Ascension

Indiana

When I heard America's voice on the loud speakers I was almost certain something was wrong. Something like that doesn't just happen. When they called the entire army to the stairwell I was certain of it.

I was almost to the stairwell when the entire room went black.

"What in the world?" Several people murmured.

I knew in a few moments the auxiliary power should kick on but when that didn't happen I was worried. Something was definitely wrong. Then we heard the humming. It was a weird sound. Almost like a generator but it was way too loud to be a generator.

I was stumbling along in the darkness when I ran into someone. They let out a yelp and fell to the floor. I immediately reached my hand out to pull them up. She took my hand and I pulled her up until she was steady on her feet.

"America is this you?" I asked the woman.

"Is that you Indiana?" America asked.

"Yeah it's me." I answer her.

"Oh thank heavens." She whispered.

"What's going on here?" I pondered.

"I have no idea. They aux power should have turned on by now but something is definitely wrong." America shook her head.

"Is something wrong with the power because that's an easy fix right?" I asked her.

"No. It's not the power. Do you hear that Indiana?" She asked me.

"Do you mean the awful humming? Then yes." I respond rubbing my temples.

"That is the electricity. Someone turned it off for us but it's not gone, in fact we have more electricity in the building than ever before. It just got rerouted." America answered me.

"Where would it get rerouted to?"

"No idea but we better fix this and fast or else." America whimpered.

"America! What will happen if we don't fix it?" I yell trying to catch up to her.

"The Brights won't have to march all the way over here." America answered bitterly.

I followed America into the control room. She typed into the computer and the humming kept getting louder.

"America hurry." I urge her.

She smacks me and keeps typing.

"I'm trying to see which computer hacked our system. Hopefully I can get to it and shut it down then the power will just reset." America typed faster.

America kept getting faster and faster when she just stopped.

"What's wrong? Did we do it?" I asked her.

"No." She looked sick.

"What happened?"

"The Doctors rerouted the energy." She gulped.

"Which means?" I encouraged her to continue.

"That is the only computer I can't shut down."

Oh my stars. Alivia! Why?

America started crying a little. I wrapped my arms around her and tried to comfort her.

"Indiana how come it's the doctors trying to kill us? I can't be surprised if it was the Brights but the doctors?" She was almost in tears now.

Then the system unlocked. The lights one by one began to come back on. America stared at the computer dumbfounded.

"What in stars?" She whispered in shock as she looked at the computer.

"It looks like the system rebooted just like you said it would." I clapped her on the back.

"I guess it did." She answered but she still looked confused.

"Should I go up there and talk to the doctors?" I ask America.

America nods a little but is still staring at the computer screen that produced a miracle. I walked out of the control room and up the stairs toward the labs. All around me people are crying or just plain confused.

I think I'm leaning more toward the confused side. I don't know what the doctors are doing up there but it better be important or else they are in really big trouble.

When I reached the labs I pressed the call button. Soon Alivia came to the door and answered my call.

"Alivia what in the world are you doing up here?" I asked her.

"Indiana I might be on the brink of something huge." She whispered.

"Ok cool but you mind telling me why you almost blew us all up?" I asked her.

"I'm trying to create a vaccine up here." She answered with a tinge of annoyance.

"Yeah but I'm trying to keep a colony from dying. What good is a vaccine when there is no one alive?" I asked her.

"I had it under control." She said under her breath.

"Sure but just next time don't do that." I advised her.

"Don't tell me what to do!" She lashed out on me.

"Okay. Sorry, I won't next time." I backed off.

"No Indiana I'm sorry."

"No you are right it wasn't my place to tell you how to do your job." I apologized.

"No Indiana. Don't leave me." Alivia was almost crying.

"I'm sorry but I have to do my job now." My voice was cold.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She cried.

"Yeah, I am too."

I walked away from the door. When I looked back I saw Alivia looking through a window. She looked awful. She looked like she was crying but her tears were black.

I really want to help her but there is nothing I can do. Actually there is one thing and that is to hold off the Bright army until they figure it out.

I walked back down the stairs and that's when I saw it. A family was holding their child to them when their child was crying black tears.

This cannot be happening.

I can't believe it.

The virus spread.