Stairway to Somewhere

The First Intruder

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lloyd gasped. "What is that?"

"A wooden knife. Slipped right past security." Miguel replied, grinning like the devil. " Now where's the damn cryochambers?"

"Why the hell do you need to know?" said Lloyd, still resisting. Miguel pressed the knife harder against his neck.

"This ain't metal but it can still slit your throat. Be still!" he demanded. "I need to see for myself."

"Computer!" Lloyd shouted, much to Miguel's confusion. "Nineteen!"

"Contacting Emergency Services." said the computer, and one monitor begin to show a red timer.

"You sneaky shit!" Miguel punched  Lloyd in the throat and roundhouse kicked the flashing monitor causing it to instantly go black. He punched the other monitor and ripped the first off its hinges as Lloyd choked and gasped. Lloyd tried to make a break for the door but Miguel caught him again, pushing the knife deep enough to draw blood.

"Take me to the cryochambers. No games." Miguel demanded.

"Alright, alright. Let me open the door." Lloyd conceded. The lights dimmed as they walked out the room. The hallway was empty. Lloyd assumed everyone was busy. He could yell, but his throat would probably get sliced open if he did. They walked down the middle hall, no sign of anyone else. It opened into a wider area, still empty but with doorways on either side leading back into the other halls, while a door just like the black glass floor was at the end of the hall. Lloyd raised his ID up to the scanner, but both the scanner and his ID glowed red.

"Man I don't even have access." Lloyd stammered, still feeling the pressure of the blade on his throat. "Now what? You aren't getting out of here, they don't expect patients to walk back out the front door."

"DAMN IT!" he shouted, still keeping a vice-like grip on Lloyd. "Who would have access to this area?"

"I would." said Frederick standing by the doorway leading to the break room. He held his hands up but he had two automatons with him. Their stance both scared and relieved him at the same time.

"Let's just talk, okay? Easy and nice. You want to get in there,okay cool, but tell me why." Frederick slowly stepped forward, trying to comply with Miguel's demand. The moment the automatons took half a step Miguel recoiled and tightened his grip on Lloyd.

"Call those things off!" Miguel commanded. Frederick looked and gave them a small nod, signaling for them to stand down.

"What's wrong with this psychopath?" One of the replied. It was a guy, but it wasn't Ben.

"Oh, I'm a psychopath? Please. No, you're the psychopaths, trusting the fucking government with your bodies, your lives. You're idiots!"

"Hold up, hold up, James, not another word." said Frederick. "Damn near the entire world is joining the digital state. There's nothing more suspicious about ours than anyone else's."

"Is that so?" Miguel replied sarcastically. "Then open the damn door."

Frederick walked over to the scanner and held his ID up to it. After they both glowed green, the door opened, revealing an elevator with a grey interior.

"After you." said Frederick. "But they're coming too, for security, of course."

Miguel glared at the automatons for a second before answering. "Fine. They need to see this too."

Miguel kept his hand on Lloyd's shoulder but lowered the knife from his throat. The three of them entered the elevator, scooting into one corner as the automatons bent down to get in. The elevator only had one button, yet it still had a scanner above that. Frederick scanned his ID and pressed the button. The ride was quick and silent, opening up into a huge underground factory filed with rows of hundreds to thousands of cryogenic chambers. They stepped out of the elevator and walked up to the chambers, all on standby. Four were missing.