Xyleth, Zairon, and Gorgon: Battle of the Titans

Chapter 5: The Institute

As their jeep drove through the dense uncharted jungle, Jim felt strange vibrations shatter the ground beneath them, this made him uncomfortable, he asked, "Dr. Maxwell, are we close to this...' Institute'?", Dr. Maxwell calmly said, "We'll get there soon." Jim was excited, he really wants to know what it feels like to work for a government agency. Moments passed and the three of them grew more impatient as time went by. "Are we there yet?", the three of them asked. Dr. Maxwell answered, "We're close.", they sighed, in a while, they'll reach the 'Institute' headquarters. After some time, Jim stared out the window and noticed a huge building rising from the trees, "Guys look out the window.", they did as they were told and stared at the window. As they did, they saw a huge government base in the distance. "So that's the Institute.", Jim said to himself as they neared the building. Afterward, they came across a security checkpoint. Two soldiers are guarding the steel gates. Dr. Maxwell took out his Identification Card and showed it to the mercenaries as they scanned it with a proximity sensor. The men greeted him and lets them pass through. "So Dr. Maxwell, these are your kids?", a guard asked. Dr. Maxwell answered, "Nope, there's my nephew, and his two best friends, oh and a tribesperson named Lara who lives nearby." As the mercenaries heard of this, they immediately rushed towards the jeep and opened its doors. Lara gasped, she was frightened by the two guards and as a response, she sprang out of the jeep and runs off into the jungle. "No wait!", Jim said, Lara looks back but rushes back into the dense jungle after receiving a telepathic warning. Jim was dismayed, he really wanted to learn more about Lara, but there's something that spooked her, she looked frightened when she saw those mercenaries so Jim decided to keep a close eye on them just in case. "Won't kids be a handful?", one of them teased, "Nah, I can handle it.", Dr. Maxwell replied. Then the steel gate opened, they watched as the building shimmered in the blinding sunlight. Then Dr. Maxwell reminded, "Remember, once we get there, behave yourselves, or else you'll experience Dr. Whitney's wrath.", he teased. "So this Dr. Whitney...you're friends or something?", Jim asked. "Uh...no. We just know each other that's all.", Dr. Maxwell answered, bluntly. Jim felt uninterested. Then Dr. Maxwell parked their jeep by a small watchtower, "Alright, I would like everyone to step out of the vehicle, gather your stuff and stay in that watchtower okay?", they agreed and followed his orders. Dr. Maxwell processes the Visitors Pass so that the three of them could enter. He handed them a thick sheaf of papers from his briefcase, "Sign the contract would ya.", Dr. Maxwell ordered. They did what they were told to and filled up the Guest Pass forms. Afterward, they handed it over to Dr. Maxwell for further verification. Then their Visitors Passes were processed, giving them unlimited access to the 'Institute's classified military and government files. They were thrilled, but once they enter these gates, they'll be part of a battle that started millennia ago.

As their vehicle drove towards the building they couldn't help but notice another jeep, driving at high speed towards them, almost causing a collision course. But it veered away just in time and as a result, no one was hurt. "Who was that?", Nick angrily complained. "I think I know exactly who that is.", Dr. Maxwell replied, then the person got out of the vehicle, a tall, slim woman in her mid-30s. "Dr. Vanessa Whitney", he mumbled as he glared at her, but the woman barely notices it. Then a young girl, about fourteen years of age, got out of the vehicle and joined Dr. Whitney. "Gina come here.", Dr. Whitney ordered, she reluctantly leaves the jeep and stood behind her aunt. "Auntie, can we get out of here, now?!", she demanded. "Sorry darling, we must verify this Guest Pass first, then you can go to your own cabin okay?", Dr. Whitney said, Gina agrees and waits behind her. "You guys just stay here okay, Dr. Maxwell said, "I'll go "take care of things" first.", the trio nodded in agreement while Dr. Maxwell leaves the jeep and approaches the crowd in front of them. "Um, could you please let us through.", he requested but the others were too busy arguing that no one paid attention to what Dr. Maxwell was saying. He returned to the jeep, dismayed, and said, "Guess we'll have to walk.", the three of them groaned, "Come on, it's just a short distance away.", he continued. "But my feet are too tired.", Martha answered "Same", Nick raises his hand. Jim agreed and convinces his friends to join them, "Come on guys, it's about two hundred yards away.", he said. "Fine I'll go, but if my feet get sore, you'll pay for this.", Martha replied. They got out of the jeep and walked through the crowd. They eventually got to the other side and proceeded towards the building, "Guest passes out everyone.", Dr. Maxwell ordered. The trio took out their Guest Passes and scanned them on the proximity sensor. The doors opened and as they entered, they saw how amazing the structure is. The ground floor is larger than a couple of football stadiums placed end-to-end. In front of them is a hotel-Esque lobby, and a huge kidney-shaped table where a concierge is located. They explored the main lobby and saw lots of ancient kaiju stone carvings. Then a tall middle-aged woman approached them, "Hello I'm Sally and I'll be your tour guide for today. I'll also be in charge of the ward where the recruits will be staying.", she said. Dr. Maxwell replied, "Good day Sally, these are our recruits. We've got Jim, Nick, Martha, and a girl named Gina who's with Dr. Whitney, who's still waiting outside.", he continued. "Oh, is that all.", Sally said. Then the door opened, paving the way for me and Dr. Bill Garrett, I was enlightened to meet the recruits and thus we greeted them. Then I heard a voice behind me say, "Are you sure that I'm allowed to be here, doesn't seem pretty safe to me.", someone shyly said to Dr. Garrett. I looked back and saw Dr. Garrett's son, Lee, hide behind me. I chuckled, "Of course you'll be safe here.", I assured him, this made him feel less nervous, and started approaching the three of them. "Alright, we'll check your attendance...", Sally said when Dr. Whitney and her niece, Gina barged through the doors. "Ugh, finally they let us in,", Dr. Whitney said, "I thought this will take forever!", she continued. Gina grumbled, showing the slightest bit of annoyance from those guards earlier. "Auntie, when will I get to stay in my room?!", she grudgingly said. "I know darling, these people are so slow. Lemme do something, I demand to get a first-class bedroom for my niece, Gina here!.", Dr. Whitney ordered. Everyone in the Institute stared at her, "Very sorry Ma'am, we are only allowed to use second classrooms, using first-class deserves a higher rate.", Sally said. "So what if it's second class?! Make her second-class room look grand, magnificent, out of this world! You know just use the fanciest decorations for my niece's bedroom, she deserves the best!", Dr. Whitney demanded. "Miss Whitney I...", Sally retorted but Dr. Whitney cuts her off, "DO IT!". Unable to satisfy her needs with just an agreement, Sally called room service to make Gina's room as fancy as possible. Then Sally continued, "Now where was I, oh right! "Attendance check everybody, just raise your hand whenever your name is mentioned. Gina Smith!", "Present", she said. Sally continued, "Jim Maxwell, Martha Diaz and Nick Louis!", as their name was called, they raised their hands. "And finally, Lee Garrett.", Sally called out, "Here.", Lee replied. "Alright, seems like everyone's here, now we'll have lunch after we have a tour of the Main Building. Afterward, you'll head up to your rooms and we'll have dinner by exactly 6:00 pm. Are we clear?" Sally said. "Yes Ma'am!", everyone replied. "Alright, lets get on with the tour.", Sally encouraged. They were all excited, they've never been in a government research lab before. They entered a huge room filled with filing cabinets. "Seriously though, how does anyone keep track of the files that come and go here?", Nick asked. "Well, we have an advanced filing system that classifies each document onto its appropriate category.", Sally answered. "But aren't errors made?", Nick asked. "They do, that's why we need to tend to a certain error as quickly as possible.", Sally continued. "How do you tend to those errors?", Martha asked. "Well our I.T. technicians developed a way in order to arrange every file into its proper category, like what the Dewey Decimal System in libraries.", she said. Astonished, the tour went on. They entered a massive room filled with genetic tanks and D.N.A. vials. "Welcome to our Genetics Lab, where we experiment on certain cures from genomes that are extracted from kaiju carcasses.", Sally introduced. The recruits were astonished, they didn't realize that the rotten remains of deceased kaiju could be useful in research about the environment. "How do use the kaiju remains, why do you need them?", Lee asked. "Well, we use them in creating useful pathogens, some of which are used as cures. We also dissect their remains in order to better understand their lifestyle and how they thrive in different ecosystems. The kaiju you see here was found floating in the Bering Sea. Gaping neck lacerations are a sign that this creature fought with an unidentified beast before it succumbed to its injuries." The beast's carcass emits a foul odor which prompted everyone to wear masks as they entered the containment unit. "According to ancient Siberian texts, this beast is referred to as 'Cridaea', we found her rotting carcass and upon numerous autopsy tests, we found that she's been dead for months. This means that the attack happened recently, as of now the culprit is unidentified, but it narrows it down to all the aquatic kaiju that we might encounter as this project ensues.", I said.
The recruits approached Cridaea's carcass and observed as scientists approached her remains and extracted huge quantities of flesh and bone. Nick wore gloves and closed in on the creature's torso and with a huge scoop, extracted a chunk of flesh from the beast. "Hey, hey, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!", Dr. Garrett scolded. "Security!", Dr. Whitney ordered. A pair of guards escorted Nick down the platform. Nick backed down and apologized. "Hmph, serves you right.", Gina mumbled. This angered Nick and attempted to hit her but Dr. Whitney intervened and managed to stop him. "What do YOU think you're doing?!", she reprimanded. "Don't you dare approach my niece like that, the consequences are endless! Security, escort him out of the Genetics Lab.", she commanded. Nick was dragged out of the lab while he protested. "I didn't do anything wrong I swear!", as he was taken out of the room, everyone remained silent. Dr. Maxwell whispered to Jim, "I told you this would happen.", Jim nodded. Dr. Maxwell apologized to Dr. Whitney, "Dr. Whitney I'm truly sorry.", "Hmph, you should be.", she grumbled. Afterward, the tour went on without Nick. We left Cridaea's carcass and moved onto the next room. Lee felt nervous, he felt uncomfortable about the use of kaiju D.N.A. in pathogens. As we moved on with the tour, we saw several guards in training. Then we moved onto the next chamber, a huge dining area with a fancy gourmet meal being prepared for us. "Oh I'm starving.", Dr. Whitney said before helping Gina take a seat then she immediately sat down, not caring about anyone at all. Then we sat down all together and proceeded to dine in. After a few bites, Jim, Martha, and Dr. Maxwell felt full. "Must've been something we ate...", Jim replied. "Young man, are you sure that you're full, whatever did you eat beforehand?", Dr. Whitney asked. "Uhm, it's none of your business.", Jim retorted. This surprised Dr. Whitney so she remained silent. AS they continued eating, a couple of guards entered the room and called Dr. Whitney, "Dr. Whitney, someone's on the phone, would you like to answer?", one of them said. "Yes, I'll be there!", she replied, "Gina, be a good girl and stay here okay, this is just something I need to take care of. But don't worry, auntie will have a surprise for you later.", she continued. Gina nodded uninterestedly as Dr. Whitney went outside and loudly argues with someone. "Let's just mind our own business okay.", Sally said as she tried to calm everyone down. We ignored Dr. Whitney's endless bickering and proceeded. I asked Dr. Maxwell, Jim, and Martha, "Do you want more?", Martha replied, "No thank you, we just ate before we got here and...", as she was talking, Dr. Whitney barged in, looking annoyed. "Did I miss anything?", she asked. "No not at all, Dr. Garrett answered, "In fact, we were just about to talk when you barged in.", he sarcastically continued. Then Dr. Whitney's phone rang, as she took out her bag, something red inside started to illuminate and I felt curious. "Could the red glow be something she stole from the Chemistry lab? I did bump into her and she was in such a hurry as she picked up something, something that released a reddish hue.", I said to myself. Then as I started to ask her, the bell rang. "Oh! time to go to your rooms everyone.", Sally said. "Ugh finally.", Gina retorted. I noticed Jim and Martha felt so excited. I grinned as the recruits left the dining hall.
Meanwhile, the four of them went to the 5th floor which is where the guest rooms are located. As they got there, a woman from the concierge table greeted them, "Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, here are your guest room keycards, always wear them at all costs. We do have duplicates but we would like to minimize losses so take extra care of them alright. If a guest loses his/her keycard, there will be extra room charges. Do you understand?", she said. "We do.", Jim replied. "Alright, have a great day!", she bid them as they made their way towards their rooms. "Which room do we stay in?", Martha asked. "Um, Room 5025.", Jim replied. Lee gets to stay in Room 5026, while Gina resides in Room 5027, at the very end of the hall. "Jim, I'm worried about Nick, I really hope he's okay.", Martha anxiously said. "Yeah, me too.", Jim replied. Then as they entered Room 5025, they can't believe what they saw, it was Nick! "Nick!", Martha yelled as he laughed. "Nick, what are you doing here, I mean, HOW did you get here?!", Jim asked. "Well, remember when I got thrown out of the Genetics Lab? Well, the guards had nothing to do with me so they brought me to the Fifth floor while this really nice lady gave me the keycard. I told her that I'm waiting for you guys so I returned the keycard to her just in case you'll get here. What happened after I left?", Nick asked. "Well we just passed through a room filled with guards in training and we ate lunch...again.", Martha replied. "Ooohhh, why didn't you tell me.", Nick replied while Martha rolled her eyes in response. "Then Dr. Whitney had an argument with someone, afterwards, we were escorted to our rooms.", Jim continued. "So what have you been doing while we were gone?", Martha asked, "Have you been stress eating lately?", she continued. "No.", Nick replied when suddenly a couple of ice cream containers fell from the shelf above him and fell on Nick's head. They soon started to laugh, "Oh Nick, you never fail to entertain us.", Jim said as he pats his friend's back. Nick smiled awkwardly, "Yeah I uh...meant to do that." They started to celebrate their arrival in the 'Institute' They watched films on the widescreen tv in the guestroom. Meanwhile, as they all enjoyed, Lee is busy doing research in the next room, and he is constantly getting disturbed by the trio's endless ruckus. "When will they stop.", he nervously said as he got back to work. Gina on the other hand is constantly arguing with room service, saying that she got the wrong order, and rudely throws the plate on the floor, creating a huge mess. "Clean that up!", she ordered. The maintenance crew arrived and cleaned up the mess Gina made. Afterward, they went to the next two rooms to give snacks to the other visitors. "Here is the order for Mr. Lee Garrett, sorry we arrived late, there was a mess in the other room and we just had to tend to it immediately.", one of them apologized. "I understand, but it's no excuse for getting my order 75% accurate.", Lee replied. "Oh, I told you something's wrong.", one of them whispered. "However, it does have a satisfactory taste, it's quite good.", Lee said. "Oh, it's nice to hear a good compliment for once.", one of them replied. Lee thanked them for providing his meal while the maintenance crew left his room and approached Room 5025 to provide the trio's snacks. Martha received their order and thanked them as they left. "Snacks are served!", Martha called out, Jim and Nick arrived. "Martha, we just ate.", Jim said. "I know, we're just storing snacks for later.", Martha replied. "Oh...okay.", Jim replied. "So what should we do now?", Nick asked. "I know! We'll create a fort and a homemade security system. If someone tries to open the door, with a duplicate keycard, we'll surprise them for sure, especially that 'Dr. Whitney'.", Martha said as she proposed a plan to trick Dr. Whitney. As they proceeded, Jim hung the cans over the door so that when it opens, it will make noise and alert the three of them. Martha placed two empty ice cream buckets in front of the door, hoping that someone will get their feet stuck and slip as they try their best to free themselves. Nick on the other hand places fake cobwebs by the door adding spider figures to frighten those who would come in. After they've set their trap, they eventually fell asleep.
After a while, an alarm sets off, causing everyone to wake up. Gina can be heard yelling loudly, while they can hear Lee's complaints. Then someone knocked at the door, "Jim, Martha, Nick, you have to go downstairs, it's urgent!", Dr. Maxwell called, "I'll see you there, just go to the Operations Center alright.", he continued. Soon afterward, he left. They could hear an automated voice warning, "WARNING...CODE RED IN MONACOBREEN GLACIER, SPITZBERGEN, SVALBARD. EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. REPEAT, EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!"
The three of them stared at each other in bewilderment. "We should go now, it's urgent.", Martha said. "Let's take down the trap first, we'll just set it up later,", Jim said. After they've finished untangling the string and cans, they tucked them inside the supply closet. Then they changed their clothes, took their bags along with the keycard, and left the room, now headed towards the Operations Center as Dr. Maxwell asked.