The Resistance

Chapter-14

"Kevlar breastplate, knee pad, elbow pad. Over that, a specially designed vest made of highly tensile and flexible polymer infused with Kevlar. Provides 20% extra agility and 25% additional protection. Helmet with bulletproof glass and insulation pads to lessen the impact to skull. Everything is black, just like you wanted it," Robert winked.

He continued, "Military grade M4 and AK-47, your choice. Desert eagle or USP tactical. Two specially engineered grenades on your belt, a couple of C4 charges with detonator, and a blade specially made from annealed stainless steel."

I came out of the dressing room (probably looking super cool). I picked up the M4 and the supressed USP. Stealth and agility were always my choice. I holstered the pistol and slung the M4 around my shoulder. I strapped the grenades and the C4 to my belt. I carried a few extra magazines in case I ran out. I strapped the knife to my belt as well.

"The helmet has a built-in visor and microphone. You can talk to me and listen to what I say. And by the way the suit looks so cool man!"

He wasn't lying. The suit was completely black, like I mentioned before. Black was always my favourite. It was leather and smooth to touch but at the same time it was tough. It had a black hood as well. I was feeling like the 'Arrow' until the weight on the mission settled upon me.

I had discussed the tactics with Robert. I carried an extra bag of the suits so that I could gear my friends up. The brief plan was to approach all my friends, gear them up, launch a virus into their mainframe disabling the cameras and heroically escaping. Each segment of the plan was discussed in detail.

I said, "Okay Robert is our transportation ready?"

Robert said, "Yep."

Suddenly the lab door opened. I went there to see who it was only to find Rachel slowly walking down the stairs.

As soon as Susan had gone out of the room, Rachel got up. She felt a sharp pang in her shoulder as her wound rebelled. She ignored the pain. Half dizzy from the drug she got to her feet. Then she began staggering along the wall of the room.

She exited the room and slowly climbed the stairs down to reach the main hall. She slowly limped towards the door leading to the basement.

Suddenly she felt a chill. She realized that a breeze of wind had swept inside from the open window. Then she realized that she was no longer wearing the gray sleeveless shirt or her denim tracks. She was wearing a white hospital gown.

She approached the door and tried the handle. The door didn't open. Then she saw that it was locked by a pass code. It was a combination of four numbers. She took a flashlight which was lying on the table in front of the sofa set.

She flashed it on each key. She found finger prints on four keys. Voila. Now that she knew the four numbers, there were 24 possibilities. She started trying each combination and got it on her eighth try.

The door clicked open. Just then Susan came out of nowhere and exclaimed, "Rachel what are you doing? You shouldn't be out of bed!"

But she ignored Susan and slammed the door open. She started the descending the flight of stairs while Susan came rushing towards her.

Then a person in complete black suit came into her view. It took her a moment to realize that it was Jason. She slowly walked down the stairs towards him.

Jason said, "Rachel, what are you doing? You shouldn't be out of bed!"

"Funny, Susan said the same thing." She said walking down to the lab. Susan came inside with a devastated look.

"It's not funny Rachel. You are in no condition to walk around."

"Jason where are you going?"

"Rachel, go back to bed."

"NOT UNTIL YOU TELL ME!" she yelled. She was very angry now. Tears started welling in her eyes. Jason was always like that, always keeping her in the dark. She had never seen him show any emotion except the smiles and laughter. She wondered whether they were fake too. Jason was like a closed book with military grade locks and firewalls.

Jason came towards her and hugged her. She hugged him back. "I'm sorry." He whispered and let go. She wiped her tears and asked again, "Where are you going?"

His expression darkened. She didn't have to be a Jason to figure out where he was heading to. Her breathing heaved and she sat down on the stairs. Robert had come into view as well.

Jason said, "Rachel, I have to save the others too. I just didn't have the resources to continue in the central. Now I have everything- weapons, strategy and an external guidance who happens to be a very good hacker. I can do this. I promise that I'll come back with all our friends."

"I'm coming too." It was not a question.

"No way Rachel. You are in no condition to run. You have just been drugged and patched from internal bleeding. With all that anaesthesia in your system, you won't be able to take a straight aim."

Robert intervened, "Actually I have a dose of Ritalin. Susan was doing research on its effect on ADHD. But it also happens to get people out of the influence of the drug, almost immediately."

Rachel looked at Jason with her "the innocent rabbit" face (for your information its super cute). Jason rolled his eyes and said, "Not helping Robert." Susan was looking at Robert with a lethal expression. Rachel started to sense a little tension and said, "Please Jason, you will need one person to watch your back."

Jason groaned. Rachel thought she had won when Susan said, "What about her bullet wound? It needs to be healed. She needs bedrest."

Robert said, "We also have a supply of Hydrocodone. It attacks the nervous system of a place, rendering all the senses at that spot numb. We can add a few chemicals to reduce its strength and concentration to suit Rachel's wound."

Rachel once again looked at Jason. Susan said, "Robert, decide which restaurant you are going to have dinner in the next few days."

Robert said, "Hey calm down Susan, just helping the little girl."

Jason said, "Rachel, please. It's too dangerous. I cannot let you risk your life again. I vowed to keep my friends safe and I will not let any harm come to you."

Rachel said, "They aren't only your friends, remember that. They are my friends too. I just cannot abandon them! Jason, please understand..."

Jason looked defeated. He sighed and said, "If you are so determined on coming then you might as well stay safe while doing it. Robert I hope you have an extra suit."

Rachel thought Susan was going to argue but she just sighed and said, "I'll go prepare the drugs." 

Rachel looked completely stunning as she came out of the dressing room. She was dressed in the same black suit as mine. Her blonde hair was braided. She looked braver.

She had selected the AK-47 and desert eagle. So she was going for damage. Then she made an unusual request. She asked, "Do you have a metal baton?"

Robert said, "As a matter of fact, I do." He went to a room and came back with a stainless steel rod with spikes jutting out of its ends. There was a button in the middle.

Rachel asked, "What does the button do?"

"It transforms the rod into a buzz baton." She pressed the button and an electrifying sound pierced the air. Then to my surprise she rotated the stick three times in a second and thrust it forward. With that agility, she could easily take down 3 soldiers. That agility was professional.

"Okay so what's the plan?" she asked while strapping the baton to her back.

I smiled and said, "We are going to fly to the BMX."