Week 2

67. The Evacuation

67. The Evacuation

Mayor Paris Ng was beginning to relax. Two weeks had passed since the avian flu pandemic had struck San Lazaro and, although challenging, the situation had been kept under control. The citizens were following lockdown procedures and media coverage had generally remained positive. Such outbreaks occurred from time to time, and Mayor Ng felt that her administration had coped effectively.

53. Safety or Freedom?

53. Safety or Freedom?

Lady Rose was counting piles of cash with Little Jenny when H3x knocked on the door and entered.

‘What is it?’

‘Some news about Xi.’

Lady Rose stood up from the desk and hurried over to her tech expert. She had been deeply upset at the theft of her beloved pet Komodo dragon.

52. Animal Rescue

52. Animal Rescue

‘Impressive creature.’

Ryder “El Jefe” Arcadia peered through the reinforced glass at the Komodo dragon. The lizard was eight feet from nose to tail; currently tearing a deer carcass apart and gorging on the bloody flesh.

Winston ‘Winner’ Malik was sitting on a stool outside the cell, studying his laptop.  ‘This one’s more impressive than most, El Jefe.’

40. Spar Wars

40. Spar Wars

Lady Rose led ‘Little’ Jenny into one of the gym’s practice rooms. They hadn’t sparred like this for months but she could tell the bodyguard was unsettled by the recent promotion of Gudu, Rose’s chief enforcer. Now was the time to spend some time together; boost her confidence and perhaps improve her fighting skills. Rose had Jenny, Gudu and others to protect her but she was also a capable martial artist herself. She felt that someone of her diminutive size had to compensate with superior skill. The bodyguard was very strong and powerful but she needed to work on her agility.

38. To Kill, or Not to Kill...

38. To Kill, or Not to Kill...

Karina ‘Bolt’ Ivanova walked out of the silent apartment block and sat down on a nearby bench. She was glad that Aunt Nadia had been relocated to a safe zone but disappointed that she wouldn’t get to see her. Hopefully the phone networks would be restored before too long and they could at least talk.

36. The Secret Agent

36. The Secret Agent

Walking home from work, eating an apple. Nice weather. Warm, no clouds. Tough shift at the hospital. Didn’t sit down all day. Really need a good sleep tonight. Oh, at least my coms implant updated …

I’m a secret agent on a secret mission. I have to get the package to the top of the building; then I can escape on the helicopter. The package is in my hand. Can’t let go.

28. Fly Like an Eagle

28. Fly Like an Eagle

Athena was tired. She had been up patrolling the skies for much of the previous day and was now resting on her favorite perch – a metal strut close to the elephant enclosure. Below, the other animals were gathered, eating from a box of fruit that Walter had found somewhere.

15. The Runaway Train

15. The Runaway Train

The CIA team was down to two. Five of them had arrived in San Lazaro with instructions to gain all available intelligence on the state of the city. They had been dropped in by helicopter three days previously but their original mission was now long forgotten. As they had lost one member to rioters and the other two to the diseased and murderous civilians, the priority was survival.