They Called Her the Devil

Chapter 50, Xander

I was undoubtedly an idiot.

Why else would I go into the Gold Order base alone without telling anyone where I was going? They'd only try to stop me.

I had to find out the location of the virus, without it I'd have to watch as 25 million people died in front of me. I couldn't lose anyone else.

So as I walked into the base in my stolen guards uniform I hoped nobody would recognize me. I just had to get to the main computer in the center of the base.

There would have to be some sort of record.

The Gold Order base was located in the middle of the woods. Nobody had been able to find it due to the fact it was several feet underground.

In the mid-2050s an eccentric billionaire had built a series of bunkers underground to survive the zombie apocalypse. Due to the shortage of zombies, it served as a perfect secret base.

I'd found an entrance hatch and nobody had bothered to question a guard coming in from watch duty.

I walked through the series of connected shipping containers that would have been high tech back in 2055. I passed several other guards, always careful to look away as they passed.

Them knowing who I was wouldn't exactly be pleasant.

We hadn't been able to get a map so I was going in blind. Looked like I was going to wander for a bit.

I passed ordinary people going about their day-to-day business. Most of them thought they were making the world a better place. Not replacing a tyrant with another one.

I kept walking through the base trying to project an air of confidence. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

And then I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

A completely unguarded room full of computers appeared as I turned a corner. I immediately walked over to one and remembered passwords were a thing.

"The password's YOULLNEVERGUESSMYPASSWORD if you're wondering, all one word, all caps, no apostrophe in the you'll."

I turned around to find a willowy young woman with long light brown hair. She was wearing a light green sundress and flats. Then I recognized her as Rachel.

"How do I know typing that in won't alert the guards I'm here?"

"Because if I wanted to get the guards all I'd have to do is scream."

Realizing she was right I typed in Gold's unbelievably stupid password. Izzie would break into the Gold Order base to lecture him if she found out.

The computer unlocked and I searched the files for anything having to do with the virus. Rachel appeared behind me and pointed to the third one that popped up.

"If you're looking for the location it's that one."

I clicked it and a series of words restored all of my hope in our plan.

Primary Testing Location: 978 Druthers Street, Baltimore Maryland.

I sent the file to my x-com. Then as Izzie had once showed me, deleted the transfer history. Then I turned to Rachel, I noticed a faint bruise she'd attempted to cover with makeup.

"Why are you helping me? I'm trying to bring down the Gold Order."

"Because you saved my life. And because my father is a bad person who deserves to be stopped."

Rachel flinched.

"Your father?" I asked.

"Yes, my father Richard Gold."

And then I noticed the resemblance. They shared the same nose and had the same light brown eyes.

"You should come with me. Join the Silver Order. Help me stop your father." I said.

I really meant it. Gold's daughter would be invaluable to us. Not to mention the fact that she deserved to be saved.

Rachel paused. Her eyes almost seemed to tear up as she opened her mouth. Then she flinched again and finally spoke.

"I can't. I have to stay and look out for my brother."

"He can come with us. It doesn't have to be like this, you can make a difference."

This time Rachel answered quicker.

"He's not at the base right now. Maybe when he gets back but I can't leave him."

"I understand."

And I did. It had been torture leaving Izzie behind when we'd escaped the Legion. And she was still safe. I couldn't imagine leaving a brother.

"You should go. Go through that tunnel and take three lefts and a right and you'll be out."

I thanked her and started walking through the tunnels to safety. I'd gotten the location. It was all going to be okay.

I made a left then another. Then I saw a group of heavily armed guards around a corner. And turned down the opposite path.

I'd hide in one of the rooms until they left.

And as I entered the room I saw the death of millions contained in small vials of light green liquid. Thousands of them in glass shelves. It had to be the virus.

Without thinking I pulled my gun from my belt and shot the glass.

Of course, the bullet ricocheted off. Bulletproof glass.

Then if things couldn't get any worse the group of guards walked in. Without a hint of hesitation they charged.

I took off sprinting. Hoping Rachel's directions had been right.

I backtracked through the way I'd entered and sprinted through the halls. A left, a right, and a ladder later I was running through the woods.

Then men were on my tail and firing bullets. But they hadn't hit me yet. And I didn't intend to let them.

And then my helicopter came into view.

I jumped in and slammed the door behind me. Then ignoring the safety checklist, as was customary in a high-speed escape, I took off.

We finally knew where the virus was. Both of the locations.

The first one I could easily tell Kate about. She'd attack and we probably wouldn't have very many deaths. We could destroy the virus with no trouble.

But the second one just had to be located in a building full of innocent people. Was it really right to kill several thousand people, even to save even more?

Kate would want to bomb them.

And she would never get the chance.

***

Hello humans! What do you think of Rachel and her helping Xander? Will they destroy the virus in time? Will Kate find out the base location? Please vote and comment, I want to know what you think!

-Jade