Deciphering Genesis

Part I

By Moon0xygen

Brenda stared in disbelief at Newt's lifeless body on the ground. Next to him was Thomas, his lungs pumping and his body shaking. When their sight met, the world around them ceased to exist. Their anger and heartache muffled the sound of the hail of bullets and explosions going off around them.

Thomas struggled getting to his feet, stumbling a few times, trying to reach for his gun. Tears streamed down their faces as they stared at each other for what seemed like a lifetime, silently bidding each other farewell. Her heart shattered when he broke contact and stepped away.

"Don't move!"

The deafening sound of reality broke her trance. Brenda turned to see two barrels aimed at her. She saw Thomas had also been stopped by three other armed soldiers.

They were surrounded.

"Drop your weapon!" one of them shouted at Thomas. When he didn't comply right away, the masked agent took a step forward and pointed the barrel of his gun at his head. "Don't make me say it again."

Thomas sighed and cautiously let go of his firearm. It bounced slightly off the ground and was immediately booted out of sight by the officer.

Brenda saw Gally, Minho and Frypan appear through her brimming eyes. She subtly shook her head, telling them not to come any closer. Gally had to grab Minho and forced him down behind a car for cover. He held onto him longer than necessary, making sure the young man wouldn't make a rash decision and throw himself at the soldiers, even though the idea was tempting.

"What about this one?"

A soldier pointed at Newt's lifeless body on the ground. "Is it dead?"

"Get away from him!"

Before Brenda had time to react, a soldier had already hit Thomas with the backend of his gun, making him fall facedown onto the pavement.

"No!"

"Shut up!" A soldier slapped her, propelling her to the ground also.

"Brenda!" Thomas shouted, trying to get to her. A soldier pinned him down using his boot, keeping him still.

Dizzy, Brenda managed to roll onto her back. Blinking a few times, she turned her head to see that she was lying only a few inches away from Newt. In the background, there was a muffled sound of a radio crackling.

"They want them both," the tallest soldier instructed his teammates, letting go of his two-way radio. "Alive."

Brenda felt a gloved hand grab the front of her shirt and yanked her to her feet. Her head spun wildly, and she nearly lost her balance again but was steadied by Thomas, who came to stand behind her. The soldiers, now gathered close together, pushed them both forward, forcing them to march ahead. Thomas took her hand in his and gently squeezed. The vial she had brought for Newt slipped between their joined hands and was kicked out of sight, away from the officers.

Unbeknownst to Thomas, they were being watched by their friends.

"We need to do something," Minho said, almost hissing.

"We need to go back and alert the others." Gally agreed with Frypan's suggestion.

"There's nothing we can do. They're armed to the teeth and outnumbering us."

Minho attempted to move forward but Gally grabbed him just in time to pull him back.

"Let go!"

"Don't be stupid, you'll get them killed!"

There was no way they could pull off a fight, especially in the state Minho was currently in. Exhausted and pumping with adrenaline, he was a ticking bomb ready to explode, causing irreparable mistakes.

Thomas, Brenda, and the soldiers retreated around the corner, and finally out of sight.

As Gally and Minho struggled against each other, Frypan quietly moved forward towards Newt's body. Realisation finally sunk in for everyone and they followed him.

"Newt." Minho's whisper was barely audible, even to his own ears.

They dropped down on their knees around their friend's empty vessel, shoulders slumped forward. Newt stared lifelessly at the sky; his eyes darkened by the virus. The knife still deeply lodged into his chest.

"I can't believe he's dead." Frypan spoke but no one answered back.

"We need to hurry," Gally said.

Frypan reluctantly joined him and they both watched Minho struggling to move away from his deceased friend. His face was puffy and red, stained with tears.

The trio looked at Newt one last time, before bolting off to report the new development to the others.

Too preoccupied to notice, Thomas was still holding Brenda's hand when they entered the WICKED building. He had been there before, but Brenda was terrified. Although having been previously hired by the organisation, she had never set foot on the premises.

They silently walked down a long, hollow corridor, that seemed infinite. The walls were tiled from floor to ceiling, in a plain white shade that shone almost blue under the fluorescent fixtures. They finally reached two metal doors and one of the soldiers positioned himself in front of a numeric keypad on the wall. He entered a series of digits, too fast for either Brenda or Thomas to retain the sequence. A lightbulb above the door flashed green and the metal slabs slid open. On the other side, stood Janson, Ava Paige, and Teresa.

"Thomas," Teresa said, her voice laced with happiness and relief to see him there. She briefly saw their joined hands and felt a ping in her heart.

"We don't have much time." Paige turned to look at Janson. "This place is coming apart."

"I'll go with you," Thomas spoke loud and firm. Janson stepped next to the soldiers and they exchanged details about their escape plan. "But you need to let Brenda go."

Brenda gasped at him and started opposing the deal. He refused to look at her, keeping his attention focused between Paige and Teresa.

"It's actually amazing that we were able to find the both of you together." Paige smiled, glancing at Brenda. "We need you both."

"She's the first known person we're aware of that's been cured of the virus." Teresa said, this time looking defiantly at Thomas. "We have a lot to learn from her."

"No!" Brenda screamed and fought against her assailants. Thomas twisted out from the soldier's grasp and punched him in the face. The man stumbled back against the wall. Just as he tried reaching for Brenda, he felt the sting of a needle piercing his skin.

"Thomas!" A soldier pinned Brenda against the tiled wall with enough force to send her gasping for air.

Teresa watched as Thomas fell to the floor, in a daze. His eyes filled up with tears, blurring his vision even more. She quickly brushed away a tear running down her cheek and gestured the soldiers to pick him up.

"Enough of this! We need to get out of here," Janson said with urgency. "Grab him and get to the roof."

The building started shaking, making the lights flicker.

Two soldiers grabbed Thomas on each side and dragged his limp body up the stairs.

Ear-splitting explosions was heard, causing the steps to tremble. Everything was happening too fast for Brenda to formulate an escape plan. She was too devastated and scared they would die before escaping the burning building.

The journey up the stairs seemed to last forever. The edifice shook once more, this time the explosions were much closer. The lights in the narrow stairway shut down, plunging them into darkness. The sound of cracking walls and shattered windows echoed around them. Smoke rose from beneath the doors, closely followed by a whiff of sizzling heat.

"Hurry!" Janson shouted. Teresa started couching furiously through the smoke. The soldiers turned on their shoulder flashlights and bolted up the stairs. The rest of the trip upward happened so quickly, that Brenda had barely managed to put the tip of her boots on the stairs. They slammed the door open and were greeted by a strong gust of wind.

"Where are you taking us?" Although Brenda shouted at the top of her lungs, it was impossible to compete with the roaring blades of the two helicopters stationed a few feet away.

Paige turned to look at her, but this time she wasn't smiling. Before Brenda could say anything else, something was hastily thrown over her head, covering her face. Seized with panic, she yanked back against the soldier keeping her hostage. She screamed as a needle was carelessly jabbed into her arm, numbing her senses.

"Thomas," she mumbled before slipping into unconsciousness.

Janson pointed the second helicopter to the officers and ordered that Brenda be taken there. Teresa watched as they pulled Thomas' body onboard the first helicopter, and then ran towards the other one.

Windows exploded and flames rose around the building, licking the walls with an appetite for destruction.

"Let's get out of here," Teresa shouted at the pilot. The noise of the rotor blades was muffled by the thundering sounds of the explosions around them.

Just as both helicopters lifted off and gained distance from the building, the roof cracked. A large gap opened and what remained of the WICKED tower collapsed into the scorching abyss.

Paige and Janson watched from above, the city being consumed by fire.

End of Part I