jack neared the rooftop of the building. He counted himself lucky that no other mishaps happened with the gloves as he crossed the other half of the mountain side. The metallic top of the building was only a few feet below him, but he saw no way to enter the building from there. All the glass windows of the structure looked stronger than he was. The front entrance was also out of the question. He didn't like it, but there was one option on the roof, the air duct. He could see a roof ventilation system. This one capped, but if it was removed it would allow him passage to the building. Making the decision Jack began to lower himself down the rock wall.
Once at a safe height he let go of the wall and tumbled on to the roof. He rolled along the roof, making a few loud bangs and possible leaving a few dents in the once smooth surface. He stopped his momentum slamming the gloves onto the roof. The blue lights coming to life and stopping his roll. He stood up and rushed to the fan. The cap came off easily to reveal the bulb head of sideways blades, spinning softly. Using the gloves Jack stopped the spinning and pulled the head in the opposite direction, severing its hold. Flexing his hands first, he dislodged the bulb and placed it to the side, revealing a passage with enough room for him to fit in. Not wanting to waste time he threw himself down into the vent, crashing into the floor of it a few feet down. He crawled towards the first open vent he saw in the shaft.
The room below was stark white, but empty. Positioning himself Jack slammed his right foot into the vent. A second time. A third. On the fourth a corner of the vent snapped out of place. Pushing his weight into it the vent gave way and deposited him unceremoniously into the room below. Picking himself up Jack made for the door of the room. He jumped up and grabbed the knob unlocking the door. He pulled the Arcus from his belt and cracked the door open. The hallway outside was empty. He rushed in, but remained in the doorframe. There was a elevator down the hall and he rushed over to it. The button to call it was well out of his reach, but he easily jumped and tapped the button before he fell back down on his powerful legs. A benefit of being a bunny. He plastered himself against the wall nearby as he waited.
It took about a minute before a ding signaled the arrival and the doors slid aside. Jack jumped inside the empty elevator. He looked at the array of buttons inside that marked all of the floors. The door shut, but the elevator remained stagnant without a destination set. He was on the fifth floor, as the lift broadcasted with a digital red five at the display. 5, 4, 3, 2, G, L1, L2, S, B, SB, SS, SS2. Jack read the list of options, but following Hoover's instructions he jumped and squarely hit the button labeled SS, he wasn't quite sure what the name meant. The lift came to life and began to descend. Jack didn't lessen his grip on the Arcus as he watched the 5 dropped to 4. G and the others passed without the elevator stopping as SS appeared.
The doors opened shortly to reveal a hallway just like the one he was in before. Only this one was not lined with doors, except at the end a set of glass doors closed off a circular room beyond. Stepping out, the doors of the elevator closed behind Jack as he approached the glass doors; with two words frosted onto it PROJECT NEXUS, written in a scientific looking font. He pushed the doors aside into the dark room, which was quickly illuminated with fluorescent lights in the ceiling that detected his presence. Jack tensed up and raised the gun, fearing a wolf to pop out of the walls at any moment. Yet none did.
The room was spacious and separated into a few levels. He stood on the highest that encircled the perimeter. The floor he was on was littered with several computer screens showing active graphs, and diagrams of several different things. A set of steps before him lead to the lower level at enclosed most of the room. This floor was littered with haphazardly placed equipment; Jack was at a loss of their function. A depression formed in the center of the lower floor, where a single podium morphed from the plastic white floor. On the top of the podium rested a familiar looking watch like object. It was the Nexus.
Moving fast he rushed to the lower floor and stood next to the podium that was three times his height. Hopping up he grabbed the edge and lifted himself onto the flat top. He noticed various wires were attached to the watch and led off to different machines. He unclipped all of them and picked it up. It looked to be made of a strange dark navy blue metal. It almost looked like glass, or plastic. Not wanting to put in in the bag Jack looped the massive bracelet of a watch onto his right arm. It looked like it was made to fit a mammal far larger than him. It instantly responded to him putting it on by contracting until it snuggly fit him. It expanded at the sides, crawling up the glove, to accommodate the significant loss of circumference. Jack was pleasantly surprised by the smart tech that this obviously possessed.
He was pulled from the Nexus when his ears perked up and instinctively turned to find the source of a noise he would rather not hear. The ding of the elevator. He jumped off the pedestal as he heard sets of several foot stomps march down the hall towards the only door. He ducked behind a large box with many wires running to various instruments on it as the door opened. He spied from a small gap in the device three wolves enter the room. They remained at the door, all with their HC T3s raised, ready to fire them. A gray one began to comb the top, a grayish brown walked at a snail pace down the steps, while a jet black one took the door. The black one spoke to the room, "We know you are in here rabbit. Did you really think that we wouldn't detect movement in an empty building? Step out right now or we will fire upon you."
Jack remained silent as the brown one spoke up, "Nexus is missing Bruce."
Bruce, the black one, spoke again, "You will return what you took from Summit this instant. That is company property."
Jack looked for anything that could serve as an exit; the gray wolf would spot him once he got the right angle. The door his only escape was blocked. He needed to get out with the Nexus; he didn't want Hoover to win. He readied the Arcus; he still had five darts in his current clip, enough to deal with these wolves. He aimed it on the passageway the gray wolf was on. Bruce chimed in again, "If you don't give up now the police will be contacted."
Jack saw the gray wolf before the wolf saw him. One shot hit his neck. The wolf grabbed the dart, but fell down. The brown wolf fired three shots at the device protecting Jack. All three imbedded in the metal as the wolf said, "Rabbit is armed."
"Alright then," Bruce said as he stepped through the door, "Get him Luke." The door closed behind the wolf as Luke neared the hidden rabbit.
Jack spied something he had failed to see before, another air vent; this one on the floor. He took one glance at the advancing wolf before bolting towards it. He heard shots ring out as he jumped up and landed hard on the vent, causing it to cave in instantly sending him down.
He crashed onto a hard uneven surface of the floor below. He could hear Luke shouting from above, but couldn't make out what he was saying. Jack checked himself, no darts. He was covered in some red dust. He brushed it off as he took a look at the room he had fallen into. It seemed to be some sort of cave. At the very end the black rock of the mountain gave way to the white metal of the Summit buildings. The elevator door sat closed in the wall. Jack then noticed where he was standing. The black rock was replaced with some strange red looking growth, almost like moss. He saw it coated every inch of the area around him; floor, walls, and ceiling. The vent he had fallen through broke the red moss. The cave ended abruptly in a perfectly flat wall. On the wall was a spiral pattern with a star at the center burned into it.
Jack took a step in the moss, it squished under his toes. What he didn't expect was a crunching noise. Looking down he shifted the red mass with his foot to reveal a white stick. It was clean and polished almost like…
Jack's eyes widened as he looked closely at the cave around him. He finally noticed more of the variously shaped white sticks jutting from everywhere in the mess. Only they were not sticks. And he spied something a few feet in front of him that confirmed it. A skull. They were bones, and this was not moss. He fell back in shock and quickly shuffled his way out of the creeper of flesh and to the black rock of the cave. He stared at the massacre before him. This was a graveyard. Something happened here, something killed as he counted by the skulls he could spot seven mammals.
Summit had killed them in a horrific matter that had ripped flesh from bone and plastered it everywhere. He looked to the thing still attached to his wrist. He gulped, terrified with the realization of the other reason why these two floors where right next to each other. The Nexus had caused this death. Jack was pulled from his thoughts as the elevator dinged. He jumped with a start and went to grab the Arcus, yet it wasn't on him. He saw it in the mesh of red flesh, far from his reach.
The doors slid open as Bruce and Luke rushed into to room. They pointed their guns right at Savage. Bruce ordered, "Let me see your paws."
Jack began to raise his arms; he knew he couldn't fight them, they had the advantage. He closed his eyes. Luke began to approach as a blinding white flash filled the room. The wolf whined and backpedaled. Jack jumped and slammed his body into the wolf, pushing him to the wall. He grabbed the HC T3 and fired three shots from it at Bruce, who was rubbing his eyes. He collapsed with the dosage of tranquilizer. Taking the gun with him, Jack jumped into the elevator and slammed the G button. The door shut behind him, leaving the wolves behind. His ears were still ringing as he grabbed the spent flash bang from his belt and threw it to the side.
Setting the gun larger than him down, he pulled the emergency stop next and the elevator halted in its ascent. He pulled his ears down and rubbed them to stop the ringing, to no avail. He knew he had to think of some way to escape, there would obviously be more wolves waiting for him if he tried to get off at the ground floor. Right now he was sealed in a large suspended metallic coffin. If he didn't do anything he would as good as dead.
As the ringing finally began to subside he did notice one possible route, the vent out the top of the lift and into the concrete shaft beyond. Flexing his hands he climbed the wall of the lift. He placed his hands on the ceiling and dangled from there. He removed his right hand and shut the glove off. With his little paws he began to unscrew a screw from the cover. After the second screw fell to the floor the cover swung open. Jack smiled as he reactivated the glove and climbed through.
The inside of the shaft was cold. He looked to the very top of the shaft, cloaked in darkness, at the fifth floor door. That would serve as an adequate escape route. He jumped from the top of the elevator to the wall. The gloves holding him firmly to the wall. He began his slow ascent with a similar cycle as he did with the rock wall before.
It took substantially less time for Jack to climb to the fifth floor than it did for him to get into the Summit complex. He now hung just below the door that he climbed up to get to; he deactivated his right hand and clutched the gap of the door. He was thankful that the door's basic mechanism allowed it to be opened with ease manually. This was always the case if the elevator was to ever malfunction and the mammals inside would be able to escape if they could. True to the fact the door opened with ease, giving Jack access to an empty fifth floor. He figured that the guards would be looking for him on the ground floor, not on the top.
He made his way back into the room he first entered the building from. The vent in the ceiling was still open. Scaling the wall he made his way into the vent and back onto the roof of the building. He peered over the edge to see the front was filled with a sea of armed wolves. The entire structure, and the compound was on lockdown. An escape the conventional way would be fruitless and be highly unsuccessful.
Jack looked to the rock wall of the mountains behind him. It was his only escape. Not wishing to spend more time in the company of Summit's security personal Jack began to scale the rocks wall yet again as the wolves scoured the building for a rabbit that was not there. Up was the only way he could get out, he was not taking the long away around the perimeter again. It would be a climb, but one he was willing to take to get the hell outta dodge.
