4

Roxanne Nelson armed herself with a wrench and began to unscrew all the fasteners on the outdated sewer manhole.

There is enough ammunition to make a good mess, but there is not enough for complete destruction ...

— Mills! Go away! Children have no place in such an operation!—Roxanne shouted when she saw the detective approaching.

—Mrs. Nelson! If you knew about this secret passage all this time, why didn't you tell me? And I'm not a child!—Eden raised his voice.

—Well, then... Let's go. At least there will be someone to talk to... But don't you dare to act in your own way! Is there a gun?—Roxy looked him over.— Take out my backpack armor and put it on. —

— Why?—Mills froze.

Roxy couldn't stand it and grinned. After all, this guy was very nice and funny...

— Hurry up!— raising her voice, she said.

— Are we alone this time?— Mills jumps off first.

— It's better not to take Marcel with you all the time, the guy is suddenly married! Oh, how I miss my youth!—Roxanne stopped walking and felt Eden Mills bump into her back.

In front of them was a path branching into five different directions.

— Will we split up or do you remember where to go here?— the big-eyed guy asks.

— These paths weren't here before, I swear to you, they weren't, he added them.—Roxy sniffed.— No, I can't understand! If you had your gadgets with you, we would have connected to the sewer monitor, looked at the diagrams and passed...—Nelson pushed her hair out of her face.—Do you have anything you can connect with?—

— I definitely can't forget or lose this: my visor and myself. Roxanne, you'll have to stick that cord in my right hand, and the cable with the standard connector in my left hand. And I will become your surveillance device...—the gray eyes lowered a little.

— Will it hurt you?—Roxanne asks him.

— If so, there is no other way out now, as I understand it...—

The wiring pierces the skin, blood drips. Roxanne strokes his thin hand, tries to push the wire inside as carefully as possible.

— When you put the visor on me, dial F-5-5. If the light bulb doesn't light up, you give it a good crack with your real hand. The visor is old...— said the detective and suddenly added:

— Don't hit me, please, Roxanne...—

Eden screamed as the cable from the visor sank into his skin.

These cables held such a voltage that the M-1000 could easily hear the electrical connection without a direct connection. The person himself is something like both a flash card and an adapter in one person.

Roxanne noticed a notebook sticking out of Eden's jacket pocket, found a marker there and put it all in the guy's hands.

Eden sat motionless for a while, then his hands began to move mechanically.

Roxy sat and watched as drawings and diagrams of the sewer branch map appeared manually on paper, exactly the branch where they were now, the symbols were applied with the precision of a computer font.

Nelson shuddered when she noticed an incoming message flashed and mentally thanked herself that she had turned off the sound on all communication devices, it is unknown what could have happened if everything had been different.

The wiring warned that it was not enough for a long time.

Roxanne stole a glance at the message.

"Marcel.

Well, how's the situation? I sincerely want to join!

Boring."

"Wait for the signal with reinforcements.Roxy quickly wrote a short reply.

— You shouldn't have gone,—the girl said aloud to the detective.—but I'm glad you're with me now. I need a lot of strength. I can resist any nastiness of this world alone, but Felix is almost impossible to kill. I hope you get me out and bury me later...—

— Shut up.—Mills muttered shortly.— Do you think it's easy to watch people die?—

— I know, Eden, I've been to the transcontinental invasion. Fought, saw it all...—Roxanne interrupted her speech and slammed her hand over Eden's mouth.— There's someone there!—

The detective barely overcame the artificial hand.

—Impossible,—Eden whispered.— there's a dead end there! —

— Hmm, Mills, if you don't believe your feelings, I may not trust the map that you drew, but I trust my nose!— Roxanne extinguished the flashlight and went faster forward.

— ... And this one needs to be killed!—Felix's thunderous bass could be heard.— They'll recognize us! Somehow they can smell us!—

The monster sniffed and suddenly turned towards the entrance. All the ugly faces stared at Roxanne and Eden.

Gray eyes darted, Roxy could even smell this fear hanging in the air, the flowing smell of fear. The pupils were dilated.

— Stay here, Eden. Don't try to go out, if you smell fried - run away! I won't be lost, believe me. This is not the first time for me...— Roxy reloads the machine and goes forward.

She want to behave like a hero of stupid movies and throw kisses at Eden, but this is stupid, extremely stupid ...

— Felix!— she calls her dead husband by name and throws a grenade.

Explosion. Acrid smoke began to rise.

Eden presses the button of the transmitter with his fist - reinforcement.

A signal beeped and a red light came on - damn it, there is no connection!

— Believe me, Roxy, I am not aware of these attacks and I am not organizing them.—Felix's deep sepulchral bass rang out.

— If you loved me one iota for your life, you wouldn't lie so openly. You've always been against it. And the guy you killed last night?— Roxy is loading the weapon.

— Maybe you'd better think about your friend?— smoke started coming from all sides.

Roxanne fired a burst, but she didn't see much anymore.

— Mommy...— a voice sounded nearby.

Wheezing, gurgling, and in this voice there was some kind of animal thirst for blood. This voice didn't sound like a human voice at all.

Teeth clacked and there was a smell of blood.

Something quickly runs past, claws whistle, a wound remains on the shoulder.

Roxy bends over in pain.

— Do you want to lose your other hand, you insignificant parody of a parent?—Shined licked her claws.

Roxy fired, but as it looked, she wanted to scare more than hurt.

Eden peeked out from behind the shelter for a second and tightened his grip on his ray gun.

— Coward... Coward! Idiot!—he scolded himself softly.

Roxy ran as fast as she could towards her adopted daughter.

Eden was ready to swear before the Titanic court that Roxy also grew fangs.

The sound of gnawing, a very loud crunch of bones. Someone is screaming in a terrible voice.

Eden suddenly plucked up the courage, turned on the beam pistol at full power and fired a series of shots.

Roxy was lying on the floor motionless. She didn't even seem to be breathing.

— Roxanne!— Eden ran to the girl and touched her shoulder.— Roxy, wake up...—

The girl opened her misty eyes.

— I'm sorry... Eden...— she said hoarsely.

Eden didn't even have time to notice how her fangs dug into his neck.

Blood flowed, which Roxy greedily swallowed.

Eden couldn't move or scream.

— I'm sorry...—Roxanne whispered, jumping back.—I called you to fight monsters, but I'm one of them myself...—

— No, nothing wrong... And this disease? Is it transmitted? Am I infected now too?— from a calm tone, Eden got a little hysterical.

Roxanne lifted his face by the chin and looked into his big shiny gray eyes:

— Eden... You're not infected... And no one will touch you... I swear on my life not to break down anymore...—

***

— How many infected are there in the city? And in general in the whole oasis?—Eden asked as he walked.

— A lot... But there was practically no one left on my side except my father, Marcel and Hollis...— Roxy looked at the remaining charge on the machine.— If anyone else comes out from around the corner, I will have nothing to go to my husband with! -

— You have a lot of weapons.— said the detective.— Believe me, Roxy, I am not aware of these attacks and I am not organizing them.—Felix's deep sepulchral bass rang out.

— If you loved me one iota for your life, you wouldn't lie so openly. You've always been against it. And the guy you killed last night?— Roxy is loading the weapon.

— Maybe you'd better think about your friend?— smoke started coming from all sides.

Roxanne fired a burst, but she didn't see much anymore.

— Mommy...— a voice sounded nearby.

Wheezing, gurgling, and in this voice there was some kind of animal thirst for blood. This voice didn't sound like a human voice at all.

Teeth clacked and there was a smell of blood.

Something quickly runs past, claws whistle, a wound remains on the shoulder.

Roxy bends over in pain.

— Do you want to lose your other hand, you insignificant parody of a parent?—Shined licked her claws.

Roxy fired, but as it looked, she wanted to scare more than hurt.

Eden peeked out from behind the shelter for a second and tightened his grip on his ray gun.

— Coward... Coward! Idiot!—he scolded himself softly.

Roxy ran as fast as she could towards her adopted daughter.

Eden was ready to swear before the Titanic court that Roxy also grew fangs.

The sound of gnawing, a very loud crunch of bones. Someone is screaming in a terrible voice.

Eden suddenly plucked up the courage, turned on the beam pistol at full power and fired a series of shots.

Roxy was lying on the floor motionless. She didn't even seem to be breathing.

— Roxanne!— Eden ran to the girl and touched her shoulder.— Roxy, wake up...—

The girl opened her misty eyes.

— I'm sorry... Eden...— she said hoarsely.

Eden didn't even have time to notice how her fangs dug into his neck.

Blood flowed, which Roxy greedily swallowed.

Eden couldn't move or scream.

— I'm sorry...—Roxanne whispered, jumping back.—I called you to fight monsters, but I'm one of them myself...—

— No, nothing wrong... And this disease? Is it transmitted? Am I infected now too?— from a calm tone, Eden got a little hysterical.

Roxanne lifted his face by the chin and looked into his big shiny gray eyes:

— Eden... You're not infected... And no one will touch you... I swear on my life not to break down anymore...—

***

— How many infected are there in the city? And in general in the whole oasis?—Eden asked as he walked.

— A lot... But there was practically no one left on my side except my father, Marcel and Hollis...— Roxy looked at the remaining charge on the machine.— If anyone else comes out from around the corner, I will have nothing to go to my husband with!—

— You have a lot of weapons.— said the detective.

—I wouldn't say a lot, Eden... You just don't know how many of them are lurking there... How long is waiting... Oh, it gives me a pounding when I remember all these... All these freaks!—Roxy shuddered.

—You're hurt.—Eden pointed.

At the level of Roxy's liver, a fragment of a stone was sticking out. The clothes were stained with blood.

— Nothing.— the girl smiled, only smiled nervously.— Can I recharge my arm from the M-1000?—

— Yes, of course... I'll find the cable now... Do you have a standard connector or do you need an adapter?—Eden reached into the small white purse on his belt for the cable.

— Mini USB standard.—

Roxy flinches when the detective's hands touch her skin. After the breakdown, she worries about everything, it all seems so bright, as if from alcohol.

— Come on.—

An indicator flashed on the tiny screen and the battery lights began to shimmer.

— Is it difficult to always be with something electric? I'm sorry for this strange question... I'm kind of like that myself, but all these things have been with me since I was born...—Eden turned around.— There's someone coming...—

— Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!—Marcel peeked around the corner.— You speak so loudly that I heard you from the entrance! Well, is your darling here or did you go shopping?—

— Marcel... This joke is more than fifty years old...—Roxanne snorted, waving it away.— Come on! My hand is charged.—

— And the others?—Marcel twirled the radio in his hands.— Recall them? —

— No, let them wait!—

Eden only looked back for a second.

— Detective, is there a gun? I have five in my bag, can I give you one if you don't have enough of your lasers?— Marcel slowly followed them, gradually bypassing them and shifting to the other side of Roxy.

— No, thank you, Mr. Dupree, I have everything.—Mills replied dryly.

Marcel's long face seemed almost white in the semi-darkness. One would have thought that the Frenchman had turned into a marble sculpture that walks and talks.

— And the daughter? Have you checked where she is?—Marcel asked.

— Eden hurt her, but maybe she's alive... I wish she wasn't alive! Marcel... Will you be able to use your powers if the opportunity presents itself?— Roxanne took some glasses from Marcel and put them on.

— I swore to my wife that I would not use my powers... All right! I've known you a lot longer!—Marcel turned to Eden.— Detective, take the night vision. Of the three of us, only I can see in the dark... —

— Okay, okay...—Mills agreed calmly.

After perhaps two or three turns, the walls suddenly trembled.

— Shhh! Upstairs, not a sound to anyone, not a rustle!—Marcel whispered.

In different corners and turns, especially in such old tunnels, there is always a huge amount of different junk.

Somehow Dupree found a long iron rod there.

After prying the manhole with a rod, Dupri surveyed the space above it with the help of a mirror.

— It smells like something sharp, we'll put on masks.—He said softly to the others.— At least, at least this part, completely unknown to me, looks harmless, there are no freaks, no shooters, no other aggression.—

Masks with filters securely closed the respiratory organs. If anything, they will also muffle the sounds of sighs.

Marcel looked around, putting his stick forward, he motioned for the others to follow them.

The battery indicator blinks in the semi-darkness. Eden covers the lights of his gun with his fingers.

The lights of the M-1000 on the temple, fortunately, are not so noticeable.

— Contagious zone.—Marcel says indistinctly through his mask.—Do not remove the protection, you can't live here for more than ten minutes without a mask.—

Roxanne attaches a mini flamethrower to her weapon.

After all, she did not leave the bag, all this heavy weight, despite the situation, remained on her shoulder.

— Let's keep it down. I hear something...— Roxanne says.— Like a knock, but with a rhythm...—

— Someone is tapping the SOS in Morse code.— Marcel lowered the straps of the mask a little lower so as not to put pressure on his ears and prevent him from hearing.

The Frenchman turned his head, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from.

— The pipe seems to be ... right? — Roxy whispered doubtfully.— Is it worth it to meddle?—

— It won't get any worse.— even under the mask, it was clear from Dupree's eyes that he was smiling.

And at that moment, a terrible pain pierced Eden's head. Probably, if nails were driven straight into the head with red-hot nails, the feeling would be very similar.

Screaming loudly, Eden fell to the ground.

The mask fell off his face...

***

... Pain shot through the lungs.

Eden felt the mask of the oxygen tank on his face through oblivion, but could not come to himself.

— ...Take him away!— he heard a voice from afar.

— I can't be with him either! He will be taken away from us! Mark...—

On the last sentence, Eden woke up.

Metal. There's definitely rusty metal around.

Marcel and Roxanne are also here now, but they are not the only ones.

John, the one with no memory, John Doe is also nearby.

No one is wearing a mask right now.

The detective's condition is a little drunk after oxygen.

— You... You said so... Air...—Mills stammered.

His lips obeyed badly, and the mask distorted his speech now.

Roxy crawled closer, took off his mask and unfastened the balloon.

— It hurts me to breathe.—Eden said hoarsely.

— You'll get used to it. Or maybe not. Who knows?—Marcel smiled.— But there are chances. And rather big.—

— What happened?— Eden Mills tried to breathe in and out again tentatively. My lungs don't seem to hurt anymore.

— You lost consciousness.— Roxy took a large piece of clay and pressed it against the hole in the pipe in which they were all sitting.— The air is good here, don't grab your mask. You said "Mark" and suddenly passed out. Is this your weirdness again, Mr. Brain?—

— I don't know... Maybe... Maybe it was something I can't even think about - the PROCESSOR will burn out...—Mills rubbed his forehead.—Did I hit something? The system crashes and the brains are literally boiling from this!—

— Should I give you ice? You broke the back of your head a little. It's nothing terrible for a person,—John handed him an ice pack.— but probably unpleasant for the computer...—

Roxy Nelson's hands are shaking. Eden noticed it by accident.

— We're going to put the masks back on,—Roxanne commanded.— and you, John, will need to put on a bulletproof vest. I just have two ultralights in my bag, from the new options. I hope they will suit you, at least one of them...—

— Your bulletproof vests fit everyone...—Marcel said. When he saw the raised hand, he immediately crawled away.— Okay, okay, I'm stopping joking! —

The loaded rifles made sounds. Fortunately, plasma is much lighter than conventional, bullet.

— The red button is a shot, and the toggle switch is a recharge. Remember?—Marcel asked before everyone left.

It was scary to try to be more careful. Any cut here threatens with a fatal infection.

Roxy noticed the shuffling. These are definitely those who are with Felix, for some reason she felt very strongly the vile smell of her late husband.

— There.—Roxy whispered to Marcel.

The Frenchman nodded and waved to the others.

It seemed that military actions were not the first time for everyone, except, of course, Eden.

— And the gold one?—Eden asked Marcel quietly.

— Grenades made of compressed supernova matter. You don't have to use them, but they are there... Just have it if you need it...—Sadly, the Frenchman stroked the golden button.

Eden wanted to ask something else, but fell silent.