A Perfect Utopia?

Chapter 22

And she was shaking. Lab Assistant 217 was shaking horribly. She did not want to see that thing ever again, but it seemed as though she had no choice. That would not surprise her. If this man wanted something, he was going to get it, no matter what the consequence could be. As of right now, he wanted her.

The man started advancing towards her, trying to intimidate her. It was working. Lab Assistant 217 fought to control herself, knowing that it would only give him more fodder to use against her. He did not need any more.  Now, he was just looking at her, trying to get her to crack and show something- some sort of emotion. And if Lab Assistant 217 had anything to say about it, nothing would leave her mouth except for the most basic of words and answers.

“Hello?” A voice rang out from somewhere inside the laboratory. Lab Assistant 217’s eyes widened into saucers. She knew that voice.

At the same time, that man’s eyes widened as well, they were, if possible, even larger than Lab Assistant  217’s eyes were. He quickly strolled out of the room. Before the door shut, Lab Assistant 217 had the opportunity to say something, and she tried to.

Nothing came out.

First spontaneous disappearance, and now I am unable to speak?

She looked around the room, trying to see if there was any way for her to make a huge racket, mainly so that someone would find her here? As it was, Lab Assistant 217 was fairly sure that this was not legal, no matter how high up in the government he was. Like her friend, he also was a boss. Lab Assistant 217 had just never been told where.

Besides, it was not like they could let something like this go by without having people begin to undermine the government. If one person could get by with something, then others would feel like they could as well. That was one thing that Lab Assistant 217 had on her side. One of the few things….

Lab Assistant 217 felt hot…very hot. Something was unusual around here; it felt as though she had been placed into a sauna. Except she knew how these rooms worked. In order to keep everything sterile and fairly comfortable for the inhabitant the temperature was fairly stable and slightly cold in these rooms. They would not just all of a sudden change it. Something had to be wrong, wrong enough for them to want to change the temperature in the room all of a sudden.

The door went flying open. Lab Assistant 217 prepared herself for whoever would enter. But nobody did. Then the door shut again, and then opened again in quick succession. She did not move from her spot; who knew what kind of games they were trying to play with Lab Assistant 217’s mind right now? And, even if she did not know what they were doing, she was not going to fall into their trap.

Her curiosity was piqued when the door flung open one last time and stayed that way. Examining the hallway, she realized that the whole thing was covered in smoke…And it was heading her way. Slowly and shakily, she stood up. Lab Assistant 217 was going to find her way out of this. She had to.  

She walked out into the hallway, fighting to keep herself calm. She could see all of the other lab assistants, assistants, and general staff running around trying to keep the papers and other important things that had not caught on fire from going up in flames. It was obvious that this lab was important; otherwise it would not have been so well concealed from most.

The corner of her mouth turned up in an almost insane sort-of half smile. It was true; the sight of this amused her, even if only hours ago she would have been attempting to the same, no matter how impossible it seemed to be.  She was sure that they would eventually give up, but at the moment it was amusing to watch.

But she had bigger things to worry about. In other words, the ceiling that was about to collapse and trap them all in there- in the heart of the inferno.