At the American military base in Japan named Blackburn, a lab was located two levels underground. Inside, techs sat at a black table, each one in front of a computer monitor. Off to the side, behind the lab personnel, Rydel and Will stood staring down at a blank laptop computer screen on a black table of their own. The two waited.
The laptop came to life with individual pulsing red lights appearing on the screen. "They're back. Inside sleeping quarters 19," Will said to Rydel.
A booming sound sent Will and Rydel falling to their knees. The half-dozen lab techs in front of them hit the floor hard, and then they were all in the dark. Above, emergency lighting sputtered on. Another sound, like water inside a washing machine, filled the room, followed by silence.
Rydel and Will were the first to rise from the floor. Rydel looked around at the others to see if anyone was injured.
"Rydel, let's go!" Will screamed.
"Wait, we need to check on the others."
"Now, Rydel!"
Will turned and ran toward the room's twin doors, opened them, and waited for Rydel to join him.
"Move, Rydel."
Rydel reluctantly started to walk toward Will and then stopped.
"No, Will."
Rydel ran back to the other lab techs on the floor and began to check each one, taking in the seriousness of their injuries.
"Rydel, let's go—let's go!" Will shouted, his voice angry and desperate.
Without looking back at Will, Rydel shouted just as intensely. "I can't!"
Three of the lab techs started to rise to their feet, staring blankly at Rydel. Rydel scampered over to the other techs unconscious on the floor. The last tech that he placed his hands on wasn't breathing. Rydel began CPR on the man just as another boom sent the lab into darkness for a few seconds, then the lights returned. Will had seen and had enough. He slipped out of the lab's twin doors and started to make his way to the panic room. Fluorescent lights, flickering off and on, lit his way down the hallway. He turned at the corner, slammed open the door to his right, and ran into John Adams's chest.
Two men stood behind John, eyeing Will. John grabbed Will's arms.
"What the hell's happening outside, Will?"
"I—uh…I don't know."
"You don't know—what the hell do you mean you don't know?"
"The lab got hit by something outside. Some are hurt—"
John sunk his fingers into Will's arms, and the man lowered to the ground from the pain inflicted. "Where's Rydel?"
"Still inside the lab."
John looked over his shoulder at the two men standing behind him. "You two look after him. Take him below—do not take your eyes off him."
"Why are you making me out to be the one that did something wrong?" Will meekly asked John.
John motioned for the two men to take Will away—right now. Both men, military-trained with beefy bodies and thick necks, took Will by each arm and led him away. John ran down the hallway and, in under a minute, reached and entered the lab to find Rydel leaning over a lab tech who'd just recently been stationed here. Jay Harold—a fellow New York Giants fan John would talk football with, primarily about how their team was going in the wrong damn direction.
Rydel lifted his head and spotted John out of the corner of his eye. "Heart attack, I believe. He's breathing now, John. But we need to get him proper medical."