"We need to get out of here!" Joshua pointed at the flashing LEDs as the pleasant female voice intoned: Instalaciones lockdown. Permanecer en su lugar.
"Which way do we go?" Caleb looked hopefully at the passageway that sloped upward toward the surface.
"Unfortunately, The Stork set off the alarm. She's telling us the facility is in lockdown and we are to remain in our place." Teddy looked at Joshua. "I think our safest bet is back down the tunnel."
"You don't have to speak Spanish to understand lockdown! We need to move! Leave anything that is not critical!" Bones looked pointedly at the container in Teddy's hands—it was filled with gold nanoparticles.
"You've got your pipe wrench. I'm bringing this—you'll see why!" Teddy gave Joshua a knowing smile.
"Yah, you betcha!" Bones spouted, ever the true Minnesotan.
The four of them quickly fell into a pattern. Joshua led the way, waving the badge and quickly working the right key into the lock, if one was needed. He would fling the door open and Uncle Stu would rush in behind swinging ol' Nelly like she was a scythe. Caleb helped Teddy limp along behind as best he could.
Bones was almost disappointed when the first door opened to their former place of captivity and there was nobody to mow down with his wrench. Instead, he was confronted with a madhouse—the cacophony rattled their eardrums painfully. It was like a psychotic zoo at feeding time. The antiseptic white room looked exactly as it had when they were held there except for the flashing LEDs.
The noise level, on the other hand, was an entirely different experience.
The bright white strobes were agitating the inmates. Monkey-boy was the loudest, hooting and hollering and running around his cell, stopping only to shake the bars. The walrus man was scooching and rolling his hundreds of pounds around and around his cell, barking like a seal. Caleb tried to lock eyes with the little cat girl as they ran past—she turned away, refusing to look at him and ran her fingers luxuriously through her long black hair.
Joshua yanked open the door at the end of the corridor surprising four technicians, one of whom had been trying to open the same door. The four men stood stock still holding stun batons with limp wrists and eyes wide. Bones let out what he felt must sound like an ancient Scottish battle cry and swung ol' Nelly up from right to left as he ran through the door.
The poor man opening the door didn't have any time to react. His kneecap shattered as the rusty wrench grazed it in passing, on its way to the second technician's jaw—blood flew across the room along with his teeth. High pitched keening along with vomit poured from the mouth of the kneecapper as he slumped to the floor. Bones flung the wrench back and forth like he was harvesting wheat, shouting: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few!"
The other two technicians beat feet down a side tunnel as Caleb helped Teddy into the passenger seat of one of the parked carts. He yanked the charging cable from the wall and pulled forward motioning Bones and Joshua to jump onto the rear-facing seat. Caleb slammed on the gas and the cart scooted forward at a comically slow pace, Teddy pointing toward the correct tunnel.
"Stop!" Bones roared. "We are too heavy!" Jumping off the back of the cart, he jogged up the tunnel motioning Joshua to follow him. Bones proceeded to smash the keys out of the ignitions of the other two carts, unplugged the last functioning vehicle and jumped into the passenger seat as Joshua put the pedal to the metal chasing Caleb down the tunnel at a marginally faster pace.
***
Delgado rubbed his head as he sat up. His lab was a mess. Somehow he wasn't surprised to find El Oso face down on the floor. The man had always been overconfident. No matter. The intruders would be captured and the work would go on. He rubbed his jaw. He had never been hit so hard. El Hombre Delgado replayed the attack over in his mind as he pulled himself to a standing position—why was the man wearing a wetsuit and dive booties?
Delgado knew suddenly and with certainty—he reached down to shake El Oso. It had no effect. He stood up and kicked the man repeatedly in the arm and shoulder. Finally, in desperation he took a step or two backwards and hauled off with his best soccer kick to the side of the massive head. No response. The head just snapped over and rolled slowly back. Delgado walked brusquely over the mountain's back and out of the lab.
Technicians were running toward the holding pens with batons. Delgado grabbed the first man that passed by the lapels and screamed in his face: "Come with me! Get some others!"
"Where are we going?" The man was clearly in a panic.
"To the door!"