Chapter One: Alone at the End of the World

The wind was what made it unbearable. The snow he could handle, but that damned wind just cut through the hardest of men like a knife. He'd been there for two years, and seen numerous recruits lose it just because of the cold. He looked at his watch, and made a note of the time. Twenty minutes past deadline...Better go look for them he thought as he walked over to a nearby snowmobile and climbed aboard.

He pressed a switch on a panel on the snowmobile, illuminating numerous beacons on the landscape. The Company had put them up as a secondary precaution, after a number of recruits wondered off the training course and ended up freezing to death out there. The Company didn't talk much about that incident, mainly because two of the bodies were never recovered.

After that, the outpost became a virtual "no-go" zone. Reserved as a punishment for some, and only used to train the toughest of recruits for winter environments. He wasn't sure whether his position here was the former or the latter, either way he'd been there too long.

He saw movement, at least shadows in the distance. He gunned the snowmobile, staying within the beacons as he moved closer and closer towards the movement he saw. He saw three people, screaming and waving their arms. He noticed the fourth on the ground as he got closer.

"Mr. Bertrand! Thank God!" one of them screamed as he got off the snowmobile and walked towards them.

"What happened here?" Bertrand asked, as he walked closer towards the one on the ground.

"We were making our way back, when Sandra heard something. Before we knew it, Kyle went down. He's messed up pretty bad, sir." One of them said, as Bertrand walked over to Kyle and looked at him. From his face to his groin, a large incision could be seen. His lips were torn open in such a way, that his chin became an extension of his mouth. The bubbles in the blood near his mouth, suggested that he was still breathing. Bertrand couldn't figure out how.

"Did none of you see what did this?" Bertrand asked, as he walked back to the snowmobile and grabbed a pack off the back.

"No...We didn't see anything. He just screamed and fell down...We thought he was kidding, sir." Sandra, the lone woman of the group, answered.

Bertrand walked over to Kyle and opened the pack. Inside were two syringes, and a variety of drugs. Bertrand took the two syringes, and filled them full of a drug.

"There's nothing we can do for him. Even if we get him back to the base, he's not going to survive. We don't have a medical team out here...This is for the best." Bertrand said, as he slide both needles into Kyle's neck and pushed the stoppers down. Kyle groaned for a moment as his body went into a slight spasm. Within seconds, he stopped. Bertrand checked his pulse, he was gone.

"Alright. David and Jeremiah, you both wait here. Sandra, get on the snowmobile. I'm taking you back to the HQ. After I drop her off, I'll come back for you two." Bertrand said, as Sandra stepped back in objection.

"Just because I'm a woman, sir...Doesn't mean I need to be taken out of here first." Sandra said, as she looked down towards Kyle's lifeless corpse.

"Fine. David, get on the machine." Bertrand said, as he climbed onto the machine with David coming and sitting behind him. The snowmobile took off, as Bertrand took one last glance back as the figures disappeared into shadows.

*******

Sandra and Jeremiah stood there, quiet and uncomfortable, trying not to look at Kyle's dead body. There would be no small talk between them, just the awkward silence.

A howl was heard in the distance, as the two of them looked around desperately. Their mission was winter survival, and as such they weren't armed. If some wild beast had smelt Kyle, it might come and prefer a living target. The two waited, as they heard the hum of the snowmobile get closer once again. Bertrand and the snowmobile appeared, and came to stop.

"Sandra. This time you are coming." Bertrand said, as Sandra made her way towards the machine and climbed on.

"Jeremiah...See if you can squeeze on too. I'd prefer not to have to make another trip back." Bertrand said as Jeremiah pushed against Sandra and barely managed to fit on the snowmobile. The three took off and head towards the winter headquarters.

******

When the three arrived at the HQ, the vehicle hangar doors were wide open. Bertrand pulled into the hangar, and parked the snowmobile off to one side. He looked around.

"Where's David? I thought I told him to wait here..." Bertrand said as he looked around the empty hangar.

The others began looking around the hangar, and calling out David's name. A scream came from Sandra, as Bertrand and Jeremiah rushed over to her. What they saw, was something that would haunt their dreams.

David, or at least what was left of him, riddled an entire corridor. The once yellow walls were stained with blood and guts. David's torso was found at the far end of the corridor, his legs in the middle, and his arms right at the door. His head, however, was nowhere to be found.

"Seal this building down. I'm going to radio room to let them know we have a situation." Bertrand said, as he watched the two recruits run off in different directions to seal the HQ from the outside.

When Bertrand reached the radio room, he cursed in a variety of profanities unheard by numerous people in years. The radio equipment was smashed. The computer mainframe was cut in half, destroying internet access to the entire facility.

"We're alone." Bertrand said, as he walked down the hallway and turned towards a large steel door. He took out a key from around his neck, and opened the door. He threw on the lightswitch to reveal a room loaded to the brim with weaponry. What ever was attacking them, was about to be in for a fight...

*Chapter Two to come soon.*

Took you long enough, man! Right brill fic, don't keep us waiting too long for Chappie 2.

Chapter 2: The Last Brigade

Bertrand opening the weapon's locker, pulling out assault rifles, handguns, grenades and numerous different weapons that were banned across the world.

He heard a noise behind him, as he spun around with the handgun in hand. He dropped to one knee, as he thrust the pistol forward. He was prepared to fire, until he saw Sandra and Jeremiah standing there. He stood back up as he tucked the pistol into his pants.

"Stock up. We have a situation, and we're facing it alone." Bertrand said, as he grabbed an assault rifle and threw it around his shoulder.

"Take one side arm, one main weapon, and grenades if you wish. Take as much ammo as you can carry...I'm not sure what we're up against here." Bertrand said as he opened another locker, and began taking out clips of ammunition.

"Sir...What do you mean facing it alone?" Jeremiah asked.

"The radio's been destroyed...We've lost internet access...And there's sure as hell no cell phone coverage here. It's the three of us, verus whatever the hell killed Kyle and David. The two of them looked discouraged.

"I've been through worse..." Bertrand said, as he seemed to drift off for a moment.

"Sir?" Sandra asked.

"Six years ago. We were in Panama, organizing a bag and tag mission for a young girl there. We tried to do things by the book, and we ended up accidentally killing her parents. That's when we saw first hand what she could do." Bertrand took a breath.

"Her dead parents got back up...Came after us. The little girl could raise the freaking dead. My partner lost it...Ended up killing the girl to save ourselves. The Company had him killed for his actions, and they've been shuffling me around from crappy assignment to crappy assignment since. That girl did some strange stuff when she raised her parents...Stuff I've been trying to forget for years. I'll assure you, it was worse than this." Bertrand said, as he took the assault rifle off his shoulders and readied it.

"Get your gear. We're going to make our way to the Command Centre. We can lock the entire room down. We should be safe there. There's also some spare equipment there. Jeremiah. I understand you're a technical person. With the right equipment, could you patch up a makeshift radio?" Bertrand asked.

"Maybe...I'd have to see what we have." Jeremiah answered, as he started grabbing some weapons.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. I want everyone on alert...The only way we're going to survive this is as a team. Alright?" Bertrand asked as the two nodded and continued to grab their weapons...


******

It moved slowly in the corridor. Hearing everything Bertrand said, recounting his past and reassuring the others. It knew Bertrand was the strong one here...Without him, the other two would be nothing. It wondered how Bertrand would react if the other two were gone? It was something it would have to test...




*Sorry for the shorter chapter, just pressed for time at the moment.

Chapter Three: What Darkness Lurks in the Heart of Men

Bertrand entered the hallway, rifle first. He turned quickly, scanning the horizon to make sure nothing was lying in wait.

"Alright, let's move." He said, as he moved down the hallway with Sandra and Jeremiah following closely behind. Sandra covered corners as they passed, and Jeremiah moved slowly backwards watching their rear.

Bertrand came to a large door. It was made with reinforced steel, and opened from top to bottom. Bertrand knew the airlock door was going to be sealed, after all he was the last one to close it. The door led to a massive maze of tunnels underneath the main base. From there, they could reach the command centre of the base. More of a separate bunker, then part of the rest of the base, the command centre was designed as a stand alone area. In case of emergencies, the Command Centre would be the safest place in the entire area.

Bertrand just hoped, that whatever or whoever was toying with them, didn't know that as well. He walked over to the small pin number panel near the door and punched in the numbers: 5-2-7-1. A loud beep noise was heard, rejecting the code. Bertrand looked puzzled. He tried the numbers again, and again they were rejected.

"F**k!" He cursed as he slammed his hand against the pressurized door.

"What?" Sandra asked.

"The code's been changed...We can't access the tunnels." Bertrand answered as he looked around, wondering what to do next.

*****

It sat in the shadows of the hallway, amused with what it managed to do. Thanks to some insider trickery, the codes were able to be changed. If Bertrand was a smarter man, he would have known the code immediately. Lucky for it, he wasn't.

It moved away from the pressurized door, and decided it was time to inflict a little more damage. It took down most of the communications for the base, but knew that the Command Centre would still be active. If Bertrand did manage to discover the secret to the code, he would be able to call for help. And with Jeremiah, that threat still existed. It decided to target him next, it just had to get him away from the group and if it couldn't, It still had its ways...


*****

The three moved down another hallway, heading towards the base's primary communications room. Bertrand hoped there'd be enough there to reconstruct a radio out of nothing. They came to a hallway, covered completely in shadows. Bertrand moved towards the switch for the hallway, and switched it. Nothing happened.

"Seems whoever's doing this figured we'd come this way eventually." Bertrand answered, as he took out a small flashlight from his pocket and slide it onto a special slot on the rifle. He turned the light on, and let it shine down the hallway.

"The door's about thirty meters from here. In the hallway, there are four different sub-hallways leading to other areas. There is a possibility, that we could have someone lying in wait for us there." Bertrand answered, as he turned to the group.

"Sir...Are you sure this is someone? Not just some wild animal?" Sandra asked.

"Positive. Look at the radio and internet destruction. Cap it off with the airlock code being changed...Someone is toying with us." Bertrand answered, as he shined the light through the hallway again.

"What if this is just a test? Maybe Dave and Kyle were in on it..." Jeremiah started, as Bertrand shot him a disapproving look.

"The Company doesn't work that way. Dave and Kyle, as you two must have figured out by now, were the specials in your training team. Dave could modify himself, say to keep him from getting cold...And Kyle, well...He could unleash a focused force of sonic waves from his fists at will." Bertrand answered, as he looked back down the hallway.

"If this was a test, Dave would have died first. That way, we could leave him in the cold without him being harmed. No, this is something else..." Bertrand answered, as he thought for a moment.


Two Years Ago

Bertrand walked down the hallway of the Winter Facility, a man in a grey suit walking beside him.

"I hope you're ready for your first batch of recruits. After I introduce you to them, I'll be heading back to Moscow." The man in the suit said, as he led Bertrand into the main hangar. A group of four people stood there, two women and two men.

"People, this is Mr. Bertrand. He's the Camp Commandant here, and your direct superior. He'll also serve as your training instructor. As noted, the two of you who are deemed to possess special abilities, are not to mention your abilities to ANYONE. You will not use your abilities while here, and will learn to exist and rely on outside things as opposed to your ability." The man in the suit said, as he walked towards a large snow plow like vehicle.

"There are conditions when your powers will not work, this will make sure you're ready for that." He said, as he climbed inside and the vehicle left the hangar. Bertrand stood there.

"Don't worry, I haven't been told which of you two are special, or what you can do. Now, we're going to do immediate winter survival. We're going for a hike." Bertrand said, as he walked to a locker and opened it up to reveal parkas and other winter gear inside...

They left the hangar and walked out into the deep cold winds. Bertrand had wished they'd let him do some surveying of the area before taking a group out...Especially at night. These Russian Winters could be deadly. Perhaps that was part of the training.

Bertrand led the group deeper and deeper into the snowbank encrusted wilderness, so deep that the flashing light of the hangar couldn't be seen. He stopped, and turned to face his recruits. Only two stood with him.

"Where are the other two?" He asked, as he pushed the two aside and looked past them. Seeing nothing, he ran off the in the area and tried his best to listen to his senses. He heard a scream in the distance, he ran in the area he thought it came from. He slipped on some ice, and began to slide downwards. He managed to grab onto a rock, just as his legs dangled off an edge. He heard a scream continue from below him, just before a sickening thud was heard.

He'd found the other recruits, but unfortunately, they'd found the edge of this bluff first. He sighed, as he managed to pull himself up and yell out for help. Within moments, the other two recruits had made a "human ladder" and grabbed him and pulled him off the slippery slope. He looked at the other two when they pulled him up, and shook his head slowly. They understood.

He led them back to the hangar.

"Get your gear off and head down to the living quarters." He said, as he pointed to a large map in the building. He walked in the other direction, towards the communications room and sat down behind the radio.

"This is Eagle Scout, to Eagle Nest come in." Bertrand said, as he looked over a book of codes to use on the radio.

"Roger Eagle Scout, this is Eagle Nest. Whadda ya need?" A voice replied.

"Two chickadees have fallen from the sky, please advice over." Bertrand answered, his face showing obvious disgust with the codes.

"Roger that. Sending the mother bird to feed the remainder, over." The voice answered as the radio clicked dead. Bertrand put his head in his hands, wondering how he was going to explain this...

The Present

Bertrand looked at the hallway, wondering what kind of dangers lurked in the hallways.

"We'll have to make a run for it. On three....One....Two....Three."

Chapter Four: And Then There Were Two

Bertrand sprinted into the darkness, running like he'd never ran before. He scanned the hallways he past, thinking they were safe, he motioned for the others to come running with him. He reached the communications room door and kicked it open, nearly rolling to the floor when he hit the other side. He turned and watched as Jeremiah and Sandra came running.

Sandra entered the room, with Jeremiah just a few feet behind. As he made his way to the door, he let out a grunt as he fell to the ground, inches away from the door. His arms sprawled out, as Sandra grabbed them and pulled him into the communications room. Bertrand slammed the door and locked it. Neither him, nor Sandra, were prepared for what they saw when he turned on the lights.

Only two and a half people had made it into the communications room. When Sandra pulled Jeremiah through the door, he was already sliced horizontally. Sandra pulling was just enough to detach his torso from his pelvis, and that was the only half that made it through the door. Jeremiah was dead, there was no doubt of that.

"God da*m it!" Bertrand screamed, as he kicked a nearby waste basket against a wall. It clattered as it collided with the wall, and again when it hit the floor. Sandra wept, breaking down with the knowledge that she was indirectly responsible for Jeremiah's death. However, Bertrand knew the truth. Blame herself as she might, Bertrand was the one who shouldered the responsibility here. He forced them down the hallway, and he was sure he was the one who provoked whoever was toying with them.

Bertrand fell to his knees against the wall as he covered his eyes with his palm, and shook his head slowly. Sandra walked over to him, and sat beside him.

"What do we do now?" Sandra asked, her voice quivering.

"We can't fix the radio without Jeremiah...I'm not an electronics person." Bertrand said, as he kept shaking his head. Sandra nodded in agreement.

"I'm helpless when it comes to that stuff too." She said, as she looked around the room at the broken equipment.

*****

The man in the grey suit walked down the corridor of his office building, sipping his cup of Earl Grey tea as he walked. He was looking over some files in his PDA, when a warning came up on the screen. "WARNING: Mandatory Check in of Base 0-C-4-2-Z missed. Execute "silent spring" program? Y/N?" He clicked no, as he rushed quickly down the hallway and turned into his office.

He swung open the glass door which bared his name: Colmán.

Colmán walked to his desk, attaching the PDA to his desktop through a cable and sat down. The warning came up again on his computer screen:

"WARNING: Mandatory Check in of Base 0-C-4-2-Z missed. Execute "silent spring" program? Y/N?"

Colmán thought for a moment, before typing no on his keyboard and pressing enter. The message disappeared, as schematics for the base appeared on his screen. Parts of the schematic flashed red for a moment, when another warning came up on the screen:

"WARNING: SYSTEMS FAILURE detected in following areas:
Communications/Radio and Internet,
Tunnel Air Venting System,
Winter Beacon Fence,
Electrical Supply, Primary and Secondary.
Recommend Course of Action: Implementation of Silent Spring Program immediately. Y/N?

Colmán read the list, but again hit no. He picked his phone up off it's cradle, and dialed some numbers.

"This is Colmán...We may have a situation."

****

Bertrand sat against the wall, motionless. For the past thirty minutes, him and Sandra had just sat there. Not a word between them, nor any movement. For the second time in his life, Bertrand wasn't sure of what to do next.

Three Years Ago

Bertrand adjusted his sunglasses as he stepped out of his Jeep. He looked around at the desert around him, and was glad to see the large buildings towering over the horizon.

"Ah, Mr. Bertrand. Welcome to Las Vegas." A voice, in a heavy English accent, said as he turned around to see a man with greying hair welcoming him.

"When do I get to see Mr. Linderman?" Bertrand asked, as he walked towards the man.

"Straight to business, no small talk...I like that. In due time." The man answered, as he motioned for for a few men to valet park the Jeep.

"I'll take you to his office." The man said, as he motioned for Bertrand to follow him into the casino. As they walked, he made a few notes about the placement of a few games of interest to him, before they came to a large glass elevator. The two stepped inside, as the man took out a key and slide it into the elevator's control panel.

"Mr. Linderman's floor is quite private. Very few people have this key to get up there." The man said, as the elevator began to climb up the casino. After a few moments, it came to a stop as the doors opened to reveal a massive office.

"This must be the size of the entire casino floor..." Bertrand remarked, as he stepped out and looked around at the office. A few paintings, from various eras and centuries, hung in the office. He noted the statues and busts, stuff that looked like it belonged in a museum.

"A taste for the finer things...Some of them have been acquired by less than legitimate means...But that's our little secret." The man said, as he walked around Bertrand and over to a small alcove. Bertrand followed the man, and was surprised to see a small kitchen inside the alcove.

"He cooks?" Bertrand asked, the surprise obvious in his voice.

"Quite well, actually." The man answered, as he took out a few ingredients and placed them on the counter as he began to make something.

"Are you sure you should be cooking with the boss' kitchen supplies?" Bertrand asked, as he looked around.

"Your supervisor wasn't kidding...You're talented, but not exactly bright." The man answered, not even looking as he continued his cooking. Bertrand thought for a moment, before the realization hit him.

"You're Mr. Linderman." Bertrand said, as he stood there dumbfounded.

"Good. I like to meet everyone without them knowing me...Gives me a chance to see if people really do talk behind my back. I trust you know why you're here?" Linderman asked, as he still remained occupied on his cooking.

"The Bolivian Incident." Bertrand answered, as he walked away from the alcove and took a seat on a nearby sofa.

"But of course." Linderman answered, as he took a knife out from a rack and began chopping some various items.

"I told you...I'm still not sure what went wrong." Bertrand answered.

"What went wrong, Mr. Bertrand...Is that an entire village, that's fifty-two people in case you were curious, died during your pursuit of a person of interest." Linderman said as he continued his chopping.

"Fifty-two people. That's it? I'd consider that an acceptable margin of loss....Considering the damage our individual could have done." Bertrand answered, looking directly over at Linderman.

"Acceptable margin of loss. A phrase more people in our organization need to learn, especially in the future." Linderman said, as Bertrand became confused by the old man's cryptic musing.

"So, what's to be done with me?" Bertrand asked.

"Personally, I'd allow you to continue your field work where you are. But, every now and then, even I am forced to compromise." Linderman said, as he put the knife away and slid a tray into a nearby stove.

"And who's applying this compromise?" Bertrand asked.

"Various sources. A few people who see you as reckless and someone who could destroy what we do from within...Or worse, expose us to the rest of the world. The last statement, is something I happen to agree with them on. Which is why I agreed to the compromise." Linderman said, as he turned away from the counter and finally looked at Bertrand.

"Your mission in Bolivia was a disgrace to us, even though it was indeed acceptable. People will ask questions, and those questions won't have good answers...At least, for us. When we get exposed, it will be under our terms and under our plans...Not through the accidental deaths of fifty-two people. And because of that, you're being reassigned." Linderman said, as he walked towards the sofa.

"Reassigned? To where?" Bertrand asked.

"We've set up a new training facility, hidden within the Ural Mountains in Russia. Perhaps, after awhile there...You'll get your edge and your objectivity back...Besides, training raw recruits might do some good for you." Linderman said, as a buzzer rang out and Bertrand looked down at his feet. Linderman walked back to the alcove and opened the stove. A clanging of plates was heard, as Linderman walked over with two plates in his hands. He set one down in front of Bertrand.

"Pot pie. My specialty. Consider it a gift for your new assignment." Linderman said with a smile...

Present

Bertrand stopped thinking about Linderman, there was no point now. Although, he had to admit he had no clue that when he was assigned here that things would turn out like this. A banging came from the door as Sandra jumped to her feet and raised the rifle. Bertrand stood up slowly, as he looked towards the steel door.

The banging came again, this time leaving a massive dent on this side of the door. Bertrand readied his rifle as well, as he moved to the other side of Sandra.

"If anything comes through that door, we have to be ready." Bertrand said, as he cocked the gun and took aim....

*On a side note, my OFFICIAL Shuron Ronsir ZYL Glasses came in, so this is my first post on the site seeing the world EXACTLY like Bennet sees it, so yay for that!*

Chapter Five: Whiteout

The door flew open suddenly, a gust of air rushing past it as it did. Bertrand opened fire, Sandra followed suit a few seconds after. Bertrand didn't let go of the trigger until his clip ran dry, Sandra did the same. It took them both a moment to realize that they were out of ammo, before they turned and looked at each other.

Bertrand quickly changed the clip on his rifle, then motioned for Sandra to do the same. Bertrand stared down the hallway, finding nothing but Jeremiah's lower half.

"Nothing." Bertrand muttered, as he looked at the door. It had massive dents in it, which was strange for such a reinforced door.

"It would take quite a force to put those kinds of holes in the door..." Bertrand said, as he touched the door and it fell off the hinges, clattering loudly as it hit the ground.

Bertrand gave an awkward nod to Sandra, as he walked away from the door frame and let out a breath.

*******

Colmán sat nervously behind his desk, tapping his fingers slowly on its oak sides. His phone rang, as his arm shot out and grabbed the receiver quickly.

"Colmán, here." He said, as he took a slight pause.

"That's a negative. We've lost camera feed at the base as well. We're also looking at a complete electrical failure in less than thirty minutes."

He paused again, listening to the calm voice on the other end.

"It's a problem, because when the power goes out so does the heating system. Winters in the Urals tend to get quite cold...And if our people there don't have adequate heat, they will die up there."

He listened again, amazed that the voice on the other end didn't miss a beat of his composure.

"I just want to send a four man team, make sure everything is alright." Colmán said, as he began tapping his fingers on the desk again for a moment, before he ran his hand through his greying hair.

"Very well, sir." Colmán said, as he hung up the phone and took a deep breath. He turned to the computer screen, and looked at it still flashing:

WARNING: POWER FAILURE IMMINENT, SABOTAGE SUSPECTED. IMPLEMENT OPERATION: SILENT SPRING, Y/N?

Colmán's fingers hovered above the keyboard for a moment, before he brought his index finger down on the Y key. The warning on screen disappeared, and was replaced with a clock counting down from two hours...

******

Bertrand watched the door, as Sandra sat awkwardly in a corner her pants around her ankles.

"We could have made it to the bathroom..." Bertrand said, as he tried his best to keep from looking at her.

"We can't risk it. Something wants us out of this room, we're going to do our best to disappoint it, sir." Sandra said, as she stood slowly pulling her pants up as she did. Bertrand turned to face her when he heard the old familiar noise of a zipper.

"Perhaps, but we can't survive in this room forever." Bertrand said, as the lights above went out and were replaced with red flashing lights. A siren rang out for a moment, as Bertrand walked over to a computer that still worked. He turned on the screen and read what was in front of him.

"Jesus Christ." He whispered to himself, as Sandra walked over and looked at the screen.

"2:10:56....What does that mean?" Sandra said, as she kept her eyes on the ticking clock.

"It's a security precaution I forgot about. The communications dish usually sends a message every three hours to a nearby command station. If we don't report, they assume we've been attacked or we've gone AWOL. Either way, they decide to clean the base." Bertrand answered.

"Clean?" Sandra asked.

"The base seals itself off, making sure no one can get in or out until the cleaning is finished. Stage one involves pumping in a paralytic agent, to immobilize anyone still inside. Stage two, releases a large amount of gas into the oxygen, making it highly explosive...I think you can figure out Stage Three." Bertrand said as he started typing into the computer.

"Is there anything we can do?" Sandra asked.

"There's a bunch of routine code I can enter here, to try and override the system here. Problem is, with the communications down...It's not going to send the kill switch code back to the main computer to stop the damned thing. The question you have to ask yourself now...Is whether you want to freeze or burn to death..."

Chapter Six: Silent Spring

Bertrand stood in the red lit room, staring at the computer screen waiting for Sandra to reply.

"I don't want either, to tell you the truth." Sandra answered, as she leaned against the desk, her eyes still watching the doorway.

"Well...We either have to stand our ground, neutralize the threat and try to repair the communications equipment all in under two hours...Or take our chances outside." Bertrand said as he looked at Sandra.

"What about a vehicle? Couldn't we take one outside?" Sandra asked.

Bertrand's eyes lit up.

"I'd forgotten all about them. I suppose we could survive a lot longer...There might even be enough gasoline to get us to the helipad on the other side of the mountains...The radio there should still work." Bertrand said, a hope in his voice that hadn't been there for years.

"Come on. We need to move, fast." Bertrand said, as he checked his rifle and made his way to the doorway.

*****

Colmán walked into a small laboratory and looked around, making sure no one else was there. He made his way to a small filing cabinet and opened the door with a key. He took out a large file folder, labeled Silent Spring, and walked to a nearby lab table. He opened the folder and started to read.

The pressurized door behind him opened, as he closed the folder quickly. He looked up, and saw someone he didn't want to see again.

"Mr. Vadik." Colmán said, as he tucked the file to the side.

"Colmán...I went to your office after you phoned, and yet I find you in here. What are you doing?" Vadik asked, his Russian accent adding a certain hostility to his words.

"Just reading up on Silent Spring, sir. I wanted to make sure that the operation would continue if we lost power." Colmán answered.

Colmán looked away from Vadik, and opened the file again. He'd never liked Vadik, for starters he was a lot younger and in a position of more authority. Colmán never did figure out how that happened.

"It will. The system is designed to be perfect, and operate if the power fails." Vadik said.

"What do you mean?" Colmán asked.

"The timer is wrong. The program will activate the moment the base loses power, as a security precaution." Vadik answered, snatching the file away from Colmán.

"What about accidental power failures?" Colmán asked.

"There's a ten minute delay to give staff a chance to activate the secondary generators. After that, the program begins to launch itself." Vadik answered, as he took the file and locked it away.

"The order's come down. You will lead a personal team to investigate what happened in the base. You leave in twenty minutes." Vadik said, cast a final disapproving look at Colmán, and walked out of the room. Colmán sat there for a moment, before standing up and walking out.

*****

Bertrand and Sandra made it to the hangar, finding one of the old snowplows still in perfect shape. A few of the other ones had met the same fate as Jeremiah, and were seemingly cut in half. Bertrand looked around the hangar.

"Right. We need emergency fuel, just in case. The fuel tanker is over there in the corner, you start up the plow and I'll go get some jerry-cans full of gas." Bertrand said, as he prepared his rifle and grabbed two red gas cans from beside the plow. He ran over into the darkened corner, and felt his way to the fuel tanker.

He threw a small metal switch, as a light came on from the tanker. Bertrand grabbed the fuel hose, and began to fill the cans. He looked around as he did, allowing the first can to overflow and spill some gasoline onto the floor. He cursed, then began to fill the second can. He lowered his rifle, grabbed the cans and ran back to the plow. He threw the cans in the back, and climbed into the passenger seat. Sandra smiled when he'd returned, and the plow began to move.

They watched in horror, as the hangar doors began to move.

"It's sealing. We need to move, now!" Bertrand yelled, as Sandra pushed the plow into overdrive as best she could. The plow crossed the doorway, just as it sealed behind them. The metal door scraped a bit of the plow, tearing off a small chunk of metal from the back, but otherwise they escaped unharmed. Sandra stopped, allowing the plow to idle for a moment.

"We made it." Sandra said with a smile, as she threw her arms around Bertrand and pressed her lips against his.

"For luck." She whispered, her face still incredibly close to his. Bertrand nodded slightly, as she turned and began to move the plow again.

"The helipad is up past those two ridges. There should be something of a makeshift path between them, hopefully the snow hasn't built up too much there. Then, we should be in the clear to make a call to the HQ and get them to send help." Bertrand said, as he watched the hostile environment around them. Even now, he could feel the cold wind moving into the plow.

Granted, the plow gave them a great deal of protection, but it was hardly windproof. Bertrand also knew something he wasn't telling Sandra. The plow wasn't designed for long trips, in terms of environmental protection. At best, it would take thirty minutes to reach the helipad and the temperature outside was still dropping rapidly. There was a chance, that they'd freeze inside the plow before they made it. All he could do, was hope.

*****

It stood in the snowbank, watching as the plow moved off into the distance. It looked beside it, nodding slowly at It's partner as they moved quickly through the snow and decided to follow. They knew the plow was heading for the helipad, probably to radio for help. And if they got what they wanted, they could finally bring an end to this chapter of their lives, and get the revenge they sought for years.

*****

Colmán sat in the helicopter, going over what he'd read in the Silent Spring file. He didn't get to see much, but he did lie to Vadik about what he was looking for. Colmán knew how silent spring worked, and that it could work without power, he just wasn't sure how. He also didn't know what sort of chemicals were used in the process. He knew a paralytic was used, but it didn't mention if it also was an anesthetic agent as well.

What Colmán found in the file, didn't help his thoughts. There was no chemical listing, just some numbers beside each stage. For stage one, he saw SUB:345-200-00. For stage two, he saw SUB:345-200-01. For stage three, he saw SUB:345-200-02.

It was a classification system he knew all too well. SUB stood for subject, which usually referred to some of the evolved humans the Company had captured over the years. The first three digits, referred to base where they were kept or studied, and 345 referred to the Ural Base. Which was troubling for Colmán, because he'd never authorized or knew about studies or bag and tag operations happening there.

The second three digits, referred to the power level documented by the Company. Each power had it's own reference code for agents to look up. Anything from the 001 - 050 range was classified as a D level threat. 051 - 090 was C level, 091 - 120 was B level, and 121 - 200 was A level. The fact that all three of the subjects listed in the file were A level threats, and on top of that, at the very top of the chart worried Colmán.

The final two digits, referred to the powers themselves. The Company didn't like to list "telekinetic" or "empath" in their files, it was part of the security precautions. Rather, they listed each of the powers they've documented with a number. Someone with a 13 as their digits, would be referred to as a telekinetic, and so on...

But, Colmán had never seen a documentation for a 00, 01, and 02 ability. Something which had troubled him for years working with the Company. The classification chart began at 03, with no mention of why the chart didn't begin at 00 or 01. And now that he'd seen them, he knew something that Vadik didn't want to see: That the Company had documented three individuals and were keeping them a complete secret to everyone, even people with complete clearance like Colmán.

Colmán sighed, as he looked at his four man team. Two of them had powers, Mike and Andrea, while Cody and Rachel just had guns. He went back into his thoughts, as he tried to wonder who these three specials were and why they were so damned important...

Chapter Seven: Murphy's Law

The helicopter touched down at the helipad faster than anticipated. Colmán was the first off the chopper, as he looked around at the snow blowing around.

"Why did we have to put it in the polar region." He muttered to himself, as the rest of his team stepped off the chopper behind him. A bevy of equipment was unloaded with them, ranging from high-tech weaponry as well as snowmobiles.

"Alright. According to our estimates, Silent Spring hasn't been fully activated yet. The base will be in lock down mode, but the cleaning will still be taking place. We're going to wait here, inside the Helipad Tower for two hours, then we'll make our way towards the Base 345." Colmán said, as he team nodded and began to haul their equipment into the Helipad Tower. Colmán took one last look around the inhospitable landscape, before following them inside.


*****

Bertrand and Sandra sat inside the plow, as it moved slowly past the first mountain peak.

"Do...You think...It'll make...It?" Sandra asked, shivering as she spoke her words. Bertrand nodded, trying to make sure she didn't give up as he looked into the backseat of the plow. He removed a small kit from the back, and torn open it's plastic covering. From inside, he pulled out a small reflective object. He unfolded it, to reveal a small blanket.

"Here. I'm fine, you have it." Bertrand said, as he wrapped the blanket around Sandra's shoulders. She smiled, then concentrated back on driving the plow. Bertrand also removed another thing from the kit, a small flask. He screwed open the lid and took a large gulp from inside. While it wasn't actually helping him, the whiskey inside would at least take away the sting of the cold. That should be enough.

Sandra continued to drive the plow, as they approached the base of the second peak.

"We have to go up that path, there." Bertrand said, as he pointed. "It will take us around, the peak and then it's a straight drive to the helipad." Bertrand said, as he leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes for a moment. Sandra nodded, as she began to drive the large plow up the path.

*****

They moved together through the snow, the stolen equipment from the base shielding them from the extreme cold. They had underestimated Bertrand, he actually managed to clear the first peak. They expected him and the women to fall over the edge and be doomed. They no longer needed Bertrand, as they had heard the helicopter over head a few moments ago. No doubt, the rumbling of the plow would have prevented Bertrand and the woman from hearing it through.

They moved quickly near the second peak, looking down below to see the plow slowly making it's way up the side of the mountain. One of them motioned to the other, as the other nodded in agreement. The other got off the peak of the mountain, as the other stood up and put it's hands out. A blast of air flew forward, cutting down trees and shredding rock as it moved. It hit the peak of the mountain, as he other pushed forward in place, as the peak split and began to tumble down towards the mountain path...


*****

Sandra continued driving blissfully, despite the cold, when it happened. She slammed hard on the breaks as rocks, snow and ice came crashing down in front of the plow. Quick thinking made her lift the plow's shovel as it deflected a large piece of bark that would have pierced through the windshield. Bertrand watched as the avalanche of objects came pouring down. The look on his face seemed less than surprised.

"That shouldn't have happened. Back up." Bertrand said, as he grabbed Sandra with some force. She listened, and they didn't get more than four meters when a large piece of rock landed when the plow was previously. Bertrand had saved them.

"How did you...?" Sandra asked, as Bertrand looked up through the windshield.

"We're being followed. Probably the same people who were toying with us back at the base." Bertrand answered, as he looked back towards Sandra.

"We'll never get this stuff off the road. If we're going to make it to the helipad, we're going to have to go on foot. Do you think you can make it?" Bertrand asked.

"If the other option is stay here and wait till we freeze, I'll do my best." Sandra answered, as Bertrand nodded and the two opened the doors to the plow and jumped out. They began climbing over the rubble and made their way further down the path.

*****

Colmán sat at a table, his laptop in front of him. He was combing through some files on his computer, when Mike walked over to him.

"Sir. We have people coming...I'm sensing four of them." Mike said, as he sat down beside Colmán.

"Do you have anything else for me?" Colmán asked, as Mike closed his eyes and focused.

"One of them is terrified, another's surprisingly calm...The other two...Are angry as hell." Mike answered, as he shrugged and walked away.

Colmán admired Mike's talent. It wasn't much, sort of an emotional empath. He could sense people because of their emotions, and that allowed him to find people easily. He was a valuable asset on rescue missions. Colmán requested Mike because of that, figuring he could find one or two of the people who were at the base when everything went FUBAR up here. He could only hope that Bertrand was one of the people Mike picked up.

"Alright, people. It seems we have people heading towards us, two of them are possibly hostile. I want everyone ready, we can't afford another screw up up here." Colmán said, as he looked around the room then went back to his laptop.

He was combing over his files, trying to fill in the gaps with what the Company had taught him. These missing classification numbers were really starting to bug him, and all he wanted to do was get inside that base...

******

Bertrand and Sandra continued to walk through the bleak wilderness, moving along the path and hoping for the best. They finally reached the summit of the mountain, and finally stood on level ground.

"I haven't been out of the valley in awhile...I'd forgotten what the ground up here looked like." Bertrand said as he surveyed the level ground around them, and spotted the flashing beacon tower light for the helipad.

"There. Doesn't look to far. Hopefully, we can make it." Bertrand said, as he wiped some frost off his eyelashes and began to move again. Sandra followed behind him, taking his hand as they walked towards the light with one another.

The snow was making it hard to move, each step was like it was into a pool of drying cement. After awhile, Bertrand was convinced they weren't going to make it. That despite their best efforts, and everything they've done, they were doomed to give up and fall down and die in this bitter cold. He looked back at Sandra, she smiled, even though he knew the cold wind made such an act almost impossible.

He couldn't give up. He could give up on himself, but he couldn't give up on her. She'd watched the rest of her team members be picked off and die, but he wasn't going to allow her to join them. She wouldn't become another Company statistic on a mission gone wrong, he couldn't do that to her. It seemed as if his strength had returned, as each step became easier and easier for Bertrand.

That's when Sandra fell. She coughed, and began to complain about the cold. Bertrand lifted her up, placed her over his shoulders and continued walking. In time, the vague distance disappeared and the shape of the helipad tower could be seen. If Bertrand's tear ducks weren't frozen, he probably would have cried. He almost collapsed on the cement of the landing pad, and had to do a double take when he saw a helicopter resting on the pad.

Bertrand's hope disappeared as he watched in horror as the helicopter split in half, followed by a gust of air rushing past him. Bertrand watched as he saw a figure dressed in white winter survival gear walk towards him.

"Well...It seems we underestimated you." The figure said, as it chuckled.

Bertrand recognized the gear, it hadn't been used in two years.

"It can't be." Bertrand muttered, as he lowered his head.

"Oh, but it can." The figure said, as another joined him, dressed in the same winter gear.

"The prodigals return." The other figure said, as they moved closer towards Bertrand...

Chapter Eight: To Hell and Back

Bertrand couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"No...This is impossible. You two are dead." Bertrand said, as the two people in winter gear removed their face masks, revealing a man and a woman.

"You thought we were dead. You really should have been more careful." The man said, as he looked at Sandra slumped on the ground beside Bertrand.

"Are you going to allow her to die too, Bertrand?" The woman asked, as she walked over to Sandra and checked her pulse.

"Weak. She'll be dead soon enough." The woman said, as she walked back over to her man.

"How? How did you survive the fall?" Bertrand asked, as he slowly got the strength to stand on his own two feet again.

"Amanda took care of that. Her slicing power helped make a nice air pocket for us to land on, the sickening splat you heard was the pocket breaking." The man said as he walked around Bertrand.

"Why stay out in the wilderness? Why didn't you come back into the fold?" Bertrand asked, his hands forming into fists.

"Because of what the Company stands for. What it does to our people." The woman answered.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bertrand answered, as his fists began to shake.

"Forced sterilizations, mass genocide, constant surveillance, kidnapping and complete imprisonment. Ring any bells now?" The man asked, as he continued to circle Bertrand.

"I'll admit to the bag and tag operations...And the surveillance...But I don't know anything about your other accusations." Bertrand said as he observed his captors.

"Get off it. We know you know a lot more than you're letting on. And we'll get what we want from you, even if we have to force it out of you." Amanda said, as she raised her left hand and a burst of air came forth from it. The small blast connected with Bertrand, leaving a small gash on the left side of his face. It nearly knocked him over as well.

"Do your worst." Bertrand responded, as the noise of gunfire erupted from behind his captors. A bullet went through Amanda's throat, spraying blood across the white snow. As the man turned and screamed. His eyes turned green, as the snow around him began to melt. Bertrand felt a heat surround him, much like he imagined hell, then it stopped. A bubble was sent out from the man, as it headed towards the helipad tower.

It melted the snow as it moved, and even caused the broken metal panels from the helicopter to bubble and liquefy. Bertrand acted fast.

He kicked the man, in a very sensitive area, as the bubble collapsed and disappeared. He turned to face Bertrand, as a bullet entered his skull and he fell to the ground. Bertrand stood there and looked at his boot, the rubber on which was melting due to the kick. He collapsed again on the ground beside Sandra, and listened to the sound of crunching snow coming closer and closer.

"You always were quick on your feet." Colmán said as he stood over Bertrand. He offered out his hand, and Bertrand took it.

"She needs medical help. See that she gets it." Bertrand said, before he blacked out.

*****

Colmán stood in the helipad tower, looking at the damage below. The helicopter was gone, but there were enough supplies in the tower to keep an army going. He held a coffee cup, from which he sipped some Earl Grey tea, and stood there waiting. Formulating.

Mike walked over to him again.

"Bertrand's stable. So is the girl. They seem to be having pleasant dreams, considering what they've been through." Mike said, as he walked away from Colmán and sat down at a nearby table. Colmán turned to face his partner.

"We need to get to the base. It's a matter of importance." Colmán said, as he walked to the table and sat down.

"We won't find anything, especially if this cleaning is as good as its supposed to be." Mike answered.

"I think the cleaning has something to do with evolved humans, Mike. I need to confirm it..." Colmán answered, as took another sip from his mug.

"At first light, we make our way to the base. We're going to turn on the emergency generators, and see what we can do from there." Colmán said, as he took another sip then stood up.

"Tell everyone to get a good night's rest...We're going to need it for the trek."

Chapter Nine: Ghosts of Seasons Past

Colmán sat on one of the nearby snowmobiles, watching as the sun rose in the distance. He looked towards the helipad tower, as the rest of his team came stumbling out...Including two new members, Bertrand and Sandra.

"Alright. Glad to see you're all rested." Colmán said, as he stood up off the snowmobile and looked at his team.

"The base is about thirty minutes from here on snowmobiles, so make sure you're bundled up. The sun will take away some of the sting of the cold, but don't expect it to do all the work. We brought some heat packs, just squeeze them and they'll activate. If you need them, let me know." Colmán said, as he stopped walking a few meters from his team.

"Right. Cody and Rachel, you share snowmobile number two. Mike and Andrea, you're on three. Bertrand and Sandra, take number four. I'll be on number one..." Colmán said, as he pointed towards his snowmobile in the distance.

"By the time we reach the base, the Silent Spring program should be about halfway finished. Once we turn on the gas generators, we should be able to override the program and shut it down. Once it's safe, we'll return into the base and get a look at things. Rachel, your job will be to work on bringing the main generators back online, so make sure you bring all the parts you can carry." Colmán said, then shifted his glance.

"Mike, you'll be working with me. I'll explain our job a bit later. Bertrand, Sandra and Cody, you'll be working with Rachel and helping her in any way she needs." Colmán said, as he walked towards his snowmobile and climbed aboard.

"Alright, let's move."

****

They rode until they came to the blocked path.

"I guess I forgot to mention that." Bertrand said, as he got off his machine and looked at the rubble.

"There's no other way around...We can't take the snowmobiles over this, and if we don't, we'll have to walk to the base. We'd freeze before we'd make it." Bertrand said as he took a closer look at the rubble.

"Unless you've got demolitions we're not getting through...Even then, that raises the risk of an avalanche." Bertrand said dejectedly, as he walked back to his snowmobile and sat down.

"Andrea. Do your thing." Colmán shouted, as Andrea got off the snowmobile and walked towards the first heavy rock. She picked it up, with ease, and tossed it further down the mountain. Bertrand watched in amazement, as she picked up all the heavy rocks and even the crushed snowplow and threw them out of the way.

"We've come quite prepared, I assure you." Colmán said as he looked at Bertrand, then took off down the path on his snowmobile. Bertrand shook his head, then followed.

****

They came to the massive airtight door that led to the hangar around a half hour later. Colmán looked at the heavy door, then took his laptop out of a protective case. He booted it up, and loaded the base schematics onto the screen.

"Alright. The emergency gas generators are located about a mile that way. They're hidden behind some large rocks and a white tarp to cover them. There should also be a nearby gas container, should have enough storage to give us three hours of power." Colmán said, as he looked off to the distance.

"Bertrand and Mike, you go boot up the generator. The rest of us will wait here." Colmán ordered, as he took out a thermos from his pack and handed out some small mugs.

"You'll want some before you head out." Colmán said, as he handed one to Bertrand and Mike, then poured the black liquid from the thermos into their mugs.

It'd had been awhile since Bertrand had a good cup of coffee, so he was thankful to Colmán for that.

"Alright. We'll be back once we get the generator started." Bertrand said, as he handed the empty mug back to Colmán and moved towards one of the snowmobiles. Mike got on another, and the two of them moved off in the direction Colmán instructed.

****

They came to a large pile of rocks in under twelve minutes, and Bertrand dismounted from his machine and looked around. Mike pulled up a few moments later, and did the same.

"You think that's it?" Mike asked, as Bertrand moved closer to the rocks and climbed up on one. He pressed his foot against the snow that rested between the rocks, and felt the ground move as he did.

"I'd say they are. Those instructions Colmán gave you, how do we get in?" Bertrand asked, as Mike took a small piece of paper out of his pocket and read it.

"There's a narrow opening on the other side. We should be able to get in there...If we need to, some of the rocks are movable." Mike responded, as he climbed up onto another rock and began to move around to the other side. Bertrand followed, noting the close edge of the cliff near the rocks. They made it to the other side and found the small opening.

"Well, I can squeeze through that...How about you?" Bertrand asked, looking at Mike.

"Maybe. You go first, and I'll follow." Mike answered, as Bertrand went in between the two rocks and entered a small makeshift cave. Mike followed, and managed to squeeze through.

"Have a light?" Bertrand asked, as Mike threw a stick into the cave. When it hit the ground, it emitted a small white light, illuminating the small cave.

"Nifty toy...There's the generator." Bertrand said, as he pointed towards a large device near the centre of the cave. He walked towards it, as Mike threw another glow stick around the cave.

"Do you see the gas container?" Mike asked, as he threw another.

Bertrand looked around, then motioned to the left end of the cave.

"That looks like it." Bertrand said, as Mike nodded and went to check it out. Bertrand brushed some dirt off the generator, as he looked at the older keypad.

"Something's not right." Bertrand muttered, as Mike heard and looked away from the gas container.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"This generator...It's old. Very old. Everything back at the base is top of the line, so why make such an old generator?" Bertrand asked.

"Maybe the generator was here before the base was?" Mike responded, as he walked over carrying a large gas can.

"Perhaps...But that still doesn't explain why." Bertrand said as he helped Mike lift the gas canister to the generator's filler tank. They poured the entire gas can into the generator, as Bertrand pressed a button on the generator. A few lights came on on the generator, as Bertrand saw a pull cord to the side of the generator. He grabbed the cord, and pulled hard.

The generator came alive, its rumbling in the small cave an almost deafening noise.

"Alright! Let's head back!" Bertrand yelled over the generator's noise, motioning to the opening as he spoke. Mike nodded in agreement, and they squeezed their way back out.

****

Colmán sat on the snowmobile, looking over some things on his laptop, as Sandra walked over to him.

"Why are we even salvaging this place?" Sandra asked, as Colmán lowered his screen and looked at her.

"We built it, we don't want it to fall into disrepair. It still serves its purposes to the Company, and because of that we're going to fix it up." Colmán responded, as he looked away from her, listening to the sounds of snowmobiles in the distance.

"Seems the boys are coming back." Sandra said, as Colmán nodded in agreement.

"We'll be inside the base in under fifteen minutes then." Colmán said, as he turned away from Sandra and lifted his screen up once more. The snowmobiles came back and pulled in front of the hangar as Bertrand and Mike walked over to Colmán.

"I have a question for you, Colmán." Bertrand said, as he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the others. Colmán's laptop fell onto the snowy ground, before Mike picked it up and rested it back onto the snowmobile seat. Bertrand pulled Colmán around the side of the hangar, away from everyone else, before he threw Colmán against it and pressed against him.

"Care to tell me about the antiquated generator back there?" Bertrand asked forcefully, as he pressed against Colmán again.

"What do you mean?" Colmán asked.

"That generator is at least fifteen to twenty years older than any other piece of equipment here...It looks like it predates the base, why?" Bertrand asked.

"I assure you, that comes as a surprise to me as well." Colmán answered.

Not pleased, Bertrand pressed against Colmán again, harder this time.

"I'm telling the truth!" Colmán screamed out, as Bertrand stopped and let go of him.

"You'd better be. I've been lied to once out here already, I don't want it to happen again." Bertrand said, as he walked back towards the others. Colmán stood there for a moment, before he joined them.

Colmán looked at his watch, doing a silent countdown in his head, then looked at the door as air hissed from its seals and slowly the large steel panels began to part and open.

"Alright. We have three hours to get main power back online, otherwise we need to send someone out to refill the generator. Rachel, take your team and get to work." Colmán said, as Rachel and the others took off towards the main power room. Colmán waited for a moment, listening, before he turned to Mike and walked towards him.

"Alright, Michael. You and I have a mission we weren't necessarily sent here to do." Colmán said, as he looked around the room.

"Sir?" Mike responded, as he seemed puzzled.

"The Silent Spring program seems to be run by special people like yourself...I want you to help me find them." Colmán said, as he looked around again.

"I want to know why they were so damned important that the Company erased almost every trace of them. Help me find them, Mike...I know they're here." Colmán said, as he moved closer to Mike.

"Alright." Mike said, as he closed his eyes and focused.

"We've got ourselves...The rest of the team...And I'm picking up three faint life signs...Very deep below us." Mike muttered, before he gasped and collapsed to the ground.

"Mike!" Colmán screamed, as he knelt down beside him and began to shake him.

"I'm...I'm ok..." Mike muttered slowly, before he sat up and rubbed his head.

"What happened?" Colmán asked.

"One of them...Some kind of attack...I'm not sure." Mike muttered, as he stood up and looked around.

"You said they were below us?" Colmán asked, as Mike nodded in agreement.

"Alright. We'll take the tunnels. According to this schematic, there's an old elevator that led to an old Soviet Mineshaft below the base. We should be able to gain access to it." Colmán said, as he motioned for Mike to follow.

They walked through the bloodied hallway, making their way to the large pressurized tunnel doors. Colmán looked at the keypad, before entering his personal password. The door hissed as it opened, and revealed a sloping path leading down into a dark tunnel.

"Get your flashlight ready. There's very few lights down here." Colmán said, as he walked into the tunnel with Mike following behind. The door closed slowly behind them.

****

Rachel sat looking into one of the destroyed power systems.

"I can fix this...But to do it in three hours...Well, that's going to take some effort." Rachel told the others, as she opened her pack and began taking out her tools.

"We're all going to have to work together on this...And you're all going to have to do EXACTLY what I tell you...Otherwise, we're not going to make it on time." Rachel said, as she grabbed one of her tools and began fiddling around inside the power mainframe.

"Bertrand. I need you to go to the Circuit Breakers. I'll radio you, and tell you which ones to flip as I bring the systems back online." Rachel said, as Bertrand nodded and made his way towards the circuit room.

"Cody. I want you to go to the Main Breaker. Once I've brought the power back online, and Bertrand throws the minor fuses, you need to activate the main breaker to stabilize the system." Rachel said, as Cody nodded and took off in the same direction as Bertrand.

"Sandra. Go to the security room, and once the main computer comes back online...I want you to start reactivating the computer systems. As far as I know, the main satellite is still working, so we'll have limited communications with bases outside of ours. Bring that online first, we need to send the killswitch message so Silent Spring doesn't reactivate on us." Rachel said, as Sandra nodded and took off towards the security room.

Rachel reached back into her pack, and grabbed another tool and began working again on the broken power supplier. Hopefully, she'd be able to do this in time.


****

Colmán and Mike walked deeper into the tunnel, and came to a large door labeled RESTRICTED ACCESS: DANGEROUS TUNNELS LAY BEYOND THIS POINT, DO NOT ENTER. Colmán entered his password into the nearby keypad, as the door unlocked and Mike opened the door.

"Wedge something between the door. There's no keypad on the alternate side." Colmán said, as Mike grabbed a large rock and placed it between the door and the frame. Colmán nodded in thanks, as they walked further down the tunnel and saw a run down old elevator shaft.

"Right. Hopefully the elevator works, otherwise we're in for a long climb down." Colmán said, as he took a glow stick and dropped it down the hole. He stood there for ten minutes before heard a clatter at the bottom, and even then he couldn't see the light.

Mike hit the button, as a loud grinding noise was heard. But among it, was the slow and steady climb of an elevator car. After a few minutes, a flat pad filled the hole. It had no walls, and no containers, just a small flat piece of steel.

"Right. Down we go." Colmán said as he stood on the steel piece, Mike beside him, as they pressed the button again and it climbed down the depths of the shaft. They came to the bottom, and found three tunnels looking them in the face.

"Which way?" Colmán asked, as Mike closed his eyes and focused again. He stopped quickly.

"I'm sensing them that way..I'm not sure though." Mike answered.

"What do you mean?" Colmán asked.

"I feel weak since what happened in the hangar...I don't want another attack like that...So, I'm going by what I picked up first." Mike said, as he pointed again down the right tunnel.

"Alright, we'll go that way." Colmán answered, as they walked down the tunnel and proceeded to move around holes and other hazards. They reached the end of the tunnel, and came to another steel door. Colmán saw the keypad and entered his password, the keypad beeped as it rejected the code.

"Figures." Colmán muttered, as he looked around the dark tunnel. He pried the face off the pad, and looked at the wiring underneath. He took out a small toolkit from his jacket, and began to fiddle around with the wires.

"Do you know what you're doing, sir?" Mike asked.

"Unfortunately...Just do me a favour, and don't let anyone know I can do this kind of stuff...They'd restrict my access to areas with keypads if they did." Colmán answered, as he leaned in closer to the pad, before leaning out with a smile as a green light flashed on the pad and the door opened.

"Piece of cake." Colmán said, as he walked through the door with Mike following him. They entered the dark room, as Colmán looked around for a light switch. He found one, and turned it on revealing the massive room they were standing in.

"It's some kind of laboratory." Mike said, as he looked around the room.

Colmán closed his eyes for a moment.

"It's not A laboratory...It's THE laboratory." Colmán answered.

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

"This is the Company's first laboratory. Look at the markings over there on the wall, 001. Not to mention this place looks pretty out of date...Half of these instruments look like they came from the forties." Colmán said as he saw another door to the corner. Outside the door was a massive power cable.

"Everything but that." Mike said as he motioned to the cable. Colmán nodded in agreement as he walked over to the door and opened it. What he saw inside shocked even him...

Chapter Ten: Et tu, Brutus?

Colmán stood there in shock for a moment, before Mike shook him and looked into the room. Inside the room sat a large device, attached to three different "pods". Inside the three pods, were a few skeletal remains; but what shocked Colmán wasn't the bodies: but the fact their their organs were still there and functioning.

"What is this place?" Colmán muttered, as he walked closer to one of the pods and took a look inside.

"Who knows...How is that possible?" Mike asked, pointing towards the functioning organs but dead bodies.

"I'm not sure...And part of me hopes never to find out." Colmán answered, as he turned away from the pod and walked to a small computer system near the centre of the device. He brushed a large quantity of dust off the screen, and turned it on.

On the screen was a display of the pods, but also a few files. He opened the first file:

SUBJECT: 345-200-02
REAL NAME: Matthew Taylor
POWER CLASSIFICATION: 200-02
ABILITY: With the power of his mind, he is able to release psychotic waves that cause people to loose control of their abilities to move, think, and sometimes even to function as normal human beings (such as shutting down of organs.)
DISCOVERED: September 21st, 1941.
DOPD: 07-30-54.

Colmán opened the next file.

SUBJECT: 345-200-01
REAL NAME: Samantha Walker
POWER CLASSIFICATION: 200-01
ABILITY: With the power of her mind, Samantha is capable of an incredible feat of pyrokinesis. Instead of surrounding herself with fire, she is capable of starting outward fires with seemingly limitless possibility. She is capable of starting in a fire in a room she is not in, nor can see. The distance of this power have yet to be tested.
DISCOVERED: September 30th, 1941.
DOPD: 07-29-54.

Colmán opened the last file.

SUBJECT: 345-200-00
REAL NAME: Jordan Kelly
POWER CLASSIFICATION: 200-00
ABILITY: A unqiue ability, Jordan seems to be able to sustain life. Despite shooting one of his comrades in a fatal area, Jordan was able to keep him alive for two weeks. The power seems to be passive, and Jordan has no control over it. However, we are working on a restrictive device to ensure this ability does not become a hinderance.

Colmán looked again at the pods.

"Well, that answers one question." Colmán said, as he walked over to Mike with his findings.

*****

Vadik sat in his personal helicopter, and looked out the window. His face as solemn as ever, as he turned back and looked at the large metal panel in front of him. His mind wondered for a moment, until the co-pilot leaned from the cockpit and shouted,

"Three minutes until touchdown, sir!"

Vadik nodded, and then turned to look back out the window. He'd never liked the Ural Mountains, not even as a boy when his father would take him hunting in the spring. There was a slight bump, as the helicopter landed on soft snow, as the door opened and Vadik jumped out.

"Are you sure you don't want us to call up another unit?" The co-pilot asked.

"No. This is something I have to do alone." Vadik answered, as he shut the door and began walking. He saw the large opening of the hangar bay in the distance, and marched towards it. He knew what he had to do, but that didn't make it any easier...At least for normal people, thankfully Vadik was a sociopath and quite aware of it.

He marched into the hangar bay, closing the door behind him as he pulled a pistol out from under his winter jacket and marched into a nearby corridor.

****

Bertrand stood by the circuit breakers, Cody was visable a few feet away as he stood by the main breaker switch.

"Kind of sucks just waiting here, don't it sir?" Cody asked, as he let out a breath a kicked a nearby pop can.

"Perhaps. But it does serve a higher purpose...Something this Company tries to stress." Bertrand answered, as the radio cracked and Rachel's voice came through.

"Bertrand. Throw all the circuits labelled Computer Control Room." Rachel's voice said, as Bertrand looked at the large circuit board and saw the set labelled for the Computer Control Room. He flipped them, as a humming noise could slowly be heard.

"Now, flip the Security Room circuits." Rachel said, as Bertrand again followed the steps being given to him.

*****

Sandra sat in the darkened Security Room, as the lights came back on suddenly and the computers began to flash. She turned to the nearest one, and began typing wildly. Rachel told her to reboot the systems, there would be a walkthrough manuel in one of the desks. While she waited, she read it front of back, and felt she knew enough to pull through for the team.

She kept typing, watching the the screen changed rapidly with each key stroke. The screen went black for a moment, before the desktop picture filled the screen and a loud noise let her know the system was active again.

She opened the main controls panel, and looked through it for the manual communications program. She found it, and opened it up.

"Alright. The dish is working, what are the co-ordinates I need to enter?" Sandra said into her radio, as it stayed silent for a moment.

"45-12-481." Rachel responded, as Sandra entered the numbers and pressed send. A few moments later, a warning came up:

CONNECTION WITH BASE 401 CONFIRMED. AUTO-SEND "SSPRING REPEAL?" Y/N?

Sandra typed in yes, as another confirmation message came up and she leaned back for a moment. Another box came up on the screen:

B401: This is TAGGART; Base 401. Why were your communications down?

Sandra leaned in close and typed:

B345: Emergency situation! Stranded here at the base, with limited communications. Send immediate help.

She hit enter, just before a bullet connected with the screen, destroying the monitor. She turned around, and saw a man she'd never seen before. She reached to grab her own weapon, until a spray of red flew past her face and she lost feeling in her arm.

"I wouldn't do that again." The man said, his Russian accent clearly visable.

"Who are you?" Sandra asked, as she collapsed off the chair and onto the ground.

"Your immediate superior. Where is Colmán?!" The man shouted, as he walked closer, the pistol ready to fire a killing shot.

"I don't know. We split up...He took Mike on a mission the rest of us weren't told about." Sandra answered, as she tried to reach slowly towards her rifle.

"Then all of you are of no use to me." The man said, as he fired again, leaving Sandra on the ground in a lifeless lump...

****

Bertrand heard the shots first.

"Seal that god damned door, NOW!" Bertrand yelled, as Cody ran from his post and slammed the heavy steel door shut.

"The manual lock, activate it." Bertrand shouted again, as Cody slide a large metal beam into place. He ran back to his post, as Rachel yelled:

"Alright, throw the main breaker!"

Cody threw the breaker, as the lighter flickered overhead, until they came on strong and the emergency lights in the room shut off permanently.

"We did it!" Rachel yelled with glee, as Bertrand and Cody walked over to her.

"Radio Sandra." Bertrand said, as Rachel took out her radio and called out Sandra's name a few time. There was no answer.

"Do you think she's ok?" Cody asked.

"We did hear gunshots...I doubt it." Bertrand answered, as he took his rifle off his shoulder and readied it.

"You two can stay here...But I need to find her." Bertrand answered, as he walked to the door and slid the lock open, he was surprised when Cody and Rachel walked out with him.

"She was in the security room." Rachel said, as she scanned the hallway with her rifle.

"Then let's go." Bertrand answered, as they walked down the corridor.

*****

Colmán leaned against the desk, reading more of the files he found on the computer, when the door behind him swung open.

"Vadik?" Colmán said, as a bullet missed his head.

"None other." Vadik answered, as he walked into the room, not noticing Mike.

"You've just made a mistake." Colmán said smugly, as Mike moved towards Vadik.

"Actually, you have." Mike said, as he walked over to Vadik and threw his arms around him.

"I thought it would be better if you didn't know my nephew was on your team." Vadik said, as he hugged Mike back and they walked towards Colmán with their guns aimed.

"What are you doing?" Colmán asked, as they moved closer towards him.

"You had to be so damned inquisitive, didn't you?" Vadik said, as he motioned towards the computer.

"I haven't finshed." Colmán answered, as Vadik smiled.

"Scroll down. Read the name of the head researcher here." Vadik answered, as Colmán turned back to the computer and did as he was told.

"Koshya Vadik...Your father?" Colmán said, as he turned back towards Vadik.

"You always wondered why the Company favoured me over you...I had connections you didn't." vadik said, as he lowered the gun and handed it to Mike.

"If I'm going to kill you Colmán, I want to prove once and for all that I am the better man." Vadik said, as he swung at Colmán's face. Colmán narrowly ducked out of the way, before he managed to send an elbow into Vadik's stomach.

Colmán turned to look at Vadik, who was slightly curled.

"We'll see about that."

Chapter Eleven: When There's No More Room In Hell...

Bertrand kicked open the door to the security room, his rifle scanning the room along with his eyes. He motioned for the others to come in to the room behind him, as he turned on the nearby light. It flickered over head, but showed what he had hoped not to see: Sandra, sprawled out on the floor.

He ran over to her, and checked her pulse. Nothing.

"She's gone." Bertrand said, as he remained kneeling by her for a moment. He let out a slight sob, as he stood up and looked at the others. He was about to speak, when a gasp and a cough from behind him made him turn around, rifle ready.

He watched, as Sandra sat up, coughing and gasping, but alive.

"Holy shi...." Cody muttered, as Sandra stood up and looked at everyone around her.

"What happened?" Sandra asked, as she rubbed her head.

"Technically speaking, you were dead." Bertrand answered, as he just stared at her.

"Shot?" Sandra asked, as she looked at her jacket and noticed the bullet holes.

"Are you one of them, Sandra?" Bertrand asked, as he wrapped his hands around her shoulders and squeezed tightly.

"No...I...I'm not sure how this happening." Sandra answered, as she stepped back from Bertrand.

"The Russian. Where is he?" Sandra asked, a sense of urgency in her voice.

"What Russian?" Rachel asked.

"The one who shot me!" Sandra screamed, as she moved suddenly then let out an actual scream. Bertrand rushed to her, checking her.

"These wound are pretty serious...I'm surprised you haven't felt the pain from then this far." Bertrand said, as he reached over to a nearby desk and grabbed a small first aid kit.

"Cody...Rush to the medical room and find me a sling, her left arm's pretty much toast." Bertrand said as he wrapped a bandage around her arm.

"Don't read into this." Bertrand said, as he wrapped another bandage around her chest, sealing the wound that seemed to had killed her.

"We'll do what we can to patch you up. Rachel, go help Cody...Bring back some of the pain killers and a few syringes." Bertrand said, as Rachel nodded and walked out of the room. Bertrand paused for a moment, checking to make sure that the others were gone. He took out his wallet, and showed Sandra a picture.

"I need you to tell me...Was this the man that shot you?"

*****

Colmán ran towards Vadik, as he swung hard and punched Vadik in the face. Vadik stumbled backwards, as he leaned against a small control panel. A beeping noise rang out, as the room began to rumble. Both men stopped, as they looked around the room in confusion.

Mike swung around, a second too late, as a large rock fell from the roof connecting with his head. The sickly wet sound of blood slapping against rock was heard, followed by the familiar sound of bone snapping. Mike's neck became like rubber, as his head twisted on his shoulders and seemed to hang lifeless. His body hit the ground as both Colmán and Vadik watched.

Vadik screamed in sorrow, as he ran to the body of his dead nephew. He picked him up, and cradled him as Vadik wept. Colmán stood there for a moment, looking at the nearby rifle dropped by the dead young man. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to run to it. He stood, waiting for Vadik to turn around.

Vadik rested his nephew's body on the ground, as he stood up and turned to face Colmán.

"This is your fault...You led him here." Vadik muttered.

"My fault? Who put him on my team as a mole?!" Colmán retorted as he looked at Vadik, the thought of the rifle coming back into his mind. Vadik seemed to accept what Colmán said, ultimately it did boil back to his decision.

Vadik dropped to his knees again, as he slumped. A cough came from behind them, as both men turned to see Mike coughing and groaning in pain.

"What the hell..." Vadik said, as he crawled over to his nephew.

"Kelly." Colmán muttered, as he looked over at one of the pods.

"This little experiment is keeping him alive." Colmán said, as he pointed to the pod and looked at Vadik.

"Perhaps its time you told me a bit more about this..." Colmán said, as he walked over to Vadik.

Chapter Twelve: Revelations

Colmán stood there for a moment, watching Vadik trying to comfort his nephew.

"You need to tell me more about what's happening here." Colmán said again, as he walked over to Vadik and knelt down beside him.

Vadik looked up, his eyes slightly red, as he looked Colmán in the eyes.

"What do you need to know?"


*****

Cody and Rachel rushed into the room, carrying the better medical equipment as Bertrand took it from them and broke a syringe out of its protective plastic covering. He grabbed a small vile, checked the label, and then filled up a small amount into the syringe. He rolled up Sandra's sleeve, and jammed the needle in.

She seemed to become contented, as Bertrand grabbed the sling and wrapped it around Sandra's bad arm.

"Right. IF you feel pain, tell us and we'll shoot you up. Seeing as how you seem to not be able to die, we don't have to worry about an overdose." Bertrand said, as he helped Sandra back onto her feet.

"Do we know where Colmán is?" Bertrand asked, as he looked at Cody and Rachel.

"No clue." Rachel answered, as she looked over her shoulder.

"Alright...Let's clear the upper level here, and if we don't find anything...Then Colmán and Mike must have made their way into the tunnels." Bertrand answered, as motioned for the other to span out and move through the upper levels.

****

Colmán stood there for a moment, as Vadik turned away from his in pain nephew, and just stared at Colmán for a moment.

"Why do you think you're here?" Vadik asked, as he looked around the room.

"Now is not the time to be philosophical." Colmán retorted, as Vadik shook his head.

"I mean here, in the base." Vadik replied.

"Not sure." Colmán answered.

"It is unusual to see a man of your status with the Company, to have to go on field missions like this. It wasn't my decision to send you here." Vadik answered, as he walked over to the computer panel and began typing some information into the computer.

"What are you talking about?" Colmán asked, as he moved closer to Vadik.

"You've been here before." Vadik answered, still typing.

"Of course. I brought Bertrand here personally, I know that." Colmán replied, as Vadik shook his head and stopped typing.

"The Company would kill me if they knew I showed this to you. As far as they were concerned, this file was deleted thirty years ago." Vadik answered, as he motioned for Colmán to come closer.

Colmán moved slowly, as he walked over to the computer and looked at the screen.

SUBJECT: 345R-200-000A
REAL NAME: Rémy Colmán
POWER CLASSIFICATION: 200-000A
ABILITY: Due to complications arising from his fellow companions, we were unable to perform a through examination of his abilities.
DISCOVERED: July 25th, 1965.
DOPD: 00-00-0000

"What the hell is this?" Colmán asked, as he grabbed Vadik by the collar and slammed him against a nearby file cabinet.

"The truth. What you wanted." Vadik answered as Colmán let him go.

"Why do you think you've been held back in the Company like you have? We don't know what you can do, and for some reason...Neither do you." Vadik answered, as Colmán stood there for a moment.

"Then are you sure I'm one of them?" Colmán asked, as he looked at Vadik.

"Your genetic sequencing tells us so. But as I said...We can't tell what you can do." Vadik answered, as he walked back over to the computer.

"What does this have to do with what we're doing here?" Colmán asked, as Vadik shrugged.

"I'm not sure. I just know the orders came down to take you here...I was as surprised as you were." Vadik answered, as he punched up another file.

"All I know is...The bosses think it was very important to bring you back here." Vadik said, as he opened the file and typed in his password.

"This file details the research that was done while you were here. As you can see, you underwent some pretty heavy stuff." Vadik said, as Colmán looked at the screen.

"Vivisections?" Colmán answered, as he touched his chest.

"You're wondering why no scars?" Vadik asked, as he leaned against a nearby desk.

"We had a healer. When the order came down to cut you loose, we had to be sure that you wouldn't remember what happened here. We had a man, someone who helped with that." Vadik said.

"The Haitian from Odessa?" Colmán asked.

"No. This guy was a little different, and not special. He was a medical science, did a lot of work with neurology. Figured out a way to cause memory loss through massive concentrations of certain drugs. IF we didn't have the healer, you would have died." Vadik answered.

"Not with Kelly there." Colmán answered, as he pointed to the tube then to Mike.

"Kelly's power is...limited. He can bring you back, and keep you alive...But once you leave his range, you'll fall down dead again. He can't keep you alive forever." Vadik answered, as he looked at Mike.

"Colmán the bosses want to know what you can do...We need to know, because the doctors here didn't record it." Vadik said.

"This makes no sense...I remember every detail of my life...There's no gaps, nothing." Colmán said, as he shook his head.

"Then who knows..." Vadik said, as he drew a remote from his pocket. He pressed a button, as a nearby floor panel collapsed inwards and fell down a two-hundred meter shaft.

"At the bottom of that shaft, is a large quantity of medical and chemical waste. Highly acidic, nothing can survive it. The body will break down, and there's nothing left to be kept alive." Vadik said, as he walked over to Mike and dragged him to the hole.

"Goodbye, nephew." Vadik said, as he planted a kiss on Mike's forehead, and then threw him down the shaft.

"My orders were to throw you down there too, Colmán. Although, I don't think I'll be doing that." Vadik said, as he looked over at Colmán.

"Why's that?" Colmán asked.

"We both have a lot of unanswered questions, especially because of the secrecy of this Company, and together I think we can answer a lot of what happened here." Vadik said as he walked back to the computer and opened some more files.

"My father's research is what helped the Company locate and identify people with unique abilities. It's not as complex as the Suresh formula, because we need DNA samples from our potential subjects...We just can't rely off public domain samples. The only problem is...My father locked off a great deal of his research on this computer. Never told anyone the password, at all." Vadik said, as he opened a folder and was prompted for a password.

"Thirty-three years of research, and potentially files on you, locked behind this password. We need a way to crack it." Vadik said, as he looked at Colmán.

"Did he ever tell you anything about the password?" Colmán asked, as he looked at Vadik.

"He used to say that it was the Vadik bloodline that would give me all the answers I wanted one day...Could be the name of a grandfather or someone further down my ancestral line." Vadik answered, as he scanned the room.

"No. It's your blood itself." Colmán answered, as he walked over to a table and grabbed a sharp tool and Vadik's hand. He sliced open Vadik's palm and let some of the blood fall onto the floor. He looked around the room, and saw a small computer.

He pushed Vadik's hand against it, as the computer came alive and began to show massive lines of code on the screen.

"DNA code?" Vadik asked, as he watched.

Colmán nodded.

A beeping noise came from behind them, as the password prompt disappeared on the main computer and the two stopped and just stared...

Chapter Thirteen: Paradigm Shift

Bertrand and his team moved quickly into the air sealed tunnels, and scanned the dark hallways as they walked by.

"What is this place?" Cody asked, as he tried his best not to inhale the musty smell coming from the rock walls.

"Old mining tunnels. We thought they'd be a safe place for refuge should it have to be taken. There's another command centre just down that way, full with radio and a few other things." Bertrand answered, as they continued walking.

"Why didn't your team come down here?" Rachel asked, as she tried as hard as Cody to block the smell from her nose.

"Someone changed the passwords. When we rebooted the system, it must have reset the door to the default passwords." Bertrand answered, as he saw what he was looking for.

"That door shouldn't be open. Colmán and Mike must have gone down that way." Bertrand said, as he moved through the door and motioned for the others to follow.

"Why shouldn't this be open?" Cody asked.

"Leads to more dangerous tunnels, ones not even I had authorization to go in. These are the oldest tunnels in the mine that used the be here...There's an elevator a few feet ahead, it will take us down to the lowest tunnel. I have a feeling that's where Colmán is." Bertrand said, as he walked further down the darkened tunnel...


*****

Colmán looked at the screen, amazed by what he was seeing.

"This would explain a lot..." Vadik muttered, as he read the screen and looked at Colmán.

"So, it seems we finally know what you can do." Vadik muttered again, as he walked away from the computer.

"So it does." Colmán said, as he walked towards Vadik. Colmán rushed quickly, knocking Vadik on the head and watched as he fell to the ground unconscious. Colmán knelt and placed his hand on Vadik's forehead.

A strange bevy of emotions came over Colmán as he felt what he was doing and continued. The first time using his power in years, yet it all felt natural to him. When he stopped, he stood up and looked at Vadik. He stood there, and waited for the Russian to wake up...

*****

Bertrand and his team climbed off the elevator, looking around at the tunnel looking for any signs of life. They saw a faint glow of a light in the distance, and agreed that was the place to go. They made their move down the tunnel, side stepping away from long pits and gaps in the floor. They made it to a secure doorway, but the door was wedged open. They swung it open and walked inside.

Bertrand looked around at the old laboratory, and shook his head.

"This Company has too many secrets." He muttered to himself as he walked around and took a closer look at a few things.

"Bertrand!" Rachel screamed out, as she pointed to a hidden doorway behind a large machine. The team walked to the door and kicked it open, finding Colmán standing over the unconscious Russian.

"What happened here?" Bertrand asked, as he walked into the room and swept it.

"Where's Mike?" Cody asked.

"I've taken care of the situation." Colmán responded.

"As for Mike...I'm afraid he didn't make it. He had his neck snapped, died...And then miraculously rose from the dead. However, he was in a great deal of pain. Our friend there took care of it. And I took care of him." Colmán responded, as he walked away from Vadik and over to the pods in the middle of the room.

"And these friends here and responsible for our walking dead...As well as the Silent Spring program. Hopefully, I'll be able to take care of them as well." Colmán stated, as he walked over to the pods and began opening them.

The smell of rancid, rotting flesh and muscle filled the room, but despite that they continued to breathe and live, despite missing the shell of a human body. Colmán reached into one of the pods and began tossing the organs and remains into the small shaft that Mike had been thrown into.

"The first people our Company ever caught and subjected to experiments. As you can see, we were a lot less humane back in those days." Colmán said with a laugh, as he continued to throw the organs down the shaft.

"Wait...You said that one of them kept Mike alive? I think it's doing the same thing for Sandra. Your friend there shot her. IF you kill them, Sandra will die!" Bertrand exclaimed, as he rushed towards Vadik.

"It's better if she does. Would you rather have her live a life of pain and suffering, than to not have life at all? Funny thing about Mr. Kelly's power...It keeps people alive, but it doesn't stop the decomposition of flesh and bone...and organs. That's why the Company put them in these pods, to prevent that. Sandra will suffer, and even the small molecule of her will survive and keep her in constant pain. It's better to end this now." Colmán answered, as he continued tossing the organs.

"Bring Sandra here, and we'll throw her down the shaft. Nothing survives down there, the first scientists here made sure of that." Colmán said as he placed his hand on Bertrand's shoulder.

"There is no other way." Colmán said, as he removed his hand.

Bertrand nodded, as much as he hated to admit it, Colmán was right. This had to end here.

"I'll go get her." Bertrand said, as he turned and walked out of the room....

Chapter Fourteen: Divine Intervention

Bertrand made his way up the elevator and back towards the main part of the base, alone. Against his better judgement he had left the rest of his team down in the lab with Colmán and the knocked out Vadik.
He climbed into the elevator, which was really more of just a flat piece of sheet metal on hydraulic lifts, and began the long climb upwards.


*****

Colmán sat with the others, a gun resting in his hand as he watched Vadik lie on the floor. Should be waking up any moment now... Colmán thought as his fingers twitched and played on the gun. Vadik moved slowly, extending his arms slightly before he sat up and rubbed his head. He looked around, and seemed confused.

"Something the matter?" Colmán asked, as he stood up and moved towards Vadik.

"Who are you people? Where am I?" Vadik asked, as Colmán smiled.

"You're in the mine. There was a slight collapse, you banged your head and fell a good deal. Are you alright?" Colmán asked, as Vadik nodded and stood up.

"I remember all that..." Vadik answered, as he looked around at the others.

"Why do they have guns in a mine?" Vadik asked, looking at Rachel and Cody.

"We've had a threat of a foreign company coming to seize the ore we've mined. We're taking precautions." Colmán answered, as he walked over to the pit and looked down.

"Are you going to continue you're route?" Colmán asked, as he pointed down the pit.

"That's right...I'm supposed to survey that area for prospective future mining potential." Vadik answered, as he walked towards the hole and looked down.

"Did you bring the rope and climbing gear?" Vadik asked, as Colmán nodded and handed Vadik a rope.

"Cut backs. Be careful, tie it to your pants." Colmán answered, as he tied to rope off to a nearby pipe. Vadik tied the rope, and then began to descend down the pit. Colmán looked over at Rachel and Cody for a moment, before drawing a knife from his pocket and cutting the rope. A scream came from the pit, followed by a loud splashing noise, followed by even more screaming before it stopped suddenly.

"Why did you do that?!" Rachel yelled, as she lifted her rifle and aimed it at Colmán.

"Are you sure you want to aim your gun at a superior?" Colmán asked, as he raised his own pistol.

"Vadik was your superior in the Company, and you just dispatched of him...Although, we're not quite sure how..." Cody answered, as he lowered his rifle and looked around the room.

"Turns out all this time, I'm quite special. More so than the Company realized." Colmán answered, as he walked over to Rachel and Cody. Rachel lowered her rifle as Colmán placed his hands on her's and Cody's shoulder. The two's faces went blank as they collapsed.

Colmán stood there for a moment, hoping they would come to before Bertrand came back.

******

Bertrand walked through the airlock, moving towards the security room where they had left Sandra to rest. He walked into the room, and found Sandra lying down.

"You ok?" Bertrand asked as he walked over to her.

"Having some trouble breathing...And this hurts like hell." Sandra answered, as she pointed to the bullet hole that went through her chest and out.

"That's to be expected...We found out what brought you back, it's a person." Bertrand said.

"You mean a special? Some power..." Sandra muttered.

"Tell me about it...It's been keeping him alive for years...Even though..." Bertrand said, before he stopped abruptly.

"Even though, what?" Sandra asked, groaning as she climbed off the desk see was laying on.

"He can keep himself alive, and others...In someways, but not in all. Your body is going to die, but you're not going to...Eventually, you'll decompose, but you won't die. You'll feel it all." Bertrand said, as he looked at her.

"What...What can we do about it?" Sandra asked.

"The only thing we can do. Give you a kinder, easier death." Bertrand answered.

"And just how the hell are you going to do that here?!" Sandra yelled, as she slammed her hand against a desk producing a sickening sound of crushing of bones.

"Colmán seems to think he's found a way..He did it for Mike." Bertrand responded, as he held out his hand to Sandra.

"It's your choice, Sandra...But there is another possibility." Bertrand whispered.

"Which is?" Sandra asked.

"We could take you far away from here...Somewhere where the power doesn't reach. It'll be just like falling asleep." Bertrand said, as he looked at her.

"No...I died here, remember." Sandra said, as she took his hand and the two walked out of the room....

Chapter Fifteen: A New Start

Bertrand and Sandra stood on the empty metal elevator pad, neither one speaking to the either, as the small metal pad moved slowly down towards the laboratory.


**********

Colmán looked at Cody and Rachel, monitoring their movements. He knew Bertrand had gained their trust, something about the way they've acted since they came down there. He knew they wouldn't be loyal to him anymore, and that was a very real threat to what he wanted to accomplish.

"Cody. Can I speak to you, privately?" Colmán asked, as Rachel looked over at Cody. He nodded slowly, as he put his hand on Rachel's shoulder and asked her to leave the room.

"What do you want, Colmán?" Cody asked, as he rested one hand on his rifle, ready for any sudden movements.

"Just to talk. You need to know what's going on here...It's only fair." Colmán said, as he moved slowly towards the main computer.

"I don't care what's going on here...I just don't want to end up like Mike or Sandra." Cody muttered, his grip on the gun tightening.

"And you won't." Colmán blurted out, as he punched up some files and took a look.

"Years ago, this is where the Company got started. You should be grateful to experience the place where your employer was born." Colmán said, as he looked at some more files.

"I know I am...For the second time, at least." Colmán whispered to himself, as he motioned for Cody to walk over. Cody came slowly, as he looked at the screen. The open file on Colmán filled it, as Cody backed away a bit.

"You're one of them?" Cody asked, as he grip on the gun loosened and eventually fell away.

"It would seem that way." Colmán said, as he walked towards Cody and rested his hand upon his shoulder. That was all he needed.

Colmán closed his eyes as Cody's own eyes closed tightly, his face showing a great deal of pain before he collapsed on the ground. Colmán smiled, as he left the unconscious Cody on the floor and walked towards the room where Rachel sat...

**************

Bertrand and Sandra got off the elevator, as they looked around at the old mineshaft they stood in.

"Hopefully, Colmán has a plan." Bertrand said, the first words spoken since the long walk to the elevator. Sandra nodded, as Bertrand led her to the laboratory doors and led her inside.

Bertrand saw Cody and Rachel stand by Colmán, seemingly confused.

"What's happened?" Bertrand asked.

"I gave them a very wonderful gift, Mr. Bertrand. A gift I hope to give you as well." Colmán said as he walked towards Bertrand.

"You stay the hell away from me!" Bertrand said, as he drew a handgun from his jacket and pointed it at Colmán.

"I know all about you, Bertrand. The regret you're filled with. There was nothing you could have done differently, you let her down and the Company betrayed you because of it." Colmán said, as he continued walking towards him.

"That's not true!" Bertrand said, as he continued to point the gun.

"What is he talking about?" Sandra asked, as she looked at Bertrand.

"Your mentor out here was sent here as a punishment. Ended up killing fifty-two people in Boliva during a chase..He really killed fifty-three." Colmán said, a devious smile on his face.

"Who was the fifty-third?" Sandra asked.

"His partner, who ironically enough, was his lover." Colmán answered, as he looked at Bertrand.

"They never told you who she actually was, did they?" Colmán asked, as his glance intensified on Bertrand.

"Her name was Hillary Linderman, the niece of a very important man in our organization. It was the deaths of fifty-two insignificant civilians, but the death of his only niece that sent you out here, Bertrand." Colmán said, as he stopped in his path.

"And because of you, she's dead. All because you simply couldn't wait for backup, you had to disobey orders and you had to try to be a hero." Colmán said, as he watched Bertrand tear up and lower the gun.

Colmán walked towards Bertrand, and stopped.

"But, I'm offering you a way out. Like I did Cody and Rachel...Unfortunately for them, they didn't ask for it, I forced it upon them, both for you and myself. I'm going to give you a way out of the guilt, the remorse, and the past. You can get on with your life, and all of this won't even be a blurb in the history of your life. What do you say, Bertrand?" Colmán asked, as he extended out his hand.

Bertrand stood for a moment, before he took it and shut his eyes...

***************************

Two Months Later

Bertrand stood on the beach, his open shirt blowing in the wind as he watched the sunset in the distance. He'd always liked the fact that his parents had settled in Hawaii when he was younger, he could remember the long summers he spent out on the beach and the numerous times he managed to get in trouble at high school because of his acting out.

He sighed for a moment, allowing the waves to splash against his feet, before he turned away from the ocean and walked back towards his motorcycle....


******

Colmán sat behind a desk, watching as a janitor scrubbed Vadik's name off the door. A man in navy blue suit entered, as he took a long look at Colmán.

"I certainly hope you're going to tell us exactly what happened out there one of these days." The man said, as he picked up a picture frame from Colmán's desk.

"How many people know about the Ural Assignment?" Colmán asked, as he got up from his desk and paced around the room.

"At the moment...You and me. I authorized Vadik to go down in a very low-key assignment, and then we find out that everyone at the base was killed, and Vadik had to go and join them." The man said, as he put the frame down.

"Have you drawn up your report about the assignment?" Colmán asked.

"Not yet. I wanted to speak with you and get your views on it, find out what happened down there and how." The man said, as Colmán rested his hand on the man's shoulder. The man blinked for a moment, then looked around the room.

"I hope you enjoy your new office, Mr. Colmán. It's a shame that Vadik decided to go rouge on us...Once we find him, I assure you...You'll get the pleasure of taking him down personally." The man said, as he smiled and left the room.

Now that Colmán knew who he was, life was going to be a lot easier, for him at least. He thought about his abilities with a smile, secure in the knowledge that he was the only one who knew about them. The computer in the Urals was destroyed beyond repair by Rachel, and the base was left defunct.

As far as the world, and the Company, was concerned Colmán was just one of their normal operatives. And that was the way he liked it.


END