“Should we be concerned about the elevator?” Tom asked.
“No. Elise cut the power to the aft and forward elevators. Nothing’s going in or out.”
Tom nodded and then stepped out into the corridor. The lights were bright at the end of the hall making it easy to become focused on what’s ahead and forget about the doors before it. Tom had to consciously remind himself to check each door before moving further along.
He swiped his card and then entered the first door. It was one of the sleeping quarters for the crew. A picture frame next to the bed showed a young man in a sailor’s uniform holding hands with a pretty brunette in a red skirt. It suggested the room belonged to a crewman. It took a few moments to rule out anyone hiding inside and then they continued.
They checked at least a dozen more before reaching the main living space. The sound of the television increased. It wasn’t like the scene had changed and now was playing louder. Instead, it seemed like someone had consciously adjusted the volume until it became a blaring distraction.
Tom fired a single shot from the Remington. The powerful twelve gauge spray created a large opening in the wall at the back. “That was a warning shot. If you don’t come out in the next five seconds I’m going to assume you’re one of the attackers and the next shot I won’t miss.”
Silence.
Tom pumped the shotgun. “If you’re in here, I strongly urge you to come out with your hands up.”
“There’s a few of us in here. We’re all well-armed so I suggest you take my friend’s advice and come out now.”
More silence.
“It appears our friends aren’t interested in the easy way,” Tom said.
“No. It would appear not.” Veyron signaled with his hands that he would go to the other side of the large room and then the two would approach from the opposite side of it.
Tom nodded and watched as Veyron took his position. The common living area was basically a big square room. On one side an eatery and the other a big television with at least twenty Lazy Boy reclining chairs.
The eatery was empty, but the back of someone’s head could be seen in each of the reclining chairs. Tom signaled to Veyron that there were people in the chairs. Veyron acknowledged and the held up the number three on his right hand.
Veyron then dropped each finger one at a time.
Three. Two. One.
Both men approached with their weapons ready to fire.
“Show’s over!” Tom said. “Who wants to start with the explaining?”
No response.
Tom took aim and fired at the television. It exploded into a hole in the wall behind it. “I said, show’s over. Now I want some answers.”
Still no response.
Veyron grabbed the first person on his shoulder. “Hey, we said — show’s over!”
The man didn’t even flinch. His eyes were open, but they stared vacantly at the destroyed television. Tom glanced at the rest of them. No one moved. They looked like a bunch of zombies. Each one with their eyes open, taking slow, shallow breaths and entirely unaware of their surroundings.
Tom noticed a sealed plastic bag hanging next to the chair of the first person. It dripped fluid into the man’s left arm via an intravenous needle. Every person in the room had the same bag attached to them. He picked up the fluid bag and read the name: Normal saline. Additive: Morphine and Midazolam.
He recognized the strong analgesic, Morphine, but had no idea what the other drug was used for. “What’s Midazolam?”
“It’s a potent sedative and also a very powerful amnesic agent.”
“Meaning?”
“Someone went to great lengths to make these people forget something.”
Chapter Forty-One
Tom took a picture of the group of twenty people who were badly drugged out of their minds in case one of the zombies were replaced by the person responsible while they were away. It took him and Veyron another half hour to complete checking the entire deck.
“The place is empty,” Veyron said.
“Sure, but someone must be out there. You don’t think those people drugged themselves, do you?”
“No. Not to mention how they fed themselves?”
“Good point.” Tom picked up one of the drugged persons arms. The drug-filled liquid still flowed into the man’s vein. He slid the clamp shut.
“No, let it flow.” Veyron slid the clamp open until small drops of the liquid entered the man’s veins. “The last thing we need right now is to have someone waking up on us all hysterical until we make sure Elise is all right and work out what we’re going to do with them.”
“Good point.” Tom stared at the man more closely. Most likely in his late twenties, he appeared clean shaven. His arms and legs looked like they had normal muscle tone. “These people haven’t been confined to their beds for the past ten days.”
“You think they’ve been working in the day, only to be sedated for bed?”
Tom grinned as realization finally dawned on him. “Look at these people, what do you see?”
“I see a bunch of drugged zombies.”
“What else do you see?”
“Most are men.” Veyron sighed as he took in the entire group of people at a glance. His scientific mind reaching for objective facts. “There are two women amongst the eighteen men. They are all well cared for with no signs of malnutrition, bedsores, mouth ulcers or any other aliments common to people permanently bed-bound. Each person here is wearing a uniform…” He stopped mid-sentence. “Damnit, they’re all maintenance staff and engineers!”
“Exactly!”
“Someone’s been making them work,” Tom said. “And then sedating them in the evening.”
“After being given opium based morphine regularly they most likely would have developed an affinity if not an addiction to the drug. Like any other addict, they could be coaxed to perform tasks before being given any more of it.”
“The question is — what task have they been performing for the past ten days?”
Chapter Forty-Two
Tom left the engineers in their chairs, staring blankly at the wall. He and Veyron, now confident both the engine room and staffing deck were otherwise empty, returned to the middle elevator. He swiped the access card Elise had made for him and pressed the up button. The doors opened and he and Veyron stepped inside.
The back of the elevator had more than fifty bullet holes scattered in a tight grouping. Sitting in a chair at the center of the elevator a man-sized teddy bear sat grinning at them. A large hole where its tummy belonged bled polyester stuffing.
Veyron bent down and examined it. “This was Elise’s would be attacker?”
Tom pressed level six. “It looks like it never stood a chance. I just hope it didn’t come with any friends.”
The elevator stopped on level six. Veyron held the doors shut. “Elise, it’s us — don’t shoot!”
“Us who?” Elise replied.
“Veyron, Tom and the remains of a teddy bear!” Tom said in a clear voice.
“All right, come on out.”
Veyron took his hand off the hold button and the elevator doors opened.
Elise grinned and lowered her Uzi. “Well it took you two long enough!”
Tom smiled at her. “You all right up here?”
“Fine. How about you guys? I heard a loud bang.”
“Sorry,” Tom replied. “That was Veyron playing with chemistry. What happened here? We saw you had a run in with a teddy bear.”