The Dangers of Saving a Life

Chapter 2: Milo

Hock note: You might remember that Dr. Chocka intended to exterminate the infant who had been conceived under the influence of dark energy. However, before he could do that, Milo Skart grabbed the newborn and ran. 

Milo charged down the white-tiled corridor of the Atraville Hospital clutching the newborn, trying not to hurt him. He was amazed at how fast he could run. New energy surged through his muscles. Doors flew by at amazing speed. Dr. Chocka Zdravnik bellowed far behind.

"Chocka will find you. You will die."

Mechanical nurses clomped after him. Although their reciprocating-pistons-for-muscles pumped with ferocity, they weren't designed for running. They couldn't catch him, not with this energy, not with his new speed. Any humans in the halls jumped into rooms and slammed the doors. At the same time, alarms sounded around him, shrill warnings coupled with the repeating message. 

"This area is extremely dangerous. Leave immediately. Do not enter under any circumstances."

He didn't think this through. Once he reached the end of the corridor, he pushed through the red fire door at the end of the hall, which prompted a different series of alarms, both blaring on top of each other.

"This area is extremely dangerous- fire door has been activated- leave immediately- fire door has been activated- do not enter under any circumstances- fire door has been activated..."

He climbed the mesh metal fire escape steps and then ran through the second floor. The exits were guarded so he couldn't leave. The rooms were monitored and were not good places to hide. Worse yet, couldn't Axion see everything? He feared every doorway he passed; he was wary of every corner he rounded.

At the end of this corridor was another fire door. He pushed through the red door and clanged up the metal steps. Yet another alarm sounded. At the same time, the infant screamed. Milo was not doing a very good job of hiding.

He messed everything up. He was always doing that. This time, not only did he kidnap a baby that didn't belong to him, but he disobeyed Dr. Chocka, an important representative of Axion. That was on top of breaking multiple hospital protocols in the first place, such as not evacuating under a dark energy alarm and not wearing protective gear when in the presence of the energy. He was in serious trouble on so many different levels.

But whenever he thought about turning around, going back to the doctor, begging forgiveness, hoping to clear his charges, he could not do it. Cale Vals was a baby, a tiny innocent newborn. What had he done? Nothing. It wasn't the baby's fault. Besides, he had promised the mother. How could he allow her baby to be put to death?

He did the only thing he could think to do. He clanged up multiple flights of metal steps (making more noise) all the way up to the twenty-seventh floor. The alarms sounded on that floor also, the walls flashed red, and the people in the halls scurried away. But he found the office and burst in without knocking.

"Dr. Chocka's after me." He shouted to be heard above the alarms and the crying infant. "Chocka's trying to put him to death and he's after me too."

Milo's supervisor was Sally Berader, a tall woman with a wise and elderly face. She leaped up from her desk as he rushed in, surprised and angered by the intrusion.

"Why have you brought a baby to my office, and what is all this racket?"

He repeated what he had said. He explained what had happened, about the girl, about the birth, how Dr. Chocka executed the girl, and how he grabbed the baby and ran. It took some time because of his gasping for breath and trying to talk above all the alarms.

"I know I broke the protocol, but Dr. Chocka said he's going to execute him. How could he do that?"

Sally's old face turned downward in disapproval. He realized too late that he angered his supervisor. "You will follow me, that's what you will do."

As Sally left the office and strode down the hall, he pleaded with her. "You can't turn me in. He's going to execute the infant and now me too. You can't do-"

"Quiet."

He didn't see the point of being quiet with all the alarms sounding everywhere. They entered the emergency stairs again, this time going down many flights. Sally said nothing. Milo didn't know if he should run away or continue to follow. But where would he go? What other choice did he have?

Sally stopped at an access panel next to the door leading to the locked seventh floor. She punched in a code on a keyboard, then shut it again. Was it a call to Dr. Chocka? Was Sally going to discipline him? Would they execute him now?

Sally's tall and elderly form pushed through the door leading onto the seventh floor and marched determinedly forward. He followed, clutching the infant, growing more fearful with every step. They reached a row of small compactors mounted flush in the wall on both sides of the hall. These were Higgs compactors for the disposal of harmful contagions and infected equipment. Sally opened the first empty one and turned to him.

"Get in."

He gasped. The tiny space would barely hold him. Worse, it was the same sort of chamber where Dr. Chocka put the newborn. Was that to hold them until Dr. Chocka arrived? Was it to dispose of them?

"We don't fit."

Sally glared back at him. "There is no other choice. You will fit."

He backed up a step, unsure of what to do or whom to trust.

Sally gestured more determinedly with her wrinkled finger. "Get in. Now. Axion will know. We don't have much time."

He tried to hand the infant to Sally, but she jerked away from her. "No, you don't. I will not touch such a disease."

So he pushed himself into the small space head first while carefully holding Cale. It was horribly tight. He feared squeezing the poor little guy, but he did his best to be comfortable.

Sally closed the door. Then came the Higgs compression. He felt as if a massive truck landed on him and the infant. They lay there scrunched in heavy darkness. The baby cried and cried. Milo got that. He wanted to cry along with him.