Of Monsters and Humanity: The Genesis

Chapter 63 - Xander

The United States District of Health and Medicine's Project X Masquerade Ball

The conscious soldier's arm flew up and slammed a button on the control board in the Observation Room.

Oh, no. The machine gun power button.

I looked up and watched as the massive guns started up, the ends of their barrels pointing and targeting at me.

My eyes widened. I knew what I needed to do.

With all of the strength that I had in my body, I ran straight towards the elevator, hurling myself inside.

The soldier in the Observation Room was standing now, furious. Damian cowered away from him on the other side of the room. The soldier had his hand on a lever as he repositioned the guns to shoot inside the elevator.

Gods, I had been waiting nearly eight months to do this.

I raised my hand and gave him the middle finger just as the doors of the elevator closed and the guns fired. The bullets left loud, deep indents in the door. I had no idea how they didn't break through the metal.

"Xander!" I heard a voice from a speaker scream.

I walked towards the speaker in the wall next to the door. "Terra--"

Another round of bullets fired into the door, deepening some of the other indents made during the first round. The sound ricochet around the elevator, almost deafening me. Another round and bullets would start making it through the door.

"Terra, bring me up. They're trying to sedate me in the elevator," I blurted. My breathing was heavy and I was starting to sweat. Holy shit. This was freedom.

"Okay. I'm bringing it up now," I heard exasperated on the other end, then the elevator started moving up.

Suddenly, another round of deafening bullets came hurtling at the door. I watched as a few steel bullets broke through the metal and hit the other wall of the elevator, almost hitting me in my legs and ankles. I dodged each one and saw them break open on the floor, spilling the white-blue contents everywhere. Thankfully, Dr. Balcom gave me dress shoes, and I was able to kick the shells to the other side of the elevator so I could stand near the speaker.

"Are you okay?" Terra screamed on the other side. The elevator never stopped moving.

"I'm alright, princess. Just don't stop--"

Suddenly, the elevator came to a complete halt. I held onto the railing along the side of the wall as I nearly lost my footing. My eyes widened as silence set upon the elevator and elevator shaft. We had stopped.

I was going to ask her what was wrong, but I realized that something could have happened. Maybe she got caught, or maybe she had to escape. I looked above me. There was a metal grate in front of a ceiling of lights. Though it would take a lot out of me, I could tear through it.

The elevator suddenly started moving again.

My heart jumped. "Terra, what's going on?" I growled.

I heard some panting through the speaker. "Damian said that he shut down the door...." she cried.

My eyes widened. "He didn't? I thought he said that it was locked on the outside and unlocked from the inside--"

"He lied! Two more people just walked in!" she screamed, though I could tell that she was crying. "I had to sedate them, too. I was almost caught."

"They're unconscious, correct?" The elevator continued to move.

"Yes. They're out cold, but I have to stay here and hold the button until you get to the Loading Deck. Everytime I let the button go, the elevator stops moving up."

The Loading Deck. That sounds so familiar. I never thought that I would actually be there while awake.

"Just be careful, Terra," I warned in a groan, anxiously looking around at the damaged metal walls of the elevator. I wanted to kill Damian with my bare hands, but it also could have been too difficult for him to shut the door down. Most controls, I assume, were in Balcom's office. It could have been hard for him to get there, and he could have just been giving Terra the confidence she needed to bring the elevator back to the Loading Deck. I gave him the benefit of the doubt on this one, but I was still angry.

"I will," she responded.

The elevator suddenly shifted over, then started moving downward.

"You're almost--" There was a long silence. "Xander, someone's trying to get in right now. Can you climb through the elevator shaft?"

"Am I climbing down?"

"Yes," she responded, but it was in a whisper. "Please, hurry. I need to go. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Get yourself out, and find Damian. I'll be right behind you."

Then there was complete silence.

I tapped my foot on the floor and listened closely as the vibrations traveled through the bottom of the elevator and down the shaft. The floor was surprisingly flimsy for how many people were meant to fit in the elevator, and there were roughly one hundred feet left of shaft until it would hit the ground.

I allowed myself a smile as I cracked my neck, then my knuckles.

Piece of cake.