Quadrant Zero *

                                    

                                          
Chapter 22: Quadrant Zero
                          
We cut out this mans chip was well, hopefully avoiding any more messy check point crossings. The inside of these guards' box was identical to the last one. Skye pressed her hand to the touch screen used to activate the elevator, the chip tucked in the fold of her sleeve.
                          
When it came to life the screen was red. It said, Lower hallway under indefinite lock down. All lifts are non-operational until further notice.
                          
“Shit,” Skye cursed. “It must have been the check point alarm.”
                          
“I'm sorry,” I apologized.
                          
I'd stepped over that line without thinking. I'd caused this.
                          
“It's not your fault, but we're going to have to find another way out of here.”
                          
She was right. We had to move, and fast. Before they'd probably been too preoccupied with the main escape party to think that there might be two other escapies in the exact opposite direction of where they were trying to go. Now they knew, and we didn't have much time.
                          
“Let's think.” My mind had gone into overdrive. “If there is a guard house at each check point, like we've seen, we should try to avoid them. We came out through the one between quadrants one and two. That one's already empty. If you look that way.” I pointed left down the hall. “You can see another light. I say we move away from the other guards.” I turned my head. “Back the way we came.” I looked to Skye for confirmation.
                          
She nodded. We seemed to move faster in this direction. Maybe it was the slight downwards slope, or maybe it was the thick dread that surrounded us. We did not want to know what the numbers were counting down to. All I knew was that there were more and more red pipes every step, and the slowly intensifying smell of mildew past the elevator on which we'd arrived. It was also getting darker and darker. I hated it. My hair was standing on end with every step I took. When it was dark like this there was no way I could know where my foot was going to land. A nest of poisonous snakes, a bottomless pit; my imagination went wild.
                          
I knew it was pathetic, but I pinched the back of Skye's collar lightly. She did not react. For all I knew she was just as terrified of getting lost in the darkness as I was.
                          
“Look.” Her hoarse whisper finally broke the chilly silence.
                          
Or maybe it wasn't the silence. Maybe it was the whet chill that had suddenly swept through the tunnel. I looked ahead, and saw something other than blackness. It as a rusted metal wall that would have been invisible if it wasn't for the dim, glowing paint that probably wouldn't have appeared to be glowing if it wasn't so utterly black already. There were two green words and a warning sign.
                          
Quadrant Zero, they read. And the sign underneath them turned my blood to ice. It was a circle and three semi-triangular arms. It was the nuclear warning sign. It hadn't changed since the twenty-first century, still imposing the same inescapable feeling of dread. Water dripped from the ceiling, hitting the floor in a constant rhythm. The green glow reflected off of Skye's face, and I tried desperately to read the expression. Was she surprised, terrified, or...
                          
Looking back at the wall, I noticed that there was a darkened consul underneath the nuclear warning sign. I pressed my hand to it and it flared to life. I held my breath as the screen asked for identification, providing a little box. Knowing that the chip was supposed to be directly below the skin I placed it in the square, laying my wrist over top of it. The screen flashed red, showing an error message.
                          
Clearance not sufficient.
                          
No. We were trapped, backs against a wall. It was only a matter of time until they caught up with us. Maybe they'd just kill us. I hated to think like Skye, but I'd just began to truly understand her. I hadn't been through it; what Jesse, Romeo, and Dustin had gone through. And I didn't want to.