DOVE (Sequel to VIRUS)

I silently followed Linda out of the room and down the hallway. For a short and pudgy person she sure could walk fast! I was having a hard time keeping up! There were no doors on this hall but there was another hallway, to the left, at the end that had many doors. They were all medical related. One read Genetic Research another Bio-Organisms and another Chemical Research.

"This is our main research level. What you see around you is the jist of what DOVE is made of."

There was another hallway to the right at the end of this one and to the left were some stairs. Linda headed straight for the stairs and walked down them briskly.

"What's down that other hallway?"

"Oh, just a bunch more labaratories. Now quit asking me questions!"

"Sorry...."

Man, she really doesn't like me. We reached the bottom of the stairs and Linda swiped a card through a reader on the door. There was a beep and the door opened up by itself. I stepped through the door and my jaw dropped. There were wires everywhere! Big ones and little ones running all over the place. It was just one big giant room full of nothing but wires.

"Hey Linda!" A man's voice boomed out from under some wires.

I jumped at the sudden sound of a man's voice. A little ways in front of me he clawed his way out from under a jumble of wires. The man was wearing torn jeans and a very dirty t-shirt. He had several screwdrivers in his hands.

"Hello Harry." Linda greeted him.

"Hey Max, good to see you." Harry smiled.

I smiled back, "Hey....Harry."

"What's the matter with him?"

"He doesn't remember anything from before the machine."

"Oh, hmmm, that's funny."

"You're telling me. Well, it was good seeing you...again...I guess."

"You too Max."

Linda turned and hurried out the door with me following closely behind. We were about halfway down the hall when Harry called after me.

"Max."

I stopped and turned around.

"Yes?"

"Take care of yourself."

I twisted my eyebrow up in confusion. What could he mean by that? Was he implying something.

"I um, will, don't worry."

Harry nodded his head and busied himself in his work with the wires. I turned back around and realized that Linda hadn't waited for me. She must have gone on, thinking that I was still right behind her. I walked quickly down the hallway, hoping she would be waiting at the end.

The hallway split into two directions at the end and I couldn't see Linda in either one. I mentally tossed a coin in the air and went to the right. I continued walking quickly, hoping to catch up to Linda soon. This hall seemed to be completely dedicated to biological research.

Each of the labs had something to do with biological things and there were a lot of unmarked doors. I turned left at the end of the hallway and stopped abruptly. The hallway turned left but it stopped shortly after in a solid wall.

I sighed. This place is a bit too big to get lost in. I slumped against the door to relax a bit. Linda was a fast walker and I was actually getting tired! Maybe it was just because I hadn't actually used my legs for almost 20 days.

A faint noise sounded in the distance. It was almost like someone was screeming far far away. I leaned my ear against the wall. The noise seemed to be coming from behind the wall. I held my breathe and listened closely. There it was. A faint mournful sound. It reminded me of when I was in the virtual world and I had heard Lilian's screems. What was going on?

I stood up and examined the wall closely. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. It looked just like a normal wall. I reached my hand out to the top of the wall and slowly started to run it back and forth. Maybe I could feel something. I got closer to the middle of the wall, down farther....

"Max!"

I jerked my hand back and spun around. Linda stood in front of me with her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.

"Hey Linda, I was um, just trying to um, figure out what, um, what material the walls are made from...."

"This hallway is strictly off limits! Now, follow me."

She gave me a death glare and I quickly hurried to her side.

"You are never to come down to this floor again."

"Why not?"

"It's off limits. You don't have the right clearance for this area. I don't know how you got in the hallway in the first place. Usually the Invisi-wall is activated."

"The what?"

"I'll show you in a moment."

We reached the end of the hall and walked back toward the room Harry had been working in. Linda pulled a device out of her pocket and punched in a long string of numbers. We stopped walking.

"Turn around."

I turned and to my amazement the hall had changed! Where there had been a hall to the right there was now what looked to be a solid wall. My mouth dropped open in shock.

"How did you do that?"

"Nevermind how, just remember that you must never try to go to that hallway again. Understand?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"Good. Our tour is over. Mrs. Conlin will take you to your appartment. We'll meet with her upstairs."

She walked briskly up the stairs giving me no chance to question her as to why the tour had been cut short. I suppose it was because I went into that restricted hallway. What was so important down that way that I wasn't alowed to see?

At the top of the stairs, a pretty young woman introduced herself as Jennifer Conlin. Jennifer reminded me slightly of Hazel from the virtual world with her honey colored hair. Just as I turned to go, Linda grabbed my shoulder.

"Welcome back, Max."

She offered me a hand and I was surprised that she was nice enough to even shake my hand. I grabbed her hand in an embrace and could feel something pressing against my palm. I caught her eye and something about the look she gave me made me take what she had. I don't know why but I took it in a way that no one could have noticed we had exchanged anything. I put my hands in my pockets and stuck what seemed to be a peice of paper inside.

"Thank you, Linda."

"Your welcome," she said as I turned and followed Jennifer to an elevator.

I couldn't wait until I could get home and take a look at what she had given me. What could it be? I had no idea, but I knew that I was going to find out soon enough.