Pandora's Box

Chapter 25

We watched Dr. Sarah press something onto the wall and in every press, she makes there is some sort of a light green color. Just that and nothing else.

I was amazed because for an emergency bunker that she made for herself it is so much advance, that made me wonder, what are her connections to the higher-ups, to have easy access to the premium materials that she used to build this place.

Then after that, she stepped back as if she is waiting for something to happen, and not long after we witnessed what she is waiting for when we saw the wall of the doorless place split in two. Creating a gap that is enough for us to pass through.

A passageway.

She turned around and gave us the look before proceeding inside. As usual, I let the two passes first while I and Alexander are the last ones to pass through.

We started to walk when Leon created enough distance between us.

As expected, there is a bright light that greeted us, so there is nothing to worry about since our eyes quickly adapted and we can see clearly. For someone who concerns themselves about power conservation, this is too wasteful for me.

Forgive me, Dr. Sarah.

I just noticed that she is behind us. Well, there is no one here that knows how to close that door. Maybe that’s why she stayed behind.

“Hello,” I greeted her and she just wears that poker face of hers and I awkwardly look at Alexander and he gave me the same look as mine.

“Don’t mind her that much,” he told me. Maybe I should listen to Alexander. But she entertains questions and it does not feel right if I ignore her the whole time.

Well, there is something that I want to ask.

“If this crossed your mind,” I murmured. “Did the others think that the other terra formers can pass through the underground?” I asked her.

“The plasma barrier is a sphere,” she said and I did not get what she means by that so I just raised an eyebrow. “Imagine a snow globe,” she added and yeah, a picture of a snow globe crossed my mind. “That is the best explanation that I can give, this country is a snow globe that cannot be broken or shattered because the cold snow that lies within will spread,” she said seriously.

I looked back at Alexander and there, he is also confused?

A country that can be compared to a snow globe?

That does not answer the question, did the higher-ups address the creatures that can move underground to escape using the underground system?

That is something that I must find out soon.

Also, it is like that she is very much confident that she answered my question. We don’t have the same level of intellect when it comes to words. Dr. Sarah likes to play with her words and it seems to me that she enjoys making us think so deeply.

For now, I ignored that.

I will just think it this way, this country is full of geniuses so it is impossible that they ignored this fact, and I will just make myself believe that there is some sort of system to prevent such creatures to reach the outside world.

It did not take us long for us to reach the lobby.

“Yow,” a female greeted us, and oh boy I am surprised that there is already a group before us. There are five of them here plus us, another five which makes us ten inside this shelter.

The one who greeted us wears a big smile, and her smile is too infectious which made me form a smirk on my lips and I looked at her glorifying her long blonde hair, matched with snow-white skin. Like me, she is also wearing glasses. Her figure is perfect.

Which allowed me to think that she is a dream woman of all the males that exist in this world. She is not the only female since there are other two here which made us five in total. They are just staring at us, it’s like that they are scanning us for information.

But that was broken when Dr. Sarah slowly walked in front of us. Our eyes were stuck on her as she walks gracefully. The other five did too.

“Hey Sarah,” the blonde woman greeted her with her wide smile, and it seems like that she is the only one here that is not intimidated by her authority.

It seems like it to me.

“Hi Maddie,” she greeted back with her monotone voice.

“She’s beautiful,” I heard Jose whisper, he is not that far from us so I can hear his whispers with his camera recording. I don’t know if he is aware that other people can hear his whispers.

I take a glance at Alexander, and he is just there staring normally as if he saw her already in the past.

“You knew her?” I can’t help but ask. He glanced at me and smiled.

He’s cute, but I need answers to my question.

“Sort of,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“She’s my aunt,” he said that surprised me more.

“Your aunt?” I asked.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“How come you said ‘sort of’?” I asked him again.

“I rarely go to this place,” he answered and he has a point.

Why am I interrogating him?

“Never mind,” I said and turned my head to his sister talking to the woman she calls Maddie. I agree with Jose that this woman is some sort of a supermodel that has a brain of a nerd. I can tell if a person is a fellow nerd of mine. She is beautiful and has the brains to match it.

My definition of a perfect woman.

I do not envy her looks, since I can be beautiful on my own.

“Guys!” she shouted. Dr. Sarah. “These are my brother’s friends,” she announced. “They are staying with us until then,” she added.

“Nice to meet you!” Jose was the one who greeted them on behalf of us and I am thankful that he did that because we need to know each other.

“Nice to meet you too,” Maddie greeted back and she walked towards Jose and for some reason, Maddie is taller than him which is insightful because usually, men are the taller ones, and deep inside it made me proud.

Because for me, Maddie is asserting her dominance towards the voice.

But Jose seems to not mind that because I can see in his eyes that he is star-struck by Maddie.

“Hi,” he said and then a grin.

“Nice to meet you,” then Maddie turned to Leon who is wearing a frown, and shook his hand by force that surprised him, and since we put our distance from them, she turned to us and waved her hands while she walks towards us.

“Hey Alex!” she called to him.

“Hi, Aunt Maddie,” he greeted back.

“It’s been so long,” she said. “I remember seeing you this small,” she said while measuring his height by putting her hand on the air which she compares to her current height, and now she points her hand to her knees.

So, it was a long time because Alexander is a child when she last saw him. Also, Alexander surpasses her height by just a little bit.

“And who might you be,” she said while she looks at me and for some reason, I felt intimidated while she looks at me.

“I’m Jennifer,” I introduced myself to her.

“Can I call you Jen?” she asked me politely.

“Gladly do so,” I replied to her and she showed me a wide smile that made me release a sigh of relief.

“Nice,” she said. “Say, are you Alexander’s girlfriend?” she blatantly asked me and my eyes widened when she asked me that question.

“What are you asking her?” he protested.

“Don’t be ashamed besides she’s beautiful, you two are a perfect match,” she replied and I can feel my cheeks getting hotter and I can’t look at Alexander right now because of her words. I felt flattered because a beautiful woman just called me beautiful.

“She is my friend,” I heard Alexander say while I continuously look on the ground, hoping that this awkward moment in my life to end soon.

“A girl friend?” she asked.

“A friend,” he replied.

“That’s what I said,” she replied.

“No, you said girlfriend,” he denied.

“Well, that’s what you think, or maybe you two are really together, don’t keep secrets Alex my boy, your aunt is pretty sharp when it comes to stuff like that,” she added.

“What? No!” he exclaimed. He is telling the truth that we are friends but I am too ashamed right now to even lift my face to look at them.

“Hey Sarah,” she called. “Do you know that this is your little brother’s boyfriend?” she asked.

“It seems to be,” Dr. Sarah replied.

Eek. Even she joined in the teasing.

“Sis,” he protested.

“I swear to my heart that the two of us are friends,” he said and I cannot get a look on his face while he says that, I am too ashamed even to face him person right now.

“Y- yes, w- we are just friends,” I confirmed.

“Really? Bummer,” I heard Maddie say and her voice is low right now, and it seems like that she is disappointed to know that we are not together. “You two are a perfect match, pursue her,” I heard her whisper to Alexander and I did not hear a reply from him.

For a moment we are left there. With nothing but the awkwardness of the situation and we can feel the stares towards us. I don’t know what to do.

I just look on the ground.

Third Person’s Point of View

On the surface where the other researchers that did not evacuate in time are being murdered by giant ants with mutated features on their appearances and the government dispatched many units of the vanguard to contain the creature which breached their containment chamber.

This will be in the books, as one of the grimmest incidents inside the Prism State.