Rats in City Hall Chapter 1
By Matthew Lawson
New York, Time: 18:23
City Hall
It was April 1996, four months after the outbreak of Mitochondria Eve, a
being that could have signaled the end ofthe human race.
That threat was gone now, at a heavy casualty price. But the threat was gone.
New York was slowly getting back to it's busy life once again.Mayor Chester
sat at his office, making a final check on any e-mail that may have come
in at the last minute.
"Goddamn Spam. Is this computer doing it's job or what?"
Spam was the jargon term for any inappropriate and unwanted messages that
was posted to multiple e-mail addresses. In Chester's case though, Spam was
his term about any complaints, unwanted advice or any other bullshit that
just happened to be past down to him to his address.
Chester deleted most of his messages and looked out of the window. New York
had a view problem in that when you normally looked out of your window, all
you could see was either dozens of cars stuck in a traffic jam, or shitloads
of concrete from the building in front. That and the occasional drop of uncleaned
mitochondria goo that drooped out of one of the sewage ducts. Chester was
having a conference with other leading members of the country in City Hall
at 7:30 p.m.The main point that was to be made was the trouble that happened
with Eve. It happened once in Tokyo, in Japan. It happened again, in New
York. So it could be possible that Eve could appear a third time.
A lot of high ranking politicians and military commanders were going to be
there. Generals, Admirals. Even the President was going to be there. It would
certainly help if he didn't screw his speech up.
That woman was going to be there too. What was her name, Aya Brea? She was
going to give her account of what was going to happen. It was her, after
all, who apparently 'saved' the city. She was also going to have a lot to
explain too. She was partly to blame for the destruction of the Statue of
Liberty, a historical symbol of hope and liberty for the people of America.
She also admitted to the destruction of one of the US Navy's prized carriers,
the USS Nimitz. That was going to be a problem. Aya was a dangerous woman.
She had shown her 'special abilities' from the reports he received from the
battle on the deck of the Nimitz. It didn't matter that she received these
from a kidney operation which was transplanted from her dead sister.
Mayor Chester had a quick shower, shave and change of suit. It was time to
get to city hall, the limo was already waiting.
Precinct #17, Police
Station
Detective Aya Brea looked out of the window in her formal dress, staring
at the starry sky, wondering if her family was watching at her from up there.
She was the only one of the family left now, and she would have been alone
had it not been for the support of the whole police precinct which she was
posted too, especially Daniel, her partner.
But still, it just feels so strange. I have no-one to go home to, no-one
to love……no-one.
Aya thought to what had happened since that time when she eradicated
the ultimate creation by destroying the Nimitz, with the thing inside. Maeda
had already gone back to Japan, the messy, but helpful, scientist study
mitochondria's substance, continuing the late Dr. Clamp's research but for
a good cause, as he liked to put it. Wayne was in charge of the entire armory
after Torres's death, and Baker had recovered and was reinstated as Captain
of Aya's precinct.
Aya looked at Maya. It was Maeda's special gun, a Browning military gun Maeda
had picked up in the Gun Shop that he, Aya and Daniel "raided" for weapons
needed to kill Eve, chambered to fire special bullets that contained Aya's
blood cells, which could kill mutating mitochondria. There were still some
active Eve-mutated creatures lurking within the city. The police spent a
lot of time cleaning them up, Aya in charge. Aya had named the gun after
her dead sister, having the name carved on the barrel by Wayne. After all,
the mitochondria cells lurking around Aya's body were Maya's cells, transplanted
into her when Maya was killed in a car crash which also killed their mother
in order to cure a Kidney disease Aya was infected with.
Baker walked up to Aya and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah." Aya replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Listen, when we get there, I'll be standing by you, okay. Don't worry about
anything, just tell them the truth about what happened. After all, it was
your powers that saved us."
Baker and Aya walked to the police car that would take them to City Hall.
Along the way, they met Daniel, who would be driving them there.
"Hey Aya. You okay?"
"Just a little annoyed they couldn't have done this a lot sooner."
Laughing a little, Daniel escorted them to the car.
In the City Sewers, something was stirring. A lone sewage worker was cleaning
out the sewers, cleaning the latest bits of sewage that had somehow spilled
out onto an alleyway.
God, I hate this Job.
As the worker looked around and picked up all the bits of sewage, he spoke
into his walkie-talkie.
"Jackson here, uhhhh I'm just finishing this area then I'm coming back up."
"Okay dude, I'm waiting right here for ya."
Jackson grimaced. The punk had come up from California, and had the accent
to prove it. He hated that accent. What was worse, though, was that the dicks
in charge had the stupidity to put that guy in charge.
He was about to call back when he saw some strange gloop in the distance.
He checked it out, and put his finger to were it had landed. He instantly
recognized it, as he had cleaned it up before.
"Mito-whatever shit."
Hearing a scuttling sound, he turned to his left, and saw a thing charge
at him in the darkness. Jackson pulled out his gun, something he always carried
with him in case he saw anything strange, though the Californian never knew,
and he fired.
The creature slumped to the ground, dead. Jackson stepped closer to it. I
was at first glance a rat. Biggest damned rat I ever saw! Then he realised
it wasn't a rat. Its jaws extended straight out of it's mouth. A piece of
flesh was hanging out of it's eye socket, if they were what people called
eyes.They were just green spheres, like marbles,but with nothing in them.
It wasn't just bleeding blood, but some sort of yellowey shit as well. And
it's tail was split into three.
Jackson heard a hissing sound behind him, turned round and saw a host of
these things. All mutated. All alive!
Oh SHIT!!!
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"
He heard a CHOMP! Then he heard no more.
The food was delicious, as there were lots of it. The mutated rats fed on
it like wild beasts, tearing away at the skin and muscle, with blood smeared
across their faces, till there was just cartilage and bone. They pressed
on with their journey, their instincts guiding them to the human that had
killed their mother and many of their kind.
They were still hungry for human blood.
City Hall
"And so what did you do when you confronted this 'ultimate being',
Detective?"
"I had to use my special abilities, sir."
"And what, may I ask were they?"
"I'd rather not say what they are, sir."
"Well I can. As can several chopper pilots who were evacuating the remaining
survivors on the exploded ships. In one report, a cut on your right legged
instantly healed, leaving nothing but ripped clothing, and no scar. Another
report showed you charging a huge ball of energy into the barrel of your
gun, then firing it like a beam. A final report showed you transforming into
a glowing blue creature with wings, that instantly clawed away at the creature.
Did you or did you not do all of this?"
Aya sighed, "Yes General sir, I did."
"As I thought. Mr. President," The General turned towards the President of
the United States, "I think that this young lady be tested so that we find
out whether she is dangerous or not."
"General Peters!!" The Admiral shouted, "I know Detective Brea, I was with
her when the Ultimate being was born! When I saw her fight that creature
I knew in my heart that she was fighting for us. She is not dangerous to
us!"
General Peters shouted back, "We don't have detailed facts about the
mitochondria. For all we know, the mitochondria in her may be toying with
us."
"You don't even know her." That was Captain Baker, "I saw Aya save her partner's
only son from one of our police dogs that had mutated into a massive three-headed
cerberus. Aya is a good person."
"We don't know anything about Eve. All of Dr. Clamps files were destroyed
by him, you think he knew something? Until we have conclusive proof, I say
that Aya goes to quarantine and be tested on."
"Like hell you will!! I'm not having a human being on my force be tested
on like a god-damn lab-rat. She saved our city for Christ's sake!"
"BE QUIET!!!!"
The President stood and shouted an order so loud it stopped the three men
from arguing any further. Aya couldn't help but raise a little smile.
"This bickering is pointless. Detective Brea?"
Aya faced the President.
"In the light of the evidence, I believe the best course of action for you
will be…."
A man suddenly burst through the door. "THERE'S A RAT PROBLEM!!!!"
The Mayor was pretty angry about this seemingly stupid interruption. He spoke,
"Wonderful. We have an important meeting with the President in City hall,
and there's a goddamn rat infestation. Get a Rodent killer!"
"Sir, I don't think you understand. THEY'RE INFECTED RATS!!!"
"WHAAAT?!!"
The City hall was a blood bath inside the corridors. Innocent civilians were
mutilated and eaten by dozens of the rats, and still they were not satisfied.
They pressed on towards the main chamber, where their prey was. They would
avenge her. No matter how many humans were killed, she will die!!
Aya ran to the main entrance door of the hall. A huge number of those rats
were crawling towards her, teethe gnashing, their faces covered in the blood
of other victims.
Aya shouted to Baker, "Captain, keep them inside!! I'm going to have to face
them."
"What are you talking about Aya? You haven't got a gun!"
"I don't need one."
Aya stood still, awaiting the arrival of the rat army. She lifted her arms
in the air, and closed her eyes. Inside, her mitochondria started to stir,
as Aya willed the life inside her to be released as a powerful force known
as Liberation. A glow of light surrounded her as the members of the committee
stared in wonder as Aya morphed into the ultimate fighting form, a beautiful,
but strong and fearsome, being glowing blue with energy, her hair as yellow
as the sun, and wings like an angel's. Her Parasite Energy was at maximum,
there would be no stopping her.
Aya spoke, in a voice soothing to her allies and fearsome to her enemies,
"This is what I am capable of General Peters."
Aya flew towards the horde at lightning speed, and attacked the rats with
a swipe at her claws. They fell at her onslaught. Whenever Aya hit them ,
the rats instantly died from the parasites in Aya's body, and melted.
Aya never waned, continually destroying the enemy on her terms. A large number
maybe, but they were still rats, and they weren't the most strongest of Eve's
mutations.
Aya twisted and turned as she attacked the rats one by one. However, one
rat managed to slip past. Deciding not to attack Aya, it instead continued
for the conference room, and ran towards the President. Fortunately, a
quick-witted security guard managed to aim his machine-gun at the creature
and shoot it out of the air before it could kill the President. He fired
a few more rounds at the snarling, injured creature, and it died in a poll
of it's yellow mitochondria-blood. At last, the remaining rats simply turned
and fled. Aya morphed back into her original form, and leaned against the
wall, tired and dizzy from her assault. Baker ran to Aya, and carried her
back to the main chamber.
The President looked startled. He never saw Eve's mutations until now.
"What……was that?"
"They started off as simple rats Mr. President," Baker informed him, "But
thanks to Eve, they increased in size, and grew more dangerous to us than
they ever were."
Aya, recovering from her dizziness, started to speak. "I've never used my
Liberate attack for that long period of time. Thank God they ran away when
I morphed back. But what startled me was that there were so many of them."
"But they'll still be here. We have to wipe them out before they come
back."
"I'll go, I'm the only one who can destroy them."
The President spoke. "Not alone. I'm sending someone else with you. You there,"
he said, calling to the security guard that saved his life, "What's your
name?"
"Uhhhhh…Michael Callighan sir."
"You're going with Detective Brea. That's a presidential order. The rest
of the guards will protect the chamber. I want three of you to guard the
hall way, and the other two will stay in here. Good hunting."
"Sir, I don't have a gun. I left it at the station."
"Here," Callighan handed his handgun with a couple of clips to Aya. "You
can use this. I've got my own machine gun."
"Thanks." Aya looked at the handgun. It was a Western Arms Colt Mark IV Series
70, with a magazine that hold about 15 bullets. It wasn't Maya, but given
the circumstances, it would have to do. Callighan's gun was a Heckler &
Koch MP5K, superior to her gun in terms of power, but she preferred hand
guns for their aim.
"Is there a phone nearby? If I can contact my partner in the car outside.
He's waiting for us there."
At this one of the other guards spoke, sounding nervous, "Won't the rats
have rushed outside, the front doors are still open aren't they."
At this the Mayor spoke. "This is a crisis situation. When the guards at
the CCTV camera room spot a crisis situation, they automatically lock all
the doors and windows, so as to stop the threat from escaping or spilling
out. The problem is the street is too far for your partner to see any of
your friends running about. The only one I can think of, is the one in the
main lobby. I don't know about any others."
"It will have to do."
Baker spoke, "Aya, good luck."
Aya and Callighan ran out of the door, heading to the lobby.
"That was good shooting back there, even with a machine gun." Aya said to
her new partner.
"Thanks. I was a marine once, till I got injured and discharged on the grounds
of 'medical reasons'. I landed a job protecting the President afterwards.
This is my first day on the job."
"Well, I hope this doesn't end up in a failure. Otherwise, you will be certainly
out of a career opportunity."
"Yeah, and I don't think my girlfriend would like that very much."
Aya left it at that. They had a crisis to deal with first.