A New Beginning: Ch 8

Chapter eight:

Blake Indigo:

Earth, In-orbit above Texas; Local time: 5:34pm Friday, the 13th of May, 2033

“Be careful Blake.” I hear Jamie say before the connection terminates.

I went back to looking at the forest that grew in the adjacent cargo bay. Kate and Ryan continued to stare in utter disbelief. Tomas meanwhile just accepted the fact that what he’s seeing is there.

“That’s a...” She started as we stepped out into the ‘open’ air. It was a giant room, many times larger then the cargo bay we just left. I could see the other side of the room, but the length of it seemed to go on forever. Mostly because it looked like it curved away The balcony that wasn’t designed for fifteen meter long dragons. To get a better look, Ryan had to make a running take off and hover over the... “Forest.” She finished, looking out over the synthesised eco-system.

The forest looked remarkably like a tropical rainforest on Earth, but the leaves weren’t as lush and vibrant. A fruity smell wafted up from the plant life, and there were birds chirping, but the noise they made sounded like bells.

“It’s an oxygen factory.” I explained. “An entire eco system running right though the ship. Roots take in nitrogen, water, and nutrients, and the branches take in carbon. Only thing missing is sunlight so that little detail is taken care of by the ship’s power system."

“This is...” Ryan stammered. He was interrupted by loud but distant thunder. To our left, we could see black storm clouds.

“Even has it’s own micro-climate. Ha oh. Ingenious” I said joy filled, as I looked at the floor plan on my phone and discover. “We need to go though it. So flying though it is...” We all saw a large lightning bolt stick from the gathering storm. “...out of the question. Everyone better feel like walking.”

Kate gives off an unenthusiastic moan as I pull the binoculars from my pocket, and activate the infered filter.

“Doesn't look like anything dangerous is down there.” Ryan called. But I know looks can be divesting. From where I was standing, he was right. The ecosystem wasn’t too different from a Terran forest. Small woodland creatures mostly.

“Ok. Like a walk in the park.”

At the time, I didn’t know how wrong I was...

Clair Weli’sol

Indigo Industries; Sydney, Australia, Terra; - AEDT: 2:45pm, Saturday, 16th of October, 2010

A ten minute vactrain ride back to Sydney, a fifteen minute subway to Martin’s Place, and a five minute walk to Pitt Street, the Indigo Industries building lied before us as a monument to the achievement of the Indigo Family, a name plastered over the resent history of even my species.

It was Saturday afternoon. I had to be quick. I had to catch dad before he left for home. Since the Age Regression Project had gone into lab trials a few months ago after a brakethough, he been spending his Saturday mornings here, and a few hours of the afternoon.

The elevator opened and out stepped my father, Artangon Weli’sol showing his Ident badge to the minotaur guard stationed there.

“Dad!” I yelled, running towards him and Zane in tow.

“Honeybird?” He said puzzled, half way though the lobby.

I explained to him what was going on in Melbourne. At the word virus, he started back towards the elevators and we went to the biological labs.

A biological lab was equipped for the dealing with viruses like this. When a virus goes into these labs, chances are that a cure would come out. In an hour, we should know everything about this single cell organism that’s causing so much damage.

Dad and Brandon, a recently new addition to the bio-labs, began processing in the isolation labs. No one wants to risk infection. But I rather be doing something then standing behind this glass barrier. While some of my fondest memories was dad taking me to work, that’s not the reason. Koraian I’ve known for a long time, his father helped me out of that car wrack, only calming my hand, instead of my life. Jamie I haven’t known for too long. But for as long as I’ve known her, she was always there for us. And Blake, if it wasn’t for him, Glenn would have either been killed, or lived like a wild animal with his father. Because of him, Glenn’s not a wild animal, he has his father back and I’ve never seen him happier, even enjoying his new body and the way it compliments his life.

And when there was an army between us and our lives, Blake fought on with an army of his own. But what he did after that... It just sends shivers down my spine. I try not to remember that.

“Damn.” I heard Brandon curse over the intercom. “CDC sample was too delicate to survive the centrifuge.”

I push on the button. “The samples the CDC have may have mutated.” I inform them.

“It is.” Dad confirmed. “Good news is that the mutated strain isn’t airborne.”

I phone rang. “Incoming call. Koraian Gordesi.”

“How are they treating you over there?” I answered.

“As well as can be expected.” He answered. “Had a run in with an unpleasant Hydra named Steve and almost got bitten in three different places. Shame your not over here. You’d give him a few lessons in respect. Bite one of his heads, set the other one on fire.”

“I get the point.” I put the phone on speaker. “We got your samples by the way.”

“This is never going to work.” I heard an unfamiliar voice.

“And Koraian. Who was that?”

“General Alexander. Nice guy, bit pessimistic. I found some reading material on this. None of it pleasant. I’ve seen what it does to anything mammal.”

“So have I. I’m trying to forget what I saw, but atleast the mutated strain isn’t airborne. But if it gets out, the commonwealth could face it’s first dark ages, and there’s no telling how far this could spread or what species will remain unaffected. This might not even be able to be kept on one planet.”

“It is trying to get off this one.”

“The point is, there’s three ways to combat this. Isolation, Incineration, eradication.”

“And guess that’s standard protocol.” Zane sung in with. “We’ve got nine hours until the CDC implement Incineration.”

“Wait.” Alexander interrupted. “Incineration. They’re going to incinerate an entire planet?”

“Not if I can help it. Isolation won’t hold. Incineration is out of the question. Only option is to work out how to eradicate the vrius without killing the hosts.” I explained. “And only nine hours to do so.”

“We’ve had twenty years. And we only have nine hours?” Alexander demanded.

 “It’s standard protocol sir. They need to do a full risk assesment, and that requires a full study of the virus. Given what I’ve heard about it, they won’t take chances. Then they need a Mark Theta Novaburst Explosive that is only made in Germany for a number of reasons. They don’t have one already made because of political reasons, but that will take eight hours to manufacture. And they need to get it to Melbourne by vactrain. Priority will only take half an hour.”

“Still, how are you going to eradicate a virus in nine hours?”

“Young man.” My father interrupted. “Your talking to the man who eradicated Kitana Plague before lunch. If this virus can be wiped out, we’ll find the means, and Blake can implement it. And before you ask, that boy hadn’t meet a challenge that he didn’t take on and tear apart like a rabat dog on sugar rush. When he does, thank starlight that he’s on your side.”

“He’s just a kid.”

“Only a fool uses age as a standard for brilliance, and at best, it’s insulting. You’ve meet him I assume. What was your first impression?”

“Sad? Optermistic? Hardy? Bold? Even a born leader. I Would say he’s detemination is unwavering, brave to a fault, or he’s completely mad.”

“He get’s it from our mother.” I heard Roxanne yell as she walked in to the lab.

“Roxanne!” I called out.

“Save it Clair. Explations can be saved for later. Now is the time for action. General, my name is Roxanne Indigo, and are your archives digitalised?”

“They are.”

“Koraian, would you connect them though the phone please, we can access them here.” She opened a holographic screen, and the Dallas Archives were immediately available to us. “Ok. In order to eradicate this virus, we must first understand it.”

Blake Indigo:

Earth, In-orbit above Texas; Local time: 6:04pm Friday, the 13th of May, 2033

The first half hour was comparable to a leisurely stroll with an impending storm right above you. The wind threated to blow us all over, the rain was torrancal, forcing Ryan to cover his face with his wings. Even with it dark, I had my sunglass on, the inferred filter giving me an early warning for what ever might be hiding there.

Eventually, the wind and rain died to a light breeze and half hearted drizzle.

“So why come up here?” Ryan asked, braking the half hour silence.

“I like a good mystery, and whodoneits have lost all their excitement. And have you ever tied playing playing cluedo with a werewolf? Glenn can smell the fear when you get close to an answer.”

There was rustling from the trees above, we all look up and... a bird that looked like a cross between a twocan and a vulture flew above us squawking.

“Just an ugly bird.” Kate sighed with relief.

I quickly checked my phone for the map. Had to be right on top of the engine room soon.

“So why Fireware Alex?” I asked.

“Oh. Ahh.” Kate started, the question catching her off guard. Hate it when I do that.

“Because of his company Fireware.” Tomas answered. “He started designing and building dragon related tech, even made a good business out of it.”

“Sounds like the company my grandfather started after the Bastille...” I was interupted by another rustling, this time from up ahead.

A six limbed deer sprinted right past us, it’s eyestalks not even turning to our direction.

“Ok. Woodland creature.” Ryan confirmed.

“That’s not the problem.” I returned, scanning though the inferred. “What’s got it scared? Predator?”

“There.” Ryan pointed out something up ahead.

I see it. It was humanoid in shape, and it’s body temperature was high, like it had a... Fever. It was human. Had to be human. Taking off the sunglasses for a moment, I couldn’t see it, not until it stepped out and looked at us with eyes I only knew too well. It was human... but there was something off about his skin colour. Then again, he looked dirty, smells like a rotting corpse, and his clothes were just rags. But I was reminded about a single absolute truth to the world below. Human equals Psychos.

He licked his lips and lunged forward screaming. But Tomas was too quick for him, the drake tackled him and snapped his neck.

“Where did he come from?” Kate demanded.

“Lets start with how he got aborad and work our way backwards.” I suggested when my inferred picked up more heat signatures. About several dozen, all of them coming towards us very fast.

“Great. Fucking more of them.” Ryan comapained.

“How I wish we weren’t here right now.” I muttered.

Click.... CLANG

The ground underneath us gave way and we started falling. The hole was apparently big enough for Ryan to open his wings. Kate and Tomas gripped to a convienent catwalk with their claws. Unfortunaliy, I had nether wing, nor claws.

I grabed to the catwalk, and gravity ripped it out of my fingers. I kept falling until I came to an unexpected stop. I felt something scaly wrap itself around my chest, as tight as it could without causing my ribcage to cave in. I heard wingbeats and yells of fear.

I open my eyes just in time to see those crazies plunge to their deaths before being swallowed whole by the darkness. I was saved by a black scaled tale with a spiked mace head on the end. Ryan’s tail.

He dropped me on the metal walk way and landed on a platform that was just big enough for him to land on. It creaked under his weight, but didn’t give.

“Thanks Ryan.” I muttered before turning to examine the rest of the room. In it’s centre was it’s reactor. I large yellow ball of burning gas was held inside the containment field in a total vacuum, like a miniature sun. The heat alone would have been a problem.

Kate, Tomas and even Ryan were mesmerised by it.

“It’s a sun.” Kate observed.

“I know.” I returned. “Open fusion reactor, they’re making their own heat and sunlight.”

A large fare made it out of the containment field and it was pulled down into the darkness.

“It’s ok. We’re safe. The venting system below us must act as a fail save, venting the flares outside.”

Another one shot off.

“Ok. Somethings wrong.” I checked the containment field and came to the sudden conclusion that... the trusters and the containment field was linked. Shut one off, you turn the other off.

I called Jamie immediately...