S.I.N.G.

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        "Helena?" Frank speaks into the radio. "Helena, please are you still there?" Helena can't reply. Pure interference breaks through the speaker and he gives a sigh as he shuts it off. She's helped us avoid any incidents these last 3 days driving. It's now November 22nd. We woke up from a break not too long ago. There are about 10 minutes left of driving before we enter Zone 20. Of course, Helena can't get through the radio anymore.

Not that long ago, she said the base reported a car heading towards Zone 20, which was us. No one called it in so they are suspicious. We don't know what's going to happen now since no one called it in and we won't say anything. We have no contact anymore so we'll have to find out after we get back.

It's early dawn and the sun has yet risen. Night pitch black conceals us as we enter Zone 20. My heart rate increases as I become lightheaded. I will not die. None of us will. We're breaking in and rescuing Grace-Jeanette safely. I keep telling myself that because at this point it doesn't matter if I believe it or not. I don't know if I do but it's beside the point because if I doubt it for one moment, drop my guard or get distracted for any reason even for a second, I'm dead. There aren't any surprises. I know I'm here to get Grace-Jeanette. Yes, there is a chance she's dead and this is all for nothing but I refuse to believe it. It wouldn't make sense. Maybe he was using her as bait but we took too long and he got impatient finishing her off. I can't afford to think like that. Not now. And I also expect to see Korse. There is nothing that can catch me off guard. They have nothing to take us aback. Only we have the element of surprise. The one thing that can kill us is just being outnumbered and outgunned.

Driving up ahead, I see exactly what Helena talking about. The tunnel is less than a mile away. "Weapons checked," Frank says. "Everything's in working order."

"Good," Mikey calls out. "Last thing we need is a weapon fail."

I drive into the tunnel and the tires give an unpleasant squeal as it grabs traction on the new surface. Once they stop squeaking, I slowly accelerate. The sound bounces off the tunnel walls and the revving engine echoes. We have officially entered BL/ind and my heart beats faster. By the way we're entering, there are three alarms we'd possibly encounter. The one at the tunnel, which will only be a problem if someone notices the tunnel. It's a high pitch ringing with quick, short bursts. If they do or if are detected inside the facility, there will be another alarm going off a bit longer bursts. The worst that could happen is the facility falls under lock down and they activate the executor. It would be a deep ringing. If that alarm sounds, we'll be at DEFCON 1.

The wind howls down the tunnel and because of the echo, it sounds a lot more ominous than it should. My hands sweat in my leather gloves as I tightly grip the steering wheel. Large, white posters plaster to the sides of the tunnel. They all have a different creepy phrase on them. "We can handle it from here." "Everything's perfect." "Keep smiling." Anxiety trickles in my stomach as I think about Korse saying those things. The last words he said to me echo in my ear. Keep running. Those were the last words he said to me, right before I fell to rock bottom. I focus on driving forward. It's been a while so we should be approaching the end and the gate.
Up ahead, a Bounty Hunter leisurely reads a newspaper. We're coming up fast. I accelerate a little more. Helena informed me there is limited traction on my car for the roads in BL/ind so I can't drive that fast. "Approaching in 7 seconds," Ray says. I hold my breath and Mikey adjusts his seat belt and braces for impact. We're crashing the gate.
My head lights shine brightly and the Bounty Hunter glances over the top of the paper then back down. He realizes what he sees and double takes. The Hunter drops the newspaper and scrambles in the little shed. He comes out with a Draculoid, guns in their hands. They stupidly scurry to the front of the gate to try and stop up. My hands press firmly again the wheel. Too late, mother fuckers.
They hastily start shooting but not one of the blasters fire anywhere near us. My foot presses against the accelerator as we crash through the gate, running the white suits right over. There's a blinding, bright, white flash and I temporarily can't see anything. Slowly my eyes adjust as the other side of the tunnel comes into focus. I glance in my review mirror and see the two lying crushed among the remains of the gate. The Draculoid raises a shaking hand and as a last dying effort slams his hand against a red button before falling down to the ground dead. A shrill alarm pierces the still air and the tunnel echoes it out. The echoes heighten the volume, causing pain to my ears and a loss of concentration mixed with a heart attack. They activated the tunnel alarm, damn it. Anxiety spikes as my nerves turn to needles and my breathing hitches, getting caught in my throat. They fucking sounded the tunnel alarm.

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