Code Lyoko: Revolutions & Evolutions

by Pagliacci-11

The computer has been shut down. The team has now begun the countdown to high-school with next year being their sophomore year. Not all is as cut and dry as simply moving up a grade as a new force begins to show itself, not XANA but a force that is equally familiar and alien. Rated M for violence, sexual scenarios, and language.

19. Chapter 19

AN: It was a tough chapter to write this time because I felt I had run out of steam and ideas. But God pulled me out of it, and here you are, another chapter as best I could write for your enjoyment. Thank you all so much for your continued support of my work. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break and a safe and happy New Year. As always, read, review, and enjoy. God bless and keep you. See you all next chapter.

Pagliacci-11

Chapter 19

As the siren signifying the alert still sounded, students and faculty alike had gathered in the halls which had led up to the science lab and back out to the main entrance. Johnathan Barrow had just been taken off inside a government car, and Jean-Pierre stood silent as if stunned in the still open main door to the school. At that moment, Jean-Pierre felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Suzanne standing beside him.

"Are you okay, Jean?" she asked.

He shook his head, "I—I can't answer that right now, Suzanne. I really can't."

The alarm chirp had grown beyond obnoxious, and Jean-Pierre yelled, "Turn that damned alarm off!"

The children shook as they had never heard the old man raise his voice, and soon the chirp was now silent. Jean-Pierre put his fingers to his temples and exhaled and stood silent a moment. There was a form of gentle silence while once could easily count ten. Jean-Pierre looked outside and then turned to the students gathered around.

"Children," he said, sounding a bit frustrated, "return to your dorms until the second tone. Then you may resume your normal classes."

Jean-Pierre headed back silently to his office, and once inside, he sat down. He couldn't believe what had started out as a peaceful morning had devolved into a mess of chaotic dreck right in his lap. He reflected upon what had been said to him just a moment ago. He was charged with holding a fugitive of the state; he heard the charge given to John that he was charged with espionage against the nation of France. But how could that be? There was no evidence to conclude or even lead to that from his background at all. With Jim, it was clear where he had come from, a decorated aspect of service as a Navy Seal from America. John, there was no history to show any federal involvement period.

Jean-Pierre pulled out the file he had on John and looked over it extensively. He had worked with Amber and Reese that was clear enough. He also had aspects of working with a law firm Emerson and Walsh, in the United States, but it was in a minor managerial capacity. Reading further, he saw that Johnathan had worked as a junior-management chemist at Rena and Neski Pharmaceutical. Jean-Pierre also knew he came here on Hendricka Schneider's recommendation. Taking her file and cross-referencing them, Jean-Pierre found that the two dossiers intersected at Rena and Neski Pharmaceutical. So, that was the connection. An apparent three-year period where the two had most likely met and cultivated their friendship.

Jean-Pierre reclined in his chair and reflected on what he could have missed. He rested his eyes, and he took a breath. As he sat in silence, he then remembered, John knew Yolanda very well, which was evident from his first day. But what was the connection? She said he'd helped her with her exams. Jean-Pierre went to the file cabinet and took out Yolanda's file and performed another cross-reference. Yolonda had attended John's-Hopkins and achieved the top ten percentile in her class specializing in physiology and forensic pathology. Johnathan had attended John's Hopkins and majored in the top fifth percentile two years prior to Yolanda and attained his doctorate in Forensic Psychology, certification as an anesthesiologist, as well as an understudy in chemistry. Jean-Pierre made notes of these parallels and, once done, put the faculty files back inside the cabinets.

Meanwhile, the Lyoko warriors had gathered back into Jeremy's room and were sitting in relative quiet. Jeremy was thinking intensively on what had happened in his dream the night before, and he remembered the young girl's words, the young girl who he could only assume was the face of the North-Gate Program. He remembered what she had promised. "You shall have your freedom." Was this her way of doing it? And truly doing it so soon? How was it possible?

Aelita saw he was deep in contemplation and so she cleared her throat, "Jeremy, how did the dream go before we get too sidetracked, but what happened?"

Jeremy looked at her and said, "She kept her promise."

Odd looked at him, "Beg pardon?"

"She kept her promise, the voice on the computer. The voice in my dream, she kept her promise, the walls are down, we're free to do as we wish." Jeremy replied.

"Wait—wait," Ulrich said, "What do you mean the walls are down? She took them down?"

"It was all a test to see what we would do, how we would react if the system grew tighter around us."

"For what purpose?" Aelita asked.

"She liked to see how we reacted, she wanted to see what we were willing to do and judging by how she spoke, she got what she wanted. She knows we're persistent, and to her, we are of a great form of value."

"Value as what?" Odd asked.

"Value as her soldiers most likely, but I don't think that's her purpose for us. Unlike XANA, she doesn't seem to want to test for ferocity; she seems to want to test for what we're willing to do as a team to get an objective done."

Ulrich nodded, "I see, so she's more about strategy, not brute force? Interesting."

"Yeah, she doesn't exactly seem to approve of our sneaking around as she terms it; however, she tested me, in that she said, there was one thing we had not yet tried. So, I asked her if we could please have the walls down and sure enough, boom, they're gone, and John Barrow is gone as well."

"Don't get so comfortable, Einstein." Odd said, "Remember, she is the one who put the walls up from what I can tell from all this. Also, she's the one who put John Barrow here. It doesn't mean she won't do it again. Under a different pretense."

"True, but at the same time, I think she wants our trust more than she wants us as enemies. She saw our victory over XANA, and she's aware of our strength in that regard, but as I understand, she prizes intellect above brute strength. She told me time and time again, what she loves about us is our resilience."

"Mmm—careful, Jeremy," Ulrich said, "Think of it like this she may have started out three steps over the line and is taking one step back. Lowering a barrier is something you'd have to concede is a small concession for her. And in fact, what you tell us is something she wanted you to ask for. Despite how she paints it, the world isn't as simple as asking for something, and you get it. It just isn't, sorry to say."

Aelita then spoke, "Well, as I'm looking at your world more and more, well, it kind of is. It's asking for something with usually a form of favor asked in return. Jeremy wanted the walls down for us, then, what would she ask in return is the greater question."

Ulrich nodded, "Okay, Devil's advocate here. Aelita, when you brought Jeremy back from the dead, what were the choices the voice limited you to?"

Aelita looked at Ulrich and then to the ground, she was silent a moment and said, "I could either re-establish the timeline before her systems and John Barrow even came into the picture or I could take Jeremy's life and have it back again, I couldn't have both. I had to choose one or the other. Thus, she said, 'Choose your friend or Utopia, you can't have both.' And she delivered on that promise."

Odd nodded, "I see, and so, she gives you two choices to choose from one even using the element of negating herself, and you choose Jeremy?" Odd looked at Ulrich and back at Aelita, "She exploited you right there."

"What?" Aelita asked.

"Think about it." Odd replied, "She forced you into a decision that she knew you'd leap with your heart before your head; she even gave you a timer if memory serves. So, she manipulated you into letting her stay. So, you keep Jeremy, but she's quantum-locked now into the overall equation. Tch, she's very smart. Okay, we have Jeremy, but we know this system is designed to try and help us. XANA was the same way except he gained independent intelligence."

Aelita said, "She also said she has people to maintain her, and she maintains them, so no one overplays the other."

Ulrich's eyes snapped, "That's a false comfort, don't you dare believe it. That thing could easily kill its so-called supports. But if it is a true mutually assured destruction, well, that may be something we can use in our favor down the line."

Jeremy said, "I don't know quite what she's going for. I know she has a plan, but it's as she said, there must be birthing pains for progress to be made. I told her simply look at history if you don't know where to start. But something tells me, it's not enough for her."

The group sat in silence for a moment, and Odd took out a ball and bounced it on the floor back into his hand. He repeated this motion for some time, the bounce of the ball timing the thoughts of the Lyoko warriors, all of them deep in contemplation. Around the twentieth bounce of the ball, Aelita snatched it out of mid-air.

"I got it," She said, "Think about it, this entity values our resilience, values our resourcefulness. She spoke of the birthing pains as necessary for progress—what is to say she doesn't mean to spare us the birthing pains? She clearly laments the destruction of useful talent, she enjoys our reactions to her tests, what if we have proven our merit?"

Ulrich leaned against the wall, "Care to explain?"

"What if in defeating XANA and overcoming this major aspect of the test of the physical barriers, she deems us worth to help us put select events into motion? I mean, think about it, XANA is not a slouch, he's not at all. Considering we even defeated what she called her brother, she actually could see us as an equal if you choose to think about it."

"I'd be careful with that supposition, honestly," Odd replied, "I think this machine already has an engine in mind, it already has choices lined up for us. I think just like Jeremy, even if you wanted to work with it, it would give you choices it would largely benefit from. Jeremy's resurrection through a return to the past as a prime example. It is not above manipulation; we all saw that. I don't fault you for making the choice you have Aelita, far from it, but we have to be very careful, and besides, we can't just do nothing either."

Jeremy nodded, "He's right. Like it or not, the walls are down, we can go wherever we need to, we just need to ask. But Odd is right if we sit on our hands; this system, whatever it is, will move on without us. We can at least hope through talking with it, reasoning with it, that it sees reason and takes mindful humane approaches as is its directive based on what Aelita's mother gave us."

"But there's something else as well, Jeremy," Ulrich said, "If this thing has components and agents that balance it, we'd have to meet with them as well. We must reason with the reasoners. I'm with Aelita that we may be included in some major decisions, but Odd is also right; if our voice is not heard, it's like an abstaining vote, neither for nor against."

"Like as not, however, we may have lost one of the voices." Aelita said, "Mom said she would find a way to get us out of this system away from the barriers. What if that was it? What if John Barrow yes may have been a lackey, but what if he was the voice we needed to talk to?"

Ulrich groaned, "That opens a whole separate can of worms. So, either your mom sprung us or this voice." He sighed, "Is there any way to be sure of one or the other?"

Aelita nodded, "I can call her. I have her number after tracing her plates."

Jeremy nodded, "Do so, please. We're going to go get some hot chocolate to give you some privacy. Come on, guys."

The boys got up and headed out down to the vending machine while Aelita took out her phone, and she scrolled through the number and pressed Anthea's number and called it.

Meanwhile, John Barrow was sitting handcuffed in a cold room. The shade of the walls was a form of light blue; the only reason he could tell this was because of the slats of light that came through the upper crests of the wall to his right. He knew very well what was likely to happen. However, as his experience taught him, there was no such thing as being fully prepared as it was an impossible thing. There was quite a to-do when he was booked and printed, he knew various section and station chiefs had been alerted, and he had been immediately taken to this room where he had sat for the past half hour.

The officers had offered him coffee and tea, but he had taken neither. He knew that this aspect of the mission carried far greater risks than most of the team had anticipated. He tapped into his implant in his temporal lobe, and he was able to see and hear with immense clarity what to the ordinary human ear would seem muffled. The usual rot about some officer's kid or a date tonight, but nothing had seemed to be too out of the ordinary just yet. Focusing on the camera in the far-left corner, John ran a diagnostic scan of the object. It was in standby mode linked to monitoring four of the surveillance he had seen coming in. However, this building was outside the city limits a good deal removed from most stations he had seen around the city and so John figured it would be a good amount of time before the cavalry arrived. That was fine; this wasn't his first rodeo.

Soon the sound of footsteps approaching was heard, and John turned off his implant. The door in front of him opened, and a middle-aged man of about forty-five came in along with Anthea. Both sat down and John held his tongue. There was silence for about two minutes and then the middle-aged man began to speak.

"John, you don't have to be afraid." The man's voice soft and calm, "None of us are here to hurt you."

John looked at the man and replied, "All evidence to the contrary due to the very nature of how I was taken in by your people."

"My apologies. You performed quite a stunt back a few years. And now you're back in the flesh. As you can understand, we were—apprehensive is not quite the right word but shocked you had returned from the dead."

"It's not every day a corpse jumps out of the grave, is it?" John quipped.

The man chuckled, "Indeed not, John. It has been a long time, hasn't it? You don't remember who I am, do you?"

"Indeed, I do. Dr. Johann Ketzler, friend and associate of Professor Lowell Tyron the secondary overseer of Project Carthage. Anthea was the overseer of the alpha and beta forms of the Sforza Algorithm designed to disrupt enemy communication and indeed overcome most if not all major satellites to plunge the world at large into black chaos literally through communication elimination."

"You do not remember me. We were the best of friends, John. I want to help you out of this—situation." Johann replied.

"No," John replied, "You were not my friend. The work that I undertook with Rebecca in making North Gate, which let's be honest, is what you're after. You took it from us. You took what you could, and you destroyed it before Waldo disappeared. That is what you wish of me now to tell you what has become of the rest you couldn't take."

Johann sighed, "John, that is all in the past. There is no more Carthage, no more Lyoko, no more XANA no more Sforza Algorithm. No more Icarus. You are living in a dangerously antiquated past. But I am not here to condemn you. I want to help you so that you may, in turn, help us."

"Help me what? That is the question. I fell off the grid you so prided yourself on and was more than half-way around the world. Until I noticed as I started to rebuild—surprise, surprise, you rear your head. Your agents hunt me all over the damn world from Dubai to Moscow, to Tahiti, to Boston, and now here. What do you truly want of me, Johann? There's nothing left for you here. You got what you wanted; North Gate is no more, thanks to what you have gutted, you've seen to that."

Johann sighed, "You see, you say that. But I cannot believe so. I am not blaming you, John. But someone somewhere has activated North Gate. We've been watching over the past few weeks. At first, we couldn't figure it out. We thought a lot of it was just happenstance, much like in the United States a few years ago. But this was different. We looked and saw. We know it's North Gate, John. We've seen its bones being laid as far back as fifteen years ago. Answer me honestly, please. Did you let North Gate loose when Waldo disappeared?"

"No. You saw how far Waldo and this one had gone so far in creating Lyoko. You saw what North Gate did to balance XANA and work with the system of Lyoko itself. But you scrapped it after XANA gained a mind of his own. You gutted so much work! Months and months of recalculations and balancing, years of work! You gutted so much it was down to its basic framework, its rudimentary code! No, there was nothing released. Because there was nothing to release. Rather poetic, isn't it?"

"What is?" Johann asked.

"The very creation you destroyed, designed to balance the great general, you took away. You took away his harness, and you took away his leash. And you wonder why he is such a monster. He was never meant to operate alone! You know this! But you did it anyway. You feared logically what would have happened had North Gate been spoken to with XANA's understanding. But you didn't need to. The system would have destroyed if it needed to. But now, I guess we'll never know what truly could have been. It says something after all when some of your principle scientists disappear and not out of fear of Carthage but the shit it represented."

Johann looked at him and replied, "John, please. I'm on your side here!" tears were forming in his eyes, "Yes, okay, North Gate was gone but John, the risk! The risk, man! You built a thing of beauty, both you and Rebecca. But you made something equally dangerous."

John stood from his chair in his cuffs, "North Gate was as dangerous as she needed to be! She was dealing with a program that, by its very design, was to protect people from outside threats! She knew her brother had the potential to go far too far because he always had that possibility within him from the beginning. Thus she was outfitted accordingly."

John sat down, "It's pointless. It doesn't matter what you say is happening. I know, based on what you gutted, Johann, North-Gate cannot be functioning. She cannot be."

Johann looked at Anthea, who was silent as she observed the handcuffed man before her. In her heart, she wanted to pity him. But she knew things Johann did not know. Even so, she couldn't broach those subjects without proving she had gone against protocol, and at that moment, her life and indeed Aelita's life she felt hanged in the balance. This man was not weak. No, not at all. That man before her was the caged tiger; he knew more than he let on. He admitted he was John Barrow, so that was progress at least on record. Anthea looked back at Johann and nodded.

Johann spoke, "John, tell me. If North Gate is not alive and running, how are you able to always move ahead of us? We wanted to talk to you as soon as you arrived in France, but you were always on the move. How are you able to move and not be caught until now? You're not Superman, John. You have help. How were you able to turn an entire school into a fortress and appear and disappear like a ghost? How is it, John, that Amber and Reese a code-name given to North Gate now is a massive security firm but shockingly doesn't have that many employees for its noteworthiness in security? How is it that the same company outlined as a primary form of defense for North Gate serves the same purpose in a realm so close to you? John, there's not that much coincidence in the world."

Johann got up, took out a cigarette, lit it, and after a long drag said, "John, we also know North-Gate is alive because of Protocol Seven. Over the last couple of weeks, we have observed some admittedly shocking actions happening out there. We correlated these actions against the program's actions. Chiefly the reference being the early directive notes that you had under Protocol Seven. Use of a terrifying act to integrate a system by which it is meant to better safeguard people against such an event. We know very well that it's active but maybe like XANA it did achieve sentience. Someone, if not you, someone put North-Gate into the world. it's been active for quite some time buying up land, resources, buildings, proposed in accordance with the Savior Protocol. It's building itself, John. It knows you as its creator; thus, it found you and has been watching out for you. But truly, if you want to help us, you'll help us end this program."

John chuckled as he leaned back in his seat, "Happenstance Johann. That's all it is. We know who committed the attack on the station. A disgruntled employee against the likely seedy and litany of hidden offenses of her overseeing reporter, Thomas Vincent. Dig in a bit deeper into him, and I'm sure you'll find what you need in terms of proof."

"Then why did you shore up Kadic Academy, where you were working directly on the heels of such an attack?" Anthea asked.

John looked at her and replied, "My reaction, dearest Anthea, is no different than the United States after their 9/11 attacks. They shored up their own defenses and checkpoints with specific guidelines as to what to look for, releasing technologies for thoroughness to prevent another attack, etc. In the interests of the safety of the children is why I had this precaution implemented. As it worked so well for Amber and Reese and countless other companies over the years, I felt it best to safeguard the children with the best applications possible given the situation. If you care for safeguarding your nation's children, then that's on your conscience or lack thereof, not mine."

Johann approached Johnathan and said, "John, Amber, and Reese is not a real company. It's a security firm sure and has great reviews, but so do most of our operations which served as shells."

"Johann, it is not a false company." John replied with a sigh, "Go over to the building and look into it we have three-thousand employees in that one building with countless others across the country and indeed most Europe and parts of Eurasia. We are a security consulting firm both physically and technologically that has been in operation for fifteen years; in that time, we have amassed a great reputation. Go ahead; I'll wait. Send your people."

Johann sighed almost as if in disgust and said, "You know what, I don't have time for this. You will stay here in one of our cells until you are truly compliant." He rang the buzzer on the wall, and Anthea got up. Soon a knock was heard, and the door opened to reveal two officers.

"Take the prisoner to Isolation and keep a firm and close watch on him," Johann replied. He looked at John and said, "Give him the food he needs and occasional water. I'll be back for him in the morning."

The officers went over and took John by the arms, and they headed out the door. As John passed the observation desk, he activated his implant and sent out the code, 1015983. He then turned off the implant as he was taken downstairs into a long corridor of black doors with a steel slat at the bottom. He was taken to cell thirteen, and once his cuffs were taken off, he was put inside, and the door slammed shut with a metallic clang. It was quiet and pitch-black now in the room. the bed was a metal slab, a pittance of a blanket and the room smelled of bleach. John sat in the cell not saying a word. He tested the signal through his implant. He could barely get anything he wasn't close to any outward sources of communication. He had sent the code, that was all that need be done. Now, to wait for nightfall would be the greatest challenge.

Above him, Anthea was sitting with Johann, "What do you think, Johann? What's to be gained from this?"

Johann took a drag from what was now his second cigarette, "Hard to say. Tonight, we'll take him for processing over at Delta." He blew out a puff of smoke in frustration, "He is John Barrow, there's no mistake. Damn it. Who was it then in the ground? You exhumed his body, and it is him, so how can there be two of them with identical DNA aspects?"

Anthea thought a moment, "Well, could he not have made a clone using North-Gate? XANA was able to do so in making polymorphs, could North-Gate not do the same?"

"No, it couldn't," Johann replied, "Clones were unique to XANA as were his monsters. No, North-Gate doesn't have that capability. North-Gate was designed to keep people fed, nourished, healed, and safe. XANA was the military arm. We'll know more tonight when we transport him to Delta to question him more on our terms."

Johann got up and headed down the hall, leaving Anthea alone. As she sat in the office, Anthea couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She had received a tip that John was able to be taken from Kadic. But it seemed far too easy. Almost as if he was given up. He made no chase; he made no resistance. He just came in, no questions asked. No, this was too simple. Why would he deviate so drastically from his original pattern of running and hiding? It wasn't like anything she had seen. She picked up the phone in the office and made a call.

The phone rang, and a voice responded, "Hello, Captain Schultz."

"Hello Richard, this is Anthea. We have a prisoner down in ISO-13. I need you to double the guard on him until he is in transit tonight. Something just doesn't feel right, and I want to be sure this goes as smoothly as possible."

"Of course, at once."

As Anthea hanged up the receiver, she went back to her office. It was a small affair, not too small. It was comfortable enough. It wasn't the cubicle of a bean-counter, nor was it the executive's suite. It was functional and appropriate for her station. Anthea sat down at her phone, and she saw she had a voicemail from Aelita. Anthea plugged in her headphones and pressed play.

"Hi mom, it's Aelita. Something happened here at the school this morning, John Barrow, who you and I discussed a bit was taken by what looked like federal police. What my friends and I wanted to know was, did you send for the police to grab him? The answer is simple, yes or no. Because if it's yes, we can rest at ease that you're on top of things like you told me you would be. If not, it hints at something that may be a bit more of a problem. Anyway, call me when you can. Love you. Bye."

Anthea replayed the message and afterward was quiet a moment as she gathered her thoughts. It was as she had thought, the children had seen John being taken away, but they somehow had gotten to thinking that it could be either her keeping her promise and if not, then it was something more problematic. Why would it be problematic, though? Something wasn't making sense. Anthea was about to call back when her door opened. It was Johann dressed in a different coat.

"Anthea, how about you and I go to Delta? We can prep the team for questioning of Johnathan and get a steak at the officer's lounge for dinner?"

Anthea nodded, "Sure. We can do that. I'll be right with you. Oh, Johann, I doubled the guard on our friend, so he's not going anywhere even if North Gate does have a protocol in existence."

"Smart thinking. Given what we know of the program, I wouldn't put it above the system to try something. Come on; it'll take a bit to set things up."

Anthea got up and emptied her desk of all North-Gate elements of research or note. Putting these into a briefcase, she headed out with Johann to his BMW. Once inside, they headed for Delta, a minor military installation on the fringe of the Picardie. As she relaxed for a moment, the aspect of Aelita's message left a major question looming in Anthea's head. What else could it have been if it wasn't Anthea bringing John in? Her old thought occurred that perhaps John was either given to her or he gave himself to her. Either way, it was far from comforting. However, rather than broach the subject at present, she laid her head back on the headrest and let the gentle vibration of the car lull her to sleep.

As Anthea dreamed, she was transported back in her mind to Japan; it was when she was younger after Waldo had disappeared. She was in the marketplace. She remembered the relationship a colleague was in after a messy divorce. The relationship was with a wild American named Louis. She remembered how the organization had a team to sort this matter out; they desired to liquidate Louis. But of that team, there was a man of which she couldn't describe how beautiful he was. His hair was black silk, long and pulled back into a short ponytail. His eyes were beautifully blue, and his beard perfectly trimmed. He spoke with the most beautiful and poignant words.

The Christian was what the team called him due to his fervency of faith, but also, she remembered how he spoke, with softness, and yet with firmness. He had the grace and elegance of the finest orator with a speech so soft she could listen to him for hours. The Christian had helped this woman; he had spoken to her coached her on what to say to Louis to disarm him in an argument. Louis was a vain man, but as Anthea learned, very insecure. But the Christian knew this and so coached her how to ease herself and calm herself even if riled or confronted. But what's more, he performed his task so well, Louis could not surmount and subdue the woman and so disappeared into the crowd. All the while, the Christian surveyed from within the crowd invisibly prompting the woman through the simplest of gestures.

To say the Christian was a negotiator was the epitome of an understatement. He was ready, he was usually quite prepared in advance, and when Anthea asked him why he was able to do as he was able to do, he replied simply, "I get my gifts from my master, and I dare not deny him his due. 'For he who denies me in front of man so I will deny before my father.'"

The whole event replayed again in her mind. She saw her friend become flustered, but through the Christian's gestures behind Louis amidst the crowd she was able to overcome, she was able to ward his greatest displays of anger and able to subdue the lion in its cage. Anthea could see the Christian silently giving a thumbs-up at small intervals as he listened to the argument. Louis loved his spectacle and Anthea supposed that was just his nature, but she saw the more agitated Louis became the more his fire-red wild hair kept moving with the agitated motions of his head. The woman was retaining her calm but at the same time looking at him as if he were a legitimate madman. Then Louis stormed off and Anthea saw the woman look relieved.

Anthea looked for the Christian but couldn't find him anywhere immediately and found him in the hallway of the mall, kneeling on the ground, a red apple in his hand, and then with a blink of her eyes, the apple turned bright green. He took a bite and said, "Mmm, these are really good. You should have one while you can."

At that moment, the world shifted on a terrible slant, and Anthea was then sent hurdling upward. Suddenly the smell of gas filled her lungs and she awoke the scream and groaning of twisting metal. She was upside down in the car and looking around; she realized it was now the last breath of sunlight in the sky. She heard crunching of glass around her. As a soldier's boots came before her face. She looked up and saw the dress was not at all standard military but what she thought were silver slacks was not slacks but someone's legs. Anthea angled her head as best she could, and she could see upward just barely. There was a black flak-jacket that covered the torso of the being over her. Anthea looked to her left and saw that Johann was gone as if torn from his seat. She heard the footsteps of several people outside the wreck.

A man's voice was heard to yell out, "Any other survivors?"

The boots in front of her came together with a heavy click as if standing at perfect attention.

"Very good. Leave the wreck someone will be along shortly, I'm sure. We have what we need. Fall out and load up into the van."

The booted feet before her marched off to the right as did four other sets at least, and soon the heavy rumble of an engine was heard. The vehicle took off calmly and then accelerated after a portion down the track. Anthea took out her knife, which she carried in her breast pocket and cut the seatbelt and got out of the car. The damage to herself wasn't that bad. A mild cut that may need a stitch or two but nothing terrible. Her ankle flamed forth in radiating pain. It wasn't broken but at the least sprained. Anthea lay beside the wreck and she looked at what happened.

The car had been side-swiped from the right, which then hit a guardrail, causing the vehicle to spiral. As she looked around, Anthea was amazed she wasn't hurt worse. She sat down on the side of the road and found her phone. Sending out a coded message, she waited for a response. As she waited, her phone vibrated multiple times, showing she had two missed messages and one missed call.

Checking the texts, Anthea read, "Help needed at Detainment! Prisoner from ISO-13 Missing! Send Help NOW!"

Checking the second text, she read, "Force on believed dead or neutralized in the best-case scenario. Assuming some chemical attack on the compound. Send out analytics as soon as you can!"

Anthea checked the voice mail and listened.

"Uh, this is Sargent Vince Patel. I'm here to pick up a prisoner for transit. There's no fucking good way to say it. The prisoner is gone, I repeat, the prisoner is gone. The staff from the top floor to ISO have been attacked with powerful gas. I could only stay in the place long enough to get a comprehensive headcount before I got light-headed. Unsure if those inside are dead or just asleep. I'm sending in a squad to vent the place, and we'll have to proceed from there. All units and overseers report back as soon as possible."