The Survival Chronicles (Book 7): Hard Mercy

and Christmas all rolled up into one—”
You got that right Rose. This is it—
“We’re going in,” Mercy said, her pulse quickening. She squeezed through the gap in the heavy doors.
“Wait… I thought this was just a recon,” Rose whispered.
Mercy moved ahead, not answering. Rose shrugged and followed Mercy inside. The storage room was quiet, a forklift truck was visible down one of the aisles. The smell of vegetables hung heavy in the air. An area off to one side was occupied by tables laden with hundreds of jars and lids.
They’re preserving food for the winter. An organised operation—
Mercy glanced around. A schematic map on the wall caught her eye. She went over for a closer look.
It’s a map of this level—
Mercy peered at the schematic and found a red dot. The words: YOU ARE HERE were beside the mark.
This is from before the Fall. Probably for delivery people, visitors—
A series of corridors and rooms were detailed on the map. Mercy’s eyes widened.
This place is huge—
Her eyes moved to another part of the schematic. A room was outlined in red on the map, the spot grimy with fingerprints.
Rose pressed in and indicated the smudged area on the map, “So, what do you think? That room looks… important? Admin area? Mitchell’s quarters?”
Barnes spoke up, “Makes sense for Mitchell to be underground, this whole area of the museum has been repurposed. There’s likely to be labs, barracks, briefing rooms, a kitchen and a mess hall. That area could be the kitchens, it would make sense seeing as we’re in the food warehouse—”
Mercy nodded. “Well, it’s all we’ve got to go on and it could be important seeing as it’s the only room highlighted in red, so let’s check it out. Barnes, this place is big… can you figure out a compass bearing to make sure we’re heading in the right direction?”
“Will do,” Barnes answered. He took out his compass and used the schematic to estimate a general direction of travel.
Mercy lowered her voice, “Remember, we’re wearing NSA uniforms, so we look the part. If we meet anyone, brazen it out. If it fails… we take them out—”
“Seems fair,” Rose said. She glanced around, “Damn, why isn’t there anyone around? This place gives me the creeps.”
“There must be someone, that horse and cart looked fresh in from the fields,” Mercy answered. “It’s after midnight, maybe they’re between shifts. Who cares? We’re in. Let’s go, safeties off.”
Mercy led the way down the nearest aisle to the back of the warehouse. They came to a clear PVC strip curtain. Dim floor lighting was visible beyond the strip curtains. Mercy glanced at the others then pushed her way through the vinyl strips. The corridor was noticeably warmer than the food storage area. Mercy transferred her pistol to her right hand and racked the slide, chambering a round.
At least we look like NSA—
They walked down the dimly lit corridor, passing unmarked doors on either side. The floor lights flickered in places, creating a sense of foreboding. Mercy came to a window, fronting a large room full of laboratory equipment and computer screens. Workbenches ran along one wall, large wall screens flickered at the rear of the room. Her eyes were drawn to three rows of large glass tanks filled with a green liquid. Streams of bubbles filled the tanks, rising from below.
What the hell—?
Mercy stopped and pressed her face to the window. She stared at the glass tanks. Rose mumbled something beside her.
“What did you say?” Mercy said.
“There’s people in there, in those glass tubes,” Rose said.
Jesus. We need to check this out. Wait, no… this isn’t the objective. Mitchell is our objective. Move on—
Voices came from further up the corridor.
Shit—
Mercy went to the door and tried the handle. The door was unlocked, she entered the laboratory.
This feels… familiar—
She looked at the machines lining the wall and the instruments on the workbenches. She shivered.
It’s like the labs in Cheyenne Mountain and on the North Victory gas platform. Goddammit, this is Cobalt Biotech stuff—
Goosebumps puckered Mercy’s skin.
Heavy footsteps passed in the corridor outside. Mercy turned and saw two men pushing a large trolley down the corridor towards the food warehouse. They were wearing overalls and carried side arms.
Close shave—
A voice came out of the darkness at the rear of the laboratory, “Can I help you, officer?”
Mercy froze.

Chapter 9
Past Life
Mercy spun around. A man in a white lab coat stood a few feet away.
Where the hell did he come from?
She stared at him, the moment drawing out.
Think—
Mercy stepped forwards, “Negative. We’re running random spot checks, increased internal security. There’s been suspicious activity outside the wall—”
The man nodded slowly, “I see—”
Mercy’s eyes went to his name badge: DR DAVID REYES, BIOPATHOLOGY.
OK—
Mercy noticed the surgical mask around his neck and the bloody rubber gloves on his hands. Her eyes flicked to the rear of the laboratory. A cadaver lay on a metal table, a wide incision in its abdominal cavity.
Christ, he’s doing an autopsy—
The man muttered something.
“What was that?” Mercy said, playing for time.
“I’ve not been outside the wall in… over two years. Is it that long? It must be—” the man said.
Mercy’s eyes narrowed.
He looks pale, wasted. Unhealthy—
Movement caught Mercy’s eye. She looked at the nearest glass tank. A naked body floated in the murky green liquid. She stepped up to the tank and stared at the glass. A corrupted face appeared out of the opaque liquid. Long wispy hair floated around the female alpha’s skull. Tubes seemed to run from every orifice, a series of leads covered the alpha’s chest and head. A small red LED flashed near the alpha’s sternum. Mercy swore.
It’s her—
The alpha’s eyes snapped open.
Jesus—
Mercy stepped back.
Annapolis. It’s the alpha queen from the Naval Academy. They’ve captured her—
Mercy glanced at Reyes.
“Pretty, isn’t she? Quite… eloquent this one; the others in her pack follow her unquestioningly. She’s definitely the queen bee among them. She’s been GPS tagged, we’ll know where she is at all times. We’ve submitted her to the new process,