The Virus Within: Third Wave (Book 2)

Chapter 30

I grabbed my backpack and left my room, ready to start my mid-morning patrol.

As I exited the secondary building, Daniel's voice called out, "Trinity?"

I looked over and spotted him beside one of the farther garages.

He continued, "Could you please come over here and collect Nicky?" Without waiting for a reply, he went back inside the garage.

What had Nicky done this time? At least Daniel hadn't sounded irritated or exasperated – he'd been oddly calm, in fact. Nor did I hear any commotion indicating Nicky was going off the walls.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I went to the garage. Nicky grinned at me from inside a shoddy cage made from various large pieces of scrap metal and bicycle frames.

"Okay... Why is Nicky locked up?" I asked, glancing at the workbench where Hank nodded in greeting, then went back to helping Daniel fix a small machine.

Without looking up, Daniel said, "She believed she could, so she did, and now she's in timeout."

"The risk I took was very carefully calculated, but I seem to have made a miscalculation somewhere along the way," Nicky cheerfully replied. "I forgot to take into account we were in a garage, and I also learned it isn't wise to let Daniel think something through if you don't want him to succeed."

With a sigh, I crossed my arms and examined the lady who seemed to find this situation far too amusing. "What did you do?"

"Well, I came in here to visit with Hank, but he was already helping Daniel fix one of Nina's machines. Daniel wouldn't let me distract Hank, and I didn't feel like leaving, so I got bored and told Daniel that I bet he couldn't lock me up without me getting loose." She paused and tried to shake the cage bars, which didn't budge and barely even creaked. "I think I might have lost that bet."

"And you let him build that around you?" Wherever two sections overlapped, a band of metal had been securely wrapped around the joint. Even with Daniel's speed, it would have taken him some time to build this cage. And that didn't explain how she was standing on a chain-link floor.

"Nope. He walked out and came back two minutes later with this. I made the mistake of going in when he told me to try it out. By the way, did you notice he used a piece of copper pipe to secure the door? I can't pick a lock that doesn't exist."

"Impressive." I walked closer. "You'd need a hacksaw or zombie strength to get out of that."

Daniel watched us with a pleased smile. "I had some spare time one evening and decided to build something for her next insanity blitz. She was bored, so I figured this would be a good test."

"Can you get out?" I asked Nicky.

"Quickly, no. But, given enough time, I could grab those slats of wood and use that string-" she pointed to the shelf beside her cage, where the mentioned scraps were just within reach, "to tie them together and knock the bolt cutters off the wall." She had clearly thought this out and undoubtedly possessed enough persistence to pull it off.

Daniel nodded thoughtfully. "I was wondering if you'd find a way to reach the bolt cutters. It's why I put the cage there."

"I assume you won't give her such tools next time?" I asked Daniel.

"No. This kept her occupied, and she tested out each joint quite thoroughly without being asked."

Nicky sighed. "Alright. As amazed as I am by your ability to turn scrap metal into a rather sturdy cage, can someone let me out?"

"I'll let you do the honors," Daniel told me, still standing beside Hank. "Mind taking her with you on your patrol?"

"Will you behave?" I asked Nicky dubiously.