Sorry, it's been quite a while ! But writing was getting difficult lately, with the exams, you know... whatever. I had much hesitations about this chapter, it was originally meant to be much longer than that, but when I saw what I had already done and what I had left to do, I preferred to cut it in two, so here is the first part. More action and troubles coming as the kids are finally heading to the exit, while Augustus is still under the influence...
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The place looked like a nightclub. Imagine you're inside a green dome surrounded by darkness. Inside this dome, everything, the walls, the furniture, even the floor, are made of a flickering green light that seems to be constantly moving. And all you can hear is Motörhead music blasting in your brain at a high volume. That's the place Mike was in now, though it didn't really exist, it was only a virtual room lost like a deserted island in the middle of the unfathomable stream of the cyberspace. Mike was king in this place, and since he had penetrated the system, he had quickly learned to make it his own. He had learned to manipulate the codelines, that looked like simple nonsensical writings on a monitor only meant at pissing you off when you get the Blue Screen Of Death, but inside the system they were real, running around you to and from all directions at a time, you could touch them, feel them in your hands... and give them every kinds of shapes. And Mike used them to build this little palace: this way, the dome, the flickering lights that created this special atmosphere, part a nightclub, part the Matrix, and the massive console, with its three keyboards and so many monitors that in comparison, Batman's computer was an Atari ST, all of this didn't exist but was entirely composed of codelines shaped and assembled in a particular way. Of course, all this stuff was also perfectly useless, as Mike could as well work directly by mind-controlling the code itself, but he was more at ease to type on a keyboard and look at a monitor, that's what he was the most used to doing. Besides, he liked what he had done with the place, it made him feel like home. As for the music, he had just found it in Mr Wonka's more than exhaustive collection of MP3s.
Among the eighteen virtual monitors that surrounded him, ten were showing different views from the surveillance cameras, five were showing different angles of a large and extremely detailed 3D map of the Factory, and the three remaining were displaying informations about the system status. Sitting in a virtual armchair, the boy was watching all the monitors at the same time, while trying to get to the few areas of the map that remained out of his range. Augustus's matter was bugging him. Violet was right, he could very well be in an inaccessible zone, and Mike couldn't be certain until he searched them. He didn't want to disappoint his dear Violet, after all. The biggest problem with these "red zones" (he called them this way because they were shown in bright red on the 3D map) was that, though most of them were obscure, maybe abandoned areas, there were some that were not to be neglected, such as for example, some portions of the great communication passage, which was to the boy's own experience perhaps the most dangerous area of the Factory. These had to be key places, and therefore equipped with tighter security. That's why the escape route for his friends was to be prepared with extreme precautions.
A sudden change in the code - visible by a sudden and temporary freeze in the green lines - appealed the boy's attention. He looked at the map to see that the red zones had suddenly faded to black and disappeared from the image. He quickly typed something on his virtual keyboard, ordering a status report on these zones. The answer came quickly, appearing in the air in front of his eyes, like in an IMAX cinema: Access denied. These zones are mine, now bugger off ! What was that ? Wonka had taken control of these neutral areas, but how could he have passed through Mike's defense to do so ? Their computer arm-wrestling was turning to look like a strategy game. A strategy game with codelines instead of soldiers, but that required much more cleverness. Without panicking, the genius opened the connection log and read:
04:32 (pm) - C:\ WWFactory Computer Network/admin/security/videocamsys/report0628.mpeg
04:32 (pm) - C:\ WWFactory Computer Network/admin/security/videocamsys/report0629.mpeg
04:33 (pm) - C:\ WWFactory Computer Network/admin/mapdata/sectorb10z04.flv -connection failure
04:34 (pm) - P:\ PCNsubsys/sectorb13/
What the shit was that ? The first three lines indicated normal connections. The two connections that occurred at four thirty-two were simply the video surveillance network that transferred its reports. The connection that occurred at four thirty-three was another of Mike's failed attempts at accessing one of the red zones: sectorb10z04 meant Sector: Basement 10, Zone 04. However, the connection that occurred at four thirty-four, only one minute ago, came from the P drive, and Mike never saw anything related to a P drive before. Plus, this drive didn't seem to run with the Factory's general network, PCN looked more like a sub-system. And finally, the user was identified as sectorb13, like... Basement 13 ? Would it mean that Wonka, using his part of the program, entered a sub-system, via a secret, probably an emergency drive, to connect to Mike's own virtual territory, all of this from Basement 13 ? But there were only twelve basements in that building ! He had to fix that up quickly, he didn't know what Wonka had done exactly, and this was worrying him. He asked to access the P drive, only to have his request denied. That drive was highly protected. But every computer had a help file, no ? He asked for it, and fortunately he managed to access it. On the search field, he typed P Drive:
P:\ Drive is a security drive operated by Prinzmetal Computer Network sub-system, which primary use is to provide emergency access to the Factory's main functions in case of a breakdown or hacking of the main network.
Okay, that was it: a security measure operated by a sub-system independent to the main one. Wonka was definitely a very cautious man. And that guy, Prinzmetal, who made that stuff, definitely knew what he was doing. Oh, man, that was going to be much tougher than he first thought. He had believed everything would be over once he entered the computer, but the chocolatier was full of hidden ressources. So he had opened a breach in Mike's defense and secured the red zones. Fine... but he could as well have introduced a virus in the system in the meantime ! The genius opened another window and checked all the downloads in progress. He found it. A program called Wonkarrific Experience was being downloaded. He asked for this program to be checked up. The system replied it was an unknown ressource. He then asked to have it cancelled. The system replied there was an error and the operation could not be aborted. He didn't know what it was, he couldn't stop it, and it was already five percent downloaded.
"But damn, won't anything ever work as I wish ?"
"Mike, is there a problem ?" that was Violet's voice. "We've heard you screaming in the loudspeaker..."
"No, that's okay, Violet, that's okay..."
"Are you sure ? You sound very worried."
"It's nothing. It's just that... waw, this program is very challenging. Nevermind. Let's focus on your escape. How are you doing so far ?"
Violet and Snake were back in the Juicing Room. Following Mike's advice, they had come back here to pick up the weapons from the dead WonkaBots and use them as personal guns. The girl didn't feel good at all: the place around her seemed to twirl crazily, like a tourniquet, and she believed she would spit out her stomach within a matter of seconds. In front of her, James and his twin - wait, he didn't have a twin, but she saw two of them - were holding a big blue rifle picked up from a robot and observing it hesitantly. They looked at her.
"Violet," they both said at the same time, though she heard only one voice, "you look terrible !"
She stepped forward, and fell on her knees. It was all moving like a boat in the middle of a storm, she wanted it to stop ! The two boys helped her at the same time, though only two arms belonging to only one boy grabbed her shoulders.
"It's turning and rocking," she moaned. "I'm gonna puke..."
"What's going on ?" asked Mike.
"She's drunk," the Snake replied, "dead drunk."
"Crap, it's all going wrong here ! Listen, Violet, I'm sorry, but we don't have time to let you have a rest. You'll have to get over it by yourself."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll try..."
She stood up weakly, and rubbed her eyes until James's "twin" disappeared.
"Okay, it's a little better. Now I understand why Mommy always says liquor is bad... but at least, I don't feel any pain anymore." She looked at the big gun. "Can you use it ?"
"I don't know, I haven't found how it works."
"I thought you knew how to use that stuff."
"It's different from a traditional rifle. Actually, the only guns I had the chance to handle so far were rusty Russian antiques. That thing is very advanced... never saw anything like that before. There, it must be that..."
Exploring his gun, he found a switch that looked like a trigger and pushed it. A storm of laser bullets illuminated the area, hitting the pipes with rushes of sparks, producing cracks that blasted in their ears. Violet bowed down by reflex. When the storm sounded like it had stopped, she got up to see James had dropped the gun. The barrel was smoking, so were all the pipes and structures that had been hit.
"Wow," he commented, his eyes wide with surprise. "Guess I found the trigger..."
"Nobody's wounded ?" asked Mike.
"No, that's okay. But that was tight."
"Fine. Now, let me explain, I found the booklet for these weapons. They're meant to be used by robots, but they can also be handled manually if needed. You guess the button you found is the trigger. Push it once to produce a three-round burst, and keep your finger on it to have continuous fire. Don't worry about the ammos, that thing works with an integrated laser generator that produces almost infinite supply."
"Cool. And what's that red button over there ?"
"Do not touch that red button, that's an advice I give you. It's a rocket launcher."
"What ?"
"Each rifle possesses one high-caliber rocket that can be fired with this red button. There's only one per rifle, but one is fairly enough to make a crater of this place. So you'd better stick to the laser. Oh, and one more thing: as you have ascertained, Jim, there's a lot of recoil. So make sure you're standing well on your feet. Especially you, Violet."
"Oh, bugger off ! That little shooting game made me recover well, anyway."
She picked up her rifle. It was not that heavy, but she didn't feel at ease carrying this stuff. She guessed everyone felt a little uneasy the first time they carried a firearm.
"Are we going ?" James asked.
"Yeah. Straight to the elevator."
"Don't worry," said Mike, "I'll guide you through. Don't forget to stop at Basement 5 to pick up Charlie and Veruca."
"We won't, no problem. You sure you're not coming with us ?"
"No, you need someone to look after you. There's lots of work here. Besides, I may have found Augustus..."
Violet raised her eyebrows. "Really ?"
"Well, not really. On some screens I can sometimes see someone who looks like him, but I don't know... not the same body type... he's in the deep underground. I'll keep on searching. Go on, and good luck !"
"Okay. And, Mike ?"
"Yes ?"
"Thank you. You're coming, Snake ?"
Now well armed, the two kids confidently left the room, coming back to the dreaded white corridor. Well, this time, with Mike guiding them, they sure wouldn't get lost, would they ?
"It's very quiet," commented Violet.
"Yep. Much too quiet for me... I don't like that."
"Snake instinct ?"
"Sort of..."
They kept walking. Violet was right, there was not a sound, nothing to disturb the kids. It seemed as though they were exploring an abandoned building. And that really wasn't to comfort them. At least, when there was action, they knew they were in danger. Here, it could come out anytime, without warning. Violet staggered, and fell again on her knees.
"You're okay ?" Snake asked as he gave her his hand.
"Yes. Guess I'm still a little drunk. How can you stand on your feet after all those bottles ?"
"At the beginning it does that, but then, you can't do without. Where do you think Russian soldiers find all their courage ?"
"You're just a bunch of drunkards !" she laughed. "Wait, I'm gonna get up... here. We can go on."
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A few floors down, a door opened before Charlie and Veruca, letting them enter a large square space that seemed to have no ceiling, or if it had one, it was much too high above their heads for them to see it. The place was so high that simply looking up would give them a vertigo. And the stairway was running along the walls all the way to the top, a square spiral that went up infinitely. Veruca was impressed.
"And you went all the way down here ?"
"Seems so... but I wasn't exactly myself when I did. I think it was about as high in my dream. Except it was a straight stairway. Anyway, the sooner we start, the sooner we're finished."
And on these words, the young boy climbed the first stair.
"Wait !" the girl screamed, a little too high. Her scream made her sound like a scared chick. Charlie let out a giggle.
"What's going on again ?"
"Are you sure it's perfectly safe in here ? If something happens half-way..."
"It is safe," replied Mike's invisible voice.
"By the way, why do we have to climb up that staircase ? Can't we just go to the elevator ourselves ?"
"No, you can't. Basement 5 is the nearest place that is not riddled with dangerous areas, and you're not even armed. I'm very busy, and I can't always keep an eye on you."
He was getting a big nose, Charlie thought. Here he was acting like a bored baby-sitter !
"So, are we going, Veruca ?" he asked.
"Okay, we go."
They then proceeded to climb up, and they were not about to finish.
"If I knew it would be that long," commented the girl, "I would have brought a sandwich."
They both laughed.
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Violet was regaining her wits. Walking along those endless hallways and carrying that heavy stuff of a gun were a good exercise for her. However, along with the clear mind came back the stress of the situation, and she found herself unable to slow down her walk, eventually distancing James.
"Hey," he called, "can't you slow down ?"
"And you," she replied a little too aggressively, for she was simply being nervous, "can't you speed up ?"
"No, I can't. If I walk too fast, I get tired. And no need to be so harsh, you're not in your school, here."
"Oh, shut up !"
He stopped behind her. "What'ssssssssss the matter ?"
A violent chill ran up her spine, and she had a start. She turned round, furious:
"Don't do that, you know it freaks me out, you dirty... !"
"Yes, I know. And in the same way, it really annoys me when you become aggressive, now calm down, young lady."
"If you want me to calm down, you'd better first stop talking like a big brother !"
Impulse.
Before she ever had the time to see him move, he had her pinned against a wall. Afraid by this sudden brutality, she still tried to withstand his look.
"Now, listen to me, girl: I'm not trying to be condescending or anything, but you need to realize that we are all in the same shit, and we all want to get out of this damned place alive ! So let us not fight each others, I bet that's exactly what Wonka wants."
She sighed. He was right. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's just... this place makes me nervous..."
"We're all nervous."
"You don't look nervous."
"I always look calm. But still, I am nervous."
He released her, and they resumed their walk without a word. She didn't tell him, but she felt a little more relaxed after this outburst. In front of them there was a hatch bearing the mention Liquid Sky Dreams, and the hallway was continuing on the right. The room's name was intriguing, but they'd better continue straight up. The girl reached out and grabbed the hatch's handle.
"No, not there."
It was Mike speaking. The two kids lifted their heads and searched the ceiling until they saw a tiny black scope in a corner, looking at them. The Kid Almighty resumed:
"It's a dangerous area out there."
"What's inside ?"
"I dunno, I don't control this zone. Continue on your right, then left at the first crossroads."
They then abandoned the door and followed his path.
"My mother would kill to have a GPS like him," Violet commented. "But I wonder what was inside ? Liquid Sky Dreams... sounds cute."
"Yep, unless you only take the first letters."
Mike's path soon led them to another hatch, this one bearing the name Wonderland Backstage.
"Is there some kind of in-joke ?" the girl wondered. "No matter how hard he tries, this Wonka guy is just not funny."
"British humor, I guess. Mike ?"
"This room's safe. That's some kind of lab, maybe you'll learn more inside. I don't really have time to read all the infos."
"That's okay," said Violet, "but do we really have to go inside ?"
"No, but it's a pretty good shortcut. You just have to cross this lab to reach the elevator."
"Oh, goodie. Let's get going, then."
And courageously, the girl grabbed the handle and pulled it, while Snake kept his rifle aimed at the opening, just in case. But there was nothing threatening. They entered the room.
"Wait a minute, are we back to the Inventing Room ?"
That was the first impression they had when they discovered the place: blue floor, dark walls, and all those huge spheric machines linked to each others and to oversized mixing bowls by sets of pipes carrying all sorts of liquids, mixing them, bringing them to other machines further, from where the liquids would come out in a solid, candy shape, and then carried away by conveyor belts, all of this, of course, in a joyous cacophony of mechanic purrings, steam whistlings, and liquid bubblings. Yes, it was the exact remake of the Inventing Room, a few details excepted: first, it was bigger, and contained lots of more machines, sometimes identical, whereas all the machines of the Inventing Room were unique. Second, this room contained a few desks with control monitors, but no boards with test tubes and experimental devices as in the other room. And finally, nothing in this room bore the mention "prototype".
"This must be a production room," Jim supposed as they began rambling around. Nothing looked dangerous, here. There was a machine that produced chocolate beans that literally rained out of a pipe into cardboard boxes. And over there, colorful jelly bugs that could actually move passed by on a conveyor belt. They were given different shapes, but the most popular seemed to be the scorpions and spiders. Ew, spiders... Jim preferred not to think about them for the moment. Oh, and over there, sugar eggs that produced real chocolate birds ! And there, a huge ice-cream machine with dozens of different flavors ! Violet was getting hungry...
"I'd like an ice-cream," she said.
"You may not if you knew what's actually inside. When it says it cannot melt, it sure's not natural."
"Yuk, it must be riddled with chemicals, then. It's just like Batman, poisoning everything that's good. Isn't there anything normal in here ?"
He smiled. "Come with me."
He brought her to a corner of the room where cotton candy was being made in a particular way: something that looked like pink sheep fur would fall from the ceiling into a bowl where it got melted and mixed with a generous amount of sugar.
"So what ? It's cotton candy..."
He kept smiling at her, and slowly removed a board on the side of the machine.
"I think I know what he's about to show you," Mike said, "and it's not very nice..."
Now, the girl was getting apprehensive. Why were they so mysterious ? Jim took a large steel bottle, like a gas tank, from into the machine, and open it to pour its content on the floor.
"Sugar ?" she guessed.
"It looks like sugar. Now, taste it."
Doubtful, she bent down and took a pinch of sugar. She put it in her mouth, and spat it out immediately.
"Yuk, it's sour ! That is not sugar ! Wait... is it cocaine ?"
He didn't answer, but the look he gave her meant it all.
"Come on, you gotta be kidding !"
Still no answer.
"Or maybe not..."
"We discovered that this morning," Mike said. "In the Chocolate Room, and in the Inventing Room. Everything that comes out of this place is rotten with chemicals. Now that I'm searching a little about this room, I see LSD and hallucinogene mushrooms are also being used. And even some chemicals I've never heard of before. Carcinogen and teratogen substances. This can't mean anything good."
"But why ? Why would he do such a thing ? What is his purpose ?"
"I don't know," James said, "but there's something yet more troublesome."
"What is it ?"
"He's taking a great risk trying to kidnap you. That Golden Tickets contest, all the advertisement about it, now all the media of the world are talking about it. It would be terrible for his business if all the winners suddenly came to... disappear. What I don't understand is why is he taking such a risk to abduct you five, when he could have just picked five street kids at random and no-one would know about it."
"Waw... you're right. I didn't think about it."
"I did think about it too," Mike intervened, "but there's no mention of it anywhere in the database. If it was all part of a plan, I haven't found it."
"There must be a plan," Jim said, "Wonka is a very intelligent man. But this plan must be so fucking twisted that we're not about to find it."
Violet shivered. She didn't like that creepy story at all. "And I was too obsessed about the competition to see it coming... I'm a loser."
"You were, just like Mike. And Augustus was too obsessed with eating candy, Veruca was too obsessed with getting everything she wants, and Charlie was too obsessed with meeting Willy Wonka in person. You're children, that's all. Anyone else would get caught just like you, in your place."
"Then we've got to destroy this place !" she declared. "To make sure he will never lure any kid in here again, and everything he has in mind won't happen."
"No, we won't. My job is to get you all out of here, that's all. Then, we'll leave this to professionals."
"But you're a professional !"
"Yes, and as such, I will focus on what I'm paid for. Let's go, we've lost enough time here."
The girl looked at a small spheric machine right beside her. By resentment, she punched it as hard as she could. She didn't destroy it but it shook. And a siren started screaming at this moment. She had a start.
"Oh, crap !"
"Violet, what did you do ?"
"I... I dunno," she began to panick, "I just... oh, shit, what's going on ?"
"Don't be afraid," said Mike, "the alarm doesn't come from your section. There's been an error in... damn, that's Charlie and Veruca !"
"What ? Are they in danger ?"
"I'll take care of it. You run to the elevator and do as we planned."
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The two other kids would have paid the price to be in their friends' place at this moment. Because here as they were, in the middle of the stairs, they were far from comfortable. They were already high above the ground, but still far from the top, and in their position, their only two options were to keep going, or to descend. Which meant they had no way to escape in case of emergency. And now, with a bright flickering red light and a loud siren in the staircase, like an alarm from a video-game, it looked like a case of emergency. They both stuck to the wall, unmoving, not knowing what to expect. They were so terribly exposed and vulnerable !
"What's gonna happen ?" Veruca asked.
"It's just an alarm," Charlie replied. "Mike's in control, there can't be any real danger. Come on, we've gotta get out of here."
On these words, he climbed three more stairs, and he turned round. She wasn't following.
"So, are you coming ?"
She shook her head. "We may not move until Mike tells us it's okay. You never know, these stairs can be riddled with death traps !"
He sighed. Okay, she could have been his big sister, but damn, what a wuss !
"If a trap is ever to be activated in this place, we might be better off before it does, don't you think ? So let's hurry up those stairs now. Come on."
He gingerly took her hand, and together they resumed their climbing. But after a few stairs, she froze, again.
"Didn't you hear something ?"
"Hear what ? This noise is making me crazy !"
"I heard like... and now it's a feeling under my feet. Don't you feel it too ? Feels like... the stairs ! They're moving !"
He was about to ask her what she meant when he felt it too. It was vibrating under his feet. And worse, it looked as if the stairs were getting narrower. Progressively narrower and narrower, in a matter of millimeters, it was almost impossible to distinguish, yet when you noticed it you couldn't deny it. It didn't mean that ?
"They're retracting into the walls !" Veruca screamed.
Oh, no, that was it ! A trap or a security device, he didn't know how to call it, but they got caught ! If they stayed here, they would be squeezed between the wall and the banister. It they jumped out, they would crash about twenty meters below. And of course, there was too little time to run to the top or to get back down.
"We're stuck !" he screamed.
"Oh, my God !" Veruca yelled while clenching her arms around him, so tightly that she almost choked him. "What are we gonna do ?"
He didn't know, his mind was racing to find a solution. Don't let panic invade you, boy... but it would be easier without that damn siren !
"This way !" he screamed, pointing at his miraculous discovery: there was an iron water tube running up the wall, in a corner. It was large enough for the kids to grip on it. They ran like Hell, feeling the stairway getting narrower after each step, and by the time they had reached the tube, there was barely enough place left for a foot. Charlie jumped on the large iron pipe and gripped on two large bolts. Veruca missed her jump and gripped on the boy's waist, putting a higher charge on his arms. He groaned under the effort.
The stairs disappeared completely into the wall, letting the poor children hanging over what had now become a deep pit. The siren and the lights faded, leaving them in darkness and silence.
"We made it !" Veruca exclaimed.
"Yeah, but could you grip on something else ? You're heavy."
"Oh, you know how to talk to the ladies !" she replied ironically.
He sighed. "There's no more stairs. We'll never be able to climb all the way to the top. Unless we get back down and find another way. Or maybe Mike could help. Mike ?"
He began screaming his name, and Veruca rejoined him, when the red light came back in the room, and an automatic voice anounced:
"Attention ! Commencing pest disposal process. Please stay away while the operation is being performed."
"What ? What's going on, Mike ? Mike !"
"I know, I'm here !" he replied, slightly angry. "Things get messed up here, Wonka infiltrated my network and he's wreaking havoc ! I'm trying to set things right, but it's pretty tough."
Below the kids, about at the level where they had started climbing, a bright yellow light appear, radiating all over the bottom of the pit, and slowly mounting with a sort of savage growl. Veruca felt her dangling legs getting hot. And hotter. To a point it almost began to hurt. The yellow light was approaching... but that was not a light, that was a barrier of flames !
"MIIIIIIIIKE !" her shriek could have turned Antarctica into ice cubes with its power. She had escaped the Blast Furnace risking her life multiple times, it was not to end up barbecued here !
Charlie looked down, and began to realize the situation too. "Mike," he said, "if you have a brilliant idea, it's about time to use it, and I'm serious, man !"
"I know !" he sounded as panicked as they were. "I'm doing my best ! Just hold on a few seconds !"
If only they could ! The fire barrier was very close.
"It's hot ! It's hot !" screamed Veruca as she pedalled crazily in the air to avoid getting burned. Charlie could also feel the heat from where he was. It was really getting urgent !
"Mike !"
"I need a few more seconds !"
"We can't hold any longer ! If you don't do anything now, we're fried !"
"Don't move, Charlie !" Veruca suddenly exclaimed. "Think I got an idea !"
And without giving him the time to ask, she pulled herself up, put her feet on his laps, and like a gymnast, climbed onto him until their roles were reversed and she was standing with a foot on a bolt and the other on top of his head.
"What are you doing ?" he asked.
"Just don't move, I need balance. I hope it's gonna work !"
She grabbed something with her hands. Something round and red, like a wheel... a valve ! How did he not notice it sooner ? In a strong move, the girl turned the valve to its maximum, and a sudden opening appeared higher on the tube, delivering a dense rain of hot water ! That shower was extremely unpleasant, but as Charlie looked down, he saw the flames slowing down, and finally stop to remain in a stable position. She had saved their lives with that water ! A few seconds passed, and the flames disappeared completely.
"I did as fast I could," said Mike. "No-one is hurt ?"
"No, Mike," Charlie said. "No-one is hurt." He looked up at Veruca. "Thanks to you."
She gave him a victorious smile as she turned the valve again to stop the rain. They were safe at last, but the atmosphere was almost unbearable. There was a thick mist, and the air was hot and wet like the Amazonian forest. As he observed Veruca, Charlie thought she did indeed look like an Amazon at this moment: breathing heavily, her wet dark hair stuck to her face, her wet clothes stuck to her body and that tired but victorious expression on her face, right now, made her look like a character from an adventure movie. She was splendid... that's about when she realized that she was standing over his head, and she was wearing a skirt. She gave him a soft kick.
"Aouch ! What's wrong ?"
"You think I'm blind ?" she giggled. "I know what you were looking at !"
She couldn't tell if he was blushing or if it was the heat, but he was cute. She bent down, and with his help, she descended to his level, so close that they were almost hugging each others.
"You look wet and miserable," she said with a smile.
"Thanks, you too."
They laughed. That wasn't the first time this day that they nearly escaped death, but they would never get used to it.
"Now," he asked, getting serious again, "how are we supposed to move on ?"
"Guys," Mike intervened, "I got an idea. Just keep close to the tube, as close as you can."
And the second after, the whole area was invaded by a set of large and long steel spikes, like oversized syringes, that popped through the wall with a striking noise. They were in a large number and placed all over the pit, in a way that anyone, no matter where he stood, would get struck when they appeared. Actually, the only place that was safe from those pipes was the water tube. That looked like a trap coming right out of Tomb Raider or The Cube.
"Waw, where do these come from ?"
"That was the other trap of this room," Mike said. "You're lucky it's not the one Wonka triggered."
"Maybe he didn't mean to kill us," Veruca said. "Maybe he wants us alive."
"Anyway, I'll let those spikes out. Their sides are not sharp, so you can climb them up to Basement 5. Snake and Violet will meet you there."
"Okay, see you later, Mike. And thank you."
"You're welcome. Wait, is that Augustus ?"
"What ?"
"I think I saw him again, on a monitor. Don't know exactly where he is. Nevermind, you just climb up and wait for my instructions."
----------
The voices came from nowhere to his ears, again. Was it Mike talking ? It was supposed to, but the voice sounded more like Wonka's. Oh, whatever. Augustus didn't give a damn about who was talking to him. He didn't even remember who exactly was Mike, and who was Wonka. If you asked him, now, what had happened since the morning, he wouldn't be able to give an answer. For him, it all felt like a dream. Everything that could have happened before the moment when he woke up in that... that cellar, for he couldn't find a better word to describe the place, seemed unreal, hallucinative. He vaguely remembered a river made of chocolate, and a laser, and a tribe of pirhana-like Pygmies... what the Hell was this dream about ? Could any of this have really happened ? He didn't know. Were there other kids with him before ? He didn't know. Where was he ? In a cellar, for the rest, he didn't know. Wait, who was he ? He didn't know. The voices kept saying Augustus. That had to be his name, then. The voices were the only thing he was slightly conscious of. He didn't know anything and he didn't want to. For only the voices mattered. Whatever was supposed to happen now, the voices would tell him what to do. He walked, along a narrow and dark alley, with no way to see where he was rowing. Only the voices were guiding him. Maybe it was the way out of this basement. He heard water up ahead. No, it was more the sound of a machine... anyway, that had to be the right direction. To where ? Nevermind, just walk and see. Then he walked. Each of his heavy steps echoed loudly in the concrete structure. He felt like a dinosaur walking, and he liked that. That feeling of... power. He could destroy anything. And he certainly would if he found something to pick on. His hands clenched the sledgehammer tighter. A few minutes before, he had passed through a storage containing a variety of construction tools. The question of what these tools were doing here in the first place never came to his brain. That was the voices' job to mind these details. The voices had told him to pick a weapon, and he had chosen a sledgehammer.
The noise was stronger. It was definitely a liquid sound. A washing-machine, a hundred times bigger than any other washing-machine, that's what he first thought of. There was also humidity in the air. The concrete walls were wet at some places, and he could hear casual drops falling on the floor. In front of him, he saw a dull, grey light. There was a more open space ahead, and judging by the echo coming from there, it was particularily wide. He moved on, his steps echoing even more. When he finally emerged from the hallway, it was to find himself on a steel bridge overhanging a room at least ten times wider than a 747 hangar and about three times higher than a missile silo. Because of the very weak lighting, the boy just barely perceived an inscription painted on the wall, but still he could read:
Main Generator. Basement 10.
Looking around, Augustus saw a steel obelisk, thirty or forty meters away from him, in the middle of the room. The monument was emerging from the darkness below - it was so deep he could actually not see the ground from his position - but judging by its width and the way it was erecting majestically, its actual height had to be out of competition. Though it did not really evoke a monument: its greenish metallic structure and cylindrical shape made it look more like the biggest alkaline cell in the world. This oversized battery was surrounded by a mazy network of bridges, catwalks, pipes and cables, running around it in a helix pattern from the highest to the lowest level of the structure, like a titanesque spider web made of metal, and the bridge he was standing on was just a small part of it. The whole construction was vibrating silently but with an intense energy, glowing with a dull, acid green light. The generator was a threatening, sleeping giant. Augustus was unimpressed. This machine, however huge it was, was of no interest whatsoever. Even the voices, in this place, had lost their appeal. There was something else, here, that was exciting him, he could almost smell it but he didn't know what it was... there ! Against a wall, not very far from him, an imposing white shape, like the bottom of a storage tank, was appearing from the ceiling. Being of rather massive proportions, the whole tank had to extend beyond the basement, and what Augustus saw was merely an extremity. He followed the bridge until he was under the tank. Yes, that was coming from inside. There was something living inside, and that was oddly attractive to him, so powerfully attractive, actually, that he felt a primal need taking over the few remains of his reason: he had to destroy that tank. The voices told him not to. The voices told him it was dangerous, and they told him he was supposed to focus on finding the other kids. He didn't give a damn about the other kids ! For there was something into that tank, a living being that was just asking to get out ! He ignored the voices. He held out his hammer high, and struck.
----------
"Did you hear that ?" Violet asked.
"Hear what ?" James replied, absorbed in the observation of DMT-filled lollipops. The drug was always induced in tiny quantities, so as not to be detected and produce minimum short-term effects, but enough to create a dependency. He had to admit that was brilliant.
"I don't know... think I heard like a buzz... like a big wasp."
"Violet ? Jim ? You're still there ?" asked Mike. "I thought I told you to leave."
"I know, Mike," she said, "we were just..."
Actually, they had stopped in front of the machine where three-course-meal gums were produced. The sight of the gums had given Violet stomach aches. The so-called prototypes were already set for mass production. After all, the chocolatier didn't seem to want to correct the formula. And then, one thing bringing another, they had stayed to observe the other deadly treats in production.
"Anyway," the computer god said, "you'll be happy to learn that Charlie and Veruca are safe and sound. They're going up as planned. Apparently, Wonka can still activate traps and a few security systems. So be careful."
"Talking about it, can you check our room ? I heard a strange noise, and..."
"What the fuck ! Sorry, I just checked the motion sensor, you're not alone ! There are about a dozen things moving very fast !"
"What is it ? Can't see anything here !"
She looked around carefully, breathing loudly in expectation. James was alert. But they saw nothing, though now the "wasp sound" was clearly audible. They had to be moving around the machines, and the kids didn't even know what "they" were. Then, a sudden gust of wind passed right in front of Violet's face, and before she ever had the time to make a move, she saw a lock of her blue hair falling on the floor, neatly cut. She froze. What was that ? James then brutally tackled her down, and she felt a sudden, acute pain on her shoulder before she hit the ground.
"You okay ?" he asked.
She stood back up, and saw a neat cute in her tracksuit, at the shoulder. It was bleeding lightly.
"What the Hell are these things ?" she yelled.
"Listen up, guys," Mike intervened, nervous, "move out of here quick ! These things are flying blades !"
"What ?"
But Violet didn't need any precision, and two of the aggressors appeared in front of the kids, on stand-by. These were very small and simple machines, solely composed of a glowing red eye and two rotative sawblades. These were, however, of ferocious appearance, hovering like metal hornets. Jim screamed:
"Duck !"
Which they did just in time, as the robot razors dashed and flew over their heads to reappear behind, missing them closely. Other machines arrived, forming like a swarm.
"Duck !"
The wasp-like robots rushed again and missed them tightly again. Snake stood up and proceeded to fire at will, his laser shots destroying machines, pipes and containers in a fireworks display of sparks and liquid candy. None of the blades was hit, but a strange purple mist was taking shape around them. They began to cough.
"Whangdoodle venom !" Mike screamed. "It evaporates in contact with the air and chokes people. Leave now, for Heaven's sake !"
This time they obeyed: they turned their heels and ran to the hatch on the opposite side. The mist was getting thicker, and progressively, their lungs felt like they were filled with lead. Soon, they saw nothing but purple haze around them, with glowing red eyes here and there. At least, the razors were almost blind in that fog, but the kids still had to dodge a few of them on the way. Violet got cut once again on the arm. Snake got cut on the thigh. Upon eventually reaching the hatch, Violet gripped to the handle and turned it with desperate energy. The door opened. Behind it was the elevator. They jumped inside and hurried to the "Up" button. They began to mount. The elevator was unaffected by the poisonous mist, and they could breathe again. But it was mounting too slowly, and it was still open to the lab they had just left. They saw the red eyes approaching. They held their rifles ready... the opening was disappearing progressively as the elevator mounted. It was okay. They thought.
"Damn, it's entering !"
It was faster than them, and it had made it in at the very last moment: one blade entered just as the opening disappeared and began to buzz around, hitting the steel walls with bursts of sparks, flying aimlessly and nervously like a panicked butterfly trapped in a bottle. Except that this butterfly could kill, and there was not much room for the kids to dodge in that place ! They stuck to opposite walls, watching the thing like thieves watching a vicious guard dog. It rushed to James. Using his superhuman speed, he managed to dodge it tightly, and the blade bounced against the wall to go back right into Violet. She had the most improbable of reflexes: she jumped and performed a split between the walls, à la Jean-Claude Van Damme. The blade passed between her legs. She jumped back down, and shot. It was her first time experiencing recoil, and it felt like her shoulder was being ripped apart. Of course, with her inexperience, the laser bullet missed the robot, but reflected against the wall that acted like a mirror, and came back to her, crashing barely two centimeters away from her head ! So, using the guns in the elevator was suicide, and they had no room to dodge. In panic, she began to pray for them to reach the fifth basement alive...
----------
Augustus was on his butt, and now, even with his robot-like determination, he wondered if he had done anything wrong: his strike had dug a hole in the white tank, delivering a flow of dirty green water which extreme pressure had properly knocked him on his butt and ripped the hammer away from his hands, right into the dark bottom of the room. He got up, had a look over the bridge, but all he could see was the green water escaping from the tank that was pouring down and slowly filling the room. Damn, he didn't know it could contain so much ! Before, all he could see when he looked down was darkness, now it was greenness, as if a lake was being formed under him. This didn't look good. Had he done something wrong ? And this water, it was... it was not water, it was more like... toxic wastes. It had a muddy aspect, and it smelled like roasted rubber, that was properly disgusting. What in the world could be living in such a goo ? He looked at the tank, and as he focused on it, he could hear... like knocks... and cracks. Uh-oh... of course, so much liquid escaping from such a small hole, it was creating an infernal pressure inside ! The tank... it could explode ! Regaining his wits, the big boy ran as fast as he could - not that fast, actually, considering his heavy mass of muscles - and took the first way out of the place. What he didn't see, then, was that gross, abnormally fleshless limb that once was a human arm, popping out of the hole in the tank. Yes, there was definitely something living inside, and it was dying to get out... underneath, the green lake in making began to flood the base of the generator. There was a bright and resounding electric arc. And another, even brighter. And a third one that ran from the base to the top of the metallic pillar. The machine was never meant to be in direct contact with a liquid, and certainly not that toxic substance. Finally, there was a loud bang, the lights went down, and it stopped vibrating.
----------
In the elevator, the flying razor suddenly fell dead in front of the kids. They were rather... surprised.
"What happened ? It died straight away, we didn't even touch it !"
And as a response, the elevator stopped, and its lights went out. There was not a sound anymore.
"It looks like a power outage," James said.
Violet looked in his direction, but in the dark, she could just barely distinguish his figure. "A power outage ? How is it possible ?"
"I don't know..."
"Mike ?"
"He can't hear you if there's no more power. At least, I think so."
She thought so too, but she had to try anyway. She didn't want to remain in a stuck elevator in the dark.
"You know," he said, "this breakdown can be an advantage..."
He was interrupted by a sudden jerk of the elevator. Violet let out a gasp. It was now moving slowly, almost undistinctively.
"Is it working again ?" she asked.
"I don't know. Feels more like... it's descending... get down, Violet, it smells no good at all..."
What happened next confirmed his suspicions: there was a terrific loud clash, the sound produced by the cables when they broke out. And the elevator descended at breakneck speed, in a total free fall.
"We're gonna crash !" Violet screamed, as she was crawling on the floor and struggling not to get pinned against the ceiling by the speed. James was struggling as much as she was, but he had no answer to give her. Unless the emergency brakes were still working, they were definitely going to crash with nothing to do against that.
----------
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the building, a group of little people patrolling the hallways stopped and stood still, surprised by the sudden darkness that had caught them off-guard. The man leading the group turned toward his followers - though he couldn't really see them - and told them something in their own, unknown language. So they waited. If everything was still working properly, the alternative generator would take the lead and re-activate some of the basic survival systems - including of course lighting and security - in a matter of seconds. A second passed... and another... still nothing, and the leader was beginning to worry. It was not a total black-out, was it ? Finally, an engine could be heard purring far away, and the light came back in the corridor. First bright to almost being blinding, it quickly dimmed to only bright enough to distinguish the immediate surroundings. The leading Oompa Loompa guessed it was a matter of low voltage in the alternative system. After all, it was the first time the Factory experienced a power outage, and the rescue generator was maybe not as powerful as they thought it was. Anyway, they had to do with the few light they had and hope that Team A had more chance. For the leading man was not the Loompa King, he was merely the second in command. They had split up into two groups to search different places. The Loompa King and his terrible mantis robot had the lead of Team A. Here, they were Team B. The leader held out his spear and ordered to move on. It was quite a contrast to see this group of warriors, dressed in bright jumpsuits, but armed with very traditional equipment, spears and bows. For there was no laser adapted to their size, except the pyrotechnics launchers, but these were not mobile weapons. Whatever, they were masters in using bows, no need for...
Stop !
The leader held out his hand to give this order, without speaking. They had to be silent, now, for there was a prey right ahead. They could distinguish its figure dancing in the shadow. From their position, they couldn't even tell if it was a boy or a girl, but it was clear the kid wasn't wearing a skirt, so it could be anyone but Veruca Salt. They bent down, making themselves even smaller than usual, and crawled to their prey. He or she was not really dancing, more staggering, and shaken with violent spasms, as if he or she was sick or heavily drunk. They kept moving. The kid would soon be at range. But something was wrong: even in the dim light, they should have been able to distinguish clothes, or hair color, something, but they didn't. The staggering sick child in front of them appeared as black as a piece of coal. And even his way of moving was too distorted, unnatural. It looked more like... no, it couldn't be. Unless a fool had decided to open the tank, but no-one would be so suicidal... the Oompa Loompa raised his spear, aimed, and shot. The spear drew a perfect line in the air and ended its course in the child's chest.
YYYYYYYaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh !
That scream ! The Oompa Loompas put their tiny hands on their tiny ears, and they couldn't believe it. The child had produced a sound, half-way between a little girl's scream and a high-pitched, dinosaur-like sound. No human, and possibly no creature in the world had the lungs to produce such a terrible cry. That was a child from the tank, no doubt about that, and it was running towards the dwarves, whining, shaking its distorted limbs in an unquenchable and primal murderlust.
----------
Wonka turned a small switch, producing a spark in the dark. He quickly withdrew his hand, and put it back to turn the switch back off. He waited a few seconds. That was a chance he never took his gloves off, this way he couldn't receive a shock. He turned the switch on again. This time, instead of the spark came a reassuring mechanic hum.
"Coming back..." he said, satisfied. And as he said so, the lights indeed came back in Basement 13, and the chocolatier's computer lighted up like a Christmas tree. He didn't waste any second before going back to work. He had to re-initialize the system before Mike did. The two men were on a constant race for the control of the computer, and at this point, just after the breakdown, the system was at its most vulnerable point, which meant one of them could take total control of it at any moment. Mr Wilkinson arrived behind:
"Boss, is everything alright ? It seems like there was a..."
"A failure, I know. It's Augustus... seems like we gave him too strong a dose. He went berserk and destroyed the tank. Now, he's disappeared."
"Wait a minute, do you mean the tank ?"
"Precisely. The generator was partially flooded, this created a short circuit. Thanks to the emergency power, we still have the security working, but that's all we've got."
"Should we send the Oompa Loompas up to re-launch the generator ?"
"No, too risky. The... content of the tank must have invaded all the inferior levels by now, and some of them, I'm sure, could even have climbed up to the upper basements."
He looked at the ceiling, then at his assistant, and smiled sadistically.
"It's not a Factory up there," he said. "Now, it's a hunting ground. We can use it to our advantage. The kids must be completely disoriented, and Mike, with all the processes that are stopped and the others that are out of control, won't be of much help. Move our squad of WonkaBots as planned, and set the ambush. I'm gonna try to repair the system, meanwhile. We've played this game for too long. We can't let them win."
"Understood, Boss."
"Mr Wilkinson ?"
"Yes ?"
"If we get Augustus back... maybe we can keep him. He can be very useful with his strength. He may be even stronger than Meat."
"Yes, sir. I'll try to get him back."
Outside...
"Sir, there's motion !"
Lieutenant Roarke immediately stood up. He had been waiting, sitting in the snow for... how long ? The night was falling already. He was told by one of his men that it was five o'clock. The poor children had been locked in this building for seven hours, then. Of course he tried to reassure the parents, but he was actually very pessimistic concerning their chances to survive. Seven hours meant about six hours and a half too much for them to get killed - or worse. He couldn't tell how much time had passed since their failed attempt at breaking in - it felt like aeons ago ! - but nothing had changed since then. Mr Teavee's hacking strategy had not brought anything new, the magnetic field was still on, and the puppets were still preventing an assault from occurring. The children's families were distressed. A few moments ago, a woman wearing a Chanel suit who reeked of Martini had arrived in a Mercedes, screaming hysterically to see her daughter - she was later introduced as Mrs Salt. Mrs Gloop had awakened and, just like Mr Teavee, was hung to her phone, trying to reassure the family that had stayed in the country. There were two Buckets waiting here, the old man and either the father or the mother, one of them having to stay in the house with the grandparents. Only Miss Beauregard was alone, wandering among the tents and vehicles. The soldiers had installed a rack beside one of their trucks to display their rifles, and she was now looking at the guns in a way Lieutenant Roarke profoundly disliked. It was not mere curiosity. He had seen the same look in the eyes of spree killers, psychopaths and terrorists. It was fascination. He thought he might have to look after her, in case she tried to make a big mistake. But later. Now, he had to see what was going on.
He rejoined his men near the armored truck, to have a clear view on the courtyard. To the soldiers' greatest surprise, the killer dolls were raising from the snow, and disappearing, and raising and disappearing again, in a strange ballet. Then, that annoying music could be heard again. It all looked like it was going on freewheel. Roarke's instinct ticked. Something was about to happen.
"Shields !" he ordered, and immediately, his men raised high kevlar shields to protect their unit. It was tight, a few seconds later, a haze of bullets stormed out of the dolls, firing at random. They then stopped, and went back underground. The music stopped. Around, the people had knelt down, their heads burried in their arms as a move of protection. They were scared, but no-one was hurt.
"Sir," a soldier asked, "what was that ?"
"Don't know, kid. It looked like these were out of control... something wrong's going on inside. Set a second attack team ready. We'll try another breakthrough in one hour."
----------
A hand appeared in the dark, like popping up from the ground. It gripped on the floor, and a second hand appeared. Finally, the head appeared, and Charlie finished to pull himself up and leave the cursed pit where he almost died. Veruca was following. He turned round, bent down, and grabbed her out. Here they were. Basement 5. Now, they just had to walk right ahead until they found the elevator where they would - at last ! - be reunited with Violet and Alex... James. Thinking that they really got separated in the Wallpaper Room, and so much happened since then ! But maybe they weren't out of trouble yet... for that sudden incident, with the darkness and silence that ensued, was not really a part of the original plan. Charlie moved to a wall, with the intent to lean against it and have a rest. Veruca immediately screamed him to wait and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"What's wrong ?"
In response, she pointed her fingers to the wall, behind him. He turned round to find himself face to face with a large circular sawblade that was emerging from the wall, motionless.
"Wow ! Thanks. One second too late, and I had a second smile behind the head !"
She chortled. "That's just like that Indiana Jones movie... why is it still like that ?"
"It must be a trap that found itself short on electricity. I wonder if..."
He took off his sweater and rolled it around his hands, like a rag you use to protect your hands when you take a hot plate from the oven.
"What are you doing, Charlie ?"
He then put his protected hands on the sides of the blade, trying to find a grip, and pulled. He had to try again about three or four times when, with a metallic squeak, the blade eventually emerged completely from the wall and fell at their feet. He picked it up and examined it: it was about the size and shape of a manhole cover, but its most surprising feature was its incredible lightness. Even with his skinny arms, Charlie could carry it with no efforts.
"What do you plan to do with that ?" she asked. "A weapon ?"
"Exactly. It's light enough to be thrown, like a frisbee."
"Well, I guess it could allow us at least five minutes to live if we're attacked. Mike, how is it going ? Mike ?"
The voice that came to them gave them a start, even if they were expecting it. Throughout their time spent in the Factory, there had always been noise, a machine heard far away or something like that. But now it was totally silent, like abandoned.
"I... r you."
"Mike, we can't hear you !"
"Know... cation... disord... eakdown."
His voice was perfectly inaudible through the interferences. It was like hearing someone through a World War 2 radio.
"Is it better, now ?"
The interferences were still present, but in a much lower frequency, so that Mike could be heard.
"Okay, seems to work. There's been a power outage, and we're working on the alternative power now. Damn, it's a real mess in the program ! The system was re-initialized, and trust me, millions of codelines being interrupted from their work is not a pretty sight ! Everything's like it's going nuts ! The lights are insufficient, the motion sensors are dead, some cameras are out of order, and there's that large tank that exploded for no reason ! Jurassic Park is Disneyland in comparison. The good news is that you won't be bothered by traps anymore. Bad news is that I can't see you anymore. You made it to Basement 5 ?"
"We did."
"Okay... what's that ? Damn, another thing to add on my list of all-going-wrongs."
"What ?"
"The maintenance elevator you were supposed to take is broken. The cables have yielded. It's stuck in Basement 8. Violet and James are not hurt, thanks God, but you'll have to search for another path. I can't help you for the moment, gotta take care of the two others. See ya !"
The deadly silence came back. Veruca wrapped her arms around Charlie and held herself as close to him as she could, like a girl hugging her boyfriend after watching a horror movie. Even in their situation, Charlie couldn't help but sigh to contain that feeling of excitement that was coming back everytime she touched him. Hormones, damned hormones ! With her chest against his arm, he could feel her heart ponding.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered. "You heard Mike, there's no more traps."
"This doesn't mean we're safe. In the dark, everything can happen."
She suddenly remembered her pen light. She quickly picked it up and turned it on. Of course, the beam of light was still ridiculously small.
"Guess it's better than nothing..."
Charlie raised his free, trembling hand, and quite awkwardly caressed her hair.
"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he said in a comforting tone, trying without realizing it to imitate his mother. "It's as if we were out, now."
And so they went in the darkness, following the corridor. There was nothing to worry about, Veruca told herself. But if it was true... what was that crawling noise she just heard ?
----------
Snake opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Violet sleeping a few feet from him. He stood up. They were still in the elevator, which was now open to a sinister-looking passage. What had exactly happened ? His mind was blank between the moment when the cables broke off and now. He guessed they must have passed out for a few minutes. He gently awakened Violet. By chance, none of them was hurt, merely groggy. They regained their wits and their guns, and prayed to God... which meant in their case, calling for Mike.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. So, you guessed there was a black-out. Only a few systems are still working now, including, by chance, your friendly neighbor Mike Teavee."
"Okay," Violet said, "so what to do, now ?"
"Here's the deal: you're now stuck in Basement 8, and the elevator's dead, so you find another way up, and rendez-vous at Basement 2 as planned."
"Can you tell us more ?"
"I'm afraid not. I'm still trying to get the radars and sensors back on, you'll have to do it yourselves. But everything's out of order, there shouldn't be any problem. Good luck."
His voice went dead. He had hung up. Better get going, the kids told themselves as they walked to the passage. They began to curse the guy who invented those rifles, because he apparently considered adding a light or something was unnecessary. It's then blind as bats that they had to progress.
"So, we've arrived two basements below, in a place we know virtually nothing about, and worse, there's no more light ! I must've been drunk when I accepted that shitty mission !"
"And you dare to complain ? I wasn't even paid to come in this Hell, I was just promised tons of candy and a great contest ! How could I have believed such things do happen in reality ?"
"Yeah, good things never come out without their dark sides. I know a lot about that."
"Anyway, if there's one thing I learned today, that's it: never trust an adult. Whatever they may say, they will always try to screw you."
"Wise words... but it doesn't tell us how to get out."
"Hey, wait a minute ! Mike said a lot of things were disactivated, right ? Then we should be able to take that great communication passage without any danger, now ?"
"You're right, I think we could. I got no better idea, let's go for it. Wait !"
This time, it was James who heard a noise first. He made them stop after a few meters, and pointed out his gun. Violet looked at him, confused, and then she heard it too, a soft sound like someone walking by dragging their feet. She froze and pointed out her gun too. In the dark, she distinguished more than she saw a vaguely human shadow, far ahead. At this distance, she couldn't be positive about what she saw. The figure was extremely vague and seemed to move in a surreal, distorted manner, like a ghost. She had a chill of fear. The fear of what she couldn't see. Only then did she realize how vulnerable they were, when they couldn't see anything around them.
"It's a... it's an hallucination, isn't it ?"
"I'm afraid not... I can see it."
"How can you see it ?"
"Well, I don't really... I can see its thermal aura."
"Its what ?"
"Every living being possesses a thermal aura. And some animals - some reptiles - can see it. It looks like a human... but it has a way of moving, that's not natural... and it's much too hot for a human... I don't like that."
"Augustus ?"
"It's not... it's not anyone we know. It's getting closer. I really don't like that, Violet, let's find another way."
He was already stepping back. The girl was about to follow him when she heard something that made her stop. She heard a weak whining, like the cry of a wounded child.
"Wait, it's a kid !"
"How could it be ?"
"I don't know. Maybe we're not the only ones here... he looks hurt."
Overwhelmed by a sort of maternal instinct that made her forget fear, Violet faced the stranger that was staggering closer. To her companion's horror, she dropped her gun and began to walk ahead, reaching out her open hands and chanting comforting words.
"Violet, what the Hell are you doing ? We must go !"
"We can't abandon him here ! He must be terrified." she turned to the dark figure. "Come here, my friend. It's okay, you're safe with us."
The legendary quietness that characterized the Snake was wearing off. He had never seen such a thing before. It made his hands twitch when he looked at it.
"Violet, this is not a child."
Too late for her ! The child was already at range, and she made eye contact with him. This moment, the moment when her blue eyes met two white, empty eyeballs, only lasted less than a second. But to her, it seemed like hours. Everything went in slow motion in her mind as she observed the stranger and realized all the extent of her mistake: the human-looking being was about her height, it was naked and its gender was unidentified. Its grey skin was smooth, totally devoid of hair, and so thin that with light, you could probably see through. It was terribly skinny, and its limbs were moving in a distorted, spasmodic manner that was not natural at all. Even a person suffering epilepsy could not move so fast. Its face was hardly human, with a mouth and two blank eyes, but it didn't have a nose or ears. And, Violet thought it was the most anguishing part, there was a weak, acid green glow radiating from its entrails. She saw all of that in a quarter of a second. Just before it emitted an ear-breaking screech and jumped on her.
She didn't see it coming, and she only had the time to blink before she got pinned against the wall.
"Help !" she screamed, just before it clenched its hands around her neck, cutting out her breath. The monster was strong, extremely strong, and its grasp was like having her neck stuck in a vise. She groaned in pain as the hot, steel-hard fingers dug in her tender skin. James came to help, and grabbed the monster from behind, to no avail: the monster merely jerked its head back, and it was fairly enough to throw the mercenary smashing on the opposite wall. Violet kept struggling, but its arms were not getting away, no matter how hard she pulled. She tried to kick its legs, but it didn't flinch and didn't even seem to feel any pain. It was hopeless ! She could already see red shadows before her eyes.
The monster's thumbs dug under her jaw and squeezed her salivary glands. The agonizing pain that ensued instantly pulled her out of her dizziness. In a move she would have thought impossible, she spread her legs at their maximum and passed them over her head to fold them around her aggressor's neck, in some kind of exaggerated scissor lock. This had to work ! She then let her upper body fall down and pulled as hard as she could on her dislocated legs. She hit the ground but the monster rolled over her and fell down too, releasing her under the shock. She did it ! She then quickly rolled away before it caught her back, and after she made a few feet, the hallway was illuminated by a serie of loud laser shots. The smoking body of the monster child remained still, lying lifeless on the floor. James arrived at the girl's level and helped her up.
"Sorry I didn't shoot earlier," he said, "I was afraid to hit you. Are you okay ?"
She opened her mouth to reply, but there only came out a violent serie of helpless coughs. Her legs were a little trembling from the exploit she had performed, but the worst was her throat, she felt like it was swollen like a balloon and each cough was like swallowing a piece of red hot iron.
"I think I'll have deep marks for this," she said with a hoarse voice while caressing her throat. "Tell me, can we have bruises when we already have a blue skin ?"
"I don't know... nice moves, anyway."
She smiled weakly, though he could barely see it.
"I guess I'm getting used to it... I'm much more flexible since I was squeezed. What was that thing ?"
They carefully approached the body, and Violet took her rifle back, just in case. Snake hit it several time with the tip of his barrel, but it didn't react. Its skin displayed various holes letting out a thin smoke that smelled like a burnt tyre. No doubt it was dead.
"God... that's horrible," he said. "It looks like... a zombie."
"And... you've already fought zombies before ?"
"Several times... in video games. I've always been positive that such things did not exist. But now..."
"Where could it come from ?"
"I don't know, but I don't think I want to. We don't know everything about what's really going on in this facility... it may be much, much worse than a mere drug traffic..."
"Let's just hope it was the only one... I don't want to meet any others like that !"
As if to respond to her expectations, a whining similar to that of the zombie came to their ears, from further in the corridor. But as they focused to the sound, it was not one, but two, three, four, several whinings that could be heard from all directions. And no matter where they looked, they could always perceive a shadowy figure, far away, staggering in their direction. There could be dozens of zombie-like creatures in this basement. They were in the dark, and they were surrounded.
"You said you were in a religious school ?" Snake asked.
"Yeah..."
"Then I hope you didn't forget your prayers..."