The Corona Mystery - Ep 2

In the core room of the lab, right in the center, was the escape hatch. It was open and they could see the beginning of a tunnel that went underground.

Without a second thought, Mike jumped in. Vicky and Jen went in after him.

Dark and curvy, the tunnel snaked through the underground. They hustled and ran. Every minute counted...if they had to stop the bio-weapon from getting out into the big wide world.

Mike could sense light, indicating they were somewhere near the end of the snaky tunnel. It had taken them a good 5 minutes. When they popped up in the open, they found themselves in a forest.

Tracking the footprints, Mike again led the way. Jen and Vicky gave him cover just in case they were in for a trap.

They could get a sense of what had happened. Whoever it was that had the bio-weapon had a well-planned escape plan in place and that importantly, probably, included a speed boat.

He had not thought about it a moment too soon; coz just then he could hear the sound of one starting, right then.

They ran fast, their special combat shoes thudding into the ground. They burst through the forest right into the majestic expanse of the South China Sea right in front of them. Just to see an orange red speed boat zooming away. Out of shooting range.

“Jet on guys.” They activated their jets and took off.

The speed boat after taking a sharp curve had disappeared around an islet.

As quickly as they reached the bend so quickly they realized they had lost the bio-weapon. The speed boat was abandoned and they had escaped

Through another tunnel in the island. And this time they didn’t know where the tunnel was.

End of the chase.

Entry of the bio-weapon into the big wide world.

They stood in mid-air their jets spewing fire on their backs.

Don’t Show Me Your Face Again

It was nothing short of a court martial. The joint military board of enquiry.

They had just one query.

“Could you not bust a spiky little lab with 5 security guards?”

“They had an escape plan.”

“Of course they would.

Haven’t you been trained in cutting off escape routes?”

“It was underground.”

“You could have used the drone. Let it inside.

“They would have shot it down”

“Who.. The security guards?!”

“They had guns. They were armed.”

“You could have planned a night operation.”

“It looked professional. They had well planned multiple secret, underground, forested, sea escape routes with state of art...”

"Of course they would. They weren't frying peanuts. If it weren’t you Mike Damon one time best of the elite command of the US joint forces...

You just botched up.”

Mike could see it coming

“You couldn’t bust a godammed spiky little lab.

You are suspended from all active operations of the US elite commandoes with immediate effect Lieutenant General Mike Damon.

We aren’t sorry to appoint you as night warden of the undergraduate army cadet college.

You can collect your letter. Dismissed.”

“Meeting adjourned.” The gavel fell on the brown desk.

The officers got up.

General David Grant, Mike’s one time mentor stepped up and walked towards him in a measured gait.

His face was taut.

“Don’t show me your face again Mike.”

“I have one last request David...

Can I get to keep my jet pack?”

“You are no superman...anymore.”

“After all I helped design it...”

“You allowed the virus a chance to get into the wide wide world too, Mike Damon. You are history for the army.

Good Bye.

And...:”

A slight pause.

“Don’t show me your face again.”

The Loser In A Pub

He walked into the military office.

‘I was supposed to be a hero busting an international bio-weapon in a spiky little lab in a goddamned little reef somewhere in outer sea’

He was getting thoughts into his head that he couldn’t shut out.

“Here, your papers night warden.”

‘People now calling me a night watchman.’

The thoughts kept coming.

“You can think about under cover of darkness operations, night warden.”

Mike flinched.

Mike had learnt at an early age. A winner is a winner. A loser... well, is a loser. A loser’s logic seems stupid. It was no use trying to convince. Nobody would want to listen to a loser. A loser, well, is a loser. That’s why he is called... he had to literally shut his train of thought with bottles of Corona. The beer Corona.

Come to think of it. ..A pub is the only place that suits both a winner and a loser.

‘From elite commando to night watchman. What have you become Mike Damon? It’s hilarious.’

He started laughing at himself -

‘Ha Ha Ha Ha. From elite commando to night watchman...Ha Ha Ha Ha.’

One more beverage finally shut down his brain.

Hopefully a pub induced stuporous sleep would help reboot his brain network.

Life outside the elite force was staring at him.

His self-esteem had taken a punch. His reputation was as torn as well - anything you can remember tattered; he wouldn’t say that dirty word. The feminists would file a case on him.