Stasis Tube
Mr. Blake peered into the room. “There’s the McGuffin.”
The only light source in the room was the wet stasis tube, barely illuminating the lab workstations on either side of the room. Amanda was wearing a skin-tight suit that stopped mid-thigh. Her hair floated around her face like some form of a cloud. I stepped up onto the platform and put my hand onto the tube.
“Unbelievable.” My throat tightened, and I had to remind myself that I could deal with my emotions later. “Wait, before you turn it off.”
Roger hesitated by a small generator next to the tube. “Why?”
“We need a plan.” I motioned towards the door. “How quickly can you reset the lock to your DNA.”
“Roughly a minute.”
“How long before I can take her out?”
“Maybe three minutes.”
“So here’s my idea.” I stepped off the stand. “After you set the tube to shut off, you go to the door and reprogram it.
“But how are you going to get out?” Roger looked uneasily at Kevin.
“Only you can let me out.” I motioned towards the door. “I’ll try to connect with you on the other side when I’m finished. If I don’t connect in twenty minutes, you’ll need to get Mr. Blake out and take care of Amanda.”
“That’s it? Twenty minutes?” Kevin’s gruff voice had a tremor to it. His eyes misted.
“Kevin…” I paused. He had made a promise to his tribe, but I wondered if he would falter. I pulled myself to my full height and tried again, this time putting some force behind my words. “Kevin, if I fail, she can’t leave this building.”
The giant’s head shook slowly.
“Billions of people are at risk if she gets out.” I pointed a the floor. “You have a job to do.”
He stopped shaking his head and stared at the tube.
“What must be done must be done.”
With my last line, Kevin drew in a deep breath through his nose and stiffened. He gave me a nod and grunted. “What must be done, must be done.”
“Now you need to step out of the room, out of sight. If my theory is correct, then I don’t want her to see you too soon.”
He grunted and walked out of the room.
“Roger? Mr. Blake? Ready?”
“How bad could it get?” Mr. Blake’s eyes were wide. His eyes flitted between Roger and me.
“Supervillain bad.” I put my hand back onto the tube.
“Oh, dear Lord.” Mr. Blake's voice trembled.
Roger cleared his throat. He stared at me, furrowing his brow before his gazed finally moved to the floor.
“I’m sorry…” I put my hand on his shoulder. “If she is as strong as I remember, she can do some damage.”
“I know.” Roger’s voice was barely audible over the generator’s hum as he put his hand on a panel. He poked at some alien symbols, and the tube clicked.
After a quiet whirring, Amanda’s eyes opened.
---
Segment From Elizabeth: Found (episode 9) for sale on Amazon
See all here: http://elizabeth.zherosha.com
Original picture, Underwater Fashion Model by Engin_Akyurt on Pixabay
---
If you like what you see then upvote, remind, and share. Sub for more updates.