The Midnight Runner, Issue #003

Issue #003 – – – – – controlled by Ken Thompson – – – – – Credits 36

Racing to the ‘copter, The Midnight Runner reached the big bay windows which slid open automatically.  There the vehicle hovered just beyond the balcony, waiting to transport him to the unfolding crime.  He went to step out and then … stopped.

Very slowly, acting on pure instinct alone, her turned on the spot and back-tracked, looking at the control panel he’d passed in such a hurry.  Looking at the lights that were blinking there.  Looking, particularly, at that little red light.

Breach?  In the Deep Storage Centre?

It wasn’t a dream?

For a moment he was torn by indecision.  On the one hand there were those criminals committing a crime so close.  And they were pirates!  On the other hand his gut was now screaming at him to Pay Attention! to his own circumstances.  Instinct won out.  The Midnight Runner didn’t last this long in the hero business by second-guessing himself.  Long John Silver and his scurvy crew would have to wait.  Something was going on here.

“Xara, pulse rifle please.”  The computer opened the weapons storage cabinet and charged the weapon ready for his use.  Midnight took it from the rack.  It didn’t pack the same punch as his own plasma bolts, but his power base was limited and the rifle was a good backup.  He strode to the private elevator and stepped inside, calling out: “Basement level.”

When the elevator doors opened on the basement level nobody stepped out of the elevator.  At least – nobody visible did.  The Midnight Runner had become invisible en route and was now operating in his best stealth mode.  He moved swiftly across the landing to the silver door which was clearly marked “Private – Staff Only.”  He ran his hand over the panel, which was disguised as a discoloured wall tile and spoke the secret phrase.  The locks unsealed and a hiss of air escaped.  The Midnight Runner crept inside, sealing the door behind him.

Perhaps this wasn’t wise, after all he might need to escape quickly.  But what was down in Deep Storage was dangerous.  Midnight didn’t want to run the risk of an escape.  Not that there was much chance of that.  Nothing down there was actually alive.  But still, you just never knew with things like this.  He had learnt that the hard way.

Moving quietly down the steps, he picked his way by the green emergency lighting.  He didn’t want to trigger anything brighter, so as not to run the risk of alerting any enemy or intruder of his presence.  He hadn’t become a successful security consultant by making rookie mistakes like that.  He didn’t need to anyway.  His own eyesight was enhanced so that even this small amount of light let him see perfectly well.

At the bottom of the steps he peered into the vault.  The chambers were all there, their glass faces lit by the yellow LCD readouts that adorned them.  It was very cool down here and very quiet.  Unsettling, in a way.  He didn’t visit often because he didn’t like the way it made him feel.  Like a morgue.  Which was – of course – what it was in an odd sort of way.

The Midnight Runner crossed the room to the master panel and checked the information.  Much as he’d seen upstairs it confirmed a breach.  Also as per Xara’s information there was little else to be ascertained.  Which was remarkably odd.  Any breach would have triggered in a location – and that location should be clearly shown on the panel.  The fact that it was not indicated a malfunction, but the secondary screen denied any such malfunction had occurred.  “Weird,” Midnight muttered.  He decided the only way to be sure would be to check all the chambers individually.  It wasn’t a task he looked forward to.  It meant thinking about it all.  He didn’t like thinking about it.  Every time he tried to do so he felt sick, or tired, or terrified.  Or all three.  But what had to be done had to be done.

He looked into the first case.  The swaddled figure was in there, as still and cold and lifeless as ever.  He read the label at the top.  “Ultradoll.”  Making a tick on the pad he’d picked up he moved to the second case, which was much larger than the first.  The gigantic form within was secure.  He ticked off “The Devastator.”  As he reached the third case he could immediately see something was wrong.  Athough the case was completely secure, a glance at its contents revealed an empty space.  Whatever had been stored in here was stored in here no longer.  Which was, of course, impossible.  All these guys were dead.  More than that, they weren’t just dead, they didn’t even officially exist.  But this one impossible non-existent individual had apparently escaped, or been stolen.  Just then he heard movement from the far side of the vault.  A finger of dread crept along Midnight’s spine.  He looked at the label on the empty chamber.  “Dark Future.”