Techno

Chapter 20

Gabriel

     Gabriel lay on the ground shaking, unaware of the chaos that he was beginning to cause. The servers around him flickered and smoldered a little, his virus sprinting through their systems. Suddenly, the door to the server room burst open and half a dozen C.I.N.A. agents in full combat gear stormed in. The laser pointers on their guns were illuminated by the smoldering smoke from the machines.

     Gabriel lifted his head, a hysterical smile etched into his face, "Good evening."

     "Gabriel Monroe," the head solder-agent spoke, "in the name of the Central Intelligence for National Assurance, you are under arrest."

     Gabriel shakily got to his feet, and a bead of sweat dripped down his nose, "You're all so arrogant. You're blind to what's happening. I'm here fulfill the world's destiny!"

     "Stand down, or we'll shoot," the head soldier-agent threatened.

     Gabriel smiled, "Try me."

     Gabriel lunged at the agents, and one of them fired a shot into Gabriel's shoulder. A wound opened up, but it did not faze him. He slammed his shoulder into one guard, pried the weapon from his hands, and shot down all of the other guards. They fell into the aisle of servers, knocking over the delicately-placed machines.

     Gabriel laughed.

     He dropped the weapon and briskly made his way down into the prisoner complex.

**

Ellie

     Ellie placed her hand on a computer terminal and took a deep breath as terabytes of information coursed through her brain. Schematics, faces, and cellblock numbers were all shifting through her vision.

     "Anything?" asked Merlin, standing by Ellie.

     Ellie shook her head, her eyes glazed over, "No, nothing yet...hold on..."

     She searched for the name Robert, and found one located in Cellblock C room number 32342. Ellie retracted her consciousness from the terminal and turned to Merlin. His face was creased with worry and his eyes were desperate.

     "I think I've found him," Ellie explained. "Robert Carson's located in Cellblock C in room number 32342."

     Merlin nodded, "Then let's get a move on."

     "Wait," Ellie interrupted.

     Merlin turned, "What? There's not much time."

     "Why do you want Robert so bad?" asked Ellie.

     "He saved my life, a long time ago," Merlin vaguely explained. "It's time that I returned the favor."

     Ellie nodded, all doubt cast aside, "Then let's go."

     The hallways were crowded with prisoners escaping from their respective cells. They all had looks of confusion, eagerness, and frustration on their faces. Some were tall, other short, and others looked like ordinary people. Ellie and Merlin pushed their way through the thickening crowd and down the hallway of cellblocks toward Robert.

**

Gabriel

     A crowd of people awaited their preacher. Gabriel stepped up onto an elevated platform and surveyed the hundreds of escapees that were still trapped within C.I.N.A.'s grasp. It was exactly what his visions had foretold. He raised his right hand and a grin spread itself across his grimy teeth.

     "Prisoners of C.I.N.A.!" Gabriel cried. "You have been liberated from your confinement!"

     "What?" several confused people asked.

     Gabriel nodded, "No longer shall you be pushed into hiding because of your abilities. Today is a day that will be long remembered, because it is the day that you and humanity will stand equally on the threshold of greatness!"

     "We're free?" someone asked.

     "I have seen the future," Gabriel panted, "and I have seen the destruction that will befall this great race. I have been given a gift!

     Someone, excited by Gabriel's speech, began to cheer at his liberator. Several more began to follow, and soon most of the crowd cheered Gabriel on.

     "We will be free!" cried Gabriel, another fantastic image blistering in front of his eyes. "WE ARE FREE!!!"

     The crowd went into an uproar and Gabriel collapsed to his knees because of the weight of his vision. His body twitched, sweat dripped down his forehead, and a haunting laugh escaped his throat.