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AFTERMATH 10: BIOHAZARD
Infected
"Come on people, hurry it up!" Agent Beta ordered. "The boss is waiting. The last thing we need to do is upset him." The others shuddered at the thought as they carefully moved a large containment unit labeled:
Experimental: Biohazard
"Global Justice is on their way!" Gamma warned, watching a tracker. "There's no way we can beat them out of here!"
"Gemini isn't going to be happy," Delta groaned.
"They're on top of us! Prepare to fight!" Gamma shouted.
Hardly had the words left his mouth when GJ helicopters came into sight and began hovering above them. GJ agents threw out ropes and jumped from the copters, sliding down them. Hardly had they touched down when WEE troops attacked!
"Not happening, Gemini stooges!" Dash DaMont shouted as the two groups clashed.
For a while GJ and WEE mixed it up, drawing steadily closer and closer to the containment unit. All at once, Crash Cranston threw Agent Epsilon against the ominously labeled container that WEE had been in the process of stealing. Epsilon shook it off and cried out in alarm as his opponent lunged. He dodged out of the way just as his attacker struck. Unfortunately, the blow meant for Epsilon rammed into the container instead, putting a hole into it! WEE and GJ gasped in alarm.
"Retreat!" Dash ordered GJ loudly.
"Run!" Beta commanded WEE.
GJ and WEE turned to try and flee, but steadily the hissing mist filled up the room until every last one of the agents collapsed to the ground unconscious...
KP
It was dark before anyone even began to stir. Slowly, though, there were signs of movement on the battlefield. WEE and Global Justice's agents were beginning to awaken. "We-we're alive?" Delta inquired, rubbing his head.
"We won't be when Gemini gets wind of this," Epsilon replied from near at hand.
"Ugh, what happened?" Dash DaMont groaned, coming to along with the rest of Team Impossible and Global Justice.
"Uh oh. Let's scram before GJ gets their bearings," Gamma said. Quickly WEE scrambled up and ran, leaving their objective behind. GJ watched them go but didn't pursue them. Uncertainly they looked back at the still-leaking biohazardous container. It was officially their top priority now. They had to get it back to Global Justice and warn Dr. Director, then contain any damage it might have already done. Who knew how far and how quickly whatever this stuff was had spread by now? Getting it together, they packed up the biohazard, containing it as best they could, and made for GJ Headquarters...
WEE Headquarters
Gemini, aka Sheldon Director, yawned and stretched as his alarm went off. He stopped it then looked around and frowned a bit. Something felt off. Humph, undoubtedly his men had failed him yet again. Had they succeeded, they would have already woken him up tripping over themselves trying to deliver the good news and win approval. Pathetic lackeys. Already he was in a bad mood. He heard Pépè whimpering nervously from under the covers and frowned curiously, lifting the blanket and peering at him. Of course, it wasn't unusual for little Pepe to whimper nervously like this, but somehow it seemed different this time. Pepe?" he asked. Pepe, shivering violently, whimpered and closed his eyes, curling into himself even tighter. Concerned, Gemini picked up the little dog and examined him. He certainly didn't seem sick. Hmm... he would keep his precious pet with him just in case. Now, time to deal out corporal punishment to his sorry excuses for agents.
After getting dressed and placing Pepe in a sling, Gemini made his way through the halls to the main control room. He looked around warily, raising an eyebrow. It seemed quiet. Too quiet. What was going on? He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Entering the main control room, he said, "Agents, assemble!" When no one even turned to face him, let alone move to fall in line, he blinked. Pepe was starting to whine desperately now, pawing at him. "Shush Pepe, that's enough," Gemini chastised. He frowned at his agents again. "Agents, assemble!" he ordered a little louder. Again, no one moved. Wait, some were, but it was only to shift a bit or shuffle somewhere else that was decidedly not toward him. He stared down into the room and hesitated a moment, but soon headed carefully down the stairs to investigate. He suddenly wasn't so sure he wanted to know, though.
He looked around at his men. They were groaning, looking sick, and acting eerie. "Agent Beta?" he asked, tapping the shoulder of one of his men. Beta turned curiously to him, but immediately after his expression darkened and he began to growl. Slowly and shakily, the agent got to his feet. Gemini swallowed and backed away. Pepe was starting to bark now. Quickly he pinched the dog's snout shut. Pepe whimpered pathetically. "Agent Gamma, what's going on here?" Gemini asked, reaching Gamma's side. Gamma simply looked at Gemini blankly then scowled, growling low. Gemini gasped and moved swiftly away from that agent as well. Did this have to do with that experimental biohazard he'd sent them after? Something must have gone wrong. Oh no. Oh, he didn't like where this had the potential to go. He didn't even know what the miserable thing had been! He'd just known that his sister wanted to confiscate it. He looked around. His men were beginning to take notice of him, and every fiber of his being was telling him to get out and make a run for it while he still could.
Slowly Gemini backed toward the exit of the room, keeping his men in sight. The agents stopped moving in order to turn to look after him one by one. He sped up a little. Oh, speeding up was a bad idea, but he didn't dare slow down either. He felt something welling deep inside him he hadn't felt for a very, very long time. Panic, perhaps? Oh yes. Most definitely panic. He forced it back down. Panic never did anyone any good.
He turned his back on his agents and picked up the pace even more. They were beginning to move after him, groaning and growling and seeming displeased. He started jogging. They began to move faster. He looked back nervously once more. Mistake.
All at once they screamed and roared and broke into a run, charging him! He shrieked in fear and bolted out of the room. Quicky he slammed the door behind him, locking it tight, but they began pounding on it, trying to get out! Pepe was barking his fool head off and growling, thrashing in his sling. Gemini knew he needed to get out of there. It was only a matter of time before they broke through! He ran towards the emergency escape down a long hallway, but all at once side doors began bursting open, waves of his agents pouring out moaning and groaning and running right at them with mania in their eyes! Sheldon gasped and aimed his hand at them, firing. The fingers struck, sending them flying back and clearing his path. He was running as fast as he could now. All at once, however, from above pounced one of his men with an unearthly scream! Sheldon gasped as the man tackled him to the ground and began scratching and biting at him. Sheldon deflected a scratch with his arm, but the man's teeth sunk deep into his flesh! Gemini screamed in pain and Pepe absolutely lost it, throwing himself from the sling and trying to attack the offending agent. Gemini grabbed the dog by the scruff and blasted the attacker with his gauntlet before staggering up. He wavered a bit. Oh, that wasn't a good sign.
The moans of his men were drawing closer, the door behind him was breaking open, and the agents in the hallway were shuffling toward him darkly. Sheldon gasped, looking all around. Oh no. No, no, no, not like this. They lunged and he screamed, firing his gauntlet!
KP
Dr. Director entered Gemini's base silently, dropping down through a vent. Her brother had gone too far this time, going after the biohazard. She needed to confront him and end this once and for all. Or at least figure out what his plan had been. Global Justice couldn't be left in the lurch again. She looked around, eyes narrowed. There was nothing. No sound, no anything. She stood up straight, curious, and raised an eyebrow. Where was everyone? Why did WEE headquarters suddenly look like something out of a horror film? It didn't take a genius to realize something was wrong. Blast it. If her twin had escaped and abandoned the place... "Ugh, typical Gemini," she complained aloud, starting to walk.
Suddenly she heard groans and moans from a door behind her and gasped, looking quickly back. Banging, slow but steady, echoed from the other side. "What on Earth?" she asked quietly, turning around. If she wasn't mistaken, that was one of WEE's storerooms. Frowning a bit, she cautiously started to approach it, crouching down. What was happening in there? The banging stopped, but not until she was right outside the door did she straighten up to peer through the glass. The moment she did so, she gasped, paling. The men inside were standing around like statues, and there were a lot of them. Far more than there should be in a storage room.
For a moment, Dr. Director hesitated. Soon, though, she carefully entered and looked guardedly around at all the blank faces. What was going on here? What had happened? They weren't even acknowledging her as she moved through the room. In fact, they hardly seemed to see or hear her at all. A sudden wave of fear washed through her. Where was her brother? Where was Sheldon?
"Hello? Anyone?!" she called out. All of a sudden something grabbed her arm from behind. She shrieked and spun, ready to fight, then gasped, paling. "Gemini!" she exclaimed.
"Betty, get out of here. You have to leave. Something's gone horribly wrong," he said in a rush, obviously terrified. It haunted her. She hadn't seen that look in her brother's eyes for more years than she cared to think of.
"Sheldon? What's happening? Talk to me!" she insisted. For once a battle was the farthest thing from her mind regarding her twin. He looked pale and sick. Why? She heard Pepe whimpering and whining quietly in the sling around her brother's body and glanced toward the dog only to spot a deep bite mark on her brother's arm. Her eyes widened and she caught her breath.
"I don't know what's going on," he answered. "Listen to me for once in your blasted life, Betty! Get out! That biohazard, the one WEE attempted to steal, did something to them," he said in a rush. They gasped as the men began to growl, starting to notice them.
"I'm not leaving you," she heard herself breathe.
"Sister, we have no time for this," he stated, shoving a key into her hand. "The key starts up my escape jet. Here. Take Pepe and go." He took off the sling, putting it around her. She was flustered and confused. All at once the men shrieked and charged. "Now!" he barked, grabbing her arm and thrusting her back towards the door. She, though, refused to go without him. Seizing her brother's arm, she bolted, dragging him along behind her. Throwing him out of the storage room, she spun around and slammed and barred the door behind them.
Gemini gaped at his sister in disbelief. "Did-did you just…?" he began.
"Save you? What else did you expect me to do? For Pete's sake, Sheldon, we may be enemies but you're still my brother!" she replied. "Besides, you know what's going on here, I don't, so fill me in."
"I-I sent them after the biohazard," Gemini replied.
"Yeah, I got that part," she replied, holding her brother's wrist and leading him down the hall, searching for the way out.
"I don't know what happened out there! I'm as clueless as you! The container was probably broken open in battle or something. When I woke up the next morning they were, well, like this," he said. "Err, left," he directed. She did as he said and soon they reached the escape deck. Shutting the sliding doors behind them, they looked solemnly at one another in a sort of tired understanding. "Take the plane and go. I'll keep them busy if they come after you. I'm afraid… I'm afraid it's too late for me... The bite… Gods, I feel sick."
Betty paled a bit and took his arms. "Get this through your thick skull. I'm not leaving you," she said. "We're getting out of this together. Both of us."
"And if I turn?" he asked.
She hated the developing knot in her throat. "We'll cross that bridge if we reach it."
"When we reach it," he corrected.
"Dammit, Gemini, will you work with me please?!" she shot, snapping.
He started then smirked in some amusement. "Little sister, your concern is touching," he murmured to her. She stared at him silently then suddenly hugged him tightly, startling him. After a moment, he awkwardly returned the embrace.
Soon the two pulled apart once more. "Stay here," she said. "I'm going to start up the jet and get things ready." Quickly she hurried to the aircraft in question and got on board. Turning the key, she unlocked the control panel and quickly began pressing buttons, prepping it for takeoff. Pepe whined up at her. "Shh, it's okay little guy," she soothed.
Gemini watched silently. A foreboding feeling began to creep over him and a chill raced up his spine. Something was wrong. Right on cue, a loud bang was heard at the door. He gasped turning quickly with eyes wide. Oh no. There was another bang, then another, then a whole series of crashing and banging sounds accompanied by screams and roars as the infected began trying to get in! "Betty, we're out of time!" he called to her, turning and racing towards the jet. Just then the door to the escape deck was thrown open, the infected bursting in!
Betty gasped, looking over, and paled. "Sheldon!" she screamed, leaping from the jet and running to help her brother who was quickly being overtaken. To her shock, though, the infected ran right passed him and beelined for her! She gasped and paled.
"Betty!" Sheldon exclaimed in alarm, a surge of fear going through him. She began shooting them with a stun gun and trying to fight them off, but quickly she was being swarmed! She cried out in fear, feeling herself stumble and fall. "No!" her brother exclaimed, thrusting out his gauntlet and firing into the hoard. They were sent flying and he ran straight to his sister, grabbing her and pulling her up. Desperately the two siblings fought their way through the swarm until they reached the jet. They dove inside and quickly Betty closed the top and buckled in. Gemini did the same, then rapidly programmed the course it was to take to get them out. Immediately it responded, lifting off. The roof above opened wide to let it out. The infected swarming them began toppling off with enraged growls, snarls, and screams. The moment the roof had been cleared, the jet shot off into the horizon!
KP
As slowly the adrenaline rush died down, the two siblings exchanged looks. Silence hung between them. Finally, though, Dr. Director broke it. "We're in this together this time, Gemini. Right now you're not my enemy. You're my ally."
Sheldon nodded, looking worriedly at the bite on his arm. "Right…" he vaguely replied.
"Let me see it," she said, taking his arm. She took out some disinfectant and applied it to the wound hoping it might work. Gemini hissed in pain. "Easy," she soothed. Pepe whimpered in concern. "He'll be fine, Pepe," she said, smiling a bit at the dog. She wrapped her brother's wound, turning her attention back to him, and her smile slowly fell. "You'll be fine," she repeated as if trying to reassure herself of that. "You have to be. Don't leave me, Sheldon. Not like this."
"Dr. Director, you'll be stuck with me for a good long while yet," he answered, smirking dryly.
She smiled back, though the smile was a little strained. "Where are we heading?" she asked.
"HenchCo. We need to warn Jack Hench. He has an exorbitant number of scientists squirreled away in his research facilities. They may be our best chance at finding a cure for this," Gemini replied.
"Are you serious?" Betty demanded. HenchCo was the last place she wanted to go. "We should be making for GJ!"
"Your agents were battling mine at the bio experiment's location. That means they're likely infected too," he argued, frowning back.
She winced a bit. "I hadn't thought of that," she admitted quietly, worriedly pulling out a communications device and trying to make contact with her organization. No response. "Ooh, that's not a good sign."
"No. Really?" her brother sarcastically asked. She frowned at him in mild annoyance. "HenchCo's coordinates have already been programmed in. You know as well as I that his scientists are the best chance we have," he continued.
She bowed her head in defeat. "Fine. HenchCo it is," she relented.
KP
Dr. Director had been attempting to contact someone every minute for the last two hours, Gemini noted. Needless to say, he was getting curious. You see, it wasn't a variety of numbers she was trying. Just one. "Who are you trying to contact?" he finally questioned.
She paused a moment then bowed her head low, closing her eyes. "Will," she quietly replied. "He was... he was at GJ." Her voice broke on the last sentence and she hated that, but her brother understood why.
Gemini felt his heart sink. "What?" he asked numbly. Dr. Director shook her head miserably and sniffed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Betty, I... I'm sorry," he said, too shaken by the news to think of anything else.
"Sorry isn't going to keep him safe," Betty bitterly replied.
Gemini was quiet, processing this. That boy meant everything to her... "He'll be alright. He was trained by the best tutors, scholars, and combat experts GJ had on offer. Or that money could buy. His father made sure of that. So did you." He was more trying to convince himself that the boy was okay, though.
"Don't mention that man to me," Betty bitterly growled.
"His father?" Gemini dryly asked. Betty shot him a sharp look. "Ooh, what's the matter? Have a little spat?"
"None of your business," she replied, crossing her arms.
"I told you so," Gemini sang.
"Sheldon, do you want me to throw you from this plane? Because I will!" she threatened viciously.
Gemini chuckled coldly and looked ahead only to gasp and pale, eyes widening. "No!" he exclaimed.
"What?" she asked, quickly following her twin's eyes. When she saw what he was looking at, however, she gasped and paled. Hench Co was dead ahead, and it was in ruins! "Oh gods," Dr. Director breathed, leaning forward in her seat with eyes wide. Quickly Gemini found a relatively open area and landed the jet. As soon as it was parked, the siblings leaped out and raced towards the ruin.
"Jack! Jack!" Gemini shouted. No answer.
"Jack!" Betty called. "Jack, answer me! Jack!"
The two scrambled over the rubble searching for any sign of life, but there was nothing! "Is anybody out there?!" Gemini shouted.
"Someone, please, answer us! Anyone!" Betty yelled.
Nothing… It was as silent as the grave. They stopped. The wind blew softly, carrying on it the smell of smoke, and lightly tousled their hair. A wave of despair and dread washed over them both. Gemini could only gape at the ruined building helplessly. Dr. Director covered her mouth and sobbed, shaking her head in denial. She leaned quickly against her brother, who automatically held her back, and buried her face in his shoulder. He swallowed dryly as his sister wept. Forlornly, he looked around at the mess. Hench was nowhere to be found. No one was.
KP
Suddenly the door to a safe lying in the rubble was thrown open! The twins looked over with gasps, ready to fight, but instead were left stunned when out stepped none other than Jack Hench! Gemini and Dr. Director gaped at him in disbelief, tears still flowing freely from Betty's eyes. Hench dusted himself off and looked over at them, then smirked in a sort of boastful amusement. "Why Dr. Director, are all those pretty tears just for me? I'm touched!" the businessman said almost mockingly. "Don't cry, love. Dry those beautiful brown eyes of yours. I'm right here!" He spread his arms.
She glared at him, eyes glittering in fury. "Why didn't you answer us?" she asked directly. She'd butted heads with Hench before. Often. In fact, other than Gemini, he was pretty much her arch-foe. Or at least that's what she liked to believe. He wasn't exactly a supervillain, but he was no friend of GJ's either.
"Trouble with the inner lock mechanism. Soundproofed on the inside. Minor bug. I'll put it on the to-do list," he replied, brushing it off.
"At least someone's alive in this godforsaken place," Gemini said, looking bitterly around before turning to face Jack. "I'm glad you made it, old friend."
"So am I," Jack replied, still wearing that perma-smirk of his.
"What happened here?" Dr. Director questioned, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"Not a clue! I was just minding my own business when suddenly my people started turning on me. I managed to get away and hid in the safe where they couldn't get in. I initiated the self-destruct sequence and hoped and prayed the reinforced, heatproof steel would weather it. Clearly, it did, or I wouldn't be talking to you right now. How it happened I don't know, but I'd love to find out."
Gemini winced a bit. "It was Sheldon," Betty said, glaring reproachfully at her twin.
"This isn't on me! The bio-container was broken open by GJ and WEE in a battle," Gemini defended, turning to Jack. "It wasn't anyone's fault!"
"Except yours and your sister's," Jack replied with a frown.
Gemini glared at him, eyes narrowed. "I plead the fifth," he bitterly said.
"Of course," Jack replied, smirking again. He looked around curiously, expression reverting to a neutral one. "So, where's our favorite budding little agent? Will Du, right? That what he's still calling himself? Humph, I expected better. Don't you take him everywhere with you?"
Distress suddenly sprang to Betty's eyes. "Will?" she asked, her voice suddenly weak and quiet.
Jack frowned a bit as he looked back at her. "Yes," he warily replied. She was quiet and pale, staring at him with wide eyes. His own darkened a bit. "Betty, where's Will?" he asked again a bit more curtly, turning around fully to face her. She stared at him silently, jaw clenching a bit. She was hiding something. He disliked when she hid things. It always meant trouble. His frown blossomed into a scowl, and a dangerous glint started emerging in his eyes. "Where. Is. Will?" he asked again, tone suddenly much darker and more menacing than it had been.
Dr. Director's mouth quivered a bit and suddenly she sobbed, covering it and shaking her head in denial. The tears were back in force now as she imagined all the things that could have happened to the boy. She sniffed, looking back up at him. "I don't know, Jack. I don't know," she replied. "He didn't come with me this time. He stayed at GJ, but now GJ's infected and they won't respond and I can't find a signal and no one's reached out to me and it's just dead air and he won't answer my calls and I don't know whether he's infected or hiding or went home...! I don't know!" she blurted in a rush, holding her head in her hands.
"What?" he asked numbly, pale and suddenly feeling ill at ease. How far had this thing spread? He advanced on her quickly and seized her arms tight. Gemini started and tensed, narrowing his eyes warily. Oh, this had the potential to get bad. "Betty, think! Where would he be? Where would he have felt safe?!" the businessman demanded.
She gasped back a sob and shook her head vehemently, tightly closing her eyes and suddenly feeling panicked as images of the boy being torn apart filled her mind. "Jack, Jack, I don't know. I don't know Jack, I don't know," she whimpered, clinging to his shirt and allowing herself that vulnerability. His grip, firm on her arms, was all that was keeping her grounded and connected to reality right now.
"Dammit Betty, where is he?! Where is our...?" Jack began before cutting himself abruptly off. She sniffed, gazing up at him with tear-filled eyes, practically daring him to get physical with her. He took a moment to compose himself and regain his self-control. Soon he looked down at her once more, eyes filled with distress. "Where is our son?" he asked, voice breaking ever so slightly in fear. Her mouth quivered and she sobbed, burying her face in his chest and pushing her body against his as close as possible. He wrapped his arms quickly around her, holding tight and looking numb. "Where is our son?" he whispered again, voice a little hoarse. She shook her head. She couldn't find words right now.
KP
Gemini let out a shaking breath all his own. There it was out in the open. Will Du was the only child of Jack Hench and Betty Director. Humph, he'd seen that pregnancy coming from a mile away. He would never admit it out loud, but he had a particularly soft spot in his heart for his nephew.
William had been conceived during a GJ operation gone wrong. One his sister had spearheaded. Then purposely failed when things got… complicated. It was a long story. She couldn't have just listened to her big twin brother, oh no. She'd had to go all in and learn the hard way. The very, very hard way. The whole messy affair, from its start, was a long and painful story if Sheldon remembered it correctly. Spies, villains, treachery, love, desire, passion, attempted assassination... What else could be said? It had been the whole medley, dark and dangerous and deceitful. His sister had been young, she had been ambitious, she had been eager to prove herself, and Jack… for once in his life he hadn't seen it coming until far too late...
Gemini sighed at the memory. There was a reason Will Du could boast he had been taught by the greatest minds in GJ and the greatest combat experts. There was a reason he boasted seventeen or so different languages and thirty-two regional dialects thereabouts. There was a reason he was called GJ's number-one agent, surpassing even agents with far more experience and seniority than he. He had been trained expertly. No expense had been spared. GJ certainly wouldn't have put out that sort of money just to train an upstart agent Dr. Director happened to be fond of, oh no. The son of their leader, on the other hand? That was another story. Not that they'd needed to pay out much when all was said and done though. Jack had been liberal with the money spent on his child's education. It wasn't as if the man had been inactive in his son's life. On the contrary, he'd been very much involved. It was just that, well, over the years the relationship between father and son had become more complicated, to say the least, than even Jack's relationship with Betty had been...
William's parentage had never been kept secret from him. GJ had wanted it to be, on both fronts in fact, but Betty wouldn't allow it. In time, though, while Will's relationship with his mother blossomed and grew, his relationship with his father started to whither and dissolve. It hadn't been any fault of Dr. Director's of course, she had never spoken ill of Jack to her son beyond letting him know what his father was involved in and what GJ suspected he might be involved in, but you see, despite Will's bad attitude and questionable personality, he had his mother's good heart. It was inevitable that his father, far from possessing the same, would eventually come to be viewed by the son as more of an enemy than a parent.
There came a point where Will grew rebellious and hateful towards his sire. Scathing remarks, biting insults, so on and so forth. It had torn the man apart, Gemini knew, each word stabbing deeply into Jack's heart. Hench had kept quiet though, grinning and bearing it. It had caused major friction between him and Betty for a while - initially Hench had believed she was to blame you see - but now? Gemini wasn't sure, really, what Jack thought anymore.
Presently it had come to pass that Will denounced his father right to the man's face. Disowned him without hesitation and refused to keep the surname Hench. He'd had no interest in taking his mother's name either for safety's sake, so he'd gone with Du, too emotionally torn up at that point to bother inventing anything better. The name had grown on him and ended up sticking. The event had torn Jack to pieces to the point the man had become dangerously depressed. Hench had hidden it well of course and had carried on the same as always, but just below the surface, the hurt was deep and raw. Frankly, Gemini was surprised the man hadn't just shot himself. Or turned his back on his child in retaliation and denounced him as an enemy right back. He certainly would have had he been in his friend's place. While the son may have hated the father, though, the father still loved the son. He continued to. Gods he hoped the boy was alright. For all their sakes...
Insidious 1: Be the Serpent Under It