The P.U.L.L || #Wattys2017

Chapter 45: Worldwide Storm

"For starters, let's get out of here." Joshua nervously muttered, looking around to see if there are any hidden panels or openings. "This is the hideout of the mastermind. Putting ourselves in his shoes, he should have built some sort of escape mechanisms everywhere so he could escape lest the plan fails. It's just my theory but there must be hidden panels here."

Gladiola, Emma, and Rick nodded at once. They knew that they're running out of options and they have to try their only way of escape. Even though there's a low chance that there are hidden panels, they desperately began looking for one.

.....

The Great Storm

This is the name given to the current occurrence around the world. It would later be recorded in the history books as worst storm ever to appear on earth. The storm had completely covered the entire world, making all sorts of chain reaction happen. In the Pacific where hundreds and thousands of islands reside, a huge storm surge and a series of gigantic waves began burying the islands one by one. At present, there are hardly any visible islands since they have been submerged completely under the Pacific. In Europe, America, and Africa, the storm had completely wrecked almost all skyscrapers. Even though they were barely free from the storm surge, their famous landmarks didn't receive any mercy from the harsh winds. The people who found shelter were temporarily safe but they knew that their peace won't last as long as the storm goes on. On the other hand, on the north and south pole, the storm had caused massive cracks and a few large ice bergs to break. An intense blizzard enveloped both of the poles due to the storm.

It would only be a matter of time before the whole earth falls into ruin.

.....

"Found it!" Joshua finally exclaimed. "This is a button-type panel, but I'm not sure if it's an escape route or a trap."

"Just go for it!" Rick impatiently said. "This cramped place is making me suffocate so we should probably get out of here as soon as we can. Either we try that, or we barrel through the guards  waiting for us in the vent. As for me though, the first option is better than the latter."

"Okay everyone, here goes." Joshua muttered. He quickly pushed the panel and shut his eyes, hoping that nothing unexpected will happen. Everyone braced themselves as the panel clicked into place.

Slide.

Much to their relief, the wall in front of them began to slide downwards, revealing a corridor right ahead of them."That's unexpected." Joshua muttered.

 After heaving a sigh of relief, everyone went out of the cramped room with Joshua on the lead. On their left side, they could see the amount of floors in the building. Joshua, Rick and Emma peeked from the left side of the corridor since half of it was open.

And that's when they saw it.

Looking down, they could see a huge sphere-shaped glass with some sort of bubbling fluid inside. A few pumps were connected to it, coming from the floor. It was at least twelve-foot tall, making it reach a little bit to the second floor where they were. "That's the..." Joshua began.

"The power-source, I know. " Gladiola interrupted from behind. "We should probably hurry. It's power output is beginning to enter its maximum so we have to shut it down before it's too late."

The group agreed. After finding the stairs, they hastily but quietly went down to the first floor. They were expecting the power-source to be heavily guarded but to their disappointment, not a single guard could be found. Still, they didn't let their guards down, just in case something unexpected happens.

Suddenly, Joshua motioned for all of them to stop. "Everyone, be careful. See, this thread right on our ankle-height? It's probably a trap. This must be why there aren't any guards patrolling around here. This place must be full of traps so we better be careful from now on. We should keep our eyes peeled."

"Okay, let's go." Emma responded.

The four of them cautiously walked towards the power-source. They knew that they're only a few steps away from deactivating it. Emma had already explained everything to Joshua while they were in the vent. Joshua know full well that both Gladiola and him are the only ones who could turn the power-source off. We should be able to take care of it. Joshua assured himself while they observed the power-source.

Now that they had gotten near it, they could sense the amount of energy being released from it. They could feel the heat escaping from the power-source, making them sweat a little bit. After going around it, they managed to found a couple of switches and whirring gizmos behind it. It's as if that part was the heart of the machine. "I think this is it. We just have to know how it works and then we'll turn it off." Joshua told them. "Do you know anything about this, Gladiola."

"That's not the one that controls the machine. And those switches are for its self-destruct mode so you better be careful not to touch anything." Gladiola replied. "As for how to deactivate this, there must be some sort of hand-scanner around here somewhere."

Gladiola set to work on looking for one and the others followed. Why is it that there are still no guards here? Joshua said to himself while observing the surroundings. There should be a few rushing here now since the alarm has been issued for quite a while now. Still, even the mastermind doesn't seem to know where we are. He could read minds, right? Then, how come he has not found us yet?

"Oh, I could see that you've taken an interest in my beautiful invention." Someone chuckled. "Well, I hope you enjoy looking at it! Feel free to examine it as much as you want!" The mastermind continued while giving a hearty laugh.

Click!

Suddenly, all of them were pushed down to the floor by some unseen force. Even Rick, who has superhuman strength, couldn't even get up. The four of the helplessly watched as Emma's aunt and uncle approach them with cold and emotionless eyes. 

What's happening?! Joshua thought as he desperately tried to stand up. Is this some sort of gravity controller? But how come we weren't able to detect them?!

"It's no use fighting against it." Karl muttered as he used electromagnet handcuffs on the four of them. "You escaped once. We're not letting it happen again." He added.