CHAPTER SEVEN

BURNT TOAST AND TRIAL RUNS

“Well, it basically works like electricity, right?” Alex asked, trying to understand what they were up to.

Donovan, right arm ablaze with green energy, being the Guinea pig and the most unconvinced of the group, answered guardedly, “Well, yeah, but it's just hard to regulate it. I mean, I've poured that green lightning through my arm and into a lot things. Some things I lit up with no problem”

“And others?” Alex asked as he sipped a drink from his glass.

Donovan just shook his head, “Yeah, and others I blew the hell up!”

“Yeah, I can attest ta that, my friend. He nearly electrocuted me in the alley down there!” Rachel chimed in in her Cajun southern drawl. 

“You were ok, miss...” Donovan tried to reassure.

Lt. Dean interjected to try and direct things in the right direction, “All I'm sayin' is we get him to power up the mechanism on top of the elevator and ride it straight down to the lobby!”

Frank grins, “Until he blows us up...”

Sarge shot him a look as he always did as the others went on.

Donovan jumped back in, “I don't like it, but I'll try it. Thanks to Frank, we're all out of options!”

“Unless you want repel down a few floors and fight your way through God knows what just to get to the other stairwell. And, THEN, you have over fifty to sixty floors to sneak through and HOPE you don't alert any zombies!”Dean laid it out.

Putting his glass on the bar, Alex exclaimed, “Well, I for one am in no shape to swing down the elevator shaft so I say we give it a shot!”

Lt. Dean looked expectantly over at Sarge.

He looked, at first, like he was dead set against this, then, suddenly, he let out a sigh of surrender, “Awe, damn, if the kid is willing to give it go, let’s do it. But, first we test it out!”

As he finished, Sarge walked in behind the bar as if looking for something.

Donovan looked worried, “What kinda test?”

Popping out from behind the bar, Sarge slammed a small toaster oven down and grinned at the boy, “With this. Let's see you power this up. Go ahead, son, give it a go!”

Donovan looked hesitant as Lt. Dean encouraged him, “Go ahead, Donovan. You can do this. We need you to do this!”

That was all he needed. The young man stepped up to the bar with Dean stepping in just behind him peering over his shoulder like a kid at the candy store. Sarge just stood across the bar from him and grinned. Alex paid them no attention but poured himself another drink and kept his seat at the bar. Rachel stepped back a few steps as Frank didn't even move but just laughed a bit to himself at the absurdity of it all.

Donovan's arm had been glowing the whole time. And unbeknownst to the others, it was hurting as Donovan would put it, “Like a mother!”

He stepped up and put his right hand on the little toaster oven and closed his eyes. Slowly he began to release the green lightning into the metal box. Sarge could tell the kid was straining; trying not to release the whole blast at once as he usually did. But there was no way the gruff military officer could tell how bad it hurt the boy right now. He had gotten used to the pain and could hide it well. But, even through the pain, Donovan could tell it was working. He relaxed enough to grin as the heating elements in the small toaster oven lit up as if plugged into the wall. 

Dean grinned like a proud pop, “It's working!”

Donovan continued for a little while grinning at his success. That is until something happened. None of the others noticed, but the young New Yorker could feel a fluctuation he didn't like. The smile disappeared and the others noticed.

Sarge ordered, “Hold on, son! Just hold on a little longer!”

“I'm trying! I'm trying!” Donovan strained.

But, at that point, it was too late. As the strain became too much, the rest of the remaining energy exploded from his fingers causing him to scream. Sarge dropped instinctively behind the bar as Dean just starred on in horror as the raw power rippled through the small metal rectangular box causing the metal to buckle and break. After a moments struggle, Donovan lost all control as the toaster oven exploded with a powerful green fireworks show. Donovan was blown back, carrying Lt. Dean with him into one of the booths. The raw green energy flowed through the bar and up through Alex's arm and glass blowing the glass right out of his hand. 

From the outside, it would have looked like a thunderstorm had broken out inside the bar on top the Westin; only green. But after a minute it was over. There was a smoky haze in the room now and it smelled a little like burn rubber. Lt. Dean pushed Donovan off of him in disgust as he pulled himself up. All of them could hear the faint laugh coming from the corner. As Dean turned, he was met with the grin of Frank once more.

“Thought you worked with Army Intellegence? HA!” Frank made fun.


“Damn!” Was all Donovan could say as he stood up.

All eyes turned to the toaster oven which now laid in a melted clump of metal on the bar. You could vaguely make out the shape of the door on the front of it. Sitting next to it, still holding his hand up to his mouth like he had a glass in it, was Alex and he was still smoking a bit.

“You ok, Alex?” Dean asked.

“Oh, yeah, I'm great! I'm lucky I didn't shred my face up with the shrapnel from the exploding glass! Damnit, you people are gonna get me killed!!” Alex raged as he got up and went behind the bar.

“Where you goin?” Rachel asked.

“After a drink!” Alex bellowed, “Damned mutant freak!!”

Lt. Dean interjected, “What about Sarge!?”

“He can get his own damned drink!” Alex shot back a little jumpy.

Suddenly, rising from behind the bar, the buzz topped head of Sarge peers up at the blown apart toaster oven, “DAMN!”

Suddenly, noises come from Alex's pants pocket; something like a faint chime.

“Your pants are ringing...” Frank quipped dryly.

Alex looked around at him and snapped, “Mind you own damned...wha?”

Suddenly, the tipsy German-American realized the noise was indeed coming from his pants. Reaching in the pocket, Alex retrieved a small, thin cell phone which was, even now, flashing and buzzing and chiming. Alex looked at it bewildered.

At about the same time, a voice came from Sarge's military holster, “Sigma-Niner-Niner...answer...”

Sarge just stared at the voice for a minute and then quickly pulled out his walkie-talkie and answered, “This is Omega team calling base! Can you read me base?”

He stopped and waited breathlessly at first.

“Omega team this is base, report your situation.” came the voice.

Sarge never hesitated to answer, “This is Omega team leader and I am the only survivor. Repeat, the rest of Omega team is terminated.”


“Roger that, team leader. Prepare for extraction.”

“I have civilian survivors; four total. And a military officer, one Lt. Dean from South Carolina.” Sarge reported.


“Atlanta is a loss. General Sherman has been summoned.”


Sarge asked quickly, “How long till the General arrives?”

“A bout a week.”

That seemed to stun Sarge as he just stared into space for a moment.

“Report location. Will be leaving Fort McPhearson a day before the General's arrival.”

Alex began swiping the touch screen of his smart phone frantically, “Hey, Facebook is still working!”

That brought Rachel and Lt. Dean looking over his shoulder.

Rachel, “Anything on New Orleans?”

Dean, “How about the President? Is he ok?”

Alex kept swiping; ignoring the both of them. Suddenly, he opened his missed calls and accidentally started playing the last missed message.

“Hey, babe. Gettin' worried. Things are ok here, but the news is scaring me. Is Atlanta really that bad? You have to let me know. I know we weren't talking much, but considering what's going on....well, we need you babe. Please come home...I'm scared.....pshft....”

Suddenly the phone crackled with green energy and got hot to the touch. As Alex dropped it to the floor it exploded into pieces. At the same time, so did Sarge's walkie almost burning his hand. 

Alex turns to Donovan, “Bring her back...”

Donovan, looking confused, replies “What?"

“I said bring her back, you mutant freak-job!” Alex was starring wildly at the young man now as he be started walking toward him.

“I can't..” Donovan said as Alex lunged at him. Dean and Rachel both stopped him; holding him back.

Suddenly, there was a crunch from behind the bar. As everyone looked it was Sarge chomping down on a piece of burnt toast. 

“Thought I'd better get some toast while I still could. Between the kid and Frank, we won't be seeing any for a while. So, how about everybody calm down a minute and let's take this one step at a time...”

Sarge continued crunching the black toast as all present just stared at him.