SUNGLASESS AND ROCKETS Part 2: The Machine

LAST WARNING

"What?" Mr. Wright was surprised.

All of a sudden, I noticed that the two guards were already handcuffing his assistant.

"Move it!" the Major said.

One more time we headed to the stepladder.

"Please!" the arrested magnate demanded. "I have a business meeting."

Suddenly, the structure swayed from side to side. It wasn't a quake; it was rather some sort of vibration that stopped as soon as it appeared.

"Time is running out," the doctor whispered. "I'm warning you Major."

It was true, time was running out.

Of course, our escorts couldn't care less about that detail for they didn't hesitate in leading us toward the stepladder. Preceded by the two guards, Darwin and I began the descent.

They were obviously the emergency ladders of the complex: narrow and in a zigzag shape. It was easy to get dizzy. The railings went up to waist level. You had to pay heed to your feet to prevent the risk of falling and dying before your time. However, it wasn't easy to focus; the magnate, a few steps behind us was offering resistance to go down.

The stepladder wobbled.

"Major," he was heard complaining. "You keep me one more second here and my attorneys—"

"Mr. Wright," the guard interrupted him. "I have no instructions of killing you, but I will if required."

"Liu," the stubborn prisoner continued. "Get in touch with—"

His sentence was left unfinished. A palm flew by us, making a dry sound when it smashed against the floor. Another device followed.

"What is going on here? You cannot arrest me! My company and Voodoo have a deal."

We arrived to the end of the third floor.

On the way to the next zigzag section, I noticed the enormous quantity of cylinder containers in what should be the lower level. I didn't dare to look around too long: a strange jolt shook the structure once more.

"It is not wise to go further down," the doctor was heard making the warning, at the end of the row. "Massive quakes are coming..."

We kept going down. And the doctor didn't stop with his warnings.

"We should take another path. If we make it to ground level no one will come out alive."

We reached the ground floor.

"In five minutes, a moonquake of unimaginable magnitude will start and will last half an hour," the doctor announced.

I looked at him with a side glance; now he was walking behind Darwin and me.

"The blue tanks will get in resonance with the quake and will break...All the acids will flood the plant...then, that wall will split," I looked back worried. I noticed a vast wall made out of pure stone. "The debris of the rocks will fall onto the construction; there'll be no way out..."