Zombie Dawn Outbreak (2 page)

“See that?” he asked.

Dr Garcia stepped closer, examining the screen carefully, “It looks like one of them is carrying a specimen case.”

Dr Murphy hit the screen and the action commenced. Both of them continued watching but concentrated on the man with the case. There were more flashes from weapons and the then the person moved back, towards the elevator, grabbing somebody else in a lab coat. In just a few seconds they disappeared back below. In the foyer another security team had arrived and in just a few more shots the battle was over.

Dr Murphy turned back to Dr Garcia.

“This is the problem. The data analyst has not just stolen a vast amount of classified data, he’s also taken one of our top researchers, Dr Morovitz. He managed to break into the data centre and barricaded himself inside,” he said.

“The data centre? Does he have access to the secure servers?” asked Dr Garcia.

“Not just that, he’s already cut the data lines and is threatening to set off a bomb at the core if we don’t give him access to an external data line. If he does that we’ll lose the data, the samples, and Dr Morovitz. That would be the end of the project and the end of this centre.”

“Does he know what the project is and what does he have in the case?” asked Dr Garcia.

“Yes it seems so, but that isn’t the biggest problem of all. He has the only viable sample of the Tetrodotoxin-A solution,” said Dr Murphy.

One of the technicians rushed over to the doctor, interrupting their conversation.

“He’s on the intercom,” said the man.

Dr Murphy moved up to a desk that faced the large screen, beckoning Garcia to come with him. He sat down and hit the intercom connect button.

“Dr Murphy here. Is Morovitz okay?” he asked.

“For now,” came a menacing voice back on the system.

“You have ten minutes to provide me with four clean high speed ports with unrestricted access through the firewalls. If I do not have access in ten minutes I’ll destroy this room, your precious doctor and the sample,” he demanded.

Dr Garcia was already speeding through the security protocols on the terminal next to Dr Murphy. She locked out any possible pathways from the room to any other part of the facility.

“You know we can’t do that, your actions are sabotage against a Federal facility,” said Dr Murphy.

“I know what you’ve been doing here. Either you give us what we want or you’ll pay the price!” he screamed.

Dr Garcia checked the communication system, making sure it was muted before she spoke. She leaned towards Dr Murphy.

“Do you have a security team down there?” whispered Dr Garcia.

Dr Murphy looked at her then double-checked on his screen.

“Yes, we have a six man tactical unit as well as a full decontaminant team.”

Dr Murphy hit a few keys, loading up a display that showed the blocked room as well as the security team that were waiting in position. The room was sealed and surrounded. There was no way the man was getting out alive, unless they deemed it necessary.

“What can you tell me about the project? Why is he so desperate to get access to it?” she asked.

“You know I can’t tell you that, all you need to know is that it is biological and if data relating to it is leaked, it will be a major national security breach.”

“So, you’re feeding me the usual research project bullshit then?” she said sarcastically.

“Well, in that case, I don’t think you have many choices. We can try and fake the connections but we have no way of knowing what he is expecting. I suggest we use the emergency protocols to end the situation quickly,” she added.

“You mean the internal defence system? If we use it we’ll kill him and Dr Morovitz,” he retorted.

“If you don’t you’ll lose them both as well as the sample and the data,” she said coldly.

“If you want to preserve the sample and data you need to release the nerve agent and fast, before he does something irreversible,” she continued.

Dr Garcia scanned through the security screens, checking that all the defensive systems were still operational. Several windows popped up signalling that some of the systems were off-line. She ran several emergency scripts that brought three of them back up.

“They’re taking out the security systems, I think somebody else is accessing the security net,” said Garcia as she looked around the room.

“I recommend immediate action if you want to stay in control of the situation,” continued Garcia.

Dr Murphy, a computing specialist in his own right, turned back to his terminal accessing several high security subroutines that only he and the high level staff had access to.

“I think I can get access to the internal video feed if I reconfigure the climate control ports to retransmit the cameras. Give me a second,” he said.

As Dr Murphy continued on the video feed Dr Garcia hammered away at the keyboard to try and protect the sensitive firewalls and routers. She rewrote the port forwarding and decryption control scripts and within a few more seconds the firewalls were locked down and the data appeared safe.

“Can you give me a hand with this?” asked Dr Murphy as he transferred his screen over to Garcia.

The access screens popped up on her terminal, as well as the climate control and video control servers. In just thirty seconds she had removed the control of part of the air circulation system and piggybacked the video stream. The large screen in the centre of the room flashed and then displayed a hazy image of the room where the doctor was being held.

“Fuck me!” shouted one of the technicians as he saw the plight of their top researcher.

To their horror they could see the doctor was tied and gagged in the corner of the room, and with what looked like bloody wounds on his face. Dr Garcia moved up to the screen, examining the room’s layout.

“It looks like he’s rigged the door with something, look,” she said.

On the door there appeared to be a rectangular device, it was placed to the side of the door frame and had the ominous look of a bomb of some kind.

“If he’s rigged the room we’re going to have to use the internal countermeasures,” said Dr Garcia.

She returned to the computer console.

“I’m going to ready the system, it will be ready in about twenty seconds.”

Dr Murphy stood silent, weighing up the options. The internal countermeasures were designed to protect the sensitive site against terrorist attacks. It was a two stage system to first eliminate any hostile biological threat, including the terrorists themselves, and second to stop any fires or similar attempts to destroy equipment.

To facilitate this response a combination of short life nerve gas and nitrogen was pumped in. The nerve gas killed almost instantly but lost viability in just seconds. This meant the room could be safely reoccupied after a few minutes. The second part of the system pumped in a large volume of inert nitrogen. This would starve fire of oxygen and protect valuable technology and equipment from fire or explosives that were still burning.

“Ok, get it ready and standby. If we can’t get the doctor out safely then we will have to neutralise the threat,” he said.

The intercom crackled and the voice of the man returned.

“Time’s up, where’s my data line?”

“We’re having problems getting it resolved because of the damage from the attack. We’ll have it working in about an hour,” answered Dr Murphy.

“Bullshit!” shouted the man.

On the screen the man could be seen walking towards the tied up doctor. He moved up close and then held the wireless intercom near the man’s face. He placed it down on the floor and then pulled out a hand gun and pointed it directly at the man’s face. He continued shouting down the line.

“Don’t fuck with me. I know you can connect me in seconds and I also know you’re monitoring this room. This is what happens if you treat me like this!” he screamed.

He lowered the pistol and fired a single shot into the doctor’s leg. The detail wasn’t perfect on the large screen but it was good enough to show the red blood on the floor and to see the doctor writhing in pain. The man continued shouting at the intercom.

“You have thirty seconds or I’ll blow the shit out of this place, thirty seconds!” he shouted.

Dr Murphy turned to Dr Garcia.

“We have to stop him. If that sample gets out into the open and the integrity of the room is breached we could have a major incident here. I’m talking major,” he said.

“Couldn’t you have told me this earlier?” said an irritated Dr Garcia.

“Like I said, it’s a need to know business. Are you ready?”

The hostage taker had now lifted up the sample case and was hitting the locking mechanism with the pistol. He shouted into the intercom.

“Five seconds and I blow us all to shit!” he screamed.

“Now!” shouted Dr Murphy as he turned back to Garcia, “Hit it!”

Dr Garcia looked at the screen one more time. There was nothing that could be done. It was either kill the two men in the room or half the facility would be destroyed, plus the two men, the sample, the data and a potential major biochemical incident.

She hit the run button on the touch screen and triggered the automated security system, it would take just seconds. She watched the large view screen carefully. A tone emitted from the terminal, indicating the start of the sequence.

The man held up the now damaged case in one hand and in his right the pistol. Throwing it down he held out a trigger type device, and then it happened. The tone from the terminal changed, it was the nerve gas and the effect was instant. The man shuddered on the screen and then collapsed to the floor. Without even a glimpse of movement it appeared he was dead before he hit the ground. The wriggling doctor in the corner of the room had stopped moving though the pool of blood near his wounded leg continued to grow.

One of the technicians shouted out, now only spotting the deaths of the two men. Another vomited over his terminal. Back on the screen there was no sign of movement. Dr Garcia stood up and walked over to Dr Murphy.

“This is bad. The fact that this facility was breached is one thing, the fact that one of your staff was able to get this far is inexcusable. I’m going to need to interview everybody that was here. We need to stay in lockdown until this situation is resolved. Also, what about the data, is it still intact?”

Dr Murphy was shell-shocked. He just sat there in his chair starring at the screen.

“I’ve known him for thirteen years, we’ve been working on this project for half of that time,” he muttered.

The door opened and in walked three of the armed guards. The largest of the group spoke first.

“Sir, we’ve found three more devices and have disabled them,” he said.

Dr Garcia stepped in.

“Devices, as in explosives?” she asked.

The guard looked at Dr Murphy first who then nodded, giving him the confirmation he needed.

“Yes, they aren’t armed, luckily they must have rushed planting them. They’re C4 based but the triggers were all remote. We isolated the signal and set up a block whilst we removed the detonators. The problem though is that we have traced the signal and it looks like there could be up to three more in the facility.”

“This looks like a major operation to me. You need to get a Federal response cleared while we locate the rest of the charges,” said Garcia.

“What the hell!” shouted one of the technicians who stood in front of the large screen. It was still broadcasting the feed from the room.

Dr Garcia looked before realising that the doctor was standing up whilst the hostage taker was up on one leg. She rushed to her terminal, checked the screen for the progress of the internal security system.

“I don’t understand, the room has been flooded. Nothing can live in that room.”

“No, no!” shouted Dr Murphy as he pointed at the floor, “Look!”

On the screen the sample case was clearly damaged and something was leaking out onto the floor. One of the men was staggering towards the booby trapped door, seemingly oblivious to the explosives attached to it. Dr Murphy turned to the pillar nearby and hit a large red button. Red lights started flashing around the room and a low level klaxon started its drone. He pressed the button and hit the intercom.

“This is a Level One Containment Breach. This is not a drill. All rooms are being sealed, no personnel are to enter or leave the facility. Tactical teams are to follow protocols,” he said.

He hit the button on the intercom that repeated his message continually. Dr Garcia triggered the internal system one more, flooding the room with the lethal concoction of gasses.

The screen went black and immediately the facility shook from the impact of an explosion deep inside the centre. The sound followed a dull crump. Dr Garcia hit a key, scanning through available security cameras until she reached the one in the corridor outside the room. The screen was initially full of white smoke but as it started to clear the scene became one of devastation and blood. The blast had destroyed the doorway and part of the wall. Blood and gore were plastered on the corridor from either the hostage taker or from the security personnel that had been waiting on the other side for the order to breach. She moved the small control joystick, moving the camera to examine the rest of the hallway.

About twenty feet from the door were the bodies of half a dozen heavily armoured security personnel. They were not moving though whether this was from the blast or the nerve gas wasn’t obvious. Part of the corridor on the opposite side from the blown door was damaged, leaving several jagged holes the size of dustbin lids in the wall. She turned to look in the opposite direction towards to elevator. The entire glass side of it was smashed and the bloodied bodies of two technicians lay on the floor, presumably killed by the gas and injured by the glass.

Dr Murphy slumped in his chair, shaking his head. Dr Garcia stood up and after taking in a deep breath, reverted to her role as the company’s trouble-shooter.

“I’ll take over from here. We need anybody affected by the chemicals to be put into quarantine. I’ll take a biohazard team down to investigate,” she said.