The 4th Subject

Chapter 18: What a Day

Matt, Woods and I were walking out to Red Base. It's the next day. We had some hilariously stupid conversation about whether or not to open the LAPD case under the stairs. Obviously, we decided to open it and unplug it, just as our mysterious John Doe suggested.

We enter the warehouse and look at the case. The cable went deep underneath, no doubt connected to the wall. Matt opened it and turned to Woods. They discussed how to turn it off and remove it. Eventually, we came to the conclusion to literally just turn it off so it would be off.

Matt leaned over and turned it off with a loud click. I scrunched my brow at what I heard next. Beeping. Ominous beeping.

"What is that?" I questioned.

"A battery backup?" Matt suggests. I wasn't too convinced. I don't think I've ever heard a battery backup in my life, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't it.

"I've never heard a battery backup like that," Woods said, hand up in confusion.

"That can't be a battery backup beep." I added, now concerned.

"Nothing's on though," Matt stated, pulling at a few things in the case.

Great idea, pull out random things from a mysterious beeping case.

"Matt, it sounds muffled. Like it's underneath something." I commented, listening closely.

Matt pulled out some more cables and I leaned over to see a symbol we've seen before.

"Matt..."

"What is that?" Woods asked.

"I just got chills," Matt said, pulling away the cables.

"That's... that's what the dude injected," Woods added, pointing to the symbol.

Upon closer inspection, Matt discovered it was connected to something. Matt peeled up the foam and I saw glowing red numbers. Counting down.

"Oh my gosh..." Matt uttered, furiously pulling more foam away.

"What is that?" Woods repeated.

"It's connected," Matt explained, "it's got a tube that's directly connected to the vial. If that's is the chemical that was in the safe before, then that's highly flammable. Are you following what I'm saying?"

A moment passed before Matt told Woods to text everyone to clear out. We had no idea what this thing would do when it went off. Matt tried to see if turning it back on would stop it. It didn't. Matt stuck the caution tape back up and we moved to the front of Red Base.

"Ok, let's get rid of the idea that it's a bomb." Matt said first and foremost. I nodded in agreeance.

"If he wanted us gone, we'd be gone. He's been in and out a thousand times. He'd have no problem getting rid of us."

"That had to be, basically, self destruct."

"That's probably the whole point of the thing," Woods muttered, "to fry everything inside."

"Should we remove some of the stuff inside?" I asked, "have it for safe keeping, maybe?"

Matt pondered for a moment. "I say we get the valuable stuff out, like the laptop and the phone, the stuff that might have evidence, and we take the case and throw it in a dumpster and just let it fry itself. Then we go to the police."