The YogLabs Incident

Part 5

Alarms were blaring, and the main lights were off, only the red emergency lights were flashing. Scientists everywhere, where dashing around computers, saving their projects and trying to figure out what was going on. Xephos and Honeydew ran into the surveillance room, and stood behind the team desperately flicking through all the cameras. "What's going on?!" Xephos yelled over the volume of the alarms. One of the scientists shook his head. "We don't know, but we've lost connection to the camera in the Clone's cell." He flipped the screen around to show Xephos. All he could see was black, then suddenly the screen flickered to life. Two scientists were on the floor, seeming to be unconscious, and Lalnable's cuffs were being hurriedly undone by... "Isn't that trott?!" Honeydew yelled. Xephos peered at the screen in disbelief. "Why is he helping Lalnable?" He replied. Then he paused, because he only had one thought in mind. "We have to get down there."

X X X

Lalna awoke to see a scientist undoing his cuffs. Slowly, his eyes focused, and his hearing came back. Alarms were screeching, and he recognised the scientist as Trott, the one who had helped him before. Lalna was a little bit shocked at first, but he shook off his surprise, and as Trott undid his last cuff, he stood up. He felt a little woozy at first, but then the feeling wore off, replaced by the burning in his arm. It didn't feel like it was burning in the traditional sense, but more like a slow poison taking over his arm, which was exactly what is was. It was a dull pain, but it was there, and it couldn't be ignored. He winced as he lifted it, and he held it against his body. "Why are you helping me?" Lalna asked, worried that it was all a trick. Trott looked back at him. "Because I know you're not Lalnable Hector, and I'm not going to leave you to die," he steadily replied, then he turned away and strode over to the door. He motioned for Lalna to follow him, and together they slipped out the door. They were able to run down a few corridors, before they ran into their first opponents. Half a dozen or so scientists blocked their path, and they stood with weapons up, pointed at Lalna and Trott. "You shouldn't have come for me," Lalna muttered. "It's not
fair on you, because they'll kill you too." "I told you though, it's not fair you die either. You're not Lalnable, you have no reason to." He replied. Then he looked back at all the scientists. Even in near-darkness, he could make out all the guns they held. They were like tasers, but filled with plasma balls. One hit would paralyse them, a second would knock them out, a third could be fatal. Lalna glanced over at Trott. "I know you said it's not fair, but it's me they want. I'll distract them and you can run," Lalna whispered, barely audible over the alarms. Trott shook his head. "I did this. I'm not leaving you," he firmly said. Then he ran towards the first scientist, and grabbed his gun.

X X X

Xephos bolted down the hallways, until he came to a stop outside Lalnable's cell. The door was slightly open, and when he looked inside, he saw that the room was empty. Xephos took off again, to look for the scientists who were meant to be blocking Lalnable's path. He stopped as he turned a corner, almost running over the top of them. Xephos gasped as he looked over the scientists. They were all slumped either against a wall or just flat out on the ground. He picked his way through them until he got to the front line. Xephos leant down to pick up a gun for protection, but he noticed that the scientist who's gun he was going to take, didn't actually have one. The scientist beside him didn't either. Xephos knelt down, and put a hand against their necks. They were still alive. He let out a sigh of relief, but then he noticed the burns on their fronts. Their clothes there were fried, and the skin underneath was partly blackened. He could still pick up a smell of fire, and checked the guns around the scientists. Plasma guns. Impossibly enough, Lalna and Trott must've gotten a gun from the scientists and knocked them all out. Xephos was almost impressed, but then he remember who he was dealing with. Lalnable wouldn't leave them alive, so why had he? Suddenly, Xephos heard footsteps behind him. He didn't stand up at first, assuming Honeydew had caught up with him, but he whipped around when he heard who it was. "Are you okay?" Lalna asked. Xephos looked him over, but once he was satisfied that this was Lalna, and not Lalnable, he replied. "I'm fine, but your clone and one of our newer staff members has managed to take out a whole load of scientists and are escaping." Lalna thought this over, careful of how he replied. "That's... Unexpected," he tried. Xephos glanced back at him again from the scientists on the floor. "Are you okay buddy? You seem a little off..." Xephos asked. Lalna nodded. "I'm fine, but I'm just feeling a little bit weird. Maybe it's this whole clone thing, after all, he's a clone of me. Maybe we're connected in some way." Xephos bought it, and he picked up a plasma gun. Then he turned to face Lalna. "You go and check the other end of the building, I'll look around here." Lalna nodded, picked up a gun, and ran off.