The Monitor

The Monitor, Part 2

The next week, I rotated to street patrols. We moved in units of six, each with pulse rifles in case of Ragers. It was hot outside, but thanks to the BOSAM issued suits we wore, we were kept comfortable for the most part. If we didn't have these, the heat would've made things much harder to tolerate.

The comm radio in my helmet squawked to life with random static and some chatter from the Monitor.

I was in the middle of the pack. Maddix took the lead as we strolled down one street in our sector. The glare of the late afternoon sun found a few surfaces that reflected its little shards of light on us whenever we passed the gaps between structures.

"So is anyone gonna ask Maddix about his big date the other night?" I asked. That got a few chuckles from the others.

His eyes on the street in front of us, Maddix replied, "Oh it's like that, huh? Sia Garrett's gotta get some dirty details on my personal life?"

Wilson, next to me, remarked, "I wasn't aware we were allowed a personal life," and glared my way for a second.

I shrugged Wilson off. "Aww, come on, we have a few more hours. Let's make them interesting."

Maddix cleared his throat. "There's not a whole lot to tell. We ate, had a few drinks at the rec facility, and I showed her the penthouse."

I laughed. When Maddix referred to the "penthouse", he meant his personal quarters. Not a high luxurious penthouse. He over-exaggerated things a bit; it was part of his charm. Of course, he lured more than a few women his way so at least some of them bought it.

I almost said, "Long as you had fun," but the alarm rang in our helmets and stopped us short.

The alarm was followed by a Monitor notice. "Rage Event Detected. Team Bravo 13, sector GH45. Food processing facility."

Maddix replied, "Copy, proceeding to location. Report with sitrep, out."

He waved us forward, and we took off in a trot. The HUD in our helmets activated with details on the location and the place of the Rage Event. As we neared the location, more squawks came over my comm, but this time I heard a voice. It wasn't Maddix, or anyone else in the group. Of course, what they said made no sense anyway:

"The count is the frequency... robin, sparrow, indefeasibly."

"Anyone else hear that?"

"Hear what?" Maddix barked.

"Something about a... frequency?"

Maddix replied, "Negative. Maybe bleed in from a nearby plant."

The rest hadn't heard anything either. It didn't matter soon anyway; the odor of the food production facility greeted us before we caught sight of it. The stench with the discards from the plant always smelled pretty rank. I imagined having to work in that kind of stench all the time would've made a Rager out of the most sane person.

We rounded a corner and saw the food production facility ahead. "Up ahead, shift right!" Maddix called out. "Stay close."

We proceeded in the front door of the facility into a small foyer area where the overseer greeted us. The e-tab in his large hand looked like a tiny speck. His name registered on my HUD as Mick.

Maddix asked Mick, "Any containment issues?"

Mick glanced at his e-tab. "No, no. None that I can figure. You need anything else from me?"

Maddix glanced around. "Can you seal the external doors?"

Mick checked his device again. "Uh- yes. Wait, no. Door 923 is down for maintenance. Southeast side."