ALARM CLOCK DAWN (An Original Novel - Episode 56)
“Okay, XenTek headquarters is fifteen minutes away from here by subway.” Evelyn said. “We need Kosseth station.”
The streets were empty except for a handful of people going about their business. Most had already found shelter from the approaching storm. Adam gave a quick glance upwards. He noticed the air was now almost perfectly still but heavy as the streetlights in the city began to flicker on in unison. The clouds now blanketed the sun to the point that it looked like midnight instead of noon. Adam’s Holo sounded a familiar beep, and he quickly slid it out of his pocket to view the weather warning that was being broadcast.
------->Extremely powerful storm approaching the city. Will arrive from the southerly direction in approximately five minutes . . . Seek shelter immediately----------> More updates will be provided as they become available . . . .
“Lets go, this is really going to be a bad one,” Adam said as he led the group across the street toward the escalator that descended down to the subway station on the adjacent corner.
Adam's mind raced to find an answer to the question of what they should do next. He closed his eyes and tried to center himself as they rode the long escalator down into the station.
Allies will appear for the righteous, Ikeda's words looped in Adam’s head. What does he mean? As they descended on the escalator, the stench of the station brought back a myriad of horrible memories of his daily routine that already seemed like a lifetime ago. The smell of oil, body odor, and stagnant air made Adam wretch. As he opened his eyes, his head swam as his senses were overwhelmed by advertisements and the frenetic energy of people rushing around the station. It struck him as odd that a potentially disastrous storm was minutes from hitting the city directly above them and they carried on about their business as if nothing was wrong. As the end of the escalator approached, Adam again closed his eyes and took one last deep breath.
“The Northbound is over here,” Evelyn said, grabbing Adam's arm.
Suddenly, to Adam, it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion as if it were a dream. Sounds and smells of the station receded into the background and for some reason as Adam glanced at the sign on the wall, only a portion of it caught his eye. KosSETH Station. Allies will appear for the righteous was his very next thought.
Seth? Adam thought.
They each scanned their C.ID cards and clicked their way through the turn style. Bear nearly got stuck and had to force himself through to the other side.
“The next train is due in just a few minutes,” Evelyn announced as she strolled to the edge of the platform. She searched the darkness of the tunnel for the first glimpse of the train's single headlight.
She looked deeply worried at what was about to unfold. Adam stood beside her and put his arm around her shoulder as they waited on the platform.
“What does the name Seth mean to you?” he asked her.
“Hmm,” she said, tilting her head. “I only know one Seth—Seth Busby, second in command at XenTek. You met him.” Adam paused, a smile slowly forming on his face. “He's the one. Seth is our ally.” Adam’s intuition told him it was true.
“Are you positive? He would be the last one I would expect. If anyone is hopelessly devoted to the director, it’s Busby. The Seth I know would follow Pfizer off of a cliff.”
“Maybe so, but I have a deep sense there's still goodness in his heart,” Adam shared as a bright light appeared in the tunnel, announcing the arrival of the subway as it rounded the corner.
“Well, let’s hope for our sake you're right!” Evelyn yelled over the thunderous clanking of the approaching subway.
The car was surprisingly empty. They each took their seats just as the doors were closing, and the train raced off again.
Bear glanced at the map of the subway route above the door. “Three stops to XenTek,” he said as he nervously bounced his long, heavy legs.
Adam smiled confidently as he removed his black framed glasses. He winced in pain as he peeled off his fake mustache from his upper lip.
“Adam, what are you doing?” Evelyn exclaimed. “Do you want to get us captured before we even get there?”
“Exactly! Take off your wig. We no longer need these disguises.” Adam flicked the mustache onto the floor of the train car. Evelyn looked into Adam's eyes, desperately searching for an answer. “Trust me. This is the only way to get in alive. We must allow ourselves to be captured.
CHAPTER 20
Captain Ellis propped his legs up on his beige metal desk. His black boots were polished to a high mirror shine. He loved his job, at times it made him feel like God. He painstakingly reviewed banks of monitors that gave him access to every nook and cranny of XenTek headquarters.
The captain's uniform was of the same design as every other XenTek security officer except for the bright red stripes perched on the shoulders of his crisply creased sleeves. It was more than that, there was a reason he was in charge. Captain Ellis commanded respect. He was a highly decorated officer in the war and possessed certain skills that made him indispensable to XenTek and to the director. He was both fierce loyal and utterly ruthless.
“What the bloody hell?” Captain Ellis said aloud as his legs dropped to the floor and he leaned in closer to one of the monitors.
Not a second later his Holo vibrated, signaling an incoming message.
Alert! Facial recognition software has identified Adam Harkin and Evelyn Poltier, and an unidentified Consumer approaching on the Northbound train. Their next stop is XenTek headquarters. Arrival time is estimated at three minutes.
“Ha! They so willing walking right into my trap. They’re mine!” the captain exclaimed as he sprang to his feet. Captain Ellis leaned over and screamed into the small microphone on this desk. “High alert. All units to the XenTek train station immediately. Two wanted fugitives, Adam Harkin and Evelyn Poltier, are approaching with an unidentified accomplice on the Northbound train. Arrival time is less than three minutes. Apprehend them immediately when the doors open and bring them directly to me. That is an order.”
We’re going to be switching up the episode schedule a bit in the week leading up to SteemFest. There are only a few episodes remaining. I'll be publishing an episode nearly every day next week culminating with the final episode (including a ENORMOUS plot twist) read by me at the first annual SteemFest in Amsterdam on Saturday, November 12th. The final episode that I’m reading from will be printed on parchment, autographed, and auctioned off to the highest bidder. All proceeds will be donated to support SteemFest.
Serializing my first novel here on Steemit has been such a great experiment for me that truly exceeded every expectation. This format was brand new to me and I had to figure it out as I went along. Thank you all so much for your support along the way. I really hope you've enjoyed it!
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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