Free Toxic by Stéphane Desienne

him?”
    “Take him with you.”
    The Russian recoiled. The option wasn't at all appealing to him, and Jave could see that. The emissary extended a mechanical arm towards him. “Don't make me use force.”
     
    Resigned, Oleg came closer and put his hands on the transverse alloy composite which folded around his torso. Wedged in like this, there was no risk of him falling. The alien activated his agrav repulsors and together, they rose above the street, offering him a unique view of the unfortunate ending of one of humanity's model cities.
    The infected wandered like damned souls in the middle of a decrepit world which was falling into ruin. They flew along the cracked walls, façades marked by fighting or weather. The apartments with their broken windows seemed like sepulchral skylights, open to the wind.
    Oleg lowered his eyes. His legs were hanging out in the open, above a city which he had known as dynamic and noisy.
The most surprising of all,
he thought,
was the silence
. He didn't hear any of the sirens or horns which had made up the everyday sounds of the inhabitants. They flew like birds between the buildings where flora and fauna were being reorganized in levels, taking advantage of the verticality which kept them out of the reach of the hordes that proliferated under the sun.
    The group set down just before the entrance that lead to the underground subway. Already, the infected, grouped together at the end of the street, were starting to move in their direction. Oleg waited at the alien's side, without moving.
    The robotic recon brought good news. The partial flooding of the premises didn't stop them from passing, as long as they remained on the upper levels. They would have water up to their calves, which it considered acceptable.
    The troop started down the metal stairs. The armored aliens lit up their helmet projectors. Two mercenaries had the back of the group.
    The heavily damaged walls showed signs of major firearms damage. The halo of a lamp captured a half-torn up sign with the words
Siva-B
, followed by
Don't break the law. Get vaccinated!
    Oleg shot an ironic glance which Jave questioned. He let them know the basis of his thoughts. “Da, we vaccinated thousands of people with this shit and look where we are now.”
    “Now's not the time to lag behind,” the Primark nagged.
    The Russian brought them to a door which one of the troopers smashed open with a kick. The beams of light didn't even reach the other side.
    “The main entrance to the complex is about five hundred meters from here.”
    The narrow tunnel forced them to go single file. Their armor scraped the walls in places. Oleg didn't feel right. If they were to run into something bad, they would be in an unpleasant situation. He took a deep breath upon arriving at the room, which was big enough for them to deploy a security perimeter.
    Oleg pointed to the massive entrance. “The laboratory takes up five levels and runs up to the edge of the Hudson River. Like I told you, everything was burned after the alarm was triggered and purification procedures were initiated. It's not very likely that you'll find useful information.”
    “That, we'll judge for ourselves,” retorted Naakrit, giving a sign to one of the mercenaries. The mercenary then placed a cord on the armored entrance. “There's no risk to you.”
    Once it was placed, the device emitted a blinding glow. The rectangular cut glowed for several seconds before a soldier gave the panel a light push, making it fall backwards with a muffled thud.
     
    Jave was first to cross the still smoking threshold.
    The lights of his PAS swept across the darkness. The rooms seemed impenetrable, the walls burnt to a cinder by an intense heat. The emissary put his foot down. A film of carbon remained glued to his metal-covered toes. He felt like he was walking on top of a plate of glass which crunched and cracked under his steps.
    “No radiation,” Naakrit said. “They didn't use atomics to zap their