I'm back and here is the next chapter! I hope you like it, it's finally starting to take shape, Let me know what you think I love hearing from you guys!
Chapter 6
Oliver lead me to the Antigen security hub in the basement, it was a very secure room in the belly of the facility. Other security guards stared me down as we passed through the checkpoints.
"She's with me," Oliver nodded towards me as he approached a snarling guard.
"Badge?" The guard asked, crossing his arms over his bulging chest. I held up my badge which was hanging from a blue lanyard around my neck. The photo was awful and cheesy; I cringed as he compared the ID to my face.
"Victoria Newgate, Dr Lane's personal assistant," The guard mumbled, reading the little text below my photo. "Okay go ahead," He said, letting us through the coded doors and into the hub.
Screens lined every wall with footage from around the building. I shuddered knowing I was being watched wherever I went in my day to day job, even in the ladies room. Technicians sat behind various desks, monitoring the data certain security devices fed back to them. It was like something out of Jurassic Park. The security was warranted though, unlike dinosaurs, the Lycans and Vampires kept here were incredibly smart, dangerous and very pissed off.
"Okay we're here, now what is this favour?" Oliver asked, heading over to an empty desk and plonking himself down in it.
"Can you bring up footage from the elevator?" I asked pointing the computer screen.
"Of course," He said, with a few clicks and keystrokes a live feed popped up, showing the empty elevator, it's doors and the button panel to the right of them.
"I need to get the security code for the eighth floor," I whispered in a hushed voice, keeping my head low.
"That area is restricted, only Dr Lane has the code," Oliver whispered back.
"Can you not rewind to a time when Dr Lane accesses the floor, maybe we can see the code he types in," I whispered, bobbing down to Oliver's level.
"Maybe, let's see," Oliver sighed, rewinding through the footage at blazing speed, his eyes flicking across the screen as staff embarked and disembarked the elevators. "Why do you need to get in there anyway?" Oliver queried.
"Dr Lane… associate is stuck on the floor, I have reason to believe he's hurt, and I can't reach Dr Lane for assistance," I said, half honestly.
"Why didn't you just call for security," Oliver asked, scrunching up his face. I thought for a moment.
"I don't know, he called my office phone asking for Dr Lane, he sounded hurt, and maybe scared, I don't know, and I just felt obligated to help him," I replied, one hundred percent honest this time.
"I'll take your word for it," Oliver sighed. "Here, Dr Lane is entering the elevator with someone," He pointed out, slowing down the footage to real time.
"That's Quint! I mean his associate," I confirmed, remember them heading off towards the elevator earlier that very same day. I watched the tape intensely, I wish it had audio, I could see their mouths moving, and Dr Lane was doing his pissed off face that he only did when things didn't go his way. Quint was expressionless and cold, I saw him eye his father distastefully when Dr Lane wasn't looking.
"The elevator has stopped at floor eight, he's stepping towards the panel," Oliver whispered, leaning into the screen to try and make out the code.
"Four… nine… eight… I can't make out the last one, he's standing in the way," Oliver mumbled, squinting at the screen. A light bulb ping'ed in my head.
"It's five," I smiled to myself; Oliver narrowed his eyes on me. "They're the last four digits of his personal phone," Oliver raised his brows, staaring at me. "It's not like that, I'm just a very trust worthy assistant, it's for office emergencies," I half laughed. "I have to go, thank you so much, I owe you one," I thanked Oliver, kissing his wrinkling cheek.
"Do you need assistance? Shall I call an ambulance?" Oliver asked, spinning around in his chair. Not wanting to get Oliver involved with Quint and Dr Lanes family drama I kindly turned down his offer.
"I think I can handle it, he might just be stuck on that level for all we know," I joked, heading towards the door, leaving Oliver in his comfortable spinny chair.
The elevator came to a slow stop on the eighth floor. I stepped forward nervously, looking at the camera behind me, I hoped to God Oliver would cover my tracks and delete this from the tapes. I typed the passcode into the panel and prayed I was right. Knowing Dr Lane there would be alarm bells and flashing lights if it was the incorrect code. The panel flashed green and the doors slid open, I stepped inside. What I saw didn't surprise me, I hoped it would be something cool or scandalous, but it was just corridors of labs, practically identical to the floors above and below. It was very white and clinical, everything was spotless.
"Quint?" I called out in a half shout, half whisper. The same hushed shouting voice I used when I called Monty in late at night.
I passed a room with a large security door with what looked like lots of different sensors surrounding it. Subject 1 the plaque above the door read. Dr Lane obviously had some experiments he didn't want the outside world to see I thought to myself.
"Quint?" I called out again, turning a corridor corner. Another heavy duty security door was nestled to my right. Subject 2. My stomach turned. I hated how they had everything remotely human taken from them, their names, their identities, all they had here was a number. It was like a prison, except once you do your time you leave via the incinerator. I didn't even want to imagine the kind of experimental torture they probably did on this floor.
Out of no where the harsh sounds of shattering glass echoed down the empty corridor. I yelped, jumping back and gripping onto the wall. The snarl of a beast followed the sharp explosion of sound not long after. Lycan. It sounded a lot closer than I wished. And it definitely was not coming from within one of the prison rooms. I hid behind a large Antigen logo sculpture, crouching down and peeking through the 'A'. A roar boomed down the corridor. I'd never heard a Lycan roar; in fact I'd never seen one in its form, not in real life anyway. That roar was a lot bigger and louder than I ever expected it to be. Booming footsteps like mini earthquakes began to get closer and closer. Oh gosh, this is just like Jurassic Park. Do I run like the lawyer, or do I stay put like the children? Neither had ideal outcomes. I gripped onto the sculpture and held my breath as the footsteps neared.
A large Lycan squeezed through the corridor, snarling, growling, and scraping its blade like nails along the wall. My eyes bulged out of my head, and my heart stopped. I'd never seen a Lycan like this on the news. It was huge, giant even. I couldn't believe my eyes. How did it get out? Is Quint okay? Did he get attacked? Will I get attacked? Am I going to die? I asked myself millions of questions all in a millisecond. The Lycan let out another giant roar, its huge teeth snarling, and saliva spraying out of its mouth. I squeaked, jumping back. Shit. There was no way it didn't hear me with its adept senses. The Lycan fell silent and snapped its head in my direction. It looked straight into my eyes as I peered out through the 'A'. I gulped hard. It paused, snarled, and let out a giant roar, swiping out at the sculpture. I threw myself to the floor as debris rained on me. As I scrambled to my hands and knees, the Lycan was thundering down the corridor away from me, I kept low in case it decided to come back for the kill. As the Lycan disappeared from sight another sharp smashing sound echoed down the hall. This one sounded different. Curiosity got the better of me as I crawled down the corridor.
I crawled passed a lab with a giant hole where the door used to be, glass littered the floor. Does our insurance cover Lycan damage? I grabbed a shard, arming myself with it like a knife. I crawled a little further down to the last lab where bits of wall lay in pieces on the floor. I pulled myself to my feet, my hands and knees bloody and cut. I edged around the corner, glass at the ready. And saw nothing. Literally nothing, the lab was destroyed, and a large gaping hole was left where the floor to ceiling glass windows had once been. It was out. I sighed out of relief. It was gone, I was safe. But then I realised it wasn't gone, it was just free. Free to rampage wherever it liked. Free to kill whoever it wanted.
Elsewhere Dr Lane cosied himself up to the fire in his historic mansion, glass of merlot in hand. He sipped on it as he pensively stared into the depths of the fire. A large roar caught his attention. Placing his wine down on the antique coffee table he stalked over to the French doors leading to his immaculate garden. There on the grass stood a large Lycan, almost triple the size of a regular Lycan. Its chest heaved as it stared through the door at the old man. Dr Lane smiled, stepping out through the doors, clapping his hands.
"Wonderful, simply wonderful," The man beamed. The Lycan growled. "It's not what we expected, it's better, you're marvellous," The Lycan dropped onto all fours and approached the doctor, snarling. "Transform," Dr Lane commanded. "I don't want my neighbours alerting the police about a giant Lycan lurking in my back yard," He hissed, looking around, his mood suddenly very different. The Lycan began to growl as it reduced in size, shedding it's hair. The growling became grunting as the once werewolf became a man.
"I thought I told you to stay at the lab Quint," Dr Lane scorned, his son now stood completely unclothed in front of him. "Your transformation, it was painful?" Dr Lane asked, studying his son's exterior.
"It wasn't comfortable," Quint grunted as he began to make his way indoors. He walked over to the large double doors, leading to a giant staircase.
"You risked everything coming here; I bet there's a giant Lycan sized hole in my building now hmm?" Dr Lane hissed, picking up his glass of merlot and taking a large swig, the wine staining his lips blood red.
"I couldn't stay," Dr Lane motioned for him to elaborate. Quint sighed, gritting his teeth. "There was an unexpected visitor," Dr Lane didn't need to ask Quint who, he already had a hunch. His sons stupidity obviously met no bounds.
"Miss Newgate," Dr Lane confirmed, as if my name was poison on his tongue. Quint nodded, averting his father's livid eyes. "I warned you to stay away from her, but you couldn't help yourself, you caught her attention. You could have been spotted! Do you want the world to know what we are doing?!" Dr Lane exclaimed. "And to top it off now I have to find a new assistant,"
"A new assistant?" Quint asked, his voice low and questioning. He understood exactly what his father meant. "She didn't know it was me, she didn't see me transform,"
"She knows too much Quint. Why do you try fight this, are you getting soft on me boy?" Dr Lane glared into his son. "Humans cannot be trusted. She must be silenced; I trust that you can handle that? You caused this mess, so you can clean it up," His father mocked.
"Yes sir," Quint murmured through gritted teeth, nodding to his father. He turned away, heading towards the staircase.
"Tonight Quint," His father's voice chased after him.