Gina - 1st

Allen took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "I think...I don't know. I might know...I might know how they're choosing people," he began. "And with your help, I think we can figure out how. I know the contagion rather well...It has to be ingested. If we can figure the how out, we might be able to save someone at least...I might be able to find a way to neutralize it if we find a lab. I've thought about it, but I've never gotten to try anything. We can't do this alone, we have to tell as many people as we can find. I know we have five other locations, but we can't just simply take them all down like this. We have to expose them, make people listen to us, find more witnesses..." he explained, ideas whirling. He'd been thinking about doing this since his first day here. Never pictured he could have the chance to be free.

"Do. You. Know. How. To. Fix. It?" She enunciated each word carefully. If they didn't have a cure, then there wasn't very much point to all of this. If they didn't find a cure, she was willing to kill whoever she had to in order to stop it from spreading. She just wasn't sure if Allen was prepared to do the same. But he was the only scientist that knew how it worked, so he was still useful, even if it was only just a little bit, for the time being.

Allen stammered, "I think I have an idea...I've seen hundreds of files, and I remember them all...And I might know how to reverse the effects of it if we get there fast enough. I think I'm right, anyway. I don't know what you're expecting of me." Sighing, he reiterated, "I haven't been out of this place in years. I can't promise I'm right, but I do have a few hypotheses. And if you can get in here, we can get into other ones...Retrieve more scientists, more witnesses." Glancing at his watch, Allen realized that they probably had about an hour left. "Before that, your knife?" he asked, holding his hand out, hoping that he would be able to cut out his own flesh without passing out first.

"Well in that case, you just bought yourself some extra time in staying alive." She said as she took out her knife and handed it to him. Handing it over just like that made her feel vulnerable towards him, but there was no way in hell she was going to do it. "Don't try anything." She added, as she kept a tight grip on the handle of her gun.

Allen took the sheathed knife and stuffed it into his pocket for the time being, eyeballing the tight grip she had over the gun. "Don't worry, wouldn't bring a borrowed knife to a gun fight," he joked. "You could probably have me on the ground faster than I could do anything anyway. I'm going to get a few things. Back in a tick."

Standing, he walked over to a nearby cabinet with his light in hand and extracted a bottle of rubbing alcohol and gauze. After shoving them awkwardly under his arm, he headed back for cafeteria. Allen pulled a bottle of water from one of the cupboards and poured some of it out, adding salt to the mix, hoping that the inert heat of the atmosphere would be enough to completely dissolve it. Though it wasn't the best of all supplies, he was glad he could find something in the least. Carrying everything back, he slid down next to Gina.

After removing his shirt and placing it to the side, he set everything in front of him, uncapped and ready. Removing some of the gauze, he took some of the rubbing alcohol and wiped his shoulder and the knife down. "I'm assuming you don't want to help...that's fine. Just don't let me pass out like this," he warned. Taking a deep breath, he held it and removed his gas mask. He could hardly see with it, and looking at his own shoulder would be just about impossible. Now he'd just have to make sure he didn't immediately lose his breath with one pained gasp. He should have a few minutes of breathing in the least. Plucking up the knife, he prepared himself for the first incision.

"Right," she muttered and rolled her eyes, "If you pass out and die, it's not my problem. So you'd better know what you're doing, science boy." She warned. She was a little bit proud of herself for thinking up that nickname, it seemed like one that would stick for a while.

Great, he thought, no passing out. Bracing himself, Allen sliced right along one of the long ends of the plate and held back a hiss of pain. His fingers trembled, trying to keep him from continuing. Thankful for the plain design, he trailed down the other side, pushing deeper this time. Another side seemed like nothing, his shoulder already aching in protest, and he finished it off as quickly as he could. Sliding the slice of skin off, the metal plate was left exposed. After taking a moment to appreciate the fact that it was really there, he realized how difficult this was going to be.

Exhaling, he slowly started breathing the poisonous air, trying to keep his intake to a minimum despite the pain that ran rampant throughout his shoulder. Using his own left hand, he pulled the metal plate and gasped. Boy was it well-fastened. Carefully, he cut about half a centimeter down along the metal all the way around, his own blood making the plate difficult to grasp. Barely able to breathe, his vision fogging, he felt around for the other face of the object and methodically sliced underneath, gashing other bits of his muscle. Crying out in pain, he saw the world blur, his lungs burning.

Desperately, he grabbed for his gas mask and donned it, taking several deep breaths to calm himself, to reassert an unshaken reality. This should be it, he remarked, pulling on the object only to yelp. Part of it was still attached to him. Groaning, he continued pulling and took the knife, forcing it deep into his shoulder. With a pained yell, he rotated the knife around the metal object, cutting into his muscle. Every inch of him wracked in tremors, his body screamed for him to stop as he completed the circuit, his left arm now numb. Letting it drop to his side, he abandoned the knife beside him and grabbed the offending object with his right instead and pulled with what was left of his strength.

With a final rip and a reverberating scream, he had removed the metal piece, casting it aside to the floor, bits of his flesh still attached. Unable to admire the gaping hole that he had created, he reached over for the gauze only to drop it, his hands shaking far too much to manage. Amidst panting, he smiled weakly and turned to Gina, drooping a little. "Would you please help me a little?" he begged, eyes pleading.

Gina was shaking a little herself. She had stared at him in awe throughout the whole process, but at the same time the blood made her weary, probably because it brought back bad memories. She jumped at the sound of his voice talking to her and she had to recompose herself. She swallowed and then nodded as she bent down to pick up what Allen dropped. "Wh, what do you want me to do?" She asked wearily, her hands were shaking.

Nodding a silent thank you, Allen pointed to the bottle of salt water with a trembling finger. "Give that a good shake...and it might be best if you poured it. Use my lab coat as a towel if you have to...This should hurt, but just keep doing what you're doing until it's empty, alright? It should stop the bleeding..." he requested, weakly smiling underneath his gas mask. Lightheaded from the blood loss, he tried to maintain his composure. Another hour or two and he could rest, but he'd have to make it until then.

After following his instructions, she poured the salt water with shaking hands, resulting in most of it spilling away from its designated area. "O-o-okay..." she stammered out in a high pitched voice. With her free hand she dug her fingernails into the palm of her hand in order to try and help her to keep from vomiting.

Allen hissed in pain as the salt graced the depths of his wound, gripping at his own slacks with his good right hand. Radiating throughout his chest, shoulder, and arm, the pain struck him tenfold worse, a throbbing internal burning sensation. Gasping as she finished, he realized, to his relief, that the bleeding had stopped (though it didn't hurt any less) and that most of the blood had been washed away. Black spots danced before him and he shuddered, a wave of ice coursing through his body. Wracked with tremors, Allen instinctively reached out, grabbed for Gina's free hand, and started falling forward as if holding up his own torso was too hard to manage. He just needed a moment, one where the world wasn't spinning.

Gina squeezed his hand and attempted to help steady him. "Are...are you alright now?" She asked, hoping she wouldn't have to see any more blood so up close and personal today.

After what felt like an eternity holding her hand and breathing to reestablish any sense of normalcy he may have had, Allen took a deep, shuddering breath and sighed. "Alright, I think I can do the rest myself..." he trailed off, embarrassed that she had to help him, mumbling his thanks. Still shaken, he checked his watch and removed his gas mask. "It's just about time to take these off now...Which means you can blow up the door and the security system inside." That and he would get to see her face for the first time, which wasn't a bad deal either.

Grabbing the gauze and the rubbing alcohol, Allen forced himself up to an unstable footing and sauntered over to the opposing wall a good distance away from the door. His button-up shirt, damp partially with blood and water and salt, was barely hanging on by his right shoulder. "I'll let you get to your thing..." he said, shrugging part of his shirt back on as he set to remove the rest of the blood and bandage his injury.

Gina watched him cautiously. She took off her gas mask and let her hair loose. Her hair may have been short, but there certainly was a lot of it. It was mostly straight, but it also had subtle hints of waviness to it and it framed her face in a way that made her green eyes pop. Her face was all sticky and sweaty from the gas mask, so her hair stuck to it. It had some frizzy-ness to it and was a bit of a mess thanks to the mask. Gina attempted to fix what she could with her hands; this was one of those times where she was glad she kept her hair short, otherwise it would just get in the way of things such as an infiltration mission.

Her eyes raked over Allen's bare shoulder and she was forced to look away; she could feel her cheeks becoming warmer-maybe it had to do with how hot it might've been having a gas mask on..."All right. Just-stay out of my way okay?" It was more of an order than a reassuring statement. She stared at him for a while, maybe a moment too long before walking away to wonder if he'd really be okay in the state that he was in.

"All right you motherfucker," she muttered under her breath, as she stood in front of the door. She took out one of her little knickknacks-it was a gray, circular explosion device that had a red light in the middle. She stuck it against the door and then went to take cover. "Stand back!" She yelled to Allen, in an attempt that, against her better judgement, was meant to not let him get blown up. She pushed the button of the device in her palm and the device on the door blinked and made beeping sounds a few times before-KA-BOOM! The door blew up, sending pieces of it flying across the room. Gina could feel the heat of the explosion, which caused her to become more sweaty, with her frizzy hair sticking to her face.

She ran into the room before she could let the heat die down, not wanting to waste anymore time. She looked at all the expensive machinery and a small thrill spread throughout her entire being as she thought of how great it was going to feel to blow everything to bits; the feeling was almost orgasmic and she was getting quite the rush. "All right, you goddamn psychopaths. Say goodbye to your precious machinery." As much as she would have liked to tear everything apart and rip it to shreds, she unfortunately didn't have the tools to do so. Blowing everything to smithereens would have to do. It was just such a simple solution, and she slightly wished this destruction of property would last longer. Maybe that way, it would fuel some of her revenge. Instead she had to settle with the fact that at least she was going to be the one to push the button and destroy everything there once and for all. This is the first of my payback. She thought to herself, expecting that there would probably be more chances to ruin the institution for good. Even if I couldn't save my family...We're going to save those innocent people.

Stealing a glance at the younger woman, Allen immediately looked back down at his shoulder. Now was not the time to be ogling the cute girl. To his embarrassment, he could feel her eyes on him as he wiped off the majority of the dried blood, leaving a gaping wound pronounced on his shoulder. My, had he done a number to himself. As he worked, fighting the welling nausea, he listened to her walk back towards the door, mumble, and set up her explosives, thankful that she was no longer staring at him. Though it was probably out of concern, he couldn't stand it, sure that his cheeks would have flushed had he the blood to spare. By the time he was ready to dress the wound, Gina yelled, "Stand back!" and he slid further down the hall than before, turning his back towards the explosion. The last thing he wanted: another injury.

After the explosion, shrapnel settling, Allen turned back to the door only to see Gina flooding inside. Didn't waste any time, did she? Winding the roll of gauze around his shoulder, he kept his eyes fixated on the door, waiting for her to emerge safe. She didn't need to up and injure herself, too. With his shoulder satisfactorily wrapped and a bit of gauze left, he decided to fasten his dead left arm across his chest to his right shoulder. It seemed like he had struck a few nerves, and he prayed that they would heal up sometime soon. Without the use of his arm, he'd need far more assistance in a lab setting, far more in any setting, rather.

Pulling his shirt over his left side, Allen left the arm hole empty, an abandoned cask that hung loosely at his side. Awkwardly, he managed to button his shirt up all the way, leaving the top few undone to allow space for his strapped arm. Men's shirts never did accommodate for boobs. Watching the door, he prepared himself for the sound of another explosion, expecting her to tumble out of the room at any moment.

Gina did her best to loot through the room as quickly as she could. She searched for anything that looked important and took what she could carry. She set up more of her bombs within the room, and put them on a timer-hoping that she had given her and Allen enough time to make their escape. She accommodated for Allen, registering that he would probably be slower than she was at this point, considering how much pain he was probably in for the moment.

When she was done setting up she ran out of the room and back to Allen. "Alright, let's go! Try and keep up." She told him as she attempted to help him leave the explosive area.

Allen stood, eyeballing his bloodied lab coat. Hopefully with the explosions, paired with more blood on the floor, they would assume he was dead. If not, well, he didn't want to think about that. As Gina rushed out the room, Allen forced himself upright, leaning heavily on the wall. He had definitely lost too much blood and was most certainly in need of painkillers.

With her Mountain Dew light in her right, Gina grabbed Allen from her left (as to not upset his wound further) and forced him into his side, hand wrapped gingerly around his waist, having no other place to put it. Picking up her pace, she started down the hall, reaching the end of it before the explosions sounded once more, destroying the entirety of the room, the resulting dust following them down the hall.

Though lightheaded, Allen forced one foot in front of the other (even though his female companion half-dragged him when he got slow) and mumbled the directions. They were almost there...He was almost free. The first time he would be outside in years.

When they finally arrived, Allen chose to slink against the wall by the keypad. Running the code through his head, he positioned his hand over it, finger hovering just above the first number in anticipation of the lights turning back on. "How are we getting away?" he asked, hoping that she had arrived by anything but foot. Hell, he didn't even know where he was exactly, let alone the state, now that he thought about it. "And where are we?"

"Does it really matter now?" She asked in correspondence to his own questions, "We need to focus on actually getting out of here first! We're not out of here yet, ya know." She stated matter-of-factly.

Pouting slightly, Allen looked at the girl in defeat. Just wasn't going to win, was he? He hadn't the slightest idea as to where he actually was...A little preparation would have been nice. In an instant, the lights flicked on, and after taking a second to comprehend it, Allen punched in the six-digit code as quickly as he could. The door unbolted in front of them, a green light flashing just about the knob.

Gina took Allen by his good arm and led him to the outside world that awaited the both of them. "Act nonchalant." She whispered to Allen as they emerged in the city lit streets. The night sky was dark with few stars to be seen, with only the streetlights lighting up the red cobblestone pavement they were walking on. Cars were parked underneath them, on the curb, and only a few people were walking about outside. All in all, it seemed like a small city. "C'mon, let's try and find a place to stay for the night. We don't need to take you to a hospital or anything do we?" She asked, mainly for reassurance. She started walking at a quickened pace, eager to get away from the few pedestrians that were still out this late at night. She didn't like how Allen was attracting attention, looking all bloody like that.

She kept walking a bit of ways, scanning the streets. For being a small city, it didn't look there was much option for public transport around. Even it was a small city, it looked big enough to where people still needed to drive around. They needed to find a hotel or something...maybe a motel if they could find one, which would probably be better seeing as they most likely didn't have the money for a hotel. Gina suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. There it was. Under a streetlight was a four wheeled machine that would be able to get them to go places. It looked worn down-easy to break into. It didn't look expensive enough to have a car alarm or anything like that. The perfect steal. All she had to do was find a crowbar or something-that or break one of the windows. But if she did that it might look too suspicious driving around a small town with a car that had a broken window. She might as well yell out now, 'Look guys, I stole a car!' to the whole neighborhood.

If she had a crowbar she could slide it down the window of the car and unlock it. "Stay here." She told Allen as she headed back the way they came, she remembered walking past an alleyway. It was a long shot, but sometimes you could find unusual things in alleyways...things that have been thrown out etc. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Gina thought to herself, her heart pounding inside her chest as she hoped that just this once things would go right. At the end of the alleyway there was a pile of pipes stacked against the brick wall. Two dumpsters stood off to the side. Gina sighed in frustration and rummaged through the pipe pile first, thinking that maybe she could find some other metal items within it. After coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to find anything she turned around and-FWUMP! She found herself facing the pavement, her arms out in front of her, supporting her body weight. "Owww." She turned to see what it was she tripped on and...she stared at the crowbar that was just lying there in disbelief. "Yesss." She whispered triumphantly as she picked it up and ran back towards Allen.

"All right, science boy, follow me." She said confidently as she slid the crowbar into the window, unlocking the car doors. No alarm sounding. It was a simple task really. "Get in." She smiled at Allen as she got into the drivers seat, forcing him to make his way around the car on his own.

Before crossing the door's threshold, Allen looked back at to the lab, his eyes caught on the metal strip in the floor that kept him from passing all those years. Receiving shipments were the only reason he had learned the code to begin with, they had taunted him with it, knowing full well he couldn't step past the groove to so much as bring it to use. For kicks, they would occasionally pull him past just a second, enough to give him a jolt, only to push him back. Turning back around, Allen took a deep breath of the foul city air and grinned. It was air, unfiltered, outside as it should be.

As Gina led him, he straggled, fascinated by the cityscape. One thing was for certain: he didn't have an inkling as to where he was. Lights starring against the edges of his frames, Allen followed along, completely agog, revitalized by the sights, ignoring everyone else. It'd been ages since he'd been out and this dirty little city was more than a pleasant sight. Eyes widening, pupils dilating, trying to take everything in, Allen grinned like a madman. Maybe he was just delusional at this point, but it was simply wonderful. He was free. If Gina wanted to kill him now, he'd die happy.

That's right. He was with Gina now, wasn't he? Rewinding what she had just said in his mind, he returned, "I'll manage..." and she wasted no time hurrying him along. Allen could now feel the eyes on him and he felt this strange sense of urgency overwhelm him. No one could see him, no one. No one was supposed to know he was even alive. If they knew he was alive then they would come after him. No, he didn't want to go back. He didn't want to rot in the lab...or in some jail, assuming that he weren't simply imprisoned and infected to bring about his own ends. Shuddering, he concluded he'd rather die here.

Allen stayed put as Gina had requested, avoiding making eye contact with a few of the passersby as he shifted over to a wall and adverted his gaze to the ground. Already accustomed to Gina's gait, he looked up as she emerged from the alleyway and followed her with his eyes as she broke into the car. It didn't startle him in the slightest, and in a way, relieved him. Allen needed a good rest.

Once she told him to get in, he obliged, slid into the passenger's seat, and buckled himself in, thankful that the belt cut past his good shoulder instead.

Gina looked at the dashboard of the car. "Aw yeah, this must be our night!" She exclaimed gleefully as she picked up the GPS navigator that was conveniently sitting there. They could find out where the nearest motel was with this. She turned to Allen with a huge grin on her face. "This day just keeps getting better and better! Ha ha!" She said loosely. It was the first time in a long time she felt so happy and so...free. "Alright, let's get this baby started!" She said happily as she went to go hot wire the car. "While I'm doing this, see if you can find a place for us to stay on that thing." She told Allen, referring to the GPS.

Picking up the device, Allen set it on his lap and carefully examined it. He had no idea how to work it, but a shred of himself nagged against it. The owner of this car would eventually notice it was gone, and he would notice it sooner or later, having had it parked up against the sidewalk in front of various shops. And he had a GPS, couldn't they trace them back with it? Before his captivity, he recalled how standard a feature it tended to be, all in the name of finding your car when it was stolen...In instances just as these. Even in his time, he knew that they could register these things, check their search history to track the fuel economy. They would just have to cope without it. When Gina popped back up from her successful endeavor, he commented, "We can't use this thing."

Gina stared at him. She was a bit confused and enraged. "And why the hell not?!" She yelled over what was now the sound of the car engine running. "Just find out if there are any motels nearby! Someplace we can stay for the night! Or would you rather we live in this trashy car, with you bleeding all over the seats?! Why can't you be a good little boy and do what you're told?!" She exclaimed, similar words washed over her, ringing in her ears. Words from the past. ...be a good little girl and do what you're told... Gina shook her head in an attempt to get the bad memory to go away. She balled her hands into fists and glared at Allen, trying to fight the urge to slug him. Why on earth would that facility wan't some one like him? He can't even follow simple instructions! She thought to herself.

Too defeated to worry about his own safety, Allen snapped back, "Because they'll follow the car back to where ever we go! They'll look at our search history! Come on, this was even around when I was!" Wiping his prints off the device, he opened the car door and slung the it to the ground, where it instantly broke. "We can't risk it! The owner will come out soon enough and he'll report it! They'll find us and we'll be caught!"