Survival Bunker System Developer

Prediction and Partnership

Helen settled down in an hour and started to open her heart to Caleb. The man before her might sound insane but Helen was willing to believe him and give the man the benefit of doubt. Caleb didn’t think Helen would give in so easily but he wasn’t complaining.

“Tell me more about the future that you’ve seen or your past life. Why did you seek me out?”

The system developer smiled. “You’re the best hope we have right now to find a cure for PXE22. I don’t know what kind of virus you scientists are creating but it has to stop. The end of the world has already begun because of it even if I was given a second chance at life to try and stop it. Don’t ask me how I came to this conclusion, it isn’t my choice. If I had to explain how it happened, I blame it on lazy divine intervention.”

Helen had many questions about that but didn’t ask them right away. Instead, she wanted to know how Caleb found out about Project PXE22 and how much he already knew. One thing bothered the scientist. Caleb talked about PXE22 like it was a virus created by scientists to make humanity extinct. That was very far from the case and Helen wanted to know why Caleb thought of it with such negativity.

“How much do you know about PXE22?”

Caleb shrugged. “As much as what I’ve seen from the future and what I managed to get my hands on so far. Rockfeller University has already banned you from getting yourself further involved. If I’m not wrong, their next move is to erase everything about the project you and Dr Fellowes worked on. I don’t know why the government would sponsor such a cruel project but it must stop. You have to help me stop the spread before it becomes an apocalypse.”

The scientist frowned. “What are you talking about? PXE22 is not a virus and the government is not funding us. This is a collaboration within Rockfeller University by the various professors to work on the new submission for the Nobel Prize. The concept for PXE22 is about evolution to create a breakthrough for human intelligence. Neurologists have confirmed that if the DNA coding can be successfully modified to replicate an evolution, the next generation of humans and the generations to come will be able to unlock the more hidden potential of their brains. PXE22’s success will open the door for a new era of more intelligent creators ahead of our time. Space technology, deep-dive technology, cloning, extending lifespan and all can be made possible if we get more researchers capable of putting their new IQ to use. Some theories about unlocking Esper abilities from PXE22’s experiment have been going around but nobody can say what’s going to happen until I succeed in breaking through evolution.”

The system programmer frowned. Not wanting to burst the bubble of the optimistic researcher with his words, he could only bring up evidence of the bad news that was about to happen.

Helen was puzzled as to why she was watching videos of cannibal rats and birds. However, she understood why Caleb was showing them to her. His views about PXE22 were very different from hers. The cannibalistic behaviour in these animals was similar to the second stage of PXE22’s experiment. The rats in the lab were behaving exactly like the rats seen in Tramway Plaza.

After watching it, Helen turned pale. Caleb took his laptop back. “Still think that my story about an apocalypse is just a story? I’m a man of science and technology too. I don’t believe in God and I’m proud to be an atheist but the proof of my current existence and knowledge defies that. Project PXE22 didn’t turn out the way you expected it to be and now that there were four victims, there will be more. Whoever thought that getting rid of the bodies by dumping it away was a good idea had made a terrible mistake. PXE22 is mutating as we speak even if it isn’t a virus. They are very capable of transmitting from species to species and in no time, humans will be next.”

Helen shuddered. She knew that Caleb was telling the truth but she refused to believe it. “How do you know?”

“I’ve seen it,” he told her without humour.

The way Caleb described what he saw in his past life scared Helen but as the scientist who worked on PXE22 for so long, she couldn’t deny that there wasn’t a possibility of that happening.

“The rats and birds are already showing signs of PXE22’s development at stage two. It wouldn’t take long for them to self-awaken and start the process of ghoulification as you call it,” Helen told the system developer who nodded.

“However, I still cannot trust you enough to hand you the research papers for Project PXE22 until I see the evidence. You said that you were from the future so tell me something that can prove it. Also, I’m banned from entering the university and my lab where I have all the equipment I need to work on a cure.”

Caleb listened to Helen’s request and thought about it. He could provide her with the evidence she needed and secure the lab that she wanted. However, he was pressed for time and needed some information right away to make his bunker preparations.

“How about this… You give me information about the stages and behaviours of victims infected by PXE22 and I will help you secure the lab and equipment you need.”

The scientist raised her brow. “How will you do that? Do you think that any ordinary person would be able to waltz in the research labs without access? In case you aren’t aware, I’m banned from entering. The management confiscated my access card so even if we can break into the campus, we cannot access my lab.”

Caleb laughed. The scientist was so naïve. “Do you think I need an access card to get to your lab? It wasn’t difficult to hack the network and get your personal information. I don’t think the access card is going to pose much of an issue for someone like me. Also, I’ve backed out everything I can find from the system regarding PXE22 but I’m not stupid enough to believe that’s everything. As the lead researcher on the team, you would know better how some things aren’t recorded. I want all this information once you verified that my information about the future is true.”

Helen weighed the risks and agreed. Caleb’s vision of the apocalyptic future scared her. If PXE22 was the reason why humanity faced extinction in three months then she was responsible for cleaning up the mess.

“Here’s what would happen,” Caleb told the scientist who listened carefully. “On the 1st of May, tune in to all news channels. You will see reports about animals attacking humans and pets becoming violent. You should also start paying attention to news about mysterious death cases arising in areas like Williamsburg, Upper East Side Manhattan and Astoria in a few days. Your area isn’t safe so I hope you won’t become a victim of PXE22 before that. By the time the murder cases hit double digits, you will start to see obvious changes but it would be too late by then. PXE22 will be unstoppable and that will be the height of the first wave.”

Helen swallowed. Astoria was one of the safer neighbourhoods in New York City that was close to Manhattan. To hear that it was one of the places most severely affected in the apocalypse made her uneasy even though she had yet to verify Caleb’s information.

“In the second wave, PXE22 would have spread to other areas like Jersey City, Upper Manhattan and Brownsville. By that time, the government would declare it a pandemic and lock down the city. Soon after, the army will be called in to control the situation and nobody will be permitted to leave. Within two months the government will recall the army as the ghouls take over the city. Survivors will be left in bunkers and resources will be cut including water and electricity. It’s not a pleasant future but it gets worse.”

Helen listened to Caleb describe in detail about his confrontation with a ghoul that possesses intelligence and strange abilities.

“It can yell and command other regular ghouls of the same species. At the same time, it has the ability to regenerate. I don’t know how much it could regenerate but it was able to regenerate from a bullet wound to its chest by eating another ghoul. Ghouls are cannibals but I’ve never seen them eat another ghoul until this strange one appeared. Bunkers were designed to keep ghouls out but this intelligent deviant targeted the bunkers and knew where humans were hiding. The coordinated attacks on the bunker by this ghoul brought all three of my defence layers down and killed me.”

The scientist listened without speaking but the horror that Caleb described made her feel apologetic for the system developer. Although she didn’t have her evidence, she was willing to believe in the future that Caleb saw. If PXE22 was able to transform rats into aggressive cannibals, it would be able to turn humans into ghouls. She didn’t know what the awakened form of PXE22 would look like but after hearing how Caleb described that deviant made Helen believe his words. The purpose of PXE22 was to force a creature to evolve into a higher type of existence and if ghoulification was only the first stage, the second stage was the true beginning of PXE22’s true potential. The learning curve of the awakened ghoul will increase dramatically and threaten humanity’s existence if her evolution theory was right. PXE22 was a micro-organism that fought itself continuously to gain experience as it ate its clones to grow stronger. Once it enters a new environment, it will do the same to become stronger. PXE22 will consume other cells and learn their DNA to replicate it in itself before it clones itself and repeats the process of becoming better.

Sighing in defeat, Helen got up to retrieve a small flash drive where she copied out her research about PXE22 that wasn’t uploaded to the University’s system. This was her personal research data and it was more detailed than the copy Caleb got his hands on. For now, Helen decided to lend the system developer a hand because she believed in the future that he saw. Still, she decided to buy some time and told Caleb that she would contact him after verifying the future that he saw with her own eyes.

Caleb received the flash drive with gratitude. The four hours he spent here to convince the scientist wasn’t in vain and he honestly thought he would need to do a lot more to convince her.

“That flash drive is a backup of all my research notes and hypotheses for Project PXE22. One small thing, PXE22 is not a virus so I cannot create a ‘cure’ although I can work on creating a counter for the micro-organism. Think of it as a natural PXE22 killer. I can try but there are no guarantees. Also, you mentioned that a divine existence brought you back to life with the task of building bunkers and saving humanity. How does that work? Can you really build bunkers that will not be destroyed by the awakened ghoul?”

Caleb paused and looked away awkwardly. “That’s something still on my to-do list. I was too busy trying to confirm the facts about PXE22 and find out more information about it that I haven’t gotten time to verify the new abilities I’m given. However, once I know what they do, I will let you know. It’s something straight out of a sci-fi book so even I am having a hard time wrapping my head around it.”

Helen smirked. “Have fun. I’m looking forward to the bunkers that you will create this time.”

Caleb scowled as the woman was clearly mocking him. Even if he didn’t understand that advanced technology and the system, he was still one of the world’s best system developers. He would figure out how to use it by the time the scientist contacted him again. For now, he backed off and gave the woman space to make her decision. The flash drive that she gave him was like a deposit. He will return to collect the rest of her cooperation in a week.

“I’ll leave for today but I do suggest that you start packing up and making arrangements to leave your apartment in a week. Things will not look very good for Astoria by then and you’ll need your lab equipment to work on the cure,” Caleb said and Helen rolled her eyes.

“It’s not a cure but whatever. Now get out of my house, I’ll contact you when I’m ready.”

Caleb took the hint and left the apartment but his mind was full of thoughts about a new problem on the way back home in his car. Helen was right about that mysterious Survival Bunker System. From the time he woke up till now, he didn’t see the system anywhere. Was the mysterious being pulling his leg about giving him a system? He scanned his entire laptop and tried to find any strange software in it that he hadn’t installed previously but there was nothing. His email was clean and there wasn’t anything in the spam box that told him to download that strange system.

Caleb frowned. He assumed that the Survival Bunker System was going to be a type of software but he might be wrong. It could be some kind of equipment but he didn’t receive any packages till now. He understood that to use the system he had to meet its requirements and Caleb had no problems with using money to unlock more abilities. However, the more pressing issue was not being able to find the system, much less access it to understand what he needed to do.

God must have made a mistake. Caleb wasn’t too surprised and his opinion of God was even more unfavourable than before. He knew that there was a lot of information crammed into his head before he came back to life but of all the information that he could recall, he wasn’t taught how to find or access the system. It was like receiving a user manual to set up and use a computer without having a computer to use.

“This is ridiculous,” he groaned and pulled up at the parking lot below his apartment building. It was late afternoon and Caleb missed lunch so he decided to get that settled first before he figured out how to access the bunker system that he had to use to save humanity.

“One step at a time,” he consoled himself. Oh, who was he kidding? It was going to take a while.