Bridge to Nowhere

Hunkered Down

Thursday - Evening

Fires from heaven rain down on mankind turning the moon bloodred. The sky reverberates with explosions and the ground groans from thumping impacts. Fires scorch and mountains tumble as the hail of heavenly rocks spreads across all the land, leaving desolation in the storms wake.

Rick, Becky, and Jin crouch in front of the double glass doors at the entrance to the United building as Jin works on the access panel. Becky stares awestruck, witnessing the thunderous ruination of all that mankind has built. Rick is anxious as Jin works, his fingers turning and poking rapidly in midair, hacking his way past building security.

"What's taking so long?" Rick asks.

Jin looks up momentarily. "Access to this building is tougher than the one across the street. Some custom encryption, but I'm getting close."

Rick puts his hands to the tinted glass doors as if he is holding field glasses and presses his face to his hands to look inside. The lobby is dark and empty. No Black Guard.

A tremendous explosion rips through the night. Rick turns to face the direction of the blast. A scorching hot air burst smashes their bodies against the building. Rick's back crushes against the glass door, cracking the glass. He covers his face to shield against flying dirt and small chunks of cement.

Becky's shoulder slams into the cement wall of the building. She whimpers in pain, then cries out frantically, as she watches the LSG building blow apart.

"Jin, hurry. We were just in there. If we hadn't gotten out... Oh, God."

The force of the blast rips a handicapped parking sign out of the ground, sending it flying. Rick, unable to move, watches the sign fly toward him. He braces in anticipation of being wiped out by the flying sign and metal pole. The sign pole flies in an arch like a spear and sticks in the grass three feet from him. The sign end penetrates the grass with the pole and the cone-shaped cement base suspended in the air.

Rick runs to the sign hefts the heavy metal pole and yanks the sign out of the ground. He grips the pole like a lance and charges the double glass doors. The end of the pole covered in its cone of cement acts as a battering ram. Rick aims for the right side of the double doors, hitting it dead center just above the metal push bar. The glass door shatters, sending shards of glass across the lobby floor. The sign pole hangs awkwardly through the metal frame of the door. As the glass door shatters the access panel beeps, green lights blink, and the door unlocks.

Jin shouts, "Got it!" Raising his arms as if he scored a touchdown.

Rick sneers at Jin.

Jin, proud of himself, smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

Becky pushes past them and enters through the unlocked left door. "Great teamwork, boys. Let's find the stairwell before we get plastered by a meteor."

The door from the lobby to the main building is open. Behind the door is a vast warehouse with rows and rows of multi-level racks filled with suitcases of every shape and color. The team uses flashlights and Becky's building layout to find the maintenance room. A sign; No Admittance–Maintenance Personnel Only, is on the door. The door has an access panel like the one at the entrance. It takes Jin only seconds to hack entry to the maintenance room door.

"Not much of a maintenance room. It's just an elevator and a stairwell," says Jin.

"But it's our stairwell," says Becky.

"Good job, Becky," says Rick.

Halfway down the first flight of steps, Jin stops to dig in his backpack. He pulls out a small black box and switches it on. A red LED flashes. Seconds later, the LED changes to solid green and he sets the box on a step. "OK, all set," he says. Becky moves down the steps. Rick and Jin follow.