Chapter 36: Chapter Thirty-Four

The next day, Mara searched everywhere for Alex, but could not find her.

“Has anyone seen Alex?” Mara asked.

“I think she said she was going to the library,” Milo replied. He detected a slight panic in Mara’s voice and offered some comforting words. “I wouldn’t worry too much about Alex, she can take care of herself.”

“I know, but I’ve lost her once before and I don’t want to lose her again. If you ever have kids one day, you’ll discover that there’s no stronger bond than the love a parent has for their child.”

Milo and Aris followed Mara to the library. They spread out and combed through the maze of shelves. Sure enough, Alex was sitting alone in the science section surrounded by books.

“Found her,” Milo announced.

“You did? Was I lost?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, Mara was looking for you and was on the verge of having a panic attack.”

Alex picked herself off the ground and began putting away the books.

“What are you doing, Alex?” Mara asked.

“I was just doing some last-minute research before we head out.”

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll show you the way.”

Alex and her friends walked with Mara down the dark tunnel to the next station, which was less than a kilometre away. Their footsteps echoed off the arched ceiling as they shuffled along the filthy cement, but was drowned out by aimless chatter. Among the thick stench of decaying garbage and human waste were scurrying critters that would avoid the light whenever it grazed their backs. Evidently, there were many other co-inhabitants that shared the underground tunnels with Mara’s squad.

They arrived at the next station and Mara climbed atop the old platform to activate a light switch located in a service room. A series of lights powered up in succession creating a buzzing sound of pulsating electricity. When the lights came on, they revealed dozens of exotic automobiles.

“Wow, great collection of vintage cars,” Aris said, admiring the beauty in their primitive designs.

The gang walked slowly around observing each of the outdated vehicles. There was a Ferrari Velocità, a pristine Lamborghini Vita, several off-road vehicles, and a collection of Ducati street bikes – all about a hundred years old.

“Do these still work?” Milo asked in astonishment.

“Yes, they’ve all been maintained very well. I think you’ll find these suitable to get you back to the city.”

Alex and Milo gravitated to the black Ferrari. They entered the vehicle and got acquainted with the mechanics.

“I hope nobody sees me in this thing?” Milo said.

“Why?”

“It’s practically a museum on wheels,” Milo said. “People are going to think I’m an old man, it’s embarrassing.”

“Oh get over it. Who cares what people may think about you?”

Alex pressed a button for the ignition, causing the engine to engage. The mid-mounted engine idled silently and the lights on the dash lit up.

Aris was feeling a little bit more adventurous so he chose one of the Ducati motorcycles.

Alex said some final words to her mother then slowly pulled out of the parking compound. A ramp had been set up to allow them to drive down into the subway tunnel. Their headlights automatically came on and pierced the darkness, illuminating the abandoned tunnel. With a clear visual of the road ahead, Alex accelerated out of Mara’s sight.

They reached the end of the tunnel and came upon another ramp that brought them to the street level. Once on the open road, Alex and Aris took off like blurs in the night.

Over the next few kilometres, the vehicles on the roads were sparse, and the ones that were present drove slowly with very predictable patterns. This made it easy for Alex to weave through them at high speeds. Ever since the institution of automated drivers, automobiles operated at consistent speeds. The amount of traffic jams and accidents drastically reduced to almost nothing. However, with that another thing was lost – the joy of driving. The closest thing any of them had to this experience was in simulations, but nothing could compare to the real thing. Despite it being an old person’s car, Alex was having a lot of fun driving the supercharged electric import.

When they entered further into the city, an eerie feeling came over them, almost as if death was in the air. It felt like being in a ghost town or returning to a place after an apocalypse, which was particularly unusual considering the city of Megalopolis was home to more than 10-million people. Flocks of dead birds littered the streets, indicating that whatever was killing humans appeared to be affecting animals as well.

At a certain point, Aris pulled up alongside the Ferrari and gave Milo and Alex a quick nod before speeding off in another direction. From the passenger side, Milo watched Aris until he was out of sight.

The streetlights ushered them along as they approached mind-numbing speeds. Alex’s cool and calm demeanour suggested she had been racing cars professionally her whole life, but in actuality, it was her first time. Not much was spoken between Alex and Milo. He put his head back on the fine Italian leather and she focused on driving. They continued through the massive city until finally reaching their destination.

Alex pulled into a covered parking garage located across the street from the Facility.

“Milo, can I borrow your access pod?”

“What happened to yours?”

“You forgot to retrieve it from the prison when you broke me out, remember?”

Milo dislodged his access pod and handed it to Alex. After securing the small device to her wrist, she tethered into the mainframe. She gave a simple voice command and instantly the news was broadcasted throughout the speakers of the exotic car.

“Hey, look at that – the speakers on this old clunker still work.”

Alex shushed him. “I want to hear this.”

A small holographic image projected a news reporter in front of them. It was perfect timing since she was talking about the Doomsday Virus. The news station was running the piece on a continuous loop.

“The Doomsday Virus continues to wreak havoc on the entire planet’s population. According to compu-stat figures, the death toll has now reached well over one million fatalities worldwide. As the death count continues to climb, many people believe this may be the end of humanity as we know it. Some people contend human beings are the virus and this is simply Mother Nature’s immune system fighting us off. So far there has been no official word on what’s causing this sudden epidemic.”

Alex watched and listened in shock.

“We are now going live to the Leader’s compound where he is about to make a special announcement.”

The video feed switched over to a close up of the Leader. Alex and Milo were intently focused on what he was about to say. Alex looked at the Leader a little differently now. She studied his facial features, trying to spot a resemblance with her own.

“Citizens of Earth, my team of scientists have been working diligently to unravel this great mystery that has suddenly plagued the inhabitants of our planet and we believe we have found the answer. The gold dust in the atmosphere is depleting and allowing harmful radiation from the sun to flood the Earth. Many of us have never lived in a time when the skies were blue and therefore have not developed the adequate protection to negate the sun’s harmful effects. We therefore must get more gold to put in our atmosphere and restore the harmony of the planet. Fortunately, a large gold deposit has been discovered within our galaxy. The solution to our problem is within our reach, but we must act swiftly. I’ve put together a team of twenty-five individuals to embark on this important mission to save—”

“What a liar!” Alex said angrily as she cut the feed.

“So what do we do now?” Milo asked.

“We’re the only ones who know the truth, we must warn the people.”

“I suppose you have a plan for that, right?” Milo asked.

Without saying a word, Alex unravelled a silk scarf that was around her neck and wrapped it around her face.

“What are you doing? Are you going to rob somebody?”

“No, I’m going to broadcast a message.”

“Why don’t you want people to see your face?”

“For one, I’m a wanted felon; and two, I fear the repercussions. History has shown that people who speak out against governments tend to not live very long.”

Alex checked the mirror to ensure the veil was adequately disguising her face. She then held up the access pod and looked directly into it.

“Record,” she commanded. A little red light appeared, along with a running timer.

“My name is…” she paused. There was no use for a disguise if she was just going to volunteer her name. As intelligent as she was, her lack of street smarts was beginning to show. Making videos was something she had little experience with and so she was a bit nervous.

“Alex, what’s wrong?”

“You know what,” she said as she peeled the scarf off her face.

“What are you doing?”

“You’re right, I don’t need this.”

“What about what you just said?” Milo asked.

“Soon it won’t matter, Milo. Besides, I think the message coming from me will hold more weight.”

“Alright, I trust you.”

Alex quickly regained her composure, reset the recorder, and proceeded once again.

“My name is Alex Gray, and I have made an important discovery regarding the so-called Doomsday Virus. The Leader advised this is not a virus, and he is correct. However, he stated the reason we are becoming sick and dying is due to the harmful effects of the sun, but that could not be further from the truth. The lack of gold isn’t the problem; it’s the abundance of gold. We are being poisoned by our own atmosphere and I’m afraid there isn’t much time.

“However, there is still hope. I have made the calculations and enough time has passed that the ozone has restored itself and will provide adequate protection against the sun's harmful rays. If we stay indoors where the air is filtered, we may be able to endure for a time until the gold particles dissipate. This will keep you and your loved ones safe until more can be learned about how to prevent the illness and reverse its harmful effects.”

Alex ended the transmission and then played the video back from the beginning.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“It’s good. It’s concise and informative. I’m proud of you.”