Chapter 8 Eternium

David

July 20th, 2017

8:05 PM

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

I take point down to the server room across the labs where we were to regain security access for the dean to receive every surveillance feed campus wide. This made me think back to when Michelle Grant, the Blackwell chemistry teacher, proposed a petition to take down all the security cams around the school four years ago. In situations where the MIT is now, it was the reason I was right to keep the security equipment installed. Making me even more proud to tear Ms. Grant's petition. After all, no one could forget the unlawful school shooting targeting Max Caulfield. Thanks to Sean Prescott and secretly Derrick Crosby.

As soon as the five of us stepped inside the server room, I made a gesture with my finger to move up and check our corners. Or should I say check perimeter as a good old security chief used to say in his Blackwell days and Afghan days. We split around the room to look around for a drive that could retain security clearance for Dean Nelson. I was the one that ended up finding a drive that could reactivate the feed and that's what I did.

"Nelson, you should have access now," I said on my comm.

"Got it," she responded. "The fastest way is through the atrium. But ConDef has sealed the doors. You'll need to disable the security gates. The override should be on one of those drives."

"Here it is," said Kristine. "Right here. Got it."

Kristine found the override first and activated in on the drive she found. Then Nelson notified us on comms that the gates were open.

"You should be able to get past the gates now," said Nelson. "I can see them opening on the monitors. I'll try to get to the courtyard outside for evacuation. I'll be waiting for the choppers there."

"Desean to Madsen. My team and I managed to safely take the scenic route inside the institute and found those students of yours. We're ready to escort them out of here when you are."

"Understood," I responded. "Get those students to the courtyard for evac and if you see Dean Nelson, make sure she gets out safely too."

"Everyone be ready!" Desean instructed the student civilians on his open channel. "Stay behind us while we draw their fire."

"Hey, David, it's Warren."

I had given Warren a radio to communicate with my team and I in case they were in distress and unprotected.

"I just wanted to say thanks again for the help," he said on his comm. "Now that we've got another team with guns, we couldn't have done this without you."

"You're welcome again, kid," I said. "Just make sure you, Brooke, and they orientees stay behind Captain Desean and do what he tells you."

"A good strategy that protects the students from direct fire," said Kristine.

"Just make sure the kids are out of the line of enemy fire and keep them safe," said Cage. "We're gonna need all the backup we can get to achieving our objectives."

"You all heard Valor Team," said Desean. "Stay behind us and keep a low profile. We didn't just bust our asses in here so that would could have civilian casualties on our consciences."

Suddenly, and open ConDef channel was triggered campus wide. Contacting every student alive in the facility through their phones, radios, and the intercom.

"Students of MIT, the facility is sealed. The Chrysalis soldiers cannot save you. All they can do is get you killed. Surrender peacefully and you won't be harmed."

"Pffst, asshole," said Cayce.

"Dammit, they're messaging everyone!" Nelson warned. "Students, turn off your cellphones so they can't track you!"

"What if…what if they're not lying?" Brooke said through our channel.

"Don't be naïve, ma'am," said Desean. "All they want to do is get you bagged and kidnapped like all they other students. Now turn off your phones and stay behind us. Let's go."

Suddenly, we hear banging sounds from somewhere inside the room. A voice crying for help as the banging was heard with it.

"Somebody's here," said Cayce.

The five of us investigate the sound inches away on Cage's orders. The voice appeared to have been coming from inside a metal crate with an electronic lock attached to. I open the crate with lock to reveal a man inside begging for mercy not to hurt him as he was coming out.

"Please, don't hurt me!" The man cried.

"Okay, come on out," said Cage.

The man did as he was told to do as Cayce helped him out and checked his pockets. Then started questioning him with his gun on him.

"This institute is link to a known terrorist," said Cayce. "You start talking or I will hurt you."

"My name is Ethan Brainer," the man introduced himself. "I'm an elemental engineer technician."

"Yeah? And what is, uh – ConDef's interest in you, buddy?"

"They came here for the Eternium. It's a new rare earth element that will render all existing information technologies obsolete. If you help me get out of here alive, I'll tell you everything."

"So you're the curator for this Eternium project Nelson spoke of," I said. "Is there a reason they locked you up in here?"

"They wanted me here alive in order to process the Eternium for them," said Brainer. "And it's true. I am the curator for the project as Nelson must've told you."

"And since they've kept you alive," said Kristine. "Is it any coincidence they're here for the Eternium or did you know they'd be here?"

Voices were heard outside the server room. ConDef soldiers that must be tailing our movement here. It was time to bail.

"They're coming," said Brainer. "Get me out of here alive and I'll tell you everything!"

The five of us quickly exit the server room to safely escort Brainer out as two ConDef men spotted us. We reacted quickly by giving them a clean shot to the gut and killed them flat before they could shoot us. My team and I escort Dr. Brainer through the hall down the route to the atrium and started questioning him more about the Eternium.

"Okay, doc," said Cage. "Tell us more about this Eternium of yours and why ConDef needs it so badly."

"As I've explained," began Brainer. "It's an REE that can that can read trillions of info across the globe from military, political, personal, or whatever intel on particular infrastructures possible. Here at MIT, I was showcasing the element for the future of our academics at this institute."

"And did you know at all they might come after this special element?" I questioned.

"Yes…and no. It's a complex story that I can explain when I show you what they came after."

"And where is this Eternium exactly?" Cayce asked.

"In the assembly room. Just across the atrium dead ahead."

As soon as we were inside the atrium, it looked dead empty compared to all the other rooms in the facility. So quiet. Too quiet. I wasn't liking it. Either ConDef was posted here or we were walking into an ambush. We kept our guard up no matter what.

We check every corner of the ground floor of the atrium where we stood. Nothing here We scanned the upper floors over the railings to see if any guards were posted above us. Nothing to see there. We needed Brainer alive if we were to get as far as retrieving the Eternium and knowing it's true capabilities.

"So quiet down here," said Flint. "You think there'd be ConDef guarding an atrium of all places."

"Keep your guard up no matter what," said Cage. "Could be an ambush."

"Valor Team, I found my students with that team you sent in," said Nelson on her radio. "We're right inside the atrium above you."

"Above us?" I asked. "Where?"

"Up here, David," said Warren on his radio. "To your left."

We turn our heads leftwards and see Warren waving his hand next to Brooke on the second floor with his radio in hand. Seeing Captain Desean and team, the other students, and Dean Nelson with them.

"Nice work, Desean," I said.

"I've ordered some choppers for evac," said Desean. "But it looks like the courtyard may be a bit too hot for them to land. ConDef are occupied there and enemy helos are on patrol. You'll have to deal with them before we can get these students to safety."

"You know us, Desean," said Cage. "The pride team of Chrysalis is at your service. Just try to reach that courtyard while you still can. We've got a little objective of our own to be dealt with first."

"Dr. Brainer? Is that you?" Nelson asked. Spotting MIT's best engineer and instructor with us. "You're alive. Where've you been?"

"They captured me back in the assembly room," said Brainer. "This team here found locked inside the server room and I just need to take them back where the Eternium is before ConDef does. With a little protection."

"Keep him safe, Valor," said Nelson. "But please hurry. ConDef may be tracking us to where we're going. And please, Ethan. Stay safe down there. MIT can't lose its best instructor now."

"I'll do my best, Suzy. You stay safe as well."

My team and I exit the atrium with Brainer unharmed as we left Desean's escort team behind with Nelson and her students who included Warren and Brooke. The entrance door to the assembly room was just in front of us now and followed the doctor inside.

"Follow me," said Brainer. Letting us inside.

We all marched through the door inside the assembly room where we could see civilian bodies dead on the ground and bled out. The room was a bloodbath. Bodies of orientees no younger or older than twenty lying down as stone-cold corpses between the rows of seats. A lot of these poor locals didn't make it out of here alive for it was their last.

I can almost imagine this at Blackwell thinking back to the shooting four years back. Except there were more bodies of Chrysalis raid team members then there were teenagers at the very least of that tragedy. The true tragedy of this shooting was over an REE for ConDef's sake. Even a worse than the unlawfulness of Blackwell's shooting of 2014.

"All these poor young adults," said Kristine. "Massacred in an orientation over an REE. Another treachery ConDef will answer for."

"I think I'm going to be sick," said Flint.

We kept following Brainer past the bodies up towards the stage where he opened the curtains and revealed the Eternium project to us. As the curtains were opening, we could see the rare earth element itself contained in a glass cylinder display. Brainer opened the glass display to take it in his hands define the meaning of the Eternium. The REE itself was incased inside a small metal chip as it was held in Brainer's fingers.

"Quantum entanglement," said Brainer. "This single device has more processing power than your entire military infrastructure."

I take the Eternium chip from Brainer's hand to observe it myself. Listing to more of what Brainer had to say.

"Rumors around the lab were that ConDef plans to use it as a basis for a massive terrorist attack," continued Brainer. "I heard talk of something called 'Ares'. It may be the name for the super weapon."

"And how did anyone come by these rumors?" I asked. "I thought this was a private institution? Not a weapons facility."

Brainer sighed.

"I guess now I have a confession to make," he admitted. "One of our engineers may have been hired by ConDef who had been snitching them information on what Eternium can do. When I learned about this, he had been speaking a lot about Elias Alkaline this codename 'Ares'."

"Hold on," said Cayce. "You knew this institute was being endangered and by ConDef over a snitch and didn't even warn anyone about it?!"

"It's because I'm the snitch, okay?! I confess! I endangered this institution and costed a lot of innocent lives for it! No one can know what I had done! Ever! Please, I can still help Chrysalis with everything on this element to turn the tide of the war ConDef started."

Cage aggressively seized Dr. Brainer by the arm. Now understanding he was responsible for setting the MIT up with ConDef.

"I don't think that's your decision to make, doc!" Cage snarled. "Maybe we'll take you into Chrysalis custody and maybe Admiral Penske will decide your sentence here."

Cage released Brainer with aggression. Pushing to the side an each. We were already disgraced with the doctor already.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But it doesn't matter. If Alkaline and ConDef uses an Eternium worm to initiate an attack, there will be nothing anyone can do to stop it. I couldn't stop it."

Suddenly, a bullet flickered through Brainer's throat. Causing him to choke on his own blood, gurgle his blood down his lips, and drop dead on the floor. We immediately shift our heads towards ConDef soldier storming the room in an ambush. The five of us open fired on the soldiers before they could shoot any of us down too.

Once we ran for cover behind the seats from the inbound enemy infranty, he had to leave Brainer recently deceased body behind. Still bleeding from the bullet wound to the neck. So much for keeping himself. Nothing we could've done. At least the Eternium worm was in our hands now and Brainer's fate was already sealed by ConDef's sentence.

"Behind us!" Cayce shouted. "We got incoming!"

"Madsen, get a sitrep on the escort team!" Cage ordered.

"Madsen to Desean!" I spoke loudly under fire. "Requesting status on extraction of the dean and students! Desean, come in! Dammit, no response!"

"We'll fight our way out with or without them!" Cage shouted from his cover. "This ain't over yet!"

Note: Well, I'm back from Los Angeles, everyone! And no, not from my Santa Monica Dream, but from Universal Hollywood and Disneyland. Got a Jurassic Park garb and a Captain America shield as my souvenirs. So I'm back to writing and posting this latest chapter. And since tomorrow is the forth of July, a national holiday in my country, I'll wish everyone in the US a happy July the 4th!

Until next time, stay tuned and golden!