Descent into the Abyss

Epilogue

"Doctor, any updates?"

A hunched-over white lab coat straightened up, the figure turning towards his employer with a clipboard and adjusting the thin frames on his nose.

"Her appetite has increased, again, as has her stomach capacity," The wrinkled face behind the frames replied, casting a weary glance to the darkness on the edge of the room.

"Is that all, Dr. Ramon?"

"We lost another errand boy," He replied, meeting the blue eyes staring down at him. "Poor kid tried to feed her some extra meat and ended up as dinner instead."

"Anyone going to come looking for that poor kid?" His employer asked, stepping into one of the illuminated lights of the room.

"Of course not, sir. We always make sure of that before they ever step foot in here," Dr. Ramon explained, nodding to his own words.

"Alright," The man turned back around, heading for the exit. "Dr. Ramon?"

"Yes, Mayor?"

"If you have a breakthrough..."

"You'll be the first to know, sir."

With a silent nod, the door cracked open light poured inward, flooding the Doctor's vision with brightness.

"We'll cure her, sir," He whispered to himself, looking back at the glass lit by the light. "No matter what, we'll cure her."

The door closed with a slam, the locks engaging as the Doctor turned back to his monitors. Outside the room, the Mayor turned away from the locked door, to a middle-aged, short-statured, red-headed woman holding a black clipboard with fluttering pieces of paper.

"Did Dr. Ramon make any progress with the new battery prototype, Mayor?" She inquired, glancing between the papers and the various people passing them.

"Nothing yet, A.J.," He replied, reaching his right arm up to straighten his tie as his left sleeve dangled freely. "Have the cleanup crews reported back yet or are they still in the outer areas?"

The woman flipped a page, nodding as she recited the info, "Charles reported back, saying his assigned four blocks were cleared out, and that he and his squad were on their way back."

"Anyone else?"

"Xavier and Melanie reported finding a cache but were still clearing out their area. Gregory and Michael ran into a couple of squatters hiding in Stewart Park. The squatters ran, and they didn't pursue but did provide rough descriptions. Hughie, Don, and Rachelle cleared their assigned six blocks along the south banks of the river," She read, stepping behind him as they continued down the hallway.

"How's produce doing? Any changes?" He asked, smiling and nodding to another duo as they passed.

"Harvest has been bountiful, although Farm Six did report a rodent infestation. I went ahead and ordered two men, both Electros, to head there and deal with it."

"That's good work, A.J.," He remarked, turning with a smile. "Anything else before this meeting?"

"We had some of our long-range scouts report back earlier this morning," A.J. answered, lifting all but the last sheet. "They discovered a moderate size group, roughly four dozen, traveling together."

The Mayor paused, turning around with a raised eyebrow, "Where?"

"Hudson, to the east," She answered with haste. "Thirty miles away as of last night."

"Were they heading this way?"

"From what the scout reported, they did come from the east."

He turned again, his back to her, "We can't keep accepting everyone..."